Sadhguru: Metaphorically, the full moon represents fullness of life, joy, love, ecstasy, and exuberance without reason. But if full moon is the only day you feel a little bit of joy, love, or whatever, what do you do in the remaining twenty-eight days?
So why is it that one human being is able to be exuberant and joyful irrespective of the burdens and taunts of life, while another person needs a specific atmosphere like a full moon? Why is it that within one human being, it is always full moon, while for others, their moods, emotions, thoughts, and the very secretions in the body go up and down?
What Are Vayus?
There are various movements within the body. If you are a doctor, you think in terms of blood flowing and glandular functions happening, which determines your moods and experiences, but there is something deeper than that. There should be no blockages in the movement of energy and the different vayus in the system. There are vital passages within the body, particularly in the head region. If these passages are blocked, keeping yourself exuberant is a great effort.
There should be no blockages in the movement of energy and the different vayus in the system.
The word “vayu” literally means “that which moves”; it is also used to refer to the air. Within the body, fundamentally, it manifests as 5 basic vayus. If you want to understand it a little more profoundly, it becomes 10. If you want to know every intricacy about it, it becomes 84. But they are too subtle; you would have to spend lifetimes of focus to figure these things out. If you handle the pancha (five) vayus or pancha pranas right, the rest of them will follow.
The Significance of the Pancha Vayus
The pancha vayus are – prana vayu, samana vayu, apana vayu, udana vayu, and vyana vayu. For your digestive fire to burn, for circulation to happen, for nutrients to spread across the body, and for wastes to be removed from the cells, you need movement of the pancha vayus. If you stop this movement, the body will not be able to sustain life.
One who has some mastery over the pancha vayus will have enormous physical, mental, and energetic strength.
When the passages are not fully cleared, then these vayus tend to become stale and cause inertia. Without movement of prana in the system, being energetic is not possible. Just because you are eating a certain amount of proteins and carbohydrates does not mean you will be energetic. It does not even mean that you will be healthy. If the pancha pranas are not flowing freely, you will lack energy, focus, and exuberance of life.
In the Indian culture, vayu is always seen as strength. Bhima and Hanuman are vayuputras, or sons of the wind god. There is a lot of symbolism to it, but above all, it signifies that only one who has some mastery over the pancha vayus will have enormous physical, mental, and energetic strength.
Why Prana Vayu Is the Key to an Exuberant Life
The first and most vital aspect of the vayus is prana vayu. All the other vayus have different functions and are equally important, but this one is very fundamental. Prana vayu is in charge of the respiratory action and thought process. A lot of people have gone to the extent of saying that the way you think is the way you are. I do not agree with that, but on the surface, it is true that the way you are is the way you think. If you try to fix your thought process, you will find some results. But if you fix your way of being, you will have one hundred percent results. You will be a full moon every moment of your life. For this to happen, how you breathe and what level of movement your prana has is important.
If you do Shakti Chalana Kriya for 1008 days without a single day’s break, after that, you will not know exhaustion.
If you learn to keep your breath in such a way that it is between the pit of your throat and your navel, your prana vayu will enhance itself. When this happens, there is clarity of thought, and one more side benefit is that your sense of smell becomes very keen. If you know how to practice Shakti Chalana Kriya, it is definitely a scientific way of doing it. If you do Shakti Chalana Kriya for 1008 days without a single day’s break, after that, you will not know exhaustion.
The Right Way to Breathe
If you breathe through the entire belly, inertia will come into the body. Certain spiritual schools, especially in the Far East, use inertia to their advantage. They breathe through the lower belly so that if you sit down, you do not feel like getting up anymore. You can simply sit. This is very distinctly manifested in culture. If you see images of Gautama the Buddha in India, he is very athletic. Obviously, a man who is such a stickler for awareness would not eat one morsel of food more than needed. But in Far East Asian cultures, you see that Buddha has a big belly – he is happy but has no dynamism.
How Certain Food Habits Obstruct the Flow of Prana Vayu
If you eat certain types of foods, such as too many tuber vegetables, you will generate gas below the navel. Once you generate gas below the navel, your prana between the navel and the pit of the throat will not function as it should, and the dynamism in your system will go down. This is one reason why meditators, students, and those who need to focus their mind and stay awake for long periods of time should not eat such substances.
Once you generate gas below the navel, your prana between the navel and the pit of the throat will not function as it should, and the dynamism in your system will go down.
Another reason is that as the fools think they are becoming more modern, their food gets older. They think fresh food is for the uncivilized. This is happening across the world. If you are very civilized, you must go to a superstore, buy food in a plastic box or a steel or aluminum can, heat it in the microwave, and eat it. This food may be at least three months old. People say, “No, it was in the refrigerator, and they have added preservatives so that it doesn’t go bad.” That is a double mistake.
How to Eat to Optimize Your Breath, Thoughts, and Vibrancy
In the Yogic tradition, if you cook anything, you must consume it within one and a half hours. For certain types of items, up to four hours is okay, but beyond that, you do not touch it because otherwise you will develop gases in the system. You will not only develop gases in the stomach but also vayus in the system that will work against your prana vayu. This means that your respiratory action, thought process, and sense of smell will get lowered over a period of time. These three are very vital for you to be a vibrant human being.
