Nadi Dominance
BaulOlogy
Nadi Dominance
At any given time, one of the two nadis, ‘Ida’ & ‘Pingala’, is predominantly active and much of airflow happens through one of the nadis. This, ‘One At A Time’ (‘OAAT’) or bilateral way of functioning of some of our organs and body parts is due to Nature’s remarkable ‘conservatism’ – its beautiful way of saving the most precious biological energy. (Reference 1. Read my notes on ‘The System of Proportions’.)
There is a reversal of role between these two nadis after a regular period of interval. This, as I have mentioned, is the ‘Nasal Cycle’ (‘NC’). This cycle is important because the change in breathing cycle ensures that the nostrils don’t get dry and sufficient moisture levels are maintained.
‘Ida’ and ‘Pingala’ have energies of opposite nature. ‘Ida’ energy flow is cool like the cool lunar energy of ‘moonshine’ whereas that of ‘Pingala’ is warm like that of ‘sunshine’. Based on this basic difference, ‘Ida’ & ‘Pingala’ would be dominantly active while doing any daily task.
Yogic Sciences are based on ‘Subtle Biology’ and if one of the two nostrils remain predominantly active for a much longer time than normal, then that would be an indication of some body-brain-mind-soul issue which can manifest on the surface – on the ‘Gross Biology’ front much later. One example is: continuous hoarseness of voice may be indicative of some brewing throat disorder.
An overactive ‘Ida’ nadi means that the left nostril is being used dominantly for a longer period of time. It would mean a more than optimal level of coolness in the body. This results in under-performance of the thyroid gland, known as ‘hypothyroidism’ leading to lowering of the metabolic activity, ineffective digestion, too much energy wasted in getting your dietary inputs digested – making you feel weak. Naturally, you always remain sluggish or lethargic. There is an increase in gas and flatulence in the body. Downward flow of the ‘Apana Vayu’ gets affected making you constipated and susceptible to diabetes. The quality & productivity of your performance drops. You become an energy-costly person. Moreover, the creative, intuitive, visualising faculties of your ‘Right Brain’ get affected making you passive & depressed in temperament. Despite being on a healthy diet, you feel the burden of fatigue. The root cause is most ineffective ‘Vayu Management’.
When the ‘Pingala’ nadi (connected to the ‘Left Brain’ which is responsible for goal-oriented movement, language-based effective communication, planned reproduction, and logical thinking) is overactive, energy flow through the right nostril is predominant. There is excessive heat in the body which can even take the form of fever. There is proneness to hyperthyroidism, excessive food intake and frequent craving for eating something. This can also result in acidity and peptic ulcer, dryness of skin, throat and excessive sexual energy (I will talk about it in the next piece). Inflammation issues such as bronchitis and arthritis can also arise. There could be imbalance in body fluids. This can have effect on kidney and liver functioning. There is excessive load on the logical, left side of the brain, which may increase the mental stress level and blood pressure.
Authentic Baul and Fakir sadhak interns are taught by their Gurus ‘Vayu Management’ techniques which have been passed down the line in Guru-Shishya Parampara, to take self-remedial actions. The ‘Chandra Bhedi’ pranayama is used in case of an overactive ‘Pingala’ whereas ‘Surya Bhedi’ pranayama for overactive ‘Ida’. The Guru may also guide the shishya in the right practice of ‘Anulom-Vilom’.
References:
1. Siddhartha Ganguli, “Human Engineering for Better Management”, Kolkata: Kwality Book Co., 1978.
2. Aashish Nanda, “What goes wrong when Ida and Pingala do not perform properly?” moksha mantra life gupshup.]