Practicing Asana with Prana Vayu and the Subtle body
“The Sun is the prana of the universe, and it rises to bright light to our eyes.”
“The earth draws the lower fire of apana; The space between sun and earth is samana, and the moving air is vyana. Fire is Udana.”
– Prashna Upanishad 3.8, 3.9
We often think of our body as having channels, like the digestive tract, nervous system and circulatory system.
Just as nature has channels—rivers, streams and energy currents in space—so does our subtle body. Each region of our body is interconnected with threads linked to specific behaviour patterns.
At Yoga For Good, we understand the profound impact of prana and the subtle channels that flow through us.
Nurturing these energies through mindful practices and awareness can bring balance and wellbeing into your life.
About the threads
In Ancient Vedic Yoga, these threads are described as being created by Vayu, the Sanskrit word for vital air. Prana is known as the universal vital energy.
The Prana Vayus are, therefore, sensed as movement or force.
They may operate through the eyes as visualisation, the ears as sacred sounds or mantras, the skin as a sensation, the nose as fragrance, and even as a taste in the mouth.
These experiences are subjective to each person.
The physical body’s channels are interconnected with those of the subtle body, and even the mind has a channel that carries our thoughts or stream of consciousness.
Yoga philosophy describes this inward and outward flow as a strong connection between the head and the heart.
All energy pathways are influenced by the condition of the body, prana and mind. Anything that expands our consciousness allows energy to flow more freely.
In the Upanishad quote, the energies of our subtle body are described by their elements. We sense the qualities of the Prana Vayus as we ride a wave of conscious awareness. Light, representing prana, brings the mind into focus. Air, or vyana, is expansive throughout. Fire, or udana, uplifts. Water, or samana, is calm and assimilates. Earth, or apana, is enduring and expulsive.
Directing Prana Vayus through Asana practice
All the Prana Vayus can be understood through the mind, senses and breath. It’s possible to direct these Prana Vayus, like a sun within, to harness our energy for change, just as solar energy can transform our external world.
Just as Asana practice provides insight into the body, prana, mind, and spirit, it also allows us to release tension from the tissues, organs, and joints and awaken the Prana.
When Prana is the focus of asana practice, movements align with the flow of breath, like pearls on a string, as Patanjali described. Our practice then becomes a creative process directed from within.
In our Asana practice, tensing and releasing the body can direct prana to the areas we want to benefit. Moving with a free flow of energy is more effective than holding with force. Try the asanas below, observe the waves of Prana Vayus and the direction of inner flow, and see what your experience is.
Asanas to try
As a guide, Apana flows downward in the lower abdomen, while Samana moves laterally from the navel to the diaphragm.
Prana ascends from the chest to the throat, and udana circulates throughout the limbs and head. Vyana extends throughout the entire body and beyond.
Tadasana, or Mountain Pose, is a foundational asana that sets the tone for posture and movement. Poor posture affects the upper and middle back, disrupting the circulation of prana and leading to inadequate lung expansion. This impacts Vyana’s flow, Udana’s natural uplift and overall mood. Misalignment of the spine can increase apana, causing heaviness and lowering energy levels. The nerves hold prana, while the bones hold apana, and incorrect posture can aggravate the mind-body complex.
Vajrasana, diamond pose, is excellent for pranayama practice and helps awaken prana vayu.
Trikonasana, triangle pose, has a balancing effect, bringing prana up through the body and awakening vyana vayu.
Bhujangasana, or Cobra Pose, regulates samana and expands vyana vayu, making it a master pose.
Connect with your true self through the transformative power of yoga
At Yoga for Good, we hope you enjoy this taster of a different lens to focus on in your yoga practice. To explore the theory behind the Prana Vayus further, refer to Prana and Pranayama by Niranjanananda Paramahansa.
Our Director, Moira, recently completed the Subtle Energetics Training with Dru Yoga Australia and found it to be excellent. For more insight into the Prana Vayus in Asana, you can watch Ruth Gent, one of the trainers, in our Community Class Library.
Connect with your true self on a regular basis by attending our free community classes.
For additional insights on asanas, pranas and channels, as well as numerous other valuable lessons derived from yoga, explore our Yoga for Good Foundation articles.
Community yoga classes
We are passionate about sharing the joy of practising yoga and offering you an opportunity to connect with your true self on a regular basis.
View previous classes or book now for our next class.
