The Prana Vagus: Shala Teaching
With Diana Christinson of Pacific Ashtanga Yoga Shala
This week Diana teaches about the vayus or winds, with particular attention to apana vayu, as we continue our study of pranayama.
Conference this week is a continuation of pranayama:
PRANA - Breath, Life force, Chi, Energy
AYAMA - Stretch it out.
So Pranayama is a breath stretching out or stretching out a breath practice.
PRANA - Breath, Life force, Chi, Energy
AYAMA - Stretch it out.
So Pranayama is a breath stretching out or stretching out a breath practice.
Bandhas are Always the Answer
We’ve been talking about holding in the prana. How do we hold in the prana?
Bandhas. Always the answer.
We lock in the prana and then we utilize it more efficiently by bringing it to the very edges of the body. We look at the diagram Tamra put on our conference video last week so you can see where the yogi holds their prana. So when we hold it, we are able to move it into the very edges of our being efficiently. When we’re not healthy, we’re not able to hold our prana. Then it’s kind of spilling all over the place or leaking. We don’t want that. That’s not good. To be the master of our emotional self or spiritual self or physical self we want to hold our prana.
“To be the master of our emotional self or spiritual self or physical self we want to hold our prana
Using an example from last week of a master in holding his Chi, one of my favorites, one of my little heroes is Bruce Lee. Yes. We talked about how he holds in the prana and how we do that, as ashtangis, the same way. They call it dantian - we call it bandhas.
Bandhas. Always the answer.
We lock in the prana and then we utilize it more efficiently by bringing it to the very edges of the body. We look at the diagram Tamra put on our conference video last week so you can see where the yogi holds their prana. So when we hold it, we are able to move it into the very edges of our being efficiently. When we’re not healthy, we’re not able to hold our prana. Then it’s kind of spilling all over the place or leaking. We don’t want that. That’s not good. To be the master of our emotional self or spiritual self or physical self we want to hold our prana.
“To be the master of our emotional self or spiritual self or physical self we want to hold our prana
Using an example from last week of a master in holding his Chi, one of my favorites, one of my little heroes is Bruce Lee. Yes. We talked about how he holds in the prana and how we do that, as ashtangis, the same way. They call it dantian - we call it bandhas.
What are the Vayus?
This week in particular I told you guys we are going to study the Vayus.
What are the vayus?
The winds.
So what do the vayus have to do with moving prana?
The direction.
Vayus are the direction. As ashtangis, this is going to help deepen your practice or understand what we’re doing in our practice.
I always told you guys studying pranayama is one of my favorite things to lecture or to teach about because we get so obsessed with asana, doing the asana, getting the asanas, getting them right, and having our bodies look a certain way, getting flexible and getting strong. But really, we can do that work in the gym, to some extent. What makes yoga unique and different is that it is a breath practice. It is an energy practice. It is a pranic practice.
What are the vayus?
The winds.
So what do the vayus have to do with moving prana?
The direction.
Vayus are the direction. As ashtangis, this is going to help deepen your practice or understand what we’re doing in our practice.
I always told you guys studying pranayama is one of my favorite things to lecture or to teach about because we get so obsessed with asana, doing the asana, getting the asanas, getting them right, and having our bodies look a certain way, getting flexible and getting strong. But really, we can do that work in the gym, to some extent. What makes yoga unique and different is that it is a breath practice. It is an energy practice. It is a pranic practice.
What makes yoga unique -- It is a breath practice. It is an energy practice. It is a pranic practice.
Which means you all have to be master breathers. You have to be master Chi or pranic practitioners where we have to learn and get better and more efficient at moving that energy around. Last week I compared it to windmills. If you understand a little bit about the vayus, the chakras, we understand that they are sort of wheels. We’re trying to get like when we see in the desert, all those windmills. It’s kind of mesmerizing, right? I’m always fascinated because I’ll see one going really fast and the one next to it kind of going like this (slowly) and a couple of windmills just sitting there. What’s wrong? It’s the same for us, what we’re trying to do, to get the chakras or these wheels spinning by using our breath and moving the prana.
