Kashmir Shaivism explains how the unmanifest supreme principle manifests as the universe.
Ida - the nadi which extends from the muladhara to the ajna chakras running alongside the sushumna and terminating above the base of the left nostril. Ida is referred to as the moon nadi because of its cooling nature.
muladhara chakra - the chakra at the base of the spine where Kundalini lies coiled. From here, Kundalini controls all the activities of the physiological system through its network of 72 000 channels (nadis).
Nadi - a channel through which life-force is circulated through the human body. In the physical body, nadis take the form of blood vessels, nerves and lymph ducts; in the subtle body they constitute a complex system of 72 000 astral tubes through which prana flows. Of these, the most important nadis are ida, pingala and sushumna.
Pingala - same as Ida but terminates at the base of the right nostril. Pingala is referred to as the sun nadi because of its heating nature.
prana - (1) Life Breath, the vital force of the body and universe which sustains life and is the power of animation; (2) the outgoing breath; (3) in the human body, yoga divides prana into five types according to the functions it performs: prana controls the breath, apana controls the elimination of waste matter, samana distributes nourishment, vyana moves the body parts, and udana is the upward force in the sushumna and is the power which, when activated, impels us upward toward Self-realisation.
sahasrara - the topmost spiritual center described as a thousand-petalled lotus located in the crown of the head. It is the seat of Shiva, the supreme Guru. As Kundalini travels up the sushumna and merges with the sahasrara, the individual soul attains the state of samadhi.
samadhi - a transcendental state of awareness in which one experiences the supreme reality and becomes Self-realised. This state occurs when the topmost chakra, sahasrara is activated. There are types of samadhi depending upon the the degree of activation and the type of yoga employed. In Siddha Yoga, the samadhi state is not attended by unconsciousness to the external world; rather, one experiences sahaja (natural) samadhi, in which one remains fully alert and perceives the all-pervasiveness of universal consciousness throughout all daily activities.
Shiva - a name for the all-pervasive supreme Reality, the conscious inner Self. In his personal form he is revered as the lord of yogis and is known as the supreme Guru from whom the lineage of Gurus descends. He revealed and expounded various scriptures known as agamas, among them the scriptures of the Kashmir Shaivism and the tantras.
Sushumna - The primary nadi of the subtle body, running up the center of the spinal axis. It is the only nadi which connects all six chakras with the sahasrara, the abode of Shiva at the crown of the head, and thus it is through this nadi that the Shakti must flow before Self-realisation can be attained.
