Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign hello, this is Lauren Leduc, the owner and founder of True Love Yoga in Kansas City, Missouri. And today we are going to be deepening our yoga practices by talking about the five currents of life, AKA the prana vayus. Welcome. I'm so happy you're here and I'm really excited to talk about this topic. That is an aspect of the subtle body or energy body in yoga. Many people have heard of chakras, which are a vital part of the energy body or subtle body in yoga. But I feel like values are a little less talked about, a little less incorporated into yoga classes, etc.
[00:00:52] So I really wanted to dive into these today, what they are, what each individual value entails, and why it matters. So my hope is that by learning about the prana values, that you can transform your yoga practice and your daily life. And I know for me, being more aware of my subtle energy, of my subtle body gives me so much information so that I can make better choices in my daily life, so that I can be more present and so that I can harness my energy in a skillful way. So what are the prana values? Well, prana is vital life force energy that animates all things.
[00:01:37] When we talk about pranayama, that is the control or the extension of this life force energy and pranayama and yoga equals breath work. So we're harnessing our energy through our breath. So prana is vital life force energy, and then vayu means wind or movement. So in the subtle body, there are five vayus or five directional currents of prana life force energy in the body. And this originates from ancient yogic texts like the Upanishads, and is expanded upon later in classical yogic texts.
[00:02:14] So this has been observed and studied, experienced for potentially thousands of years, maybe more. The values can help us understand how energy flows within us physically, emotionally and spiritually. And when we practice with this awareness of the values, we can increase vitality, balance and inner alignment. So let's go into the five values individually in detail. Number one is prana Vayu, Prana vayu, which is an inward and upward flow. This is located in the chest and heart and lungs and it governs intake. So that means taking in breath, food, sensory impressions, information, everything that we are experiencing on a day to day basis that flows into us through this inward, upward energy of pranavayu. It's associated with respiration, with vitality, with inspiration, and it supports the lungs, the heart, the upper digestive tract. And we might be able to feel this vayu not only through our everyday intake, but through yoga practices like expansive heart openers, through different pranayama techniques, but most generally just breath awareness, especially awareness of our inhales and meditation for inspiration. So allowing ourselves to open up for whatever inspiration comes. So we're opening up for this intake of new ideas. So that is prana value, inward and upward flow, all about intake. The second vayu number two is apana value. This is a downward and outward flow. It's located in the lower abdomen and pelvic floor.
[00:04:04] And this governs elimination.
[00:04:06] So waste, menstruation, co grounding energy, anything that we are letting go of. And it's physically linked to digestion, elimination and reproductive health. Emotionally, it's tied to grounding, to boundaries, to release. So of course, we can practice this in our daily lives through anything that we are consciously or unconsciously letting go of, whether it be something simple like waste or something maybe more profound, like letting go of a relationship. Maybe we're creating a boundary, something like that. And in yoga, we might practice this through seated forward folds, hip openers, through pelvic floor activation, mulabanda, through exhalation, focus, and through grounding poses. A couple that I really like for this are malasana, or that low squat that we use in yoga, and also a supported bridge. So placing a block underneath my sacrum and relaxing there. I especially love those two postures during menstruation, this apana phase. And again, it helps bring bring the energy down. So again, apana value is downward and outward flow, and it governs elimination. So you can think of it as the contrasting value to prana value, because prana value is about intake and apana value is about elimination, letting go. The third vayu is called samanavayu, and this is an inward and centering flow. It's located at the navel center, and it governs assimilation.
[00:05:39] So that's digestion, that's integration, that's discernment. So maybe we're taking in or intake through prana vayu, and then we're using samana vayu to assimilate that into our being.
