Kirlian Photography: Can Science See Your Energy?

Have you ever wondered if the “energy” you feel after a deep meditation or pranayama session can actually be seen?

In the mid-1900s, a Russian couple, Semyon and Valentina Kirlian, stumbled upon something fascinating that made people ask this very question.

While repairing medical equipment in 1939, Semyon noticed a strange effect. When a hand, leaf, or any object was placed on a photographic plate connected to a high-voltage source, it produced a luminous corona of light, like a delicate, glowing halo.

What intrigued people most was not the electricity itself, but what it seemed to reveal: a subtle energy field surrounding living beings. Many began to wonder if this glowing outline was more than just a physical phenomenon, and if it was capturing what ancient yogic and spiritual traditions had long described as the human aura, the field of Prana or life energy that radiates from within.

This discovery soon came to be known as Kirlian Photography, a term that continues to inspire both scientific curiosity and spiritual imagination to this day.

What Is Kirlian Photography?

Kirlian photography involves placing an object such as a leaf, coin, or even a fingertip on a photographic plate connected to a high-frequency electric field. When the current passes, the object emits a visible discharge, producing a bright, colourful outline on the photograph.

To the curious eye, this looked remarkably like an “energy body.” Early researchers suggested it might capture the life force, what yogic philosophy calls Prana. Some even observed that physical and emotional changes seemed to alter these corona patterns, hinting that the camera might detect subtle energetic shifts in living beings.

In the 1970s and 80s, many experiments tried to determine whether Kirlian photography could reflect changes in human emotion or health. One of the most intriguing cases was the “phantom leaf effect”, where even after a part of a leaf was cut off, its complete outline still appeared in the photograph. For many, this was clear evidence of an invisible energetic template, an aura, existing beyond the physical form.

Then came the “modern scientific” explanations. Researchers began claiming that these effects were caused by moisture, temperature, and pressure variations, not by any mystical forces. According to them, the glowing coronas were merely electrical discharges reacting to environmental conditions—fascinating, yes, but nothing “spiritual.”

Of course, this is the same “modern science” that once believed intelligent women were witches and that the Earth was flat. It seems that anything not yet understood is often quickly dismissed.

But as yoga reminds us, the unseen does not become unreal simply because our instruments cannot yet measure it.

The Modern Research Scene

While mainstream science politely stepped back from the idea of “auras,” the curiosity never completely disappeared. In fact, several researchers in Russia and Eastern Europe continued refining the concept, rebranding it under a far more “acceptable” scientific name, Gas Discharge Visualisation (GDV).

GDV devices claim to measure stress, vitality, and energy flow by studying electrical discharges from the fingertips. Some studies even report correlations with measurable physiological parameters like heart rate variability, skin conductance, and autonomic balance. It sounds a lot like modern science trying to describe Prana without saying the word.

Still, the larger scientific community maintains its characteristic caution. There is, they say, no conclusive evidence (for them, of course) that GDV or Kirlian photography captures any “energy field” beyond the physical. They continue to insist that factors like skin moisture, grounding, and humidity are responsible for the mysterious glow.

In other words, what yogic wisdom has described for thousands of years as Pranic flow is, in their view, just sweaty fingers and static electricity.

Why It’s Still Captivating

Even though its scientific credibility remains a topic of debate, Kirlian photography continues to fascinate artists, healers, and yoga practitioners alike. For many, it’s not about scientific proof, but about symbolism and connection.

In Yoga, we understand that the human being is made up of multiple layers, the Pancha Koshas, from the physical body (Annamaya Kosha) to the energetic (Pranamaya Kosha) and beyond. The possibility of capturing even a glimpse of these subtle layers seems to mirror this ancient understanding beautifully.

Swami Satyananda Saraswati of the Bihar School of Yoga even references this research in his book Mudra Vigyan, acknowledging the curiosity it sparked within yogic circles.

To most, Kirlian photography remains a kind of modern metaphor, a visual echo of the timeless truth that energy and consciousness permeate every cell of our being. It stands at an interesting crossroads between science and spirituality.

While researchers continue to reinterpret it through experimental lenses, yoga offers a far more direct experience that energy is not something external to be photographed, but an inner current to be felt, balanced, and expanded.

In practice, the awareness of this subtle energy doesn’t require a device. Through Pranayama, Meditation, and Mindful Asana, practitioners can directly sense changes in their inner state. The calm after deep breathing, the lightness following Shavasana, or the inner glow during meditation, these are not coincidences; they are experiences of Pranic flow and energetic harmony.

So even if Kirlian photography never “proves” the aura, it serves as a vivid reminder that energy is life itself, something every sincere practitioner already knows from within.

At Ayushman Yog, we invite every seeker to explore these deeper layers of existence, not through machines or lenses, but through conscious living, mindful practice, and the radiant awareness that yoga naturally awakens.