The term breatharian was made popular in the 1960s in hippy America, and one of the main places the practice was taken from was the ancient Indian practices of absorbing prana and more specifically, from yogis who practice this lifestyle.
One of the most famous labels for people who live off prana alone is ‘ breatharian‘. Breatharians are said to live on air alone, but this is actually prana they are talking about – the complete removal of food and water is what really has given rise to this term. The term breatharian was made popular in the 1960s in hippy America, and one of the main places the practice was taken from was the ancient Indian practices of absorbing prana and more specifically, from yogis who practice this lifestyle. Everybody has heard of yogis who live in the Himalayas for years and years practicing an ascetic lifestyle on their path to enlightenment. These practices are thousands of years old and in truth, there are many people in India who practice a calory restricted lifestyle. To practice a calory restricted lifestyle that incorporates techniques to improve your prana absorption does not mean you are or have to be a breatharian, but the main principles are from the same root.