Professional Yoga Instructor: Nadis, Breath, and Consciousness as the Foundation of Practice

Nadis — The Energetic Anatomy of the Human Being

You can read more about the Yoga Instructor Course on the course website:

kurspoyoge.com

Course registration:

📞 Phone: +380984777777

(Viber / Telegram / WhatsApp)

Yoga Alliance website:

yogaalliance.com.ua

Essential Knowledge in Professional Yoga Instructor Training

Modern popular yoga is often reduced to external forms, sequences, and the visible execution of asanas. Classical yogic tradition, however, has always viewed the human being as an energy-informational system, in which the condition of the body, breath, nervous system, and consciousness is determined by the movement of prana.

For this reason, professional yoga instructor training places central importance on the study of nadis — the psychic and energetic channels through which vital energy circulates.

Without an understanding of this system, it is impossible to:

•teach pranayama correctly,

•work safely with bandhas,

•prepare students for meditation,

•understand the real processes occurring during practice.

Nadis as the Foundation of Yoga’s Energetic Anatomy

Nadis are the conducting pathways through which prana, or bioplasmic energy, flows. They are not physical structures and do not directly correspond to nerves or blood vessels, yet they are closely connected to physiology, breathing, and the psyche.

Classical texts state that the psycho-energetic body contains 72,000 nadis, forming an extensive network. This network connects:

•the organs and systems of the body,

•breathing and metabolic processes,

•emotional responses,

•the state of the mind and attention.

Among this vast number of nadis, three primary channels have key practical significance:

•ida

•pingala

•sushumna

The entire system of hatha yoga, pranayama, and meditation is built around their balance and activation.

Sushumna Nadi — The Central Channel of Consciousness

Sushumna nadi is the main energetic channel running along the axis of the spine. It should not be identified with the physical spine or spinal cord. It is a subtle psychic channel that runs:

•from the perineal region,

•through all the major chakras,

•to the area between the eyebrows and the higher centers of consciousness.

Sushumna connects the muladhara chakra with the ajna chakra, passing through svadhisthana, manipura, anahata, and vishuddha.

This channel links instinctive and vital levels of human existence with higher cognitive and meditative states.

In classical yoga it is held that meditation is impossible before the activation of sushumna.

As long as prana does not flow through this channel:

•the mind remains restless,

•attention is unstable,

•consciousness oscillates between opposites.

Ida and Pingala — The Two Poles of Prana

On either side of sushumna lie two lateral channels — ida and pingala.

Ida Nadi

Ida originates on the left side of the muladhara chakra and ascends in a winding path through all intermediate chakras, ending on the left side of the ajna chakra.

Ida is associated with:

•the left nostril,

•cooling processes,

•mental and psychic activity,

•relaxation and recovery,

•the parasympathetic nervous system.

In traditional teachings, ida is known as the lunar channel (chandra nadi) and is associated with the yin principle, receptivity, and inward-directed awareness.

Pingala Nadi

Pingala originates on the right side of the muladhara chakra and ascends as a mirror image of ida, terminating on the right side of the ajna chakra.

Pingala is associated with:

•the right nostril,

•warmth and activity,

•physical action,

•volitional processes,

•the sympathetic nervous system.

Pingala is known as the solar channel (surya nadi) and corresponds to the yang principle, activity, and outward orientation.

The Relationship Between Breath, Nostrils, and Nadis

One of the most important practical understandings for a yoga instructor is the direct relationship between breathing and the energetic channels.

When breathing predominates:

•through the left nostril — ida is active,

•through the right nostril — pingala is active.

Most people experience chronic dominance of one channel, leading to:

•psycho-emotional instability,

•impaired concentration,

•imbalance of the nervous system,

•shallow or restless meditation.

The aim of hatha yoga and pranayama is to equalize the breath through both nostrils, thereby balancing ida and pingala.

Balance as the Condition for Entering Sushumna

When airflow through both nostrils becomes equal:

•pranic flows are balanced,

•the nervous system stabilizes,

•consciousness exits the mode of constant fluctuation.

At this point, prana naturally begins to enter the sushumna nadi.

This state is an essential prerequisite for:

•dharana,

•dhyana,

•genuine meditation.

Without this, any attempt at meditation remains either mental concentration or relaxation.

Blockages in Nadis and the Role of Pranayama

Energetic channels may contain blockages that obstruct the flow of prana. Such blockages arise from:

•chronic muscular tension,

•shallow breathing,

•stress and psycho-emotional trauma,

•a sedentary lifestyle,

•incorrect practice.

