by Gurani Anjali
Prana, Udana, Samana, Apana, Vyana are the five types of vayus. They are manifest (vyakta), and known by visible action (karma). The Unmanifest (avyakta) has no visible body, is formless, not solid, not sticky, no color.
PRANA VAYU – How it works in our bodies: goes through the nose and mouth, and has the action of holding food and sending it down the esophagus, then to the stomach. Prana vayu – Giver of life, its seat is in the face, brain, ears, thorax, tongue and nose. The sacred place for prana vayu is in the heart. By the action of prana vayu the heart, senses, mind, intellect, veins, nerves, and arteries are maintained. It aids in sneezing, spitting, respiration, and pushing down food into the esophagus. After reaching into the interior by forcing its way into the heart, prana vayu goes through the throat, drinks the outside air and re-enters the body, and the digestive fires are maintained.
UDANA VAYU – Its seat is in the throat, umbilicus and thorax. It has a tendency to move upwards. Its special seat is in the thorax and larynx in the throat. Udana vayu stays in the lungs. The various sounds and speech, strength of the body, strength to the memory, intellect and the mind are the functions of udana vayu.
SAMANA VAYU – Its seat is in the umbilical region, and is connected with the stomach and the small intestines. The digestive juices are aggravated and helped by the action of samana vayu. Its main function is to take food from the esophagus down into the stomach, and continue the process of digestion in the stomach. The flow of liquids in the body, the normal action of digestion, is stimulated and controlled by samana vayu. It moves in the whole of the digestive tract. After digestion, samana vayu separates the essential for the body and sends down the waste into the large intestine.
APANA VAYU – Is very important to the human body. If this vayu goes upwards due to emotional stress, there is the stoppage of mulam (feces), artava (menses), veerya (semen), and mutra (urine); a lot of discomfort is felt, sometimes leading to the point of helplessness. Many heart problems are brought about by the derangement of apana vayu. Apana vayu has a downward movement. Its function is to hold the mulan, veeryas, mutra and artava. The seat of the apana vayu is in the lower part of the digestive tract (reproductive, urinary, and large intestines). Apana vayu also aids in childbirth.
VYANA VAYU – The heart is the seat of vyana vayu. It carries the blood throughout the body. It has five kinds of action: blinking (opening and closing of the eyelids), expansion and contraction, downward and upward movement, also aids in perspiration and yawning. Combines the spermatozoon with the ovum. It also aids in the movement of all the fluids in the body.