Prana is the Sanskrit word for the Universal Life Force, that energy which exists everywhere in the universe, which comes from Source/Spirit/God. In Mandarin Chinese, the word is qi, in Cantonese,chi, in Japanese, ki, in Polynesian, mana, in Hebrew, barraka,... whatever the language, the energy is the same, and comes from the same place. This is the same "chi" as in tai chi and
In pranic healing, first the practitioner clears and assesses the aura of the person receiving the treatment or healing. Then the practitioner assesses the chakras, or energy centers of the "healee". Next, the practitioner removes any excess/dirty/dis-eased/unwanted prana from the chakra(s) and projects clean healthy prana back into the chakra(s). Finally, the practitioner clears and seals the aura. During the process, the practitioner operates in the aura of the healee, and does not touch the subject, i.e., this is a hands-off healing modality. Of course, this explanation is a nutshell version of the procedure, but it gives an idea of the process.
When performing pranic healing, the practitioner does not use her/his own prana. The prana is drawn in, either through the hand, the crown, or another chakra, and channeled into the healee. Often the prana is taken directly from the air, but it can also be taken from a tree, from the Earth, or from water (especially salt water). Similarly, the practitioner does not take in the prana removed from the healee. Instead, the "dirty" prana, removed from the healee, is cast into salt water, or into a "pranic fire". Thus, the healer does not incur any depletion of personal chi or prana, and does not take on the dis-ease of the healee.
Pranic healing has existed as a traditional healing technique for centuries. In recent years, it has been formalized into a system by Choa Kok Sui of the Philippines, who has written several books detailing pranic healing methods and, in his Advanced Pranic Healing (Simon Weiser, Inc.), which contains all the information needed to understand and practice, "cookbook-type recipes" of techniques to follow for specific physical issues, and color pictures to help the reader visualize the colors referenced. Choa has organized the Institute of Pranic Healing, Inc., through which pranic healing is taught throughout the world, by franchised instructors. (The Institute of Pranic Healing's website has been, until this writing, the only information on the Internet that I have found.) The term, pranic healing, however, as it exists traditionally, cannot be trademarked. There are other, independent practitioners and instructors throughout the world, who practice and teach the same pranic healing methods as well, and other books which detail the same information found in Choa's books.
