Prana

In the physical body we have two types of energies. One is known as prana and the other is known as mind or consciousness. That means, in every organ of the body there should be two channels supplying energy. Modern physiology describes two types of nervous systems - the sympathetic and the parasympathetic, and these two nervous systems are interconnected in each and every organ of the body. In the same way, every organ is supplied with the energy of prana and the energy of mind.

Concept of prana is very scientific. When we speak of prana, we do not mean the breath, air or oxygen. Precisely and scientifically speaking, prana means the original life force.

Prana is a Sanskrit word constructed of the syllables pra and an. 'An' means movement and 'pra' is a prefix meaning constant. Therefore, prana means constant motion. This constant motion commences in the human being as soon as he is conceived in his mother's womb. Prana is therefore a type of energy responsible for the body's life, heat and maintenance.

The meaning of prana is 'life force' or 'vital energy'. In the universal sense, prana is responsible for all creation. It is the prana within every created object, whether a planet, an asteroid, a blade of grass or a tree, that gives it existence, material form. If there were no prana within that object or manifestation there would be no form; it would gradually crumble and go out of existence. So, on the macrocosmic level, prana is like a vast, all encompassing sea of vital energy. Every object in creation is floating in that sea like a fish in water, and from that sea of energy we gain everything we need for life. That prana is known as cosmic prana or mahaprana.

From mahaprana each individual gains his personal existence. The quantum of prana which gives life to the individual is called individual prana. We separate it from mahaprana, but it is the same prana. If you fill a jar with water and place it in a lake or pond, the water inside the jar is the same as the water outside. We think of ourselves as separate entities or beings moving around in this world, but we are all part and parcel of the universal or cosmic prana. This cosmic prana or energy has been eulogized in all the ancient cultures and religions, and known as mahashakti, mahakundalini, mahamaya, the great mother. Through that mother we can connect ourselves to the highest reality or pure consciousness.

In the beginning there was just pure consciousness from which emanated pure energy or mahaprana. Pure consciousness and pure energy exist in the unmanifest dimension. However, when pure consciousness decided to become manifest, then it manifested through pure energy. So from pure prana emanated the first manifestation in creation which was sound. Sound is the most subtle aspect of manifest prana. Form gradually emanated from sound and from the subtlest form came all the objects of creation, including our own individual being. So all of us have our life within this concept of cosmic prana. Our real mother, our true mother, is mahaprana or mahashakti.

The Five Pranas:

The prana within our individual being has been categorized into five groups, but we need to understand that the individual prana is one prana. We do not call it mahaprana, but will refer to this overall prana which gives us life as Prana with a capital 'p'. When Prana leaves our body then we will be clinically dead and gradually our form will disintegrate.

To understand the functions of individual prana we divide it into five main categories: prana, with a small 'p', samana, apana, udana and vyana. These are the five pranas which together maintain the entire function of our physical form.

Prana: Prana with a small 'p' is located between the diaphragm and the throat. This prana is an upward flowing force. It maintains the function of the lungs and heart, and is responsible for inhalation and exhalation, and for the swallowing and regurgitation of food. Although it is an upward moving force in general, it also has the ability to move downward in that region.

Samana: The next prana is known as samana. The word sam means 'equal' or 'same'. Samana is located between the diaphragm and the navel. Although it is a small area physically, it is very important. Samana is responsible for the digestive energy and coordinates and motivates the digestive organs such as the stomach, liver, pancreas and large intestine. If anything goes wrong with your samana energy then you will become weak and thin because you will not be able to absorb the nutrients in the food properly. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to digest, burn and separate the nutrients which we take in daily. That is one of the greatest pranic expenditures within our body.

Apana: The third prana is apana. Apana is located between the navel and the perineum in the pelvic region. It is a very important energy field which is responsible for sexual activity, procreation, production of semen and ovum, elimination of urine, faeces, gas, wind and expulsion of the foetus. This energy is mainly downward flowing, but we can also redirect it upward to the brain.

Udana: The fourth prana is udana. Udana is located in the head region as well as the limbs, between the shoulders and the fingertips, and from the hips down to the toes. It is associated with the motor and sensory nervous system. Udana controls an immense amount of energy. It coordinates and activates the nervous system, moves the limbs of the body and receives and categorizes the different sensory inputs from the external world. Udana is connected intimately with the functions of the five senses, eyes, nose, mouth, ears and touch. If this prana becomes weak or disturbed, we find it difficult to coordinate, balance and integrate our sensory and motor nerves.