Free
17th September 2024 - 12:00 to 1:00pm
Sandra Taylor – Transformative Yoga Community Class
Online Yoga Community Class Link
Join Sandra from Be You Yoga for this Spring Yoga Class, designed to de-stress and reset your digestion, metabolism, immunity, and overall health. Spring is the best therapeutic season for a natural and holistic cleanse.
We will begin by gently warming up your joints and proceed with a pranayama designed to calm your system. This will be followed by gentle movements that promote mobility and fluidity in your body, instilling a sense of nurturing and self-love throughout the practice. We will conclude with deep relaxation and a short meditation to integrate your practice on multiple levels: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.
Sandra is a master of spirituality and blends the practices of yoga in an adventure of self-discovery. She has a series of books on Be You Yoga that deepen the understanding of yourself to cultivate a heightened sense of self-love, with easy-to-follow yoga guide with meditation exercises and inspired quotes.
Free
9th November 2024 - 11:00am to 12:00pm
Suze Male - Transformative Yoga Community Class
Online Yoga Community Class Link
Join Suze from 42 Yoga for a transformative yoga class focused on balancing the sacral chakra, the centre of creativity and passion. She believes yoga is the key to body, mind wellness and healing. After practicing for many years and teacher training in Bali and India, she is using these skills with children’s and trauma-informed yoga.
Her new book, a yoga-for-kids adventure called Ursula the Roly Poly Unicorn, helps children develop strong self-esteem, through story and yoga as a positive and empowering tool.
In this class with gentle flows, breathwork and mindful practices, we will cultivate energy, release blockages, and ignite the creative spirit, as well as explore the profound connection between body, mind, and creative expression.
Free
22nd January 2025 - 12:00 to 1:00pm
Reetu Verma – Transformative Yoga Community Class
Online Yoga Community Class Link
Meeting ID: 859 1833 4994
Passcode: 171949
Join Reetu for an immersive meditation session into the depths of our energy centres. Nourish the systems of your physical, emotional and spiritual well-being, ready for the year ahead. Be guided by her inspiring voice to relax into meditation and reconnect with and balance the subtle energies within.
Reetu Verma has 25 years of experience as an academic, teacher and coach, providing support, help and guidance to thousands of people from all walks of life from all over the globe.
During a traumatic near-death experience, she experienced pure light and pure love and embarked on a transformational, personal healing journey. Inspired and totally committed to making a positive difference in the lives of others, helping them on their healing journey to live a healthier, happier life.
She founded Healing, Health and Happiness to expanded her teachings of personal development, into finding life purpose and spiritual growth. Reetu has developed a systematic, practical approach to bring more harmony and a sense of joy into life.
Free
22nd October 2024 - 12:00 to 1:00pm, Tuesday
Amy Brooks – Trauma Informed Yoga Community Class
Online Yoga Community Class Link
Join Amy for a trauma-informed gentle flow Community Class with a particular focus on noticing internal sensations and making choices.
Amy Brooks is a qualified social worker, mental health clinician and yoga facilitator certified in Trauma Centre Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) based in the Shoalhaven, NSW. She has been practicing yoga for over a decade and passionately believes in its healing qualities for the mind and body, making it an effective adjunct therapy for mental health work. Amy completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training at Om Sweet Om Milton in 2022.
She is offering yoga classes to the community, combining her professional training and lived experience as a source of strength to guide others on their own journey towards recovery.
Testimonials
Our sole mission is to create opportunities to do good for others through yoga.
And we’re making an impact.
A huge thank you to the Yoga For Good Foundation...
…for their incredible contribution to our Life Now Yoga and meditation programs!
This generous donation will mean we can buy new yoga equipment, run a new yoga class in Broome, and enhance our meditation program for cancer patients and their primary carers.
Cancer Council Western AustraliaSending out gratitude to the Yoga for Good Foundation.
Their grant is enabling me to offer FREE trauma informed therapeutic movement and relaxation to frontline mental health and social services staff in Bega.
Participants are really valuing the time out for themselves and experiencing integrated poly vagal theory. And I get to be in a teaching space, yay!
PremKranti CounsellingThe generous grant we've been awarded from the Yoga For Good Foundation...
…allows us to reach more underserved and vulnerable community groups who can benefit from a trauma-informed yoga and embodied mindfulness practice at zero cost to the participants.
Some of the community groups we’ll be serving in the current months include 000 Foundation, Men’s Walk and Talk and WAGEC.
Yoga on the Inside© Copyright Yoga for Good 2023 Website by Brilliant Digital