7.6 Shwasa-Prashwasa, Vayu, Prana, Upa-Prana & Shat Chakra
Key Takeaways
- Shwasa is inhalation and Prashwasa exhalation; Patanjali treats their disturbance as one of the four Vikshepa-sahabhuva at PYS 1.31 and their regulation as Pranayama at PYS 2.49.
- Prana is the universal life force; Vayu is its functional current in the body, and the ten Vayus comprise five Mukhya Pranas and five Upa-Pranas.
- The five Mukhya Pranas are Prana (thoracic, inward), Apana (pelvic, downward), Samana (navel, equalising), Udana (throat and head, upward) and Vyana (pervading).
- The five Upa-Pranas are Naga (belching), Kurma (blinking), Krikara (sneezing, hunger and thirst), Devadatta (yawning) and Dhananjaya (which does not leave the body at death).
- Shat Chakra means the six chakras from Muladhara to Ajna along the Sushumna; Sahasrara is counted separately as the thousand-petalled seat above them, not as one of the six.
7.6 Shwasa-Prashwasa, Vayu, Prana, Upa-Prana & Shat Chakra
Syllabus item 2.18 collects five technical terms into one line. They form a single chain: breath is the observable end of a vital force, that force operates as ten functional currents, and those currents are organised around six centres. Section 5.4 covers the Pancha Kosha and Nadi architecture; this section covers the vocabulary of item 2.18 itself.
Shwasa and Prashwasa
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Shwasa | Inhalation — the drawing in of breath |
| Prashwasa | Exhalation — the sending out of breath |
The pair appears twice in the Yoga Sutra, in two quite different roles:
- PYS 1.31: shvasa-prashvasa is listed among the Vikshepa-sahabhuva, the accompaniments of mental distraction. Disturbed breathing is a symptom of a scattered mind.
- PYS 2.49: shvasa-prashvasayor gati-vichchhedah pranayamah — the cutting off of their movement is Pranayama. Regulated breathing is the treatment.
That the same pair is both symptom and treatment is the whole logic of Pranayama, and Svatmarama states it directly: Chale vate chalam chittam, nishchale nishchalam bhavet (HYP 2.2) — when the breath moves the mind moves; when the breath is still the mind becomes still.
Do not equate breath with Prana. Breath is the grossest and most accessible expression of Prana, which is why it is the handle we use. Prana itself continues in states where breathing is suspended, and it operates in processes — digestion, circulation, excretion — that have nothing directly to do with respiration.
Prana and Vayu
Prana is the universal life force, the animating principle of the cosmos; Vayu literally means wind or air, and in this context means a functional current of Prana within the body. The relationship is simple: Prana is the substance, Vayu is its mode of operation.
Ten Vayus are recognised: five Mukhya (principal) Pranas and five Upa-Pranas (subsidiary).
The five Mukhya Pranas
| Vayu | Seat | Direction | Functions governed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prana | Thoracic region — heart and lungs | Inward and upward | Inhalation, intake of all kinds, sensory reception, swallowing, cardiac function |
| Apana | Pelvic region, below the navel | Downward and outward | Excretion, urination, ejaculation, menstruation, childbirth, exhalation |
| Samana | Between navel and heart | Equalising, spiralling | Digestion, assimilation, metabolic heat, distribution of nutrients |
| Udana | Throat and head | Upward | Speech, vocal expression, growth, upward movement, and the departure of consciousness at death |
| Vyana | Pervades the whole body | Outward from centre | Circulation, nervous conduction, coordination of movement, distribution of energy from the other four |
The critical yogic operation involves the first two: Apana naturally moves down and Prana naturally moves up. Mula Bandha reverses Apana upward; Jalandhara restrains Prana; their union at the navel kindles the fire that rouses Kundalini. That is the mechanism the whole Bandha apparatus exists to produce (Section 4.4).
