PRANIC HEALING

INTRODUCTION
Pranic Healing is based on the overall structure of the human body. Man`s
whole physical body is actually composed of two parts: the visible physical body, and
the invisible energy body called the bioplasmic body. The visible physical body is that
part of the human body that we see, touch, and are most acquainted with. The
bioplasmic body is that invisible luminous energy body which interpenetrates the
visible physical body and extends beyond it by four or five inches. Traditionally,
clairvoyants call this energy body the etheric body or etheric double.

What Is Pranic Healing?

Pranic healing is an ancient science and art of healing that utilizes prana or ki or life
energy to heal the whole physical body. It also involves the manipulation of ki and
bioplasmic matter of the patient`s body. It has also been called medical qigong (ki
kung or ki healing), psychic healing, vitalic healing, therapeutic touch, laying of the
hand, magnetic healing, faith healing, and charismatic healing.

Two Basic Laws of Pranic Healing

Pranic healing is based on two laws: The law of self-recovery and the law of prana or
life energy. These laws are quite obvious but strangely they are usually the least
noticed or least remembered by most people. It is through these basic laws that rapid
or miraculous healing occurs.

1. Law of Self-Recovery:
In general, the body is capable of healing itself at a certain rate. If a person has a
wound or burn, the body will heal itself and recover within a few days to a week. In
other words, even if you do not apply antibiotic on the wound or burn, the body will
repair or heal itself. At the present moment, there is no medicine available for the
treatment of viral infection. But even if a person has cough or cold due to viral
infection, the body will recover generally in one or two weeks without medication.

2. Law of Life Energy:

For life to exist, the body must have prana, chi or life energy. The healing process can
be accelerated by increasing life energy on the affected part(s) and on the entire
body.

In chemistry, electrical energy is sometimes used as a catalyst to increase the rate of

chemical reaction. Light can affect chemical reaction. This is the basis for
photography. In electrolysis, electricity is used to catalyze or produce chemical
reaction. In pranic healing, prana or life energy serves as the catalyst to accelerate
the rate of biochemical reactions involved in the natural healing process of the body.
When pranic energy is applied to the affected part of the body, the rate of recovery or
healing increases tremendously.

What we call miraculous healing is nothing more than increasing the rate of self-
recovery of the body. There is nothing supernatural or paranormal about pranic
healing. It is simply based on natural laws that most people are not aware of.

Although science is not able to detect and measure life energy or prana, it does not
mean that prana does not exist or does not affect the health and well being of the
body. In ancient times, people were not aware of the existence of electricity, its
properties and practical uses. But this does not mean tliat electricity does not exist.
One`s ignorance does not change reality; it simply alters the perception of reality,
resulting in misperception and misconception of what is and what is not, what can be
done and what cannot be done.

Children have more life energy than elderly people do. You notice that they move a
lot from morning to night, hardly getting tired at all. When suffering from a fracture,
who heals faster—the child or the elderly? The broken bone of a child heals very fast
while that of an elderly heals very slowly; sometimes, it will not even heal at all.

Prana Or Ki
Prana or ki is that life energy which keeps the body alive and healthy. In Greek it is
called `pneuma`, in Polynesian `mana`, and in Hebrew `ruah`, which means `breath
of life`. The healer projects prana or life energy or `the breath of life` to the patient,
thereby, healing the patient. It is through this process that this so-called `miraculous
healing` is accomplished.

Basically, there are three major sources of prana: solar prana, air prana and ground
prana. Solar prana is prana from sunlight. It invigorates the whole body and promotes
good health. It can be obtained by sunbathing or exposure to sunlight for about five
to ten minutes and by drinking water that has been exposed to sunlight. Prolonged
exposure or too much solar prana would harm the whole physical body since it is
quite potent.

Prana contained in the air is called air prana or air vitality globule. Air prana is
absorbed by the lungs through breathing and is also absorbed directly by the energy
centers of the bioplasmic body. These energy centers are called chakras. More air
prana can be absorbed by deep slow rhythmic breathing than by short shallow
breathing. It can also be absorbed through the pores of the skin by persons who have
undergone certain training.
Prana contained in the ground is called ground prana or ground vitality globule. This is
absorbed through the soles of the feet. This is done automatically and unconsciously.
Walking barefoot increases the amount of ground prana absorbed by the body. One
can learn to consciously draw in more ground prana to increase one`s vitality,
capacity to do more work, and ability to think more clearly.

Water absorbs prana from sunlight, air, and ground that it comes in contact with.
Plants and trees absorb prana from sunlight, air, water, and ground. Men and animals
obtain prana from sunlight, air, ground, water, and food. Fresh food contains more
prana than preserved food.

Prana can also be projected to another person for healing. Persons with a lot of
excess prana tend to make other people around them feel better and livelier.
However, those who are depleted tend to unconsciously absorb prana from other
people. You may have encountered persons who tend to make you feel tired or
drained for no apparent reason at all.

Certain trees, such alpine trees or old and gigantic healthy trees, exude a lot of excess
prana. Tired or sick people benefit much by lying down or resting underneath these
trees. Better results can be obtained by verbally requesting the being of the tree to
help the sick person get well. Anyone can also learn to consciously absorb prana from
these trees through the palms, such that the body would tingle and become numb
because of the tremendous amount of prana absorbed. This skill can be acquired after
only a few sessions of practice.

Certain areas or places tend to have more prana than others. Some of these highly
energized areas tend to become healing centers.

During bad weather conditions, many people get sick not only because of the changes
in temperature but also because of the decrease in solar and air prana (life energy).
Thus, a lot of people feel mentally and physically sluggish or become susceptible to
infectious diseases. This can be counteracted by consciously absorbing prana or ki
from the air and the ground. It has been clairvoyantly observed that there is more
prana during daytime than at night. Prana reaches a very low level at about three or
four in the morning.

Aura
Clairvoyants, with the use of their psychic faculties, have observed that every person
is surrounded and interpenetrated by a luminous energy body called the bioplasmic
body or aura. Just like the visible physical body, it has a head, two eyes, two arms,
etc. In other words, the bioplasmic body looks like the visible physical body. This is
why clairvoyants call it the etheric double or etheric body.

The word `bioplasmic` comes from `bio`, which means life and plasma, which is the
fourth state of matter, the first three being: solid, liquid, and gas. Plasma is ionized
gas or gas with positive and negative charged particles. This is not the same as blood
plasma. Bioplasmic body means a living energy body made up of invisible subtle
matter or etheric matter. To simplify lhe terminology, the term `energy body` will be
used to replace the word `bioplasmic body`. Science, with the use of Kirlian
photography, has rediscovered the energy body. With the aid of Kirlian photography,
scientists have been able to study, observe, and take pictures of small bioplasmic
articles like bioplasmic fingers, leaves, etc. It is through the energy body that prana or
life energy is absorbed and distributed throughout the whole physical body.

Benefits of Pranic Healing

1. It can help parents bring down the temperature of their children suffering from
high fever in just a few hours and heal it in a day or two in most cases.
2. It can relieve headaches, gas pains, toothaches, and muscle pains almost
immediately in most cases.
3. Cough and cold can usually be cured in a day or two. Loose bowel movement can
be healed in a few hours in most cases.
4. Major illnesses such as eye, liver, kidney, and heart problems can be relieved in a
few sessions and healed in a few months in many cases.
5. It increases the rate of healing by three times or more than the normal rate of
healing. These are some of the few things that pranic healing can do. All of these
assume that the healer has attained a certain degree of proficiency.

Pranic Healing Is Easy To Learn

Any healthy person with an average intelligence, an average ability to concentrate, an
open but discriminating mind, and a certain degree of persistence can learn pranic
healing in a relatively short period. Learning pranic healing is easier than learning to
play the piano or painting. It is as easy as learning to drive. Its basic principles and
techniques can be learned in a few sessions. Like driving, pranic healing requires
much practice and time to achieve a certain degree of proficiency.
PRANIC HEALING PRINCIPLES
***Check out our section on Pranic Healing***

INTRODUCTION
Proper Diet
Proper diet simply refers to pure and nutritious food. In general meat, and in
particular pork, contains a lot of dirty grayish energy and therefore it is better to avoid
them. Fresh vegetables and fruits are nutritious, pure and luminous. They carry a lot
of pranic energy or life force. Taking one to two grams of bee pollen daily is also very
beneficial. Bee pollen is physically nutritious and contains a lot of life force.

Proper Breathing
Breathing is of two types, the correct way and the incorrect way. The correct way is
abdominal breathing and the incorrect way is chest breathing. It is the diaphragm,
which enables the lungs to expand and to contract. The lungs by themselves do not
have the capacity to expand in order to draw in air, or to contract in order to expel
used-up air. With abdominal breathing, the abdomen is slightly pushed out during
inhalation, causing the diaphragm to be pulled down, which enables the lungs to draw
in more air. During exhalation, the abdomen is slightly pulled in, causing the
diaphragm to be pushed up, which enables the lungs to exhale more used-up air.
Also, more pranic energy is drawn in during inhalation and more used-up energy is
expelled during exhalation.

With chest breathing, the abdomen is pulled in during inhalation, causing the
diaphragm to be pushed up resulting in less air being drawn in. During exhalation, the
abdomen is pushed out, causing the diaphragm to be pulled down in less air being
expelled. Prolonged chest breathing also tends to congest the front heart chakra,
resulting in chest pain and difficulty in breathing.

Proper Exercise
Exercising has a cleansing effect—physically and etherically. Physically, waste matter
and toxins are eliminated through sweating. When a person is exercising, the auras of
the energy body pulsate; whitish gray light or used-up energy is expelled and fresh
pranic energy is drawn in. The chakras, the meridians and the organs are cleansed of
used-up energy and diseased energy. Blood and pranic circulations are greatly
improved by regular exercise. The body feels better and lighter after exercising.
Regular physical exercise is a must to maintain a clean, highly vitalized, healthy body.

Tai Chi, chi kung exercise, hatha yoga, dancing, martial arts, sports, jogging, hiking or
brisk walking, if done regularly, have very good effects on the body. The left and right
parts of the body should preferably be in balance, while exercising. Otherwise, the
part of the body, which is not sufficiently exercised will become weaker and partially
congested, which may manifest as pain or discomfort. Fifteen to thirty minutes of
exercise daily is sufficient.

Proper Etheric Hygiene

Smoking is a very unhygienic habit. Smokers have unclean physical as well as etheric
bodies. In the case of chain smokers, the etheric body is polluted with dirty brown
energy, which partially blocks most of the meridians, thereby weakening the physical
body in general. Since the back meridian in the spine is partially blocked; the back
solar plexus chakra, the meng mein chakra, and the basic chakra tend to become
congested and overactivated, thereby making the smoker susceptible to hypertension.
The front heart chakra is partially affected, making the habitually heavy smoker
susceptible to heart problems, since the front heart chakra is closely connected to the
back heart chakra.

Habitual drinking of liquor with high alcohol content is etherically unhygienic. It makes
the etheric body unclean and gross. Drug addiction impurifies and damages the
etheric body, making the addict susceptible to undesirable external psychic influences.

In certain lands the etheric energy is unclean. This is clairvoyantly seen as light
grayish energy coming out of the ground. If the reclaimed land has been dumped with
garbage, then the area is etherically impure or polluted. These areas, in the long run,
tend to adversely affect the physical and psychological health of its residents. It is just
like living in a highly polluted city.

Certain places are likewise etherically quite unclean like hospitals, funeral parlors,
cemeteries and others. Relatively weak persons are advised to take a shower using
water and salt after visiting any one of these places.

If a very sickly person has used a room for a long period of time, then the room is
filled with diseased energy, and it must be cleansed. If a room or a house has been
occupied by a negative or psychologically disturbed person, then the room is not
physically and psychologically conducive to one`s well being. Etherically unclean
rooms can be cleansed by using water and salt, burning sandalwood incense, praying,
exposing to sunlight, besides others.

Objects can also be etherically contaminated. As a general guideline, it is better to

avoid lending one`s personal things to others to avoid etheric contamination.
Likewise, it is advisable to avoid using the personal things of other people.

When buying or accepting second-hand things, especially pieces of jewelry, it is

advisable to know the condition of the previous owner(s) since the characteristics of
the previous owner are impregnated in his personal belongings. If the previous owner
was quite sickly or very negative, then possessing a second-hand item from him or
her would be unhealthy and unlucky.

One can also be contaminated when interacting with others. When interacting with a
sick person, you may tend to feel depleted since the sick person may subconsciously
absorb some of your healthy pranic energy and you may also accidentally absorb
some of the diseased energy.

It is a healthy practice to go to the beach regularly about once a month or once every
two months. Seawater has a cleansing effect on the energy body. The body is highly
energized with prana from the fresh air, sunlight, and ground.

Emotional Hygiene
Proper emotional and mental hygiene consists of internal and external hygiene.
Internal emotional and mental hygiene simply means proper emotions and proper
thoughts. Positive emotions and thoughts like happiness, kindness, joy, enthusiasm,
and others tend to have beneficial effects psychologically, etherically, and physically.

In many instances, negative emotion is one of the critical factors, if not the most
critical factor, in severe ailments. Harboring or explosively expressing negative may
manifest as glaucoma, migraine headache, acute sinusitis, hyperthyroidism,
respiratory ailments like asthma, heart ailments, diabetes, gastric or intestinal ulcer,
high cholesterol, infected liver, constipation, twisted intestine, damaged kidneys,
hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and others.

When negative emotions are accompanied by negative thoughts, the upper charkas
like the throat, ajna, forehead or crown charkas will also be affected. This may
manifest as hyperthyroidism, acute sinusitis, migraine headache, glaucoma, epilepsy,
and others.

When negative emotions are accompanied by expressed or inhibited physical

aggression, the lower charkas like the meng main chakra, and the basic chakra will
also be affected. This may manifest as hypertension, damaged kidneys, herniated
disk, skin ailments, rheumatoid arthritis, blood ailments, and others.

External emotional and mental hygiene means proper company, since emotions and
thoughts are transmissible. Negative emotions and thoughts are infectious. Therefore,
after to a person with psychological problems, one may feel depressed and physically
exhausted. Prolonged interaction with this type of persons may manifest as physical
ailment(s).

It is preferably to be sexually selective, since it is very easy to be etherically and

psychologically contaminated through indiscriminate sexual interactions. After such an
interaction, it is advisable to clean oneself physically, etherically, emotionally, and
mentally.

Food should preferably be handled and prepared by persons in good health and bad
energy can easily be transmitted to food and objects.

Interacting with people who are optimistic, enthusiastic, radient and very healthy is
very psychologically and etherically beneficial.

Forgiveness And Lovely Kindness

Some severe ailments are emotional in origin. Some patients have so much deep-
seated hurt or resentment towards certain person(s). Although pranic healing does
greatly improve the condition of the patient, the rate of healing would be much faster
if the patient consciously exerts an effort to forgive those who may have actually or
imaginarily hurt him or her. The act of forgiving is therapeutic and is necessary for
good health. It helps normalize the other affected charkas.

Proper Human Relationships

Cruelty to fellow beings and to animals is one of the major causes of severe painful
ailments. If one repeatedly causes pain to others, then one will also harvest intense
pain in the form of severe ailment. If one repeatedly deprives others of physical
sustenance (income, money or food), then one will also be deprived of physical
sustenance. This may manifest as severe lung ailments wherein one keeps gasping for
life (sustenance). The affected body will gradually wilt. This will also have adverse
financial effects.

Even prophets are not exempted from the law of karma. Negative karma can be
neutralized by learning the lesson that has to be learned, using the law of forgiveness
and the law of mercy. Avoid cruelty and show kindness to others; this is a major key
to good health, to happiness, and to avoiding severe painful ailments.

Proper LiveliHood
The nature of the work, the psychological condition of co-workers, and the working
overall environment of a person do affect considerably the health of the worker. In
this so-called modern developed world, there is too much stress or tension. In other
words, there is a lot of work pressure, hurriedness, worry and anxiety, irritation,
anger, and hurt feelings, excessive aggressiveness, bullying and harassment.

Severe stress or tension, in the long run, causes the solar plexus chakra and the other
charkas to malfunction. This may manifest as gastric ulcer, heart ailments,
hyperthyroidism, severe sinusitis, migraine headache, malfunctioning liver, damaged
kidneys, general weakness, depression and others.

would definitely help a lot in coping with stressful conditions. In certain cases, where
the meditation has certain degree of limitation, it may be wiser to change for a better
job or a livelihood that is less demanding and with saner working condition.

The psychological state of co-workers is also important since stress is physically very
infectious. People under great stress radiate stress energy to the surrounding people
through their charkas and auras. Consciously or subconsciously, they transfer a great
bulk of their stress energy by being nasty and rude to others. This type of behavior is
unacceptable and quite uncivilized. In the future, such behavior will be considered
coarse and barbaric. It is very impolite and improper to dump one`s psychic faces on
others. The proper way to dispose of stress energy is to meditate, to do self-pranic
healing or to have pranic treatment. Work productivity can be improved substantially
by letting executives and workers have regular pranic treatment.

Prolonged stress is a psychological ailment, which will adversely affect the physical
body. In more developed countries, stress is a national epidemic. It is the right of
each worker to have not only a physically safe working environment but also a
psychologically healthy environment to work in. It is just a matter of time that this
basic human right will be recognized and respected.

Self Pranic Healing for Stress

With people who are undergoing a lot of stress, the solar plexus chakra is very
congested and over activated. The solar plexus chakra is filled with dirty and red
energy. The other chakras are also affected.

Apply self-localized sweeping on the front solar plexus chakra for thirty times or more.
The sweeping should be done slowly and in counterclockwise motion. Throw the dirty
energy to the basin with water and salt. This will substantially reduce the stress.

Do keep pranic breathing for twelve cycles or more in order to further normalize the
solar plexus chakra, to achieve inner calmness, and to recharge one-self. Or do
meditation on Twin Hearts.

Repeat the procedure several times a day if necessary. Meditation on Twin Hearts is
preferably done not more than once or twice a day since it may cause pranic
congestion.

If stress is severe, contact an advanced pranic healer for regular preventive pranic
psychotherapy treatment.

Proper LifeStyle
The lifestyle of a person is an important health factor. Undesirable habits and
excessiveness like smoking, alcoholism, drug abuse, excessive work and excessive fun
are to be avoided.

Invocation For Divine Blessing

You can make your own invocation. Here is one example Master Choa Kok Sui usually
uses:
To the Supreme God, Thank you for Your Divine Blessings! For guidance, help,
protection and illuminate With thanks and in full faith!

