Meet the second layer of your being: the Pranamaya kosha ( The Energetic Body)

. You can think of this sheath as the organising field that holds our physical body together. This life force or Prana as we call it in yoga is the energy that governs your biological processes, from breathing to digestion, to the circulation of blood. It cannot be seen and measured, but only felt.

Prana can become blocked and distorted by external factors such as poor diet, negative thoughts, and an unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle. When prana is blocked or weak, it can lead us to experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms. So the central goal here is to clear blockages or free up energy so that it can travel through the body more efficiently; when our prana can flow freely we feel healthy on a physical level, as well as on a mental and spiritual level too.

So how can we nourish and sustain this layer of our being?
Yoga of course! Yoga devotes an entire class of practices that help to restore balance and flow of prana. Pranayama (Breath work) is the best place to start. Without perplexing you by discussing the various pranayama techniques here, try simply taking a few, slow deep breaths and observe how this can instantly make you feel better. Our Asana ( Yoga poses ) are designed to move stagnant energy and improve the flow of prana throughout the body. Mantras and intentions that we set at the beginning of a class help to lift our vibrational energy and meditation helps to calm our minds.

Yoga aside, there are many other ways that can benefit your prana, such as eating healthy foods ( which have their own vital energy ), being in nature and energy healing ( such as reiki, crystal and chakra balancing ). If you haven’t had one of these then I highly recommend @tracies_healing_ and @itsallgood_naturaltherapies.

In this Saturday’s Hatha/Vinyasa Class we will explore our bodies potential by pushing through emotional and physical blockages - I’ll include a mudra, pranayama and guided meditation on the blog on Sunday for those who missed out/ or want to practice at home