Prana means, variously, ‘breath of life’, ‘vital energy’. Prana is where Ayurveda meets yoga because the yoga postures activate prana to work harmoniously throughout your body.
The following list explains the five major winds or energies and how they act on the body. These forces which activate your system are divided into five types:
✓ Apana, which literally means ‘air that moves away’, is focused at your navel. It’s the downward- and outward-moving force that moves air and fluids out of your body, including flatulence, feces, newborn babies, menstrual fluid and urine. At a more subtle level, it aids in the elimination of negative sensory and emotional experience, and most importantly it maintains your immune system on all levels.
Along with vyana , apana creates stability in your legs.
All standing and crouching postures help strengthen and maintain this supporting energy.
✓ Samana, meaning ‘balancing air’, is located one step above apana, at your stomach level, and moves in a clockwise circle. Samana energy governs all movements in your abdomen and colon. It promotes digestive activity and it aids the lungs in absorbing oxygen. On a mental, sensory and emotional plane, samana works to synthesize and digest the experience, so it’s very busy! All forward bends and spinal twists help to support this vital force in your body.
✓ Udana, which literally means ‘upward-moving air’. Its centre is located in your throat and moves in an upwards direction. Its most important function is speech. Along with vyana, udana moves your arms and holds your head high. Udana plays a part in your growth, both physical and spiritual. It’s said to aid in your individual evolution of consciousness, or your journey to self-realisation.
Postures that help develop this force are the ones where your hands actively reach upwards.
✓ Vyana, meaning ‘outward-moving air’, is located all over your body, but specifically in your lungs and heart. Vyana ensures that blood circulates to the periphery of your body. Vyana maintains the flow of your thoughts and emotions and confers strength and movement to them. So if you’re feeling stuck, try poses where you extend your arms out from your sides, as well as the sunsalute sequence.
✓ Prana, located in the heart, means ‘forward-moving air’. All sensory perceptions and mental impressions are possible because of this life force. Prana is the vital force that nourishes the brain, and it’s the life force or animator of all things. Meditative postures and back bends are helpful to support this energy. All chest-opening postures, including the half fish, are also beneficial.
Simple Yoga Posture for Each Constitution
Knowing your constitution type points you towards the postures most beneficial to you. You need to focus on your yoga poses without distractions, so before you start a yoga session, turn off your mobile phone and unplug the landline. Regulate your breathing while performing the poses, and move slowly and with concentration and focus.
Remember that the optimum amount of exercise varies from one person to the next. In accordance with this, the Vedic texts say that the best amount of exercise is when sweat comes to your forehead, armpits, and spine in small quantities. Don’t forget that too strenuous activity depletes ojas, which is the good substance that guards your immunity.
Don’t practice yoga if you feel ill, and consult your doctor first if you have any of the following: glaucoma (inverted postures can increase pressure on your eyes); bleeding of any kind, including heavy periods; neck injuries; previously broken bones; severe osteoporosis; or rheumatoid arthritis. Don’t practice on a full stomach; a gap of an hour is adequate after a light meal, or wait three hours after a heavy one. When doing the postures, ease into them gently, and if you start to feel discomfort or pain, stop immediately. The emphasis is on the regularity of practice and not on how long each session is. A short daily practice is of far more value than a regular burst of activity every few weeks. You’ll be amazed at how a small amount of effort can yield great results.
Vata-Pacifying Posture
A brief reminder of the special qualities of Vata dosha: it’s cold and its main seat is in the pelvis; Vata dosha is the humour which governs all movement in the body. So the postures most beneficial for Vata management are related to
the pelvic area:
✓ Meditative postures that put pressure on the lower abdomen and help the body to be firm and grounded.
✓ Asanas which put pressure on the colon and pelvic area, such as forward bends.
✓ Balancing postures, which increase concentration and help prana to flow in a smooth and directed way.
Trikonasana:
In the trikonasana posture, you literally form a triangle. This asana stimulates your digestive system and stretches the spine on either side:
1. Stand with your feet parallel, approximately 3 to 4 feet apart.
2. Turn your left foot slightly in towards the right, and rotate the right foot 90 degrees so that it’s in a direct line with your left inner arch. Feel yourself rooted to the ground.
