Prana and the "Force"

Yoda using the force in Star Wars

After randomly linking the qi/prana concept with the Force in Star Wars in my previous post, it got me thinking about the parallels between the two, so I decided to explore it a little more. It turns out I wasn’t the first one to find similarities between the two concepts; there are many folks who have explored the parallels, particularly those who practice yoga.

In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker explains the Force as “an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.” In Indian culture, specifically in yoga, prana (literal definition: breath or life force) is defined as exactly that! Prana is an energy that surrounds all living things and binds us together.

Yoga is a means to channel the prana or life force. The literal meaning of the word “yoga” is union. According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs: “The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’, meaning ‘to join’ or ‘to yoke’ or ‘to unite’. As per Yogic scriptures the practice of Yoga leads to the union of individual consciousness with that of the Universal Consciousness, indicating a perfect harmony between the mind and body, Man & Nature.”

Just as the aim of yoga is to channel the internal energy to connect the body, mind and the soul to form a single powerful energy through extreme practice (called asanas) and meditation, the path of the Jedi is to control the force through extreme training and self-mastery.

Who knew Star Wars was so deep?

Sources:

https://jamescadyyoga.com/2017/12/19/prana-is-the-force/

https://www.mea.gov.in/search-result.htm?25096/Yoga:_su_origen,_historia_y_desarrollo

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