Sushumna

The ancient yogic and East Asian traditions recognize two modes of operation, Yin and Yang (or Surya and Chandra), which correspond to the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems in modern science. The yogis also discovered a third state, Sushumna, that sits between these two modes and amplifies the effects of spiritual practices. Sushumna: The Balancing Force, Nervous System: Sympathetic and Parasympathetic

In the ancient yogic and East Asian traditions, there is core concept of “Yin and Yang” or “Surya and Chandra” or sun and moon. Ancient spiritual practitioners realized that there are two modes of operation, which mirrors current scientific thinking about our nervous system - sympathetic and parasympathetic.

Sushumna is a state that exists between the two opposing forces of Yin and Yang, represented by a black dot within the white portion and a white dot within the black portion of the Yin Yang symbol. When Sushumna is open, any spiritual practice is said to yield exponentially higher results. Yin and Yang: Ancient Concepts Mirroring Modern Science, Enhancing Spiritual Practices with Sushumna

The interesting thing is that once again, the yogi’s sort of discovered this through internal experiences. This is not sort of a logical concept or a philosophical hypothesis. This was something that they observed within themselves, that our body can operate in two modes with the sympathetic nervous system active or the parasympathetic nervous system active. And what the yogi’s essentially discovered is that there’s a third mode of operation that sits between these two things. This mode of operation is essentially what Sushumna is.

The nasal cycle, where one nostril is more open than the other, alternates throughout the day. When transitioning between the two states, there is a brief period when both nostrils are equally open, indicating that Sushumna is open. Practices like alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana pranayama) help balance the two halves and open Sushumna. Enhancing Spiritual Practices with Sushumna, Techniques for Opening Sushumna

So breath meditation is something that people have been doing for a very, very long time. The cool thing is that if you really dive into breathing meditations from ancient India or ancient China, there’s actually a lot of sophistication to them. And now what we’re going to do is build on some of the practices that we’ve taught before to introduce how to find Sushumna.

1. Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana pranayama): Practice breathing through alternating nostrils to balance the right and left sides, facilitating the opening of Sushumna.
2. Laying on the Side: Laying on the left side opens the right nostril, while laying on the right side opens the left nostril. This can help induce the transition state where Sushumna is open.
3. Yoga Danda: An advanced technique involving resting the arm on a stick to open Sushumna (not recommended without proper guidance).
4. Meditating at Dawn and Dusk: Sushumna naturally opens during the transition periods of dawn and dusk, making them ideal times for spiritual practices.
   Nasal Cycle: The Key to Opening Sushumna, Enhancing Spiritual Practices with Sushumna

So the goal of introducing the concept of sushi tonight isn’t that it’s a meditation technique per se. But if you’ve kind of gotten this far and if you’ve been with us for a while, hopefully you’ve developed a decent meditation practice, if you really want to spiritually develop.

Meditating or performing spiritual practices while Sushumna is open is said to amplify the effects exponentially. This concept, while not yet scientifically validated, comes from ancient traditions that have been practiced for thousands of years. To enhance your spiritual growth, consider incorporating the concept of Sushumna and techniques to open it into your practice. Sushumna: The Balancing Force, Techniques for Opening Sushumna

And Sushumna is that the top of the list, so the more that you can meditate with Sushumna open or while Sushumna is open apparently the more potent your practice will be.

Reflective Questions:

• How can I incorporate the concept of Sushumna into my existing spiritual practice?
• What techniques for opening Sushumna resonate with me the most, and how can I safely explore them?
• In what ways might meditating with Sushumna open enhance my personal growth and spiritual development?