Prana and Apana – Harnessing the energies of expansion and grounding in your asana practice
Prana and Apana – Harnessing the energies of expansion and grounding in your Ashtanga Yoga asana practice
Prana is vital energy or life force.
According to the Prashna Upanishad prana enters our body at the time of birth and sustains us, so that we may fulfil the desires from our past lives (Prashna Upanishad 3:3). Therefore when we die, prana does not die. Prana is eternal. At the time of death, prana departs our body in preparation for our next incarnation.
According to Yoga and Ayurvedic philosophy, Maha Prana, the vital energy, is divided into 5 parts known as the panca vayu. Those of you familiar with the Ashtanga count will know panca as the 5th vinyasa of Surya Namaskar (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana or upward-facing dog). Vayu comes from the root va meaning to move and can be translated as wind.
Whatever we consume in terms of food, air and even media is metabolized in the body by the vayus. If they are all in balance we experience good health physically and mentally.
The Panca Vayus
The panca vayus are prana, apana, samana, vyana and udana. They move in different directions and have different functions.
Prana Vayu
Prana vayu is upward-moving energy. It’s seated in the chest above the diaphragm upwards to the third eye. It governs breathing, eating, drinking, and swallowing. It’s energizing and uplifting. According to the Upanishads, prana is the inhale and is related to Ida Nadi. If prana vayu is disrupted we may become overstimulated or have difficulty concentrating.
Apana Vayu
Apana vayu is downward moving energy. It’s seated at the pelvic floor and governs elimination, the menstrual cycle, birth and letting go of things that don’t serve us. Apana Vayu is grounding energy. It’s our exhalation and is related to Pingala Nadi. If disrupted we may experience constipation, diarrhoea, menstrual problems, sexual dysfunction or feeling ungrounded.
Samana Vayu
Samana vayu travels in a circular motion around our midsection. It’s responsible for our stomach, intestines, liver and spleen. Therefore it governs digestion, preservation and assimilation, both physically and mentally in terms of the information we absorb. Disruptions to samana vayu could manifest as indigestion, stomach ulcers or the inability to process information and experiences. Samana vayu is related to the Sushumna Nadi.
Udana Vayu
Udana vayu is upward-moving energy that functions above the throat and head region.
It’s responsible for our voice, throat and functioning of the brain, as well as, the movement of our arms and legs. It governs enthusiasm and creativity.
An imbalance of udana could manifest as not being able to speak up for your needs, depression, lack of direction or too much pride and arrogance.
Vyana Vayu
Vyana Vayu pervades the entire body and moves outwards from our centre.
It’s responsible for moving nutrients around the body, blood flow, our nervous system, and the lymphatic system. If it’s in balance our emotions will flow freely. An imbalance of vyana could manifest as circulation problems, cold hands and feet and emotional problems.
Practising asana and pranayama brings the vayus into balance. We can also use our understanding of these subtle energies to inform our asana practice.
In Ashtanga yoga, every movement is synchronized with breath in vinyasa. Each time we inhale we’re invoking the uplifting energy of prana, and each time we exhale the grounding energy of apana. We need these energies to find both stability and expansion in our asana practice. Too much or too little of one or the other might find us ungrounded, having trouble concentrating or lacking in motivation.
We can apply this logic to every asana we practice, beginning with the very first one we learn, Samastithi.
When you have a moment try this short exercise to experience the play of prana and apana
Take a moment to feel your feet making contact with the surface beneath them.
Press down into your feet and lift the front of your thighs
Lift your pelvic floor and draw your lower belly in and up
Lift your rib cage and soften your shoulders allowing your arms to rest alongside your body
Slightly tilt your chin down and begin to focus on your breath
Each time you inhale feel your rib cage expand as your spine lengthens and the energy travels upwards
Each time you exhale, draw in your lower belly and feel the energy travel downwards to your feet
Prana and Apana in Practice
You can consider this dynamic of prana and apana in back-bending asanas. Which, although they stimulate prana, would be impossible without the grounding energy of apana. If you’ve learnt or are learning to drop back from standing into Urdhva Dhanurasna, you will at some point have been reminded by your teacher to press your feet down to secure your foundation. Backbends are essentially front-lengthening asanas, however, if we don’t have a firm base of apanic energy (our foundation), it’s impossible for us to find the space to lengthen. The same logic applies to Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (upward-facing dog), if we don't find our foundation by engaging our legs, activating our feet, and pressing into our hands, we won't be fully supported in our backbend and may end up pinching our lower back and causing pain or discomfort.
This reasoning can also be applied to twisting asanas, which we traditionally move into on an exhalation (apana). Before we move into a twist we create length and space in our spine by inhaling fully (prana) and then we exhale (apana) as we move into the twist (note that spinal twisting asanas also stimulate samana vayu). If we didn’t create this space between our vertebrae on the inhale the rotation as we exhale would be compromised (try it for yourself).
Standing asanas are associated with both apana and vyana vayus. In order for us to be able to expand up and out in standing asanas, we need our feet to be firmly grounded with apanic energy. If they weren’t we’d struggle to maintain our balance. Think about how important it is to place your feet correctly, and engage your legs and bandhas, particularly in standing twists, to keep yourself stable.
Every asana we practice, and every breath we take, the energies of prana and apana are at play. Understanding these subtle energies can inform how we practice and create a pathway for us to develop new connections. Prana is the energy of growth and expansion that allows us to challenge ourselves. Apana allows us to relax our expectations and be comfortable with where we’re at.
