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Stillness and Yoga

Prana is the life energy. It is linked with Shwaasa (breath). Shwaasa is easier to understand and grasp, compared to Prana. Prana has a still state and a dynamic state. The mind is a form of dynamic Prana. Mind is the thing which makes a man run helter-skelter. This mind has to be stilled.

Brahman (the supreme being) is infinite. Mind is finite. Finite can not lead to infinite. Everyone, all of us are behind that infinite. We all want to catch hold of it, but we may not be aware of it. Infinite can not be reached or touched using finite, such as mind. It is only when that the finite drops, the infinite remains and reveals itself. Hence, a mind has to be dropped if we want to get a glimpse of the infinite.

The still state of Prana, which is the consciousness (the basic essence of our being) is infinite, as it came from the same infinite. Mind is a dynamic state of Prana. Hence this dynamism has to be dropped, if we want to attain the stillness. The sage Patanjali refers to the same thing in his Yoga-Sutra, when he says that "Yoga Chitta-Vritti Nirodha".

Yoga, in a step-by-step manner can help man reach the infinite. There are many forms of yoga, which are popular and being practiced today. Kriya Yoga is one of them that is in existence for a long time and came down to us from ancient masters. It is about doing a particular thing in a certain way. It is a method or technique that works on Prana using Shwaasa as a tool. Using the latter, mind can be slowed down, thus making Prana lose its dynamism. The life energy goes back to its original state, which is the state of stillness or pure consciousness.

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