by Ursula Mistry

The ability to heal lies dormant in everybody. All you require to trigger it is the urge to heal

What is the first thing that you do when you hurt yourself in any part? You place your hand there, for immediate relief. Congratulations, you have already taken the first step towards pranic healing!

To comprehend pranic healing, we must first understand the essence of prana. There are many definitions of prana—a universal principle, life energy, bio-plasma, magnetism or vital energy. Prana, in fact, is the force behind all activity in the body. It is in and around all manifestations and, more importantly, can be drawn, stored, and sent from one person to another.

When we feel 'low,' something interferes with our supply of vital energy or prana. In pranic healing, prana is sent to afflicted parts. This flow of energy stimulates cells and tissues and, as a result, waste matter is ejected from the system. And the capability to do this lies dormant in almost everybody.

However, most people are unaware of their potential. Some, like Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, a friend and disciple of Madame Blavatsky who founded the Theosophical Society in New York in 1875, discover it accidentally.

Once, while visiting Sri Lanka, a Buddhist priest told Olcott that the Church planned to turn a nearby village into another Lourdes, complete with miracles. Olcott said: "In that case you should start performing a few miracles yourself." The priest said he had no such powers. Olcott, aware of the power of suggestion, decided to help.

A few days later, a partially paralyzed man came to the Buddhist temple. Olcott slowly ran his hands in the air over the affected part and told the person that he would definitely improve. That evening, the man returned to Olcott, saying he felt much better and wanted more treatment. Olcott obliged and the man continued to improve.

The upshot of this incident saw Olcott receiving instant acclaim in the area as a miracle worker and the ailing began flocking to him. To his own amazement, Olcott realized that he was actually learning to cure patients. Something seemed to flow from him into the ailing. He had learned pranic healing simply by trying.

But sending our vital energy to others can leave us drained. So, it is advised to use pranayama, a yogic breathing exercise, for building up vital energy before attempting pranic healing.