Ganesh at the Mandala Ashram
I embarked on a 10-day course in Prana Vidya at the Mandala Ashram Wales (an independent ashram that follows the Satyananda school of yoga teachings) without really being sure what it was about. Google searches weren’t particularly illuminating, and the Bihar School of Yoga (the publishing arm of the Satyananda school) book that describes the technique, Prana Pranayama Prana Vidya, has been out of print for years (thus costing over £80 on Amazon). Apparently, one of the higher Satyananda swamis decided that it was best not to let people learn the technique from a book, and when it was republished as Prana Pranayama, the Prana Vidya section was omitted. I think this is because they believe that you have to be very careful with using this technique on other people as it is possible to take on their negative karma. (During the course, I was told you shouldn’t attempt to heal other people unless you’d been doing a daily self-practice for a year, and even then only with permission from the swami.)
The course was taught by Swami Gyan Dharma, a tall Dane with Pete Postlethwaite cheekbones. It was the first time I had met him, and I thought he was one of the best dharma teachers I’ve ever had: wise, humble and charismatic.
Preliminaries
Ideally, prana vidya should be done in the early morning (later prana is disturbed) while wearing natural fabrics, and with no metal items on you. You usually do prana vidya in a comfortable meditation position, although lying down is possible if you don’t fall asleep. Before starting the practice we did a meditation based on the Indian musical scale (sa re ga ma pa dha ni sa), with each note representing a chakra. I found this to be an effective technique for introverting yourself and increasing awareness of the chakras.
Chakras
We were also taught how to visualise the chakras in greater depth, including their trigger points or kshetram. The chakras are said to exist in the spine, but most people find it easier to visualise their entry points at the front of the body, which are as follows:
- Muladhara: The Bihar School Book Kundalini Tantra says that there is no kshetram for the muladhara chakra. However, I was told on the course the kshetram for women is through the vagina to the base of the cervix. One (female) swami told me she had a theory it was the g-spot. In men I believe it is the perineum.
- Swadhisthana: level of the pubic bone, just above the genital organ.
- Manipura: navel
- Anahata: sternum
- Vishuddi: front surface of the throat pit, near the thyroid gland
- Ajna: the mid eyebrow centre.
The way the chakras manifest or are visualised are personal: colours and shapes vary from person to person, according to Swami Gyan Dharma.
The Practice
I’ll outline the basics of Prana Vidya, but it’s not enough to be able to do the practice, as you need to be taught by a guru. The idea is that you visualise prana going up from the muladhara chakra to the agya chakra. The agya chakra is where the universal prana is stored, as opposed to the personal prana in the manipura chakra. The agya chakra is the personal command centre from where you can direct the prana. After distributing the prana, it’s important to return it to the muladhara chakra. (“It’s not yours,” said Swami Gyan Dharma. “You have no right to it.”)
The technique is as follows:
- body awareness.
- breath awareness.
- body space (sthula akasha): be aware of the emptiness inside you and outside you. Be aware of how your skin is a thin boundary separating the two.
- chakra and nadi awareness.
- muladhara chakra awareness. Employ ujjayi breath and engage khechari (tongue lock) mudra.
- breathing part 1: visualise prana (as light streaks) going up red pingala nadi from muladhara to agya chakra and then down sushumna nadi using so ham breath. Do kumbhaka (retention) for a few seconds when prana is in agya.
- breathing part 2: body breathing. Imagine you are breathing with your whole body with agya being the distribution centre.
- breathing part 3: distribution of prana. Visualise the part of your body (not the heart) that needs healing.
- inhale: supply and expansion from the agya centre to the part of the body that needs healing.
- exhale: withdrawal and contraction back to agya.
- breathing part 4: return prana via sushumna to muladhara
- externalisation.
For each breathing part the maximum amount of breaths is 49. Counts of 27, 18 and 9 are also possible. You need to use mala so you don’t lose count.
Benefits
It’s possible that prana vidya can cure certain ‘pranic’ diseases, said Swami Gyan Dharma. However, he countered that statement by saying that sometimes it’s not possible to cure a disease at all, giving the example of Ramakrishna, one of the greatest yogic adepts of modern times, who died of cancer. Emotional blockages (“something that you’ve not sorted out and makes you go round and round in circles”) can reflect in the body, he said, and suggested that prana vidya could maybe dissolve the blockages, enabling the energy to flow freely. The overall purpose of healing yourself is to enable you to continue with your sadhana.
My thoughts
The course inspired me to try and fit the practice in after my daily meditation, which is not always easy as prana vidya takes a minimum of 20 minutes. I liked how the technique worked with both emotions and physical problems; however, sometimes when I’m feeling vulnerable, it can be difficult to do. (I was warned that the technique could release negative emotions and a support network is necessary). I found the use of visualisation interesting: if you visualise it, eventually it becomes real. Another swami at the ashram said that perhaps the chakras and nadis don’t exist, but what’s important is the effect that visualising them has.