Look at the sky on a cloudless day. You will see the movement of small particles in the air. This movement is also visible in the evening or at night, if you look closely at the hands or forms of the plant kingdom: trees, grass. These particles are the manifestation of «prana», the subtle vital energy that permeates all life on the planet.
Yoga class at sunrise
The prefix "pra" has two meanings: 'continuous action' and 'action that started in the past'. The root of the verb "an" means 'to breathe, to be alive'.
Prana — is the universal energy of life.
In Buddhism, in Pali language, there is the concept of "pana" — a living being whose form of life is associated with breathing. The idea of prana exists in many ancient cultures all over the world.
In ancient culture, there is the concept of «pneuma» — the air in motion, the breath of life, the wind. This ancient Greek word also translates as spirit or soul.
In Chinese and East Asian culture, prana is called "qi" or "chi" — air, breath, the life force of any being. You may have heard the word "qigong". This is the practice of cultivating and balancing qi energy.
In Melanesian and Polynesian mythology, energy that exists in people, things and places, the spiritual healing force that permeates the entire Universe, is called "mana".
Native American Indians have a similar concept called "orende" — the spiritual energy of all things, including humans, plants, animals and minerals.
In Tibetan Buddhism, there is an analogue of prana called "lung" — "wind", energy in motion.
So, people all over the world gave different names to the same invisible component of the Universe. It exists everywhere and becomes noticeable when you look closely.
The idea of pranas circulating in the body is very ancient. We can find this concept already in Vedas, in Upanishads.
- One of the first mentions of prana is in the 3,000-year-old text of the Chandogya Upanishad (third part, 13).
- In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: the third chapter, the fourth brahman.
The Taittiriya Upanishad describes the theory of the Koshas: 5 Layers of being.
- Annamaya Kosha (a physical body consisting of five elements),
- Pranamaya Kosha (sheath of prana),
- Manomaya Kosha (mind sheath),
- Vijnanamaya Kosha (knowledge or wisdom sheath),
- and Anandamaya Kosha (bliss sheath, subtlest level).
The classical Vedanta tradition developed the theory of the Five Bodies into the theory of Koshas — "shells" or "coverings" that surround the spiritual essence — the Atman.
Dawn, mountains
What are the 5 pranas and their functions? How does prana move in the human body?
The Atharvaveda lists the five functions of prana called "vayu". The word "vayu" comes fr om the root "va" — "to move" and means the driving force.
- Life-sustaining prana vayu resides in the crown of the head, circulates in the throat and chest, allows you to swallow food and drink, controls breathing, strengthens intellectual abilities and supports the mind.
- The ascending prana — udana-vayu resides in the chest, circulates in the nose, tongue and throat, controls speech, multiplies strength and energy, and keeps memory clear.
- The all—pervading prana - vyana-vayu resides in the heart and circulates throughout the body, controls the movements of the limbs, and underlies any activity.
- Samana-vayu circulates in the abdomen, around the navel, controls digestion.
- Descending-cleansing apana-vayu resides in the lower part of the body, is responsible for all processes related to excretion. It is responsible for the movement of energy down and out.
An interesting concept of the types of prana is found in Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's book "Tibetan Yogas of Sleep and Dreams". In this book, the prana circulating through the lateral channels of the body is called karmic. It is associated with the so-called karmic trace. The prana entering the central channel becomes the prana of wisdom.
Space, energy
There are two versions of the origin of prana.
First version. The prana appears with the emergence of the world.
— Teacher, how does prana arise?
— The Atman gives birth to Prana.
Prashna Upanishad
During the period of inactivity in the universe, prana is in a subtle, static state. at the moment of vibration, prana begins to move, various forms arise.
Swami Sivananda
Second version. Prana is the result of the Saints' lives.
There are two main tendencies: emission (giving) and absorption (getting). An altruistic being tends to give. A selfishly minded being tends to devour.
To understand this principle, we can remember the processes in space.
The first category is the idea of the creation of the world, when something unfolds, expanding from a single point.
The second category is a black hole that archives its surroundings.
There is a theory according to which prana is a consequence of such radiation of energy by Saints of the past who lived on Earth. On the physical plane, one can imagine this as the air that the body of a holy being inhaled and exhaled.
The practice of yoga and meditation allows people to change the quality of their energy so that they can refine the space around them.
Pranayama in the mountains
The control of prana is the control of the mind
Swami Sivananda
The practice of conscious control of prana is called pranayama.
Recommended Pranayama Books:
- «Hatha Yoga Pradipika»
- Swami Satyananda Saraswati «A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya», «Prana Vidya»
- André Van Lysebeth «Pranayama»
- B.K.S. Iyengar «Light on Prãnãyãma: The Yogic Art of Breathing»
One of the oldest methods of calming the mind, leading to a state of meditation, is anapanasati—pranayama, a practice involving mindfulness of breathing.
When you practice meditation, you change the quality of the energy around you. We can compare this to a process in which chaos, disorder becomes order. The order in the inner world is projected onto the outside world.
Prana is the mediator in this case. You inhale particles from the environment and exhale these particles. We can say that information remains on them, your tendencies of thinking and behavior remain. So, communicating with each other, people "breathe the same air" and there is a certain subtle exchange of trends in the inner world. This applies to physical stay in any place. Energy exchange is also possible at a distance, as directed attention also has an effect. Awareness of attention, to what fills and radiates the inner world, what thoughts are directed at, is always an important part of the path.
Prana control is also awareness of life in general — understanding wh ere attention and being are directed.
The most familiar way for us to receive prana is food. We eat and absorb energy from the product. You may have noticed that with regular yoga and pranayama classes, the appetite decreases, because the body receives energy without material food.
It is important to note that each meal activates apana vaya, an energy that moves downward. It is believed that excessive activity of apana vayu affects the work of consciousness making it more grounded. The movement of energy and consciousness are very connected.
A small amount of food is beneficial because you can raise consciousness to a higher level. It allows you to understand the consequences of your actions and make fewer mistakes, not harm yourself and others, live consciously.
Healthy food
Just as the sages of the past tell us about the particles of prana in ancient texts, modern scientists tell us about cells, atoms, protons and electrons. Modern discoveries of science echo ancient ideas about prana.
Gravity, light, heat, electricity, magnetism — everything that can be combined under the general name "energy" can be called manifestations of cosmic prana.
Swami Sivananda
You can read more about the relationship between the ideas of prana and the scientific worldview in the first part of book by Andre Van Lysebeth "Pranayama".
Prana is a manifestation of ether. First time the concept of ether appeared in culture of ancient Greece. In this culture, it was believed that the ether is the thinnest light component, which is breathed by the gods living in the upper layers of the atmosphere. Aristotle wrote about ether as the fifth primary element that resides in every substance. It was believed that ether has an unearthly origin, and therefore has special properties.
These ideas were continued in European alchemy. Scientists did various experiments trying to find the "fifth element", which later became known as "quintessence". These experiments have given a lot to chemistry and medicine.
In the 19th century, Baron Karl von Reichenbach created the concept of an odic force, existing in all people, plants and animals. The followers of this theory were among the first researchers who purposefully tried to confirm the existence of a universal life force scientifically.
Wilhelm Friedrich Ostwald, Russian-German scientist (Не received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry) formulated the concept of "energetism". At the heart of this teaching is the idea of energy as the basis of all processes in the world. Also in this teaching there is a recommendation to treat any activity as a form of energy investment. You can find out more in the Wilhelm Friedrich Ostwald's books («The Energy Imperative»).
According to the ideas of Russian scientist Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky, the Earth's biosphere assimilates "cosmic energy". Assimilation and transformation occurs mainly through the plant kingdom, which "accumulates" and gives away what has been assimilated. (For more information look V.I. Vernadsky "Biosphere and noosphere".)
The theory of prana has been studied by yoga practitioners of the past and present. By performing pranayama regularly, in the absence of contraindications and under the guidance of a qualified mentor, you can cure chronic diseases, accumulate additional energy and gain a deeper understanding of the nature of the universe.
Good luck in practice!