Krishna Dharajiya Prana is the subtle energy that flows through our body. Panch Prana are the major divisions of Prana. This cosmic energy articulate our every action – from outer physical movements to inner micro processes. Prana act as a smart software for human anatomy.
What is Prana?
Prana (प्राण, prāṇa) is the Sanskrit word for “Life Force” or Vital Energy or Universal Life Force. It is that which gives us life. When prana departs from the physical body, there is no life left. This Universal energy continuously moves inside of us and around us. It is everywhere in abundance.
What is Panch Prana?
This mystical prana, after entering your body, further divides itself into 5 major vayus depending upon its specifications. They are namely, Prana, Apana, Samana, Udana and Vyana.
“Prana associates with himself four other pranas, each a portion of himself and each assigned a separate function” (Prashna Upanishad 3.4)
Source of Prana
The breath is considered to be the most subtle form of prana in our body. We get Prana comes from the food we eat, the water and other liquids we drink, the air we breathe. Prana is also absorbed from energies of the earth, nature and cosmos. We receive prana from all five elements (panchmahabhuta).
How are the Panch Prana Important?
Well being of a person is directly connected to the quantity of prana circulating in the body. It is responsible for health, life, maintenance of heat and regulation of all physical functions of your body.
Prana forms your consciousness. As a result, it affect the quality of your thoughts and emotions. The chitta of a person is directly affected by fluctuations in pranic energy. So when our mental energy is still and calm, it soothes our mind too. If one masters the control of prana, one can easily control the thoughts of their mind.
Prana is abundantly available, but we waste it most of the time…! Also we are not aware how to recharge it…! As a result, we invite lot many unwanted ailments in our body.
Vehicles of Panch Prana in Your Body
The amount of flow of prana in your body is dependent on the quality and capacity of the Nadis (energy channels) and the Chakras. There are 72000 Nadis (energy channels) in human body. Prana travels through these nadis to every cell in your body.
The 3 Nadis – Ida, Pingala, Sushumna
The three main Nadis in human body are “Ida”, “Pingala” and “Sushumna”. Prana travels through Ida and Pingala but is restricted to flow from Sushumna.
These Nadis start from the base of the spine and travel upwards to the head.
Ida and Pingala travel upwards with a crisscross movement on each chakra junction. Ultimately they end up in opposite nostrils. The Pingala end up on right nostril while Ida end up on left nostril. The Sushumna travels straight up the spine to the crown of the head (Sahasrara) by passing through each chakras.
The chakras in return, connect with thousands of minor nadis. Chakras are responsible for circulation and distribution of prana in entire body.
Prana and Kundalini Awakening
Now, the flow of prana from Sushumna Nadi is restricted by energy locks in each chakra. Once the dormant Kundalini rises, these energy locks open up for prana to flow from base of Sushumna to Crown of Head (Sahasrara is A Door to Universal Consciousness.)
Once your prana reach to Sahasraara via Sushumna Nadi, this is called “Kundalini Awakening”…! The Highest Urge of Human Existence..!
(Sushumna Nadi is known as “The Nerve of Ascending Consciousness”. Verse 2.3.16 of Katha Upanishad says, “Radiating from the lotus of the heart there are a hundred and one nerves. One of these ascends toward the thousand-petaled lotus in the brain. If, when a man comes to die, his vital force passes upward and out through this nerve, he attains immortality; but if his vital force passes out through another nerve, he goes to one or another plane of mortal existence and remains subject to birth and death”.)
Details of Panch Prana
1 – Prana
Movement
Inward and Downside – Inhaling process included
Location
Between Anahata and Vishuddhi Chakra
Organ
Chest, heart and lungs
Work
- All works related to chest like breathing swallowing etc. It takes energy from external sources to inward bodily system
- To convert de-oxygenated blood into oxygenated
- Blockage in flow of prana leads to heart problems and blood pressure issues
- Strong prana makes you emotionally and mentally strong
2 – Apana
Movement
Downside and Outward – Exhaling process included
Location
Between Muladhara to Manipur Chakra
Organ
Anus, urinary organs, intestines, rectum, gal bladder, liver,and genitals
Work
- All works of excretion and generation included
- Functions of organs below navel – like excretion of urine, feces and semen
- Development of infant inside of womb
- Delivery of a baby
- Imbalanced Apana leads to constipation, digestion issues, hormonal imbalance, miscarriage etc.