3. Extend your arms to the level of your shoulders, and then fold your body over your front leg during an exhalation, while maintaining strong contact with the ground through your back leg. Take care that your hips are squarely forwards and that your knees aren’t bent.
4. Point your left palm upwards, keeping your arm and wrist straight, and place your right hand at the side of the ankle on a block or on the floor, on the outside of your right ankle.
Your spine elongates, and you can focus on opening your chest with the hand extending to the ceiling. Allow your breath to flow smoothly.
5. Hold the posture for about 90 seconds if you can, then return to standing on an inhalation, pressing even more on your left foot and lifting through the upturned left arm.
6. Repeat on the other side. Gaining control in this basic posture builds focus for more complex variations.
Posture for Pitta Management
The pitta dosha is heat-producing and governs all transformative processes in the body. It centers mainly in the small intestine, so the yoga postures of most benefit are those that affect the navel area to increase digestive efficiency and stimulate gastric juices.
Pitta postures to pursue include:
✓ All postures that involve spinal twists
✓ Inverted asanas (such as shoulder stand), which reverse pressure on
the organs, strengthen the liver and small intestines, where excess pitta
congregates in your body, and improve digestion
✓ Inner-directed postures that induce a meditative state of mind
People with a pitta constitution are very goal-directed and may try to speed things up, even while doing yoga. If you’re a high-energy pitta person who finds it hard to chill out, being very deliberate in your movements, resting between poses and doing poses with your eyes closed can help you achieve balance.
Ardha Matsyendra Asana (Half Spinal Twist):
To do a half spinal twist, follow these steps:
1. Keeping your spine erect and shoulders level, sit on your heels and breathe calmly.
2. Shift your weight to the right buttock and lift your left leg over your right leg, so that your left heel comes to rest at your right hip.
3. Stretch out your arms at shoulder level either side of you, and turn your torso to your left while exhaling.
4. Put your right arm on the inside of your left leg and grasp your foot to aid leverage, allowing the spine to naturally twist from the base upwards.
5. When you’ve twisted your torso as far as you can, turn your head to the left while keeping your neck relaxed. Remember not to lead with your chin, but to turn your whole head at once and place your right hand to the floor behind you.
6. Release as you exhale, and slowly untwist.
7. Repeat on the other side.
If your hips are very tight, you can modify this posture by putting several blankets or a block on your right side under your buttock, so that you don’t collapse on one side. In addition, resting your left hand on a block helps.
Kapha-Pacifying Posture
The Kapha dosha tends to be cold, heavy and sluggish. Kapha energy centers mainly in the upper part of the stomach and the lungs.
Types of postures helpful to those with a Kapha dosha include:
✓ All postures that open the chest
✓ Postures that are stimulating to the system and increase the metabolic rate, such as the salute to the sun sequence, later in this chapter
✓ Inverted postures, which increase heat in the body and are helpful to stimulate the release of excess Kapha dosha in the form of mucus in the body
To offset the natural sluggishness of the Kapha constitution, perform the asanas briskly. Kapha types think that relaxation is the best part of a yoga session
Ardha Matsyasana
Known as the half-fish pose, this posture is beneficial in treating asthma, because it really opens your chest and allows for the smooth flow of prana. Secondarily, it tones the thyroid and all the associated organs in the neck, while stimulating the nerves too. Your thoracic area gets a much-needed stretch, which relieves tension and opens the heart.
Follow these steps:
1. Lie on your back with your feet extended together and your arms and palms facing down, comfortably under your thighs.
2. Press your legs and elbows into the floor, arch your back and lift your chest as high as you can. Keep your elbows as close as possible to your sides, to stabilize your body.
3. Inhale gently, lifting your chest and positioning the crown of your head on the floor. Try to open your chest as much as you can. Don’t hold the pose too long, because it’s quite wearing on the neck.
4. To release the posture, gently lift the head, extend the back of the neck and rest into the ground. Release your hands and arms from under your buttocks, and relax.