To my spiritual teachers, To the holy angels, spiritual helpers, and all the great ones,
Thank you for your divine blessings! For guidance, help, protection and illuminate
With thanks and in full faith!

Recommended Reading List

There are thousands of titles of esoteric books. Beginners would normally be
overwhelmed by the vast amount of reading materials. Different books may contain
different information, which may contradict each other. This is rather confusing for
the reader. Some books are substantial; some are not. The Grand Master Choa Kok
Sui has, therefore, recommended a list of reading materials.

1. Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. Self-Realization Fellowship,

3880 San Rafael Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90065 U.S.A.

2. First Principles of Theosophy by C. Jinarajadasa. The Theosophical Publishing

House. 1921. Adyar, Madras, India.

3. The Ethric Double by Arthur E. Powell. Quest Book. The Theosophical Publishing
House, Wheaton Illinois 60187 U.S.A.

4. The Astral Body by Arthur E. Powell. Quest Book. The Theosophical Publishing
House, Wheaton Illinois 60187 U.S.A.

5. The Menial Body by Arthur E. Powell. The Theosophical Publishing House, London
Ltd., 68 Great Russel Street London, W.C.I, England.

6. The Causal Body and the Ego by Arthur E. Powell. Theosophical Publishing House,
England.

7. The Solar System by Arthur. E. Powell. The Theosophical Publishing House,

England.

8. The Secret Science at Work by Max Freedom Long 1953. DeVorss and Co., P.O Box
550, Marina del Rey, CA 90294 U.S.A.

9. Esoteric Healing by Alice Bailey. Lucis Publishing Company, 113 University Place,
11th Floor, New York N.Y. 10003 U.S.A.

10. The Secret Path by Paul Brunton. DeVorss & Co., Publishers.

11. The Secrets of Chinese Meditation by Lu K`uan Yu. 1964. Samuel Weiser, Inc.,
740 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10003 U.S.A.

12. Kosher Yoga by Albert L. Schutz & Hilda W. de Schaps, Quantal Publishing, P.O.
Box l598 Goleta CA 93117-1598-0.

13. Initiation into Hermetics by Franz Bardon, trans, by A. Radspieler. 1956. Dieter
Ruggeberg, Wuppertal, Western Germany.

14. The Practice of Magical Evocation by Franz Bardon. Dieter Ruggeberg, Wuppertal,
Western Germany.

15. The key to the True Quabbalah by Franz Bardon. Dieter Ruggeberg, Wuppertal,
Western Germany.

16. The Yoga of Light (the Classic Esoteric Handbook of Kundalini Yoga-Hatha Yoga
Pradipika) by Hans Ulrich Rieker. The Dawn Horse Press, Star Route 2 Middletown,
California 95461 U.S.A.

17. The Spiritual Science of Kriya Yoga by Goswami Kriyananda. The Temple of Kriya
Yoga, 2414 North Kedzie, Chicago, Illinois 60647 U.S.A.

18. Raja Yoga by Swarni Vivekananda. Ramakrisna Vivekananda Center of New York,
17 East Street, New York, N.Y. 10028 U.S.A.

19. Zen Mind, Beginner`s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki. John Weather Bill, Inc., of New
York and Tokyo.

20. Teachings of Tibetan Yoga. Translated and annotated by Garma C. Chang. Citadel
Press, 120 Enterprises Avenue, Secaucus Avenue, N.J. 07094 U.S.A.

21. A Practical Guide to Qabbalistic Symbolism by Gareth Knight. Samuel Weiser, Inc.,
P.O. Box 612, York Beach Maine 03910 U.S.A.

22. Theosophical Books by Madame Blavatsky, C.W. Leadbeater or by Annie Besant.

The Theosophical Publishing House. Adyar, Madras, India.

23. Esoteric Books by Edwin Dingle. Institute of Mental Physics, Yucca Valley,
California, U.S.A.

24. Esoteric Books by Robert and Earlyn Chaney. Astara, 800 W. Arrow Hwy, P.O. Box
5003, Upland, California 91785 U.S.A.

25. Esoteric Books by Rudolf Steiner. Harper & Row Publishers, San Francisco, U.S.A.

26. Esoteric Books on Agni Yoga. 319 West 107th Street, New York, N.Y. 10025 U.S.A.

27. Esoteric Books by Alice Bailey. Lucis Publishing Company, 113 University Place
11th Floor New York N Y 10003 U.S.
PRANIC HEALING
***Check out our section on Pranic Healing***

INTRODUCTION
U.S.A.
DIANE M. SMITH
In July 1996, I had been diagnosed with a rare blood disorder called thrombocytosis.
This ailment has many side effects, the most harmful being an extremely high platelet
count of over a million, which could cause a heart attack or stroke. Some of the other
side effects I experienced were extreme fatigue, heart palpitation, shortness of
breath, bloating and swelling of my legs and ankles.

I was put on an experimental medication to bring down my platelet count. I spent

three days in the hospital, undergoing tests to determine the cause of the ailment,
including a bone marrow test for leukemia. There was no basis found for my illness.

After six months of dealing with oncologists, my platelet count was up and down and
I felt horrible. I read about Stephen Co`s article in a woman`s magazine. He talked
about healing a young woman who was blinded with almost the same blood disorder
that I had. I called his office in California and found out that he would be in St. Louis
on February 8 and 9, 1997 for a Pranic Healing Workshop. I had a strong feeling that
I needed to go even though I had never heard of Pranic Healing and had no idea
what to expect.

Before I had this illness, my life was filled with pain an anger. On Sunday, February 9,
my life changed forever. I remember so vividly and so powerfully as though it was
yesterday. The actual healing took close to an hour. I felt a tremendous force, a
pulling going on inside my body for quite some time. Stephen took my hands and kept
telling me to let go. Finally, I experienced a tremendous white light throughout my
entire body, an illumination so powerful I felt as though I could have floated to the
ceiling. It was incredible. I felt an immediate sense of well being and peace, gratitude,
blessedness, and complete joy.

I was late leaving for the airport and almost missed my flight going back to
Milwaukee. I literally had to run through the St. Louis airport to catch my plane. When
I finally sat down, the tears began to flow because I realized that the fatigue had left
me and I felt incredibly well. This feeling continued each day to get stronger and all of
the symptoms of my blood disorder disappeared. On my first visit to my oncologist,
my platelet count remained about the same. The next visit, it went down quite a bit,
and on my last visit my count was within the normal range. I had also decreased my
medication to half the original dosage. My doctor-was quite amazed. In addition, I
just had my sixth-month visit to my dentist and he was also amazed because my
diseased gum tissue was completely healed as well. Since then, I have read the Pranic
Healing book, used all of the prayers in it, and I meditate with the Twin Hearts tape
on a daily basis. I realize now that my blood disorder was a spiritual ailment brought
on by my anger, resentment and negativity.

I have never felt better in my life, both physically and emotionally. I continue to grow
in body, mind and spirit. I attended the Pranic Healing workshop for the second time
and thanked Stephen Co for the gift that he has given me - a new life filled with love,
joy, peace and well-being. I realized that since I have been given this blessed gift, I
must now return it with love. He was able to free me of my pain and start my body on
the healing process. I must also thank my Lord and Savior for, without Him, none of
these blessings would have been possible.

OCCUPATION: Part-time Administrative Assistant

CASE: Thrombocytosis

JIMMY O` DONELL
My son is four years and four months old. During his entire life, he has been in
diapers and has had very soft stools. I hardly ever could dump his stool from the
diaper into the toilet because it was so soft. When he turned four in February of this
year, I felt I needed to work on this issue because no preschool would take him in
diapers, plus the fact that perhaps, something was wrong with his digestive tract. I
had him muscle-tested by a naturopath and pranic healing came up very strongly as
the modality to address this problem. (Muscle-testing involves asking nonverbally the
client`s body what it needs for its benefit.)

After I had taken the introductory Pranic Healing course, about early April during the
first session, Natalie worked on him for an hour and his first bowel movement after
that was wonderfully firm. After four years of creamy stools, this felt like a miracle!
She did distant healing later that week as well. His stools never totally regressed -
unless his diet was not healthy that day - though they often were a mixture of soft on
the outside with some firmness to them. In early June, Natalie worked on him once in
person and once distantly, still focusing on the quality of the stool. In mid-June, I told
her that the stool was consistently firm enough that he should be able to tell us he
has to go to the toilet.

I felt he needed pranic psychotherapy as well. There were two issues that needed
addressing: One, he refused to wear big boy underpants and, two he never initiated
going to the toilet for either pee (to urinate) or poop (to move the bowels). When
asked if he was big boy or a baby, he usually answered "baby". There was a big part
of him that did not want to grow up.

Natalie did pranic healing on him twice that week. Two days after his last session, he
asked to be in big boy pants and has never worn diapers since. However, if we ask
him to go pee in the toilet, he reluctantly will but refuses to go poop in there. Also, if
we forget to have him pee and he starts to pee on the floor, he cannot stop himself
and empties his bladder where he stands.

Ten days after Jimmy`s last session with Natalie, Stephen Co did pranic healing on
him. Later that day, Jimmy started to pee twice in his big boy pants but stopped
himself and asked to be put on the toilet to finish. The next day, he had not wet his
bed as usual. At lunch, he ran to my daughter and said, "Poo-poo." Thinking he had
pooped in his pants as usual, she said, "Oh no!" Jimmy shook his head and she
realized that he wanted to use the toilet to go poop. He had his first bowel movement
in the toilet and it was initiated by him. A double win!

CASE: Soft Stools; Bladder Incontinence

CYNTHIA GUERRERO DE LEON

On January 14. 1997, while I was standing at a bus stop, l was hit by a car that had
lost control after it had hit another car. My injuries included multiple lacerations,
subcutaneous swelling on the right leg and foot, and a broken fibula.

Going through the crutch, cane and limping stages in the course of five months, I
gradually regained the ability to do basic physical leg movements, except full knee
bends and squats.

On June 15, GM did a special pranic healing session on my right leg and foot.
Immediately after that, I was able to bend my knee to a full squat. My physical
activities involving the affected leg are now back to normal.

OCCUPATION: Pianist/Director of Finance

CASE: Leg Injury due to Accident

Argentina
DARA SONIA FILIPOF Karina Gonzalez, a 22-year old student, had scoliosis. For 12
years, she had been suffering so much pain that she found it difficult to sleep. Her
family took her to different alternative therapies, but the only course of action given
was a surgery in which a bar of metal would be implanted in her vertebral column to
straighten her spine.

When she came to consult me, nobody could touch her back because it was so
sensitive and painful. I applied pranic healing and the pain diminished by 80%. After
12 sessions, she could sleep and go to the gym. The improvement is dramatic and
she`s undergoing regular pranic treatment.
OCCUPATION: Acupuncturist and Pranic Healer
CASE: Scoliosis

Austria
FRANZ DANNINGER
Petra Wolftaler, a 12-year old schoolgirl, could not move her head for half a year
because the nerve in the neck area was pinched. After just one 30-minute pranic
treatment, the problem was completely gone and the patient could already move her
head as if she never had the ailment.

OCCUPATION: Pranic Healer

CASE: Stiff Neck

FinLand
KRISTINA ANDERSSON
Having suffered a neurologic disorder that affected my face, mouth and throat, with
cramps around the eyes, I sought pranic treatment. There was no big change during
the first two treatments. After a break of four weeks, two more pranic treatments
followed. I felt a notable change around the mouth. It felt relaxed and, although I had
a very stressful period at work, my energy increased remarkably.

Now I feel almost completely recovered with only a slight tension in the throat every
now and then. I have also regained my joy for life.

OCCUPATION: Teacher
CASE: Neurologic Disorder

Brazil
PATRICIA DE GOUVEA BEZERRADOS SANTOS
In January 1996, my daughter Camilla, who at that time was two and a half years old,
had a skin disease diagnosed as impetigo. Her body was full of eruptions, which,
according to the pediatrician, were as painful as second-degree burns. Camilla
became a very restless and aggressive kid. For almost a month, I tried homeopathic
and allopathic treatments but none of them solved the problem. I decided to try
pranic healing. After two sessions of cleansing and energizing by Araci, the skin
eruptions regressed, declining progressively and making Camilla`s behavior normal
again.

CASE: Impetigo
PEDRO BALDRATTI

In 1988, a horse kicked me on the face, injuring my chin and jaw in the process. My
teeth were torn away together with my gums.

I went to the Hospital da Face where my chin was recomposed. Steel threads were
used to join the bones. After some years, these steel threads became oxidized and
rusted, resulting in a strong inflammation. Doctors advised the removal of the
threads.

On April 19, Mrs. Leia Jordao, a pranic healer, begun to treat me. After 45 days the
inflammation disappeared completely.

OCCUPATION: Real Estate

CASE: Horse-kicking accident
CARLOS EDUARDO DE MAJO
Cristiani Magalhaes Costa, a 32-year old psychologist, was diagnosed with urinary
tract infection in October 1996. Her medical doctor prescribed allopathic medicines,
but the infection did not subside. The patient had a strong headache and felt dizzy,
and also had kidney and abdominal pains. She told the doctor about her reactions to
the medication and how she felt her condition was getting worse. The doctor told her
to stop one of the medicines but the other treatment she had to continue.

The patient got worse for the next two days and started vomiting excessively, making
her very weak. She had to go twice to the hospital for administration of glucose. Back
home, she could neither eat nor get out of bed. The strong pain persisted.

Her mother called me up. When I went to the patient`s house on a Friday evening, I
applied advanced pranic healing for about 45 minutes. At the end of the session, she
felt better and got out of bed with no sign of pain.

The following Sunday, I did another healing on her upon her request. The result of
the second session was excellent. The pain and the infection disappeared and she felt
good. She was completely cured.

OCCUPATION: Pranic Healing Therapist

CASE: Urinary Tract Infection; Allergic Reaction to Medicines
CANADA
ELLIOTT GOSE
When I retired in 1991,1 looked forward to an active life on what had been our
summer property. I enjoyed clearing the land of dead trees, sawing and chopping
them up for firewood. I also looked forward to hiking in the surrounding hills.
Unfortunately in October 1995, by the time I was 69,1 had pulled a tendon behind my
left knee and had to stop hiking. The anti-inflammatory drug prescribed by my doctor
gave me no relief. But a month of pranic healing treatments by Dorothea Vickery
brought a remission of symptoms. I have hiked pain-free for the past 18 months.

When I developed carpal tunnel syndrome on my right hand, I feared I would no

longer be able to chop firewood, especially when my doctor told me that there was no
cure for it. After a couple of months of pranic healing by Dorothea, the symptoms
were gone. When they return in a mild form, following strenuous exercise, the
symptoms disappear within two days of rest without re-treatment. I am now clearing
trees on our extensive property and sawing wood.

Dorothea`s treatment of a bout of hemorrhoids this past spring was nothing short of
magical. After the first treatment, I was 100 percent cured! Had two follow-up
treatments and had no reappearance of symptoms since then. This had never been
my experience with hemorrhoids in the past.

OCCUPATION: Retired University Professor

CASE: Left knee/shin-tendon pulled; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome; Hemorrhoids

MARIA CRISTINA "NONA" CASTRO

The patient, Emesto Gatchalian of Ontario, Canada, was suffering from shingles, a
viral disease medically known as herpes zoster. The disease affected the left side of
his body. His prostate was also inflamed and this made it impossible for him to urinate
for three days. After pranic treatment, the body pains disappeared and urination was
normalized.

The healer also found out that the patient had been suffering from psoriasis for 30
years. The patient had tried prescribed creams and pills, which had several side
effects on the blood, but none of the medications were successful.

Psoriasis was heavy on the arms and legs. As an experiment, pranic healing was done
for three days on the arms but not on the legs. A daily salt-apple cider vinegar bath
was also recommended. The skin on the arms had become smooth with no trace of
psoriasis. The legs, however, were still affected with the skin disease. Pranic healing
will also be applied. Meanwhile, the patient has taken the course.

OCCUPATION: Pranic Healer

CASE: Herpes Zoster and Psoriasis

HELEN ZAMFIR
1. Herpes Zoster:
When I arrived to do pranic healing on Maria Hulme, a 50-year old medical secretary,
I was very concerned because the area around her eyes was a reddish-purple color
and there were sores under the eyelids. I knew that shingles (Herpes Zoster) around
the eyes were extremely dangerous, possibly causing blindness. The left side of her
body from the armpit to the waist and around the navel was raw flesh and very
painful. While working on the affected areas, the patient indicated that the pain had
subsided. Upon completion of the first treatment, I went back to scan it and
happened to glance up at her eyes. I was astounded! The reddishpurple color from
under the eyes had disappeared and so had the sores. The patient quickly went to the
mirror. When she came back she was in awe, saying, "This is amazing. The sores
have disappeared as well as the discoloration".

The next day, the patient indicated that the sores on her body had turned from the
red rawness to a healed over-pinky color. After the third treatment, the patient`s
energy level had returned. She is very grateful for the success of pranic healing.

2. Right-Hip Pain Due to a Fall:

A year ago, Jean Finch, an 83-year old caregiver to a 105-year old mother until last
fall, had fallen down a set of cement stairs and had badly hurt her head as well as the
right side of her body expecially the back and hip area. Hip replacement was
recommended and surgery was set for August 8, 1997.

Apparently, the patient was not thrilled about the operation so she inquired about
other possibilities. Her reflexologist, who had been working on her feet once a week
but was unable to get the pain to subside suggested that I might be able to help her.

She was in severe pain when I arrived. She was limping as she tried to use a walker
to assist her. After the first treatment, she was astounded that the leg and hip area
was free of pain. "I can`t believe this pain has gone!" she exclaimed.

After eight treatments, the patient was walking freely with little pain. She cancelled
her operation because she felt so much better. Now, she works in the garden, does
her own washing and ironing and hopes to be able to scrub the floors. It`s wonderful
to see the sparkle in her eyes. Thanks to pranic healing.

OCCUPATION: Retired (Teacher/Counsellor for 35 years)

CASE: I. Herpes Zoster, 2. Right-Hip Pain Due to a Fall

PRANIC SELF HEALING

***Check out our section on Pranic Healing***

INTRODUCTION
Try General Self-Healing First

• Lie down comfortably, close your eyes and relax.

