The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga by Vishnu-Devananda Swami

Author:Vishnu-Devananda, Swami [Vishnu-Devananda, Swami]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Guide pratique, Inde, Yoga, Illustré
ISBN: 9780307786203
Publisher: Democrite - Giga
Published: 2011-02-22T23:00:00+00:00

FIVE PRINCIPAL PRANAS OR FIVE TYPES OF VITAL FORCE

Before the student takes up pranayama for awakening kundalini, he should have a proper understanding of the five major pranas or five types of vital forces and their functions. Though prana is one, it assumes five forms: (1) prana, (2) apana, (3) samana, (4) udana, and (5) vyana, according to the different functions it performs.

The seat of prana is the heart; of apana, the anus; of samana, the region of the navel; of udana, the throat; while vyana is all-pervading and moves all over the body.

The function of prana is respiration and its color is that of a red gem; apana does excretion and its color is a mixture of white and red; samana performs digestion and its color is between that of pure milk and crystal; udana does deglutation (swallowing of the food) and is plain white color. Udana prana also assumes the function that takes the individual to sleep. Vyana performs circulation of blood and it resembles the color of archil (or that of a ray of light).

Thus, according to the Yoga philosophy, all visible and invisible happenings in the universe and in the body are the functions of one prana, which manifests in various forms. The activities of the human body automatically come under the control of prana and this cosmic prana as it functions in the body is named pancha pranas or five vital forces, according to the nature and function it performs.

These five pranas function through the five subsidiary nerve centers in the brain and spinal cord.

Prana through the cervical portion of the autonomic nervous system governs the verbal mechanism and the vocal apparatus, the respiratory muscles, and the movements of the gullet.

Apana Prana controls mostly the autonomic action of the excretory apparatus of the body such as kidney, bladder, genitals, colon, and rectum through the lumbar portion of the autonomic system.

Samana Prana controls such secretions of the digestive system as that of the stomach, liver, pancreas, and intestine through the sympathetic portion of the autonomic system in the thoracic region.

Udana Prana functions above the larynx and controls all the automatic functions that come under the cephalic divisions of the autonomic nervous system. It also functions as a psychic force that separates the astral body from the physical body at the time of death.

Vyana Prana pervades all the body. This prana controls the voluntary and involuntary movements of the muscles of the whole body and the movements of the joints and structures around them. It also helps to keep the whole body in erect position by generating unconscious reflexes along the spinal cord.

In addition to the five principal pranas, there are five more upa pranas or five minor vital forces: naga, kurma, krikkara, devadatha, and dhananjaya. The naga vayu performs the function of belching and gives rise to consciousness; kurma opens the eyelids (drooping of eyelids before sleep) and causes vision; the krikkara causes sneezing and causes hunger and thirst; the devadatha produces yawning, and dhananjaya pervades the whole gross body and does not leave the physical body even after death.

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