We use the frame of our body and use the breath to get it to move through the Nadis through the meridians. That is what a yoga practitioner is doing every time we move our bodies and asanas. We breathe in conjunction with that. We are moving these winds, to keep us healthy, into the edges of the body. The better breather you are, absolutely the better pranic practitioner.
We use the frame of our body and use the breath to get it to move through the Nadis through the meridians. That is what a yoga practitioner is doing every time we move our bodies and asanas. We breathe in conjunction with that. We are moving these winds, to keep us healthy, into the edges of the body. The better breather you are, absolutely the better pranic practitioner.
If you have a wimpy breath, if you are holding your breath all the time, you’re not going to be able to efficiently move this Chi through the body.
It’s also how we hold the body. All day when we are collapsing on our devices, texting like this and driving our cars. This whole area, this whole vayus is collapsed. We cannot efficiently (breathe), if you even try to breathe right now it’s part of degeneration. You can’t breathe as efficiently. Now pull your shoulders back and widen your chest and breathe. Now you can get more breath through. You can actually think of the yogi breathing it to the very edges of your skin and getting the breath to move in all these directions.
The Vayus
There are 5 Vayus
We are going to talk about 4 today and we’re going to study specifically two.
We are going to talk about 4 today and we’re going to study specifically two.
5 Vayus
Udana Vayu, the throat
Very important. So everytime you guys are doing poses and you’re just dropping your head, I’m so sad. I’ll admit, it drives me a little nutty burger, because one thing, you’re rounded-you’re inflexion rather than extension. But also because there is no good action. Like we talked about on your devices, you’re just in that same hunched position where we can’t fully get prana. This is like a dead zone.
We’re going to talk a little bit more about this next week. I love to talk about the middle upper thoracic. If you can’t extend through here, there’s no destination of head to leg. As a matter of fact that destination, oftentimes, works against us rather than for us. Instead, take your pata drishti, your foot gaze, and extend through your throat. See what prana you can move through your throat today.
Think about it this way, there’s chakras, there’s vayus, there nadis, all this stuff I want you guys as advanced practitioners to understand how these all work together. To understand the breath is moving through udana vayu, also understand this is one of our higher chakras. It’s moving up higher in that spiritual evolution or emotional evolution that we want for ourselves. Without any cognitive therapy or whatever on your mats, part of it is just breathing and allowing the body to move and release the way we need it to. Sometimes you guys will be here, “Wow man, I felt so emotional today. I don’t even know why.” It could have been that you got more prana into your throat. You know, into this higher chakra.
Very important. So everytime you guys are doing poses and you’re just dropping your head, I’m so sad. I’ll admit, it drives me a little nutty burger, because one thing, you’re rounded-you’re inflexion rather than extension. But also because there is no good action. Like we talked about on your devices, you’re just in that same hunched position where we can’t fully get prana. This is like a dead zone.
We’re going to talk a little bit more about this next week. I love to talk about the middle upper thoracic. If you can’t extend through here, there’s no destination of head to leg. As a matter of fact that destination, oftentimes, works against us rather than for us. Instead, take your pata drishti, your foot gaze, and extend through your throat. See what prana you can move through your throat today.
Think about it this way, there’s chakras, there’s vayus, there nadis, all this stuff I want you guys as advanced practitioners to understand how these all work together. To understand the breath is moving through udana vayu, also understand this is one of our higher chakras. It’s moving up higher in that spiritual evolution or emotional evolution that we want for ourselves. Without any cognitive therapy or whatever on your mats, part of it is just breathing and allowing the body to move and release the way we need it to. Sometimes you guys will be here, “Wow man, I felt so emotional today. I don’t even know why.” It could have been that you got more prana into your throat. You know, into this higher chakra.
What’s this one here?
Prana Vayu, the heart chakra
Every time you do up dog you have an amazing opportunity to not only open your body up, where it’s normally closed the other way, but to get more breath and movement through this very important vayu and this very important chakra.
Prana Vayu, the heart chakra
Every time you do up dog you have an amazing opportunity to not only open your body up, where it’s normally closed the other way, but to get more breath and movement through this very important vayu and this very important chakra.
Samana Vayu, digestion
From here to here is Samana vayu.
