Prana

Prana is the Sanskrit word for “breath” or “breath of life.” But it is much more than what we think of as breath. Prana is the life energy that vitalizes all living things and controls all activities in the body—physical and spiritual, mental and sensory.

Prana is the sacred fire breath of God, or essence of the Holy Spirit, which is present in the earth’s atmosphere as electronically charged light particles of the Father-Mother God. Without it, blood won’t circulate, organs won’t function, and the brain won’t do its job.

The concept of a universal energy force has been taught for many centuries and in many cultures. The Sanskrit term prana has been compared to the mana of the Polynesians, to the Chinese ch’i, energy which circulates through the meridians detailed in the ancient science of acupuncture, to the Hebrew ruach (“spirit of life”), and to what scientists have in recent times called “bioplasma.”

Taking in prana

Prana is most easily absorbed into the body through the air, where it is found in its freest state. As you exercise—especially in fresh air and sunshine—you are inhaling, with each breath, air charged with this dynamic force. Like an electric current, it courses through an intricate system of nerve passages in the etheric body and is carried to every organ and part of the system, giving renewed strength and vigor.

Prana has its greatest concentration in the seven chakras, which serve as generating centers and focal points for this energy. The chakras regulate specific bodily functions, and at each of these energy centers the prana is collected and distributed to its destination.

Every activity—from muscle movement, to digestion, to thought itself—utilizes prana, and the supply needs to be constantly replenished to sustain good health. Unless enough fresh air reaches the lungs, for example, the venous blood (which accumulates waste from all parts of the body) cannot be purified or renewed with life. This poisonous waste matter, instead of being expelled, is then circulated through the body and poor health or disease ensues.

Disease and prana

In fact, it is said that disease is due to an imbalance of prana. And some proponents of yoga believe that all sickness can be controlled when the proper flow of prana is restored. Along the same lines, in the West jogging has been used successfully as preventive medicine and even as therapeutic treatment for patients with heart problems. However, some practitioners believe jogging is harmful to the organs, the spine and sacrum.

Because all of the four lower bodies are interrelated, causes set into motion by prana are not limited to physical effects. A lack of prana can influence the mind and the emotions as well. Clinical tests have shown that there is a relationship between poor breathing and low IQ in children. And it’s not hard to see how being confined to a stuffy room for too long can produce moodiness, depression, or apathy—instead of the buoyancy that an energy boost of fresh air and prana will provide. Prana comes from God through many channels. The most reliable source of prana is clean air near moving water, charged with sunlight.

Prana and negative ions

It can be postulated that the amount of prana in the air is a direct function of the concentration of negatively charged ions. (A negatively charged ion is an air molecule that is carrying one or more extra electrons. Similarly, a positively charged ion has been stripped of one or more electrons.) I would not go so far as to say that prana is negatively charged ions, but let’s just say that when the concentration of negative ions is naturally high, you can be reasonably sure there is some prana around.

Many studies have proven that the ion concentration in the air has a profound effect on the body. In working environments in the cities, positive ions which are detrimental to health are generated in quantity by central air-conditioning systems, pollution, and automobiles. On the other hand, rain and lightning storms generate negative ions which benefit the body. The ocean, rivers, streams, and all types of vegetation also contribute to the negative ionization of the air.

When you run along the beach on a clear day, you are doing far more to revitalize your physical temple than if you were to jog for twice the time through the back streets of Los Angeles. Once you take into consideration environmental factors, the where and when becomes as important as the how and for how long.

Since most of us do live in the city, it’s important to find the time to go elsewhere—into nature to clear out our physical bodies of pollution and processed food, cleanse our chakras through fasting, meditation, and mantras, and bring the other three bodies into alignment.

See also

Pranayama

Holy Spirit

Djwal Kul's breathing exercise

Sources

Mark L. Prophet and Elizabeth Clare Prophet, Lost Teachings on Your Higher Self, pp. 132–35.

Mark L. Prophet and Elizabeth Clare Prophet, The Path of the Higher Self, volume 1 of the Climb the Highest Mountain® series, p. 459.