Paramhansa Yogananda’s Healing Techniques

“Heavenly father, thou are present in every atom, every cell, every corpuscle, in every particle of nerve, brain, and tissue. I am well, for Thou are in all my body parts. I shall recognize all disease as the result of my transgressions against health laws, and I shall try to undo the evil by right eating, less eating, fasting, more exercise, and right thinking.”

— Praeceptum Prayer

Why are diseases caused

Human life can be compared to a house fitted with three windows of the body, mind and the soul. Through these windows flows in the divine light of God which is responsible for the perfect health, mental equanimity and soul enlightenment of man. However through wrong use of the god given independence, man closes these windows of life through which conscious cosmic rays flow and he creates the darkness of physical disease, mental disquietude or abysmal soul-ignorance. To be healed man must again, through self-effort, open these health giving windows of life.

As darkness cannot remain where there is light, so also the light of God's perfect presence felt in the body can drive away the darkness of disease. All we have to do is to turn towards this light. Through the use of master’s healing techniques we learn how to turn towards this light and to use the power of god within us to cure ourselves and others.

Theory for healing

Each thought within our mind - thought of depression, happiness , irritability, calmness etc - cuts subtle grooves in brain cells and strengthens the tendencies towards sickness or well -being. Stubborn mental or physical diseases always have roots in the subconscious and may be cured by pulling out its hidden roots.

Master gave very specific healing techniques to pull out these hidden roots to remove those disharmonies which change into disease. These techniques work at physical , mental and spiritual levels.

Cosmic energy is all around us and by means of pranayama, we are able to pull this prana into the body through medulla. And by gazing upwards towards the spiritual eye, we can use the infinite power of God, that lies in the prefrontal cortex, to remove all physical, mental material disease by cauterizing the disease causing brain cells which otherwise only get erased after actual suffering. Hence Kriya is the supreme healing technique as it does both of these. However the other specific healing techniques given by the Master are also very useful and can be thought of as “baby kriyas”.

Few healing techniques given by Yogananda

Common Guidelines for practicing these techniques

Since healing is about “arousing” the life force within us , all these techniques need to be done with strong will and energy - “ Greater the will, greater is the flow of energy”
Mind should be concentrated
We should deeply commune with god

Double inhalation with tension

Timing

Can be done anytime

Benefits

This exercise is simple but very powerful for arousing the life force within us
Swamiji said It can be even used when facing any fear or hurt

Method

Double inhalation with tension in the whole body.
While tensing, bring into focus all the issues which we are facing (known or unknown which are manifesting as issues).
Hold the tension for 20 counts
Exhale with double breath making the sound of “who whoooo” while exhaling from mouth.
Do three rounds

Even count breathing with walking

Timing

To be done while walking

Benefits

This is a very powerful technique because this combines both exercise and breathing to arouse the life force.
Also if walking outside the body is exposed to sunlight which is another source of prana. Master said that both sunlight and oxygen generate life force by the mere fact of exposing ourselves to it.

Method

Start walking outside
While walking inhale to count of 6, hold 6 and exhale 6 (This can be increased to count of 12)
Do 6 rounds to start with ( This can be taken upto 24 rounds)
Optional - Keep the gaze/ attention focused at point between the eyebrows

Superconscious Healing Technique

Timing

To be done after after hong-sau or kriya in a state of meditation

Benefits

This technique has healed people from paralysis, grief of loss and other very long suffering

Method

In deep meditation, gather all of your energy and focus it at the spiritual eye.

Transform that energy into a laser beam of blazing light and shine that light first on your brain, instantly burning all negative mental thoughts and habits. See it moving like a torch in the darkness right and left and up and down scorching whatever seeds of karma are there as grooves in the brain (maybe tendency to low self esteem or memories of past traumatic incidents) which are all grooved in our brain. See the laser beam burning, cauterizing and pulverizing these grooves. Seeing the light as substituting these grooves with new brain cells with opposite thoughts and qualities .
Then mentally shine this light throughout the body and to any specific part needing healing. See light reaching your heart and transmuting sorrows and griefs into light freeing you, healing you. Keep sending light at deeper and deeper levels of the heart.

Command Method

Timing

To be done after hong-sau or kriya in a state of meditation. Can be combined with Superconscious healing technique also.

Method

Strongly and deeply with a lot of devotion command god and say, “I and my Father are one. I command thy divine power within me to cauterize my brain cells of wrong habits and past seed tendencies.”
And then command your own brain cells and say, “I command my brain cells to change, to destroy the grooves of bad habits that have made a puppet out of me. Lord, burn them up in Thy divine light.”

Longer / Deeper Prayer Technique

Timing

Can be done anytime

Method

Sit erect. Gently tense and relax the whole body. Calm yourself.
Touch the medulla once, in order to make it easier for you to concentrate on it. Then visualize Cosmic Energy surrounding and entering the body through the medulla and at the point between the eyebrows, and pouring into the spine.
Feel the energy flowing down the whole length of your two arms into the hands. Continue tensing and relaxing and feeling the life force flow from the medulla and at the point between the eyebrows through the spine to the hands.
Then stop tensing and relaxing and firmly rub the entire bare left arm with the right palm (up and down, several times). Do the same to the right arm with the left palm.

Then separate the hands and lift the arms upward. You will feel the life current flowing from the medulla into the spine, especially through both arms and hands, with a pricking, tingling sensation. Your energy-magnetized hands may be used either for curing any diseased part of your own body or some other person who need not be in your immediate vicinity, for it is not necessary to touch your patient.

Use the prayer before sending healing - "Divine Mother, Thou art omnipresent. Thou art in all Thy children. Thou art in {name of person who needs healing}, manifest Thy healing presence in his/ her body." Rub the palms together briskly and then hold up your hands, chant AUM three times, sending this energy to that person.

*Excerpted from a talk given by Cecilia Anoushka Sharma - ‘ The power of P. Yogananda’s healing methods’ , Divine Will Healing