Downward Facing Blog

This little blog post may make a huge difference in your yoga practice

(the five levels of the spectrum of prana and why you should know about it)

The ancient hatha yoga texts teach that the breath should be made to travel UP the spine as you inhale and DOWN the spine as you exhale. However, a quick observation of your own breathing will show you that air flows down into your body when you inhale and flows up and out when you exhale, isn’t it? How and WHY is it then in yoga it is reversed? This is a crucial, yet rarely taught aspect of practice. It only needs a small amount of background to understand but will make a huge difference in your practice of yoga!

You will learn to make your breath ascend up the spine through the use of willpower, visualization, and muscular locks called bandhas. Using certain muscles to contract, to turn your inner body into a kind of “trampoline” to make the breath reverse it’s natural course.

There are different ways to visualize it, and the techniques change from one school to the other. In either case, it is important to follow one system long enough to get the results that method describes. In all systems of yoga however, the result ultimately is that the breath and energy make an eventual push up the spine.

The reason is that the spine is a map for evolution, the tailbone being the starting gate and the crown of the head- the finish line, where the whole reason we entered into this crazy, often painful life of lessons gets answered and resolved. The breath is used for a cosmic “Draino” which cleans out the tiny little tubes that make up your subtle energetic body. Once the channel is clear, then the higher aspect of energy called Kundalini can rise effortlessly without obstruction. The kundalini-prana then acts as a kind of jump start to open the energetic centers along the spine.

That’s the map of what to expect, which is really only background information to put in your head. The rest of the time you just practice, practice, and practice and watch your life improve in the process. That’s what it really boils down to.

By “breath” I am really referring to a whole number of concepts, which are intertwined with the mind and imagination. Breath is the air you inhale, and movements of mind which extend beyond the body, and through the body, and even to the ends of your hair. Breath can refer to visualization of light, color, and symbols in tandem with the actual, physical inhale and exhale. For that reason, it is better to use the word “prana” in place of breath to make it more clear. To understand how prana can cover so many functions, the spectrum is classified into five levels:

1. Physical (tamasic - annamaya kosha)- This physical energy is not generally under our direct control, but it is influenced by lifestyle, exercise and food. This keeps our body’s life functions such as internal organs and metabolism functioning

2. Vital force (rajasic - pranamaya kosha) - This is the controllable level of breath and senses, and is the primary energy within the body and mind

3. Mental (fluctuating sattvic - manomaya kosha) - Prana that gives energy to our thoughts, emotions, willpower and helps us come to decisions.
   
4. Higher Mind (pure sattvic - Vijnanamaya kosha)- The energy of a one pointed state of mind, giving energy of concentration and focus to the aspect of wisdom.

5. Silent Mind - (nirodha -Anandamaya kosha)- Requiring a full awakening of Kundalini to function, this level of prana is silent and still, like a pure light.

Within the first three levels of physical, energetic, and mental prana behaves, or moves in five primary directions: upwards, downwards, outwards, inwards, and equalizing.

1. Upward flow (udana) - connecting to the inhale and concentrated physically from the navel up towards the throat. This acts as the force of speech, singing, vomiting, and is said to carry the soul on to other births after death. On a subtle level this relates to enthusiasm, effort, and mental growth.

Exercise: inhale through the mouth, taking in energy up and in towards the throat chakra. Visualize a dark blue lotus flower facing forwards, while holding your breath for a moment. As you exhale, chant the mantra OM, imagining that a ball of light spreads out and encompasses the entire horizon. Imagine that your throat is the center of all sound in the universe. This will benefit the vitality, improve the voice and powers of self-expression.

2. Downward flow (apana) - connected to the exhale and downward, gravitational-like pull from the navel towards the feet. The physical body is a result of this flow of energy. On a subtle level it may pull the mind to a materialistic focus.

Exercise: Inhale through the nose, drawing energy to the base of the spine and hold your breath. Visualize a dark blue, downward-facing triangle in the navel . As you exhale, ground your energy down through the legs into the floor. This is good for menstrual problems, constipation, diarrhea, and sexual dysfunction. It is also good for the immune system.

3. Outward flow (vyana) - The expanding, outward moving force that permeates the entire body, and extends from the heart into the limbs and beyond. This provides our physical and mental circulation as well as mind expansion.

Exercise: while inhaling lift and extend your arms out towards the side of the shoulders in a similar fashion to how you would expand your arms in a stretch after waking up and yawning. Hold your arms out while holding the breath visualizing an orange spinning wheel at the heart sending out life force through your fingers and toes and through all of creation. This will benefit the circulation, and helps to treat heart and lung conditions as well as asthma, arthritis, depression, and stress.

4. Inwards flow (prana) - Situated mainly in the head with an inward and upward movement. By this movement we are receptive to perceptions both subtle and otherwise. This is the prana by which the mind is built up.

Exercise: inhale and draw energy in through the head and senses into the third eye. Hold your breath and your energy there visualizing a ball of light. Exhale through the third eye while spreading the energy through all the senses. This will awaken the creativity, refreshing the brain. It is good to treat headaches and nervous exhaustion

5. Equalizing flow (samana) - Physically this governs homeostasis (balancing), digestion and metabolism. On a subtle level this is the way by which we assimilate impressions, experiences and information.

Exercise: imagine all of the collective energy throughout the world, solar system and universe entering in to your navel while inhaling. Hold your breath at the navel while the energy builds, collects, and concentrates. As you exhale, the energy once again expands outwards through the body providing stability, and nourishment. This breath is helpful to treat any ailments of the digestive system, including ulcers. It balances metabolism as well as the body and mind.

There are variations in texts and many will simplify these five into just two: inward flow (prana) and the downwards flow (apana). Remember that prana builds the mind while apana builds the body so the union of the two is the same as the union of the body and mind, which of course is YOGA. I will write more about the locks (bandhas) used to redirect the flow of breath next

Love to you all, Adrian Cox