Prana
The word ‘prana’ has a deeper meaning in Sanskrit; it means the source of life, the life force or the energy which is the basis for existence. It does not simply mean air.
‘Prana’ is a kind of vibration which goes inside along with the breath. This vibration stays inside and continues to add more vibrations or frequency to the life energy. Even when one feels that the breathing has almost stopped during deep meditation, prana continues to go in and come out. Prana, the life force is independent of breathing. During meditation, air going in and coming out may reduce but the prana going in and settling increases and this is the main reason why meditation rejuvenates a person.
Scriptural References
yatprāṇena na prāṇiti yena prāṇaḥ praṇīyate tadeva brahma tvaṁ viddhi nedaṁ yadidamupāsate || 9 ||
Translation That, that which one breathes, not with the breathing, but by which the breath, in-breathes vital life energy, prāṇa, being impelled by that Source of life, you must know That alone as Brahman, and not this, which is worshipped and cherished work-shipped here as the limited object. Experience the 5 Forms of Prana
Santosha is the joy you discover through saucha. Saucha infuses such large quantity of prana in you.
Prana is available to us in five forms.
1. Prana in the form of earth is the food, food you take.
Examples of Sattvic (High Prana Foods) Fruit - mango, pomegranate, coconut, figs, peaches, pears Grains - rice, tapioca, blue corn Vegetables - sweet potato, lettuce, parsley, sprouts, yellow sqaush Beans - mung, yellow lentils, kidney, lima Dairy - organic milk, fresh homemade yoghurt
Foods to be encouraged in Sattvic cooking: - Lots of fresh, organic vegetables and other organic products - Only small portions (food should not be kept for more than 4 hours) How to cook Sattvic Food: - Stir frying is best - Add your salts last so that is does not extract minerals and nutrients from the food – use organic rock salt - Who is doing the cooking? What’s the state of mind of the person cooking? Our thoughts are energy. - Food cooked in India, mantras are chanted. At least listen to good music, be joyful when you cook. - Understand that it is not the proteins, carbs, fat that are digested; it is the emotion with which you have cooked the food.
2. Prana which is in the form of water comes to you when you take bath, when you wash your body. ( not when you drink liquids )
Sadashiva says, “Take bath in a large water body where at least 1000 times more amount of water is there, than amount of blood in your body.” For example, a normal average human body may have 6 litre to 7 litre blood; for some people maybe 10 litre, maximum 10 litre blood in the body. Take bath always in a water body where 1000 times more, 10X1000, 10,000 litre water body.” A large quantity water body when you take bath, every pore in your body will be forced to inhale water prana. Liquids bring only the solid, the bhu prana not the Jala prana.
Jala prana gets into the system only through skin. Especially your lower body, the private parts of the body need to experience the pressure of large quantity of the water, to heal itself, rejuvenate itself and breathe jala prana.
3. Prana in the form of smoke of the Homa Agni
Every day at least few minutes inhale the smoke of agni, the Homa agni. When you do the yajna, agnihotra homa with sacred mantras and herbs, pure cow ghee. Just few milli litre pure cow ghee sprinkled in fire, generates large quantity of oxygen, prana. Whenever you sit in yajna shala or gou shala and breathe the agni prana is available to your system.
4. Prana for air is the gasping you do when you chant long mantras.
When you chant long mantras that second… the vayu, the prana from the vayu enters into your system; gets assimilated into your system. Chanting loudly the long mantras like rudram, chamakam, makes the vayu prana get assimilated in your system.
5. Prana in the form of space.
The akasha prana gets assimilated whenever you sit in oneness.
The right sattvik food and drinks you receive solid, the bhu prana, prana from the earth energy, taking bath in the large water bodies. When people do this lifestyle, they live for quite a long time; because that lifestyle is such, all pancha prana will be available to them – prana from the earth, prana from the jala, prana from the fire, prana from the air. Techniques
Increase the Vitality of Your Body!
Sunrise is the time when the amount of prana (life energy) in the air is at the maximum.
Your body can directly absorb this energy from the sun. If you look into the sky just after sunrise, you can see millions of golden ‘worms’ continuously swimming in the air at a tremendous speed. You can even see them with the naked eye. These are vitality globules.
Just like the food you eat, prana is also food for your body vitality. It boosts your body’s immunity. When the prana level in your body is high, you can maintain vibrant health even without much food! When the prana level drops, your general vitality drops. This is the reason many people fall during the rainy season and winter, when the prana level is low. This is also the reason that yoga and meditation were always performed outdoors, at dawn. The energy flow in your body is always in a state of imbalance. Your breathing is always imbalanced. Either the left side of your body is receiving more oxygen, or the right side. For just a few minutes, during sunrise and sunset, your breathing falls naturally into a balanced pattern. The energy flow in your body is perfectly balanced. This time is known as sandhya – the meeting-point of day and night, light and darkness.
When the outer balancing happens, a natural inner balancing also happens. Normally you are not aware of these processes happening inside you. When you become aware, these few moments can become a natural meditation.
Step 1: Rise before the sun does! Find a spot outdoors where you can get a clear view of the sunrise. If possible, find an open space where you can watch the sun come up over the horizon. Watch the sky at dawn, before the sun rises on the horizon. When the sky is gaining color, watch with a deep silent alertness. As the sun rises on the horizon, clearly feel that the sun inside you is also rising. When it has risen above the horizon, feel that the sun inside you has reached your navel. As the sun comes up slowly, feel the inner sun also gaining intensity. Feel your body flooded with the golden light. Feel the glow of the sunrise inside your head.
Step 2: With your face to the sun, close your eyes for a few moments. Feel as if your body is absorbing the prana through every pore. With every breath, the prana is entering and rejuvenating your body. Enjoy the living energy inside you. Slowly, turn your focus from the sunrise outside to the sunrise happening inside you. Enjoy the bright, silent feeling of the sun of Consciousness within. Awaken Yourself with The Avatar’s Prana
“In 11 dimensions of the Universe, the Forms I use is different, the names I use is different, the language I use is different, but the breathing I do - is same. The inhaling, the air inhaled now, goes up to Kailasa - Bhur, Bhuvah, Svaha, Tapa, Satya - crossing all the Lokas, goes up to Kailasa and take a turn and comes back. When it is very powerful, the mantras released through this breathing, gets into your system so deeply, awakens your system so powerfully….it is like, the moment the sacred syllables are given, immediately it becomes part of your cognition. ” - Paramahamsa Nithyananda Paramashivam
When we breathe, we don’t just breathe air. We breathe the space. We breathe the Prana - the life energy of people around us. When we are in the energy field and presence of Paramahamsa Nithyananda, his space becomes part of our bio-memory and muscle-memory.
References
http://nithyananda.org/video/awaken-yourself-power-avatar’s-prana#gsc.tab=0 http://meditationisforyou.org/2012/03/inner-sunrise/ http://nithyanandatimes.org/the-science-of-pranayama/ http://nithyananda.org/video/be-spiritual-warrior-or-worrier#gsc.tab=0 http://nithyayoga.com/108-insights-into-yoga/ http://nithyayoga.com/sattvic-diet/ http://www.nithyananda.org/video/prana-life-energy#gsc.tab=0 http://nithyananda.org/video/space-not-place-matters#gsc.tab=0