• Breathe rhythmically and command a good supply of prana.
• While exhaling, send prana to the affected part.
• Do this a few times and then use exhalations to mentally push diseases, impurities,
blockages out of the body.
• Use your hands, passing them down the body from the head to the affected part,
visualizing the prana flow down the arm, through the finger-tips, into the body. You`ll
see that the results are quite amazing.
• You can make circular movements above the body or make a few mysterious
passes. Finally, when you heal others, flick your fingers occasionally so as not to
absorb their afflictions and wash your hands thoroughly after you have completed the
treatment.

Rhythmic Breathing Practices

• Sit comfortably, with spine erect, hands resting in your lap.
• Place your finger on the pulse. Inhale, counting to six pulse units.
• Hold your breath, counting to three pulse units.
• Exhale slowly, counting to six pulse units.
• Count to three pulse units before drawing the next breath. Continue this exercise
without straining yourself.
• Next, inhale and hold your breath for a moment. Now pucker up your lips as if to
whistle, and exhale a little.
• Hold. Then exhale a little more.
• Repeat till you have exhaled completely.
• Remember, breathing exercises should be comfortable, so never strain.

Relaxation, Cleansing and Energizing

• Inhale good health; exhale all the pains and discomfort.
• Inhale relaxing and comforting energy; exhale stress, tension and fatigue.
• Inhale love and peace; exhale your hatred and resentment away.
• Inhale calmness and confidence; exhale your fears and worries.
• Inhale happiness; exhale your sadness and depression.
• Inhale kindness; exhale irritability and anger.
• Inhale positive and creative thoughts; exhale negative and harmful thoughts.
• Inhale positive and good emotions; exhale negative and harmful emotions.

Self-Introspection and Inner Reflection

• Visualize yourself forgiving those who may have hurt you. Bless them with the good
things in life.
• Visualize yourself also being forgiven by those whom you may have hurt. Experience
the feeling of being forgiven.
• Now examine if you have taken things, which are not yours, whether tangible or
intangible. Have you taken somebody`s reputation, credit, glory or ideas for your
selfish ends? Have you taken an affection, which is due to another person?
• If you have, then mentally ask for forgiveness and resolve that you will not take
things, which are not yours. Also resolve that you shall be generous and shall offer
your help when necessary.
• Ask yourself if you have been misleading or deceiving people in your speech and
actions. Are you deliberately telling lies? Or pretending to be other than what you
really are? Are you withholding the truth from other people for your own selfish ends?
• Resolve that this day you shall be true to yourself and to other people in your
speech and actions. As part of this practice of truthfulness, now examine the secrets
in your life, which have been giving you a feeling of guilt.
• Free yourself by mentally telling the person concerned and ask for forgiveness.
Experience the peace that comes from being true to yourself and to other people.
• You are now ready to bless the earth and the whole of humanity with your love and
kindness.

CHAKRAS
***Check out our section on Pranic Healing***

INTRODUCTION
Chakras
Chakras, also known as whirling energy centers are among the most vital parts of the
energy body. The human body contains eleven major chakras. Chakras are basically
of three types-major, minor and mini. The major chakras are whirling energy centers,
which in general are about three to four inches in diameter. They control and energize
the vital organs of the visible physical body, and work like power stations to supply
life energy to them.

When the power station malfunctions, the vital organs become sick or diseased,
because they lack the enough life energy to operate properly. Minor chakras are
about one to two inches in diameter and the mini chakras are even smaller. Both the
minor and mini chakras control and energize the less important parts of the visible
physical body. In general, the chakras interpenetrate and extend beyond the visible
physical body.

Relationship Between Energy Body And Healing Body

Both the energy body and the visible physical body are so closely related that what
affects one, affects the other and vice-versa. For instance, if the bioplasmic throat is
weakened, then this may manifest on the visible physical body as cough, cold, sore
throat, tonsillitis or other throat-related problems. Should a person accidentally cut his
skin, there is a corresponding pranic leak in the area where there is bleeding. Initially,
the affected area where there is a cut or sprain would become temporarily brighter
due to pranic leak but would inevitably become grayish because of pranic depletion. If
any part of the energy body is weakened either because of pranic congestion or
depletion, the visible physical counterpart would either malfunction or become
susceptible to infection. For example, a depleted solar plexus and liver may manifest
as jaundice or hepatitis.

From the given examples, it becomes quite clear that the energy body and the visible
physical body affect each other. By healing the energy body, the visible physical body
gets healed in the process. This is called the Law of Correspondence. By regularly
cleansing and energizing with prana, the nearsighted eyes would gradually improve
and heal. A person with heart enlargement can be relieved in one or two sessions by
simply decongesting the affected heart, shoulder, and upper left arm areas. Complete
cure would take at least several months. By decongesting and energizing the head
area, headaches can be removed in a few minutes.

Prevention of Enregy Body Diseases

Through clairvoyant observation, a disease can be seen in the energy body even
before it manifests itself on the visible physical body. Non-clairvoyants may scan or
feel that the inner aura of the affected part is either smaller or bigger than usual. For
instance, before a person suffers from cough and colds, the bioplasmic throat and
lungs are pranically depleted and can be observed clairvoyantly as grayish. These
areas when scanned can be felt as hollows in the inner aura. Another example: A
person who is about to suffer from jaundice can be observed clairvoyantly as having a
gray solar plexus and liver. Physical tests or diagnoses will show the patient as normal
or healthy. Unless the patient is treated, the disease will manifest inevitably on the
visible physical body.

The author had a patient who was a habitual drinker. Based on scanning, his solar
plexus chakra (energy center) was depleted, a part of the liver was depleted and
another part of it congested. He told his patient that he had a liver problem and that
it should be treated as soon as possible. The patient had a blood test and the medical
finding showed that his liver was fine. As a result, he was hesitant to be treated. After
several months, the patient had severe pain in the liver and the medical finding
showed that he had hepatitis. The disease must be treated before it manifests on the
visible physical body. The emphasis is on prevention. It is a lot easier and faster to
heal the disease when it is still in the energy body and has not yet manifested on the
visible physical body. Manifestation of the disease can also be prevented by taking
proper medication. In cases where the disease has manifested, healing should be
applied as early as possible. The earlier pranic treatment is applied, the faster is the
rate of healing. Healing becomes more difficult if the disease has developed fully since
it takes more time and more pranic energy. It is important that the disease must be
treated as early as possible to ensure speedy recovery.

Basic Chakra

The basic chakra is located at the base of the spine or the coccyx area. This controls,
energizes and strengths the whole visible physical body, especially the spine, the
production and the quality of blood produced, the adrenal glands, the tissues of the
body, the internal and sexual organs. People with highly activated basic chakra are
usually healthy.

Sex Chakra

This chakra is located on the pubic area. It controls and energizes the sexual organs
and the bladder.

Meng Mein Chakra

The meng mein chakra is located at the back of the navel. It serves as a `pumping
station` in the spine and is responsible for the upward flow of subtle pranic energies
coming from the basic chakra. To avoid adverse effects, the meng mein chakra of
infants, children, pregnant women and very old people should not be energized.

Navel Chakra

This chakra is located on the navel and it affects the general vitality of a person.
Malfunctioning of the naval chakra results in constipation, appendicitis and difficulty in
giving birth, low vitality and other intestine related diseases.

Spleen Chakra

The front spleen chakra is located on the left part of the abdomen between the front
solar plexus chakra and the naval chakra. The front and back spleen chakras control
and energize the spleen. The spleen purifies the blood of disease-causing germs. It
also destroys worn-out blood cells.

Solar Plexus Chakra

The front spleen chakra is located on the left part of the abdomen between the front
solar plexus chakra and the naval chakra. The front and back spleen chakras control
and energize the spleen. The spleen purifies the blood of disease-causing germs. It
also destroys worn-out blood cells.

Heart Chakra

chakras, chakra, solar plexusLike the solar plexus, the human body contains two heart
chakras, one located at the center of the chest, called front heart chakra, and the
other located at the back of the heart, referred to as back heart chakra. The front
heart chakra energizes and controls the heart, the thymus gland and the circulatory
system. Malfunctioning of the front heart chakra manifests as heart and circulatory
ailments. The back heart chakra primarily controls and energizes the lungs and, to a
lesser degree, the heart and the thymus gland. Malfunctioning of the back heart
chakra is marked as lung problems such as asthma, tuberculosis, and others.

Throat Chakra

This is located at the center of the throat. It controls and energizes the throat, the
thyroid glands, parathyroid glands, and lymphatic system and to a certain degree,
also influences the sex chakra.

Ajna Chakra

Also known as master chakra, the ajna chakra is located at the area between the
eyebrows. It controls and energizes the pituitary gland, the endocrine glands and
energizes the brain to a certain extent.

Forehead Chakra

This is located at the center of the forehead. It controls and energizes the pineal
gland and the nervous system. Malfunctioning of the forehead chakra may result in
the loss of memory, paralysis and epilepsy.

Crown Chakra
The crown chakra is located at the crown of the head. It controls and energizes the
pineal gland, the brain and the entire body. It is also one of the major entry points of
prana into the body.

Pranic Healing - A TOUCH OF PRANA

by Kumkum Bhandari

Revived and well-packaged by Master Choa Kok Sui, pranic healing is

actually an ancient Indian system that heals diseased energy levels,
effecting miraculous cures, and helps further spiritual growth

August 11, 1999. Outside, as the world awaits the

solar eclipse, we sit in cramped anticipation in the auditorium of Sri Aurobindo Center
in Delhi, India, waiting for the master of pranic healing, Choa Kok Sui. While two
assistants thump mattresses on the floor, another strews rose petals on the audience.
Soon, in strides the stocky Master, a 40-something, Manila-based Roman Catholic
businessman of Chinese descent. Chemical engineer, spiritual teacher, writer,
globetrotter and healer, Choa Kok Sui repackaged and introduced the ancient science
of pranic healing to the world in 1987. Today, thanks to his efforts, numerous healing
centers and retreats dot 26 countries around the globe.

So what is pranic healing all about? Let's say it gives you the power to resolve a host
of physical, emotional and mental problems by moving your hands in a certain
prescribed manner. Unbelievable? Surely, you may argue, such paranormal healing
skills belong to yogis of the Himalayas. But then, how do you account for a friendly
neighbor or a colleague at work brandishing such abilities? According to pranic
healing, disease first appears in the energy body before rooting itself in the physical
body. Any blockage, excessive build up of energy or depletion of it prevents prana
(life-force energy) from flowing easily. This results in corresponding problems for the
physical body. In this no-touch therapy, the healer transfers energy to heal the
patient's invisible energy body, which interpenetrates the physical body and extends a
few inches from the skin's surface. Unusual though such information may seem, it is
well documented in ancient Indian scriptures, such as the Taittiriya Upanishad, which
deals with the body and its five layers.

Many still dismiss such concepts as totally unscientific. Take Jitender S. Khamesra, a
marketing executive based in Mumbai, India. Perfectly healthy, Khamesra met a
pranic healer who told him that he was a "potential diabetic" and advised pranic
healing, a suggestion promptly brushed aside. A few weeks later, however, Khamesra
was diagnosed highly diabetic. Today, he asks with palpable unease: "Could steps
taken earlier really have kept the disease at bay?" So, how did the healer know of
Khamesra's impending health problem? According to pranic healers, we live in ananta
urja (a sea of energy). Pranic healing provides you with the know-how to use these
subtle energies to spur on the body's process of self-recovery. Most pranic healers
develop the ability to scan or feel energy bodies by activating and sensitizing first the
chakras on their palms, and later, at an advanced stage, those on the fingertips.
Sustained experiential work helps pranic healers scan the chakras and even small
body organs. They learn to discriminate between vibrations of a healthy and an
unhealthy aura. For instance, even before a person suffers from cough and cold, the
bio-plasmic throat and lungs will be depleted of prana. After scanning, the healer
cleanses the diseased energy from the aura and affected chakras. Then, the chakras
are energized by prana sourced from the sun, earth or air.

Says Ashima Singh, a pranic healer-teacher based in New Delhi, India: "I've seen
arthritis go away, hormonal disturbances settle and frigidity overcome with this
system." Emphasizing the importance of pranic healing's preventive aspect, Ashima
says that people generally come for healing long after the disease has manifested
itself, whereas it is much faster to clear the energy body in the early stages. Cancer
patients, for instance, whose auras have a lot of dirty, sticky energy, require long and
frequent healing sessions. Choa Kok Sui's basic manual, Miracles Through Pranic
Healing, emphasizes a step-by-step approach to healing. Consistent results follow if
the technique is properly used. Dunk rules and you could become the patient.

The main focus in the basic pranic healing training session is

on how the chakras absorb, process and distribute prana. Out of the 360 chakras in
the human body, pranic healing uses only 11. Choa Kok Sui also lists in his books the
different ailments caused by malfunction of certain chakras. For instance, your child's
nosebleed could be set right simply by cleansing and energizing the ajna or third eye
chakra. Much of the real learning, however, begins with individual practice. The
advanced course is a quantum leap for the healer. It involves the use of color pranas,
visualization skills and the power of intention to produce better results. According to
most traditional healing practices, colors have healing properties. Green, for instance,
has a marked disinfecting effect. But there is more to pranic healing than mere cures.
Says Krishnan Veerappan, founder trustee of the Delhi Pranic Healing Foundation
(DPHF), New Delhi, India: "This method can also put you on the path of self-growth."
The resultant personal transformation manifests gradually. Then, as awareness grows,
you begin to notice small perception shifts. An important part of pranic healing is twin
hearts meditation where you focus on the heart chakra and the crown chakra to bring
about a deep inner transformation. But the journey into pranic healing is not always
smooth. Many don't have a stomach for the deeper emotional work required. Healers
have often seen a cured person return with the same problems. To effect permanent
cure, the healer must work at underlying emotional causes and behavior patterns.
This is where the final pranic healing course, Pranic Psychotherapy, comes in.

Here, the stress is on preventing, alleviating and treating psychological traumas and
ailments. And the results sometimes border on the miraculous. For Deepak Bhalla,
meeting healer and teacher Manu Roychowdhary, who is based at Noida in the
northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, was a godsend. A paralytic stroke had affected
Bhalla's left arm and leg four years back. Healing sessions with Roychowdhary put
him in touch with the emotional causes that had triggered the stroke. From then on,
the road to recovery was open. As Dr David Goheen, director of the Canada-based
Global Institute that trains pranic healers, puts it: "The key to pranic healing is to
suspend your disbelief."

The mainstream medical fraternity is also gradually waking up

to the role of pranic healing in trauma control and pain relief. For example, at the
Apollo Cancer Hospital in Chennai, capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu,
the pranic healing department assuages the ravaging effects of chemotherapy. In
spite of well-established foundations and possibly the largest number of practitioners
in the world, pranic healing is yet to match reiki's popularity in India. It has, however,
made successful inroads into rural India down south, thanks to reasonable course fees
and vernacular editions of Choa Kok Sui's books.

But is the technique safe in the hands of enthusiasts who overlook relevant
guidelines? One healer gives the example of a school assistant in the northern Indian
state of Punjab who applied such rigorous healing to a feverish child that the
temperature came crashing down to subnormal and the limp, cold child had to be
rushed to hospital. The danger, actually, is only for healers themselves who are
susceptible to contamination. Does this not bode ill for the system, ask critics. Danial
Gorgoria, general manager of the World Pranic Healing Foundation, has a succinct
response: "If healers say that they get ill, they haven't followed the rules. Further,
moderation is essential. When you are healing a large number of people every day,
you are bound to get too tired to meditate, a must for healers."

To a layperson, pranic healing may sound similar to reiki. But there are crucial
differences. Pranic healers believe that energizing without first cleansing is like
pouring fresh coffee into a cup that contains leftover. Experts even report that reiki
works better when preceded by cleansing techniques borrowed from pranic healing. It
is only a matter of time before India becomes a pranic healing hotspot. A major
indication of this is the construction of the first-ever pranic healing ashram in the
world near Mumbai. Primarily a healing-cum-training center and spiritual retreat, the
ashram will have facilities both for trainees and patients and will further Choa Kok
Sui's one-line goal: "A pranic healer in every home." Many healers also affirm that the
new millennium is going to see a descent of tremendous spiritual energies with India
as the epicenter. Pranic healing, say ardent practitioners, will help people deal with
these energies and the challenge and growth opportunity they will present. Ultimately,
the thumb rule for making a final choice about pranic healing is: "You like it. It suits
you. Move ahead with it." The underlying philosophy is rather simple: What counts is
to be on the path. Does it really matter what finally got you there?
Pranic Healing - Pranic Healing : YOU
TOO CAN HEAL, YOU TOO CAN HEAL

by Ursula Mistry

The ability to heal lies dormant in everybody. All you require to trigger it is
the urge to heal

RHYTHMIC BREATHING PRACTICES

Sit comfortably, with spine erect, hands resting in your lap.

Place your finger on the pulse. Inhale, counting to six pulse units.

Hold your breath, counting to three pulse

More >>

TRY GENERAL SELF-HEALING FIRST

Lie down comfortably, close your eyes and relax.

Breathe rhythmically and command a good supply of prana.

While exhaling, send prana to the affected part.

More >>

The ability to heal lies dormant in everybody. All you require to trigger it is the urge to
heal

What is the first thing that you do when you hurt yourself in any part? You place your
hand there, for immediate relief. Congratulations, you have already taken the first
step towards pranic healing!

To comprehend pranic healing, we must first understand the essence of prana. There
are many definitions of prana—a universal principle, life energy, bio-plasma,
magnetism or vital energy. Prana, in fact, is the force behind all activity in the body. It
is in and around all manifestations and, more importantly, can be drawn, stored, and
sent from one person to another.

When we feel 'low,' something interferes with our supply of vital energy or prana. In
pranic healing, prana is sent to afflicted parts. This flow of energy stimulates cells and
tissues and, as a result, waste matter is ejected from the system. And the capability
to do this lies dormant in almost everybody.

However, most people are unaware of their potential. Some, like

Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, a friend and disciple of Madame Blavatsky who founded
the Theosophical Society in New York in 1875, discover it accidentally.

Once, while visiting Sri Lanka, a Buddhist priest told Olcott that the Church planned to
turn a nearby village into another Lourdes, complete with miracles. Olcott said: "In
that case you should start performing a few miracles yourself." The priest said he had
no such powers. Olcott, aware of the power of suggestion, decided to help.

A few days later, a partially paralyzed man came to the Buddhist temple. Olcott slowly
ran his hands in the air over the affected part and told the person that he would
definitely improve. That evening, the man returned to Olcott, saying he felt much
better and wanted more treatment. Olcott obliged and the man continued to improve.

