What is Prana Vidya Healing? How and when did this method originate?
Prana Vidya Healing is a holistic, no-touch method of healing that treats a person on the physical, emotional and mental levels by treating the human energy field. It is an accepted fact that all living things have an energy field around them. This has been called the bioplasmic field by scientists and is also known by terms such as the etheric body, etheric double, aura, energy body, etc. Contained in this bioplasmic body are energy centers, referred to as chakras in ancient Indian literature. It has been found that one’s physical, emotional and mental states are reflected in characteristic ways in the energy field. This manifestation occurs in terms of the quantity and quality of energy at various points in the energy field. Prana Vidya Healing is ancient and probably originated in India. It is also known as Prana Yoga Vidya, Pranic Healing, Prana Therapy, Prana Chiktsa (Treatment), Prana Therapy etc. As is the case with many of our ancient arts, it has died a natural death in its home. However, during recent times, the great Gurus have revived this technique and has re-packaged it in its current modern form. Prana Vidya Healing today is practiced widely in most parts of the world and in India alone, we have innumerable healers.
Where does prana come from?
There are 3 principal sources - the sun, the air and the earth. Secondary sources include food, water, plants, etc. We need a constant supply of fresh prana to maintain good health. Prana Vidya Healing teaches you how to consciously absorb and assimilate more prana and use it to improve your life.
How does one learn to heal / treat using this method?
There are 3 levels of Prana Vidya Healing – Level I, Level II and Level III workshops. The Level I Prana Vidya Healing workshop is open to all. No prior knowledge or skills are necessary. Here, students are introduced to the concept of the bioplasmic body, its characteristics and how it relates to a person’s health. They are taught how to feel or scan this energy field using the sense of touch. This skill is easy to pick up initially, though mastery takes time and practice. With this ability to scan, Prana Vidya Healers are able to diagnose those parts of the bioplasmic body that may be imbalanced. At the 1st level, this manifests as excess energy at a part, known as Prana Vidya congestion, or lack of energy, known as Prana Vidya depletion. Once determined, Prana Vidya Healers are imparted the skills of cleansing and energizing, which allows them to normalize the affected areas. Cleansing involves removing the “dirty” or used-up energy that causes the imbalances in the first place; while energizing allows us to restore the energy balance by projecting “fresh” or clean energy into the affected part. Besides teaching us how to heal, the Prana Vidya Healing workshop also contains a meditation technique called the METTA, basic Pranayama techniques, lectures on the Law of Karma and character building, techniques to heal oneself and how to heal people at a distance.
What type of problem is this method used to treat typically?
As explained under Question 2, there is no restriction on the type of ailments we treat. In general, however, who approach us, are suffering from such ailments as asthma, muscular skeletal disorders (Arthritis, osteoporosis, back pain, etc.), heart ailments, skin problems, etc. We have also had cases of cancer, migraine, gastrointestinal ailments, stress related problems, emotional / psychological problems such as depression, addiction, etc. Usually it is when a disease has become chronic, that people turn to Prana Vidya Healing.
Stress and anxiety in today’s fast paced life are the key problems. How effective is Prana Vidya Healing in this case?
Prana Vidya Healing is extremely effective in combating stress. There are several ways in which this is done: With Prana Vidya Healing, we are taught to deal with energies. Physical ailments, for example, are often due to "used up" or "dirty" energy is certain parts of the bioplasmic body. Emotional and psychological ailments, similarly, can be traced to certain types of energies. Stress, for example, manifests in the energy world as ‘stress energy’ which tends to lodge in the area of the solar plexus. By applying basic Prana Vidya Healing techniques such as cleansing and energizing, we are able to remove the stress energy from a person, thereby relieving the stress. Another effective method of combating stress is Prana Vidya breathing. This is a very simplified form of breath control that has numerous benefits. On the physical level, it helps us relax, the pulse rate comes down and the blood pressure reduces. On an emotional level, it helps one to calm down and relax; while on a mental level, it allows us to focus our thoughts more easily. Regular practice of Prana Vidya breathing helps one to be more relaxed and stress free. Finally, an extremely effective technique to combat stress is the METTA BHAVANA. METTA, also known as active meditation, where the practitioner is occupied in focusing on specific energy centers, projecting various types of energy, etc. During the meditation, two important energy centers in our body are activated. This results in a change of attitude in the practitioner in the long run. We may have all observed two or more people in the same situation, perhaps working on the same project, similar home environments, etc. Yet, one is calm and peaceful and gets his or her work done effectively and calmly; while the other might be a wreck, rushing here and there, finally getting nothing done. Regular practice of the METTA helps one to change how he or she responds to the environment; allowing the person to deal with the now common stresses of daily life effectively and without getting unduly disturbed. It must be stressed, however, that regular practice is the key. Practicing the meditation as and when we feel like it is not likely to bring about the desired result.
