Prana - Breath of Life
The one consciousness-bearing life force is “Prana.” Prana is the “breath of life,” because there is no life without it; yet prana is not breathing per se. It is what animates all existence and all manifestations of life. All the cosmic space (the Akash) as well as vital forces such as gravity, magnetism and electricity evolve out of Prana. From movements higher and finer than nerve currents, to thoughts and actions, to the lowest and grossest — all are manifestations of Prana.
The Prashna Upanishad identifies Prana as the Supreme Power of Life born of the Atman, the Universal Self. Prana sustains and rules all functions of the various currents of life-force within the body:
Like the spokes on the hub of a chariot wheel, all beings are established on Prana. Revelation, meditation, hymns, sacraments, power and wisdom — all these are possible because of Prana
The universe of cosmic energy, or prana, exists in two tendencies: one is unmanifest, the other manifest. The unmanifest exists as the vast potential of formless being out of which the universe arises. It is self-absorbed—that is, with the power to be, but without change. The second tendency of prana is dynamic and creative: that which manifests and which we see as matter, as living organisms, and all that we behold with our minds.
Prana is the divine link between the so-called spirit life and so-called body of man. This prana is carried and organized through the intricate centers of consciousness within the body and perceived in the brain in ways that control the physical body and the mind. But something more: This prana, as it is brought through the mind in the brain, determines the quality of our consciousness. When the universal or divine consciousness is manifested or perceived at each center within our spine the result is a particular awareness, an awareness of life around us, an awareness of others.
The limitless potential energy force of prana is called kundalini. It is neither electric nor is it mechanical. It is not the energy that is normally used by us throughout the day to maintain our expressive and creative life, but it is that reservoir of energy which exists to be drawn through the mind into the human nervous system. That potential kundalini energy of prana within us is not surplus, not dormant, but is as yet unknown. We call it spiritual because it determines the quality of our character, our state of consciousness and our ultimate peace and happiness.
Swami Kamalananda
The Breath of God and Pranayam