The upshot of this incident saw Olcott receiving instant acclaim in the area as a
miracle worker and the ailing began flocking to him. To his own amazement, Olcott
realized that he was actually learning to cure patients. Something seemed to flow
from him into the ailing. He had learned pranic healing simply by trying.

But sending our vital energy to others can leave us drained. So, it is advised to use
pranayama, a yogic breathing exercise, for building up vital energy before attempting
pranic healing

Pranic Healing - TWICE BLESSED

by V.C. Vishwanathan

Step-by-step instructions in twin heart meditation

The twin heart meditation technique developed

by Master Choa Kok Sui, the Philippines based founder of pranic healing, is a powerful
form of meditation, for it enhances your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-
being. If practiced regularly, it brings about a deep inner transformation and
expansion of consciousness so that you achieve illumination, self-realization, perfect
harmony and oneness with God.

You may wonder why this meditation is so called. The twin hearts refer to the heart
chakra, the center of the emotional heart, and the crown chakra, the center of the
divine heart. When you meditate on these twin hearts, divine energy flows into your
crown chakra from where it is distributed to all parts of the body. The crown chakra
can be activated only when the heart chakra is sufficiently activated.

While there are many techniques for activating the chakras, the most effective, safest
and fastest way is through using the heart and crown chakras for blessing the earth
with loving kindness. As they become channels for the flow of spiritual energies, they
get activated in the process. And by blessing the earth and all sentient beings, you
are in turn blessed many times. It is in giving that you receive—that is the law.

The best way to explain and understand the significance and uniqueness of twin heart
meditation would be to take you through the various steps. An even better way is for
you to listen to the meditation tape and practice it yourself.

PHYSICAL EXERCISES

Exercise for a few minutes before you start to meditate. This is necessary to condition
your physical and energy body and to enable it to receive and absorb the high energy
that will flow into you during meditation.

INVOKE DIVING BLESSINGS

You may now sit comfortably either on the floor in a lotus (Padmasana) or semi-lotus
position or on a chair. If you are sitting on a chair, sit erect without leaning on its
back. Assume a receptive pose, your spine erect and palms turned upwards, resting
on your lap. Close your eyes. Raise your tongue to touch the palate. This is to
facilitate the circulation of energy in the body. Keep your tongue touching the palate
throughout the meditation. Take a few deep and slow relaxing breaths. Inhale slowly;
exhale slowly. Do this a few times rhythmically. Still your mind.

Now make a simple invocation for divine blessings and protection on these lines (you
may choose your own words and language depending on your faith):

Lord God, the Universal Supreme Being,

Divine Father, Divine Mother,
I humbly invoke your divine blessings
for light, love, guidance, help, illumination, power and protection.
With thanks and in full faith. So be it.

RELAXATION, CLEANSING AND ENERGIZING

Continue to breathe deeply and allow your body to relax. Let this relaxation flow from
the top of your head down to your forehead and to your eyes, to your nose, to your
cheeks and to your whole face. Let it flow down the neck and shoulders and arms,
chest, abdomen, down to your back, to the end of your spine, to your thighs, knees,
legs and feet. You should now be completely relaxed. Inhale fresh vitalizing energy;
exhale diseased and used-up energy.

• Inhale good health; exhale all the pains and discomforts.

• Inhale relaxing and comforting energy; exhale stress, tension and fatigue.
• Inhale love and peace; exhale your hatred and resentments away. Inhale calmness
and confidence; exhale your fears and worries.
• Inhale happiness; exhale your sadness and depression.
• Inhale kindness; exhale irritability and anger away.
• Inhale positive and creative thoughts; exhale negative and harmful thoughts.
• Inhale positive and good emotions; exhale negative and harmful emotions.

SELF-INTROSPECTION AND INNER REFLECTION

This time you are going into a series of inner reflections. Think of the virtue of
harmlessness and kindness. Examine yourself if you have hurt somebody physically.
Also think if you have given pain to somebody through your speech and emotional
reactions. Are you constantly harboring negative or injurious thoughts towards other
people? If you are, then mentally ask for forgiveness from all those whom you have
hurt or are still hurting.

Resolve that this day you are going to practice kindness towards all people in your
thoughts, speech and action. As a part of this resolution.

• Visualize yourself forgiving those who may have hurt you. Bless them with the good
things in life.
• Visualize yourself also being forgiven by those whom you may have hurt. Experience
the feeling of being forgiven.
• Now examine if you have taken things, which are not yours, whether tangible or
intangible. Have you taken somebody's reputation, credits, glory or ideas for your
selfish ends? Have you taken an affection, which is due to another person?
• If you have, then mentally ask for forgiveness and resolve that you will not take
things, which are not yours. Also resolve that you shall be generous and shall offer
your help when necessary.
• Ask yourself if you have been misleading or deceiving people in your speech and
actions. Are you deliberately telling lies? Or pretending to be other than what you
really are? Are you withholding the truth from other people for your own selfish ends?

• Resolve that this day you shall be true to yourself and to other people in your
speech and actions. As part of this practice of truthfulness, now examine the secrets
in your life, which have been giving you a feeling of guilt.
• Free yourself by mentally telling the person concerned and ask for forgiveness.
Experience the peace that comes from being true to yourself and to other people.
• You are now ready to bless the earth and the whole of humanity with your love and
kindness.

ACTIVATING THE HEART CHAKRA

To activate your heart energy center, press the center of your chest and concentrate
on it for a few seconds. Now recall the most pleasant feeling that you have ever
experienced in your entire life. For example, a feeling of love, of kindness, peace and
joy. You may have felt this when you have given yourself in service to others, or
shared yourself with your friends, or when you felt close to God or, May be, when you
fell in love.

You are now going to share this feeling of kindness with the entire planet earth.

Visualize in front of your chest a small planet earth, as small as a ball one inch in
diameter. Imagine the pinkish light from the heart energy center going to the earth
and enveloping it with love and kindness. Smile at this planet earth and mentally say
this prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi:

Lord make me an instrument of Thy peace

From the heart energy center, bless the earth with divine peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love
Visualize the pinkish energy of love from your heart energy center enveloping the
earth
Where there is injury, pardon
Bless all people on earth with forgiveness
Where there is doubt, faith, Where there is despair, hope
Bless all the needy people on earth with a new hope for a better world
Where there is darkness, light
Bless the earth with light
Where there is sadness, you
Bless the earth with great joy and visualize the people you meet every day smiling
and being filled with great joy
O Divine Master, rather than I may not seek so much to be consoled as to console; to
be understood, as to understand; and to be loved as to love, For it is in giving that we
receive, It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, And it is in dying that we are born to
eternal life.

ACTIVATING THE CROWN CHAKRA

This time, touch your crown energy center and activate it by concentrating on it and
by recalling your aspiration to share your life in service, to be on good terms with
other people, to be of help to the needy and to see universal brotherhood on earth.

Now visualize a brilliant white light from the crown energy center at the top of your
head, going to the planet earth and enveloping it with divine love and kindness.

From the center of the heart of God

Let the entire planet earth be blessed with love and kindness
Let the entire planet earth be blessed
with great joy and divine peace
Let the entire planet earth be blessed
with understanding, harmony, and goodwill
And the willingness to do good
So be it

Continue to bless the earth with brilliant white light from your crown energy center
and continue to smile with a feeling of kindness towards the earth.

ACHIEVING ILLUMINATION

Now visualize a flame of light on the top of your head and mentally chant and mantra,
Om, and concentrate on the gaps of silence between the Oms, maintaining the flame
of light in your imagination.

RELEASING EXCESS ENERGY

After a few minutes of chanting Om, slowly come back to your normal waking
consciousness, keeping the eyes closed. Slowly move your fingers, raise your hands at
chest level, almost facing each other, about six inches apart to release the excess
energy, blessing with light and power. Visualize again a small planet earth in front of
you.

Bless the earth with peace, abundance and spirituality. Bless your country with peace,
abundance and spirituality. Bless those people who support you, your family and
loved ones and your home with harmony, good health, abundance and spirituality.
You can continue to bless, releasing the excess energy, until you feel your body has
returned to its normal condition.

EXPRESSION OF GRATITUDE AND THANKS

End the meditation with a prayer of thanks on these lines:

Oh Divine Father
Thank you for your divine blessings
Thank you for your protection, guidance, help and illumination
In full faith, so be it

You can now open your eyes with a smile, massage your face and your head, tap your
liver a few times and your kidneys also. This is to avoid the accumulation of energy in
these parts. Also massage your arms, hands, things, legs and other parts of your
body.

Now do the same set of exercises you did before the meditation. Massage and
exercise will further release excess energy and make your body assimilate fresh
energy.
Pranic Healing - HANDS OF HEALING

by Parveen Chopra

Rapidly gaining in popularity, reiki and pranic healing use the energy, which
is around you and within you, to make you healthy and whole

"Why did this have to happen to me?" cried Maya Ravindranath, when
confronted with a tragedy that left her with multiple rib fractures, head injuries and a
spinal dislocation. Maya had fallen off the parapet at her mother's house in Chennai,
India. The 10-feet fall left the bank executive unable to walk or, for that matter, do
any of the elementary things that we take for granted.

Maya's husband, M. Ravindranath, was in England on a scholarship, but her children,

Srinivas and Lakshmi, provided her the much-needed familial support system.
Remembers Srinivas, "I cried to see Mom that way, but I knew God would heal her. I
had faith."

Seven nightmarish months followed—moments dominated by agonizing visits to

various doctors and hospitals, 50 X-rays, abdominal belts and neck collars, rigorous
physiotherapy exercises—a prison-like existence where recovery seemed like a distant
destination.

It was then that Ravindranath decided to take his wife's case to the caring hands of a
pranic healer in Delhi.

Come sundown, and the Aurobindo Center in New Delhi, India, resembles any busy
hospital's outpatient department. A large number of patients of different ages and
ailment wait their turn at the healer's hands with an air of uncertain expectancy. But
the difference becomes clear when the attendant, espying the photojournalist
accompanying you, questions: "Are you going to take pictures of the patients or of the
energy?" Another person asks: "Is that a Kirlian photography camera you are carrying
to shoot the patients' auras?"

Indeed, the patients have assembled to take treatment from one of the 15-odd
practitioners of pranic healing, a drugless therapy that entails the transfer of an
energy, whose existence is probably unknown to most of us, from healer to patient.

At this center, you meet Ravi Kher, a Delhi court advocate, who had a paralytic stroke
last year and lost his ability to speak. While extensive allopathic treatment failed to
improve his condition, after just three days of pranic healing, Kher could move his
affected left limbs and also speak a few words at a time.

One more case of what seems like another miraculous cure at the same clinic is that
of Renu Rosha, a real estate agent. Rosha was a thyroid patient for 5 years and was
constantly on steroids, but was completely cured after 15 days of pranic healing.

Another system that uses hands as the instruments of healing is reiki. In a sense, reiki
is more of a hands-on approach for, unlike pranic healing, it involves the actual laying
of hands of various parts of the body. And going by the growing number of cured and
happy patients, reiki, too, is entering the healer's handbook.

Last winter, Suman Sahai, a housewife, lost all sensation in her right hand, save a
frequent shooting pain. After doing the mandatory rounds of doctors in vain, she
started taking reiki sessions from a retired Army officer in her locality. In the very first
session, she says: "I got so much relief that I fell asleep at his house. After 8 sittings,
the problem cleared."

Maya relives her initial encounter with a pranic healer: "The first time I visited a
pranic healing center, I saw people gesticulating away. I thought, almost irreverently,
' What is this mumbo-jumbo?' But with my very first session, I discovered I was a
clairvoyant. I could actually see all the aura colors! I understood what was happening.
I began feeling as if this is what I had been waiting for all my life. I took to it like a
fish takes to water."

She attended the sessions for over two months and gradually felt her strength
increasing. Maya simultaneously carried on with her physiotherapy course, but found
that while in physiotherapy , she would improve by 80 per cent, then fall back 10 per
cent , in the pranic sessions there were no downs, it was always up. Maya's
physiotherapist told her: "I think this is what you were waiting for."

While pranic healing's curative aspect is usually emphasized, reiki is finding wide
application as a tool for personal and spiritual growth too. Reiki masters claim that it
makes you 'whole and complete'. Only appropriate things happen to you, and you live
in abundance. In short, reiki is about taking your life in your own hands.

Vivek Gaur, who is in the infrastructure leasing business, finds reiki very soothing. And
whenever he is anticipating an unpleasant encounter with a difficult client, he gives
advance reiki to the meeting, Says he: "It is remarkable how people respond to a
positive build-up." Others use reiki to improve relationships, to fulfill desires and even
in mundane matters such as making a computer behave or bringing a "dead"
telephone back to life.

But how do these systems work? Quite simply, reiki and pranic healing involve
working on our bio-energy body or aura (which permeates the physical body, and
extends a few inches beyond it) and our chakras (there are seven major chakras in
the body, each related to an endocrine gland, each with its specific color). Disease
first manifests itself in the aura, before even appearing in the physical body. Energy
healing works on the aura level and corrects the blocked or malfunctioning chakras to
cure the disease.

According to Barbara Ann Brennan, healer, researcher and writer of popular books
such as Hands of Light and Light Emerging, there are two types of life energy that are
used in healing: "One that surrounds and permeates everything is the universal
energy field and the one associated with human beings is the human energy field,
commonly known as the human aura."

Pioneering works to investigate the human energy field was started in Eastern Europe
half a century ago, work that is, unfortunately, still imprisoned in the quasi-science
category. Most people would have heard of Kirlian photography, named after Semyon
Kirlian, its Russian inventor. It is a technique of photographing objects immersed in a
high frequency, high-voltage electric field. What you see are glowing, multicolored
emanations said to be auras of bio-fields.

Reiki and pranic healing are quietly coursing through the better-off sections of Indian
society, particularly in the metros. In the suburban trains of Mumbai, capital of the
western Indian state of Maharashtra, a watchful eye can detect commuters doing self-
reiki, even while balanced precariously on each other's toes. In Surat, an industrial
town in the western Indian state of Gujarat, there is a Reiki Street where almost every
household has at least one reiki graduate. The number of masters who conduct reiki
workshops has crossed the 100 mark. Pranic healing already has more than 1,500
active healers in India.

Says Krishnan Veerappan, one of the six pranic healers who worked on Maya, "Till
Maya came to our center, I had never encountered such a case before. It was a
turning point for the center itself, because it involved the regeneration of bones,
muscles ad tissues. This in turn meant a complex combination of techniques, which in
the early stages, we ourselves were not sure of. But the fact that she was amazingly
receptive was great help, for she was able to receive and immediately assimilate the
treatment."

Maya's quick recovery in the short span of five months impressed her healer, who
remembers his patient with gratitude,"The confidence we gained then has helped us
to fine-tune our abilities today."

Reiki (pronounced ray-kee) is a Japanese term which means universal life force
energy. The system was recovered from ancient Indian texts about 150 years ago by
Dr Mikao Usui, a Christian minister in Japan. For qi or vital energy that animates and
sustains life, the Indian equivalent is prana, a key concept in yoga. The term prana
was borrowed by Choa Kok Sui, a Filipino of Chinese extraction , who developed
pranic healing more than a decade ago.

Although energy healing originated in India, Buddhism may have taken it to China,
where qi was investigated further. It then became the basis of the martial arts and
acupuncture, which believes that the flow of qi through the body's 12 meridians can
be manipulated to cure disease.

But it was the legendary healing power of Jesus Christ that triggered the discovery of
reiki by Dr Usui. The story goes that one of his students asked him whether he could
heal like Jesus. DR Usui found the answer after years of combing through religious
texts the world over. His search fructified in some Sanskrit-Tibetan sutras and he
developed his own healing power through austerities and meditation before starting
to teach.

Reiki officially came to India in January 1989 when a German master, Paula Horan,
held a workshop in Bombay for about 30 people. One graduate, Shamal Durve, went
on to train as a master. She and eight other masters are now part of the Reiki India
Research Center near Mumbai, the only reiki cooperative in the country. They have
initiated over 10,000 people into reiki and now plan a bigger retreat-cum-center near
Mumbai.

Pranic healing followed a little later. The man who has played a stellar role in
spreading it in India is C. Sundaram, a Bangalore-based industrialist who suffered
from acute spondylitis. Recovery started when, admitted in a clinic in the USA, he was
given pranic healing. Curious and grateful, he met the master, Choa Kok Sui and
started the Pranic Healing Foundation in 1992. Today he is the president of the All
India Pranic Healing Association.

Choa Kok Sui doesn't fit the stereotypical image of a guru. A chemical engineer by
training and a successful businessman by profession, his aim is to demystify the
subject. In his lucidly written book, The Ancient Science and Art of Pranic Healing , he
says that no special inborn healing power is needed to perform paranormal cures—
anyone can cure with little training.

The master cites three major sources of prana: sun, air and earth. Trees and plants
absorb so much prana from these sources that they exude an excess of it. Tired or
sick people can benefit enormously by lying down under trees. Fresh fruit, raw
vegetables and sprouts are good for health, probably more because of their high
prana content than their nutritional value.

Pranic healing works by cleansing the negative, used-up energy (which explains why
the healer often keeps by his side a bucket of salt water, considered a good absorbent
of negative prana) and by energizing the patient's system through projecting prana.
Advanced healers can even change negative prana to positive prana.

But how do you become a healer? According to Krishnan Veerappan, managing

trustee of the Pranic Healing Foundation of Delhi, one learns to identify the energy, to
receive different energies and use them for healing in the first level course. In the
second level, you increase your healing power and, in the third, you learn to use the
system for psychotherapy. The next stage is devoted to developing spiritual powers.

There are several levels in reiki teaching. In the reiki I workshop, the master makes
you a channel, through 'attunement' for the universal life force energy. The energy is
said to enter through the crown chakra and flow out of the hands. You are taught 27
positions where the hands have to be placed for 3 minutes each, and the points
where more energy should be given when treating a specific ailment. For example, an
asthmatic patient must be given reiki at his heart chakra and the lung tips. After
attending this workshop, most people feel a distinct tingling sensation in their
fingertips and, when giving reiki to friends, they are told that their hands are very hot.

In reiki II, three Japanese symbols and the mantras that go with them are taught (in
reiki, symbols and mantras are closely-guarded secrets). They intensify the reiki
energy and also help you do distant healing. Reiki III focuses on personal and
spiritual growth.

