Prana: Understanding the Life Force

This post is Part 2 of the series of posts on Raja Yoga

In the first post of Prana, Consciousness, and the Cosmic Creation, we saw that Prana is the inherent quality of motion in the creation. It is the vital force, the infinite manifesting power of this universe. Everything in the universe is a combination of Prana and Consciousness. The Pranopanishad explains that Prana springs from the consciousness (akasha) and is inseparable from the akasha as the shadow from one who casts it.

It is the Prana that is manifesting as motion; it is the Prana that is manifesting as gravitation, as magnetism. It is the Prana that is manifesting as the actions of the body, as the nerve currents, as thought force. From thought down to the lowest force, everything is but the manifestation of Prana.

Prana is not breath

Often the word Prana is confused with breath. Prana is not the oxygen or air that one breathes. It is rather that which produces breath. The most obvious manifestation of Prana in the human body is the motion of the lungs. The Prana moves the lungs, and the movement of lungs draws in the air. The muscular power which goes out through the nerves to the muscles and from them to the lungs, making them move in a certain manner is the Prana. It is the vital force or the life force in the body. Prana also goes by the name Chi in the Chinese and Ki in the Japanese philosophy. The death of the body does not happen when the breath is stopped, but it is when the Prana leaves the body that the person dies. This has been proved by many yogis who have demonstrated that they can keep the body alive by stopping their breath for a certain number of days. Such feats are achievable by yogis who have mastered the Prana in their body.

The Individual Prana

All beings are born with a certain quantum of Prana but the quantity and the quality change continuously, as one goes through life. The quantum of Prana of each individual is indicated by the power of the personality, which reflects one’s natural capacity to wield Prana. Positive thoughts, higher feelings and yogic practices generate higher levels of prana, which brings good health, vitality and mental clarity in an individual . It is also said that when the sexual energy is sublimated or transformed, substantial Prana is conserved within the system and can be converted to a subtler form of energy called Ojas. This energy accumulates in the brain and is utilized for creative and spiritual development.

The quantum of Prana of each individual is indicated by the power of the personality, which reflects one’s natural capacity to wield Prana

Flow of Prana

To understand the flow of Prana, it is important to understand that everything in the world is connected. It is just a continuous mass of matter and energy that changes form from one to the other. We know from the equation of Relativity (E= mcˆ2) that energy can change form to matter and vice versa. On account of this connectedness, energy or Prana can travel from one object to the other, even though separated by space and time.

We experience this phenomenon in our daily lives as well. If you stay with someone who is strong and healthy, you will also have the tendency to become strong and healthy, on the other hand if you stay with someone who is sick and depressed, you will gradually develop the tendency to become the same. Thus, one tends to transmit his energy, good or bad to his surroundings either unconsciously or consciously. When this energy is transferred consciously it becomes a method of healing people of various physical and mental ailments. Such methods of healing are employed in ancient techniques of Chakra healing and Reiki. However, this process of healing is not so easy as it is thought to be and most of the cases are just fraudulent.

The Pranic energy flows from a person having higher quantum of Prana to the ones having a low quantum of Prana. Swami Sivananda said, “Just as water flows from one vessel to another, Prana flows like a steady current from a developed yogi towards weak persons.” A pure man who has controlled the Prana, has the power of bringing it into a certain state of vibration, which can be conveyed to others, arousing in them a similar vibration. Many have experienced powerful vibration/ energy flow through them when they are in the company of people who have high level of spiritual quotient. This is on account of the flow of Pranic energy (Prana Shakti). It is also important to understand that while the transmission of Pranic energy happens, the reception of it will happen only when the individual awareness is developed and raised to a certain degree.

The Prana Shakti is the measure of our health and vitality. When the balance of Prana is disturbed in the body diseases are produced, and in essence it is by balancing the Prana that real curing comes. This Pranic energy is in all of us, and by the practice of yogic techniques it can be increased and controlled not only to enjoy disease free and healthy life, but also to raise our awareness to higher planes.

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Read the first part of the post here: Prana, Consciousness, and the Cosmic Creation

Reference: Prana and Pranayama by Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati, Raja Yoga — Swami Vivekananda, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali