The word prana is infrequently used in the western world. It is impossible to measure it with physical instruments, but despite this, it is present in everything that surrounds us and, of course, in ourselves. For a Westerner, accustomed to relying on a scientific approach, such a concept is unacceptable, but it can benefit him. Let's understand what prana is and find out why the knowledge about it is relevant to this day.
Universal life energy
Prana pervades all things, nourishes it and gives life. This amazing energy is in everything that surrounds us. Therefore, every truly wise person understands that everything around is endowed with life - rivers, fields, stones and air. Prana is the glue that supports the existence of our universe. Without it, life simply would not exist, and those material objects that are considered to be inanimate, too. According to yogis, everything in the universe generated prana.
Paradoxically, modern scientists agree that everything in the world is energy, just its density is not the same. Thus, the greatest minds of our society only in recent years have come up with what was known to our ancestors from time immemorial. Besides the fact that prana gave life to everything, every living being constantly needs it.
Where do we get prana from?
A person continuously consumes energy from the outside world in order to maintain his life. Breathing is one of the most important ways to get prana. You can live many days without food, but without breathing a person can hardly last several minutes. In the process of breathing, the prana with which the surrounding world is filled is absorbed by man. After ingestion, it undergoes many transformations before it takes its place in the body.
Much depends on the inner world of a person, since it is he who gives the vital energy certain properties. We can say that a personโs appearance is a reflection of his inner world. After all, if prana receives a negative charge, then its effect on the body will be like poison, slowly killing its victim. If, once inside a person, the energy gets positive qualities, then it will produce a healing effect.
Food
One of the main sources of prana is food and water. The quality of energy that gets into the body depends on their quality. That is, the properties of prana found in food will affect both the human body and his mind. For this reason, yogis are not recommended to eat killing products. The horror that the animal experienced at the time of death is transmitted to the lover of meat or fish, introducing confusion into his inner world.
Do not get involved in food that has undergone many transformations, since there is little vital energy left in it. But the concentration of harmful substances in such food increases many times. And the stomach will not thank you for putting a dead, incomprehensible mass in its bowels, flavored with chemicals.
Prana and breath
The main tool for the accumulation and transformation of vital energy is breathing. Indeed, thanks to this process, we get the greatest amount of prana. Therefore, in order to increase your tone and increase the amount of available energy, you need to take control of your breathing. Why torment yourself by trying to change the process that automatically takes place in the body all our lives? The fact is that breathing and consciousness are closely related. Life in a fast-moving modern world makes thinking superficial and fast. The same thing happens with breathing. This seriously reduces the amount of life force absorbed from the air. And since prana is a source of vital energy, its lack makes a person weak and lazy. All his reserves go to support his life, for nothing else they simply do not remain.
For this reason, yogis use full breath, in which the lungs are slowly filled with air to the abdomen. Retracting and protruding the abdomen helps raise and lower the diaphragm. At the same time, those sections of the lungs that are simply not used for shallow breathing are straightened and filled. If you constantly breathe only the chest, then some areas will stand idle for years, which will make them an ideal habitat for harmful bacteria.
Accumulation of prana
Prana is what drives the human body and consciousness. It circulates inside us like an electric current in a machine. Each organ requires a certain amount of vital energy. If it is less, then it will not be able to function normally, and if it is more, it will quickly wear out and โburn outโ. It is important to accumulate good prana, since the accumulation of negative energy can have a devastating effect on both the body and consciousness. To do this, observe "hygiene of the mind." It involves control over your thoughts and emotions. To prana, getting into your body, acquired positive qualities, you need to avoid negative thoughts, envy, lust, anger and other destructive urges.
An excess of vitality can appear only if it is not wasted. Our society is built in such a way as to draw all their potential out of people, leaving them empty and submissive. Everyone has a lot of all kinds of habits and addictions that suck out all life energy, no matter how much it is. Another good tool for accumulating and transforming prana is meditation.
Meditation
Inside us there is a universal tool for self-development and recovery. It is no accident that the technique of meditation is the cornerstone in any spiritual practice. It is enough just to relax and close your eyes, as limitless peace will begin to erupt from the inside. It turns out that we have enormous potential, but in order to get to it, you need to stop the flow of thoughts that are not going to give up without a fight. The easiest way to achieve a meditative state is to concentrate on the breathing process. In addition, you need to be as relaxed as possible and make sure that the spine is kept straight. A straight spine is needed so that prana can flow freely through the channels that penetrate our body.
The effect of regular meditation will exceed any expectations. You will have an extraordinary ability to concentrate, thoughts will become more clear and positive. Those problems that seemed insoluble will go away forever, making room for clarity and prosperity. Also, as a result of meditative practices, it will be possible to feel the current of prana in your body, to better understand its nature. Thus, you will unmistakably feel which actions devastate you, and which, on the contrary, fill you with vital forces. For a sustainable effect, it is advisable to practice meditation twice a day for half an hour, but you can start with a shorter period of time. Pranayama can be a good help for an experienced practitioner.
Prana is the life energy of the universe
There is one old legend designed to explain the meaning of vital energy. It contains a story about how the disciples of one guru asked him what prana is. He said that he would tell them about this amazing substance if they spent a year in meditation.
After a year, the disciples again came to the sage with their question. He did not begin to fetch an answer from his head, but simply asked the gods which of them was the main one. Cosmos replied that he was the main one. Similar were the answers of water, wind, fire, reason, hearing and others. But prana objected to them, saying that only it binds everything together, does not allow the world to fall apart. In support of her words, she began to rise above the body and everyone else reached for her. Then, according to the legend of prana, she again sank into place. All other feelings descended with her. Thus, it became clear that prana is the energy that binds everything on earth and regulates its work.
Our days
How can an ancient and exotic concept help a modern person? Prana is what gives us life; the health and well-being of a person depends on its quantity and quality. Of course, a pragmatic person will reject this concept, preferring to stay in the familiar world of materialism. But scientists themselves began to understand that the world is not as simple as it seems at first glance. Microscopic particles behave completely inadequately, completely forgetting the laws of physics to which they must obey.
Perhaps future scholars will be able to understand how wise their ancestors were. But so far only a number of specific eastern systems operate with such a concept as prana. Yoga, qigong, aikido are the most popular schools that allow you to take control of your life force. Only practice gives an understanding of what the energy of the universe is. Therefore, it makes no sense to talk about prana, it is better to feel it yourself.