thumb|chakra kundalini diagram    (sanskrit à¤¨à¤¾à¤¡à¤¿, nÄá¸i = tube, pipe) are the channels through which, in traditional indian medicine and spiritual science, the energies of the subtle body are said to flow. they connect at special points of intensity called chakras. the word "nadi" is pronounced as "nardi", with r+d loosely pronounced together (the effort is made by the tip of the tongue; it curls up, pointing backwards, then springs forward to lie flat). in normal biological reference, a nadi can be translated into "nerve" in english. however, in yogic, and specifically in kundalini yoga reference, a nadi can be thought of as a channel (not an anatomical structure). in regard to kundalini yoga, there are three of these nadis: ida, pingala, and sushumna. ida (à¤à¤¡à¤¾, iá¸Ä, spoken "irda") lies to the left of the spine, whereas pingala (à¤ªà¤¿à¤à¥à¤à¤², piá¹gala) is to the right side of the spine, mirroring the ida. sushumna (à¤¸à¥à¤·à¥à¤®à¥à¤¨à¤¾, suá¹£umnÄ) runs along the spinal cord in the center, through the seven chakras&nbsp;â mooladhaar at the base, and sahasrar at the top (or crown) of the head. it is at the base of this sushumna where the kundalini lies coiled in three and a half coils, in a dormant or sleeping state. == early reference == an early version of the nadi system is mentioned in the katha upanishad, which says: "a hundred and one are the arteries of the heart, one of them leads up to the crown of the head. going upward through that, one becomes immortal." (cu 8.6.6)for reference to chandogya upanishad 8.6.6 and interpretation as an early form of the occult physiology see: mcevilley, thomas. "the spinal serpent", in: harper and brown, p.94. one website states: nadis are not nerves but rather channels for the flow of consciousness. the literal meaning of nadi is "flow". just as the negative and positive forces of electricity flow through complex circuits, in the same way, prana shako (vital force) and manas shako (mental force) flow through every part of our body via these nadis. according to the tantras there are 72,000 or more such channels or networks through which the stimuli flow like an electric current from one point to another.nadis - ida - pingala - sushumna == functions and activities ==  nadis are thought to carry a life force energy known as prana in sanskrit, or qi in chinese-based systems. in particular prana (active) is supposed to circulate inside pingala, while apana (passive) is supposed to circulate inside
Chakras Mysticism Yoga