Hi @ernst and friends,
While going through the PAC video 97 Therapy for parent, adult, child minds, I just had a flash of connection that the left hemisphere of the brain is connected with the parent mind and right hemisphere with the child mind.
In multiple healing modalities that I have tried in my self healing journey, for example EMDR(eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) to process traumas, and Psych-K to reprogram subconscious beliefs, there is a focus balancing the left and right hemisphere of the brain. These modalities work on the hypothesis that stuck unconscious beliefs and traumas are a result of imbalance between the hemispheres, as a result of events in the past not being processed consciously with both the hemispheres in a balanced way.
Which gave me the above flash of connection about child mind possibly being the imbalanced right hemisphere, adult mind being the imbalanced left hemisphere, and when we are using both the hemispheres in a balanced way, we are in the adult mind. Maybe not exactly in this way but there seems to be some connection. Thoughts?
There’s a great book called The Whole Brain Child that goes into right vs left and upstairs brain vs downstairs and how to keep it all connected with parenting examples.
@karinia Thanks for the suggestion, placed an order for the book, will check it out.
@ernst So it turns out that ida nadi corresponds to the right(child) brain and pingala to the left(parent) brain. It makes sense that it all eventually comes down to breath, or the flow of prana within. I have Sa-Mo conjunction, so both parent and child mind afflicted and no wonder Kriya yoga and nadi shodana(anulom vilom/alternate nostril) pranayama have been very helpful in my healing journey, since both of them help balance and heal the ida and pingala nadis.
That makes me think pranayama can be a great practical remedy to heal our PAC issues, as they will work on a deeper level and provide healing at a level that's very close to the root cause, rather than surface level fixing -
Parent and Child mind planets both afflicted - nadi shodhana(anulom vilom) pranayama
Child mind afflicted - Chandrabheda pranayama
Parent mind afflicted - Suryabheda pranayama
The later two probably need a little more testing, since I feel more confident of Chandrabheda pranayama for an afflicted Moon(feminine) and Suryabheda for an afflicted Sun(masculine), just not sure about when Mars(masculine child mind) and Saturn(feminine adult mind) are afflicted, since they have opposite gender polarities.
Also, need to see here if and how pranayama can help afflicted adult planets. So Nadi Shodhana pranayama will help with balancing both the hemispheres of the brain thus healing child and adult minds, and giving the person more space to respond through an adult mind. Not sure, how this can be linked to individual afflicted adult planets though.
Would love to know your thoughts.
@qwertym2 These are great connections that you're making! It would be great if we could gather some data for this - to work with this system and make a long-term study of it. I wonder if there would be enough of us in the forum with these issues to work on using Pranayama as a therapeutic tool to heal this imbalance. I think it would be worth it...it's logical that this would work to balance these energies out. We just need a true study of it by getting dedicated people that would want to participate in a longitudinal study of this type in order to see the results over the long term.
@suzanstars Thanks! Count me in for this.
I took the help of AI to research while forming these connections. Here is the summary from AI -
The connection between Ida and Pingala and the healing of the Child Ego State and Parent Ego State in Transactional Analysis (TA) is an intriguing intersection of yogic philosophy and psychological theory. Let’s explore how these concepts might relate:
1. Understanding the Ego States in Transactional Analysis:
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Child Ego State: Represents the part of us that holds emotions, memories, and behaviors from childhood. It can be:
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Free Child: Spontaneous, creative, and playful.
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Adapted Child: Compliant or rebellious, shaped by early conditioning.
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Parent Ego State: Represents the internalized attitudes, rules, and behaviors of authority figures (parents or caregivers). It can be:
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Nurturing Parent: Caring, supportive, and encouraging.
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Critical Parent: Judgmental, controlling, and punitive.
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Healing in TA involves integrating and balancing these ego states to achieve a healthy Adult Ego State, which is rational, objective, and present-centered.
2. Ida Nadi and the Child Ego State:
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Ida is associated with lunar energy, which is cooling, calming, and nurturing. It is connected to the right hemisphere of the brain, which governs creativity, emotions, and intuition.