Vyana: The fifth prana is vyana. Vyana is an integral prana. It exists throughout the body as an underlying reserve force, so if anything goes wrong in another area of prana, vyana can step in and support that weak or imbalanced area. Thereby vyana prevents diseases and imbalances from occurring in the different systems and parts of the body. Should vyana become weak or deficient then diseases will arise because there will be no back up system.

These are the five kinds of Prana that cause an embodied creature to live and move. The properties of scent an embodied creature knows through the earth element in him. From the water element he receives taste. From the fire element represented by the eyes, he perceives forms, and from the wind element he obtains the perception of touch. Scent, touch, taste,vision, and sound are regarded as the general properties of every mobile and immobile object. I shall first speak of the several kinds of scent. They are agreeable, disagreeable, sweet, pungent, far-going, varied, dry, indifferent. All these nine kinds of scent are founded upon the earth element. Light is seen by the eyes and touch through the wind element. Sound, touch, vision and taste are the properties of water. I shall speak in detail now of the perception of taste.

High-souled Rishis have spoken of diverse kinds of taste. They are sweet, saltish, bitter, astringent, sour and pungent. These are the six kinds of taste appertaining to the water element. Light contributes to the vision of form. Form is of diverse kinds. Short, tall, thick, four-cornered, round, white, black, red, blue, yellow, reddish, hard, bright, smooth, oily, soft, and terrible. These are the sixteen kinds of form which constitute the property of light or vision. The property of the wind element is touch. Touch is of various kinds: warm, cold, agreeable, disagreeable, indifferent, burning, mild, soft, light and heavy. Both sound and touch are the two properties of the wind element. These are the eleven properties that appertain to the wind.

Space has only one property. It is called sound. I shall now tell thee the different kinds of sound. They are the seven original notes called Shadja, Rishabha, Gandhara, Madhyama, Panchama, Dhaivata and Nishada.

These are the seven kinds of property that appertains to space. Sound inheres like the Supreme Being in all space though attached especially to drums and other instruments. Whatever sound is heard from drums small and large, and conchs, and clouds, and cars, and animate and inanimate creatures, are all included in these seven kinds of sound already enumerated. Thus sound, which is the property of space, is of various kinds. The learned have said sound to be born of space. When raised by the different kinds of touch, which is the property of the wind, it may be heard. It cannot however, be heard, when the different kinds of touch are inceptive. The elements, mingling with their counterparts in the body , increase and grow. Water, fire, wind are always awake in the bodies of living creatures. They are the roots of the body. Pervading the five life-breaths they reside in the body.

Heat resides within the head (brain) and protects the body from perishing. The breath called PRANA, residing within the head and the heat that is there, cause all kinds of exertion. That PRANA is the living creature, the universal soul, the eternal Being, and the Mind, Intellect and Consciousness of all living creatures, as also all the objects of the senses. Thus the living creature is, in every respect, caused by Prana to move about and exert.

Then in consequence of the other breath called SAMANA, everyone of the senses is made to act as it does. The breath called APANA, having recourse to the heat that is in the urethra and the abdominal intestines, moves, engaged in carrying out urine and faeces. That single breath which operates in these three, is called UDANA by those that are conversant with science. That breath which operates, residing in all the joints of men's bodies, is called VYANA. There is heat in the bodies of living creatures which is circulated all over the system by the breath called SAMANA.

Residing thus in the body, that breath operates upon the different kinds of watery and other elementary substances and all bad humours. That heat residing between Apana and Prana, in the region of the naval, operates with the aid of those two breaths, in digesting all food that is taken by a living creature. There is a duct beginning from the mouth down to the anal canal. Its extremity is called the anus. From this main duct numerous subsidiary ones branch out in the bodies of all living creatures.In consequence of the rush of the several breaths named above (through these ducts), those breaths mingle together. The heat that dwells in Prana is called USHMAN.

