A spiritual teacher and disciple of Swami Sivananda Saraswati, Swami Vishnudevananda founded the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres, which have trained thousands of students in the fundamentals of yoga practice. Before leaving his body in 1993, Swami Vishnudevananda gave numerous talks and trainings on concepts such as prana.
Prana refers to a vital life force that flows through the body, similar to the electricity that lights a bulb. The bulb itself does not create the light; rather, it is created by electro-motor force and the electric current that travels from one metal contact to another. Similarly, the body is like a bulb that can glow from the force of prana. Prana flows through the body’s more than 72,000 nadis, a network of channels similar to meridians in Chinese medicine.
Just like food fuels the physical body, meditation and pranayama (breathing exercises) can stimulate and recharge the subtle body, which extends beyond the physical body. By becoming more aware of the energetic body, practitioners can experience greater contentment.
