Prana
As a lover of the English language, I enjoy every opportunity that teaches me new vocabulary. As a recent yoga fanatic with extra time on my hands, I heard a word in class the other morning that was new to me. Knowing it must not have come from the English language, I still enjoyed the sound and flow of the word. My instructor said it a few times, and explained it a few different ways each time she used it. "We want to find our prana, our life force, and get it moving in our bodies this morning" she would say. And later, "so as we breathe here let's find a way to bring prana back into our daily lives."
Interesting. I was on my own hunt for happiness, for life force, while practicing peace, patience, and calmness, maybe this "prana" thing was something I would enjoy. I wanted to do some of my own research on the topic, and wanted to make sure I had the word correct. It did sound a lot like the word piranha, which would have confused me quite a bit. But fear not! Prana was something I was going to look into.
Since that class a few days ago I have been to at least three more classes and I have heard my new word in use during each class. Prana, as I have understood from the use of context clues, is an energy force that we are responsible for within our own bodies. One instructor made it clear that prana does not interfere with any religious beliefs we have and is in fact the same notion as the Chinese principle of chi (also spelled qi), the Buddhist philosophy of lung, and the Polynesian practice of mana. All of these vocabulary words and different cultural and religious philosophies mean the same thing- energy. Yoga, though a form of meditation used for deep relaxation, also allows us to create energy within ourselves and get that energy moving by completing different poses and stretching to reach different postures. In yoga the focus is on body parts and muscles that we easily forget about including fingers, toes, the neck, and especially the spine, hips, and groin. By stretching out muscles around the spine we are releasing toxins from our organs which in turn creates better health and increases happiness. We must allow time to warm the body up though, which is the vital time to get our prana moving and flowing by concentrating on breathing and being particular with inhales and exhales. Prana is in fact a Sanskirt word for "life force" or "life air" and is a lot more common than we may think. "The Force" from Star Wars is considered a form of energy, or prana. In each of the mentioned cultures it is considered a healthy state that we should aim to achieve especially during yoga practices. There is so much more to it, and prana is often broken down into subcategories, each focusing on a different element of the body (similar to the senses).
In reflecting about yoga this morning in class, I realized how similar yoga and life are. In yoga we must be flexible but know that we must also have structure. We must be strong and plant our roots into the ground as we stand tall and engaged. We gain strength as time goes on and are aware of our bodies. In life, too, we will be faced with situations where strength is our only option and we remind ourselves to remain grounded and structured. Flexibility is a factor in life as well; things don't always go as planned and we must practice breath and often times stretch out and remain flexible. The similarities continue on, but as I learn and reflect on the connection between mind, body, and spirit, I know our energy, our prana, is key in life and in yoga to reduce stress, improve health, and increase happiness. Namaste!
When
you inhale, you are taking the strength from God. When you exhale, it
represents the service you are giving to the world. ~B.K.S. Iyengar
Interesting. I was on my own hunt for happiness, for life force, while practicing peace, patience, and calmness, maybe this "prana" thing was something I would enjoy. I wanted to do some of my own research on the topic, and wanted to make sure I had the word correct. It did sound a lot like the word piranha, which would have confused me quite a bit. But fear not! Prana was something I was going to look into.
Since that class a few days ago I have been to at least three more classes and I have heard my new word in use during each class. Prana, as I have understood from the use of context clues, is an energy force that we are responsible for within our own bodies. One instructor made it clear that prana does not interfere with any religious beliefs we have and is in fact the same notion as the Chinese principle of chi (also spelled qi), the Buddhist philosophy of lung, and the Polynesian practice of mana. All of these vocabulary words and different cultural and religious philosophies mean the same thing- energy. Yoga, though a form of meditation used for deep relaxation, also allows us to create energy within ourselves and get that energy moving by completing different poses and stretching to reach different postures. In yoga the focus is on body parts and muscles that we easily forget about including fingers, toes, the neck, and especially the spine, hips, and groin. By stretching out muscles around the spine we are releasing toxins from our organs which in turn creates better health and increases happiness. We must allow time to warm the body up though, which is the vital time to get our prana moving and flowing by concentrating on breathing and being particular with inhales and exhales. Prana is in fact a Sanskirt word for "life force" or "life air" and is a lot more common than we may think. "The Force" from Star Wars is considered a form of energy, or prana. In each of the mentioned cultures it is considered a healthy state that we should aim to achieve especially during yoga practices. There is so much more to it, and prana is often broken down into subcategories, each focusing on a different element of the body (similar to the senses).
In reflecting about yoga this morning in class, I realized how similar yoga and life are. In yoga we must be flexible but know that we must also have structure. We must be strong and plant our roots into the ground as we stand tall and engaged. We gain strength as time goes on and are aware of our bodies. In life, too, we will be faced with situations where strength is our only option and we remind ourselves to remain grounded and structured. Flexibility is a factor in life as well; things don't always go as planned and we must practice breath and often times stretch out and remain flexible. The similarities continue on, but as I learn and reflect on the connection between mind, body, and spirit, I know our energy, our prana, is key in life and in yoga to reduce stress, improve health, and increase happiness. Namaste!
Comments
Post a Comment