- Practice Pranayama
- Meditate regularly
- Restorative yoga
- Light exercising
- Nutritional diet
- Get into nature
- Quality sleep
- Positivity, love, and laughter
Prana is the vital force present in all living beings. It’s responsible for physical as well as mental functions; From as easy as breathing to subtlest movement happening in the body, Prana is the energy that is working.
The aim of pranayama (yoga breathing exercises) is to take control of Prana energy or Prana Shakti in our body. When we combine breathing exercises in different yogic practices like asanas, mudras, mantra chanting and meditation, it helps in the expansion of Prana.
However, Prana energy is universal and present everywhere in our surroundings, we get it directly through the air we breathe, food, water, better sleep, and positive vibes. In the same manner, Prana energy gets depleted by much physical activity, negative thoughts, tamasic foods, fear, anger, etc.
When your prana energy is low, you will experience fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, extremities in temperature, stuck emotions, or poor circulation. Prana movement affects our quality of thoughts, emotions, and consciousness and is also essential for our bodily functions.
8 ways to increase Prana energy and vitality
It is said that prana can be obtained from the five elements – fire, earth, water, air, and space. All the ways we have listed below have one or more of these five elements engaged to increase your prana energy.
Below are some of the most effective and powerful ways to increase Prana energy in the body.
Let’s have a look.
1. Practice breathwork like Pranayam for Prana circulation
Breathing is the main source through which the prana gets restored and rejuvenated. Most of the exercises and meditation techniques involve breathwork which is essential for the proper circulation of energy throughout the body. Pranayama is one technique that is highly recommended to increase the prana flow.
Pranayams involves focused breathing techniques through which we are managing the inflow and outflow of prana consciously. It clears the nadis and chakras which spread 5 Prana vayus throughout the whole body. The intentional deep belly breathes are important for increasing the oxygen levels, enhancing neurotransmitters (the happy chemicals), and reducing stress, anxiety, and tension.
Alternate Nostril Breathing or Nadi Shodhana is the most recommended to increase the prana. When you this pranayam for 5-10 minutes every morning, you will feel energized and ready to take on the day with zeal!
2. Meditate regularly for mindfulness
It is a no-brainer that meditation is one of the frontrunners in the ways to increase the prana energy. Meditation involves breathwork and concentration along with mudras that support the five elements of the body. You are essentially focusing on recharging your prana by revitalizing your chakras and doshas.
Meditation allows you to be in the present, get mental clarity, and increase mindfulness. All of this will positively affect your intelligence, creativity, determination, emotions, and energy levels. And your prana will definitely increase when you are feeling your best and your mind is calm and collected.
When practised early in the morning, in the lap of nature, meditation proves to be beneficial as you will breathe in the fresh air which will fill you with vigor and liveliness.
Using essential oils, candles with a soothing aroma, incense, or flowers in a meditation session will further help in calming the mind and increase Pranic energy.
3. Practice restorative yoga to remove energy stagnation
Gentle yoga styles which are restorative and of mild intensity are most effective in increasing the prana energy. Hot yoga or high-intensity yoga styles provide you with an immediate rush however ultimately lead to exhaustion and drain your energy.
When you practice restorative yoga, it increases air circulation, you will be promoting free-flowing prana energy throughout your body. The stagnant energy can be a cause of a multitude of physical and mental problems. The continuous movement in our body is a way to release the stagnant energy, which yoga supports tremendously.
Regular practice of yoga asanas will help us get rid of pent-up negative energy and fill our mind-body-spirit with healthy prana. Spinal twists, most chest and hip openers, mountain pose, and Surya Namaskar are some of the most beneficial yoga asanas that will help in increasing the prana energy.
4. Light exercising to keep the body moving
You may think that yoga is itself a form of exercise that requires movement of the entire body, so what more needs to be done? While you are not wrong, however, our lifestyle is such that there are chances we may skip practising yoga asanas, especially if we’re doing them in the comfort of our homes.
