Yoga Sequence

Pran Vayu Yoga Sequence

Practice for vitality and inner expansion

Pran Vayu is the ascending current, the one that takes in and moves upward. This sequence opens the chest and the ribs so that the breath has somewhere to go, then holds you there long enough to feel the difference.

When it helps

You are tired in a way that sleep has not fixed. Your attention keeps sliding off whatever you point it at. Your breathing has gone shallow without you noticing. Good in the morning, and good on the days when starting feels harder than it should.

Energetic effect

Pran Vayu rises and draws inward. It is the current responsible for taking in, which is why a practice for it works on the chest and the breath rather than on strength.

Physical effect

The chest, ribs and heart space open through side angle, low lunge and camel. The diaphragm gets more room, and deep breathing stops being something you have to remember to do.

Mental effect

Clarity and alertness come with the breath rather than before it. Most people find the mental part of this sequence arrives somewhere around the camel, not at the beginning.

1. Mobilization

Ardha Uttanasana

10 breaths

Half Standing Forward Bend

Activate your back and open the breathing spaces along the back of the body. Feel the expanse in chest and shoulders.

Learn more about Ardha Uttanasana

Utkatasana

5 breaths

Chair Pose

Generate inner fire, strengthen your center and consciously direct your breath into the upper body.

Learn more about Utkatasana

Tadasana

1 minute

Mountain Pose

Feel your inner uprightness. Optional: with a gentle Mula Bandha to activate the upward energy flow.

Learn more about Tadasana

2. Stabilization and activation

Utthita Parsvakonasana

10 breaths each side

Extended Side Angle Pose

Activate the flow of prana along the flanks and open the side of your body. A space for the breath arises.

Learn more about Utthita Parsvakonasana

Virabhadrasana 1

30 seconds

Warrior I

Strengthen your stance and create length in the spine. Your breath can stream freely upward.

Learn more about Virabhadrasana 1

Uttanasana

5 breaths

Standing Forward Bend

Surrender to the breath. Let go in the hips and take in new energy at the same time.

Learn more about Uttanasana

Anjaneyasana

10 breaths

High Lunge

Open the hip flexor and create space for the ascending breath power in your center.

Learn more about Anjaneyasana

Virasana

15 breaths

Hero Pose

Stay upright, feel your breath in the chest. Ideal for deepening breath awareness.

Learn more about Virasana

Ustrasana

5 breaths

Camel Pose

Open the heart and throat. Allow the breath to flow wide and free. Inward and upward.

Learn more about Ustrasana

3. Settling and integration

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

1 minute

Bridge Pose

Gently activate the spine and support the breath flow by lifting the heart.

Learn more about Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

Viparita Karani

1 minute

Legs Up the Wall

Gentle inversion to regulate the energy flow and calm the nervous system.

Learn more about Viparita Karani

Jathara Parivartanasana

5 breaths each side

Reclining Belly Twist

Relax your nervous system and allow the breath to spread in all directions.

Learn more about Jathara Parivartanasana

Janu Shirsana

15 breaths each side

Head-to-Knee Forward Bend

Gentle stretch in the back and flanks. Ideal for guiding the breath into the depths.

Learn more about Janu Shirsana

4. Final relaxation

Savasana

Min. 5 minutes

Corpse Pose

Let everything go. Feel the effect of the practice. Focus on an extended inhale and subtle breath awareness in the heart.

Learn more about Savasana

Integration

Prana is the word for life energy, and Pran Vayu is the specific movement that brings it in. Upward and inward. Everything in this sequence serves that one direction. It is worth being precise about what that means in practice, because vitality is an easy word to use loosely. The chest opens in side angle and low lunge. The heart lifts in bridge and camel. None of this is decoration. Each shape widens the space the breath moves through, and a breath with more room to travel is a different breath. The camel is the turning point of the sequence and worth approaching honestly. It is a demanding backbend, and it comes after the body has been prepared for it. If it is not available today, the low lunge with the chest lifted does much of the same work. What you are training here outlasts the practice. Most of us breathe into the top third of the chest all day and call the result tiredness. An hour spent teaching the ribs to move differently tends to carry over, quietly, into the hours that follow.

The teacher behind this sequence

Gründer & Autor

Manish Rana

Gründer von Asanaverse.de. Manish schreibt über Yoga, Ayurveda und Meditation und verdankt seine tiefe Verbindung zum Yoga seinen indischen Wurzeln. Mit über 1000 Stunden Yoga Alliance Teacher Training gibt er sein Wissen an die Community weiter.

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Go deeper into the poses

Every asana in this practice has a page of its own. You will find alignment cues, what the shape actually works on, and the energetics behind it.

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