3 – Samana
Movement
Moves in circular pattern and goes inwards to center of the body.
Location
Between Manipura and Anahata Chakra – in middle of prana and apana
Organ
Navel, pancreas, duodenum, bile, insulin, diaphragm
Work
- To digest the food we intake
- It is responsible for absorption of nutrients from digested food and supply it to the body
- It converts prana into energy
- Assimilation of food
- Imbalance of samana leads to distention of stomach, intoxication, diarrhea etc.
4 – Udana
Movement
Upside and Outward – It is through udana, sukshma sharir and other divinities present in the body escape at the time of death. This vayu plays vital role in act of levitation.
Location
Between Vishuddhi to Sahasraara
Organ
Eyes, nose, ears, skin, tongue – 5 jnanendriyas
Work
- 5 tanmatras and speech is due to udana
- Udana is responsible for face expressions, blinking of eyes, speech
- It gives us higher thinking capability, reasoning ability and logical thinking
- It enhances intuition power and controls neurological system
- If udana is strong, you have good command over language and communication skills
5 – Vyana
Movement
Outward moving energy from center – It moves throughout the body
Location
All over the body
Organ
Energy circulates through entire system of the body
Work
- To fulfill deficiency of prana in any part of the body in shortage
- To provide energy to supply system of body and makes sure proper distribution
- Strong vyana makes you active and energetic. It generates free flowing thoughts – Making you express freely
- Imbalance of vyana leads to hyper/hypo tension, insomnia etc.
The 5 Subsidiary Prana (Panch Vayu)
The panch prana takes help of panch vayus in other subsidiary functions. These panch vayus are as below:
- Nag – Burps and hiccups are nag vayu. Incomplete digestion excites samana which result in generation of nag vayu. It throws the extra gas out.
- Kurma – Blinking of eyes is done by kurma vayu. It maintains moisture in eyes and skin with safety.
- Krikar – Hunger, thirst and sneezing is controlled by krikar vayu.
- Devdatt – This vayu is the reason behind your sleep and somnolence.
- Dhananjay – Decomposition of body after death is done by dhananjay vayu.
Description of Prana in Upanishad
Verses 2.3 and 2.4 of Prashna Upanishad states, “every organ in Human body is ruled by a deity. Prana (breath) is the most essential and powerful of all, as all other deities cannot survive without it. The deities exist only in presence of Prana. They manifest their powers through Prana.”
Verse 3.3 of Prashna Upanishad says, “Prana is born of the Self. Like a man and his shadow, the Self and Prana are inseparable. Prana enters the body at birth, that the desires of the mind, continuing from past lives, may be fulfilled”
Verse 3.8 to 3.10 of Prashna Upanishad says “The sun is the Prana of the universe. It rises to help the Prana in the eye of man to see. The power of earth maintains the Apana in man. The ether between the sun and the earth is the Samana, and the all-pervading air is the Vyana. The Udana is fire, and therefore he whose bodily heat has gone out dies, after which his senses are absorbed in the mind, and he is born again. Whatever his thought at the moment of death, this it is that unites a man with Prana, who in turn, uniting himself with Udana and with the Self, leads the man to be reborn in the world he merits.”
The Chandogya Upanishad states that the Sun sustains all. What is in the Sun is the same as what is in prana. The energy in the body is actually similar to the energy present in the sun. This is reason our body is able to generate heat. The traditional texts of Ayurveda, Hath and Tantra yoga elaborates on prana well.
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Love & Light
Krishna
Prana provides the continuity between our present and past lives. It is also the force that enables the continuation of our evolution from past lives and carries us through this present life and future ones as well.
