Universal Life Force is real. If it weren’t, why do every major philosophy and religion have its own word for it? In Sanskrit (Hinduism, Tantra & Buddhism), it is called prana. Christians call it the Holy Spirit. It is chi in China, ki in Japan, ruh in Islam, and ruah in Hebrew. Ancient philosophers such as Plato called it Pneuma. Ancient Romans called it Anima. So if humans have been aware of this force for millenia and beyond, what have we learned in how to sense it, connect with it & even harness its force?
Prana
Yoga, Tantra and Ayurveda traditions call this force prana, a Sanskrit word variously defined as: breath, respiration, life force, spiritual energy, vital winds, inner winds, spirit, and/or soul.
Prana is related to breath but not the breath itself. To sense it, practice yogic breathing, known as pranyama. In pranayama, you breath in and out energy that flows through the body via a network of subtle channels (nadis) connecting body and mind. To sense prana, focus on your breath and the sensations around your breath.
Chi
Chi, or qi, is an ancient Chinese term for energy. To experience the sensation of chi, one can try a simple Qigong exercise: By moving your hands towards and away from each other as if gently squeezing a small beach ball, you can visualize the chi gathering between your palms. This should be done at a pace of 1-3 squeezes per second, at a distance of 6 to 24 inches. Continue this movement for 2-4 minutes or more, until you start to feel an unexpected sensation in your hands. This might manifest as heat, tingling, vibrations, or even strong magnetic repulsion. While some may experience these sensations on their first attempt, others may need to practice this exercise daily until they feel it.
The Holy Spirit, aka. Flow
Christians have been philosophizing on the Holy Spirit for two millenium. Being in-the-spirit, is to be inspired, a state of creativity and revelation. Spiritual people might call it flow.
If you have a spiritual practice, prayer is a way to call upon this energy, and miracles are proof of its presence. If you want to feel the flow, try meditation, freeform journalling, asemic writing, or any practice which takes you out of your thinking mind and into a state of pure creation.
Ki
the “Ki” in reiki is the Japanese word for Chi. Reiki is a practice of energy healing, of becoming a channel for this universal life force. In order to practice reiki, you need to be “opened” to it by a reiki master. However, once you are open to it, you can begin feeling this ki powerfully during healing sessions. Often, a reiki practitioner will find their hands getting hot (even in a cold room) from the energy.
