The Ancient Science Of Prana

Our Connection to Prana Namaste and good morning. We are here to talk about Prana mainly, the life force energy in and around us. And we are also here to break down what it is from different scientific, spiritual, tantric and yogic perspectives. We will also discuss the five vayus that affect our body and mind and how we can come into perfect balance with ourselves Stick around to know more about these ancient texts of wisdom passed down from our Himalayan masters thousands of years ago. Unfiltered and unbiased, Prana in different perspectives. As human beings, Prana is our creative life force power. The more power we have access to, the more we can manifest our creations. This is not the power we see externally. Such as money and material things. Prana is the power we hold from within ourselves that values more than what we have in this mundane world. With the right techniques from the traditional wisdom of the sages, Prana can bring out our endless creativity, wonder and intelligence. According to tradition, Prana is considered the most direct living expression of the infinite, which is the sacred that permeates all of life. In Tantra, which is closely linked with Hatha Yoga, both cultivate power and auspiciousness. Tantra states that power or Prana is necessary to achieve genuine happiness, spiritual fulfillment and worldly success. The work of Tantra is to burn through the limitations that bind our perception and disallows us from experiencing and seeing an all-encompassing divinity that we are all entitled to do. Scientific research describes Prana as complex, multi-dimensional energy, a combination of electrical, magnetic, electromagnetic, photonics and ocular energies. Prana exists in sentient beings as the energy that drives every action, voluntary or involuntary. Prana also exists in the insentient world. It causes motion, growth and decay. At this level, Prana is indeed the basis of all manifested creation. Prana is Vayu and Samadhi. In relation to that, we can also move or direct Prana. We call this the Vayu, which is the direct expression of it. Prana can be moved and transformed if there are no energetic blockages in our nadis or energy pathways in certain areas of the body. In the yogic tradition, they use asanas to clear these blockages. Once cleared, they move Prana through Pranayam, which is a breathwork and meditation, the pinnacle of their practice to fulfill their daily intention. Prana Vayu is a term for yogis and yoginis that can control and cultivate energy by simply bringing their focus and awareness to it. Through this conscious control and cultivation, they can create optimal health and well-being and activate the primordial kundalini energy that leads to a state of enlightenment in Samadhi. Samadhi represents our highest state of perception and clear seeing. In daily practice, we deepen our relationship to Prana through yoga and meditation. To perceive more of the object's inherent qualities, Samadhi culminates in knowing the highest truth, beyond what confides us, beyond our human identities. When we can touch this part of ourselves, we dissolve these identities and are no longer labeled as this or that. We just simply exist because we are existence itself. Going back to our conversation, there are five main vayus to talk about, which are most effective and efficient to practice and know of because they have specific locations, actions, functions, asana poses and breathing strategies. The five vayus are apana vayu, samana vayu, prana vayu, udana vayu and vyana vayu. Each of them animates particular mental and physical processes of the body. The five vayus, we are now going to dive into the methods to shape prana to be able to fulfill the intention of the vayus. Vayu represents the energy that mobilizes us to face and overcome our challenges in life. If we can move prana in the right direction, it needs to go correctly, then there is a higher likelihood of success. However, if there is an imbalance, there is disharmony in our body and mind, which can negatively affect the chakra that it correlates to. First, the apana vayu. It is located on the pelvic floor and is also related to our muladhara chakra, the root chakra. The primary function of the apana vayu is to eliminate and let go of things that are not serving our highest potential and become stable and grounded beings. A great example is when someone has excessive thought patterns that run their day, unable to sit down and stay present. This person's energies revolve in the upper parts of the body, mainly in the mind. The apana vayu's force of energy can bring the energy downwards. This is done with long exhalation counts and forward fold postures like paschamottana asana and janu shirshasana. The second vayu is the samana. It is located in the navel center and is also related to the manipura chakra, also known as the root chakra. Primarily, the samana vayu aims to balance the energies to have better assimilation and digestion and bring a grounded and centered being. This is a great vayu to focus on. If we are not feeling centered, unable to take in information and food well or having difficulty keeping the mind stable, by doing long exhalation counts and twisting postures like ardha matsendra asana and parivrtta trikona asana, samana vayu is brought to the navel center to equalize the pranic forces to be able to move forward in life. The third vayu is the prana. This vayu is located in the upper chakras, often in the head space and heart space of the body. It governs the respiratory system and our blood circulation as well. Prana vayu aims to bring the energies upwards and inwards, moving to release them from stagnation in the lower parts of the body, where often our mind stuff and wounds are hidden. Suppose there is difficulty in taking in information or an imbalance in immunity and if going through the day feels uninspiring and weak, prana vayu can be practiced to achieve vitality and energy through long inhalations that open up energy centers with backbend poses like anjaneya asana or dhanurasana. The fourth vayu is udana. It is located primarily in the throat or the vishuddha chakra. If we are ready to express our truth and feel suppressed from speaking up for ourselves, then vayu can greatly help spark motivation and drive to inspire us to be ourselves once again. Udana vayu brings the energies from our body in an upward moving direction which can also satisfy our spiritual hunger from endless thoughts and what-ifs about life. It also drastically helps us to breathe equally and deeply to balance the mind and body along with inversion poses like viparita karni or shirshasana. The fifth and final vayu is the vyana. It is located in the auric field, the pranic field that surrounds our body. Vyana vayu's job is to distribute and circulate the energies in us to expand and grow as human beings with purpose and meaning. Vyana vayu functions to integrate all the other vayus. If we are depleted in this vayu, then all things will be imbalanced and noticeable just by how we breathe. We can practice sun salutations to expand and lengthen the breath generally. It's also great to warm up the body and further develop our breath. Lateral poses can also help such as trikona asana or parighasana. Vyana vayu also protects us from negative energy. Through the protective bubble, we can integrate into our daily practice. Its goal is to harmonize and unify inner power energetically. It also lets us aware of our gross and subtle layers of our being and experience them. If this vayu is weak, things in life will not flow, shaping prana every day. So all these five vayus are here to support us in our daily practice of turning into ourselves. Generally, they are tantric practices that let us get into the process of mastering our life force and all aspects of everyday life. With that, from knowing all of this information, we can ask ourselves the following questions. What is our intention? And how will we shape prana to fulfill that? What is going to be our method or strategy? If we can answer these questions, they can already direct us to the practice we may consider to do to mobilize prana correctly and efficiently. By the end of it all, we still want to reach the highest and subtlest parts of ourselves to live in peace, love and joy. With daily practice of turning into the self, we always meet our purest form and make decisions from our highest truth rather than the limited truth of our mundane identity. Let's end our suffering and consciously become the witness of life itself. Let's all begin to shape our future with ultimate reverence and use prana wisely and efficiently. The more skilled we are in shaping our prana, the more complete our reach will be as yogis, teachers, healers, parents, siblings, professionals and ordinary living beings in this world.