PRANA & ITS DIFFERENT LOCATIONS the VAYUS

PRANA & ITS DIFFERENT LOCATIONS the VAYUS

PRANA & ITS DIFFERENT LOCATIONS – the VAYUS

  1. PRANA: breath or in-breath, lit. breathing forth
  • Region of the chest and heart
  • Controls the movement of breath
  • Absorbs atmospheric energy
  • Controls speech and respiratory systems
  • Activated by the in-breath, but its natural direction is upwards.
  • Draws the life force into the body; linked to thought (ajna chakra)
  • Controls absorption of prana in its main function as “entrance” pole
  • Dwells in eye, ear, nose and mouth (Prasna Up. QIII.& IV “the sun is the prana of the universe, and it rises to bring light to our eyes”, ”prana is the fire that faces eastward”.
  • the colour of prana is the colour of blood or a rose pink colour like a coral
  1. APANA out-breath
  • Lower abdomen, including anus; related to svadisthanamuladhara chakras
  • Helps to discharge urine, semen, faeces
  • Kidney, colon, rectum, bladder, genitals
  • Activated by the out-breath
  • Direction is downwards and outwards
  • Animates the kidneys, filters the urine, releases the sphincters during urination and empties bladder
  • Directs stool towards the rectum, releases anal sphincter and expels waste
  • Releases menses, discharges sperm and functions during childbirth
  • Eliminates excess water during perspiration
  • Expels gas residues through respiratory tracts
  • “Apana, the downward force, in the organs of sex and of excretion”. ”The earth draws the lower fire of apana”; “Apana is like the holy hearth-fire ever burning in the householder’s shrine”
  • “the site where the dirt resides and therefore the seat of disease”; Yoga for Body Breath & Mind, A.G. Mohan, Shambhala Press2002, page 179
  1. SAMANA mid breath
  • Middle of the trunk, principally between diaphragm and navel; manipura chakra
  • Provides energy
  • Digests and assimilates nutrients
  • Activates heart and circulatory system in general
  • Metabolism
  • Stokes the gastric fires
  • “the equalising force dwells in the middle and digests food and kindles the seven fires”; The space between sun and earth is samana”; “samana is the equalising fire that balances inward and outward breath, the offering made by the mind”
  • its colour is something between milk and crystal, and it shines
  1. UDANA up breath
  • Works in the throat; Vishuddi chakra
  • Controls vocal chords, speech and intake of air and food
  • Controls mechanism of breathing and swallowing
  • Controls parts of body above the larynx
  • Raises energy from lower spine to brain
  • Enables thought to express itself, regulates the air supply and the tension of the vocal cords when we speak
  • Propels the soul up sushumna out of the body at the time of death and to its next destination
  • “leads the selfless up the long ladder of evolution and the selfish down”; fire is udana. When that fire goes out, the senses are drawn back into the mind and the person is ready for rebirth; Udana is the fruit of dreamless sleep, in which the mind is led close to the Self.”
  • pale white in colour
  1. VYANA through breath
  • Pervades the entire body
  • Regulates all processes of life
  • Ensures blood and lymph circulation
  • Circulates energy along the nerves
  • Distributes the life force, chiefly through the action of the heart and lungs
  • Harmonises and activates limbs, associated muscles, ligaments, nerves, joints
  • controls the voluntary and involuntary movements of the muscles and joints
  • Responsible for erect posture of body, keeps the body upright by generating unconscious reflexes along the spine
  • Anahata chakra
  • it helps all the other vayus to operate properly
  • controls the physical nerves and the subtle astral nerves (nadis)

FIVE MORE SUBSIDIARY ENERGIES: UPAVAYUS

  1. NAGA
  • Relieves pressure on the abdomen by BELCHING
  1. KURMA
  • Controls the movement of the EYELIDS, prevents foreign matter entering the eye and contracts and dilates the pupils
  1. KRIKARA
  • Controls SNEEZING and COUGHING
  • Prevents entry of, and ejects any unwanted matter
  1. DEVEDATTA
  • Causes YAWNING, induces SLEEP
  1. DHANARRAJAYA
  • Produces PHLEGM to protect the membranes, may remain in the body after death and cause swelling. some say it causes the decomposition of the body after death

Bibliography:

B.K.S Iyengar, Light on Pranayama George Allen & Unwin

Upanishads, E.Easwaran

A.van Lysebeth: the Yoga of Breathing Unwin

G. Feuerstein The Yoga TraditionHohm Press

Asana Pranayama MudraBandha Bihar School

Barbara Powell Windows into the Infinite Jain Publishing

Stephen SturgessThe Yoga Book Motilal Publishers

GherandaSamhita S.C. VasuSatguru Pubs

L.Isaacson 10/2013

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