In most of the yogic texts the term prana is associated with life force or bioenergy. Many people even use the word prana for oxygen, confusing it with the subdivision of prana vayu which regulates the heart and lungs. But when we speak of prana in the higher sense, we are referring to the cosmic concept rather than the physical breath or the atmospheric ions. Life in itself is not a gross concept, and
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just because something exists does not mean it represents prana.
Prana is a Sanskrit word derived from two roots: pra is a prefix used to denote constancy and na means ‘movement’.
Therefore, prana is a force in constant motion, like a vibration moving to and fro without any interception. We have to be very precise when we use the word prana, because it has two aspects – cosmic and individual. Cosmic prana is very subtle and can only be perceived by the infinite mind, but individual prana related to the body is grosser and more tangible. In the order of creation, prana emanates from the unmanifest reality known as hiranyagarbha, the golden womb or egg. On the physical level it manifests as individual existence. Swara yoga develops awareness of the manifestation and existence of prana within our own being so that we can come to realize its cosmic propensity.
The inherent energy of the breath
In yoga, breathing is considered to be a very important process because it is the most vital means of absorbing prana into the body. The shastras explain how prana gives consciousness and life to every creature which breathes. In the Taittiriya, Brahmana and Maitri Upanishads and Shiva Swarodaya, the breath is referred to as the vehicle of Brahman or cosmic consciousness. In fact, the Prashnopanishad, which specifically aims at clarifying the nature of creation, explains that, “Prana springs from the atman and is as inseparable from the self as the shadow is from he who casts the shadow.” (Ch. 3)
Even the Bible implies that man was given consciousness and life through the breath: “The Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathing into his nostrils the breath of life, he became a living soul.” (Gen. 2:10) This is a symbolic expression of the process of materialization of matter and life together through prana and consciousness. ‘Dust’ is symbolic of matter and ‘blowing the life’ means the emergence of prana in matter. The breath itself, being imparted from the cosmic self, contains the cosmic force therein. Thus through the practice of Swara yoga, we are attempting to experience the grosser aspect of prana in order to trace it back to its original source.
Matter has many stages of existence and manifestation.
At one level it is inert. In the process of evolution it manifests life. Later it manifests consciousness, then energy emerges and the final manifestation is knowledge and experience. This is the truth about both physics and metaphysics, about science, tantra and swara yoga.
Energy in matter
According to swara yoga the body is a storehouse of vital energy, a dynamo with infinite electrical currents flowing throughout. The ordinary man sees this body as a combination of flesh, blood and bone. But the yogis and scientists have perceived a greater force behind the physical elements, and that is the force of energy or prana. The prana which motivates the body of man is more subtle than the nucleus of an atom and technology has not yet been able to harness it.
Most people consider the pranic system within the body to be purely physiological, but scientific investigations are coming closer to the truth of swara yoga. Researchers are discovering what the yogis found, that there is an energy link between the physical and psychic bodies. Furthermore, they have arrived at the conclusion that energy or pranic force is convertible into material force and that material force is convertible into pranic force. You know the famous equation of Albert Einstein, E=mc2, that matter is energy in its potential state. This is an ancient truth contained in the Vedas.
There is a small scientific experiment we can use to illustrate this more clearly. If you look at a piece of bone with your naked eye, all you see is a bone. But if you look at a piece of bone under a super microscope, what do you see? First you see living cells, then molecules, then atoms, and later the nucleus of the atom. Ultimately you discover the fantastic behaviour of energy. The piece of bone which appeared to be lifeless matter was not really dead at all, only your eyes were incapable of detecting the living energy within. Therefore, we utilize the practices of swara yoga to make our perception subtle enough to perceive this inherent energy.
Now, even scientists who have gone into the study of energy fields maintain that so-called motionless matter is also permeated with this subtle energy. Therefore prana not only means life, it means existence as well. Where mobility and stability are combined, there is prana. If an object is devoid of prana, it will disintegrate. So science has come to the conclusion that every existing thing is a composite structure of energy and matter. Swara yoga is a means to develop deeper understanding of our own energy structure and to know how to keep it functioning harmoniously.
within. Therefore, we utilize the practices of swara yoga to make our perception subtle enough to perceive this inherent energy.
Now, even scientists who have gone into the study of energy fields maintain that so-called motionless matter is also permeated with this subtle energy. Therefore prana not only means life, it means existence as well. Where mobility and stability are combined, there is prana. If an object is devoid of prana, it will disintegrate. So science has come to the conclusion that every existing thing is a composite structure of energy and matter. Swara yoga is a means to develop deeper understanding of our own energy structure and to know how to keep it functioning harmoniously.