Pranic Awakening to Healing: My Journey Through the Eight Spiritual Breaths By Bhakti Bane
A Sudden Surge
In 2014, during a Past Life Regression retreat, a powerful breath work session completely changed the course of my life. I suddenly experienced a profound, blissful awakening of pranic force, marked by a spontaneous and temporary suspension of my breath. At first, I felt an overwhelming sense of joy, expansion and intense bliss; as if something magnificent had awakened deep within me.
However, the experience quickly turned physically intense. My body was completely unprepared to accommodate the enormous surge of energy and the initial peace gave way to severe physical discomfort. At the time, I lacked the language to explain what was happening and had no idea how to ground or channel this force. Years later, I finally found answers and understood this life‑altering event. It was Pranotthana - the heightened activation and upward movement of Prana through the subtle nervous system.
It felt like a powerful current, accompanied by a sense of a rising snake - a vivid symbol for the release of pranic force.
Pranotthana: Process of Preparation
Because my core sense of identity remained completely intact, I realised Pranotthana wasn't a sudden shift in consciousness, but a vital phase of preparation; a way for my physical body to gradually expand its capacity for higher energy and deeper transformation. An analogy that resonates deeply with me is that of steam rising from boiling water: the steam is the release of prana, and the boiling water is Kundalini, which is still at the base of the spine.
The most difficult part of my journey was not the original experience; it was what came afterward. For nearly eight years, I struggled with physical discomfort and experiences I could not properly interpret. I was searching for an explanation without knowing what questions to ask.
From Awakening to Healing
Eventually, I was led to my Guru, Santosh Sachdeva, and the practice of The Eight Spiritual Breaths. For me, this became one of the greatest turning points of my life. I stopped chasing unusual experiences.
I focused on The Eight Spiritual Breaths which gave me a structured way to work with breath and energy rather than becoming overwhelmed by them. Gradually, what had once felt scattered began to feel organised. The greatest transformation was not what happened during the practice, but what began happening after many years of practice.
My regular sadhana of The Eight Spiritual Breaths transformed me at multiple levels—physical, emotional, nervous, energetic, ancestral, and spiritual. I experienced the practice as a process of purification and restructuring. My nervous system became calmer. I felt more grounded and centred. I moved from reactive fear toward greater conscious awareness and instinctive strength. Emotionally, I became more balanced.
Old patterns and identities began to loosen, particularly those connected with deeper aspects of the subconscious mind. As old patterns were released, new pathways of energy and awareness seemed to develop. My inner programming changed. Shadow aspects became easier to recognise and integrate. Intuition deepened. I experienced a greater sense of energetic balance and what I perceived as an expansion of my auric field.
I also became increasingly aware of the relationship between breath, the nervous system, the heart, the brain, and the subtle energetic system. The gradual activation of Ajna became another significant part of my journey. This awakening gave me the psychological stability to observe the profound physical and energetic shifts objectively, rather than becoming overwhelmed or distressed by them. It allowed me to anchor myself in deep understanding, ensuring I could process the experience safely without losing my mental balance.
Many of these transformations revealed themselves through visions, which I understand are a symbolic language through which my inner process was communicating with me.
What My Sadhana Taught Me
My journey has taught me that an intense spiritual experience does not have to become a source of fear. I believe there may be many people today experiencing unusual energetic or spiritual phenomena without having the language to understand them. I share my story to offer hope to anyone who may be going through an intense pranic experience and feels confused. Whether such experiences are interpreted spiritually, psychologically or physiologically, what matters is approaching them with balance, humility and proper support.
The Eight Spiritual Breaths did not simply give me another spiritual experience. They gave me a way to live with and integrate the experience I had already received.
The author can be contacted via email on bhaktibane84@gmail.com