Exercise over here doesn’t incorporate heavy weight lifting or intense cardio. Simple exercises such as swimming, brisk walk, biking, etc. aid in enhancing the prana energy. All these gentle exercises will help in detoxification, oxygen circulation, and digestion.
And most of them can be performed as a part of your daily routine. You can commute with your bike while going to your place of work or a 30-minute brisk walk early in the morning in a park will replenish your prana energy. This constant yet non-weight bearing movement will help elevate your pranic force.
5. Supplement with a healthy and nutritional diet
We cannot ignore how vital a healthy diet is in maintaining your pranic force. Apart from breathing, food is another essential source of prana. The famous phrase, “you are what you eat” makes sense here! When we are ingesting food, we are also absorbing the prana energy present in them.
Fresh organic food ingredients like nuts, legumes, organic fruits and vegetables, ghee (clarified butter), sprouts, etc will transmit their energy to you and improve the quality of your prana. The less processed the food is, the more high energy it contains. Cook your own meals using Ayurveda as your guide for a healthy life filled with immense pranic energy.
Another important factor of diet is the way we eat our food. Eating slowly, mindfully and without any distraction, savor the flavors of the ingredients used to cook the meal. Through this, you will be enabling your body to successfully all the nutrients and pranic energy of the food.
6. Spend more time in nature to abosrb fresh oxygent
Nature is one of the best ways to feel rejuvenated, refreshed, and calm the mind. More often than not, it is recommended that people who are suffering from anxiety, stress, tension, or some bodily issues, should stay in a place that is filled with nature. This is because nature contains abundant oxygen, and this positively affects the pranic energy of the body.
However, you do not have to plan a long vacation to travel to a hill station, you can easily take the benefits of nature’s life force without making a hole in your pocket.
Take a walk in a park, walk barefooted on grass, meditate in your garden, bike on a nature trail, or take sun or a moon bath. These all are some of the ways you can incorporate nature into your lifestyle and level up the Prana.
The more you are out in nature, the more fresh air you get in your system, and the more your prana energy increases.
7. Quality sleep for 8 hours to rejuvinate your mind and body
Of the major causes of most of our problems, be it mental or physical is lack of quality sleep. We do not realize the effect a good 7-8 hours of sleep can have on our emotions or the way our thoughts are born.
Getting sound sleep is another vital way to increase the prana energy. You can practice yoga before bed to promote relaxation and improve the quality of sleep.
Quality sleep doesn’t mean 8 hours of sleep, it also means the amount of rest you are getting in those 8 hours. The quality can be adversely affected due to temperature, noise, stress, or light, hence eliminating these factors can greatly enhance your sleep quality and in turn, improve your prana energy.
The best time to get ample sleep is between 10 pm to 6 am, it is the time when our brain gets the time to recharge itself and also reset the body. A refreshed mind will assist you in processing your emotions, thoughts, feelings, and behavior effectively.
8. Surround yourself with positivity, love, and laughter
Lastly, we cannot stress enough on the fact how important positive vibes are for increasing the prana energy. The positive surge you get from getting a compliment or best wishes, hearing from your loved ones, having laughs amongst your friends and family, or even doing something you love can be a prana energy booster.
Speaking or hearing positive affirmation can work wonders on increasing the morale of a person. And haven’t we always heard that ‘laughter is the best medicine’? All this because when you are happy and have a positive attitude, you automatically attract positivity and happiness. The negative energy gets diminished from your mind-body-spirit, paving way for healthy prana energy.
Also, if you learn to love yourself, this feeling will be exhibited to the people you meet or interact with. You will automatically learn to accept people as they are, which will help in taking out negative or toxic people from your life. The more you choose the feeling of love, the more the pranic energy will flow within you.
Conclusion
The above 8 ways combined will ensure that your prana energy is always rejuvenated and replenished. It is not necessary to practice them at once, you can start by taking baby steps.
Most of the time, we are unconsciously absorbing prana energy one way or the other. However, when you start practicing yoga and meditation, you become conscious and you will be able to effectively balance and maintain the source.
What ultimately matters is recognizing the potential and power inside yourself!