What is the samana vayu associated with? Digestion.
Super important. The more breath we can get moving through this area, it’s going to help us digest our food and keep the fire, the Agni, really strong. It’s what we are looking for for healthy bodies. It’s all vayus we’re talking, to say, about anatomy and healthy bodies.
From here to here is Samana vayu.
What is the samana vayu associated with? Digestion.
Super important. The more breath we can get moving through this area, it’s going to help us digest our food and keep the fire, the Agni, really strong. It’s what we are looking for for healthy bodies. It’s all vayus we’re talking, to say, about anatomy and healthy bodies.
What’s the last one at the very bottom? Apana
Apana has to do with what? Elimination.
Apana Vayu - elimination
That is today’s topic. It’s a very fun topic.
Elimination is incredibly important to keep us vibrant and to keep us healthy. If you guys have ever gone, we’ve all gone through a period where our elimination wasn’t working so well, right? What happens when that system isn’t working very well? Samana vayu, udana vayu, it’s not working very well. How do you feel? How do you feel physically? Heavy, stagnant, sluggish, maybe depressed, let’s get into the emotional stuff then that comes with that, a little bit lethargic. You don’t feel very energetic. You don’t feel very compassionate.
I noticed for myself, when this part of my physical system isn’t doing very well, it’s very connected to my emotional being. I can be kind of peevish. It’s almost like a way for me to see, we talked about darshana, to see myself, that mirror I hold up to myself and say, “Why are you so irritable? Why is this little thing over here buggin you? Why are you so stressed about this thing that normally is not that stressful to me?” Sometimes I’m able to assess that situation, realize my process is kind of stuck.
One of the ways we can get that unstuck is to focus on our breath. Focus on moving prana in your yoga practice. From prana to apana, we say this process helps with elimination. Which direction is the prana going to go? It’s riding on the breath. Prana is going to move up, apana is going to elimination, we’re going to push it down. We’re going to move it up, I’m going to push it down. That’s going to help with your physical process as well but also the emotional process.
Today we can do a little breath practice at the end.
You know how I talk about yoga is like taking good medicine, well it’s not always the same depending on what you need. If you know you need to focus on apana and elimination, you’re a little stagnant, you’re feeling a little heavy, you’ve been eating poopy, whatever it is.
Apana has to do with what? Elimination.
Apana Vayu - elimination
That is today’s topic. It’s a very fun topic.
Elimination is incredibly important to keep us vibrant and to keep us healthy. If you guys have ever gone, we’ve all gone through a period where our elimination wasn’t working so well, right? What happens when that system isn’t working very well? Samana vayu, udana vayu, it’s not working very well. How do you feel? How do you feel physically? Heavy, stagnant, sluggish, maybe depressed, let’s get into the emotional stuff then that comes with that, a little bit lethargic. You don’t feel very energetic. You don’t feel very compassionate.
I noticed for myself, when this part of my physical system isn’t doing very well, it’s very connected to my emotional being. I can be kind of peevish. It’s almost like a way for me to see, we talked about darshana, to see myself, that mirror I hold up to myself and say, “Why are you so irritable? Why is this little thing over here buggin you? Why are you so stressed about this thing that normally is not that stressful to me?” Sometimes I’m able to assess that situation, realize my process is kind of stuck.
One of the ways we can get that unstuck is to focus on our breath. Focus on moving prana in your yoga practice. From prana to apana, we say this process helps with elimination. Which direction is the prana going to go? It’s riding on the breath. Prana is going to move up, apana is going to elimination, we’re going to push it down. We’re going to move it up, I’m going to push it down. That’s going to help with your physical process as well but also the emotional process.
Today we can do a little breath practice at the end.
You know how I talk about yoga is like taking good medicine, well it’s not always the same depending on what you need. If you know you need to focus on apana and elimination, you’re a little stagnant, you’re feeling a little heavy, you’ve been eating poopy, whatever it is.
You could take a little medicine, a little pranayama like this:
That’s beautiful medicine for apana that helps us with elimination. When you stretch out, double time, your exhale and then hold a retention that’s a double time to the inhale.
