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
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
3rd February 2025 - 12:00 to 1:00pm Sydney Time (9am WA time)
Nicky Smith – Dynamic Relaxation Yoga Community Class
Online Yoga Community Class Link
Meeting ID: 834 8185 1566
Passcode: 326861
Join Nicky to experience the Dru Yoga difference, finding the stillness within. Dru Yoga is a fresh approach to nurture your entire being, balance the nervous system and leave you feeling deeply connected and calm.
Stay cool and calm this Summer with Energy Block Release 7 or Dynamic Relaxation. This sequence is perfect for those hot days when you want to practice some slow yoga. Dynamic Relaxation is well suited for those with a busy mind and who have trouble settling into the stillness of relaxation. The focus is on the coordination of breath and movement in slow, subtle mindfulness, leaving you refreshed.
Nicky is a Dru Yoga Teacher, Dru Meditation Teacher, Dru Breath Coach and Mental Health Aware Yoga Teacher. Her business is True Equanimity Yoga, and her practice focuses on mental health and wellbeing or “innercise”. Nicky lives in Dalyellup, Western Australia and loves to spend her time walking in nature and fostering rescue kittens.
Free
13th March 2025 - 11:30am to 12:30nn
Melina Murphy – Loving Kindness Restorative Yoga Community Class
Online Yoga Community Class Link
Meeting ID: 838 7373 9503
Passcode: 767969
This loving-kindness yoga class is an extended version of Melina’s insight timer class, held weekly at 7 a.m. at the weekend and sponsored by YFG. The asana sequences are based on traditional yoga and guide our awareness to be super kind and loving to ourselves as we move through this restorative yoga practice.
We fall into Self-love as we move and stretch to open the body, mind and spirit to flow and dive into the deep well of happiness within.
Melina presented at our Annual Retreat 2024, where her joy brought us joy and laughter. She is a healer with thirty years of experience helping people create joyful wellbeing through counselling, herbal medicine, nutrition and yoga.
Melina fell in love with yoga as a teenager, and her passion is going strong. She has been teaching yoga since 2005 and has taught at festivals, in halls and rooms, at her local gym, online, and in her Natural Health Clinic on Djangadi Country.
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