Dear friends
There are two subtle but foundational principles described in yogic philosophy: Akasha and Prana.
Akasha is often translated as “space” or “ether”, but not simply empty space. It is the field in which everything arises, the quiet container that allows form, sound, thought and life itself to exist.
Prana is the vital force, the movement within that space. It is the energy that animated breath, circulated through the body and flows through all living systems.
We might say that akasha is the space that holds while prana is the life that moves within it.
These principles have felt especially alive for me these past couple of weeks.
About 12 days ago, I underwent a PRP (Platelet-rich plasma) procedure, and intentional invitation for the body to heal itself. Since then, I have been sitting with a different kind of practice. Less doing, more allowing. Healing, I am noticing, depends on both of these principles. There must be space, akasha, for the body to do its work. Space created through rest, though not pushing, through releasing the impulse to fix or control every sensation. A kind of inner spaciousness that says: something is unfolding here, even if I cannot see it.
And within that space, prana moves. Circulation increases. Subtle processes begin to knit and restore. The intelligence of the body expresses itself, not through force, but through quiet, steady activity.
What has been most striking is how much of this process asks for trust. To create space without immediately filling it. To allow healing without constantly checking, evaluating or interfering. To recognize that life is moving, even when it feels slow or invisible.
In this way, my practice lately has been less about effort and more about relationship:
Can I make space for what is happening?
Can I feel the life that is already moving within that space? This feels true not only in the body, but in the mind and in the heart as well.
There is a teaching in Jewish thought that creation begins with an act of making space (tzimtzum) a withdrawal that allows something new to emerge. And into that space flows רוח (ruach), a living breath, a divine vitality.
Perhaps healing follows a similar pattern.
With Love
Nurit