You wind up taking a big gulp in and then you gotta eat-eat, stretch-stretch-stretch-stretch (Tim would say sippy cups sippy cups) all the way down to hold. The body responds to that we hold. We hold we hold then we breathe again. We’ll do that at the end of class.
What is the other thing that is excellent for the ashtangi, for the yogi to do to help with the process of elimination within the yoga practice.
Bandhas? That’s how we’re holding it in. Absolutely.
What are the poses that help us the most?
It’s the inverted poses.
The inverted poses we studied this last year means if the Angi, if we understand that there’s a flame that’s part of the vayus, we’re switching the direction of the flame. When you’re inverted, which direction is the flame going? It goes the opposite direction so that’s where we can really burn off a lot of the toxins and stuff. If you guys have ever felt not healthy, a little bit heavy and lethargic, and you get into your inverted poses, don’t you feel like “this is good '', or your gift to headstand, you feel like “ah this is good. That’s what I need. Yeah.” That’s that process for us.
What we want to do is not just hand out there and survive it, but get some deep breath and movement of that prana throughout those vayus to get that elimination process working again, that digestion working, that fire really stoked and strong.
Today, I want you guys to focus on a strong breath. As we’re moving through the asanas and vinyasas, I also want you to think of how much can you bring that breath to the very edges of your being. I’ll remind you today. I want to see a deeper connection to your breath today, a little deeper connection to pranic movement into the full body.
- You’re going to take a big inhale for four counts
- You’re going to take a long stretched out exhale for eight counts. We’re going to double the breath
- Then we’re going to hold for eight breaths
That’s beautiful medicine for apana that helps us with elimination. When you stretch out, double time, your exhale and then hold a retention that’s a double time to the inhale.
You wind up taking a big gulp in and then you gotta eat-eat, stretch-stretch-stretch-stretch (Tim would say sippy cups sippy cups) all the way down to hold. The body responds to that we hold. We hold we hold then we breathe again. We’ll do that at the end of class.
What is the other thing that is excellent for the ashtangi, for the yogi to do to help with the process of elimination within the yoga practice.
Bandhas? That’s how we’re holding it in. Absolutely.
What are the poses that help us the most?
It’s the inverted poses.
The inverted poses we studied this last year means if the Angi, if we understand that there’s a flame that’s part of the vayus, we’re switching the direction of the flame. When you’re inverted, which direction is the flame going? It goes the opposite direction so that’s where we can really burn off a lot of the toxins and stuff. If you guys have ever felt not healthy, a little bit heavy and lethargic, and you get into your inverted poses, don’t you feel like “this is good '', or your gift to headstand, you feel like “ah this is good. That’s what I need. Yeah.” That’s that process for us.
What we want to do is not just hand out there and survive it, but get some deep breath and movement of that prana throughout those vayus to get that elimination process working again, that digestion working, that fire really stoked and strong.
Today, I want you guys to focus on a strong breath. As we’re moving through the asanas and vinyasas, I also want you to think of how much can you bring that breath to the very edges of your being. I’ll remind you today. I want to see a deeper connection to your breath today, a little deeper connection to pranic movement into the full body.
Here are your quotes for this week.
Looking at Bruce Lee as one of our examples, this was taken from a Bruce book written about Bruce Lee by John Little called The Warrior Within about Bruce Lee’s philosophies. To know a little bit about why he’s one of my heroes has a lot to do with how he incredibly held his prana and moved throughout his body, but also he, in my opinion, had a very beautiful mind in his way of seeing things from that process too.
Looking at Bruce Lee as one of our examples, this was taken from a Bruce book written about Bruce Lee by John Little called The Warrior Within about Bruce Lee’s philosophies. To know a little bit about why he’s one of my heroes has a lot to do with how he incredibly held his prana and moved throughout his body, but also he, in my opinion, had a very beautiful mind in his way of seeing things from that process too.
Chi when channeled to our muscles can give us great strength and, when channeled to our brain, can give us great insight and understanding.”
~ Bruce Lee. From The Warrior Within by John Little
One of Bruce Lee’s favorite philosophers from India was Krishnamurti:
In oneself lies the whole world and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either the key or the door to open, except yourself.”
~ Jiddu Krishnamurti