HOW TO STAY HEALTHY…….. NATURALLY

Taking care of and looking after our FIVE PRANA VAYUS is one of the most important things we ought to be doing, in our daily lives.

We have five Prana vayus. 
They are called Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana and Samana.

Prana vayu is the well-known life force that controls our respiration and heart beat. It also helps us to ingest food and water. In short, it governs what we take into our body.

This vayu resides in the region of our heart and moves up and down from the navel to the nose.

Apana vayu is the force that helps us eliminate things from our body, mainly through urine, feces and also through our genital organs. It resides in the pelvis.

Vyana vayu maintains, guides and co-ordinates the flow of energy and matter all over our body, through nerves, vessels and other visible and invisible channels.

Udana vayu performs the functions of voluntary movements and is also the force which helps us counter the earth’s gravity. It also controls Speech. It resides in the region of the throat.

Samana vayu resides around the navel and is responsible for the digestion and assimilation of the food we eat. Along with the Prana vayu, it also forms the interface between our Body and our Mind.

Our five Prana vayus are the most important guardians of our life-force and health.

Imbalance in one or more vayus leads to vaata dosha and this is the commonest precipitating cause of ill-health and disease. It is, therefore, imperative to keep our vayus tuned up and functioning properly, at all times.

We can do this in several ways:

1.     Pranayam (special breathing exercise) done everyday, keeps our Vayus clean and balanced. The simple variety of Pranayam comprising a ‘Poorak-Kumbhak-Rechak’ regimen, often suffices. Pranayam should ideally be done during a ‘sandhi kaal’ (dawn / dusk) when the atmospheric Vayu is at its most sensitive and responsive. Pranayam removes blocks in our nadis and allows the prana vayus to flow smoothly through them. This improves the functions of the nadis and leads on to good health and well-being.

2.     Regular exercise keeps the vayus in good form. Prolonged immobility ‘freezes’ the vayus; over-activity throws them into disorder. Therefore, we should tailor our activities to whatever would suit us, individually and optimally.

3.     Yoga / Stretching exercises help keep the nadis clear, thus allowing the vayus to flow without impediment. Yoga poses and exercises would vary according to individual needs, though some are of universal good.

4.     Proper diet is emphasized in Ayurveda. This is a separate topic in itself but briefly, one’s diet should not lead to increase any of the doshas in our body, including the vata dosha.

5.     Proper environment,  because an improper environment can impact the vayus in our body negatively, along with being a direct cause of disease and ill-health.

6.     Peace of mind is necessary too, as the mind constantly influences our breathing which, in turn, control our all-important Prana vayu.

There are other factors that can influence our vayus too, but these are the major ones and which deserve our attention. 
During mealtimes we should, whenever possible, close our eyes before swallowing the first bite and utter aloud the famous incantation, "Om Pranaya swaha, Om Apanaya swaha, Om Vyanaya swaha, Om Udanaya swaha, Om Samanaya swaha..... Om Brahmane swaha". This would be one of the best ways to keep our prana vayus and ourselves too, in great health!

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