It is this heat that causes digestion in all creatures possessed of bodies. The breath called Prana, the bearer of a current of heat, descends from the head downwards to the extremity of the anal canal and thence is sent upwards once more. Coming back to its seat in the head, it once more sends down the heat it bears. Below the navel is the region of digested matter. Above it is that for the food which is taken. In the navel are all the forces of life that sustain the body. Urged by the ten kinds of breaths having Prana for their first, the ducts branching out from the heart, convey the liquid juices that food yields, upwards, and in transverse directions. The main duct leading from the mouth to the anus is the path by which yogis, vanquishers of fatigue, of perfect equanimity in joy and sorrow, and possessed of great patience, succeed in attaining to Brahma by holding the soul within the brain.

The Psychic centers:

So here we have a blueprint of the pranic system within our physical body. Each one of these pranas is also related with a particular psychic centre, which is like the power station which generates the energy for that area. The psychic centre is much more subtle than the pranic area or the physical region. It is a vortex which is spinning around and around like a disc from outer space. It receives the very refined cosmic prana from the universe, absorbs it inside and transforms it, so that it can be utilized by our body for particular physical functions. The psychic centres are also responsible for igniting and illumining different regions in the brain so that we can access the higher faculties.

The psychic centres transmit energy to the physical and mental levels. For example, the centres related with apana, the downward flowing force between the navel and the perineum, are mooladhara and swadhisthana chakras. They are responsible for the evolution of our sexual energy, and the functions of urination and defecation.

The energy of samana, in the middle region, is related with manipura chakra, represented by the sun or a blazing fire. Manipura is the centre of prana, the storehouse of prana. Prana with a small 'p' is located in the region between the diaphragm and the throat, and is connected with anahata chakra, the heart centre, the centre of feeling and emotion. Udana, the energy from the neck to the top of the head, and arms and legs is related with vishuddhi and ajna chakras. Vyana is related with all the chakras together. This is a general concept of the pranic body which in yogic terms is called pranamaya kosha.

The Five Koshas:

The five koshas are: annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya, vijnanamaya and anandamaya. Annamaya is the prana which gives form to our material existence. Within annamaya kosha, like a network or infrastructure, we have pranamaya kosha. Pranamaya gives life to annamaya. It is subtle, it gives movement to the physical form. More subtle still is manomaya kosha. Manomaya kosha is the energy of the mind. Without it the mind would not function; we could not think, remember, rationalize or even dream. We would be like total vegetables, in a coma.

When the energy of the mind becomes even more subtle, then we enter into the dimension of vijnanamaya kosha, the dimension of psychic prana. It is a very refined form of prana between the subconscious and the unconscious. This is the prana which comes to us in the form of visions, when we experience or hear something internally, intuition, prophecy, vision, darshan. Finally we come to the dimension of anandamaya kosha which is the transcendental realm. Here we transcend the normal dimension of prana and enter into the cosmic dimension. Then we experience the transcendental or cosmic prana, the mahaprana which exists in the unmanifest dimension at the level of Shiva and Shakti.

Nadis, Chakras & Distribution of Prana:

According to yoga, tantra and the science of kundalini, prana is supposed to originate in pingala nadi. Within the framework of the spinal cord, there are three channels known as nadis in yoga. One is called ida, another is pingala and the third is sushumna. Ida nadi represents the mental energy, pingala represents prana or pranic energy and sushumna represents spirit or spiritual awareness. These three nadis originate in mooladhara chakra, which is situated at the perineum or cervix. Pingala nadi flows to the right from mooladhara and continues to cross ida at each chakra all the way up to ajna.

There are six chakras through which pingala nadi passes. The first one is mooladhara chakra from which it originates. The second is swadhisthana where the nadi crosses to the left. The third is manipura chakra where the nadi crosses to the right. And the fourth is anahata where the nadi crosses to the left. The fifth is vishuddhi where the nadi crosses to the right and the sixth is ajna where the nadi terminates from the right. Similarly, ida nadi also crosses at each chakra but in the reverse order. Every sincere yoga aspirant should have a clear understanding of the pathway of these three major nadis.

Pingala nadi is the distributing channel for prana in the body, and from each chakra the pranas are disseminated to every organ of the body. From swadhisthana the pranic energy is distributed to the genito-urinary system. Manipura chakra supplies prana to the digestive system and anahata supplies the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. From vishuddhi, distribution takes place to the ears, eyes, nose and throat, and ajna chakra is the distributor of energy through which man's brain is fed.

