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Prana
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Prana
Prana (प्राण, IAST: prāṇa) is a Sanskrit word that refers to a vital,
life-sustaining force of living beings and vital energy in natural processes
of the universe. Prana is a central concept in Indian medicine and Yoga
where it is believed to flow through a network of fine subtle channels
called nadis. The three main channels are: the ida, the pingala, and the
sushumna. Ida relates to the left side of the body terminating at the left
nostril and pingala to the right side of the body terminating at the right
nostril. Alternate nostril breathing balances the prana that flows within
the body. When prana enters a period of uplifted, intensified activity, the
Yogic tradition refers to it as Pranotthana (Sovatsky, 1998).
Prana was first expounded in the Upanishads, where it is part of the
worldly, physical realm, sustaining the body and the mother of thought and
thus also of the mind. Prana suffuses all living form but is not itself the
Atma or individual soul.
The popular understanding of prana as being the same as air is a
misunderstanding, or a simplification of the concept. The incorrect
assumption that prana is respiratory air arises from the popular
understanding of the practice of pranayama, in which the control of prana is
achieved (initially) from the control of one's breathing. According to Yogic
philosophy the breath, or air, is merely a gateway to the world of prana and
its manifestation in the body. In yoga, pranayama techniques are used to
control the movement of these vital energies within the body, which is said
to lead to an increase in vitality in the practitioner. However, the
practice of these techniques is not trivial, and Kason (2000) mentions
circumstances where pranayama techniques might disrupt the balance of a
person's life. The possibility of adverse effects resulting from these
techniques must therefore not be underestimated.
In practical terms, prana can be explained in various ways. Feelings of
hunger, thirst, hot, cold, etc. in the body could, according to this
worldview, be interpreted as pranic manifestations. All physical feelings or
energies that arise or flow within the body might also be interpreted as
evidence that prana is at work. The presence of prana is said to be what
distinguishes a living body from a dead one. When a person (or any other
living being such as an animal) dies, the prana, or life force, is thought
to leave the body through one of several orifices.
Prana is also a term which can be further classified into subcategories,
referred to as pranas. According to Hindu philosophy these are the vital
principles of basic energy and subtle faculties of an individual that
sustain physiological processes. There are five pranas or vital currents in
the Hindu system : Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana and Samana. The pranas
constitute the second sheath (kosa) of a human being (who is essentially the
Atman or the Self). The kosas are listed below.
1. Annamaya Kosa (Gross Body)
2. Pranamaya Kosa (Vital Air Sheath)
3. Manomaya Kosa (Mental Sheath)
4. Vigyanamaya Kosa (Intellectual Sheath)
5. Karanamaya Kosa or Anandmaya Kosa (Causal Sheath)
Veerya or seminal energy is said to be "the Prana of Pranas".
References
* Kason, Yvonne (2000) Farther Shores: Exploring How Near-Death, Kundalini
and Mystical Experiences Can Transform Ordinary Lives. Toronto:
HarperCollins Publishers; Revised edition.
* Sovatsky, Stuart (1998) Words from the Soul: Time, East/West Spirituality,
and Psychotherapeutic Narrative. Suny Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic
Psychology, New York: State University of New York Press
* Telles Shirley (2005) Oriental approaches to masculine and feminine subtle
energy principles. Perceptual & Motor Skills, Apr;100(2):292-4.
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