It’s safe to say that 50 years ago few people in the US had heard the word “prana.” Much has changed since then, and now it is quickly becoming an everyday word (there’s even a popular athletic wear brand named after it). But like many things, the more popular it becomes, the greater room there is for inaccuracy and misunderstanding. So what exactly is prana? What role does it play in the human system, and does it play some role in connecting us to the broader creation? Can prana be used to enhance our physical and even mental health? Indeed, is it possible to take control of our prana, and if so, what would that entail?
Sadhguru: “The word ‘Prana,’ there is no equivalent word in English, but we can say it’s a vital energy. That which we call as the life energy is ‘Prana.’ Prana has ten different manifestations in the body. But for the sake of understanding, we’ll bring it down to five. These five are referred to as five ‘Vayus’ or ‘Pancha vayus.’ This is Prana vayu, Samana vayu, Udana vayu, Apana and Vyana. They are in charge of different dimensions of what happens in this human mechanism.”
“‘Yama’ means to control or to take charge, ‘Pranayam’ means a method with which you want to take charge of these Pancha vayus. Because how your body functions, how your mind functions, how the whole physiological framework… this human mechanism, how it functions, is determined by this energy. This is an intelligent energy, in the sense, it carries a certain amount of memory. The karmic memory of the individual person is imprinted on this energy. So, in each person the prana functions in a different manner. It is unique to each individual. It is not like electricity. Electricity is not smart. It can light up the light bulb, it can run the camera, it can run the air-conditioning, it can do million things, but not because of its intelligence. It does the same thing always. Because of a particular device, a certain thing happens.”
“So, this [prana] is an intelligent energy, where a certain amount of imprint is there. Because of that, it functions in a specific manner in an individual person. If one has a certain mastery over these five vayus, there is no such thing as physical ailment. Particularly, psychological ailment is out of the question. If somebody takes charge of their prana, whatever may be the external atmosphere, whatever influences in terms of reverberations, waves, emotions, other kinds of pressures – doesn’t matter what – psychological balance is one hundred percent guaranteed for a person, who takes charge of his prana, always. When I say balance, maybe most of you won’t be medically considered imbalanced. But a whole lot of people are psychologically imbalanced.”
“Suppose you have a hand. Suppose this hand simply pops up right now; it pokes into your eyes and it scratches you and beats you. If your hand starts doing this, there is a sickness, isn’t it? At least your hand is sick. Well, this is what most people’s minds are doing. Every day, it scratches you from inside, makes you cry, makes you bawl, makes you worry. In so many varieties of suffering, it pokes your eyeballs out many times. It is sick. Maybe in a socially accepted manner, but it is sick. So one who takes charge of his prana can be one hundred percent assured, his psychological balance is there, you cannot shake it.”
“So, pranayam means you want to take charge of the vital forces. As I said, they have an intelligence of their own, each one of them. Either during birth, after conception, how they enter the newborn and how they leave the dead – in this, it clearly displays, it has an intelligence of its own. One may not notice this unless they become very conscious about these things. It’s a world by itself, if you ask me. It takes a certain level of attention. Just mental alertness is not enough. It has to become really attentive. If you make yourself like that, you know how these five are functioning.”
You can read more about prana here: https://isha.sadhguru.org/us/en/wisdom/article/pranayama-benefits-types
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