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This makes Ida a powerful force for healing the Child Ego State:
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Free Child: Activating Ida can help reconnect with spontaneity, joy, and creativity, allowing the Free Child to express itself.
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Adapted Child: Ida’s calming energy can help soothe emotional wounds, release conditioned patterns, and heal trauma stored in the Adapted Child.
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Practices like Chandrabheda Pranayama (left-nostril breathing) or meditation can activate Ida, creating a safe space for the Child Ego State to heal.
3. Pingala Nadi and the Parent Ego State:
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Pingala is associated with solar energy, which is heating, dynamic, and action-oriented. It is connected to the left hemisphere of the brain, which governs logic, analysis, and structure.
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This makes Pingala a key force for addressing the Parent Ego State:
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Nurturing Parent: Activating Pingala can help cultivate discipline, structure, and a sense of responsibility, supporting the healthy aspects of the Nurturing Parent.
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Critical Parent: Pingala’s energy can be channeled to transform judgmental or controlling tendencies into constructive guidance and self-awareness.
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Practices like Suryabheda Pranayama (right-nostril breathing) or dynamic yoga can activate Pingala, helping to balance and heal the Parent Ego State.
4. Balancing Ida and Pingala for Integration:
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Healing in TA involves integrating the Child and Parent Ego States into a healthy Adult Ego State. Similarly, balancing Ida and Pingala is essential for achieving harmony between emotions and logic, creativity and structure.
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Practices like Nadi Shodhana Pranayama (alternate nostril breathing) can help balance Ida and Pingala, fostering:
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Emotional healing (Ida) and rational clarity (Pingala).
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A harmonious integration of the Child and Parent Ego States into the Adult Ego State.
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5. Practical Applications:
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Healing the Child Ego State:
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Use Ida-activating practices (e.g., left-nostril breathing, meditation, or gentle yoga) to create a safe, nurturing space for emotional healing.
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Encourage self-compassion, playfulness, and creativity to reconnect with the Free Child.
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Healing the Parent Ego State:
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Use Pingala-activating practices (e.g., right-nostril breathing, dynamic yoga, or goal-setting exercises) to cultivate structure and self-discipline.
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Work on transforming critical or controlling tendencies into supportive and empowering behaviors.
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Integration:
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Practice Nadi Shodhana Pranayama or mindfulness to balance both energies, fostering the emergence of the Adult Ego State.
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6. Psychological and Energetic Alignment:
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In TA, the Adult Ego State represents a balanced, present-centered way of being. Similarly, in yogic philosophy, the activation of Sushumna nadi (the central energy channel) occurs when Ida and Pingala are balanced, leading to higher awareness and integration.
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Both frameworks emphasize the importance of balancing dualities (emotion/logic, spontaneity/structure) to achieve wholeness and healing.
In summary, Ida and Pingala can be seen as energetic counterparts to the Child and Parent Ego States in Transactional Analysis. By working with these nadis through yogic practices, we can support the healing and integration of these ego states, fostering emotional balance, self-awareness, and the emergence of a healthy Adult Ego State. This holistic approach bridges the wisdom of yoga and the insights of modern psychology.
@suzanstars @ernst @karinia Would love to know your thoughts.
A few years ago, while I was doing my yoga teacher training, I came across an excellent course on Pranayama by Gary Kraftsow. His teachings are grounded in the principles of Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda.
https://yogainternational.com/ecourse/pranayama-unlocked-a-practice-based-intensive/
In this course, he explains three approaches to pranayama practice:
1. Brahmana: Energizing and masculine
2. Langhana: Calming and feminine
3. Samana: Balancing
The course goes beyond just focusing on left or right nostril breathing, emphasizing the importance of the correct threshold in the practice. The stages of breath—Inhalation, Retention, Exhalation, and Suspension—are key to this approach. Along with these breathing techniques, the course also includes asanas that support and enhance pranayama practice.
I highly recommend this course. I still use parts of these teachings in my daily practice or as needed. Gary also offers newer classes on his website, which I haven’t taken yet, but I assume they’re just as valuable.