Classical yoga holds that the most effective method for purifying the nadis is pranayama, especially when combined with bandhas.

Of particular importance is Maha Bandha (the Great Lock), which:

•closes energetic circuits,

•redistributes pranic flows,

•directs energy upward through sushumna.

Why This Knowledge Is Essential for a Yoga Instructor

A yoga instructor works not only with the student’s body.

They influence:

•breathing,

•the nervous system,

•the psycho-emotional state,

•consciousness itself.

Without understanding the nadi system, an instructor:

•fails to recognize the deeper processes of practice,

•may reinforce energetic blockages,

•cannot properly prepare students for meditation.

For this reason, in professional yoga instructor training programs, nadis are studied systematically, deeply, and progressively as a core part of human energetic anatomy.

Yoga Instructor Training: The Professional Level

In professional yoga teacher training programs, the nadi system is studied as:

•the foundation of pranayama,

•the basis of bandhas and kriyas,

•the key to meditative practice,

•a tool for safe and conscious transmission of knowledge.

This is the level at which yoga ceases to be a collection of techniques

and becomes a science of managing prana, consciousness, and the inner states of the human being.

Teacher Training and Certification

The Ukrainian Yoga Alliance is the largest non-profit organization responsible for establishing and maintaining yoga teaching standards in Ukraine.

The main areas of activity of the Alliance include:

•uniting the professional yoga community;

•developing and approving qualification requirements;

•official certification of yoga instructors;

•maintaining the Unified Register of Certified Teachers.

The Ukrainian Yoga Alliance is the largest non-profit organization that establishes and maintains yoga teaching standards in Ukraine.

The main areas of activity of the Alliance include:

•uniting the professional yoga community,

•developing and approving qualification requirements,

•official certification of yoga instructors,

•maintaining the Unified Register of Certified Yoga Teachers.

Training Format and Examination

Within online yoga instructor training courses, students of the Yoga Alliance School undergo mandatory practical and theoretical assessment.

Passing Surya Namaskar is part of the examination process.

A video of the exam, conducted within online courses, is available via the link — click to watch.

Course Video Overview

You can watch a full video overview of the online course by the Head of the Yoga Alliance, Vladimir Bondarenko, on our YouTube channel by following the link.

Training Locations and Tuition Fees

Branches of the Yoga Alliance School have resumed operations in the following cities:

Kyiv

Warsaw, Krakow (Poland)

Kharkiv

Dnipro

Odesa

Lviv

Klaipėda (Lithuania)

Bansko (Bulgaria)

Athens (Greece)

Prague (Czech Republic)

Torrevieja (Spain)

Vienna (Austria)

Cascais (Portugal)

These branches offer continuously running offline yoga instructor training courses led by senior instructors of the Alliance.

Tuition fees:

•online course — 15,500 UAH

•offline course — 17,500 UAH

Since August 2022, instructors who successfully pass examinations with distinction receive the right to train future yoga instructors on behalf of the Yoga Alliance and conduct teacher training courses jointly with the Organization.

Such instructors receive the status of Senior Instructor of the Yoga Alliance and earn 50% of the course fee for each student.

For full details, contact us via Viber / Telegram / WhatsApp:

+380984777777

Training Results

After completing the one-month course and successfully passing the exams, you will:

•receive two international Yoga Alliance certificates registered with the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine;

•obtain the right to teach yoga in more than 100 countries worldwide;

•master a well-structured class format including kriyas, pranayama, and meditation;

•receive lifetime access to video lessons, an application for learning posture names, and 12 balanced printed lesson plans for the first year of teaching;

•receive the “Gold Standard” methodological guide — a detailed manual on asanas, chakras, mudras, bandhas, and key techniques of classical yoga.

Additional Materials

The Unified Register of Certified Yoga Instructors in Ukraine (approved in 2021 by the Public Union “Ukrainian Yoga Alliance”) is available via the link.

Videos of exam sessions and detailed answers to course-related questions can be viewed in the online course video overview by the Head of the Yoga Alliance on our YouTube channel — via the link.The full video overview of the online course can be viewed by clicking the link.

Contacts and Registration

You can read more about the Yoga Instructor Course on the course website:

kurspoyoge.com

Course registration:

📞 Phone: +380984777777

(Viber / Telegram / WhatsApp)

Yoga Alliance website:

yogaalliance.com.ua

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