Swara Yoga – Qualities associated with the Nadis
October 25, 2007
By direct observation Swara yogis discovered the link between breath in the two nostrils and the efficient performance of specific activities. Following is a list of qualities associated with the nostrils:
Swara Yoga – Three aspects of Breath
|
Right Nostril |
Left Nostril | Both Nostrils |
| Exhalation | Inhalation | Natural Pause |
| Bahir Kumbhaka | Antar Kumbhaka | Kevala Kumbhaka |
| Apana | Prana | Samana |
| Pingala | Ida | Sushumna |
| Warm | Cold | Nuetral |
| Dark Forthnight | Bright Forthnight | Middle of forthnights |
| Awareness of External world | Awareness of mental world | Awareness of Causal World |
| Sun | Moon | I Conciousness |
| Mooladhara | Swadhistana | Manipura |
| Time | Space | Union of Two |
| Four stages of jagrat | Four stages of swapna | Fours stages of sushupti |
| Left Brain | Right Brain | Whole brain |
| Manas and Ahamkara | Chitta and memory | Discriminative faculty of mind |
Swara Yoga – Important aspects of the five elements
|
Element |
Finger width | Taste | Colour | Angle from Nostril |
| Earth | 12 | Sweet | Yellow | Middle |
| Water | 16 | Astringent | White | Downwards |
| Fire | 4 | Bitter | Red | Upwards |
| Air | 8 | Sour | Smoky Blue | Slanting |
| Ether | Inside the nostril | Pungent | Black, Many colours | Diffused |
| Left Nostril | Right Nostril |
| Days: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday | Sunday, Tuesday, Saturday |
| Cycles: Ascending moon cycle | Descending Moon Cycle |
| Directions to be avoided for travel: East and North | West and south |
| Influential Levels: Ahead, Left and above | Influentials Levels: ** Behind, right and below |
| Nature: Magnetic, feminine, lunar, alkaline | Nature: Electrical, Masculine, Solar, acidic |
| Suitable for: Peaceful activities | Suitable for: Difficult activities |
| Duration: One to two hours | Duration: one to two hours |
| Connected with: Right Hemisphere of the brain. Left side of the body | Connected with: Left hemisphere of the brain and right side of the body |
| Dominant: Morning following the new moon night | Dominant: Morning following full moon night |
| Sanskrit Name: IDA | PINGALA |
| Body Chemistry: Mucus Dominated | Bile Dominated |
| Stable business requiring no movement | Unstable business, requiring movement |
| Long term activities | Temporary activities or jobs that can be done quickly |
| Collecting food grains and necessities of life | Studying or teaching martial arts |
| Beginning of study (School education) | Studying hard skills and destructive sciences |
| Playing musical instruments | Writing manuscripts |
| Singing | Practice of the shastras |
| Learning to Dance | Practice of tantra, yantra and mantra |
| Construction of hermitage, temple | Destruction of country |
| Planting, Gardening | Chopping wood and lighting fire |
| Building wells, swimming, pools and ponds | Cutting gems and jews, sculpting and carpentry |
| Giving charity and lending money | Accepting charity, borrowing |
| Marriage: birth of baby | Prostitution, sexual indulgence (male only) |
| Purchasing clothes, ornaments and land | Selling cattle |
| Performing rituals for pacification, appeasement and attaining worldly pleasure | Commiting crimes, corrupt practices |
| Frendship, meeting relatives | Eradicating, poisoning or subduing enemies |
| Making efforts to establish peace | Hunting, killing, holding a sword |
| Preparing divine medicine or chemicals | Practising medicine |
| Treatment of diseases, theraphy | Fighting, dueling, wrestling, boxing |
| Worshipping guru | Seeing a king, meeting and addressing officials |
| Entering a new house, village, town, country | Driving a vehicle |
| Thinking abt relatives ill health | Having a discussion or debate |
| Being initiated into a spiritual order, practicisn disciplines | Climbing a mountain |
| Addressing one’s master | Invoking and mastering evil spirits, pacifying poison |
| Service | Ordering, giving commands |
| Performing auspicious acts | Gambling |
| Starting a new colony, order or community | Swimming across torrential rivers |
| Opening a bank account | Worshipping evil spirits, mastering mantras for power, vigor and bravery |
| Knowledge of past, present and future | Knowledge of unseen or unheard off things |
| Curing fever | Purification by vomiting, enema, yogic kriyas |
| Applying sandal wood paste to the forehead | Using drugs and poison |
| Taking a new vow | Drinking liquor |
| Drinking non alcoholic beverages | Eating and defecating |
| urinating | Bathing |
| Meditating | Captivating members of opposite sex (Male) |
| Expressing anger | |
| Producing works of illumination | |
| Working with accounts, ledgers etc |
Entry Filed under: Breath, swara yoga, yoga. .
