Are you curious about the more subtle aspects of your yoga practice?
Do you want to take your teaching to a deeper level?
And/Or
Are you feeling a bit depleted + stagnant with all the curve balls this past year has thrown?
Join Megan Dunne Krouse and Courtney Riley October 15-17, 2021 in person at Yogaview Wilmette, Illinois or on Zoom on an experiential journey through the 5 Prana Vayus - the winds of life!
One of the many tools yoga philosophy provides for understanding the human system is the Praṇa Vayu model, which describes how energy flows to keep our system working.
When referring to Prana in general, we are talking about an undifferentiated universal life force that operates within the body to maintain life — comparable to the Chinese notion of Chi. It's presence is the difference between something being alive or inanimate.
When Prana’s flow is obstructed, we can be in pain or feel dull and disengaged.
When its flow is unobstructed, we feel vibrant, healthy and enthusiastic to be ALIVE!
Yogic tradition divides this all-encompassing energy into 5 directions of movement or “winds” called The Prana Vayu’s. They each have a location within the body and govern specific physical, emotional, and mental energies. They can be thought of as forces in the body that accomplish their own unique energetic tasks contributing to the harmony of the whole.
The Prana Vayus Are:
Apana Vayu is located in the lower abdomen and pelvic region. It is associated with elimination, the menstrual cycle, childbirth and general letting go.
Praṇa Vayu is located in the chest and head area and is responsible for intake —what we take in as food, from all of our 5 senses, as well as our thoughts.
Samāna Vayu is located in the midsection, or solar plexus, around the stomach and upper digestive organs and is responsible for absorption and integration.
Udāna Vayu is located in the throat and the area that stretches from the chest to the face and is responsible for communication and self-expression.
Vyāna Vayu is diffused throughout the body. It is responsible for circulation, integration, and a feeling of being interconnected.
In this series, we will experience ways to influence the flow of prana through the vayus, with the use of:
Focus/Attention
Asana (movement)
Pranayama (breath/bandhas)
Mudra (gestures) - sound (chanting)
Meditation
You will learn how to:
Refine your sensitization to Prana.
Connect with and influence the 5 prāṇa vayus to promote self healing.
Choose appropriate yoga techniques to balance specific areas of your body. For example: diarrhea, constipation or IBS would be a strong indication that the Apāna (lower belly) region needs some attention.
Design yoga practices for you or your students