March Focus of the Month: Sun Salutations
I recently ran a half marathon in Florida that had me up hours before the sun. The race started at five in the morning in the pitch black with the exception of the lights provided by the event sponsors and the tiny sliver of the crescent moon. I was about 4-5 miles into the race when the sun started rising ahead of me and I remember how glorious it was to be running toward the sun, seeing it slowly inching up from the horizon. At one point I looked back and saw the moon still far behind me trying to hold on as long as it could, and what a magical experience it was to see the sun coming up while the moon was still out… both of them sharing the same morning sky, balancing the night and day.
I often think of the sun and moon as opposites, opposing energies or forces- light and dark, day and night, warm and cold, etc; however, I don’t always think about the beauty in the balance they provide and how powerful and essential their relationship with each other is. They are both powerful sources of light yet they find a way to balance and support each other, sharing the light and not letting one or the other take all the power. We are a lot more like the sun and the moon than we may think. Their energy lives within us and helps guide us to find balance.
photo from wallpaperflare.com
The Energy Body : Pranamayakosha
In the yoga tradition it is said that there are over 72,000 channels- known as “nadis” in Sanskrit- in our Pranamayakosha, our energy body. Nadis are the pathways with which the prana, the energy in our body, travels through. These channels are all connected to three main nadis- the central nadi which is known as the Sushumna, the left nadi which is called Ida, and the right nadi known as Pingala.
The main, central nadi known as Sushumna runs from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. It is the hardest nadi to access. It is said to be the main channel for prana to move throughout the body and it also connects all seven chakras or energy centers/vortexes, energizing them along the way to help the prana continue to flow smoothly and freely. When the prana flows freely through the nadis and chakras, it stimulates dormant segments of the mind helping us to access higher thought and feeling that is essential for awakening sushumna.
Pingala is our active, solar nadi that corresponds to the right side of the body and the left side of the brain. Ida is thus the opposite, our lunar nadi that corresponds to the left side of the body and the right side of the brain. These two channels also represent the basic duality of existence, as they are connected to both the feminine and masculine qualities of nature. You may identify with one gender/sex over the other, but identify more with the opposite qualities of nature. In yoga philosophy and mythology these are known as Shakti (feminine/lunar/ida) and Shiva (masculine/solar/pingala), the energies that represent the power of transformation and liberation.
Nadi Characteristics
There are no attributes associated with the Sushumna nadi like there are for Ida and Pingala. Sushumna is considered to be an empty space, like a blank canvas for us to create whatever we want. Sadhguru from Isha yoga says, “once the energies enter into Sushumna, you attain a new kind of balance, an inner balance where whatever happens outside, there is a certain space within you which never gets disturbed.”
That is the empty space I’m referring to… our “blank canvas”. The practice of dharana, the sixth of the eight limbs of yoga, is known as concentration. It is the step or the limb before meditation (dhyana). Dharana involves fixing one's mind on a particular object. The object can be external, such as an image or energy/deity (Shakti/Shiva) or it can be an internal object, like one of the chakras. Dharana is a tool, a practice, we can use to help us connect to the sushumna- our inner balance and that empty space of peace.
In Sanskrit the word “ida” means “comfort” and thus the Ida nadi is cool in nature and nourishes the body and mind. It is also sometimes called the moon nadi since it symbolizes the planet moon. The basic characteristics of the Ida nadi are:
introverted
introspective
self-reflection
artistic
nurturing
intuitive
cold
passive
receptive
restful
inward-oriented
sensitive
Pingala in Sanskirt means “orange” or “tawny”, giving it its sunlike nature and its other name, the surya (sun) nadi. The basic characteristics of the Pingala nadi are:
extroverted
warm
active
analytical
logical
systematic thinking
type A personalities
straightforward
assertive
Sun Salutations : Sūrya Namaskāra
Sūrya Namaskāra is the Sanskrit word for Sun Salutations, which translates to "greeting the sun". With spring equinox approaching, we thought this time of year is the perfect time to celebrate the warmth of the sun and all its glory!
Sun Salutations are generally used at the beginning of a sequence as a way to generate heat and warm the body for practice. They involve linking our breath (pranayama) to movement which helps to get the prana (energy) in the body moving.
When looking at the physical practice of yoga through an āyuyrvedic lens, sun salutations are warming, energizing, and stimulating -- all beneficial for countering the dull, cold and lethargic qualities of kapha dosha. March is still a period of kapha accumulation as we start to see the aggravation of kapha near the end of the month with those pesky seasonal allergies many of us know all too well. Sun salutations are a great way to avoid over accumulation of kapha.
FINDING Balance
Crazy to think about all this energy and this whole other “body” within us that we can’t even see. The goal of Hatha yoga is to find balance between our sun and moon sides, so that we can connect more to each of them and our sushumna. When we can keep the nadis balanced and free of blockages, allowing for the prana to flow freely with ease, then it can also increase our physical and mental health. We hold the power of the sun and moon within us, we can be both and everything we want to be if we allow ourselves to take a deeper dive within, expand our awareness, and accept and embrace both the light and dark sides within us.
“Bringing a balance between the Ida and Pingala will make you effective in the world, it will make you handle life aspects well. Most people live and die in Ida and Pingala; Sushumna, the central space, remains dormant. But Sushumna is the most significant aspect of human physiology. Only when energies enter into Sushumna, life really begins.” ~ Sadhguru
Run towards the light AND the darkness. Run in the space between the sun and the moon. Be present with both as much as possible and enjoy the beautiful view. And if you’ve never been up early enough to experience the magic of the sun rising with the moon, do it! It’s just as amazing as the moon rising with the sun (sunset).