Sushumna

The central channel (nāḍī) that runs along the spine, from mūlādhāra chakra to sahasrāra. It is the most important of the 72,000 nāḍīs described in the texts.

Normally prāṇa flows through iḍā (left, lunar) and piṅgalā (right, solar). The goal of haṭha yoga is to force prāṇa to enter suṣumṇā, which:

• Awakens kuṇḍalinī
• Completely quiets the mind
• Leads to samādhi

The HYP states: “When prāṇa flows through suṣumṇā, the mind becomes established in śūnya (void).”