Irshad Refai, 45, is a civil engineer and architect by profession but spends most of his serving as a senior pranic healing trainer. Ask him what
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motivated him to be one and he has a story to tell!
In 1998, Refai's father Ahmed, 67, suffered from fever which continued for a year off and on. Ahmed turned critical and when tests were conducted he was found to be suffering from cancer affecting liver and doctors gave him four days.
"I was baffled. As a last resort, I took him to one of my friends Girish Desai, who was a pranic healer. There were no tests and no medicines and he applied the therapy for five days and the results were astonishing. My father lived for five more months," says Refai. "It was the turning point for me to be a pranic healer."
What's so special about pranic healing? Refai says it's simple, yet powerful and effective system of no-touch energy healing originated and developed by Choa Kok Sui of Philippines. It's one of the premium energy healing systems in the world and is instrumental in shifting a vast number of people towards spiritual perception of the universe as an 'ananta urja' (sea of energy). The therapy works on the principle that increasing life force or vital energy of the affected part of the physical body accelerates the healing process.
On its application, Refai explains research has proved that there are two bodies of humans - one energy body what we call as aura and another physical body. Pranic healing works at the auric level because disease first manifests at this level and, if detected, can be healed much faster than if treated at the physical stage. Healers are trained to discern auras by activating the 'chakras' on their palms, and at more advanced level on their fingertips.
The senior trainer who was in was in the city recently for a three-day training workshop in the city is candid in admitting that the therapy doesn't intend to replace any type of medicine. It is applied with a technique without touching the body on the aura or energy body, which is blueprint that surrounds and interpenetrates the physical body. This energy body absorbs life energy and distributed throughout the physical body. Pranic healing is not only capable of addressing simple ailments such as headaches, cold, cough, but equally capable of curing diseases like cancer, heart ailments, strokes, arthritis among other complications.
Refai cited many success stories of pranic healing, but said patients' recovery depends on age, health and of course severity of the disease. "In Nagpur, although the therapy has not been popularized the way it should have been, in Mumbai it is gaining ground and people are aware so much so that even allopaths also recognize it. In Apollo hospitals, there is special section for pranic healing and every patient has to go through it," said Refai.
In Nagpur, Refai's trainees included patients, medical students and doctors too. There are 35 centres in Maharashtra affiliated to the Yog Vidya Pranic Healing Foundation, Matunga in Mumbai, through which pranic healing is being promoted. There are 15 such foundations in India popularizing pranic healing. Two more foundations are in pipeline to promote the therapy. On December 13, Refai said he will be organizing a 'soul realization' class in Nagpur in which 100 participants will take part. He disclosed his students included even professional doctors.
Kshitij Nadkarni of Vashi in Mumbai said, he learnt pranic healing from Refai. Nadkarni works as a surgeon with a private super speciality hospital in Bangalore. He admits role of pranic healing is similar to that of physiotherapy.
"Pranic healing role is complementary. I use the therapy to treat patients suffering from stress, diabetes, blood pressure, migraine, muscle problems and other ailments. Although effective, there are no overnight solutions and much depends on receptivity of patients," Dr Nadkarni told TOI. Around 12 doctors in my group are practising it regularly, he adds.
In Nagpur, the therapy is being promoted by Avinash Lengure. Lengure admits that much needs to be done to promote pranic healing in the city on the lines of yoga and pranayam. "I've been holding workshops since 1997 without making big noise. Till now over 300 persons have been trained but most of them had come for self-treatment," Lengure said. At a workshop held at Mure Memorial Hospital this year, around 265 students took part.
Meenal Kutemate and Snehal Ginjule, both BHMS students from Chandrapur, who attended the two-day training session in the city were positive. "We were just like any other students having no direction in life and had difficulty in focusing on studies. Pranic healing has come has a big power which has washed our negative stuff and things have started changing. It is basically a law of self-recovery," the duo said.
Refai concludes saying, "I just want the people to realize the power to heal is within them, all they have to do is learn to use it."