What exactly happens during a session?
During a Prana Vidya Healing session, the patient has only to keep an open mind and sit or lie down in a relaxed position. The patient does not need to believe in Prana Vidya Healing; what is required is lack of resistance. Just simple curiosity is enough on the part of the patient. The healer scans the energy field of the patient and depending on his or her level of skill, may look for imbalances in different parameters. The patient is also interviewed regarding the problem. We are not only interested in the physical ailment, but equally in the underlying emotional and mental conditions. It is important to specify here that Prana Vidya Healing does not intend to replace orthodox medicine. A patient is never asked to stop any medication he may be on. In fact, if we come across a patient whose ailment is severe, he is encouraged to visit a doctor and get his problems diagnosed before returning to us. Once the imbalance is discovered, the Prana Vidya Healing techniques of cleansing and energizing are applied to normalize the energy field. A normal, balanced energy field leads to better physical, emotional and mental health. From a scientific point of view, the balanced energy field catalysis certain chemical changes in the body, which in turn allows normalizing of the physical condition. Of course, the healing may need to be applied several times before a complete cure is achieved. As mentioned earlier, however, many physical symptoms such as pain, insomnia, etc. and psychological symptoms like depression, lethargy, etc. tend to be relieved very quickly.
What are the prerequisites for a healing session to be successful? How many times does a person need to undergo a session?
It is important that the patient does not resist the treatment and on the other hand, the healing is extremely effective if the patient is open or receptive to healing. An important part of a healing session is building rapport with the patient. (It would be important to specify here that the patient does not need to have faith or belief in the system, an open mind is more than sufficient) As explained earlier, Prana Vidya Healing treats not only a person’s physical ailments, but also the oft-underlying emotional and psychological problems. Thus, it is imperative that rapport be built up so that the patient is comfortable discussing problems that may be at the root of the ailment. The number of times a person needs to undergo treatment varies. It often depends on the amount of effort the patient is willing to put in. If the patient regularly practices the meditation and breathing techniques that are taught to him or her, and also, where required, does some simple exercises and is in control of the diet, recovery is extremely fast; in many cases, almost miraculous. All too often, however, the patient expects that just visiting a healer twice or thrice a week is sufficient. While this may be true at times, especially for purely physical ailments, most of the time, it is not sufficient. After all, it is often the patient’s attitude, lifestyle or means of livelihood that are at the root cause of the problem. A busy executive who works 12-hour days 7 days a week would certainly need to practice some moderation in his or her life to ensure effective relief from stress related ailments. Plain healing, while it may lead to relief from physical symptoms, would not be effective in the long run unless the executive changes his ways.
Any myths / do’s and don’ts associated with Prana Vidya Healing?
One major myth that seems to have been propagated regarding Prana Vidya Healing is that it is not safe as the healer gets contaminated. This is definitely false. Contamination of the healer is definitely a problem in many forms of energy healing. Therefore, when laying down the modern techniques of Prana Vidya Healing, our Guruji was extremely careful to ensure that steps were incorporated in Prana Vidya Healing to ensure that contamination is avoided. Of course, there are many cases where a practitioner of Prana Vidya Healing does not follow the basic guidelines and ends up affected. But this is as much the fault of Prana Vidya Healing as saying the car is at fault for a bad driver having an accident! Proper practice of Prana Vidya Healing and regular meditation prevent any sort of contamination – which can be verified by many senior healers. Another popular myth is that Prana Vidya Healing is tough to learn. Admittedly, Prana Vidya Healing is not as elementary as some other healing techniques around. But it is definitely more effective. Just as many reiki healers have found that they get much better results when their application of reiki is preceded by cleansing as taught in Prana Vidya Healing. Prana Vidya Healing is extremely scientific and systematic in its approach. The healer is given detailed knowledge about the energy field, chakras and how they play a role in a person’s health. We are taught Prana Vidya breathing, scanning, self-healing and distance healing apart from the effect of karma on healing, character building and not least, the METTA. As Guruji says, learning and practicing Prana Vidya Healing takes as much concentration as reading a paper. Regularity of practice is definitely a requirement to become proficient in Prana Vidya Healing, but one’s efforts are duly rewarded in the form of better health (physical, emotional and mental), a changed attitude to life (leading to greater harmony, less stress, better interpersonal relationships) and the ability to heal oneself and other of many ailments.
Can anyone go in for a healing session?
There is no restriction on going in for a healing session. Currently, there are many Prana Vidya Healers in India, all of which offer Healing Courses. Besides this, many graduates of the Prana Vidya Healing courses offer healing in their residences at times suitable to them. For patients who are unable to move around due to physical disabilities, we also offer distant healing.