Not all graduates of reiki or pranic healing workshops, however, can hope to become
equally potent healers. DR Ramakant Keni, who officially practices spiritual healing at
a hospital in Mumbai, argues: "To become a good healer one must build up energy
through meditation. Besides, developing healing powers takes years." Adds Ashima
Singh, a former television announcer and pranic healer: "There is a karmic entitlement
to one's healing capacity."

Since, in reiki, each master is autonomous, course material and emphases vary a lot.
It is not unusual for a group of healers in Delhi, for instance, to receive a request
from Bangalore, about 1300 miles away, to send energy to a child with double
pneumonia.

More incredible than distant healing is pranic surgery, which is still at an early, almost
exploratory stage in India. One person who has benefited from it is Deepak Thapa, an
accountant. Thapa had trouble reading his accounts books—a scanning of his aura
revealed a hole in it and some knotted nerves under his left eye. He was treated last
month by a team of pranic healers and clairvoyants. In the 'operation' one healer
cleaned his channels that link the chakras, while the other two directed concentrated
pranic energy to liquefy the area around the hole before allowing it to reconfigure. A
relieved Thapa says he can now "see the stars again" and can read much better.

But which is the best system? Nalin Nirula, a reiki master, admits that pranic energy
works faster as a cure. "It can bring down blood pressure in half-an-hour or make
gallbladder stones disappear in no time." Reiki, on the other hand, roots out the cause
of the disease and for that reason it may be a little slower, he adds.

On the other hand, Ramanathan Kasinathan, a retired banker affiliated with the
Maharashtra Foundation of Pranic Healing, insists: "We don't use personal energy—we
use universal energy." This human or universal conundrum is easily resolved by
understanding that a healer has to " fuse the personal psychokinetic energy with the
cosmic energy."

Reiki enthusiast also single out the many dos and don'ts in pranic healing. For
example, non-vegetarian food, liquor and tobacco are believed to deplete energy and
bring disharmony to the chakras. Besides, you may end up giving an excess of
energy, potentially harmful for the patient. In reiki there is no danger of overdose—
the receiver draws from the healer as much as is required and where it is required.

Difference of opinion notwithstanding, many reiki graduates are also learning pranic
healing and vice versa, to absorb the best from the other. One reason for energy
healing's popularity is that people are keenly aware of the limits of western medicine
and the potential of alternative therapies. Observes Harmala Gupta, who has
researched the role of alternative medicine in combating cancer, "Modern medicine
disempowers you—you remain at the mercy of the doctor and the system. Reiki and
pranic healing empower you."

Predictably, energy healing, a revolutionary concept for orthodox medicine, is also

attracting many doctors. Quite a few have meshed it into their practice. Mumbai-
based Dr. Tejinder Kaur Sahi says her patients find "extraordinary healing powers in
me", which she attributes to living reiki principles. Another surgeon, Dr. Pradip Diwan,
finds reiki particularly effective in head injuries asthma, spondylitis, allergies, paralysis
and diabetes. His gynecologist wife, DR Priya Diwan, uses reiki on expectant mothers
to ease delivery. As for pranic healing, 5-10 per cent of its healers and patients in
Delhi are allopathic doctors. Energy healing systems do not rail against modern
medicine, talking instead of the complementary nature of their role. Take medicine, by
all means, they say, but energize it to increase its potency.

Yet if you look closely, you will find warts on the ostensibly pristine body of energy
healing. Flak comes even from some who have tried reiki or pranic healing. A
documentary filmmaker walked out of a reiki workshop because she felt that the
master was talking down to the group.

There are differences even within the charmed circle of reiki masters. Bombay-based
Harjit Lamba claims that the 3 reiki symbols taught by others have become distorted
and that she was handed the correct ones by an American master in the direct lineage
of Dr Usui.

In contrast, pranic healing is better regulated by regional federations, out of which

the ones in Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Dottayam are very active. The
only criticism of this system is that, in the wrong hands, it can be counterproductive.

All the same, energy healing is definitely the 'in' thing in the world. Appropriately, it
has come to the fore just when the more conventional alternative systems such as
ayurveda and acupuncture have acquired respect and legitimacy. More than this, the
popularity of energy healing indicates that the mechanistic model of man and the
universe is giving way to a deeper understanding that everything is a play of energy.

Today Maya walks normally and has taken the pranic healing course herself. Indeed,
there is no greater proof of the power of the treatment than when the patient herself
turns healer. Philosophizes the newly-initiated Maya:" I feel all this was destined to
happen for me to be able to come over here."

—With inputs from Suma Varughese

Positive Thinking - The Good Word

by Suma Varughese

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word
was God…

Affirmations are powerful declarations that can transform your behaviour,

attitude and nature. Affirmations help you to realize your highest potential.
They are the easy path to self-realisation.

Even as a youngster reading through the unfathomable mystery of the Bible,

these lines quoted earlier would spring out at me and grip my imagination. Mystical
and mysterious they may have been but I sensed in them a strange power. I repeated
them frequently and wondered what they meant.

But then I am a writer. Words are my stock in trade and since my very childhood they
have fascinated and entranced me. The sound of words, the images they summon up,
the emotions they arouse, the worlds they open up for me have held me in thrall all
my life.

How apt then, that my spiritual journey began with the word and has all through been
strengthened and assisted by its potent magic. In the form of affirmations, it has been
the indispensable third part of my path. The first two are awareness and acceptance.
While these two have been deconditioning me, affirmations assist in reconditioning
me, or, as I now recognize, in transforming me.

It is only of late that I have begun recognizing the invaluable role of affirmations in
my life. I see it as a tool that can change even the most recalcitrant. It is the common
man's route to transformation.

Swami Sivananda, founder of the Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, corroborates this
view. In his fascinating book, Japa Yoga, he writes, "In this Kali yug, japa alone is the
easy way to the realisation of God."

Not all of us can meditate. Not all of us have the discipline to do spiritual practice
every day. Certainly I didn't. But all of us can repeat a few words to ourselves. And
from my own experience, I can testify that it is not even required to concentrate upon
the words. You can mumble them even when your mind is racing like a horse. You
can chant them absentmindedly. Just say them. Of course, the more force and
intention you put in them the quicker they manifest. But the results will come as long
as you persist, no matter how desultory your utterance. JUST DON'T GIVE UP!

While this goes against received wisdom, which insists that affirmations must be said
with intent in order to work, I am supported by the incomparable Swami Sivananda
who stoutly declares: "Even simple mechanical repetition of a mantra has a powerful
effect. It purifies the mind. It serves as a gate-keeper. It gives intimations to you
whenever some worldly thoughts enter the mind."

A Personal Path
My tryst with affirmations and indeed spirituality began several years ago when a
relationship broke up and in parting, I was told that relationships were meant to be
beautiful and ours had not been. I was also told that I had not made the person
happy. Fascinated by the concept of a 'beautiful relationship' and by the idea of
happiness, I vowed that I would make this person happy, come what may. This was
by no means easy to do as I found myself reacting to his behaviour with anger and
jealousy. And then I hit upon the magic mantra, which was my passage to spiritual
understanding. It occurred to me that if I really wanted this person's happiness,
whatever he said or did should be okay by me. I formulated the thought thus: "It's his
happiness that matters and not mine". I found my anger and reactivity receding and
in its place a vast reservoir of peace and goodwill arising. Unbelievingly, I said these
words again and again, and each time they worked like a charm, freeing me of my
thoughts and feelings and allowing me to focus fully on seeing and understanding the
other's point of view. In my own way I was affirming, though I did not know it then.

The words propelled me right out of my ego and into a state that I called 'absolute
happiness'. For a full year, they retained their magic for me. I used to accompany
their recitation by pressing my thumb and my middle finger hard. I later discovered
that NLP called this anchoring, and recommended it as a way of recalling an
experience intentionally. Alas, all good things come to an end and my year of grace
faded away. However, it left me firmly entrenched on the spiritual path.

Why did this mantra wield such power over me during that time? Why not before and
why not after? Such things are cloaked in mystery and it is hard to say why. Grace for
me, is a good explanation for the first question. As for the second, I think of it as a
trigger that launched me on the journey. That job done, it left me so that I could
embark upon the hard and long task of dissolving all that stood between me and that
state of absolute happiness…

Explaining Affirmations
So what are affirmations? They are positive declarations of intent. They are word
seeds that germinate within us and recreate us. They encapsulate the power of
thought which makes us who we are. Affirmations can be simple declarations like the
19th century French psychotherapist, Emile Coeu's sweeping assertion, "Every day, in
every way, I am getting better and better." They can be New Age statements that
invoke everything from health, love, money, jobs, houses and other material and non-
material visitations. Affirmations such as, "I am abundance and I attract everything I
need," are typical of this genre. They can be power words that resound through our
scriptures such as the great mahavakya, Aham Brahmasmi, the sufi saying, Al Haq, or
mantras like Om Namaha Shivaye. They can be the prayers that we repeat ceaselessly
such as the Gayatri mantra, the Mahamrityunjaya mantra, the Lord's Prayer or the
Hail Mary. All good words and thoughts that we repeat continuously are affirmations
in action. Whether we call it japa yoga or affirmations, we are invoking the power of
the word to create us, regenerate us and transform us.

All spiritual traditions everywhere have intuited the awful majesty and power of the
word. Whether it is the karadjeru of Australia, the Dogon and Igbo communities of
Africa, the Mayan community of Mexico, the Sumerians, or the Buddhist, Christian,
Islamic or Judaic traditions, there is a clear understanding that language, or the word,
is a manifestation of God. Many of them, including the vedic tradition of India,
maintain that sound is the building block of the manifested world. For the Dogon,
words uttered during religious ceremonies contain nyama (life-force), which is
conveyed by the breath and flows through the mouth of the holy person.

Even in the Christian tradition, God is said to have created the universe simply by
uttering a command-surely an early example of affirmation in action? "And God said,
Let there be light: and there was light." (Genesis 1: 3)

The Power of Sound

In India, the power of the word has long been recognized and used for spiritual
transformation and for the ultimate understanding of life. Pandit Rajmani Tigunait,
head of the Himalayan Institute, USA, writes in his book, The Power of Mantra and
the Mystery of Initiation, "According to tantric and Vedic sources, the world manifests
from the Word, exists in the Word, and at the time of annihilation returns to the
Word. They tell us that for those who are unaware of the power of the Word and its
binding and releasing force, this world is the source of pain and misery. Yet, according
to the Shiva Sutra, this same world is a wave of joy to those who have penetrated the
mystery of the Word."

According to Wayne Dyer, author of the book, Manifest Your Destiny, the sound aaah
is common to almost all the names of God, ranging from Brahma, to Allah to Yahweh
and Ahura Mazda. This is no coincidence, he believes, but is rather proof that it is the
sound of creation. Therefore when we chant God's name we are invoking the power
of creation. Many ancients would attribute the mantra om, with this power, but, says
Dyer, "Whereas aaah is the sound of creation, om is the sound of that which is
already created. Om expresses gratitude for all that has manifested." According to
tantric adepts, the word is considered to be the Shabda-brahman, the Creative Source
(Ashabda-brahman) embodied as sound.

Scientists today confirm that the universe is actually composed of vibrational energies.
Writes Wayne Dyer: "Every sound is a vibration made of waves oscillating at a
particular frequency. The frequency range of the human ear is approximately 16,000 -
40,000 vibrations per second. It is theorized that thoughts and the unknown etheric
and spiritual dimensions are in the realm of increased vibrations beyond anything that
is calculable at this point of time." He adds, "Sound is the intermediary between the
abstract idea and the concrete form of the material world. Sounds literally mold the
abstract world of thoughts and spirit into shapes."

Swami Sivananda confirms this by writing about the experiments conducted by an

Englishwoman called Mrs Watts Hughes, who sang into an instrument called the
eidophone. The sound traveled through a tube and was received on a flexible
membrane holding tiny seeds. The seeds formed entrancing geometric patterns
depending on the notes she used. He says, "Once when Mrs Hughes was singing a
note, a daisy appeared and disappeared…now she knows that precise inflections of
the particular note that is a daisy and it is made constant and definite by a strange
method of coaxing an alternation of crescendo and diminuendo." Mrs Hughes
apparently was able to summon up sea-monsters, forms of trees, and even
landscapes of trees with a foreground of rocks, and the sea behind.

Santosh Sachdeva, whose family owns the website indiayogi.com, affirms that when
they conducted a yagna on behalf of one of their clients, the fire threw up images of
om and the swastika, when invoked by the pundit.

Why Affirmations Work

Affirmations work because they embody the power of sound. Not just when you
choose to utter them aloud, but even when expressed through thought, they create
specific vibrations within. These vibrations have the power to write over the grooves
of our subconscious mind. It is the thoughts that we feed into our subconscious mind
that produces our habitual behavioural patterns and attitudes. Our unconscious
thoughts have created our present persona. In order to recreate ourselves, we need
to counter them with conscious positive thoughts.

This is the central truth behind most spiritual philosophies. For instance, the opening
verse of the Dhammapada, the core Buddhist scripture, states implacably, "We are
what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make
the world. Speak or act with an impure mind and trouble will follow you as the wheel
follows the ox that draws the cart."

In order to rewrite the mind we need to understand its composition. The mind is
composed of three parts, the conscious, the subconscious and the superconscious.
The conscious mind is the part we are aware of - the part that does the thinking,
worrying, planning and creating. It is a tiny part of the structure; it is the
subconscious that is the looming bulwark, a massive entity with incredible powers and
potentials. Its unique characteristic is that it can create anything that we command it
to create, by virtue of the thoughts we think.

Writes Dada Vaswani, head of the Pune-based Sadhu Vaswani Mission, "If you believe
that you cannot achieve something, if you believe that you cannot have something,
the subconscious will create conditions, so that your beliefs are proved. To transform
your life, it is very important that you seek the help of the subconscious."

Thus the negative thoughts that create our negative conditioning can be overthrown
by affirming their opposite. The belief that we are lazy can be overwritten by the
affirmation that we are hard working and industrious.

Writes Dada Vaswani, " To transform your life you must have a picture of yourself as
you wish to be… The picture that we paint of ourselves is assimilated by our
subconscious. The subconscious is there to obey you. It is a very obedient servant
who takes orders from his master. Its decisions are to be made by you."

Awareness of the incredible power of the subconscious, conveyed by writers such as

Joseph Murphy, author of The Power of the Subconscious Mind, is behind the New
Age deployment of affirmations to change oneself. Affirmations in this light cover the
whole gamut of life, employed literally as a magic genie to create money, abundance,
love, friendship, and even the acquisition of material objects such as a house, a car,
etc.

Louise L. Hay, author of You can Heal Your Life, one of the first books to shine a light
on the spiritual and psychological causes of illness, uses affirmations extensively as a
tool for creating better health.

She writes in her website, www. Louisehay.com, "Our thoughts are creative. This is
the most important law of nature that we need to know…thoughts are like drops of
water-they accumulate. As we continue to rethink the same thoughts over a period of
time, they become puddles, ponds, lakes or oceans. If they're positive, we can float
on the oceans of life."

Affirmations have helped Usha Miglani, who lives alone, cope with fears of getting a
stroke in the middle of the night. Says she, "I practise the nine positives taught by
Brahma Vidya and they make me calm and peaceful. The affirmations that I am
healthy, I am young, I am powerful, have stuck to me."

Roxanne Marker, a psychic and seeker, makes use of words like love and peace for
affirmatory practice.

She says, "I am more at peace. The tendency to assert myself is decreasing. I will not
try to prove a point at the expense of making someone else feel bad. I no longer want
to be always right. What a boring individual that would make me. In fact these days I
say when I falter, "Yippee dippee, I am wrong!"

How to Affirm
Dada Vaswani reveals that the subconscious is physically located at the back, where
the base of the skull and the spine meet. He suggests that the best way to harmonize
the conscious, subconscious, and superconscious (the divine potential) is to combine
affirmation with meditation. He writes, "The peace of meditation filters not only into
the conscious but also into the subconscious and the superconscious self." There can
be little doubt that when affirmations are made in meditative stillness, they are more
effective. Deepak Chopra, for instance, suggests that we release all intentions into the
gap between thoughts, which is arrived at through meditation.

Swami Sivananda, however, points out that dhyana is inherent in japa, "Name and the
object signified by the Name are inseparable…Whenever you think of the name of
your son, his figure stands before your mental eye, and vice versa. Even so when you
do japa of Rama or Krishna the picture of Rama or Krishna will come before your
mind. Therefore japa and dhyana go together. They are inseparable."

There are however, several guidelines to help us affirm more effectively, because the
subconscious does not discriminate and takes what we say literally:
o Construct your sentences positively. Choose 'I am slim' to 'I am not fat'. The
subconscious does not recognize negatives and would translate the latter sentence as
'I am fat'.
o Use the present tense. 'I am love, joy and compassion' is preferable to 'I will be…'
or 'I want to be…' The subconscious lives in the moment and does not recognize
future tense. The phrase 'I want' reflects powerlessness and all you will get is the
state of 'want' and not the actual state.
o Believe in what you say. Know that it will manifest for sure.
o Put as much intensity as you can in your affirmations. Says Dada Vaswani, "You
must develop the will to speak to it with magnetic determination."
o Dada Vaswani also suggests repeating an affirmation loudly three times, softly three
times and in a whisper four times.
o The times before you go to sleep or immediately on waking up are when the
subconscious is most receptive to commands.
o If you can meditate, do so. When your conscious mind is peaceful and still, seeding
the subconscious is a cinch.

Raising Self-Esteem
Affirmations are particularly effective in repairing and enhancing poor self-esteem.
The website called Tools for Personal Growth has a detailed piece on the negative
self-scripts that we operate under. These are caused by the beliefs we have of
ourselves, the negative feedback we may have got from family, teachers, peers,
spouse and colleagues and that we have internalized. These in turn create over-
dependence on the approval of others, make it difficult for us to take risks in life,
drown us in self-pity, cynicism and pessimism, and cause us to don a protective
armour in our interaction with others.

I should know about the pain imposed by negative self-scripts. When I launched into
an inquiry on how to make this state of absolute happiness a permanent one, I
realized that the chief impediment was a compulsive obsession with myself. And
behind the obsession, I found, was an almost total lack of self-esteem. I didn't like
myself at all. I was sure I would fail miserably in everything I did. There was, I
discovered, a tyrant established in my head who watched me like a hawk. This
personage viciously abused me each time I messed up, which I did all too often.
Consumed by the unceasing internal warfare, there was just no mind space for others
or indeed, for living.

It was a disconcerting discovery. Help came when, for a moment, I got in touch with
my true nature. That nature, I discovered, was whole, perfect and complete. I didn't
have to be anyone or anything or get anywhere to be that. I already was that. The
rest was conditioning.

