Prana : Your natural high

Prana is a wonderful thing. But what is it and how does it manifest? This blog will help to describe something that is wonderful yet ethereal.

We are also running a workshop on the power of prana on Saturday the 18th of April Join us if you would like to experience this for yourself.

 What is prana?

For me the easiest way to describe prana is that it’s a vital energy that permeates our bodies.  I like to draw the parallels to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in using the analogy that prana is the same as Qi (pronounced chi).

The body has a network of channels known as nadis (meridians in TCM). The nadias correspond closely to our physical anatomy of nerve systems and trigger points. The channels carry prana towards a energy centres known as chakras (anatomically speaking these are located at nerve junctions known as ganglia). They lead onto a central channel mapping closely to the spine and up into the brain.

What does yoga do for prana?

The practice of yoga is about clearing blockages from these channels and stimulating energy to build and flow into our spine and central nervous system.

At the end of the yoga practice, all of the accumulated energy is further directed towards the spine by the practice of Yoga Nidra.

It’s this final practice that translates into a feeling of blissful happiness. Compare this to your typical day to day experience of the external world. There is a feeling of intoxication, as the external world is forgotten.

Call me a big hippy but that feeling is the best drug I’ve ever experienced.