YO G A | PR A N AYA M A

How to Work With the 5 Prana Vayus in Practice

Jeanne Heileman 5 min.

In the yoga tradition, life force, or prana , is often categorized into different vayus . Vayu means “wind” or “air,” with each prana
vayu described as a different way that prana moves through the body. The tradition holds that when these vayus are
functioning optimally, they help the mind improve its function and allows us to realize our greatest potential.

Let's look at the f ive main vayus and how they can help us in both our practice and our daily lives.

APANA VAYU

This vayu rules downward and outward movement in our body (i.e., all elimination). Nearly everything going into our body
must go out. This applies to food, drink, and breath. This vayu is also associated with the female menstrual cycle, the act of
giving birth, and male ejaculation. When a woman’s cycle is on schedule and she is able to conceive and give birth, it is said
to be a sign that apana vayu is healthy. Being able to eliminate regularly is considered another sign. If there is too much
elimination of any type, then apana vayu is considered weak (due to its inability to control the outward movement).  

Apana vayu applies to the mind’s ability to let go of diff icult thoughts and memories, rather than hold on to them. When this
is healthy, one is said to be able to experience a diff iculty, process it, and then release it while maintaining hope and
positivity. But when this vayu is weak, the mind may be busy with constant worries.

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A weak or blocked apana can create a feeling of being ungrounded and unsupported. By directing prana downward, to the
base of the spine (breathing as though we could inhale down to the base of the spine), and then out through the legs and
feet (exhaling as though we could exhale down through our legs and out through our feet), we open to and connect with the
earth, inviting healing and a sense of being grounded. (Note: Although we understand that oxygen may not move past the
lining of the lungs, except via the bloodstream, remember that we are speaking here about prana.)  

How to Direct Prana Through Apana Vayu

Inhale: Let the breath move in through the nose, and with mental attention, follow it it to the base of the spine (to the pelvic
floor).

Exhale: Exhale as if you could feel the breath move down through the legs and out through the feet, plugging you into the
planet.

Working With This Vayu in Asana

If you feel weak in the areas of elimination, try practicing these types of poses, and see how you feel afterward.

• Standing poses

• Seated forward folds

• Seated twists

SAMANA VAYU

The second prana pathway is samana vayu . This vayu rules the equalizing and balancing action of all that we ingest. When
food and drink enter our bodies, we need to digest, assimilate, and process the matter before we can eliminate. Problems
with digestion are considered a result of a blockage in this vayu. A feeling of depletion can be a sign of a weak samana vayu.  

On a mental level, the role of samana vayu is to digest information and experiences, taking in what is useful and eliminating
what is not. It follows that if samana vayu is strong, we are able to process a diff iculty by turning it into a learning experience
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and then let go of any negativity (via apana vayu) that might weigh us down.   

The inability to think and talk about diff icult experiences is considered a sign of blocked samana. 

To access samana vayu, we need to “direct” the breath to the center of the torso and envision it being evenly distributed
around the entire cylinder of the body. For some, breathing into the belly can feel wrong; it might lead to a feeling of self-
consciousness (since so many of us are taught to “suck in” our bellies) or of losing control. I often remind my students that
our bodies were designed to breathe this way, that air has no calories, and that it’s safe to allow the breath to explore this
region of the body. Being able to access this middle region helps us connect to our gut, to our power, and to our inner
intelligence.  

How to Direct Prana Through Samana Vayu
Inhale: Let the breath move in through the nose and f ill the f ront, sides, and back of of the torso evenly. While the f ront belly
will expand somewhat, keeping it gently contained will allow the side waist and mid back to expand equally around the
radius of the body’s center.

Exhale: Move the breath evenly throughout the body, distributing the energy evenly.

And then...

Inhale: Let the breath f ill the cylinder of the torso as before.

Exhale: Move the breath deeper inward, toward a small ball of f ire or light within the center of the body that increases in
intensity with each round.

