The Power of Prana

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu: 

May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may our own thoughts, words, and actions contribute to the happiness of all beings.

Everything is connected. From our inner selves to the exterior world, threads of same-ness weave throughout our universe.  Thus, when one aspect of this great connection is imbalanced, that imbalance filters throughout the rest of the system.  This is manifested in the physical body via an imbalance in one area of the body causing imbalance, and often injury, in another part.  Externally, this connection is integrated into our actions, words, and interactions with others and with our surroundings.  An act of kindness done unto one person is nearly always passed from that person to another and so forth. A smile given to someone you pass by on the street is returned by a smile to you. A single person's negative energy can transform the energy in a room.  In the face of calamity, calm responses bring serenity.  If we want to change something in our lives, the energy surrounding that thing must be changed.  

It starts from within; from the inner energy channels of our body.  In my yoga classes this week, we've focused on the five Prana Vayus, specifically the first Vayu, Prana Vayu.  Prana, which is often associated with breath, is the life-giving energy source within all beings. It is the energy that allows our bodies to move and our minds to think.  The Vayus, which translates literally to "winds", control our mental, physical, and emotional well-being.  When all five Vayus are functioning in harmony, we experience health, vitality, and mind-body awareness.  

The Vayus each possess specific qualities, functions, and directions of flow. The energy known as Prana Vayu, flows inward and upward, from the navel to the chest region. It encompasses the area around the lungs and heart. Prana Vayu is our most energizing force.  It heightens our senses and our inner awareness.  It is, in fact, the driving force of all the other vayus.  

That energy can be accessed with the breath.  Breath is our reminder to respond, not react. It has the power to calm us down or prepare us for action.  It is what centers and grounds us in our daily activities, in our interactions, and in our yoga practice.  The next time you face a challenging situation or person, come back to your breath and put all of your awareness on it.  The sound it makes as it filters in through your nose and fills up your lungs, the way your chest and rib cage expand and relax.  Notice the way your reactive thoughts begin to fade.  Take that negative energy and transform it into a positive, peaceful response. When you feel tired or fatigued, sad, or depressed, close your eyes and visualize your prana energy bubbling around your navel. Inhale, and see it rise up through your torso and into your chest and lungs.  See it encompass and infiltrate your heart.  Allow this positive, energizing force to lift you up and set you free.  

Take with you, as you finish reading this, an awakened sense of energy, compassion, and vitality and share it with all those you encounter.

~Namaste.

Welcome to your joyful life energy

This blog is not intended to be a self help site but rather a collection of stories, thoughts and experiences that I've faced throughout my life so far and the ways in which my yoga practice and a new way of thinking has helped me through them.  Whether or not you've had some, any, or all of these same experiences, all of us face challenges in our lives.  The ways in which we deal with those situations and the people involved, and the way we choose to feel about our lives, our circumstances, and ourselves is what really makes the difference in whether we are happy or unhappy.  I've learned that I have a choice to be happy and joyful, not just when things are going well, but all the time.  By no means am I there yet though. I’m still on this journey.  I'm merely a guide. Or perhaps I'm more of a shoulder to lean on. Chances are, you can identify with at least some of what I have to say. And while I take no claim to being a professional life coach, counselor, therapist, spiritual guide, or anything of such nature, I do claim myself as a compassionate and loving person hoping to offer a listening ear, a shoulder to lean on, or a helping hand. 

I realized my path some time in the throws of 2012-2013 when the Universe handed me a way to complete a Heart Centered Yoga Teacher Training certification program.  So much about my way of thinking about and seeing things has been transformed by that program and this has bettered my quality of life.  My hope is to pass even a glimmer of that on to you.  Several years prior to this, I began attending yoga classes on a regular basis and found that moving through the asanas, or poses, some how brought some balance and calm into my life.  At the time, I didn't understand anything beyond that, but as I continued to practice, I sensed that there was something more profound that was within my reach, but I simply couldn't see it. Sight is a funny thing.  We tend believe in the things we can see.  We look for evidence in order to believe.  But in fact, much of what exists, we cannot see - air, wind, electricity, energy, gravity.  We can't see these things but we trust that they're there. Some of these things we can feel, like wind and gravity.  What about energy?  It would be hard to deny that energy forces exist around us. Here's a great example from a recent yoga teacher training weekend:  If you put a thousand metronomes in a room and they are all set at various paces, eventually, they all become in sync with one another. When a mother holds her baby against her chest, after a period of time, the rhythm of their heartbeats become one. There is an energizing life force that surrounds us and that we are a part of.  Can you think of a time when you walked into a room and felt a depressing or gloomy energy? What about a time when you came into a place where the energy was happy, light, and uplifting?  Without even knowing the events that occurred before you came to that place, you had a sense of the energy forces reverberating there. 

That's because each of us emits an energy force.  You don't even have to go into a room full of people, being around one unhappy person is enough to cause a shift in your own self.  By changing your perspective and looking at things in a new way, I hope I can help you to find your own joyful life energy.  Your joy will affect others.  Its contagious.  As I continue on my own journey, I invite you to join me.  And chime in!  Share a story of your own!  Ask a question.  Like I said before, I'm just a guide, a friend, maybe even a mentor.