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Prana (प्राण, prāṇa) is the Sanskrit word for "life force"; in yoga, Indian medicine, and martial arts, the term refers to a cosmic energy believed to come from the sun and connecting the elements of the universe. The universal principle of energy or force, responsible for the body's life, heat and maintenance, prana is the sum total of all energy that is manifest in the universe. This life energy, prana (प्राण), has been vividly invoked and described in Vedas. In Ayurveda, tantra and Tibetan medicine "praṇā vāyu" is the basic vāyu (wind, air) from which all the other vāyus arise. It is analogous to qi.


Further information: Nadi (yoga)

In Yoga, the three main channels of praṇā vāyu are the Ida, the Pingala and the Sushumna.

Pingala to the left side of the brain and the right side of the body, terminating at the right nostril. In some practices, alternate nostril breathing balances the praṇā vāyu that flows within the body.

Sushumna connects the base chakra to the crown chakra.

In most ancient texts, the total number of nadis in the human body is stated to be 72,000. When praṇā vāyu enters a period of uplifted, intensified activity, the Yogic tradition refers to it as Pranotthana.


Main article: Vāyu

Praṇā vāyu is the basic vāyu from which all the other vāyus arise.

Vāyu Responsibility
Prāṇa Beating of the heart and breathing. Prana enters the body through the breath and is sent to every cell through the circulatory system.[citation needed]
Apāna elimination of waste products from the body through the lungs and excretory systems
Samāna the digestion of food and cell metabolism (i.e. the repair and manufacture of new cells and growth). Samana also includes the heat regulating processes of the body. Auras are projections of this current. By meditational practices one can see auras of light around every being.[citation needed] Yogis who do special practises on samana can produce a blazing aura at will.[citation needed]
Vyāna the expansion and contraction processes of the body, e.g. the voluntary muscular system[citation needed]


Main article: Pranayama

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • Kason, Yvonne (2000). Farther Shores: Exploring How Near-Death, Kundalini and Mystical Experiences Can Transform Ordinary Lives. Toronto: HarperCollins Publishers; Revised edition.
  • Rammurti S. Mishra Yoga Sutras: The Textbook of Yoga Psychology
  • Sovatsky, Stuart (1998). Words from the Soul: Time, East/West Spirituality, and Psychotherapeutic Narrative. SUNY Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology, New York: State University of New York Press.

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