Prana loka / Plane of life energy
Prana is elan vital, the life-force itself. In Sanskrit it is synonymous with life and is also the name of the lifebreath we take in with each inhalation. Prana is also the name of one of the five major airs in the body. As body air it is situated in the cavity of the mouth and enables food to pass through into the stomach. It resides normally in the area from the nostrils to the lungs, and its location near the heart preserves life from destruction.
Prana maintains the other elements of the body in balance and controls their function. With the help of prana we are able to move, think, see, and hear. From birth to death prana plays a crucial role in our lives: at birth it is the air that gives energy during delivery; at death it collects all vital energy from the body and flows out, leaving a lifeless corpse behind.
Prana is like a faithful servant, who fulfills all the demands of his master but in return does not demand any reward for his services. Like a true devotee, prana is devoted to the service of the self, consciousness, twenty-four hours a day. Yet prana is also temperamental. A slight change in the attitude of the master affects his speed and rhythm cycle. A good master, understanding the devotion of his servant, must try to help prana evolve. The methods to accomplish this are called pranayama, one of the most essential yogic disciplines.
In yoga, prana is of primary importance. With the practices of pranayama the yogi directs the flow of prana downward toward the pelvic plexus, where it mixes with apana, the air that resides in the lower intestines. When prana and apana flow together through sushumna, the central passage of the spinal column, to the top of the head, the experience of samadhi takes place — the goal of all yogic practice.
Prana is not to be confused with oxygen. The energy in the gross physical body feeds on oxygen. Prana maintains the existence of the physical body: prana is life. To understand prana, life and consciousness must be seen as distinct from each other. Life is a vehicle through which consciousness manifests, and prana is the energizing force of life. When life ceases, consciousness does not. This is evident from the many well-documented cases of rebirth.