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1. V K Shridhar | November 29, 2007 at 8:39 am
Very-very surfacial knowledge has been imparted, which does not lead the readers to understand its un-limited usage & power. Rather it shall bring disrepute to this knowledge.
Better the author should guide the readers to some treatises from where he can learn the subject.
It may misguide the readers like :
Youy have said that Right nostril should be active while taking bath .
Correct information is that right nostril should be active when bath is taken with cold water; left when with hot water.
PLEASE BRUSH UP YOUR KNOWLEDGE BEFORE YOU WRITE / GUIDE THE READERS.
2. drvacharya | November 29, 2007 at 9:36 am
@V K Sridhara
There is no claim here that this is a comphrehensive article. Swara Yoga practices are too vast to be incorporated in a single blog post. There is no guidance being given here. Only major characterstics of the Nadis are listed. Which are all correct in their own framework and validated by personal experience, the experts and traditional scriptures. All the qualities mentioned have a direct reference in the two scriptues Shiva Swarodaya and Swara Chintamani. And this is also validated and referenced by authors like Swami Muktibodanada and Harish Johari. I am only highlighting the information from these sources here.
It should be understood that the information present here is only indicatory. It should be viewed within its own precise context and perspective. I assume that intelligent readers are discerning enough to understand this. Also reference to books and traditional sources is provided in another article in this blog. Your misgivings that this post will bring disrepute to the knowledge of Swara Yoga lacks sound judgement.
You have mentioned:
“You have said that Right nostril should be active while taking bath. Correct information is that right nostril should be active when bath is taken with cold water; left when with hot water.”
You are right about the Hot and Cold Water bath to some extent. Again I will qualify this by telling you that it is only a partial understanding of the qualities of heat and cold. Cold water promotes activation of Right nostril and hot water promotes activation of the left. For example a person with a overactive right nostril and wishing to come to a balance would do well by taking bath in hot water thereby activiting the opposite polarity. You mention – “Right Nostril ’should’ be active when bath taken with cold water”, this pronciple if seriously applied in some cases can be determinental. Hence I have avoided any instructional advice here and just a kind of empirical listing is provided. ‘Should’ can be dangerous. I have never said as you claim – ‘Right nostril should be active while taking bath’. Please read the post again.
Instruction can be provided only personally on a case by case basis. You can scroll up to the first table and find the qualities of heat and cold and its association with the two nostrils mentioned there. It is only through a holistic view of the qualities of Ida, Pingala, Sushmna, Chakras and the tatwas can this knowledge be properly understood. Thats the reason why many tantra scriptures are axiomatic and avoid descriptions. They are not ‘How to do’ and self help manuals.
You have come to a quick conclusion and judgement based on some misconceptions. What the tables describe is the different activities and the ‘Qualities’ and ‘Actions’ associated with the nostrils. The intent of the table is to understand the ‘Yin and Yang’ or ‘Ida and Pingala’ activities. The application comes only after the understanding. ‘Bathing’ is a process of removing the external dirt of the body and this is essentially (as most deliberate activities which remove and cleanse are) a pingala activity. It is this aspect which is referenced here. In the same token it should not be understood that Sunday, Tuesday and Saturday (as mentioned in the table) you breathe from the right nostril. You will end up with problems if you do that.
All tantra scriptures need to be understood with wisdom and discernment. Literal interpretations are the very anti-thesis of spirit of tantra. I am not preaching, guiding or selling anything here. Nowhere have I mentioned that. Sorry if you have misunderstood the intent of this post.