“Prana is born of the Self. Like a man and his shadow, the Self and Prana are inseparable. Prana enters the body at birth, that the desires of the mind, continuing from past lives, may be fulfilled.” ~ Prashna Upanishad 3:3

Prana is the life force energy. Pranayama, then, is the harnessing of this energy, controlling it, by practicing the movement of subtle energy throughout the body. Prana is a Sanskrit word that means literally “to bring forth the breath” or “to bring forth life.” It is also synonymous with “breath of life, breath, respiration, vitality, vigor, energy, power and spirit.”

Prana is also the energy infusing the entire universe—the life force permeating the vast cosmos, the universal prana. There is a connection between prana and the air element. Air is necessary for most life, and thus, breath is life. Consider the universal prana as the breath, the air, and the life within all sentient beings. In Hindu traditions, the cosmic consciousness is referred to as Brahman, while the energy animating all living things is known as prana. Prana is both a part of the larger Brahman and the connector of material existence to the cosmic consciousness.

Because prana encompasses both the astral and subtle energies of sentient beings, it directly influences their inner state, which is reflected in their breath. When one is angry or stressed, one’s breathing is usually labored and irregular; when one is afraid, the breathing is often shallow and rapid—in fact, the person may even hold their breath. The breath, in both these cases and all other emotional events, reflects the inner condition of energy—the prana.

The Five Winds (Vayus)

Prana is said to enter our bodies, along with consciousness, at the moment of birth. It then divides into five separate branches, or winds as they are called. Each wind, called vayu in Sanskrit, is centered in different regions of the body except for the circulating wind, and each has its distinct function. The five winds, collectively known as the great winds, are as follows:

• Prana-vayu (The Inward Wind): Centered in the heart chakra and associated with reaching out and taking in—from the outer to inner—the receptivity of air (oxygen) into the lungs and its distribution to the rest of the body via the heart. Its main manifestation is inhalation. When balanced, this prana enables us to perceive the world as it truly is, in its full brightness, with all its possibilities. Unbalanced, it can lead to cravings, make us susceptible to bad habits, and leave us restless and scattered.

• Apana-vayu (The Outward/Downward Wind): Centered in the root chakra or lower pelvic region. This vayu is associated with elimination, the downward and outward movements of energy that are no longer needed. Its primary manifestation is exhalation. When in balance, this vayu affords us a healthy, grounded, and rooted body that is flexible and has an uplifted outlook on life. When apana is unbalanced, one can become susceptible to illness, fear, doubt, confusion, insecurity, and loss of purpose.

• Samana-vayu (The Middle Wind): Centered in the solar chakra or solar plexus (abdomen). This vayu is associated with the fire in the belly, or the digestive fire, and is a digesting, absorbing, and consolidating force. Sitting between the prana- and apana-vayus, it is also a balancing force—it processes the physical, mental, or spiritual food we take in, making it available for assimilation and transformation, and discards that which we do not, passing it on to apana-vayu. When balanced, this prana leads to strong digestion, vitality, and equilibrium. When unbalanced, it can lead to poor digestion and assimilation of our physical and mental experiences.

• Vyana-vayu (The Circulating Wind): It has no specific seat. This vayu integrates and coordinates the other four vayus, thereby acting as the fabric of the entire system. It distributes what has been digested to every cell in the body. Due to its pervasive and expansive nature, vyana-vayu governs the movement of prana through the nadis (channels within the chakra system that carry prana), energy through the blood vessels and nerves, and even the flow of thoughts and feelings within the mind. When unbalanced, both body and mind can become weakened, leading to illness and anxiety. When in balance, vyana-vayu distributes evenly throughout the entire body, invigorating the circulatory, nervous, and lymphatic systems, thereby distributing oxygen and nutrients evenly and thoroughly. It can also lead one to openly share with the world what one has taken in, digested, and assimilated.

• Udana-vayu (The Upward Wind): Centered in the throat chakra. It is associated with the expression of thoughts into words and speech, the movement of the contents of the lower mind to the Higher Mind, and the movement of prana from the lower planes to the higher planes of consciousness. This vayu is responsible for taking the mind from the waking state to sleep to deep sleep and also from life to higher planes of consciousness after death. Udana-vayu is the only wind moving through the shushumna nadi (more on this in a later chapter), or the central canal, which allows for the rise of the kundalini energy. When equilibrated, it leads to balanced, effective, and powerful speech. In contrast, an imbalanced udana-vayu can lead to poor expression or communication, whether it be talking too much or being unable to express oneself at all.

Moving into Meditation

Pranayama, then, is the practice of regularly moving each of the five branches of prana. You may recall that I have also previously described how pranayama brings us into meditation (dhyana). By purposefully moving and observing our breath, and thus our prana, we can ultimately let our minds go, allowing them to follow the rhythm of the pranic flow. This will take us into the cosmic waters, where we can float about within the river of consciousness. This is pure consciousness, and it will flow from samadhi when the mind becomes quiet and free enough to float effortlessly through dhyana. This is meditation—the boat carrying you to the shore of samadhi, where you can look for and will find (if you stick with it) your true Self.