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Originally posted by Dispo
reply to post by Ophiuchus 13
The biological equivalent of prana is mitochondrial respiration. Please explain how I have enriched your O2 intake.
Prana (प्राण, prāṇa) is the Sanskrit word for "life" (from the root prā "to fill", cognate to Latin: plenus "full").
In Ayurveda, tantra and Tibetan medicine "praṇā vāyu" is the basic vāyu (wind, air) from which all the other vāyus arise.
Prana is the universal cosmic energy - which has not only given rise to the entire external world but has also created our gross body. Our sages delved deeper and their understanding brought them to the conclusion that this energy is responsible for the creation and maintenance of every living being besides all inanimate objects. This fundamental principle is rudimentary to the science of pranayama.
Prana has many levels of meaning - from the breath we take every moment to the energy of pure consciousness itself. Prana is not only the basic life force but it is the primordial energy, working on the level of body and mind. Indeed, the entire universe is a manifestation of Prana, which is the original creative power. Even Kundalini Shakti, the inner power that transforms consciousness, develops from the awakened Prana.
On the cosmic level, there are two basic aspects of Prana. The first is the unmanifest aspect of Prana, which is the energy of pure consciousness that transcends all creation. The other is the manifest Prana which is the force of creation itself.
Prana arises from the attribute (guna) of rajas, the active force of Nature (Prakriti). Nature consists of three gunas: sattva or purity which gives rise to the mind; rajas or movement which gives rise to the Prana; and tamas or inertia that gives rise to the body.
Relative to our physical existence, Prana is a modification of the air element, primarily the oxygen we breathe that allows us to live. Yet, as air originates in ether or space, Prana arises in space and remains closely connected to it. Wherever we create space, the energy or Prana arise automatically.
Pranayama entails augmentation of the Prana energy. There are five types of Prana and each has five further subtypes. The entire human body is governed by the energy of Prana.