Wellbeing and self-transformation are enhanced by using mind and prana together skillfully

All humans have two fundamental capacities. One is cognition and will. The second is energy and function. In yoga, we call the first manas, or roughly, “the mind.” The second, we call prana, or roughly, “life energy.”

We have, in our bodies, various functions of life. Those functions need energy, power, to sustain them. That energy or force that sustain life activities is prana. All living beings need this underlying energy.

We also have a capacity to make some choice, however small that may be. We can call this capacity the “power of will.” The mind is the obvious manifestation of this power of will in us. We generate thoughts and emotions using the mind and make decisions or choices using the mind. Other living beings have this capacity too, to varying degrees.

These two—mind and prana—are not separate. They are deeply connected. Our will, our choices, are influenced by the subconscious functions of our body and senses. And our life functions are in turn influenced by our will, by our conscious thoughts.

Together, these two are a vital pair. One links to and supports the other. This is a deep, key teaching in yoga. Our capacity for conscious thought and action is inseparable from our subconscious life functions. We can use this connection deliberately for our wellbeing.

We can use breathing, movement, nutrition, and sensory modifications to change our subconscious processes, influence our prana, and that in turn will influence our mind.

Similarly, we can change our mind’s thoughts, emotions, imagination etc. to shift the function of our body, senses, appetite, and breathing.

Ideally, we should use the power of both synergistically, to move towards holistic wellbeing and self-transformation. Yoga shows us how to do this.