However, unlike the earlier revelation that had an almost instantaneous effect on me,
this one was not impacting the negative self-script running compulsively in my head.
In the serendipitous way that life flows, an article came my way which explained
about the power of the subconscious mind and why it is that we think the way we do.
It gave suggestions on how to seed the mind afresh. Voila, I had discovered
affirmations! Although my mind was a fevered rush of thoughts, I persisted in
repeating the words, "I am whole, perfect and complete" to myself wherever and
whenever I could. Within four months a shift happened. I can describe it best as an
almost physical feeling near my heart region, where I felt as if a foundation had been
laid, sealing off for keeps the dreadful pits of depression I would fall into. I
understood that I had been given the ability to withstand whatever and however I
manifested. I could, as Clarissa Pinkola-Estes, the talented writer of Women Who Run
with the Wolves perceptively says, "stand to see what I had to see."

Ever since then, the task has been to face and repair through awareness and
acceptance, the ravages to my mind caused by years of depression. I could never
have withstood the pain of this prolonged surgery had it not been for the comforting
use of the affirmation that I was whole and perfect, even when I seemed entirely
imperfect.

Throughout the journey, I developed the habit of converting insights into affirmations,
which I would repeat to myself. I had to. My mind was far too chaotic to attempt
meditation or any form of spiritual practice. These affirmations would trigger changes
which then would set off fresh insights. Among the most significant of these was the
discovery that I was fully responsible for my states of mind and that the outside world
had nothing to do with it.

Affirming this took me deep within myself and I could sense that I was withdrawing
the power I had invested in the external world. Taking my reactions within unleashed
an enormous love of the self, for the self, and I found myself embarking on a fevered
love affair with myself. I love myself, I would affirm passionately and in various
different ways. I discovered that I did not need external support, endorsement and
approval. I discovered that all the qualities I longed for were within me. I would
warble out these affirmations through the day, particularly while traveling up and
down the city in local trains!

Right now I am in the throes of another insight, which is that I do not need to be
anything other than who I am. As I affirm this to myself, the tottering stockpile of
expectations that high ideals and low self-esteem have stacked on me is sliding away
and I am finally learning to live with myself. I am learning to love myself. That feeling
is a wonder only someone who has never experienced it before can truly appreciate.
The internal warfare is waning. Ceasefire has been declared and amnesty papers are
being drawn up. A lot more learning and a lot more affirmations await me still, I feel
sure, and I cannot wait to discover what lies next. For my goal is enlightenment and I
have not the slightest doubt that affirmations have the power to get me there.

Japa Yoga
Santosh Sachdeva, author of two books on Kundalini, including Kundalini Diary, was
first exposed to the power of the word at age 13 when her guru gave her the Shiva
mantra, Om Namaha Shivaye, to chant. By the time she was married she was
chanting it diligently for half an hour every day. This steady practice for close to 40
years stood her in good stead when she decided to do a course in Brahma Vidya in
1995. The course is a combination of breathing exercises, affirmations and
meditation. When Santosh began to repeat the affirmations, to her surprise she saw
images of all that she affirmed vividly appear in her mind's eye. "Now I imagine a
great light over my head," she would say and she would see a wing-like manifestation
of light above her head.
For Santosh too, affirmations, coupled with the other Brahma Vidya exercises, have
had a transformatory effect. She says: "I have become more confident. I no longer
worry about the future or regret the past. I live in the moment. I feel happy, which is
a feeling whose meaning I didn't know earlier. Complaining and expectations have
disappeared and there is no judgement left."

She says: "The fact that I could see my thoughts in the form of images has proven to
me the power of thoughts. It tells me that the parental advice to be good and to think
good thoughts is based on sound reasoning."

Kamala Jain, a designer in her 40s, was inducted into chanting the Shiva mantra by
her father in order to moderate her strongly emotional temperament when she was
around 12. She followed the advice sporadically and although she cannot quite figure
which, if any, of the changes she has experienced within herself can be attributed to
the practice, she admits that she is remarkably detached today. A serious seeker, she
also finds herself powerfully drawn to the personage of Shiva.

Japa yoga has a tried and tested place in the Indian tradition. Innumerable saints
have danced their way to Godhead singing the name of God. Tukaram of Deo,
Valmiki, Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Ramdas of the
Anand ashram are among those who have surrendered to the intoxication of God's
name. While affirmations are frequently used for inner healing and self-development,
japa yoga is employed for one reason and one alone: to awaken one's inner divinity
and unite with the Absolute.

Swami Sivananda says ardently: "Japa ultimately results in samadhi or communion

with the Lord." He adds, "The chanting of His name is but serving Him. You must
have the same flow of love and respect in your heart at the time of thinking or
remembering His Name as that you naturally may have in your heart at the time when
you really see Him."

According to the swami, japa purifies and cleanses one of lust, anger, greed and other
defilements. He says firmly, "The repetition of a mantra destroys your sins and brings
everlasting peace, infinite bliss, prosperity and immortality. There is not the least
doubt about this."

Mahatma Gandhi was an ardent practitioner of Ram Naam. At the time of his death,
such faith came to his rescue for he died with the name of the Lord in his mouth,
having uttered 'Hai Ram', when the assassin's bullet ripped through his spare frame.
Considering that it is our state of mind on death that guarantees our future progress
one assumes that the Mahatma has rightly attained the highest heavenly honors.

Swami Ramdas, whose mantra Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram is the central spiritual
practice advocated by the ashram, was so imbued with faith in the power of Ram,
that he left his home and wandered into the wide world, surrendering entirely to the
protection of his beloved Ram. Convinced that everyone and everything was a
manifestation of God and that every event that befell him was the Lord's will, he
accepted hunger, destitution, insults and rejection with utter faith. His account of the
journey, In Quest of God, is an inspiring account of the spiritual strength that japa
can inspire.

How to do Japa
While one can technically do japa anytime and anywhere, its efficacy is considerably
heightened if we imbue it with a sacred presence.
o Swami Sivananda suggests that it is best done facing the east or north, during dawn
and twilight, that magical period betwixt light and darkness.
o Sit in a steady pose; padmasana is highly recommended but sukhasana will also do.
o Choose the mantra that you most resonate with or think of your ishta devta- the
deity you give allegiance to.
o Invoke the presence of the Lord with as much intensity as you can utter- though
you can take comfort in the awareness that even mechanical repetition has its merit.
o Repeat the japa steadily at a measured pace.
o You can either repeat it aloud or mentally. The latter is considered to be more
powerful.
o You can do it with a mala or without. The advantage of the former is that it enables
you to keep count and ensures that your attention is buttressed to something
concrete.

Desiree Punwani, housewife and Buddhist practitioner, swears by the practice of

metta bhavna, or the state of loving kindness. The metta prayer goes thus: May all
beings be well, peaceful and happy. Says she, "When I first started affirming it, I
didn't know if I believed to what extent it would work. But whatever you give out you
get, and I find that health and peace and happiness are coming my way". She also
uses it to de-escalate contentious relationships. " I very rarely use the direct
confrontation method these days, " she reveals. An example is the strained
relationship she had with a family member that has taken a dramatic shift for the
better ever since she began showering the person with metta. "We can discuss even
sensitive issues with goodwill."

The Zoroastrians say it all in a nutshell: "Good thoughts, good words and good
deeds." It all begins with the thought, so be aware of what you put in there. Even
better, choose to avail of the magic power of affirmations to pull out the weeds and
sow fresh seeds of goodness, strength, love and joy, and total transformation. There
is nothing you cannot think yourself into being, so aim for the Absolute.

Practice Yogasanas
***Check out our section on Yoga***
INTRODUCTION
Yogasanas

A Few Simple Yogasanas for Basic Yoga Practice:

•Suryanamaskara
• Virasana
• Ustrasana
• Halasana
• Savasana>

Beginner`s Guide
Yoga master Pattabhi Jois suggests that we should begin with basic yoga postures of
the gentle surya namaskar before adding more postures to our yoga routines.

With expertise comes confidence. Postures from the primary series should be
gradually slotted into our yoga routines. If all goes well and you don`t tear a tendon,
hinges don`t lock and so on, then the third week might be generous enough to allow
you to begin practising sitting postures.

A few words of caution: don`t gallop, you could end up unseated and kissing the turf.
The slower the learning process, the more the chances of learning the tricks of the
trade. And most importantly, never practise without a teacher
Pranic Healing - A Clean Aura
Indicates Good Health

by Jamuna Rangachari

Founder of the world pranic healing foundation, grand master Choa Kok Sui
divulges the secrets of abundant health

Grand master Choa Kok Sui, founder of the World Pranic Healing Foundation,
stumbled upon the ancient science of pranic healing (as its name indicates, its origins
are Indian) in 1987, through 18 years of immersion in esoteric healing practices such
as yoga, Chinese Qi Kung and others.

A Manila-based Roman Catholic businessman of Chinese descent, with a degree in

chemical engineering, he is a spiritual teachers, writer and tireless advocate of this
deceptively simple healing system. Thanks to his efforts, numerous healing centers
and retreats dot 26 countries around the globe. Apart from the World Pranic Healing
Foundation, Inc, which disseminates knowledge through the more receptive regions of
Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, India, Africa and South America, he has founded the
Institute for Inner Studies with the objective of spreading the word in the West.

Today, pranic healing, along with reiki, is one of the premium energy healing systems
in the world and is instrumental in shifting a vast number of people towards a spiritual
perception of the universe as an ‘ananta urja’ (a sea of energy).

Pranic healing works at the auric level. Healers are trained to discern auras by
activating the chakras on their palms, and at a more advanced level, on their
fingertips. Through experience they learn to distinguish between healthy and diseased
auras, and to cleanse and heal the latter before energizing with prana from the sun,
air or earth.

They adhere to the Indian perception of the human body as composed of many
sheaths, which they collectively call the aura. Disease first manifests at the auric level
and, if detected, can be healed much faster than if treated at the physical stage.
Pranic healing has been known to cure simple ailments such as headaches, colds and
coughs, but is equally capable of addressing major illnesses such as strokes, arthritis,
hormonal imbalance and frigidity, to name a few.

Excerpts from the interview:

How would you define good health?

Good health nowadays means more than just being physically healthy. More and more
people feel that good health should include being emotionally and mentally healthy.
Emotional health probably should not be limited to having a stress-free life (or even
having just minimal stress). Emotional health should probably also include the ability
to generate, produce, and experience, the appropriate positive emotion required by
the situation. Mental health likewise should not be limited to being sane. It should
probably include also the ability to focus and concentrate (dharana), as well as the
ability to be sensitive and aware of one’s surroundings (dhyana).

In pranic healing we have a simpler way of putting it. If a person has a clean aura
and his/her chakras are likewise clean and functioning properly, then that person is in
good health. The chakras have physiological, psychological, and spiritual functions. So
if the chakras are in good condition, the person is physically, psychologically, and
spiritually healthy.

Today, on one hand, there are major advances in medical science but, on
the other, there is an increase in lifestyle disease like hypertension and
diabetes. What would you attribute this to?
There could be factors other than lifestyle that may have contributed to an increase in
the incidence of ailments like hypertension and diabetes. Improper diet and nutrition,
for example, could be an important factor. The population explosion is also a factor to
be considered when looking at increase in incidence of ailments.

Furthermore, major advances in science could be caused by other factors (like

technological development, shifts in funding emphasis, etc.), which could be unrelated
or completely different from those that cause the increase in ailments.

Could you share some of your experiences on better health through tapping
into the universal energy source?
If we assume that by ‘universal energy source’ you mean ‘prana’, then tapping this
source can be done through proper breathing, proper exercise, and proper diet,
among others.

What led you to pranic healing?

My interest in pranic healing started from childhood. When I was in my teens, I was
already reading many books on spiritual sciences, religion, and philosophy, among
others. I was lucky that when I was growing up there were a few spiritual friends who
nurtured my interests and encouraged me to continue my studies in pranic healing
and esoteric sciences. You could say it was meant to be.

Ignoring ‘energy’ as a prime factor of health has been the trend. In what
manner has this affected our perceptions of good health?
I thought the present trend was for more and more people to consider ‘life-energy’ as
a major factor in health. Now, more and more people are aware that health is not
limited to having a disease-free physical body. Now, more and more people are aware
that the quality of their thoughts and emotions affect their health.

Do you think modern, i.e., allopathic medicine will benefit from

understanding more of the principles of alternative systems of healing?
Yes. Knowing how to utilize prana or life-energy for healing will provide allopathic
medicine with an additional tool with which to treat common ailments.

How do colors and elements affect our health?

Certain colors affect us psychologically. For example, light orange (or peach) makes
us feel enthusiastic. Red makes us feel dynamic. So given the right colors, one’s
moods can be affected.

What does one’s aura indicate and how can we use it to diagnose our state
of health better?
Among other things, the aura indicates the quantity of life energy or prana in our
system. Generally speaking, the inner aura is about four inches thick from the surface
of the skin. So if the aura is less than four inches, the energy level is low, the person
could be depleted, tired, or sick. If the aura is more than four inches thick, the energy
level is high, maybe the person is happy or excited. If it is too high, maybe the person
is having a fever.

Pranic healing talks of Arhatic yoga. What are its principles and how can
one benefit from its practice?
Arhatic yoga teaches us to live a disciplined balanced life. Arhatic yoga enables the
practitioner to achieve rapid spiritual growth without losing balance. Having a
background in pranic healing provides the arhatic yogi with a better understanding of
the chakras and the spiritual anatomy of the atma.

It may not be possible to cure all diseases but one could learn to live with
them in a better manner by healing ourselves. Would you agree that a focus
on ‘curing’ as opposed to ‘healing’ has led to the neglect of mental and
spiritual health?
Perhaps too much focus on the treatment of the physical body and the physical
manifestations of the ailments has led to the neglect of mental and spiritual health.

If the aura is less than four inches, the energy level is low, the person could
be depleted, tired, or sick.

Do you think most diseases can be healed?

Yes. Nothing is impossible for God. Should God decide that a person’s ailment gets
healed, it happens.

Do you see the world opening up to a holistic view of health?

Why not? There are so many people everywhere who are intelligent enough to realize
this. Maybe it’s just a matter of time.

What are the stumbling blocks, if any, for a state of holistic health?
The old ideas, old outmoded patterns of thinking. Narrow mindedness of people is a
major stumbling block.

How important is religion and spirituality in the context of health?

Very important. Spirituality probably more so.
What sort of a lifestyle would you advocate for a healthy life?
Live a moderate lifestyle. Get sufficient exercise, sleep, rest, and proper food. Have
fun every now and then.

What is your vision for the new millennium?

That people will first become more aware of life-energy / prana and how this energy
affects us physically, emotionally, mentally, financially, and spiritually.

That people will next utilize the appropriate techniques to use prana to improve their
lives physically, emotionally, mentally, financially, and spiritually.

What are the illnesses pranic healing can cure?

Most simple common ailments like headaches, stomach aches, muscle pains, can be
alleviated by pranic healing.

What impact has pranic healing had on the general health of its
practitioners?
Most full-time pranic healers that I have met (from Asia, to the Middle East, to Africa,
and Europe), are healthy, happy, financially and spiritually abundant, and rarely get
sick.

Anything else you would like to share with our readers?

Learn more about yourself. One aspect to look into is our own energy system – our
auras and chakras unveil a new world that should not be left undiscovered

WHIFF OF LIFE

By Ambica Gulati
With breath begins our journey of life. But as we breathe incessantly, taking it
for granted, we develop bad breathing habits. Here are some tips on how to
correct them for total well-being

When Alexander, the world-conqueror, was about to pass away, he was prepared to give
half his kingdom to anybody who gave him a single day of his own life. Finally, during his
last moments, he offered his entire kingdom in exchange for a single breath, to no avail.
He said: "In creating the empire I spent countless millions of breaths; and the empire
cannot purchase for me a single breath in return!"

Breath. The root of our existence. Tirelessly, unimpeded, it flows in all the pathways of our
body, hiding in the secret, inner recesses. Not a single pause. Loud and noisy if you're
angry. Agitated, it heaves the chest. Slow and steady if you're calm.

FUNCTION
Do we realize that it is this very breath, humble yet vital, which is actually controlling all
our responses—physical, mental and emotional? When you are in the mother's womb, it
keeps you alive. The connecting cord breathes. It sustains you inside and prepares you for
the outside world. As children we breathe deeply, filling the lower abdomen and expanding
the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a parachute-shaped structure with a dome, located just
below the heart, and attached to the sides and front of the inner rib cage and the tip of
the breastbone. At the back of the dome there are long muscles or crura, which run along
the front of the spinal column and act as anchors for the parachute. In healthy breathing,
the diaphragm moves without restriction, descending as we inhale and ascending as we
exhale.

But as we grow older, we are so engrossed in the race for survival that we forget to
breathe properly, and breathing tends to get shallower. We stop using the abdominal
muscles, then the diaphragm. The lungs don't fill completely with air. Eventually the
breath barely reaches the top of the lungs and stays mainly in the throat, leading to
depletion of oxygen in the body. Taoists believe that this loss of oxygen is the primary
cause of memory loss in the elderly.

CORRECT WAY
What exactly is normal rate of breathing and how should we go about attaining it? Notes
Dennis Lewis in The Tao of Natural Breathing: "Our inhalation and exhalation cycle is 12-
14 times a minute when we are awake and six to eight times a minute when we are
asleep. A baby breathes at about twice these rates." Not only does breath have its regular
cycle, it can change radically with different activities. For instance, after extreme physical
activity it can go up to 100 times a minute. But serious and correct breathers can breathe
four to eight times a minute, as they take in more oxygen and expel more carbon dioxide
with each exhalation and inhalation.

In Patanjali Yoga Sutra, rishi Patanjali has given the correct way of breathing for a
healthier and longer life. This is the Three Step Rhythmic Breathing (3 SRB)—three steps
being technique, volume, and rhythm. Revived by the late S.N. Tavaria in Mumbai, this
technique is taught today in Gamdevi temple of south Mumbai. In 3 SRB, the chest and
abdomen have to rise and fall simultaneously, lungs filled to normal capacity, and the
correct rhythm followed, involving three seconds to inhale and two seconds to exhale.

TAOISTS KNEW IT TOO

But Indians were not alone in deciphering the correct way to breathe. Taoists were also
aware of a life-sustaining force in the air. Apart from its major components of oxygen,
nitrogen and carbon dioxide, Taoists also discovered ions—floating charged particles. The
air high up in the mountains has the maximum concentration of ions.

