Our yoga philosophy teacher, defined prana as the vital
energy necessary for us to function in the physical world. She asked us to describe how we perceive it
to be through personal experience. Language has its limitations because it has
been created by humans in order to communicate on the level of the perceived,
physical world and the scientifically proven one. We cannot arrive at a full realisation of that
to which the words point to, unless we have a direct experience of it. For example, we may acquire a lot of
encyclopaedic information about an orange, but unless we taste it, we will
never really realise what an orange is. Words are only signposts. If someone points to the moon and we just
look at his finger, we will miss the moon, we will think the finger is the moon
and we will not know what is naturally bright vs what is naturally dark.
Our teacher used the analogy of the lamp and electricity to
explain what prana is. A lamp cannot
function without electricity, but electricity is not the lamp and the lamp is
not electricity. Likewise, our physical
body cannot function without prana, but our body is not prana and we are
neither prana nor our physical body. Prana is used in Hindu philosophy and is
the Sanskrit word for “life force” or “vital principle” constructed from “pra”
meaning movement and “an” meaning constant.
Prana is the universal sea of energy that infuses and vitalizes all
matter. Every atom, molecule, and cell
is an extension of prana, just as waves are extensions of the sea that lies
beneath them. Prana is also the power
that flows in all living forms and performs vital functions. This is the life-force aspect of prana which
possesses an inherent intelligence enabling it to carry out the life-sustaining
processes. When the life-force flows
properly, the result will be a natural state of health and vitality. This life force has been named by other
traditions as “chi” or “spirit”.
Prana could then be described as the breath of God, of the
Source, being the vital energy of the one source expanding and giving life to
the many. Having as its source the
“One”, we may reason that there should be a balanced and properly functioning
flow of prana in all animate and inanimate matter. The fact that we need to know how to save and
recharge our prana, means that we, humans, have somehow managed to get our
species off the track of this harmonious, natural and balanced state of health
and vitality. What has brought about our expulsion from the paradise of a
blissful and harmonious state of existence?
The term “human being” is defined as “a man, woman, or child
of the species homo sapiens,
distinguished from other animals by superior mental development, power to
articulate speech and upright stance.”
The development of thought was the evolutionary result of our
species. The following dictum said to
originate from Pythagoras is relevant : “Consciousness sleeps in minerals,
dreams in plants, wakes up in animals and becomes aware of itself in humans.” A dog may cry when it is hungry or hurt, it
may stop eating when it is sick, it jumps about wagging its tail whenever it
sees its owner even if they were separated only for five minutes and this
behaviour is always constant. The dog doesn’t carry about a mental commentary
about its life. It has no opinion about itself or its master. It doesn’t think that it is not pretty
enough, or smart enough, or unlucky, that it doesn’t deserve love. It will
never hold a grudge against its master for not taking it for a walk. It just exists through its animal consciousness,
in harmony with its natural instincts.
Humans, on the other hand, instead of using their mind as a
tool, begin to identify with it developing at an early age, an image of
themselves through thinking, based on their appearance, abilities, family
status and the circumstances experienced while growing up, losing touch with
their true nature, their inner body, the invisible thread that connects them
with all of nature and other humans. The
illusion of a mind made self, the ego, results in an underlying sense of lack,
of dissatisfaction, of never having enough. Incessant, unnecessary thinking
disconnects humans from the power that each moment can offer, by disconnecting
them from their inner energy force. Thoughts proliferate causing emotions such
as fear, stress, anxiety, which diminish
prana energy and disrupt its free and balanced flow, resulting in physical and
mental ailments. Humans get caught up in
the vicious circle of this imbalance. Low
energy levels affect our mood and may lead to bad nutritional habits, lack of
exercise and addictions in our effort to cover up the uneasiness and feeling of
insufficiency. The resulting illnesses
and medication then make it difficult to achieve the ideal balanced free flow
of prana.
Realisation of our true innermost nature has the power to
free us from this vicious circle and make it easier for us to return to
balance. This realisation may help us to
use thinking only for practical purposes, not allowing our thoughts and the
conditioning of our past, to define us.
We may then be able to choose the right practices to help us free ourselves
from this dysfunctional state. I am convinced, from personal experience, that
good nutritional habits, physical exercise and yoga practice, play an important
role in disentangling us from this imbalanced state. Physical contact with elements like the soil
and water, being in places with fresh
clean air, flowers, plants, trees, or being in the company of animals, gives me
a boost of energy, a sense of tranquillity and well-being. On the contrary,
excessive use of electronic devices, pathetic tv viewing, noisy surroundings
and excessive talking, or listening to other people’s excessive talking, especially
negative talking, drain my energy. Yoga practice and swimming, has helped me to
overcome the physical and psychological discomfort and consequences of a
serious health issue I had a few years ago.
Last night, after finishing the first page of my yoga
philosophy class assignment on my tablet, I pressed the wrong button and the
text was deleted. My immediate reaction
was overwhelming. I felt my body heat
rising dramatically, I started to sweat, over-breathe, felt faint and dizzy and
fully drained of energy. I now realise I had a small panic attack. Then something inside, like a neutral force,
took control. I sat upright with crossed
legs and started doing the full breathing we do at our yoga practice. In a few minutes, I felt better and decided
to start writing my assignment patiently again from the beginning. What had happened was the result of alarming
thoughts caused by attaching excessive importance to my assignment. From early childhood I developed the trend of
being a perfectionist, competitive and strict on myself. The fear of failure resulted in a stressful
childhood and adolescence. This state of
mind and all fears and emotions, disrupt the free flow of prana and drain the
body of this energy and the result is physical discomfort and the blockage of
all creative capabilities . Attaching
absolute importance, instead of a relative one, to the end result of our
actions, is the work of our ego.
I am certain that by the recognition of the dysfunctional
state and workings of our mind, the realisation of our inner self and the vital
and powerful force of prana inside us and around us and by adopting the
practices for saving and replenishing this force, we can have access to a life of balance and to
our creative capabilities, thus being able to receive and give, that which we
were destined to give and receive during the course of our present lifetime.
Maro Papamichael 17/01/19
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