By Gurudevi Nirmalananda 

Your energy field extends beyond the edges of your body, often called “aura” by those who can see or feel it.  

This electromagnetic field is emitted by all living things.  It is called prana in Sanskrit.  Prana is the life force that makes your body be a living body instead of a corpse.  Corpses don’t have auras.

Thousands of years ago, yogis described the human aura as part of the cosmic process by which energy becomes matter.  The energy of Consciousness becomes your body and mind, for you to live in and work with.  Yet you are not your body, nor your mind.  You are the one who lives in them and uses them to have experiences and to express your light into the world.

The energy that materializes as your body is named your “subtle body” (sukshma-sharira).  This is where your chakras (energy centers) are found as well as your nadis (energy currents), all 720,000,000 of them.  In Chinese Medicine, nadis are called meridians.

A woman shared about going to an acupuncturist.  He advised that her meridians needed balancing.  They agreed on a plan for 12 weekly treatments. A few days later, she came to a meditation program with my Guru. She decided to stay on for the weekend Shaktipat Retreat.  Reluctantly leaving on Tuesday, she went for her acupuncture appointment. 

The acupuncturist checked her over and said, with a shocked tone, “What have you been doing?”  The woman asked why.  The acupuncturist said, “All your meridians are balanced.  I’ve never seen this happen!”  “Oh,” she said, “I got Shaktipat last weekend.”  The acupuncturist came to meet Baba.

How does Shaktipat do this?  It’s because the “shakti” of Shaktipat is the energy of Consciousness, which is the source of your prana.  Yes, it does mean that your energy field improves with Shaktipat.  It also improves with yoga poses, with breathing practices and with meditation.

In yoga’s poses and breathing practices, you are working with your body.  In meditation, you’re working with your mind. Yet there is more going on.  All the practices actually target your energies, your subtle body. This is a much more powerful level of your multidimensionality.  

As your pranic flows are optimized, physical health and vitality are merely the beginning.  Your mental-emotional energies are uplifted.  Best of all are the spiritual effects, as the subtle dimensions within are opened up for your exploration.  The goal is to…