Prana (प्राण, prāṇa) is the Sanskrit word for "vital life" (from the root prā "to fill", cognate to Latin: plenus "full"). It is one of the five organs of vitality or sensation, viz. prana "breath", vac "speech", chakshus "sight", shrotra "hearing", and manas "thought" (nose, mouth, eyes, ears and mind; ChUp. 2.7.1).

In Vedantic philosophy, prana is the notion of a vital, life-sustaining force of living beings and vital energy, comparable to the Chinese notion of Qi. Prana is a central concept in Hinduism, particularly in Ayurveda and Yoga, where it is believed to flow through a network of fine subtle channels called nadis. Its most subtle material form is the breath, but it is also to be found in the blood, and its most concentrated form is semen in men and vaginal fluid in women.^[1] The Pranamaya-kosha is one of the five Koshas or "sheaths" of the Atman.

Prana was first expounded in the Upanishads, where it is part of the worldly, physical realm, sustaining the body and the mother of thought and thus also of the mind. Prana suffuses all living forms but is not itself the Atman or individual soul. In the Ayurveda, the Sun and sunshine are held to be a source of prana.

In the Hindu philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism, prana is regarded as an aspect of Shakti (cosmic energy).^{[citation needed]}

Nadis[link]

In Yoga, the three main channels of prana are the Ida, the Pingala and the Sushumna. Ida relates to the right side of the brain, and the left side of the body, terminating at the left nostril and pingala to the left side of the brain and the right side of the body, terminating at the right nostril. In some practices, alternate nostril breathing balances the prana that flows within the body. In most ancient texts, the total number of nadis in the human body is stated to be 72,000. When prana enters a period of uplifted, intensified activity, the Yogic tradition refers to it as Pranotthana.^[2]

Prāṇas[link]

In Ayurveda, the Prāṇa is further classified into subcategories, referred to as prana vayus. According to Hindu philosophy these are the vital principles of basic energy and subtle faculties of an individual that sustain physiological processes. There are five pranas or vital currents in the Hindu system:^[3]

Upa-Pranas[link]

In Yoga the Prana is further classified into subcategory Upa-prana with following items:^[4]

Pranayama[link]

Pranayama is the practice in which the control of prana is achieved (initially) from the control of one's breathing. According to Yogic philosophy the breath, or air, is merely a gateway to the world of prana and its manifestation in the body.^{[citation needed]} In yoga, pranayama techniques are used to control the movement of these vital energies within the body, which is said to lead to an increase in vitality in the practitioner.^{[citation needed]} However, intensive practice ^[5] of these techniques is not trivial. Kason ^[6] describes situations where intensive pranayama techniques may have adverse effects on certain practitioners. According to kundalini yoga, intensive and systematic practice of pranayama can lead to the awakening of kundalini.^{[citation needed]}

See also[link]

References[link]

• Kason, Yvonne (2000). Farther Shores: Exploring How Near-Death, Kundalini and Mystical Experiences Can Transform Ordinary Lives. Toronto: HarperCollins Publishers; Revised edition.
• Rammurti S. Mishra Yoga Sutras: The Textbook of Yoga Psychology
• Sovatsky, Stuart (1998). Words from the Soul: Time, East/West Spirituality, and Psychotherapeutic Narrative. SUNY Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology, New York: State University of New York Press.

External links[link]

• Prana - A Overview as per vedic scriptures along with a hymn to Prana from Atharva Veda
• Prana - overview
• Prana and Chakrams

Amrit Desai (born October 16, 1932) is a Yoga master who founded the Kripalu Center and currently oversees the Amrit Yoga Institute in Salt Springs, Florida, located in the Ocala National Forest.

Life and career[link]

Desai was came to be near the state of Gujarat India. At the age of 16 he began training with his guru, Swami Sri Kripalvanandji (Bapuji) and Bapuji is Eternal.^[1]

In 1960, he went to the United States to study art near Philadelphia.^[2] While pursuing an art and design career in the United States, he also taught hatha yoga.^[2] Around 1966, Yogi Desai founded the Yoga Society of Pennsylvania, a nonprofit organization providing yoga classes and training for yoga teachers.^[3] The name of the Society was later changed to Kripalu, to honor of Swami Kripalvandanda. During his time with the Fellowship, Yogi Desai developed the yogic system popularly referred to as Kripalu Yoga.

After concluding that "holistic health" would be "an effective way to introduce yoga to people who needed it but were not yet open to its more traditional forms", in 1979 Desai started the Kripalu Center for Holistic Health in Lenox, Massachusetts.^[2] The organization continues to operate in Stockbridge, Massachusetts as a nonprofit entity under the name Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health.

He resigned as director of the Kriplalu Yoga Center in 1994, after his extra-marital affairs were made public. To his credit, he owned his actions and sent letters of apology to many of those involved. Kripalu survived the incident and Amrit went on to start "Amrit Yoga Institute" where he continues to provide instruction.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Amrit Yoga Institute
• Yogi Amrit Desai - Entering The Yoga Zone (video)
• KBOO FM Healthwatch with Yogi Amrit Desai
• [1]

Further reading[link]

• Sukanya Warren, Peter Mellen, and Francis Mellen (1982). Gurudev: The Life of Yogi Amrit Desai. Kripalu Publications. 117 pages. ISBN 0-940258-07-2, ISBN 978-0-940258-07-5