[00:05:54] So this brings balance and stability between prana and apana. And it has a physical role in metabolism and agni or digestifier and, and in core strength. And in yoga, we might feel out this value through things like twists, breath retention, through core work, maybe through fire building, pranayama, and maybe by finding this really beautiful balance as well, between stability and ease. So finding integration within our postures, we're using our muscles to support our joints and then finding Length and ease where we can. So that is samanavayu, the inward centering flow which governs assimilation. Number four is Udana Vayu. This is an upward and outward flow that's located in the throat and the head, and it governs expression, growth, speech, and upward momentum of consciousness. This is related to voice, to confidence, clarity, spiritual ascension even. And we might practice this on our mat through postures like shoulder stand, throat openers, through chanting, through ujjayi breath, and through things like yoga nidra or visualization.
[00:07:12] So again, this is an upward and outward flow, dana value, which governs expression and growth. Lastly, number five is Vyana vayu, which is an outward and circulating flow. This radiates from the center of the body out to the periphery. And this governs circulation and coordination and the flow of energy throughout the body.
[00:07:38] It ties all the other values together. And we might practice this through full, expansive, creative vinyasa flow, through synchronized breath and movement, through walking, meditation and other forms of movement as well, through expansive standing postures. So this links the whole body together. And again, Vyana vayu is outward circulating flow that governs circulation.
[00:08:07] So why did these five values matter? Understanding the values give subtle intelligence to your asana, pranayama and meditation practices. We can cultivate and call in this inner awareness or interoception, energy, balance, and this deeper sense of wholeness, really feeling how all of our energy is connected within us.
[00:08:31] It can also add intention behind what we're doing. So say I am needing to let go of something to release. I might find something like malasana and imagine this downward flow of energy, or visualize it happening through my body, which is just going to add more power and more intention to the posture. You might set an intention for each vayu, like I just explained with Apana value and Malasana. So maybe today I need to express and I'm going to use Udana value through my practice. You might also use breath work, bandas, visualization, and targeted postures like I named while talking about the different five values above to really call this energy in. And you might journal about any sensations that you felt during your practice and any energetic shifts and just track what you notice. We can bring this idea of the five values into our everyday life in different ways. With Prana value, we can think of giving ourselves space for inspiration, for boundaries around what we intake or input. That might mean boundaries around media, who we spend time with, who we are listening to, boundaries around what nourishes us and what does not. With apana value, we can Think of letting go in life, of releasing tension when it's needed, about improving our digestion and about allowing ourselves to release emotions that we're storing inside of us. A lot of us, especially adults, are walking around with some kind of emotion inside, and we do need those healthy outlets to let them out. And apana value allows us that and then gives us a sense of grounding because we're not carrying that tension within us anymore. Next is Samanavayu. And this can help with decision making, with discernment, with mental focus, with maybe wanting to find an inner sense of integration and of balance and making choices in our lives that help us achieve that. And then we have Udana Vayu, which asks us to communicate clearly, that asks us to live in purpose or dharma, and that asks us to envision the life or the world that we wish to see.
[00:10:51] And then there's Viana vayu, which can bring about a sense of presence, of coordination, of energetic integrity. We might look at ourselves as a whole and say, what do I need right now? What will help me feel more balanced, more complete, grounded and open and spacious? All of the things that we want to feel. How can I feel more whole right now? So you might ask yourself, out of these five values, which one needs the most attention in your life right now? And how might you give it that attention? So I invite you in your next yoga practice to notice your prana values. You might not have them all memorized, that's okay. But tune in to your inner sensations, to the inner energy, what is flowing? What are you feeling? This is going to add so much depth to your practice and make it so much more than just something you do or some movement on the mat. It will inform the movement, the breath, the meditation, with knowledge of your energy. Also, if you're a yoga teacher and you'd like to dive deeper into this information, we do explore the values in my 3,300 hour yoga teacher training at True Love Yoga. And I invite you to go to our website to get more information on that. It's really a beautiful program and I'm so excited to dive deep into the energy Energy body with you. So I thank you so much for listening today. I hope this was an opportunity to deepen your practice, to learn a little bit more about the subtle body and about yourself in turn. Until next time, Om Shanti, Om Pe.
