Healing and Hypnotherapy Volume 4, Issue - 2, 1 August 2019 | Page 14

PRANA : THE KEY TO LIFE AND
DEATH
In our previous issue we explored ‘Prana' the essence of ‘Life and Wellness’,.
Where we talked about the various aspects of ‘Prana’ or the ‘Life Force’ which
is called by various names in different cultured traditions like = Qi, Mana,
Rueh, Penuma etc…
We explored the various aspects of ‘Prana' namely ‘Prana', ‘Apana',
‘Samana', ‘Udana' and ‘Vyana' . Together they are called as ‘Panch' (five)
Vayu (breath) in the ‘Yogic tradition’ of ‘Ancient India’.
These five ‘Vayus’ (breath) are ‘Pranas' which govern, various aspects of our
existence and play crucial role is sustaining life. So the question arises that ,
what happens when someone dies?
Do we die in the flash of second or do we die in stages? What is the stage
when one is really dead?
Is a cardiac arrest death? - Or, the cessation of brain activity is death? Are
you dead when the breath stops? Is a person on life support or ventilator alive
or dead? So what exactly is that critical moment when one can say an
individual is ‘Dead’!
I always wondered as a child that, if a man is dead, how come his organs like
heart, liver, kidney, lungs, cornea, skin, cartilage and even bones , removed
for organ transplant hours after his death and can be transplanted to another
body after hours or even days and become alive and functional again!
The science behind the organ donation and transplant is detailed and
extensive. The why’s and how’s are pretty technical, and scientific jargon. So
today I will share something from the ancient Yogic tradition that talks about
‘Panch Vayu’ (Five breaths) or the ‘Prana’.
The ancient texts say that though the leaving of ‘Prana’ (The breath/ Life
force) is death of physical body but, expanding it further they say that the five
pranas that is, Apana, Samana, Udana, Vyan and Prana do not exit in one
go. They exit or leave the body in stages which can be from few moments to
few hours or even few days!
We all who have explored, would have heard or known that how hairs and
nails keep growing for a while even after death! Likewise there are instances
and reports of movements, jerks or twitching in a dead body, hours after
death!