The Five Vayus and How They Impact Your Body
Written by Sierra Jade Ebright | May 13, 2024
Vayu translates to Wind or Air. Vayu is the most vital component our bodies need to live. We ingest air through our nostrils and mouth; however, once the air comes in it moves throughout the body and plays different roles in each area. In this article, we will define the different Vayus and describe how each one impacts the body to keep us alive.
Prana Vayu
Technically, all of these Vayus can fall under the category of Prana, which translates to the life force or life force energy. Ancient China called it “Chi”, in Polynesia they refer to it as “Mana”. No matter where you are, almost every culture has a word to define the concept of an ingestible life force energy. Prana is the energy that moves inward through the senses, primarily through the breath or mouth. Prana can be consumed in the form of food, and it can also be consumed through technology such as digital content. In the same way that we can receive quality nourishment from breathing fresh air and eating fruit, we can also intake Prana from unhealthy sources such as smoking cigarettes. The quality of our health starts with the quality of Prana that we intake, and just as we inhale, our Prana resides in the first place that can contain it, the upper chest, lungs, and heart; from there, it moves down the body.
Samana Vayu
Samana Vayu is the occurrence of airflow into the body between the inhale and the exhale. It's the pivotal moment after the Prana intake where the body decides what it likes and doesn't like. Consider eating a big greasy meal, and then feeling so full that it's difficult to breathe, Samana Vayu is working overtime to calculate and compute all of the Prana you've consumed, this is the digestion process. Samana works so closely with our Prana and Apana Vayu that it's critical to understand the difference between the three; Samana is the digestive process of our Prana, Samana can be visualized as the swirling winds which sit below the diaphragm and above the pelvis. Aside from Samana being responsible for the digestion of food, it is responsible for the digestion of emotions derived from the pranic experiences we have with external forces. A great example of this is the exposure to something traumatic as a child that we hold onto into our adulthood, undigested emotions make the body feel heavy. Intentional, meditative breathing (Prana) can do a world of wonder to help us finally digest heavy emotions.
Apana Vayu
Opposite to the primary responsibility of Prana, Apana plays the role of expelling unneeded energy or waste that was initially consumed as Prana. Apana is the final part of the digestive process, it is the elimination of unneeded matter. As you can probably imagine, Apana is characterized by the downward flow of air which expels through the bowels; the motions of the air reside in the pelvis, lower torso, and colon. Apana contributes to the formation of gas, liquid, and solids that we release after Samana Vayu has done the work of digesting our pranic intake. Apana Vayu relies on the Samana to break down foods and liquid components so that we can have a smooth elimination of what we consume, what comes in must go out. If we are experiencing constipation, it's an indication that there may be a blockage, that the bowels' winds cannot flow downward to their fullest capacity. Since Apana is the third stage underneath Samana and Prana, it is important to consider what we can change in our diet to have a healthy flow of Apana.
Udana Vayu
Udana Vayu is the air that moves up from the body into the neck and throat, it is also the winds that move through the neck and the throat up to the brain. This wind is characterized by our ability to express, speak, and communicate; it deals less with physical matter and more with the specialized knowledge of the body, mind, and spirit. The mouth is an outlet for the Udana Vayu; imagine the feeling you get when you have to "get something off your chest" This is the air used to help us convey our message. There may be a feeling of catharsis when we speak because we've allowed the body and mind to work hand in hand to express and release. Now, consider a boiling feeling that arises in the body when the brain lights up with anger or strong emotion. If the mouth stays closed and we do not express, that wind flow has nowhere to go but to bounce back and forth looking for a way out. This can be characterized as the lump we feel in our throat when we try to speak. Holding our tongue is not always a bad thing, as equally important as it is to express, it is also possible for the winds to continue to reach the brain, so that we may think on matter a bit more; helping us to refine and metabolize as much as possible before we open our mouth to release and express.
Vyana Vayu
Last but not least, Vyana Vayu. This is the wind that circulates throughout the entire body. Vyana Vayu is responsible for our blood flow, it is the wind that takes things where they need to go. Vyana Vayu is the head coordinator of all the Vayu's in that it knows where and when to send the nutrients to designated organs, and it sends what we don't need down to the lower torso so that Apana can do its job.
This flowing wind moves with the blood and eliminates toxins that the blood cannot get rid of. We can visualize it as the busy worker bee that makes sure the body is energized and consistently renewed, by eliminating cellular waste we feel like we're operating as healthy and as happy as possible. Let's not forget the key source however, this Vayu relies on our intake of Prana. If we don't feed the body good sources of iron, the Vyana Vayu can't create iron, it can only send signals that indicate we may be experiencing signs of anemia; this is true for all other sources of nutrients the body needs. Just as this wind expands throughout the body, it is also a contributor to the expansiveness we feel in our day-to-day life, it gives us the energy we need to excel and the energy we need to slow down so that we can sleep at night.
As you can see, we can't have one wind without the other and if something isn't functioning properly in the body it's only a matter of time before other areas of the body are impacted. Starting with healthier choices, whether it involves turning the TV off an hour before bed or making sure we drink more water, what we consume makes up what we are. If you are experiencing low energy, stomach pains, or muscle weakness; always start from the top, your Prana intake.
About the writer
Sierra Jade Ebright is a writer and yoga instructor in Florida. In 2023, she created Conscious Current LLC, a small business that focuses on helping others cultivate and expand their yoga practice by offering online and in-person private, and group practices. Conscious Current is also a growing hub for fundamental resources, workshops, and educational courses created to promote personal growth and healing.
For more information or to schedule a class, visit Consciouscurrent.org or email consciouscurrent.info@gmail.com
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