🌀Attention goes where Prana flows

“Attention goes where Prana flows”. When I started my yoga journey, somewhere along this path, I heard this phrase from one of my yoga teachers/mentors. It’s one of those sayings that just makes sense. Maybe you’ve heard a teacher say in a yoga class. Essentially reminding students to come back to the breath.

So, let's break that sentence down:

Attention is the place where you hold focus
Goes is to move
Where is the place we are going or arrive to 
Prana is the breath, the life force
Flows is movement continuous and smooth

After breaking down the sentence, it might translate into: the place you hold focus and allow the breath to arrive continuously.

“All forms of prana are necessary, but to be effective, they must be in a state of balance with each other.” - T.K.V. Desikachar, The Heart of Yoga

In yoga philosophy, the way energy flows through us is called the Five Vāyus (Winds).

1. Prāṇa Vāyu - is located in the head and heart. It is forward moving, it governs the all around movement and energy of the body.

2. Udāna Vāyu -  is located in the throat. It is upward moving and governs the growth of the body

3. Samāna Vāyu - is located around the navel area. It is balancing and governs digestion

4. Āpāna Vāyu - is located in the lower abdomen. It is the air that moves away and governs elimination

5. Vyāna Vāyu - is the connector for the physical and energetic parts of the body. It is outward movement and it governs the circulation throughout the body.

These are the energies that govern different parts of the subtle body. Throughout the next coming weeks, I want to do a deep dive into the Five Vāyus. There is so much we can learn about ourselves through the lens of yoga