The five Upa-Pranas
| Upa-Prana | Function |
|---|---|
| Naga | Belching, hiccup, eructation — relieves pressure in the upper digestive tract |
| Kurma | Blinking and the movements of the eyelids — protects the eye |
| Krikara | Sneezing, coughing, and the sensations of hunger and thirst |
| Devadatta | Yawning — draws extra oxygen when tired |
| Dhananjaya | Pervades the whole body; remains after death and is said to be the last to leave, associated with the swelling and decomposition of the body |
Two exam anchors here. Kurma is the eyelids, and Dhananjaya is the one that does not leave the body at death — those two are asked more often than the rest combined.
Shat Chakra: why six and not seven
Shat means six. The classical term is Shat Chakra, and this trips candidates constantly, because modern books almost always speak of seven.
The resolution: the six chakras from Muladhara to Ajna lie on the path of the Sushumna Nadi within the spinal axis. Sahasrara is not one of them. It is the thousand-petalled seat above the six, the destination rather than a station — the place of the union of Shiva and Shakti, beyond the region the Sushumna traverses. Hence Shat Chakra plus Sahasrara, not seven chakras.
The foundational text is Purnananda's Shat-Chakra-Nirupana (16th century), which is where most of the standard iconography comes from.
| # | Chakra | Location | Petals | Element / Tattva | Bija | Granthi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muladhara | Perineum, base of spine | 4 | Earth (Prithvi) | LAM | Brahma Granthi |
| 2 | Svadhishthana | Sacral / genital region | 6 | Water (Apas) | VAM | — |
| 3 | Manipura | Navel / solar plexus | 10 | Fire (Agni) | RAM | — |
| 4 | Anahata | Cardiac / heart region | 12 | Air (Vayu) | YAM | Vishnu Granthi |
| 5 | Vishuddhi | Throat | 16 | Ether (Akasha) | HAM | — |
| 6 | Ajna | Between the eyebrows | 2 | Mind (Manas) / beyond the elements | OM (or KSHAM) | Rudra Granthi |
| — | Sahasrara | Crown | 1,000 | Beyond the Tattvas | Silence | — |
The petal counts are examinable and follow no obvious pattern except at the ends: 4, 6, 10, 12, 16, 2. The one that surprises people is Ajna's two petals — the highest of the six has the fewest, because at that level duality has reduced to a single pair (Ida and Pingala) about to dissolve.
The three Granthis
Granthi means a knot — a point where Prana is obstructed and where practice characteristically stalls:
| Granthi | Located at | What it binds |
|---|---|---|
| Brahma Granthi | Muladhara | Attachment to physical existence, security, survival |
| Vishnu Granthi | Anahata | Attachment to emotional bonds, to the fruits of action, and to psychic experience |
| Rudra Granthi | Ajna | Attachment to Siddhis, to spiritual identity, and to the sense of being a knower |
The piercing of the three Granthis is the framework of the four Nadanusandhana stages in Section 7.2, so the two topics interlock directly.
Summary of Exam-Key Points
- Shwasa = inhalation, Prashwasa = exhalation; a symptom at PYS 1.31, the treatment at PYS 2.49.
- Prana = the force; Vayu = its functional current. Ten Vayus = 5 Mukhya + 5 Upa.
- Mukhya: Prana (thoracic, in), Apana (pelvic, down), Samana (navel, equalising), Udana (throat/head, up), Vyana (pervading).
- Upa: Naga belching, Kurma blinking, Krikara sneezing/hunger/thirst, Devadatta yawning, Dhananjaya remains after death.
- Shat Chakra = six, Muladhara to Ajna; Sahasrara is counted separately.
- Petals: 4, 6, 10, 12, 16, 2; Bijas LAM, VAM, RAM, YAM, HAM, OM.
- Granthis: Brahma at Muladhara, Vishnu at Anahata, Rudra at Ajna.
Why does the tradition speak of Shat Chakra - six chakras - when most modern books count seven?
Which Upa-Prana is said to remain in the body after death?
Which two Vayus does the Bandha apparatus of Hatha Yoga aim to bring together, and where?
How many petals does Ajna Chakra have, and what does the number signify?
Which Granthi is located at Anahata Chakra, and what does it bind?