Awakening Prana Vayu

The Pranic Practice — Part 3

Awakening Prana Vayu Through Chest-Centred Breath

Earlier practices in this series focused on improving respiratory mechanics, expanding lung capacity, and cultivating balance through Samana Vayu — the centering force of breath.

This next stage shifts attention upward and works more specifically with Prana Vayu — the vital current associated with the chest, inhalation, alertness, and the energising movement of breath.

What Is Prana Vayu?

In yogic physiology, Prana Vayu is the upward and inward-moving force centered primarily in the heart-lung region.

Its movement is often described as drawing energy inward through the chest and lifting it upward.

When this aspect of breath is weak or disturbed, one may experience shallow breathing, low vitality, dullness, or a sense of constriction in the chest.

The Prana Practice

The primary goal is the harmonization of Prana Vayu, the vital energy located specifically within the chest and respiratory system. This practice emphasizes that a straight spine and elevated hips are foundational for proper energy flow.

The practice includes Ashwini Mudra, a rhythmic contraction of the pelvic floor muscles used to strengthen the body and uplift internal energy. This is combined with Ujjayi breath, a calming throat-based breathing method designed to increase oxygen retention and mental awareness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmSZ_uflPto

1. Preparation and Posture

• Spine Alignment: Sit with a straight spine. You can take support from a wall if needed, but the spine should never be bent.

• Hip Elevation: Use a pillow or cushion so that your hips are higher than your knees. This keeps the spine erect and ensures the pelvic region and solar plexus remain relaxed.

• Asana Options: You may sit in Padmasana, Vajrasana, Sukhasana, or Siddhasana.

2. Mastering the Core Components

Before starting the full cycle, you must understand two key techniques:

• Ashwini Mudra: This involves rapidly squeezing and releasing the anus (the sphincter muscle), similar to the feeling of holding back a bowel movement. This practice is used to train the muscles and uplift energy.

• Ujjayi Breath: Often called "tranquilizing breath," this is a sound made in the throat. You practice it by constricting the throat slightly while breathing through the nose to create a soft, psychic sound.

3. The Step-by-Step Practice

Once positioned correctly, follow these steps:

1. Awaken the Area: Use your fingertips to apply acupressure by pressing every part of the ribs and chest for 20 to 30 seconds to build gross body awareness.

2. Hand Placement: Place your right hand on your upper chest and your left hand on the bottom of your chest (above the diaphragm).

3. Visualization: Close your eyes and focus entirely on the chest region (the area between the clavicular bone and the diaphragm). Mentally visualize the chest expanding with every inhale and contracting with every exhale.

4. The Forceful Inhale: Take a forceful inhalation through the nose so that the chest fully expands.

5. The Ujjayi Exhale: Hold the breath for two seconds, then exhale using the Ujjayi sound for a mental count of 20 seconds. The movement and sound should feel as if they are originating only from the chest.

6. Breath Retention and Mudra: At the very end of your exhalation, hold your breath outside (do not inhale yet). While the breath is held out, perform Ashwini Mudra 20 times (rapidly squeezing and releasing the anus).

7. Repetition: Relax the anus, then immediately begin the next round with another forceful inhale. The practice typically consists of approximately 10 rounds.

The Role of Ujjayi Breath

The breathing is performed with Ujjayi, a slight narrowing of the throat that creates a soft whispering sound.

This helps by:

• Slowing and regulating airflow

• Improving awareness of breath movement

• Encouraging smoother inhalation and exhalation

• Building greater respiratory control

The sound acts as feedback, helping the practitioner maintain steadiness and attention throughout the exercise.

Ashwini Mudra: Training the Perineal Sphincter Muscles

During the breath retention after exhalation, the practitioner performs Ashwini Mudra.

This involves rhythmically squeezing and releasing the anal sphincter muscles.

According to traditional yogic teaching, this practice serves several functions.

It is regarded as:

• A preparatory training for Moola Bandha

• A way of cultivating awareness and control over the pelvic floor/perineal region

• A method for encouraging the upward redirection of energy

Traditional teachings also associate mastery of this region with improved regulation of instinctive and desire-driven impulses.

In practical physical terms, the exercise builds awareness and control of deep pelvic musculature that normally functions unconsciously.

Why Ashwini Mudra Is Done During External Retention

Ashwini Mudra is specifically performed after complete exhalation, while the breath is held out.

This timing is intentional.

At the end of exhalation:

• The abdomen naturally recoils inward

• Internal pressure is reduced

• Pelvic floor activation can be felt more distinctly

• Upward energetic engagement is easier to perceive

This makes external retention an ideal phase for integrating the mudra.

Sensations That May Arise

After several rounds, practitioners often notice:

• Tingling or warmth in the chest

• A vibrating sensation in the thoracic cavity

• Heightened awareness of the breath space inside the rib cage

• A sense of upliftment or energetic clarity

Traditionally, these are interpreted as signs that Prana Vayu is becoming more active and harmonized.

Physiologically, they may reflect increased circulation, muscle recruitment, autonomic shifts, and heightened interoceptive awareness — an increased sensitivity to subtle internal bodily sensations.

Research Note: Chest Breathing, Pelvic Floor, and Breath Retention

The harmonisation of Prana Vayu combines chest-centred breathing, controlled exhalation, retention, and Ashwini Mudra, and trains not just the lungs — but the deeper energetic and neuromuscular patterns associated with vitality, upliftment, and internal control. Emerging evidence suggests that integrated breathing practices involving thoracic expansion, prolonged exhalation, and pelvic floor coordination may:

• Improve respiratory muscle recruitment

• Enhance thoracic mobility

• Strengthen breath-pelvic floor synchronisation

• Increase autonomic nervous system regulation

• Heighten internal body awareness (interoception)

These mechanisms may help explain some of the physical and subjective effects traditionally described in pranayama literature.