Prana — “The Dynamic Energy of Life”
By Krishna Madappa

“The immortal nature of the universe takes it’s place in the hearts of mortal humans and it also blesses them in all their sacred aspirations.

With it’s spiritual radiance, reflecting by intense love and knowing all secrets of wisdom, it shines extensively.”
Rig Veda 3.1.18

As a young lad, I would accompany my father on many of his jungle expeditions in the Andaman Islands of India. On one such occasion, I recall him reaching over to a tree branch, picking a leaf and placing on the palm of my hand. He proceeded to show me how to rub the leaf between the palms of my hands and then to take a slow, controlled, deep breath, transporting it all the way to the tips of the toes. While cupping my palms to the nose with eyes closed, I sensed the resonance of the jungle. This was a moment when pure spirit-energy was reverberating, and the human form was resplendent in pure consciousness. This, in essence, is the nature of Prana.
 
Many thousands of years ago, our Vedic ancestors recognized that this life force, Prana, is embodied in all life at all levels, from the macroscopic to the microscopic. The balance of these is the natural attributes of human life. If Prana is depleted from our system, we cease to exist. If we stop breathing, the body’s functions stop.

By the exercise of breathing, we begin to feel all the movements of the body that we otherwise do not feel. As soon as this awareness begins to manifest, we inadvertently undergo stages of transformation where the refined qualities of Being, flow as a bubbling brook nurturing all aspects nature and life. The pure intent of breath is not the breath itself, but the “essence” of  breath---Prana. This has been clearly illustrated via a story:
There was once a minister to a great king. The king, displeased with the minister, ordered him to be confined to the top of a high tower. This being done, the minister was left there to perish. His wife, very saddened by the turn of events, came to the tower at night and called to her husband. The husband tried consoling her and suggested that instead of weeping she go get some honey, a beetle, a ball of fine thread, some pack thread, a ball of twine and a rope. He then described the procedure of how all these items were to be orchestrated. The wife tied the fine thread to one of the legs of the beetle, put the honey on top of it’s head and let it go with it’s head facing the top of the tower where the minister was confined. The beetle slowly crept onward (in hopes of reaching the honey) until at last, it reached the top of the tower. The minister held the beetle with joy and promptly provided the reward of honey. He now proceeded to pull the fine thread which led to the packthread which led to the twine and finally to the rope. The minister descended from the tower by means of the rope and made his escape.
So in this body of ours, the breath motion is the “silken thread”. By laying hold of it we grasp the pack thread of nerve currents and from this the stout twine of our thoughts and lastly the rope of Prana, by which we attain freedom.

Hence by the disciplined application and use of the contents in the material plane, we come to finer and finer perceptions actuating the subtle energy fields enabling the transformational process. The universe is one, whatever point we touch. All the points are but variations of that one point, and by the simple means of breathe, we can touch the very womb of the universe. 

As simple as all this may appear, there are fundamental disciplines that allow us to maintain a state of centeredness in the midst of our emotional and material chaos. In our ancient teachings the following guidelines were followed so as to establish and maintain the vital Prana in the body at all ages: 

1. The quality of our food and water intake
2. Physical activity
3. Refinement of breathing
4. Our behavior (which encompasses the quality in the way we interact with the world we live in)
5. Our emotional disposition

In Ayurvedic texts, Prana, also considered as the life energy, is flowing throughout  our bodies as Vata, (the element of wind). As we age, there is a natural tendency for Prana to diminish. The Vedas contain certain passages which outline specific procedures to maintain Prana and thus usefulness and longevity. These passages are narrated as Ayurveda amritanam (Ayurveda is for immortality.)

We experience broad dichotomies and severe imbalances around our planet because in our material world we aspire to raise the “standard of living” while the focus of our spirit, the root of all Vedic teaching is to raise the “quality of life” itself. The rishis (wise beings) understood this phenomenon and outlined the journey to Self (Atman) in five stages which they call sheaths (Kosas). These were described as: 1. Annamaya kosa (Physical/food sheath); 2. Pranamaya kosa (Vital air sheath); 3. Manomaya kosa (Mental sheath); 4. Vignanamaya kosa (Intellectual sheath); 5. Anandamaya kosa (Subtle/Bliss sheath).

The Annayamaya kosa consists of the five sense organs and the five organs of action.

The Pranamaya kosa supports the human body as a result of the air we breathe in. It is divided into five Pranas:
1. Prana (The faculty of perception);
2. Apana (The faculty of excretion);
3. Samana (The faculty of digestion);
4. Vyana (The faculty of circulation); 
5.Udana (The faculty of thinking)

The Manomaya kosa regulates the orders of the vital sheath, i.e. if the mind is perturbed due to external factors, the functions of the pranas and the body are affected.

The Vignanamaya kosa controls the mental sheath, an area of elaborate description.

The Anandamaya kosa is the innermost of the five sheaths, which being the subtlest, is the controller and nourisher of all the layers.

The realization of the self is the true purpose and significance of life as reflected in the Upanishads (The mystical revelations of Vedic India). This knowledge was once available to a broad cross section all over India via centers of learning known as Gurukulas. This practice needs to be revived on a global scale so we can continue to grow and evolve as a mindful race.
 
Sine early times, the life force (Prana) of essential oils has been interwoven into the daily fabric of life to assist in the journey to Self. The energy of Prana aids one to evolve with self-knowledge, where the knowing, the knower and the known become one. Prana tunes us to the universal energies of pure consciousness. The Prana inherent in essential oils balances, stabilizes, nourishes, awakens and enlightens the consciousness of humankind besides assisting via their physiological and pharmacological properties. Certain essential oils have been particularly recognized for imparting the energy of vital Prana that enables one toward the transformational process. These are Agarwood or Oud, Sandalwood, Frankincense, Myrrh, Spikenard, Cardamom, Neroli, Angelica root, Spruce, Champaca, Rose, Jasmine sambac, Krishna tulsi, Calamus root, Taos sage, White sage and Himalayan cedarwood.

To scientifically support this statement, we conducted a study at the Central Institute of Home Science located in Bangalore, India. Dr.Shakuntala Manay (Head of H.S. dept.), Ms. Sreelakshmi (Ph.D Student) and myself orchestrated the study in the summer of 1998 over an eight-week period. The purpose of the study was to define how the process of transformation was enhanced by connecting to the dynamics of Prana and the Pranic energy contained inside each molecule of essential oil. The participants were a group of 14 graduate students that were designated into a control and experimental group. Measurements were obtained from Kirilian photography (Dr.Ramesh Chauan) and EEG readings, which were then recorded onto bar charts. The essential oils utilized in this study were Marjoram (Origanum marjorana), Rose geranium (Pelargonium graveolens), Lavender (Lavendula officionalis), Frankincense (Boswellia cartieri), Sandalwood (Santalum album), Angelica root (Archangelica officionalis), Spruce (Picea mariana) and Neroli (Citrus aurantium). The findings of the study will be published later. Preliminary data gathered was in keeping with the knowledge and wisdom of the sages.

When we are guided from an early age to incorporate Prana mindfully into every facet of our lives, its quality and sensitivity resonates into every part of our being, keeping us youthful and vitally alive. As long as we consciously nurture the child within us to blossom, transformation will be second nature to us. Essential oils awaken our dormant nature when we are mindful of Breath so we may continue to evolve as a race of beings worthy of the gift of life.

Om Shanti…….Om Shanti……..Om Shanti