Working With This Vayu in Asana

Poses that activate samana include:

• Standing, seated, and supine twists

• Abdominal work, including plank and chaturanga dandasana

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• Forward folds, especially seated

• Arm balances

A strong, healthy samana vayu is also said to help with balancing in inversions. Many of my students f ind that focusing on
samana vayu in inverted postures helps them to move these poses away f rom the wall.  

PRANA VAYU

The third vayu is called prana vayu . It shares the name of the prana vayus as a whole because it is considered the most
fundamental of the f ive. This vayu rules inward motion, including all that we take into our bodies. Physically, this vayu relates
to the actions of inhaling, eating, drinking, and swallowing.  

Mentally, prana vayu applies to the f ive senses and what we feed them. This vayu can be weakened by exposure to extremely
loud or consistent noise, watching violent television shows or negative news before retiring, listening to angry or sad songs—
basically any sensory overload. Because most of us live in very stimulating environments, we are often unaware of excess
stimulation and the need for silence and space. With a healthy prana vayu, one is able to walk away f rom seductive
stimulants and cultivate silence, allowing time to turn the attention inward. When this vayu is weakened, the mind cannot
focus in order to meditate.  

How To Direct Prana Through Prana Vayu

During both asana and pranayama practices, try this:

Inhale: As you allow breath to flow in through your nose, imagine a jeweled chalice pouring the f reshest breath into your
lungs. Focus on your lungs f illing with air, as if you could taste its f resh quality.

Exhale: Rather than imagining pushing the breath away f rom you, allow prana to linger as the exhale moves through the
lining of the lungs. Keep your attention inside, as if enjoying the aftertaste of the most delicious inhale possible.

Try this during meditation:

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Inhale: Allow breath to lightly flow through the nose and move to the center of the mind.

Exhale: See the breath turn into a white light, washing the mind f ree of clutter and noise.

Working With This Vayu in Asana

Poses that activate prana vayu include:

• All backbends

• Virabhadrasana I (warrior I), utkatasana (chair pose), and utthita hastasana (arms raised overhead) in tadasana (mountain
pose)

• Savasana (corpse pose)

Meditation is also excellent for activating and balancing prana vayu.

UDANA VAYU

The fourth vayu, udana, relates to the upward movement of our bodies and our perspectives. It is said to govern physical
growth. Mentally, a healthy udana vayu is associated with the willingness to reach beyond general limitations—for example,
by accepting challenges for career or personal growth. When it is weaker, one may have a tendency to become more
stagnant in their career, in their life, and even in their yoga practice. An example is choosing to stay at a job without mental
stimulation and that leads nowhere, or the inability to speak up for one’s self and needs, or a lack of enthusiasm and will. Too
much udana vayu, on the other hand, is associated with pride, willfulness, and arrogance.

To access udana, breathe f rom the feet or pelvic floor (if seated) all the way up the spine and exhale through the throat
(the region of the body that udana is said to rule). Mentally following the rise of the rib cage as you inhale will help you
expand in the upper chest and back, open the shoulder joints, and create a brighter perspective.

How to Direct Prana Through Udana Vayu

For standing, supine, prone, and seated poses:
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Inhale: Imagine the breath moving up f rom the earth into the soles of the feet and climbing up the legs, through the spine,
and up the chest.

Exhale: Invite the energy to continue moving upward through the crown of your head.

Inhale: Same as noted above.

Exhale: Let the breath release through the throat region as you exhale through the nose, releasing any tension in the throat,
jaw, and teeth.

For inverted postures:

Inhale: Imagine that the breath begins at the hands and/or arms, whichever is in contact with the floor. Let it continue
moving up the arms and torso as you lengthen your inhale.

Exhale: Move the breath through the legs and out through the soles of the feet.

Working With This Vayu in Asana

Applying the breathwork described above can be particularly helpful during inversions where you feel compressed in the
neck, arms, and shoulders; standing poses where you may be feeling compressed and stuck in your legs, (warrior I, chair pose,
eagle pose); and seated forward folds where the spine is collapsing forward.

