Pranic Healing
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org, please feel free to visit the school website)
Prana is the Sanskrit word for “vital life force,” the same as Ch’i in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Pranic Healing uses prana, the subtle life energy that is available from the earth, air and sun, to bring about healing. The pranic practitioner cultivates an awareness of this subtle energy, and learns how to direct it where needed.
A very important aspect of pranic healing is the basic belief that the body is a powerful, natural homeostatic entity that is able to repair itself quickly given the optimal conditions. Pranic healing is taught as a self-care technique as well as a practitioner-client exchange. When pranic healing is given, the person giving it is able to focus their own conscious intention toward receiving prana from one or more of the three sources mentioned, and instead of absorbing it, channels it to the receiver. This enables the receiver to use the extra energy to heal more quickly. The energy enters the auric field of the receiver, and the energetic body uses the prana to create health in the physical body.
The use of Prana, or vital life force by whatever name you call it, has been practiced by healers since prehistoric times. All cultures have some form of this type of healing practice. This particular practice started in India long ago, and today, pranic healing has been developed into an artform by certain healers, the most well known being GrandMaster Choa Kok Sui. GM Choa Kok Sui (I am choosing to use the “GM” before his name as a sign of respect, as this is appropriate to his culture, and because I think he has well earned it) has developed a system of pranic healing that, while based on very ancient and traditional practices, has been evolved and expanded to fit the needs of humanity today. Much of the rest of the information in this section will be based on GM Choa Kok Sui’s teachings, sourced directly from his teachings or through his students, as well as some personal experience of this writer.
In pranic healing, illness in the physical body has two origins: either too much or too little prana flowing through corresponding parts of the energetic system. Too much prana causes congestion, and too little causes weakness. This idea will be familiar from the acupuncture section, and is a foundational principle in Oriental Medicine. Prana collects and causes congestion in areas where there are emotional or mental “blocks,” or other unresolved traumas to the energy body. Congestion in certain areas often causes a lack of flow to other areas, causing weakness, and “lack of vitality.” Either condition can manifest as disease in the physical body.
A pranic healing session generally begins with scanning the energetic body to detect areas of depletion or congestion of prana. These conditions can be detected through sensitization of the healer’s energy field around the hands. The hands are passed along the contours of the body at a 1 to 3 inch distance, and the healer notes certain sensations that indicate one of the two conditions. These may be warmth for congestion or a cold, empty feeling for weakness. At sources of congestion, the healer may have to move his/her hands further out from the body to feel the edge of the field. Some people have their own unique way of interpreting and experiencing this energetic information. In general, a healthy etheric body should follow the contours of the physical body. Where variations are found, there may be an uneven distribution of prana. It is important to receive training and guidance, or practice on your own, to determine the difference between congestion and depletion. In the case of very experienced pranic healers, especially those with advanced abilities in “seeing” the etheric body, this step may not be neccesary, but it is very helpful in sensitizing to energy and getting more adjusted to the workings of the subtle bodies.
After determining areas of congestion and weakness (almost always there is both), the treatment continues with clearing of the congested area(s). This is done by “sweeping” the field with the hands, and flicking the stagnant energy off the hands after each sweeping pass. The energy being removed should be flicked into some sort of receptacle. GM Sui recommends a bowl of salt water. This can later be purified and returned to the earth, or poured down the drain. However you are disposing of it, purify it first. This can be done with conscious intention (think it pure, and it will be!), by infusing it with white light pranic energy, or by placing a magnet or charged crystal in the water (if using a crystal, be sure and cleanse it afterwards). Other methods for storing this energy for disposal (I like to think of it as “neutralization”) are using a nice, large, heavy, earthy rock, and placing your hands on the rock after each pass, then allowing the energy to drain into the rock (later placing the rock on the earth to drain and recharge), or, my ideal favorite, working outside, and sending the energy directly down into the earth, asking Gaia to take it and neutralize for the good of all beings.
On a side note, both water and rock store prana. Think about swimming in a deep river pool and getting out and soaking up the sun on a nice big, sun warmed rock. Notice how good you feel, how vibrant and alive afterwards. This is one of the best ways to get a fantastic, all natural pranic healing! Also, you can use rocks and crystals charged with prana in healing sessions, or as great self-healing tools. Oh, and be sure and charge your bath, or your children’s bath, with prana as well!
After clearing congested prana, the fun really begins. The practitioner now starts to charge the energy field of the receiver by intentionally taking in prana and channeling it into his/her field. The left hand is receptive, and the right hand active, so the left hand is out, palm up, to receive the prana, and the right hand is positioned close to, but not touching, the receiver’s body. The prana is then channeled into the field for an amount of time, depending on condition. Several areas can be charged, or the whole field can be charged at once, with the energy going where it needs to go.
Another important aspect of GM Sui’s teachings has to do with right-living. The importance of good nutrition, including raw fruits and vegetables (high in prana), and avoidance of flesh foods (having dirty, gray, stagnant energy); The importance of proper breathing, including daily deep breathing into the abdomen, as well as breathing plenty of fresh air; the importance of vigorous movement, especially outdoors, which moves prana and prevents congestion from occurring, as well as increasing intake of air prana; The importance of clean living, avoiding toxic substances and addictions, and also avoiding negative people and other negative influences; The importance of thinking positive thoughts, and avoiding victim mentality and negative self-talk; The importance of finding forgiveness and embracing loving kindness in all relationships; The importance of right-livelihood, and doing what your inner calling is telling you to do; And the importance of meditation and stilling the mind to connect with higher spiritual energies. A very beautiful and powerful practice taught by GM Sui is the Meditation on the Twin Hearts, filling self with divine prana, and charging planet earth with these energies.
These are the basics of pranic healing. There are many exercises one can use to become more aware of prana in the environment, and to use it effectively. There are also excellent teachings on using different colors of prana for different conditions, as well as to stabilize healings. Pranic healing is one of the easiest and most consistently effective methods of vibrational medicine, and has very wide applications. Many practitioners will visit hospitals and homes, and can do distance healings as well. It is a great complimentary therapy, and in many places in the world it is used in conjunction with other modalities, though it stands alone very well. It can be applied with great success to pets, as well as houseplants and gardens.
Master Choa Kok Sui’s motto is, “If I can learn to heal, you can also learn to heal.” If you are interested in learning more, I highly recommend his books, including Pranic Healing (1989) Advanced Pranic Healing: A Practical Manual On Color Pranic Healing (2001) and many others.