Human energy is a subtle substance, which in yoga is called with the Sanskrit word “prana”.
Prana permeates our entire body. According to such a yogic text as “Hatha Yoga Pradipika”, prana moves in our body through 72,000 channels. There are three main such channels: ida, pingala and sushumna. Depending on which channel the energy flows through, a person will manifest certain qualities. The flow of energy through one or another channel determines in which “mode” (the quality of material nature) a person will be.
Three channels of energy
If the energy flows through the right (solar) channel, such a person will be in the mode of passion. This is often manifested by chaotic active activity, which, as a rule, does not bring any objective benefit in the end, except for useless fuss.
If the energy flows through the left (lunar) channel, a person will be in the mode of ignorance. This is manifested by passivity, melancholy, depression, despondency, passive aggressiveness, and so on.
If the energy flows through the central channel, a person will be in the mode of goodness. Being in the mode of goodness is manifested by the presence of virtuous qualities and positive altruistic activities that bring objective benefit to others.
Energy system. Chakras
The interlacing of energy channels in the human body form the so-called “chakras”. There are different versions of how many chakras there are in the human body, but according to the most common classification there are seven of them. The chakras have the property of accumulating and expending energy. Depending on the level of their development, a person can spend energy through one or another chakra.
The higher the level of spiritual development, the higher the chakra a person uses most often. The three lower chakras are manifested by animal instincts and selfish motivations. If a person’s energy rises to the fourth chakra, and he manifests himself through this chakra, this is already a Person with a capital letter. He has altruism, compassion, seeks to benefit others. At this level, there is still ignorance, so a person’s actions may be inadequate, but the motive is almost always noble.
At the level of the fifth chakra, a person manifests himself more rationally and uses his capabilities more effectively. Among the disadvantages that manifest themselves at this level is a heightened sense of justice, the desire to “do good” to everyone, often against their will.
The sixth chakra is the chakra of creative people. It is important to understand that creativity can be different. If creativity is aimed at creation and carries a reasonable, kind, eternal, such creativity is almost always a sign of manifestation through the sixth chakra.
The seventh chakra is the highest point of perfection of a living being. At this level there are enlightened beings. This chakra has no measure in terms of describing its qualities.
Thus, the energy system of a person determines his motivations, mental tendencies and directions of development/degradation in almost everything. Deep knowledge about the structure of the energy system allows you to gradually take control of your energy and elevate your consciousness.
Human energy sources
The principles by which the human energy system functions are more or less clear. But where does this energy come from?
There is an opinion that each of us already has all the amount of energy that we are supposed to have for our entire life. Whether this number is the same for everyone or not is a moot point. Most likely, everything is conditioned by a person’s karma. That is, each of us comes into this life with the energy potential that was accumulated due to certain actions in past lives. And our task is only to correctly realize this potential. Firstly, you need to be able to open it, and secondly-to use it correctly.
You can imagine that we were born in this world, having a large bank account. And the first thing we need to do is to remember the code from our account, and the second is not to spend all the accumulated funds on entertainment and parties. And how to perform these two tasks is what yoga teaches.
Therefore, it is much more important not how much energy potential each of us has, but how we can properly dispose of it.
Human vital energy
All our actions are our energy. Everything we possess is a manifestation of our energy. For example, poverty and wealth are determined only by the level of human energy. Well, and his karma, of course, but these are interrelated concepts.
If a person purchases something expensive, he spends a huge amount of his energy. Or if just some benefits manifest themselves in a person’s life, it also wastes his energy. There are interesting statistics that people who won very large sums in the lottery or in the casino died within a year or the next few years.
Why is that? Because if a person wins a large sum, this, contrary to popular misconception, does not just “fall from the sky”. And in this way, his good karma manifests itself for a person, and a huge amount of his vital energy is spent.
Imagine that a person had some kind of reserve of vital energy, which was designed for 80 years of a more or less healthy happy life. And then all this stock falls out on him for the day. That is, all his vital energy, all his “fuel”, on which a person should have lived his 80 years, burns up in one day. And what is left is enough for several months, at best — several years. And then the energy is completely exhausted, and the person dies.
We live only because we have this vital energy. As soon as it ends, death occurs. And this is not necessarily death, it can be any illness.
How the energy is taken from a person
In the modern world, a person is literally “bred” from birth to lose energy. Why is that? This happens for a number of reasons.
First, the most profitable business is done on vices and addictions. And what is addiction? This is the desire for a regular loss of energy through some kind of passion. And if a person is “hooked” on some kind of addiction — he becomes an ideal consumer.
That is why in the modern world, children from birth (sometimes even by the hands of their parents) are immediately hooked on the maximum number of passions: sweets, movies, computer games, and later — sex. All this is a huge energy cost, and it is not as harmless as it seems.
Today it is very difficult to find a teenager who would put some self-development above sensual pleasures. And the result is very sad — by the age of 25-30, we can see worn-out bodies with empty eyes and a complete lack of interest in life.
Depression has become a real pandemic of our society today. According to approximate statistics, almost every third person today suffers from some form of depression.
And what is depression? This is the most vivid manifestation of the lack of vital energy. When all the energy is spent on passion and entertainment, emptiness comes.
When there is a constant leakage of energy, a person simply does not have the opportunity to accumulate it in order to do something, hence laziness and apathy arise. Even regular coffee consumption or “moderate” alcohol consumption will constantly take away a person’s energy, depriving him of a full life and certain opportunities.
Human energy level
The level of energy can also be compared with the level of egoism.
On the first three chakras, egoism literally obscures the eyes and clouds the mind, forcing a person to chase only his own pleasures and personal gain. And only starting from the fourth chakra, egoism gradually comes to naught.
And the higher the energy level, the more altruistic a person becomes, which means that he is in greater harmony with the surrounding world. This is exactly the goal of increasing your energy level — to live a more harmonious life.