The Fuel of Life:

Prana is not merely a philosophical concept; it is in every sense a physical substance. Just as radioactive or electromagnetic waves exist even though we can't see them, in the same way, in this physical body, there are pranic waves and a pranic field. Now, each of us has a certain quantity of prana in our physical body and we utilize this in the course of our day to day activities throughout life. When our prana diminishes, sickness sets in, and when we have plenty of prana, every part of the body is in perfect health. If we have an excess of prana, it can be transmitted to others for healing or magnetism.

The inner prana can be stimulated by the practice of pranayama and thereby increased to a greater quantum. The brain requires maximum prana, and for the practice of meditation, it needs an increased supply. It is for this reason that we practise pranayama before commencing our meditation practice. If we are not able to supply plenty of pranic fuel to the brain, the mind becomes very restless and disturbed.

When the brain is receiving a deficient supply of prana, you suffer from nervous depression or nervous breakdown. Then the whole body perspires, there is trembling in every organ, you can't stand, your mind is unsteady and you are constantly thinking negative thoughts. You can't even sleep and you don't want to talk or think. This state indicates that the brain is only receiving a very small quantity of prana.

Increasing Prana:

You should not think that just by practising a little pranayama you are sending a lot of prana to the brain. The process of supply and assimilation of prana into the brain is very complicated. The brain is a subtle instrument and it can only be enriched by the subtle form of prana and not the gross form. Therefore, when you practise pranayama, you will have to convert the prana into a subtle force.

Deep breathing alone is not enough to stimulate prana. By breathing deeply, you stimulate your respiratory system and the blood circulation, but if you could examine the brain at that time, you would see that it is least affected. However, when you practise pranayama with concentration, as shown by scientific studies, the brainwaves undergo a significant change and the limbic system is also positively influenced.

Conscious & Unconscious Breathing: 

The brain can be split into two parts- the frontal brain and the posterior brain. The posterior brain is the instinctive brain which we have inherited through animal incarnations. The frontal brain is the seat of total consciousness. When you breathe without awareness, the breath is registered in the posterior brain, but when you are aware that you are breathing and you are consciously witnessing the whole process, then it is registered by the conscious brain, the frontal brain.

This difference seems to be very simple, but its effect is very great. Throughout life, you breathe unconsciously, just like animals, children and most other people do, excepting for the few who have started practising yoga. Now, in every case, the pranic flow is being registered in the posterior brain as if in a computer. The moment you become aware of your breathing and you begin to conduct and control the breath in a particular fashion, immediately the frontal brain registers the influence. This fact has been revealed by scientific experiments and has led us to the following conclusion. Conscious breathing has an entirely different effect on the brain than unconscious breathing. Through unconscious breathing we are definitely able to feed the whole body with prana, but we cannot supply the brain with sufficient prana for its evolution and growth.

Conducting Prana to Brain:

In order to alleviate sicknesses of the brain, in order to develop the latent capacities of the, brain or to initiate evolution of the brain, we cannot just depend on the way we have been breathing in the past. This is precisely the reason why the different forms of pranayama are practised.

When you practise pranayama, the pranas are stimulated in the lower region of the body, but you must have a means of forcing the pranic energy up. Somehow, you have to create a negative force which will push the pranic energy up through the spinal cord. For this reason pranayama should be practised in coordination with specific bandhas. The three bandhas which are incorporated into the practice of pranayama are jalandhara bandha, uddiyana bandha and moola bandha. They create a negative force like the ejecting force used to extract water from a well. There are two forces used for pumping water- the sucking force and the ejecting force. When we practise pranayama with the bandhas, we put an ejecting force into action.

So, through pranayama you generate prana in the lower region of the body, then in order to conduct it up to the brain you must first practise moola bandha, then uddiyana bandha and finally jalandhara bandha. Moola bandha is contraction of the perineum, uddiyana bandha is contraction of the abdominal muscles and jalandhara bandha is the locking of the chin against the sternum. Prana is then conducted to the brain with the help of the subtle circulatory system.

The network of vessels through which the blood circulates is not just an arrangement of hollow tubes. It is a generator and distributor of prana as well. These vessels become charged and polarized as the bloodstream circulates throughout the body. It is as though the whole arterial and venous circulatory trees become magnetized. The flow of blood through the vessels generates a bio-magnetic force just as a forceful flow of water is used to generate hydro electricity. This is how prana shakti is able to permeate and enliven even the most distant cells and tissues of the body.

