Renewing prana

/ December 21, 2014/ Holistic Nutrition, Recipes, Yoga/ 1 comments

This time of the year when we are running like mad trying to meet all holiday commitments, perhaps it is the time where we need the most to learn or remember how to renew our prana.

Prana means life force in sanskrit. Patanjali’s yoga sutras defines prana as the vital energy which we draw ourselves from the surrounding universe. Sometimes prana is translated as breath because it is primarily obtained by breathing.

All the powers of the body and all the functions of the senses and the mind are regarded as the force of prana.

Prana and yoga

In our asana (posture) practice, let’s focus more than ever in our breath. Make the breath smooth, even, and continuous even in the most strenuous poses. You will feel the prana flow!

Pranayama is a system of breathing exercises. Pranayama is a physical mean to a spiritual end. The yoga sutras recommends to practice pranayama after mastering asanas. Practice pranayama only under the guidance of a teacher.

Having said that, practicing alternate nostril breathing is a safe exercise to renew prana and also calm the mind and prepare it for concentration. So give it a go before you start meditating,

Prana and food

In general, raw, fresh, and unprocessed foods have the most prana. On the opposite side, highly processed and refined foods have very little or no prana.

Ayurveda has specific principles on how to prepare and eat food. It requires a bit of knowledge to get familiar with the six tastes and food preparation. But the most important concept to me is that food is nourishment as well as medicine. So what we eat matters to vitality and health.

To draw the most prana from food, practice some of the Ayurveda principles for eating food:

  • Eat on an empty stomach!
  • Eat food that is tasty and easy to digest
  • Eat proper amounts of food
  • Eat in pleasant surroundings
  • Eat food prepared with the right attitude

Above all, I truly believe that the intention, the love and the healing vibrations that you put in preparing food increases the prana and makes food even more potent and rich with healing effects.


playing around with recipes and finding new yummier twists!

Energy balls

This recipe is a variation of the bhuda balls from Grail Springs. I prefer to use coconut oil because is a source of medium chain fatty acids which go straight to your blood and not your hips. Also, I am very partial to maple syrup especially because of its mineral content.

Easy to make and delicious to eat. Great as a snack or dessert and full of prana!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of finely ground organic raw almonds
  • ½ cup of raw cocoa
  • 1 cup of organic shredded coconut
  • ⅓ tsp of Himalayan salt
  • ½ cup of maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp of coconut oil

Preparation

  • Put in a bowl all dry ingredients and mix.
  • Add coconut oil and maple syrup to form a paste.
  • Use a spoon to grab a small amount and mold a ball in your hands.
  • Roll the ball in shredded coconut or ground nuts of your choice.
  • Refrigerate for a couple of hours

You can replace almonds with hazelnut and then roll in grounded hazelnut. Also, you can add sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. Get creative and let me know if you come up with a yummy twist.

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1 Comment

  1. Happy solstice soul sister! Wishing you an abundance of Prana and all the blessings it bestows upon you xxx lots of love xxx

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