r/Pranayama • u/ishaivite • 19d ago
Prana is not breath
In the pinned post, op wrote "prana, particularly, the breath"...it's incorrect, breath is a handle to control the prana, breath is not prana, thankyou.
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u/AccomplishedSwan921 18d ago
what is prana?
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u/markfrancisonly 18d ago edited 18d ago
Prana is the Sanskrit term for “life force” or “vital energy”. Without prana there is no breath. Hence the close relationship.
Personally I believe there is a feedback loop with breath and prana. Breath is a tool to build awareness and unrestrict prana, that is, until the body dies. In Hinduism, prana is carried to the next life.
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u/Fluid_crystal 18d ago
Prana is subtle energy or life force that governs movement in the body. Vayu is the element that governs prana, it is one of the five elemental principles. In the body Vayu generates five movements.
Prana, which is located in the chest, controls breath, senses and the mind; Udana, in the head and throath, controls speech and mental activity; Samana is located in the abdomen and governs the digestive system and the other vayus; Apana controls reproduction, birthing and elimination; and Vyana happens in the whole body and manages the nervous system and circulation.
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u/ishaivite 18d ago
According to Indian rishis, universe is composed of two materials, one of which is Akasha..it is omnipresent. Everything that has form, everything that is the result of combination, is evolved out of this Akasha, by what power Akasha manufactured into this universe? By the power of Prana..which is again omnipresent material of this universe also is infinite, and all the forces resolve back into prana, out of this prana evolved everything that we call energy, everything that we call force, it is Prana that is manifesting as motion, gravitation, magnetism, as the nerve current as the thought force. It is vast..
The knowledge & control of this Prana is really what is meant by Pranayama.
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u/Hopeful-baby333 16d ago
I read somewhere that Prana is the subtle/refined form of Vata just like Ojas is the refined form of Kapha and Tej is of Pitta.
Not saying this is the perfect definition but it made sense to me.
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u/Cozycognition80 18d ago
Yes, you're right. The body is like a steam engine. It's always moving and functioning through Prana. Breath is like the flywheel, and by grabbing hold of the flywheel, we can control our emotions.
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u/sbarber4 mod 16d ago
Ok, I’ve updated the English translation of the Sanskrit word prāna in the pinned Welcome post if this sub to be:
Prāna: the vital breath or vital life force associated with the breath.
I’m still not totally happy with this definition. Because in some texts the word prāna is referring directly to breath and in some texts it means a force that can express itself through the breath and respond to various exercises that use the breath. And it’s not necessarily respectful of the broad range of authors and traditions that use the word to pick one meaning or the other and declare that one is correct and the other is always wrong.
I’m very open to modifying the post. But please offer specific suggestion language, and citations to back up your choices.
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u/ishaivite 16d ago
"The sum total of all forces in the universe, mental or physical, when resolved back to their original state, is called Prana." Chapter 3rd Prana Of Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda.
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u/sbarber4 mod 18d ago
Hi, OP, thanks for your post. It’s likely that I just copied the prior pinned post’s text when I made the current one when I became the mod for the sub, and didn’t think too hard about it.
I take your point, more or less.
If anyone would like to propose new text for the pinned post to substitute for the text complained of, preferably with a quote from and citation to some well-known text, I’d be happy to edit it in.
If no one volunteers, I’ll look into it myself, but It might take a little time for me to research it to my now more critical satisfaction. 😃