Chakra

Vinu V et al. (2026) · Cureus

This qualitative study with 12 Pranic Healing facilitators (PHFs) from across India explored what practitioners themselves experience while performing Pranic Healing (PH), a non-touch energy-healing practice built on the idea of prana, a life-force energy that several traditions describe as flowing through the body and supporting health. PH works with the aura (the body's energy field) and chakras (energy centers), which practitioners say they can sense with trained hands. Most prior PH research measured outcomes in people receiving healing; this study instead asked the healers what happens to them. Researchers conducted 60- to 90-minute telephone interviews with 12 certified facilitators (six women, six men, average age 49, with 6-26 years of practice) from six regions of India, using 13 open-ended questions covering their experiential, psychological, and self-development perspectives. Responses were analyzed through inductive thematic coding, then reinterpreted using a critical-realist framework that separates what people directly experience, what actually happens during a session, and what deeper mechanism might explain both, building toward a layered model of the Pranic Healing process. Facilitators consistently described sensing energy through their palms during three practice steps: scanning (assessing a person's energy field), cleansing (clearing "depleted" or "congested" energy), and energizing (projecting fresh prana, sometimes visualized in specific colors), reporting sensations like warmth, tingling, pressure, and color perception. Beyond these practice-related experiences, facilitators reported broader personal change: greater calm and emotional stability (hedonic well-being, meaning feeling good) and a stronger sense of purpose, confidence, and compassion (eudaimonic well-being, meaning functioning well and realizing one's potential), which the authors frame as psychological flourishing. Several also linked their own recovery from minor complaints, like allergies or migraines, to self-practice, and a few described brief, uncomfortable sensations such as skin irritation or localized pain during sessions, managed with rituals like salt-water rinses. The authors stress these are the facilitators' own retrospective impressions, not measurements taken by researchers. The resulting model proposes that Pranic Healing techniques act as a trigger that interacts with body sensation, energy-field beliefs, psychological traits, and awareness to produce these reported experiences (a theory for future testing, not a proven mechanism). With only 12 participants, all experienced volunteers from one training organization in one country, the findings cannot be generalized to new practitioners, other cultures, or to people receiving PH as patients. No health condition was tested or treated in this study; it describes practitioner experience only, and future research with objective measures is needed.

Tiffany J Barsotti et al. (2023) · Explore (New York, N.Y.)

This exploratory study investigates the effects of encountering a sacred object, specifically the Sri Yantra / Durga Stone, on human biofield responses. The significance of this research lies in its potential to bridge traditional healing practices with modern scientific understanding, particularly in the context of enhancing well-being through sacred objects. The study aims to explore how such encounters influence emotional and physical health, addressing a gap in existing literature regarding the biofield and sacred spaces. The study employed a pre-post single group design with a sample size of 17 participants, aged 38 to 79, consisting of 12 women and 5 men, all of whom provided informed consent. Participants engaged with the sacred object by placing their hand on the Sri Yantra / Durga Stone for up to 3 minutes, optionally reciting a mantra. Outcomes were measured using a Bio-Well device, which assessed emotional pressure, energy levels, and readings from various organ systems before and after the encounter. The intervention was conducted at the Sri Narayani Golden Temple in Vellore, India, with no specific treatment provided beyond the encounter itself. Results indicated a significant increase in the overall Bio-Well energy state, with baseline levels of 53.78 significantly lower than pre-exposure levels of 60.54 (p = 0.005) and post-exposure levels of 66.78 (p < 0.001). Significant changes were also observed in cardiovascular (F(2,32) = 11.441, p < 0.001) and endocrine system assessments (F(2,32) = 10.34, p = 0.001). However, emotional pressure and left/right symmetry measures did not show significant changes (p = 0.017 and p = 0.156, respectively). Participants reported enhanced feelings of energy, emotional balance, and a sense of peace, with no adverse events noted during the study. The findings suggest that exposure to sacred objects may enhance emotional and physical well-being, indicating potential therapeutic applications in clinical settings. However, the study's limitations include the absence of a control group and the short duration of exposure, which may affect the validity and generalizability of the results. Practitioners may consider incorporating similar interventions into therapeutic practices to explore their benefits further. Future research should include control conditions and longer engagement times with sacred objects to better assess their effects on the human biofield and overall health.

Madhu Pandey et al. (2025) · Annals of neurosciences

This study explores the therapeutic benefits of 'Vancharya', a nature-based intervention, on the bio-field of young adults. The research involved 50 participants and aimed to assess the impact of this ancient practice on various subtle energy systems, revealing significant improvements in energy metrics and overall well-being. The findings suggest that 'Vancharya' could serve as a valuable therapeutic option for enhancing mental health among young adults. The study employed a non-experimental single-group pre- and post-research design with a sample size of 50 college students aged 17-19. Participants engaged in a seven-day intervention that included activities such as alternate nostril breathing, tree hugging, and listening to bird sounds, all conducted in a mango orchard setting. Outcomes were measured using a Biowell machine, which assessed parameters like aura field, chakra alignment, and stress levels before and after the intervention. Each session lasted one hour and occurred daily for seven consecutive days. Results indicated significant improvements in the aura field (AF: M pre = 36.94, M post = 44.82, t = −12.40, p < .001), overall chakra alignment (OCA: M pre = 63.52, M post = 79.72, t = −7.44, p < .001), and overall chakra energy (OCE: M pre = 4.16, M post = 5.07, t = −8.44, p < .001). However, stress levels (SL: M pre = 6.79, M post = 5.58, p = 1.000) and overall energy levels (OEL: M pre = 45.61, M post = 49.38, p = .133) did not show significant changes. Participants reported qualitative improvements such as enhanced emotional stability and clarity of thought, with no adverse events noted during the study. The findings suggest that 'Vancharya' may enhance emotional regulation and sleep quality among young adults, making it a potential addition to wellness programs aimed at addressing mental health issues. However, the study's limitations, including a small sample size and the lack of significant changes in stress levels, highlight the need for further research. The authors propose 'Vancharya' as a candidate component of mental health interventions, and call for longer intervention durations and more diverse populations to validate these results and understand the mechanisms involved.