We can often become numb to the fact that we have become stuck in a routine, slow in the body, or caught in a mental loop. When we are mired in these earthly cycles, it’s useful to have the tools to recognize and transform that inertia into more productive energies.

In yoga and ayurveda, the movement of energy within the body is described as Prāṇa vāyu. Prana refers to essential life force and vāyu means “air” or “wind.” These ‘winds,’ or energetic pathways, carry our vital energy throughout the body. But when these processes are unbalanced or stuck, it can lead to our dysfunction.

There are five Prāṇa vāyus. This overview helps you to recognize them and offers practices for each. In each practice, we concentrate on a simple kriya (action) that’s performed with our breath. Then we move into a meditation where we envision that pathway becoming healthy and stable.

This is a great introduction to focusing on the subtle body. While the breath is a tangible component of life force within us, the practices encourage us to proceed to the next level and bring awareness to your energetic self.

The following meditations can be done individually or in succession, depending on your current condition.

Related: Meditation: Where Do I Begin?

1. Pran vāyu: For overall motivation and vitality

*Pran vāyu mudrā: touch the thumb (fire) to the ring and pinky fingers (earth and water).*

Pran vāyu is the master pathway. It concerns the energy that we bring into ourself from outside the body and is located in the head and the heart. Notice this during the first part of your breath, when air moves in and up.

Taking in breath and food increases and sustains our life force. But also think about what the mind receives from your senses. The sense organs are constantly taking in information, sensory input—and it’s a stream we can’t shut off. Sights, sounds and scents influence the mind, and this Pran vāyu meditation brings our attention to these sensory “gateways.”

When to practice?

Practice the Pran vāyu meditation if you are you feeling tired and depleted, have a hard time taking things in, when you are having sensory overload or are overstimulated.

2. Apana vāyu: For letting go

*Pran vāyu mudrā: touch the thumb (fire) to the middle two fingers (ether and earth) fingers.*

Apana means to descend, so this pathway concerns the pelvis, where matter in the body moves down and out. This pathway affects the legs, our elimination and our exhalation. It helps us let things go.

Many dis-eases are related to digestive disorders. When the rhythm of your elimination is disrupted, you might feel uncomfortable.

The wind of apana moves the appropriate elements of our body, but the earth and water within us can tend toward stagnation. The practice of the Apana vāyu meditation encourages these elements to keep moving in a healthful way.

When to practice?

Practice meditation for apana if you have elimination issues, or if you’re having difficulty letting go, moving on or releasing of old beliefs. Contemplate whether you are stuck in the past or cannot accept your present reality.

3. Samana vāyu: For digestive regulation, retaining knowledge

*Samana vāyu mudrā: touch the thumb to all fingers (all elements).*

Samana is the force of digestion and assimilation — including nutrients and information. We need to break things down for both our health and our intellect.

It is active in the abdomen, where our diet and lifestyle are transformed. When we practice in the Samana vāyu, the goal is to move into balance, quiet, and stillness.

When your brain is busy digesting information, it can draw resources away from the abdomen. Be mindful of this balancing act… does your mind need a rest, too?

When to practice?

Practice the Samana vāyu meditation if your digestion isn’t 100%. Or to better assimilate knowledge. Instead of retaining new knowledge, do you find that you need to learn something over and over again?

4. Vyana vāyu: To get (or keep) moving

*Vyana vāyu mudrā: Touch the thumb (fire) to the index and ring fingers (air and ether).*

After we have taken things in and assimilated them, the vyana vāyu moves that vitality outward. This pathway originates in the heart and lungs, the organs that distribute and circulate energy throughout the body.

If one thing is off in your life, then everything falls out of balance, but we might be able to get unstuck if we can get our wind/energy moving through the body.

When this vāyu is in balance, you might also feel more comfortable in different types of situations. When your body is skilled at directing its internal resources, you become better able to shift your actions per the situation. You can show up and be “you” in all situations.

When to practice?

Practice the Vyana vāyu meditation if you are feeling stuck and need or want to get moving, if you feel off or have cold hands or feet. Do you need to have more consistent energy for all parts of you life?

5. Udana vāyu: For communication and inspiration

*Udana vāyu mudrā: touch the thumb (fire) to the first three fingers (air, ether, earth).*

The Udana vāyu rules the pathway of speech and communication, expression, being inspired and having enthusiasm. It resides mainly in the throat and concerns the energy that moves up and out of us.

Do you lack curiosity, wonder or interest in learning something new? As we age, this kind of momentum slows down. If your udana is weak, it might be hard to muster the courage to speak, or the enthusiasm to engage with others.

Most concretely, udana is our speech — and the quality of your speech contributes to your karma. Healthy communication patterns are nonviolent, peaceful, truthful.

Use the four gates of speech: Is what you say true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? Is it timely?

When to practice?

Practice the Udana vāyu meditation if you’re having trouble expressing yourself well or in a productive manner. Are you in a growth period, contemplating where you want to be, or lacking inspiration and enthusiasm?

This article is written with the wisdom passed down through living yoga traditions. I acknowledge and thank the teachings of Tanya Boigenzahn, Indu Arora, Gary Kraftsow and Rod Stryker.