Backbends—particularly belly backbends—can activate udana vayu.

VYANA VAYU

The f inal vayu, vyana vayu , moves f rom the center outward. This is the opposite of samana vayu, which draws everything f rom
the outside inward to the center. Based in the area of the heart, vyana vayu represents the whole body, the skin, the energy
that radiates past the boundary of our skin, and supports our optimal health.

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Vyana vayu relates to circulation on all levels—f rom the circulation of food, water, and oxygen throughout the body, to
keeping the emotions and thoughts circulating. Healthy circulation allows nutrients to reach where they are needed, the
absorption of those nutrients, the release of energy f rom the absorption, and the elimination of wastes. Thus, this vayu
supports the operation of all the other vayus.  

On the mental level, vyana vayu relates to ideas and emotions being able to flow f reely. Those who are able to express
themselves in loving ways, those who are fearless and outgoing, and those who circulate and expand in the world are
believed to have a healthy vyana vayu. Ineff icient vyana is associated with separation, alienation, and hatred due to an
extreme limitation of thoughts or emotions. The same separation is said to result when vyana is in excess, causing ideas and
emotions to disintegrate due to the excess.

How to Direct Prana Through Vyana Vayu

Inhale: Let the breath draw f rom the nose to the heart, and even move to the back of the heart (into the deepest, darkest
corners).

Exhale: Imagine the breath moving out through the arms and legs and through the length of the torso. Imagine the breath
moving out through every pore in the body, expanding you beyond the boundary of your skin.

Working with This Vayu in Asana

Poses that activate vyana vayu include:

• Backbends

• Lateral (side bending) postures

• Sun salutations

• Savasana

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

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These f ive pathways are tools that help us heal the various aspects of ourselves and move toward unity of mind, body, and
spirit. They also come in handy when we practice our yoga poses. For example, breathing with the direction of udana vayu in
inversions and arm balances can help us move higher and with a lighter lift. Breathing in the direction of apana vayu helps us
to ground ourselves in standing postures—particularly those that require us to balance on one foot—and helps us go deeper
in our seated forward folds. It can also bring a sense of calm and inner strength. Using the breathing directions of prana vayu
or vyana vayu in backbends can help us protect the lower back by elongating the thoracic spine, allowing the backbends to
bloom f rom our hearts. Samana vayu awareness helps us in twists and abdominal exercises, moving us more deeply f rom our
center and connecting us to an inner power.    

It is exciting to experience how all f ive vayus occur at the same time in a pose. In trikonasana (triangle pose), for example, we
could feel apana vayu move down our legs and root our feet into the floor as we feel udana vayu elongate our spines out f rom
the pelvis. At the same time, samana vayu aids the twisting of the center, and prana vayu allows the expansion of the lungs.
All of these actions lead to the role of vyana vayu, which celebrates the extension of the arms and the joy of the whole pose.
Thus, trikonasana can become more than just a side body stretch with a little f ront hamstring lengthening. It becomes a
means of opening the channels of prana to allow energy to radiate through our whole being.  

If we explore our postures in this way, they will be new and exciting for us—as we use our life force to increase our energy
while we strengthen our muscles. When we build energy, we build more strength than muscles alone can provide. We
develop power that provides the courage to take any actions we wish, enabling us to become a positive force in our world.
When we are aligned with good intentions, we can do whatever we want with this energy, feeling our lives flourish in
harmony with nature.  

That is the real goal of yoga. Our practice may also end up giving us toned arms and the ability to balance a handstand in the
middle of the room, but with this newfound limitless potential, we may not even notice our arms. We’ll be too busy radiating
with the prana awakened within us. With the wise use of life force in the form of prana vayus, we’ll be well-positioned to do
our part in making the world a better place.

Related Topics breath training

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ABOUT THE TEACHER

Jeanne Heileman

Jeanne Heileman has been practicing and studying yoga for 27 years and teaching for 17 years. She received... Read more