12/11/2017
In Hindu philosophy including yoga, Indian medicine, and martial arts, Prana (प्राण, prāṇa; the Sanskrit word for "life force" or "vital principle") comprise all cosmic energy, permeating the Universe on all levels. Prana is often referred to as the "life force" or "life energy". It also includes energies present in inanimate objects. In the Hindu literature, prana is sometimes described as originating from the Sun and connecting the elements of the Universe. This life energy has been vividly invoked and described in the ancient Vedas and Upanishads.
In living beings, this universal energy is considered responsible for all bodily functions through five types of prana, collectively known as the five vāyus. Ayurveda, Ta**ra, and Tibetan medicine all describe praṇā vāyu as the basic vāyu from which all the other vāyus arise. Indologist Georg Feuerstein explains "The Chinese call it chi, the Polynesians mana, the Amerindians orenda, and the ancient Germans od. It is an all-pervasive 'organic' energy
The ancient concept of prana is described in many early Hindu texts, including Upanishads and Vedas. One of the earliest references to prana is from the 3,000-year-old Chandogya Upanishad, but many other Upanishads also make use of the concept, including the Katha, Mundaka and Prasna Upanishads. The concept is elaborated upon in great detail in the practices and literature of haṭha yoga, ta**ra, and Ayurveda.
Prana is typically divided into multiple constituent parts, in particular when concerned with the human body. While not all early sources agree on the names or number of these subdivisions, the most common list from the Mahabharata, the Upanishads, Ayurvedic and Yogic sources includes five, often divided into further subcategories.
This list includes Prana (inward moving energy), Apana (outward moving energy), Vyana (circulation of energy), Udana (energy of the head and throat), and Samana (digestion and assimilation). The Early mention of specific pranas often emphasized prāṇa, apāna, and vyāna as "the three breaths". This can be seen in the proto-yogic traditions of the Vratyas among others. Texts like the Vaikānasasmārta utilized the five pranas as an internalization of the five sacrificial fires of a panchagni homa ceremony.
One way of subdividing prana is by the means of vāyus. Vāyu means "wind" or "air" in Sanskrit and the term is used in a variety of contexts in Hindu philosophy. Prāṇa is considered the basic vāyu from which all the other vāyus arise. Hence prāṇā is the collective term which subdivides into the individual vāyus of prāṇa, apāna, uḍāna, samāna, and vyāna. The functions of the five vāyus are as follows.
Prāṇa: Beating of the heart and breathing. Prana enters the body through the breath and is sent to every cell through the circulatory system.
Apāna: Elimination of waste products from the body through the lungs and excretory systems.
Uḍāna: Sound production through the vocal apparatus, as in speaking, singing, laughing, and crying. Also, it represents the conscious energy required to produce the vocal sounds corresponding to the intent of the being. Hence samyama on udana gives the higher centers total control over the body.
Samāna: The digestion of food and cell metabolism (i.e. the repair and manufacture of new cells and growth). Samana also includes the heat regulating processes of the body.
Vyāna: The energy that diffuses throughout the body (i.e. circulation). The expansion and contraction processes of the body, e.g. the voluntary muscular system.
Nadi:
Indian philosophy describes prana flowing in channels called Nadis. The Shiva Samhita states that there is a total of 350,000 nadis in the human body, while other texts says there are 72,000 nadis, each branching off into another 72,000.[citation needed] These nadis play an important role in the application and understanding of certain yoga practices. Shiva Samhita explains that the three most important nadis are the Ida, the Pingala and the Sushumna, each facilitating the flow of praṇā vāyu throughout the body.[4][page needed]
Ida nadi relates to the right side of the brain, and the left side of the body, terminating at the left nostril.[citation needed] Pingala nadi relates to the left side of the brain and the right side of the body, terminating at the right nostril.[citation needed] Sushumna nadi connects the base chakra at the base of the spine to the crown chakra at the top of the head.[citation needed]
The practice of pranayama can be used to balance the flow of prana within the body. When praṇā vāyu enters a period of uplifted, intensified activity, the yogic tradition refers to it as pranotthana, a precursor to the Kundalini state.
Pranayama:
The word Prāṇāyāma derives from the Sanskrit words prāṇa and ayāma, translating as "life force" and "expansion" respectively. It is a common term for various techniques for accumulating, expanding and working with prana. Pranayama is one of the eight limbs of yoga, and is a practice of specific and often intricate breath control techniques.
Many pranayama techniques are designed to cleanse the energetic channels called nadis allowing for greater movement of prana.[citation needed] Other techniques may be utilized to arrest the breath for samadhi or to bring awareness to specific areas in the practitioner's subtle or physical body. It can also be utilized to generate inner heat as in the practice of tummo.
In Ayurveda and therapeutic yoga, pranayama may also be utilized for any number of tasks including to affect mood and aid in digestion. The physical goals of pranayama may be to recover from illness or the maintenance of health while its mental goals are: "to remove mental disturbances and make the mind focused on meditation".
The two most important species of the life force are obviously prâna and apâna, which underlie the breathing process. Their incessant activity is seen as the principal cause for the restlessness of the mind, and their stoppage is the main purpose of breath control (prânâyâma)".
Swami Yogananda writes that: "The real meaning of Pranayama, according to Patanjali, the founder of Yoga philosophy, is the gradual cessation of breathing, the discontinuance of inhalation and exhalation"
