The concept of Pranic Healing was popularized and marketed by Grand Master Choa Kok Sui, a chemical engineer of Philippine origin. Having been drawn towards spirituality and healing from a young age, he travelled the world to learn about alternative healing from different cultures. He is credited with the healing system that involves Ki/ Chi/Prana.
What Transpired Over The Next Two Days
The first half of day one exceeded expectations. Within the first few minutes, the facilitator had guided us to ‘see’ prana or what is more easily understood as aura. He also helped us palpably feel the aura between our fingers. The class then went on to learn how to reconcile and transform the body’s energy by cleansing chakras and organs.
As a student of yoga, we learn that the Pranamaya kosha or energy body is the first layer of the subtle-body (as against the Annamaya Kosha which is the physical and substantial part of our body). The flow of prana affects the health of the physical body. Depletion of energy or prana is said to affect health adversely. So, I was immediately excited when I discovered that Prana can be felt and seen when we put our minds to it. This high carried me through day one.
The general concept of healing is to cleanse, energise, and then cut energy cords. This is achieved by doing a sweep to untangle the outer aura and then reinforcing weak organs/chakras with energy.
We learned how to feel the aura around a person and judge if there was an imbalance in the aura. We then also learned how to detangle the outer sheath of the aura. Then came all the complicated stuff. To heal someone, one has to make the association of what chakras are connected to said affliction and then cleanse each of those chakras as well as respective organs. There is a whole system of which chakra to cleanse first, which organ to cleanse, from which direction to cleanse etc. There is also the physical procedure to be followed with every cleansing. You see, when a healer replenishes depleted energy in someone’s chakra or organ, the energy is coming from the healer. So, the healer has to simultaneously receive energy from the environment throughout the healing process. Where, then, do they receive energy from? The universe has an abundance of energy. All matter carries energy and can pass this energy on to us if we are receptive. However, the air, and the sun are the primary source of energy for healers. The energy is received through minor chakras on the palm by being in a receptive state of mind.
Now, the healer must symbolically cut the energy cord after the cleansing or they may end up giving all their energy to the affected person without meaning to. I even remembered one famous influencer saying that healing is dangerous because the healers prana is depleted. The reverse can also happen and energy can unconsciously come back to the healer and make the healed sick again, if the energy cord is not cut. This made sense to me because we are all, after all, exchanging energies with people around us, without meaning to. You must have realized that you feel particularly exhausted after meeting or socializing with certain people, while some others leave you feeling bubbly and enthused. Surprised much???
The second day was all about healing people who are not in close proximity to the healer, that is distance healing. This was a little more difficult that trying to heal someone who was physically present. But, it was not impossible. Again, I was stunned by how prana can be felt even when people are miles away from us. It was all about our receptivity and open-mindedness. We also learned a meditation technique called the ‘Twin-hearts’ meditation, which was about asking the universe to grant health and abundance to the whole world.
What I Liked about the Workshop
As a believer in universal energy exchange, I was humbled to see that the concept was gaining popularity and it was being reiterated by firm believers. I was excited that I could feel prana. I was also astounded by the facilitator’s talk about the number of people he has healed and what potential Pranic healing had.
What Didn’t work for me
So, those two lines above were as far as my faith would carry me. There were a few things that didn’t make sense to me during the workshop. If, as per claims, Pranic healing could heal a new born with congenital disease, why do we need doctors? There seemed to be too much at stake here. Healing requires a lot of time. Depending on the illness, the associated impact of that illness, and the receptivity of the receiver, healing could take numerous sessions. Also, one cannot simply heal anybody. You need explicit permission of the ill person or their closest family member, to start a healing session. It didn’t seem to me like there was any concrete ground for belief here. It isn’t like the facilitator healed any one of us, ever of minor complaints like headache or digestive issues. So we simply had to go by what they claimed and be a believer.
Another nagging doubt that came to me was-were 2 days enough to be a ‘Level 1 Certified Pranic Healer’, when there was so much to uncover about chakras, organs, their association, and their impact on health.
This last doubt only became deeper when the facilitator unwittingly mocked another very old and established system, Yoga. He asked me how long it took for me to become a Certified Yoga Instructor. When I said that the course lasted a month, he claimed that it is very dangerous that teachers were being churned out in a months’ time because one wrong yoga move can be very detrimental to a persons health, especially if he had problems of high BP or hypertension. It irritated me because, my month long course taught practical application, theory lessons, anatomy and physiology of the human body, and benefits and contraindications to any asana and pranayama. Apart from this, we sat theory and practical exams before we were certified. In contrast, this workshop certified us as ‘Level 1’ healers at the end of day 2. (Yes, I have a certificate and I am a healer, in theory)
My Two Bits
I strongly believe that a robust and unimpeded prana leads to a better quality of life. I also believe that yoga works to improve health because of this very reason. Consistent practice modifies our breathing techniques and helps energise our chakras. This then, improves our health and increases wellness. But, I am sceptical about Pranic Healing. Two days have not made me a believer, especially because they had several more levels that we had to get certified on, if we wanted to become proficient healers who could attend to physical, emotional, and psychological ailments. It sounded like a well structured business model to me. Beyond that, I couldn’t see anything that I could take away. Call me a person with stunted perceptibility, who doesn’t have foresight for promising concepts, but I left the workshop feeling that Pranic Healing was not my thing. I will not practice healing and I certainly will not attempt to get further certifications.
This, however, should not deter anyone who wishes to explore Pranic Healing. Do it with an open mind and see if there is something there that clicks for you. The universe is filled with infinite possibilities, many of which our limited minds cannot fathom. This could be one of those extraordinary concepts that requires a true believer.
Nitya Yoga Anushasanam 
A good write up.
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