Nadi (Ida · Pingala · Sushumna)

Nadi (नाडी) means "channel," "tube," or "river" in Sanskrit — the subtle pathways through which life-force energy (prana or ki) is said to flow through the body, much as blood flows through veins. They form the energetic counterpart to the physical nervous and circulatory systems.

The network. Ancient yogic texts describe an astonishing web of 72,000 nadis threading through the subtle body, meeting and crossing at the chakras. Of these, three are most important:

• Ida — the left channel, carrying cool, lunar, receptive energy.
• Pingala — the right channel, carrying warm, solar, active energy.
• Sushumna — the central channel running along the spine, into which the other two weave and through which awakened energy is said to rise.

In practice. When the nadis are clear and balanced, energy is described as flowing freely, supporting a felt sense of calm and vitality; when they feel blocked, practices like breathwork, meditation, and energy healing are used to help the flow return. In Reiki, the nadis and chakras together form the map of where and how ki moves.

The nadi model is a traditional, symbolic framework for working with energy — a way of picturing balance and flow, not a medical description of the body.