Imagine that you are in a dark room and facing a corner. You somehow stumble and locate the switch of a tiny light bulb. When you switch it on, the small corner of the room gets illuminated, while the rest of the room remains dark.
Does this mean that the other corners don't exist?
Does this mean that the other corners don't have anything?
No.
You can only perceive the objects in the corner illuminated by the light bulb through your senses.
You are not able to perceive other corners yet.
Does it then make sense to dismiss that there are no other corners in the room?
If one has a true, scientific mind (which is inquisitive and experimental), then one wouldn't reject or mock ideas that he/she hasn't fully explored yet.
As people portraying that we have a modern view of the world, I'd highly suggest that we keep an open mind and explore ideas/principles that aren't visible to our perception or understanding yet. Dismissing them blatantly as superstitions/blind beliefs limits our ability to search for solutions beyond the obvious.
Let's take an example. I have seen a few food influencers mocking the idea of Pranic value in foods. They question the validity of Prana since it cannot be seen/measured.
The word "Prana" had been used in common parlance during our grandparents' times, referring to life energy.
I remember my grandfather saying "praanana vaangaadhe"😁 ("Don't take my Prana") when kids do any mischief or throw a tantrum.
If you have watched Tamil movies from the 1950s, you might have heard the heroine telling the hero, "prana naatha"☺️ ("You are my life force").
Taittiriya Upanishad refers to the five sheaths of a human personality (Panchakosha), wherein the second sheath is Pranamaya Kosha (Energy layer).
The science of Pranayama is aimed at expanding/controlling the flow of Prana in our body.
Prana, the life force is manifested through the air we breathe, the food we eat, the content we consume, and the thoughts we have.
Instead of waiting for modern science to research and invent a metric to measure Prana, we can experiment its presence ourselves.
Yoga asana practices (among various other benefits) enable Prana to flow freely through the body. The focus on breath control, posture, and improving spine flexibility are all ways by which Prana can flow without any blockages.
One of the goals of Yoga is to increase our breadth of awareness and depth of perception. To be able to perceive something as subtle as Prana is possible through Yogic practices.
Will write a detailed post on the topic of Prana in foods.
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