Expansive energetic wind – Vyana-vayu
In the forth practice in the series, Marjon brings us into contact with Vyana-vayu, the expansive energetic wind. This article explores how bringing our awareness and energy to the expansion of the mind-body connection is a fruitful way to create a more harmonious and conscious flow in day-to-day life.
Vyana-vayu serves as a reminder that our bodies and minds are intricately interconnected, recognising and honoring this, helps to harmonise our health and wellbeing.
Much like the benefits Vyana-vayu brings from encouraging healthy circulation to our blood flow, when our energy, emotions and mental activity flows freely around our being, we gain increased emotional and mental availability. Enabling us to process and respond to everyday situations with more ease, with increased calm and wisdom, we begin to act, rather than react.
Breathwork and breath awareness, as well as mindful movement or practicing mindfulness are really good ways to foster our mental clarity and emotional balance. Introspective practices to support Vyana-vayu, help bring our awareness into our bodies and engage our prana (vital life force), serve to provide us roadmaps to understanding ourselves and open us up to further self-discovery and growth.
Word from Marjon
The expansive energetic wind, called vyana-vayu, gives rise to our body’s circulation. It moves in the reverse of samana-vayu from our navel centre outward to the periphery of our body.
Its pervasive nature aids us in distributing prana, or vital lifeforce, from our food and breath through our arteries, veins and nerves. A benefit in exploring this vayu is that as we bring conscious awareness to our innate inner processes, we can more deeply support and harmonise ourselves.
In your Yoga practice, this wind supports contraction and relaxation highlighting the importance of healthy, flowing energy through our being.
On the mental level, a balanced vyana-vayu means emotions and thoughts can circulate freely without becoming too hyper focused or attached to them. Allowing the mental fluctuations to come and to go with ease can in turn provide independence and freedom to our minds.