Discover the prana meaning & tips to enhance your prana through this blog.
Originally published in w.e.l.l insiders on September 13, 2017.
Have you ever met someone or been in a situation where you felt instant “good vibes”? Uplifting energy is something that people gravitate towards, and being someone who produces positive vibrations will work wonders as you cultivate friendships, date, network or even build a business. This unique power is called prana, and we recently caught up with mind-body transformation/Ayurveda expert and author Sahara Rose Ketabi to learn more about it.
Ketabi tells us, “Prana is a word that many of us have heard in yoga class, but few of us know what it really means.” To break down the Sanskrit word for us, she explains that it should first be split into two: “‘pra’ before ‘ana,’ meaning an atom. Prana, then, is essentially energy; the vibration we experience at the end of a really juicy yoga class when the students chant ‘om’ in unison. It’s also the feeling of being in touch with your breath and the life-force moving through your body, feeling truly alive.”
Top 4 tips to enhance your prana:
1. Practice yoga
Ketabi suggests practicing yoga as a way to get in touch with your breath. “Pay particular attention to syncing your breath with each movement so you can fully experience the benefits of the practice,” she advises. “Yoga is more than a physical asana—it’s a union with our divine selves.” She tells us that mindfully inhaling and exhaling will help anyone get deeper into their personal practice and poses.
2. Stay close to high-vibration people
“Set your boundaries with low-vibration people—those who bring out the worst in you,” Ketabi cautions. “If you walk away from someone feeling angry, distressed, sad, guilty or gossipy, then that’s someone you should set boundaries with.” Staying close to people who make you feel positive will empower you to keep your vibration high and show up as your fullest self in life.
3. Spend time in nature
Ketabi tells us that spending time in nature is key when it comes to enhancing your prana, and she especially loves green areas or spots near the water. “The color green enhances our vibration because the chlorophyll in the plants is full of life-force. Water enhances prana because it’s fluid, dynamic and moving.” She suggests sitting by trees or the ocean to increase your prana as much as possible.
4. Keep your Doshas balanced
Not exactly sure what Doshas are? We aren’t experts either, so Ketabi explained the mind-body types for us as they’re outlined byAyurveda, the world’s oldest health system (and sister science of yoga based on mind-body balance).
- Vata: (Airy) types tend to experience anxiety when their prana is low.
- Pitta: (Fiery) types tends to experience anger.
- Kapha: (Earthy) types tend to experience depression.
Don’t know your Dosha yet? Take this free dosha quiz to find out!
Ketabi says that making lifestyle and dietary changes can help you stay balanced, increasing your prana further. If you’re not sure which type you are, take Ketabi’s helpful quiz; it’ll put you on the right path as you work to increase your prana (so will following along with Instagram account—she’s a wealth of knowledge!).