That is why, apart from the serenity and isolation, many Taoists lived in the mountains of
China. The most important are negative ions, which supply the electric current within our
body's cells. In the cities nowadays, these ions are depleted by pollution and constricting
spaces. Any depletion in these negative ions makes us weak and depressed.

Since it's not possible for all of us to live in the mountains, the Chi machines are a boon
for city dwellers. Though still relatively unknown in India, in China these machines are in
widespread use, especially in hospitals. They are high-end ionizers, which spew out
negative ions. In Japan and the West, they duplicate as air cleaners with blower motors.

Negative ions attach themselves to anything floating in the air and cause the pollutants to
fall out. Chi machines, it has been proved, are excellent devices for allergy sufferers. And
in USA, they are used in space programs. Research has shown that ionizers in space
capsules keep the astronauts alert and energized. Evidently, the movement of breath
regulates the body.

SMOOTH FLOW
So how is this related to health and well-being? Feel the tight spots in your neck and
shoulders, pain in your back, sore muscles or aching legs. These are the places where the
energy doesn't flow smoothly. Breath encompasses inner growth also. Before looking for
answers, it is essential to understand the intimate relationship between mind and body,
the many powerful and subtle ways in which they influence each other.

All our physical and psychological responses are accompanied by a change in breathing.
Surprised, and a gasp immediately follows. If you're stressed out, there will be a different
breathing pattern. Writes Donna Farhi, New Zealander yoga teacher, in Holding Your
Breath (Yoga Journal, April 1996): "Stress may be real or imagined. Just imagining a
stressful event can reduce inhalation volume. When we are continuously exposed to
stress, then the body just forgets to relax." Obviously, the breathing pattern changes, and
"it just might become a statement about what happened in the past rather then what is
happening to us in the present".

But what exactly are we doing wrong? Donna explains: "There is not one correct way to
breathe. But there are common ways in which people restrict their breathing." Obstructing
breath means cutting ourselves off from the most vital source of human energy. Only
when we free our respiratory process, we breathe in the manner fitting for each situation.

This brings us to pranayama (yogic breathing techniques). Renowned yoga teacher B.K.S.
Iyengar, in his book Light on Pranayama, says: "Prana is the energy permeating the
universe at all levels-physical, mental, intellectual, sexual, spiritual and cosmic energy. It
is usually translated as breath. Thus pranayama is an art and has techniques to make the
respiratory organs move and expand intentionally, rhythmically and intensively." In these
techniques, there is a long, sustained flow of inhalation, exhalation and retention of
breath. Thus, the flow of prana is regulated along with thoughts, desires and actions,
which gives poise and tremendous will power to master oneself. Opines Donna:
"Pranayama strengthens and refines breathing. But most of us practice pranayama
without addressing underlying breath-holding habits. Paradoxically, pranayama frequently
suppresses deep-seated fears and insecurities."

SPOT CHECK
Then what is the correct way to breathe? Do we need to relearn breathing? Learning to
breathe is a deconstruction process, not a technique to improve breathing. We identify
and let go of existing things, which restrict the natural flow of breath.

Perform a subtle check whether the breath is disordered or restricted.

Sit comfortably in a chair, back straight and feet firmly planted on the ground. Quietly
observe your breath. Ask yourself the following questions and wait for your reactions.
Don't worry if they are vague or blurry. Over a period of time, the sensations will become
clear and defined.

Where do I feel my breathing? To find out, place one hand on your abdomen and the
other on the upper chest. Feel the point of origin of breath. Let your perceptions come
through. Don't overlook any small movement. Do you feel any particular area where the
breath is more noticeable? What does my breathing feel like? Is it rough, jerky, labored,
rhythmic? Let any words or images arise. Make a note of them. How fast do I breathe?
Without altering the number of breaths, count the number of times you breathe in and out
per minute when sitting quietly. Remember, an inhalation and exhalation makes one
cycle. And no cheating! Now you're on track, so proceed further.

Contract your diaphragm. It helps you feel how your diaphragm responds to stress. And
identify when you are contracting and restricting free movement of this muscle. Adopt any
posture, which is comfortable: sit, stand or lie down. Place one hand on your abdomen.
Relax the muscles in your body and feel the movement of the diaphragm. As the
diaphragm lies deep in your body, you will feel only surface movements. Quickly clench
the fist of the other hand. Did you feel the parachute jump under your hand? When the
outer muscles prepare themselves for reaction, inner muscles automatically follow suit.

COMMON BREATH-HOLDING PATTERNS

Now that you are familiar with your breathing pattern, let's look at ways in
which most of us restrict it. You can crosscheck with your breathing habits.

Reverse Breathing
In correct breathing, the diaphragm descends during inhalation and downward pressure
causes the abdomen to billow outwards. Breathing out, the diaphragm moves up into the
chest, causing a slight drawing inwards and upwards through the abdomen. Whereas in
reverse breathing, the abdomen moves in on inhalation and out on exhalation. This kind of
breathing often arises from the habit of wearing restrictive clothing or tight belts, which
makes it impossible for the abdomen to expand during any breathing phase.

Effect on body/mind
Since reverse breathing causes confusion in the diaphragm, it also results in mental
disorientation. Reverse breathers often feel clumsy and uncoordinated. Hence, chronic
tension in your upper body, especially around the back of the neck, upper shoulder, upper
back, and jaw area.

Identify it
Watch the movement of your breath. See if you can identify reverse breathing movements
when you breathe in or out. How to change patterns Slow down so that you can become
more aware of the reversal in breathing pattern. Relax your abdomen. Consciously allow
the abdomen to move out on inhalation and move in on exhalation. No force, let it take its
own path.

Chest Breathing
This is probably the most common breathing pattern in today's stress-filled society. Also
known as paradoxical breathing, it is a natural reflex when we are suddenly startled or
frightened. We gasp, pull the abdomen in and breathe high into the chest. The lift of the
abdomen and pelvic floor prevents the diaphragm from descending completely as we
inhale. Chest breathers restrict breath movement in the abdomen, forcing it higher up into
the chest, while shoulders move up and down.

Effect on mind/body
Chest breathers rely on weak upper body muscles. Thereby developing chronic tension in
thoracic spine, shoulders and neck. Moreover, this tension is resistant to massage or any
other relaxation therapy as it recapitulates the moment the person resumes chest
breathing, which is an incredible 22,000 times a day! Since we can't breathe in fully, we
can't breathe out fully also. So we resort to breathing more quickly to make up for lack of
oxygen. Scarier still is the fact that it sets the stage for an even more serious breathing
problem: hyperventilation. Chest breathers normally sit on the edge of their seats and
exude anticipation in their entire bearing. They never seem to have enough time to do all
the tasks they set out on and often experience a chronic, free-floating state of anxiety.
Scientific evidence now points to the connection between chest breathing, heart disease
and high blood pressure.

Identify it
Place one hand on your abdomen and the other on your chest. Observe the movement of
both. If both your shoulders and chest are rising, you are probably not a chest breather. A
chest breather suppresses breath in the lower abdomen, forcing it to move higher up into
the body.
How to let go
Relax your shoulders and upper back. Consciously follow normal breathing pattern.
Mentally assess yourself. Ground yourself in the present.

Hyperventilation
As this breathing pattern develops out of chest breathing, it is more restrictive. When the
diaphragm can't descend completely during inhalation, it reduces space in the chest,
limiting lung capacity. Hence, less oxygen is taken in with each breath. In this habit we
tend to breathe quickly.

Effect on mind/body
First of all, hyperventilation makes us lose too much carbon dioxide from the body, the
most crucial ingredient in helping us maintain an acid-alkaline balance of the blood (about
pH 7.40). With the result that the metabolism shifts from acid to alkaline. Dr Robert Fried,
author of The Breath Connection, states that it restricts brain arteries and makes nerves
and muscles hyperactive, leads to headache, lack of concentration, dizziness,
breathlessness, cold hands and feet and inappropriate responses.

Identify it
Take frequent note of your breath while performing any activity. You may be surprised to
discover that most often, it is accelerated even in the most sedentary activity. Watch your
inhalation and exhalation also. You may sigh, yawn or shallow breathe.

How to let go
Focus on increasing your exhalation. Decelerate some of your activities. Your breathing
will mirror the rate at which you do things. Write some letters by hand instead of typing
them. Try to do some menial work every day. Any rhythmic, repetitive task will repace
breathing. Always question: is there actually any need to hurry in any task?

Breath Grabbing
Our breath has three parts: exhalation, pause, inhalation. Breath grabbers grasp the next
breath without taking a pause. This pause results in a sense of ease, surrender, and
relaxation. Breath grabbers are also the kind of people who finish other people's sentences
for them. They also feel that if they don't jump in or reach out for what they want, then
they'll miss out or be left behind.

How to let go
Observe your breathing as you listen to others. Let other people finish their sentences.
Pause consciously before you speak, even at the ring of the bell or a glimpse of your
favorite color.

Rejuvenate
Most often, breathing becomes restrictive because the nervous system becomes used to a
particular way of breathing. Changing breathing patterns requires courage, honesty and a
willingness to proceed further. First identify the reasons, which restrict breathing. Next,
hold your breath and disengage from the holding pattern. Consciously try to relax the
tense areas.

Because of the intimate connection between the breath and the mind, watching the breath
has been used as a meditation technique for eons, most prominently in Vipassana, which
the Buddha is said to have taught himself and which in our time has been popularized by
S.N. Goenka. Speaking precisely, watching the breath is the first stage in Vipassana, and
it is called Anapana. It quietens down the mind sufficiently to graduate to Vipassana,
observing bodily sensations. "Any form of meditation, even the quiet observation of your
breath, is a union with your innerself. It helps in expanding our consciousness and
mingling with the infinite source of light and wisdom. Thus, creating a balance and
enriching life," writes R. Venugopalan in The Art of Breathing.

Elucidates Lewis: "When we are able to breathe through our whole body, sensing our
verticality from head to foot, we are aligning ourselves with the natural flow of energy
connecting heaven and earth." This increases oxygen intake, promotes efficiency in the
entire breathing mechanism, revitalizes all the cells, tissues, and body organs and
eliminates toxins. At the psychological level, it helps us relax, focus on our inner self and
get "accurate and complete impressions" of our body, mind and soul. Soon, emotions and
attitude will change and any negativity will lose its hold. Breath on, for if it stops, the body
becomes inert. Life ends.
BREATH WISE

By P. Kumar

Break away from unhealthy breathing habits with the use of the simple, ancient
technique of Three Step Rhythmic Breathing

You breathe every second of your life. But did you ever stop to wonder if you were
breathing the right way? Or for that matter, did you know that the way you breathe can
affect your blood circulation, energy levels, sleep patterns, moods, anxiety levels, your
thought processes, indeed your entire existence? It's also true that your breathing will be
strongly affected by your lifestyle and the way you cope with stress—real or imagined.
So if you are hooked on to junk food, love to work late hours, stress your mind beyond its
limit and are usually tense, then your breathing can become distorted, strained or shallow,
reducing the inhalation volume and affecting your entire system in the process.

Anger, fear, shock and depression also adversely affect breathing, which further affects
every aspect of your health-mental, emotional and physical. We can break away from
unhealthy breathing patterns and breathe our way to better health.

THREE STEP RHYTHMIC BREATHING

Ancient wisdom recognized the link between good health and breathing. There are various
asanas in yoga that aid in correct breathing. There are also a number of breathing
exercises like pranayama. However, these can be practiced for a short span of time and
cannot help us to establish a correct pattern of breathing for all times. Here we can turn
our attention to Sage Patanjali's teachings, which stress the importance of Three Step
Rhythmic Breathing (3 SRB), a breathing pattern that helps us "breathe in rhythm with
nature".

It is important to realize that 3 SRB is not a breathing exercise or an aid to correct

breathing but is simply the natural way of breathing—one that we were born with. This is
evident if we observe the breathing pattern of a healthy newborn who has the same
rhythm of 3 SRB, albeit a bit faster. Somewhere along the way we lose track of this
natural, rhythmic way of breathing and bring a host of problems to bear upon us.

A conscious and focused practice of 3 SRB will guide us back to this rhythmic way of
breathing. The three steps of 3 SRB involve the technique, volume and rhythm of
breathing.

TECHNIQUE
• While breathing, both your chest and abdomen should rise and fall simultaneously.
• The chest will require more air because of the space created by the rib cage.
• The abdomen should not be blown up unnaturally during inhalation.
• To figure out if you are breathing correctly, get a friend to observe you or lie down
before a mirror with two heavy books, one on the chest and the other on the abdomen.
• Check if both move together.
• Our habit of breathing from the lower part of the chest results in shallow breathing,
depriving the body of much needed oxygen.

VOLUME
• When you breathe in, it is particularly important to note that the breath flows freely and
fully from neck to navel. This simply means that the middle and lower abdomen should be
filled to normal capacity.
• The volume of breath intake during 3 SRB should be the same as the intake during
normal breathing.
• Continuous deep, heavy breathing can exhaust a person and is not recommended in 3
SRB.
• Initially, to establish the rhythm, your breath will be deeper, but once you are
comfortable with 3 SRB and the volume of air that is to be drawn in, the breath will
become normal.

RHYTHM
• To establish the correct rhythm of breathing, inhalation should take three seconds and
exhalation two seconds.
• To keep to the pattern of rhythmic breathing, do not retain the breath between inhaling
and exhaling.
• One complete breath takes five seconds or six pulse beats. The exact rhythm is to count
1-2-3 while inhaling and 5-6 while exhaling-4 is not counted.
• Unlike breathing exercises, in normal breathing rhythm, the duration of inhalation is
longer than that of exhalation.

To master 3 SRB, you must consciously work to complete 12 cycles of breath in a minute.
Inhale to the count of 3, exhale to the count of 2, and repeat the cycle 12 times in one
minute. Initially, as you sit down to observe your breathing pattern, you will find that you
probably breathe beyond 18 cycles per minute. This can be reduced to the mandatory 12
breaths a minute with the practice of 3 SRB.

To start with, this rhythmic breathing can be practiced for a fixed duration during the day
or night, till you learn to continue breathing in this manner all 24 hours of the day. You
can work to increase the duration of your practice time by five minutes every fortnight till
one hour of conscious 3 SRB is reached by six months. The time that it takes to turn this
practice into a lifelong habit will vary from person to person.

It could take anything from two years to a lifetime. To facilitate this process, you can
practice 3 SRB to taped music. Special tapes are available for this purpose. The advantage
of working with 3 SRB in this manner is that soft music can play in the background, and
you can practice rhythmic breathing even as you are lying, sitting, standing, walking or
busying yourself with any mechanical chore. It is a good habit to switch on the soft, taped
music at night and fall asleep while you practice 3 SRB.

This is to establish a continuity of 3 SRB from waking to sleeping hours and get you
further habituated to breathing in this manner for a longer time. People spend a lifetime
acquiring incorrect breathing habits, so you might find yourself slipping back into
breathing the wrong way. Conscious striving and focused attention on the breath will help
you get habituated to 3 SRB.

The more depressed you are, the dimmer are your chances of attaining this rhythm. If we
sustain rhythmic breathing during situations that challenge and over-stimulate us, its
positive effect on the blood circulation, thought processes, and indeed the whole
neurophysiological system, will prevent impulsive or uncontrolled responses, helping us to
act with calm deliberation.

I first came across this technique in 1993. It has helped me achieve a certain control over
stray thoughts and focused my concentration. I also listen to the music cassettes on
rhythmic breathing before sleeping. Besides quieting and regularizing the whole body-
brain system, rhythmic breathing refines the thinking process and frees us from thoughts
conditioned due to various extreme experiences. It further opens up higher possibilities of
receiving new sources of energy

Breath - Sensing The Body

by Luis S. R. Vas

By changing one’s breathing, by placing the attention on the softness of the

out-breath, one can change the energy of a room, one can turn an
argument into a dialogue
 The apparently simple act of sensing the body releases its healing potential in
a powerful way and has been adopted by numerous therapists in their work.

Usually this sensing is accomplished in two stages. The first stage is sensing the
breath. The second is scanning the whole body under certain conditions.

As we breathe in we take in impressions via the senses, as we breathe out we let go

of what we took in. The process happens with each in-breath and with each out–
breath; the process of birth and dying.

Yet, as we breathe in we receive impressions and simultaneously we discriminate, we

assess certain impressions as favourable and others as not favourable. In this act of
in–breath we practise “becoming”, we shape our reality, our sense of self; we identify
with our likes and dislikes. We create our personality.

The out-breath is essentially an act of emptying, of letting go, a freeing of identity in

order to receive the next in-breath in an unconditioned way, free from past fears or
future anxieties. This is the potential of breathing.

Breathing is more than the process of air passing in and out of the body, breathing is
also the consciousness, the level of awareness of each person.

In some therapies, for example, working with one’s breath is a central tool to
diagnose and to evaluate the level of one’s awareness. By working with the breath
one is exercising and awakening one’s awareness, and therefore stimulating our own
healing potentiality. Practitioners are often surprised that by working with the breath
they become involved in their own healing process in a most direct and immediate
way and at that moment strengthen their healing potential.

Letting-go of the breath, letting-go of becoming, letting go of the emotional weight

necessary to keep our personality going, is a first act of healing, then taking in is free
from conditions, free from holding on to a sense of “self”. Thus the healing potential
of each individual returns to its natural rhythm.

As practitioners discover their own potentiality through the mindful practice of

breathing they become more attuned to their breathing.

Furthermore through their own practice practitioners will have experienced that there
is a gap between the end of the outbreath and the start of the next in-breath. This
gap is not the same as holding one’s breath. Naturally as the outbreath ends there is
a sense of “no–need to become, no need to be reborn” and the awareness rests in
that gap or space; this is where practitioners can meet their own awareness and
potentiality, this is where healing takes place.

To cultivate the awareness of the “space” between out-breath and in-breath is vital in
the assessing and exercising of the healing potential. If at that point practitioners can
rest their attention in that “space” a true healing is experienced. This is the beginning
of healing the human condition from its incessant grasping at the next in-breath in
order to re-affirm its “personality”.

Basically where attention is, breath is; where attention is, energy flows. Breathing
goes on all the time, for all of us regardless of the activity, place or time. It is
therefore a most suitable tool to exercise awareness, and to stimulate healing. It is a
true barometer of where we are at any given moment.