Under normal conditions a certain quantum of prana is circulating, and this is responsible for our present level of health. However, the importance of pranayama is to enable us to consciously generate a higher voltage of prana and this greater quantum of prana can then be directed into the higher centres of the brain, via the cerebral blood vessels and the cerebrospinal fluid circulating and irrigating the brain's sleeping centres. In this way, pranayama brings a higher reality, experience and dimension to its practitioner. It boosts the level of consciousness by activating and awakening the dormant centres and capacities of the left and right hemispheres of the evolving brain.

Now, another means of conducting prana to the frontal portion of the brain is by the practice of shambhavi mudra. Shambhavi mudra is centralizing the pupils of the eyes at the point between the two eyebrows. This practice is also known as mid-eyebrow centre gazing. When you practise shambhavi mudra, the pranas are sucked up by force to irrigate the frontal area of the brain.

Rejuvenation of the Brain:

In order to charge the brain with sufficient prana, you will have to practise pranayama very systematically. Pranayama is not just a matter of breathing in and breathing out in a particular way. Kumbhaka, retention of breath, is the actual definition of pranayama. Inhalation and exhalation are just a process. In all the ancient yoga texts, kumbhaka has been highly praised, and today scientists are acknowledging what the texts have claimed.

Retention of breath is done at two points. Firstly, when you have filled your lungs, you hold the breath inside, and secondly, when you empty your lungs, you hold the breath outside. Both forms of kumbhaka are important and they are so powerful that they can completely rejuvenate the whole brain.

Prana Vidya:

In order to develop prana shakti, certain practices have been formulated in many parts of the world. In Bharat, our ancestors developed the science of prana which we call prana vidya. This is a very ancient and effective science which is still practised in Bharat today.

Some people are born with excess prana, and they are able to transmit that prana out of the body to other people. Although you may not have sufficient prana to be able to do this, you can definitely awaken your own prana and conduct it to any part of the body that requires it. Wherever sickness occurs in the body, there is a deficiency of prana. If you can supply more prana to that part of the body, the process of healing becomes quicker.

I will describe one practice of prana vidya which is not very difficult. While practising pranayama, visualize pingala nadi within the spinal cord. As you inhale, follow the structure of pingala and feel the prana traversing every chakra and finally merging in ajna chakra. In the same way, feel the prana descending within pingala nadi. The colour of pingala is red. So as you inhale and exhale, imagine breathing along a red path. At the end of each inhalation, practise kumbhaka at ajna chakra.

In order to practise this ascending and descending of prana, you have to perfect ujjayi pranayama. Practise sending prana up and down the spinal cord through pingala nadi 40 times. Then start distributing prana from ajna chakra with exhalation. You can send it to any part of the body you choose. If there is a problem with your fingers or your feet or any other part of the body, start sending prana there from ajna chakra. Either with the help of the breath or with the help of your mind, try to push your prana to the affected part of the body. Before long, you will find that healing is taking place.

Uniting with Universal Prana:

Prana is not only the life force, it is also a very powerful healing force in the body that can even eradicate the most difficult physical problems. Moreover, the prana within us is a part of the universal prana. I am not talking about positive and negative ions now, I am speaking of a metaphysical substance. This is called universal prana and your prana is a part of that. If you can unite yourself with the universal prana, you can draw the required amount of prana whenever you need.

In order to tune yourself to this universal prana, you must be able to reach a high state of meditation. When you control the breath, the mind is also controlled and the awareness becomes one-pointed. That one-pointed awareness is comprehended in the mid-eyebrow centre where the point is seen as a light. The light grows in intensity and becomes bigger and bigger until it completely envelops your consciousness. Then there is illumination all around you, and at this point you can connect yourself with the universal prana.

It is very difficult for us to attune ourselves to the universal prana because our awareness is very limited. Most of us only know about deep breathing, and we think that by breathing deeply fifty to a hundred times, we will get more and more shakti. Of course we do, but we need a finer form of prana shakti which can be used for awakening the brain.

Throughout your body there is a pranic field which is known as pranamaya kosha. You must know how to tune this pranamaya kosha with the universal prana. Your pranamaya kosha can be awakened by practising pranayama correctly, by fasting or eating properly, and by perfecting meditation on the mid-eyebrow centre. Then, when you are able to see that great enveloping light, you become the medium of the universal prana. Thereafter, you can distribute this prana to those who are in short supply.