by In the teachings of Kundalini yoga, the human has 10 bodies, not 1…
The eighth body is the Pranic Body and it holds and circulates prana, or life force. The pranic body is an electromagnetic field which carries the imprint of health and vitality.
When you have a strong Pranic Body, you are vital, energetic and healthy. If your higher bodies (the Subtle and Radiant Bodies) which bring sophistication and subtlety are not developed, you may be rash and dare-devilish, because a highly developed Pranic Body gives one a state of absolute fearlessness. Due to the very strong relationship between the Pranic Body and the Physical Body, health is kept up and maintained by the flow of pranic energy. If pranic energy weakens, the body becomes vulnerable to disease.
Yogis believe that the Pranic Body greatly influences the time of death. It is said that prana allows the Physical Body to hold the soul. When the relationship between the Soul and the Pranic Body ends, death occurs.
If you are born in August or were born on the 8th, 17th, or 26th of the month, you may benefit from strengthening your Pranic Body.
How to strengthen the Pranic Body:
Mantra
The mantra Pavan Guru is a powerful tool to increase the strength of the Pranic body. The full mantra is “Pavan pavan pavan pavan par paraa pavan guru, pavan guru, waheguru waheguru pavan guru.” Pavan is the breath, and this mantra talks about the breath as a great teacher. Chant this mantra for 11 minute periods to build up your pranic body.
The real key to strengthening the Pranic Body is through pranayama. Any pranayama. Left nostril breathing, right nostril breathing, alternative nostril breathing, Breath of Fire, Lion’s Breath, Sitali Pranayam, as you wish. Sit down and learn about pranayama and find one that appeals to you. Kundalini yoga has many meditations that use pranayama in various forms to build the Pranic Body.
Overcome Your Fears
Fear is closely related to the Pranic Body. When we are terrified, our breathing gets shallow and quick as part of the fight or flight response. Often when our emotional body is disturbed, our breathing is thrown out of whack. Not sure about the connection? Try a challenging pranayama. One where you have to hold your breath out for a very long time. Watch yourself go into a state of panic and fear of death. Conquering your fears, overcoming your phobias, and working towards a more solid, balanced state of well-being builds up the Pranic Body.
Build Up Your Auric Body (the Seventh Body)
If your aura is weak, the effects to your Pranic Body from pranayama will be short lived. Without a strong foundation, the results you achieve dwindle. Building up a strong Auric Body helps to hold and maintain a strong Pranic Body. Do what it takes to clear our your aura, and watch your Pranic Body support you with greater ease.
So Darshan Chakra Kriya
This particular meditation can be very helpful for the Pranic Body (simultaneously working on the Auric Body). Called the most powerful meditation in all of Kundalini Yoga, it should be in every yogi’s arsenal.
Acupuncture
Prana is the equivalent of chi. When the prana is not flowing in your body, your chi will be blocked. Traditional Chinese Medicine can get the chi or prana flowing again, and you can maintain the flow through your consistent application of pranayama, and yoga poses such as Camel Pose to open the heart center and keep energy moving.
