“Prana is force on every plane of being, from the highest to the lowest. Whatever moves or works or has life is but an expression or manifestation of prana.”
Swami Sivananda, Bliss Divine (1887–1963)
You may not be aware of it, but you receive prana all the time – from the food you eat, the water you drink, from sunlight and the air you breathe, and from the people around you. You also give it away to others. Usually this is an unconscious exchange of energy. If you feel unwell and a friend places her hand on your forehead, she is transferring her prana to you through her compassion. If you stumble and instinctively hold your breath and take both hands to your injured knee, you are directing an increased flow of prana to the area to speed healing. A yoga teacher who asks you to breathe into your hips is suggesting that you re-direct prana to that region to invigorate your pose.
If your body is healthy and full of vitality, you naturally affect those around you in a positive way when you transfer your prana, consciously or unconsciously. People enjoy being with you because they feel invigorated by the encounter. But when you feel distressed or lacking in positive energy, others may find your presence emotionally draining. By practising the breathing visualization opposite, you can start to channel your prana consciously in order to become that vital, positive person that people want to engage with.
If you would like to take this conscious command of prana further, you can learn to manipulate it to heal yourself and others. The healing process works by directing prana to areas of your body that need help and by breaking up blockages in energy channels to allow prana to flow unimpeded (see pages 23–4). A good flow of prana stimulates cells and tissues and encourages the elimination of toxins, helping to restore healthy activity to that part of your body.
This exercise helps to recharge you and can lift your mood whenever you feel “down” – when you are charged with prana, you are more likely to be able to transfer your energy positively to others. This is also an effective way to top up your prana before using energy-healing techniques.
1 Gently sealing your lips, slowly breathe in through your nose to a mental count of 8 and then exhale through your nose to a count of 8.
2 Now breathe in again through your nose to a count of 8, but this time visualize prana streaming into you, intermingled with the air you inhale. You might like to visualize the prana as a current of bright light.
3 Hold your breath for a count of 4 and in your mind’s eye picture the prana circulating through every part of your body.
4 Exhale through your mouth to a count of 8, feeling negativity leaving your body with the stale air. Repeat for as many breaths as you like.
If this type of healing appeals to you, then why not investigate workshops or courses in one of the many popular techniques that work by transferring prana? These include reiki, Pranic Healing and Therapeutic Touch. Practitioners of these techniques may place their hands on or near a recipient, tune into their prana, focus their intention, and then allow the vitalizing energy to flow through their hands and into the receiver. Other practitioners believe that their prana is drawn out by the recipient’s injury in order to activate or enhance the body’s natural healing processes.