Every thought, emotion, opinion, or idea we have, is acc-ompanied by a change in

breathing! Many times we are not aware of this but it occurs all the same. By
changing one’s breathing, by placing the attention on the softness of the out-breath,
one can change the energy of a room; one can turn an argument into a dialogue.
Therefore the practitioners can help change their condition simply by practising
awareness of the breath, especially at first the awareness of the out-breath in their
own belly.

Now we come to the second stage of body sensing.

The method is first of all to develop the skill of observing the body in the four basic
postures, standing, walking, sitting, lying down, and to link this awareness of the
body to all life activities.

The sensing starts with the awareness of the body as it is slower and denser than
mind and so can be more easily observed. Through the repeated and consistent
observation of the body and its activities, the practitioner will not fail to become more
aware of the mental states that accompany the bodily activities.

From the observation of the body and mind one goes on to the training or taming of
the body and mind. This means, for example, that if you perform a certain activity like
answering the phone or opening a door, your att-ention(mind) is with the body
movement, not ahead of it or behind it. How often while one is doing a simple daily
activity like switching on the kettle, the attention is on what has just taken place or on
what is about to happen. Training the body and mind means teaching the attention to
come back to what is happening at that moment, here in this body, now in this
moment, no matter how many times one needs to call the attention back.

It is a simple, not always easy, but simple method. Again this is practised in the four
basic postures and in all daily life activities.

The next part of the training is liberating, freeing mind. The practitioner will by now
have realised or at least touched on the experience that suffering or dissatisfaction in
one’s life is totally linked to the sense of self-identity, me and mine, my views and my
needs, “wanting what I do not get, and getting what I do not want”.

The sensing practice will help us release our grip, our hold onto “this is me, this is
mine” condition. With patience and kindness to this “me”, we will gradually become
less dominated in our response to the world by the acquisitive, the averse or the
confused characteristic which normally dominates us.

Over time with lots of dedicated practice and lots of good-will the four sublime
abodes, Loving Kindness, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy and Equanimity, will become
our true refuge in self-healing.

Thus body sensing is a form of training available to all, it is not a gift nor the privilege
of the few. All that is required is an honest intention to look into the mirror of body
awareness again and again with a sense of humour and kindness.
Basic body sensing exercise

• Sit with an alert and relaxed body posture so that you feel relatively comfortable
without moving. (You can sit either in a straight-back chair with your feet flat on the
floor, or on a thick, firm cushion three to six inches off the floor.)
• Keep your back, neck and head vertically aligned, relax your shoulders and find a
comfortable place for your hands (usually on your knees).
• Bring your attention to your breathing. Observe the breath as it flows in and out.
Give full attention to the feeling of the breath as it comes in, and goes out. Whenever
you find that your attention has moved elsewhere, just note it, and let go and gently
escort your attention back to the breath, to the rising and falling of your own belly.
• When you can maintain some continuity of attention on the breath, try expanding
the field of your awareness “around” your belly to include a sense of your body as a
whole.
• Maintain this awareness of the body sitting and breathing, and, when the mind
wanders, bring it back to sitting and breathing.
• After your have gained enough practice proceed to do steps 4 and 5 with the other
three basic body postures, standing, walking, and lying down, and to link this
awareness of the body to all life activities.

Contact: vasluis@hotmail.com
We welcome your comments and suggestions on this article.
Mail us at editor@lifepositive.net

Breath - Teachings of the Breath

by Harshada David Wagner

The first of a series of articles on the meditation techniques contained in

the ancient Vijnana Bhairava tantra, highlights breath as a path to our real
nature.

As people enter into a practice of meditation, the question often arises: On

what should I meditate? What is the object of my meditation? From the perspective of
the ancient tantras and Upanishads, the object of meditation is always the same: It is
the Absolute - the Soul, the inner Shakti, the God-within. Adept meditators have the
experience that they are that reality; that beneath the torrent of their thoughts,
sensations of their bodies and dramas of their life, they are spacious, radiant, loving
and free.

Every mystical tradition offers techniques that help people experience and rest in that
inner nature. The assumption of the techniques is that we already are that Supreme
Reality, so our practice is simply to move us beyond that which is distracting us from
our essence. The tantric tradition of Kashmir is perhaps one of the most prolific and
useful repositories of these techniques. The Vijnana Bhairava Tantra is a collection of
112 dharanas or meditation practices that are designed to help meditators experience
and rest in their divine nature. The text offers a lavish menu of different methods that
utilize many aspects of the human experience - everything from the breath, to music,
to meditations on the void. In the next few issues, we will examine the text and
discuss ways in which we can enrich our 21st century meditation practice, using the
7th century wisdom of the Vijanana Bhairava.

Lesson One: Enlivening our Relationship with the Breath

The first four dharanas in the Vijanana Bhairava deal with the breath - working with
our breath and using the breath to carry our awareness inside. These methods go
beyond merely watching the breath; they guide us to use our creative attention to
penetrate into and enjoy the subtle dynamics of breathing.

In Dharana 2 the text says:

Maruto'ntar bahir vaapi viyadyugmaanivartanaat/
Bhairavyaa bhairavasyettham bhairavi vyajyate vapuh//

As the breath goes in and out, there is a pause as the exhalation becomes the
inhalation and again before the inhalation becomes the exhalation. If one focuses
their attention on these pauses, Bhairavi - the nature of Bhairava - will be revealed.

This is an age-old practice and one that many students find deeply effective. This
natural pause between breaths happens again and again throughout our day - over
and over again. (Most people take between 10-25,000 breaths per day.) The text is
inviting us to be there with these 40,000 pauses and enjoy the inner bliss that they
reveal.

In meditation, we practice this dharana by simply paying attention. We follow the

currents of our breath and notice the ends and the beginnings. We notice how as the
breath turns around, it pauses for the briefest time. As we meditate, we put ourselves
there - ready to put our attention into that space - ready to enjoy the powerful energy
it contains.

Often, as a meditator relaxes and begins to go deep into meditation, they find that
their breath becomes very subtle - it may appear to be shallow or even stop for some
time. This is a natural process and one that is usually quite delightful. This is different
from holding our breath. Through the relaxation of our bodies and the deepening
tranquility of our mind, the breath begins to pause spontaneously. The spaces
between the breaths, on their own, become longer and more profound.

The verse above gives us a full invitation to enjoy these pauses. As we sit with our
breath in this way, we pulse with a sweet and gentle rhythm. Moment to moment we
dip deeper and deeper into what the dharana refers to as Bhairavi - the goddess, the
Shakti, the nature of the Absolute Bhairava. The next time you meditate, try this and
see just how much you can let go into that energy contained in the pauses.

In the fourth dharana, the text invites us to use the principle described above as a
technique. It says:
Khumbhitaa recitaa vaapi pooritaa va yadaa bhavet/
Tadante shaantanaamaasau shaktyaa shaantah prakaashate//

When the shakti is retained outside after the exhalation and inside after the
inhalation, it becomes tranquil. Afterward, as a result of this peace, Bhairava, the
Supreme, is revealed.

In American English, we have a phrase, "Fake it till you make it". In other words,
even if your mind is not still enough to watch the space between breaths, even if your
breath is not becoming still on its own, you can, through your practice, bring about
this state by simulating the effect. Here, it is not a spontaneous cessation of the
breath - it is rather a yogic technique you apply to bring about a shift in your inner
state.

Before meditating, or any time when you need to bring stillness to your mind and
body, try this: Sit down. After your next exhalation, simply retain your breath - just
for a moment. Before you feel any strain or discomfort, release and inhale. At the end
of a natural inhalation, again retain your breath. Do this a few times and notice the
effect it has on your mind and inner feeling.

Note: It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to do this practice gently.

This is not a severe pranayama or a test of strength or will. The retention we are
describing here is very gentle, lasting only a few second. The breaths that you are
taking in this technique are not "deep breaths" they are regular, natural breaths. The
only difference is that you are gently restraining the flow of your breath on the
outside and the inside.

After a few gentle rounds of breathing like this, close your eyes and feel the peace
that ensues. Often, after doing this, we are ready to enjoy the other dharana,
peacefully observing as the space between our breaths increases on its own. Beneath
and beyond the specific breath techniques offered in the Vijanana Bhairava there is a
message for us as meditators: Use the breath, enjoy the breath. Allow the mysteries
and simple power of the breath to be your teacher. It's yours and it has the power to
reveal your innermost nature.

In your meditation practice, use the breath to take you inside. You can try using
creative visualizations with the breath: Imagine your breath filled with light or carrying
with it healing energy or profound blessings. Try practising yogasanas and
pranayamas to open your capacity to breathe. Try meditating after exercise when
your breath is most expanded. Try meditating first thing in the morning when your
breath is most gentle and subdued. Do whatever's best.
In our modern lives, meditation is essential. Whatever technique we use, it is crucial
that we do take the time to turn within and know our deeper selves.

If you have a technique you'd like to share, please e-mail the author at
meditate@banyaneducation.com.

Breath - The Almighty Breath

by Prem Nirmal

Swara yoga is an ancient science that correlates the breath with the sun,
moon and the five elements, helping us to control moods, heal ailments and
be attuned to the cosmic rhythm

Activities associated with the dominance of each specific nostril

Left nostril dominance

(right brain activities)
Beginning of regular intellectual studies
Long-term activities
Stable business

More >>

Would you like to know how to meditate

better? How to be more effective when
addressing an important personage? How
to change a mood or feeling? How to be
in rhythm with the universe through the
day? Well, believe it or not, the answer
lies in the breath. And swara yoga is the
science that helps you to understand how
to maximize your potential by
manipulating your breath. A holistic
branch of knowledge found in Shaiva
Tantra, swara yoga is said to have
originated as a result of a question Shakti
asks on the nature of the governing forces
of the universe. Lord Shiva gave her a
detailed and profound tuition on swara
yoga in response.
The word "swara" in Sanskrit means
sound or a musical note. It also means
the continuous flow of air through one
nostril. The word yoga means union. Thus
swara yoga is the science of breathing
undertaken for the realisation of cosmic
consciousness. This knowledge was kept
secret since the Vedic period and imparted
only to a select few, mostly kings and
dedicated spiritual seekers through the
guru-shishya parampara.

A beginner may think of swara yoga as

'pranayam' as it is associated with breath,
but there is more to it. Swara yoga is a
systematic practice of the observation of
the breath flow through the nostrils in
relation to the time of day, the prevailing
phases or the position of the moon, sun,
planets, seasons, and the play of five
basic elements (earth, water, fire, air and
space) with the physical, mental and
emotional conditions of the practicing
individual. Swara Yoga helps by guiding
you to take appropriate action in
accordance with these subtle
relationships. For example, knowing the
phase of the moon and checking the
dominant nostril before getting out of bed
in the morning and letting the
corresponding foot be the first to touch
the floor, is a simple practice that helps
you align the subtle flow of energy that
ensures success in everything that
happens for that day.

The original script of Shiva Swarodaya,

the most popular scripture to study swara
yoga, consists of 395 sutras with
amazingly detailed descriptions of various
practical aspects that can be easily learnt
and practiced by a modern, scientific
mind. The practice of Shiva Swarodaya
allows us to synchronize our breath with
the universal rhythm. This alignment
removes stresses and strains from our
daily activities. Swara Yoga practice helps
us to change unwanted physical, mental
or emotional states at will, create
favorable conditions for one's life by
changing the internal environment and
improve one's attitude towards life
through increased awareness.

This is how it works. The right nostril

dominance is associated with pingala nadi
or surya nadi (nadi is the channel through
which pranic energy flows in the body; we
are said to have 72,000 nadis but there
are three principal ones, of which pingala
is one. Another is ida and these two are
said to flow along the length of the spinal
cord, on either side of the main nadi or
the shusumna). The pingala, which is the
masculine or solar principle, is associated
with the left hemisphere of the brain that
controls the right side of the body. The
left nostril dominance is associated with
the Ida nadi or chandra nadi, the feminine
or lunar principle, associated with the
right hemisphere of the brain and
controlling the left side of the body. Just
by observing the direct effect of solar and
lunar currents of breath on human
behavior, swara yogis were able to
ascertain the activities best suited during
the left nostril dominance and activities
best suited during the right nostril
dominance. The nose can be seen as the
main switch of cerebral hemispheres. It
can stimulate electromagnetic activity on
one side of the body and it can switch the
hemispheric activity on and off at will. The
above table gives activities associated
with the nostrils.

At any given time, we only breathe

through one nostril. You can check this for
yourself right now by closing one nostril
after another. The dominant nostril
changes on its own accord every one to
two hours. You can choose to do activities
appropriate with the nostril as per the
above table. But on occasions you might
need to adapt the nostril to the activity,
such as while doing meditation (left
nostril) or undertaking a strenuous activity
(right nostril). Here are some tips on how
to change the active nostril.

Sleeping on the left side opens the right

nostril, while sleeping on the right side
opens the flow through the left nostril.
Plugging the active nostril or the
corresponding ear with a cotton plug can
close it and open the other. Inhalation
through the active nostril and exhalation
through the inactive nostril helps to
change the dominance. Cold water or hot
water bath helps to change the dominant
nostril. The swaras can also be opened by
placing pressure on the opposite armpits
(this is why many portraits of ancient
sages always showed them meditating
with a stick under their armpits). There
are other, purely mental methods.

Swara yoga also deals with the third

swara, the "shushumna" breath where the
left and the right are perfectly balanced. It
represents 'Shiva' (pure consciousness) in
the state of 'so-hum'. Whenever the
nostrils switch, both are open for seven to
eight breaths. That is the time when the
shushumna breath flows. No worldly
activities are recommended in Shiva
swara. One must meditate. Intuitive
knowledge is received best during this
state. A yogi tries to remain in shushumna
swara for maximum duration.

The practice of swara yoga can produce

miraculous results. Try these simple
measures:
o If you want to alter an unwanted
physical, emotional or mental state, just
breathe through the more congested
nostril. This prevents worsening of the
symptoms and promotes rapid recovery.
o Whenever it is desirable to influence the
other person, if one's right nostril is
operating, the person to be influenced
should be positioned onto the right, below
or behind. In case of left operating nostril,
onto left, above or in the front.
o Get up each day at least half an hour
before sunrise. Find out the dominant
nostril. Kiss the corresponding hand. With
the same hand, touch or rub face, neck,
chest, thighs and feet. Then while
stepping out of bed, the foot that
corresponds to the operating nostril
should be placed onto the ground first.
o To cure the common cold, breathe
through the right nostril 21 times by
blocking the left nostril. Also sleeping on
the left side gives considerable relief; as it
activates the right nostril.
o In case of acidity and fever, activating
the left nostril helps. You can block the
right nostril and breathe through the left
nostril 21 times. Also sleeping on the right
side helps to reduce fever.
o Swara medicines can be prepared with
the knowledge of swara yoga. Swara
medicines work at the vibrational level
and have no side effects.

Swara yoga is a practical science that can

help us get attuned to cosmic rhythms
and to maximize the potential of the
breath. Make the best use of it!

For more information e-mail:

prem@premnirmal.com

Breath - The Science of Breath

by Shameem Akthar

The practice of pranayama ensures perfect health of the mind and body,
and also helps us fine-tune our spiritual goals.

Among the eight steps of yoga, pranayama practices are ranked right in the
middle. This is not just a coincidence. Just as a thread links the kite-flier to his kite,
breath is said to link the mind with the universal force. The most visible link between
the mind and the body, a yogi controls his mind by learning to control his breath.
Even Sri Ramana Maharishi, who felt yogic practices tended to make the practitioner
over-involved with the body, or egotistic, encouraged pranayama as a great tool in
mind-control. He said, "Man should subjugate that wavering mind by restraint of life-
breath. The mind does not move, like an animal entangled in a net." The entire sixth
chapter of the Sri Ramana Gita, a compilation of his teachings, is dedicated to the use
of breath in mind-restraint. Even Adi Shankaracharya in his treatise,
Aparokshananubhuti, suggests pranayama as a powerful meditative tool. A
practitioner should inhale with the sense of 'soham', oneness with the universe, and
exhale with the sense of 'na deham', I am not this body. All the rest of the practice,
without such awareness is, according to the acharya, only "torture of the nose".

Himalayan Institute of Yoga founder, Swami Rama's book, Science of Breath, is a

fascinating account of the movement of prana. Writes Swami Rama, "To the yogi,
body, breath, nerves, mind, prana and the universe are all part of a continuum, and
he does not set up artificial distinctions between them."

Harish Johari's book, Breath, Mind and Consciousness, is another toast to this science
of breath control (swar yoga). He quotes from the Yoga Kundalyupanishad to explain
how controlling breath helps us control the subconscious inner chatter that governs
us, by manipulating our animalistic nature.

Ujjayi Breath (also victory breath):

Sit up with spine erect, in any meditative pose. Close eyes. Place hands in the mudra
of your choice, ideally chin or jnana mudra, with tips of thumb and index finger
touching. Remember, even the pressure on the index finger may have
opposite/varying impact. The index finger is related to the element of air or vayu.
Touching the index finger tip gently increases the air element. Pressing it down
controls or decreases it. Therefore, the pressure or lack of it may be decided as per
your personality or even the current flow of vata element in the body. When yoga is
practiced without understanding such intricacies, people tend to aggravate existing
problems.

Inhale gently and with control through the nostrils, but exert a soft pressure at the
throat so a sibilant sound arises, like a gentle snore. Exhale with the same sound. This
is one round. There must be no pressure on the face. The sound must be soft and
smooth. Any jerky exertion must be avoided. You may do up to nine rounds
comfortably. Once you get the hang of this breath, it may be practiced anywhere. Just
remember that though it is an extremely tranquillizing breath, it is also a heating
practice.

It is also an ideal breath to be practiced as you do your yoga asanas, or during surya
namaskar. The Mysore school of Asthanga Yoga is said to use this breath in all their
poses, along with bandhas (energy locks).

Hatha Yoga Pradipika praises this breath as a conqueror of death. Other yogic texts
promise eternal youth with its practice. The reason for its multifarious benefits: the
soft pressure at the glottis actually exerts a pressure on the vagus nerve. This large,
wandering nerve (vagus means vagabond) is one of the largest and most important
nerves of the parasympathetic nervous system. It is at once in touch with body
systems dealing with breath rate, breath volume, heart beat, digestive triggers,
peristalsis, sound transfer, voice transfer, sweating, even facial expressions and many
other crucial functions. So this gentle pressure through ujjayi breath immediately puts
all these systems in an extremely relaxed, efficient mode. It is as if the entire body
has been given a peace signal. This relaxes the body for repair and rejuvenation.