Swami Pragyamurti (Director of the London Satyananda Yoga Centre) kindly agreed to answer some questions about Prana...

Swami Pragyamurti, could you say briefly why prana is so important in yoga practice?

Prana is not only important in yoga practice, it is essential to life! Without prana, vital energy, there is no life. Humans, animals, flowers - all living things - need good quality, free-flowing prana to live healthy, joyful and productive lives. So the various practices of yoga help us to discover this and to balance and energise our whole body-mind complex, especially through the breathing practices. The breath is one of the most important vehicles, or mediums, for energy.

Are there yoga practices I can use if I’m feeling low in energy or even a bit depressed?

Some fairly dynamic practices such as Surya Namaskar will help, as will abdominal or complete yogic breath. If you know bhastrika or kapalbhati pranayamas, they are very powerful. All practices which work on the abdominal area will help develop a good sense of Self and an awareness of your personal power. Obviously aspects such as healthy food, good company and a chance to help those less fortunate than yourself will also help you. And remember a good rest is not a bad idea either sometimes!

And the opposite, if I’m feeling too energetic and unfocused, going off in all directions?

Firstly learn to channel that excess energy - get out in the garden and work hard physically! Then slow down your breath, lengthening the exhalations until they are double the length of the inhalations. Meditation techniques such as Yoga Nidra or Antar Mouna will also be helpful, and these are taught in all Satyananda Yoga Centres, and there are also CDs available for home practice.

Sometimes during meditation or yoga nidra, I imagine I can feel or see energy/prana in my body, like mini electric shocks or rays of light. Is this normal?

Yes, this is all normal. It just indicates that your practice is working, and you should observe it without trying to hold on to the experience. Try not to expect experiences each time you do Yoga Nidra or meditation as it doesn't happen every time.

And finally, if you could suggest just one or two practices for overall balance of prana, what would they be?

I would suggest the great energy balancer, Nadi Shodan pranayama, first of all. A balanced programme of asanas will help, together with a short daily meditation. Also important is healthy food and large helpings of contentment and joy.

Swami Pragyamurti, thank you!

“Prana is the energy, gross and subtle, which pervades the whole cosmos. It vibrates through all life, from the flowers to human beings, from the tiniest atom to the largest galaxy.”

“You should always try to raise the quality and standard of your prana. The reason is easy to understand. If you run your tape recorder on a flat battery, what is the sound like? You either have to fit a new battery or recharge the old one. No one likes to fit a new one which means to die. So, you can use Prana Vidya as a system of recharging your flat battery.”

In October 2006, Swami Pragyamurti gave a three day programme on the preliminary practices of Prana Vidya. The main sessions have been transferred to four audio CDs, beautifully presented in a boxed set.

Practices included in the set:
- Introduction to Prana Vidya
- SoHam in sushumna nadi
- Discovering the space body (sthul akasha)
- The five pranas and meeting of prana/apana
- Tracing ida and pingala nadis
- Recharging manipura chakra
- Bonus tracks with mantra chanting and Chaturdik Pranam Mudra (salutation to the four compass points and the Earth).

Please note - these practices are not suitable for beginners. Before starting Prana Vidya you should be proficient in yoga nidra, visualisation, mantra japa, ajapa japa, kaya sthairyam, and be familiar with the principal chakras and psychic passages.

The complete boxed set costs just £18 plus 15% p&p (UK mainland only).

Discover about re-energising your manipura chakra, why it may not be such a good idea to renounce your ego (just yet!), and what advice the sadhu gave to the cobra...

This six minute PodCast is taken from disc 3, track 1 of the new CD set Prana Vidya. You can listen online or download it to your iPod or MP3 player.

Click here to listen (depending on your browser, you may need to right-click and select an option to save or play)

Working with Mantra
with Swami Nirmal
Saturday 10 March 2007

A day integrating awareness of Mantra with asana, pranayama and meditation. Suitable for students with some experience.

Swami Nirmal has been teaching yoga since 1985, having studied with Swami Satyananda over several years in India. She has deep insight into the Satyananda yoga & meditation practices and teaches them in a supportive way, with clarity and joy.

Playing with Surya Namaskar
with Shaktiroopa
Saturday 12 May 2007

A day exploring and playing with Surya Namaskar, including the incorporation of chakras and mantras. Suitable for students who have practised regularly for at least one year and are able to do Surya Namaskar without guidance.

Shaktiroopa came to yoga in 1981 and subsequently trained as a Satyananda yoga teacher in Wexford, Ireland. She now lives in Gloucestershire where she teaches for the local authority and a holistic therapy centre, as well as giving weekly sessions at a local rehabilitation centre, working with clients with various addictive problems.

Prana

This article gives an excellent introduction to Prana:

The meaning of prana is 'life force' or 'vital energy'. In the universal sense, prana is responsible for all creation. It is the prana within every created object, whether a planet, an asteroid, a blade of grass or a tree, that gives it existence, material form...
by Swami Satyadharma Saraswati

The Science of Prana

A more detailed article on Prana:

...pranic energy is greatly influenced by one's state of mind. When we are fresh and alive we feel buoyant and energetic. That is a subjective feeling but nobody knows where it comes from. After a boring lecture or a hard day's work we feel drained. Why? If the blood glucose and blood pressure are measured all the parameters will be normal, but still we feel depleted. What is missing from the system?
by Dr Swami Dharmavratananda Saraswati

Prana Nidra and Antar Darshan

Prana nidra aims at completing these two functions: harmonizing and relaxing the agitated pranas, and disconnecting them from the body as well as the mind, so that they can flow freely in their own dimension or kosha. How can we do this? In prana nidra, the breath becomes the medium to get in touch with the pranic flow. Energy flows through each and every part of our body, every cell, atom, muscle and organ is an expression of energy.
by Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati

Prana Nidra on CD for home practice

The practice of Prana Nidra, recorded by Swami Pragyamurti, is available on CD from the London Satyananda Yoga Centre.

Breath and awareness are directed around the body, and the location and movement of the five main pranas are visualised in this practice.

Prana Pranayama Prana Vidya is without doubt one of the most comprehensive and informative books on prana and related topics.

Part 1 deals with the theory of Prana and covers all relevant areas including chakras, koshas, physiology, research.

Part 2 covers all of the classical pranayamas and in addition includes useful sections on basic breathing, expansion of breath capacity, pranayama for children, mudras and bandhas.

Part 3 deals with the powerful and advanced practices of Prana Vidya (conscious awakening and manipulation of Prana and its by-product, healing).

The next eNewsletter is due out in May 2007.

If you have any comments on this eNewsletter or ideas for future articles then we'd love to hear from you.

OM TAT SAT