PanchPran-Five vital airs
Pran means vayu - air. Panch means five. Panch pran (Devanagari: पंचप्राण ISo15919: paṁcaprāṇa) are the vital vayu that ensure proper functioning of body.
Sthool sharir of the jeev is made up of Panch Mahabhoot. These pran are the vital force to keep the sthool sharir functioning properly. These pran operate in various parts of the body and have different names.
Pran
- Pran (Devanagari: प्राण ISo15919: prāṇa) pervades the region from the throat to the heart. All organs of the chest including heart and lungs are maintained by pran . Pran is linked to the akash. Imbalance of pran results in anxiety, shortness of breath, asthma, dullness of the mind and body.
Apan
- Apan (Devanagari: अपान ISo15919: apāna) is located below the navel region. It controls organs situated between the naval and the perineum including, small and large intestine, kidneys, urinary system and reproductive systems. Elimination of waste as faeces, gas and urine is done by apana vayu.
Vyan
- Vyan (Devanagari: व्यान ISo15919: vyāna) pervades the entire body. Whenever any part of the body experiences a shortage of energy, vyana vayu immediately sends the required nutrients to the cells to produce the energy. It is like an ever active backup store of energy for all the parts of body. It also helps in muscular movements.
Udan
- Udan (Devanagari: उदान ISo15919: udāna) pervades the area of throat, face and head region. It is responsible for all the sensory organs and functioning of the brain. It also controls hands and legs. This vayu helps the jeev leave the body at the time of death.
Saman
- Saman (Devanagari: समान ISo15919: samāna) pervades the region between the heart and the navel and invigorates the digestive organs and controls the juices emanating from them. Thus, it helps in maintaining metabolism.
Imbalance of these five vital vayu is one of the causes of physical ailments which are also termed as adhyatmik taap.
You must have heard about pranayam in modern age yoga science. The literal meaning of ayam is strengthening. So, pranayam means breathing exercises targeted for balancing the five forms of air for body to function adequately.