The 5 Kalaas of Pran [air]:
- Pran
- Apaan
- Samaan
- Udaan
- Vyan
There is another connotation of the phrase five Kalaas of a man in the context of the word Pran. Hence, there are five Kalaas of the Pran. The Pran is the vital wind or air element that sustains life in a man. The chief form of this air element that sustains life in the body is called ‘Pran’, and the term is usually applied to the breath. But besides this, there are four other types of main Prans such as Apaan, Samaan, Udaan and Vyan. These are the names given to the vital wind in order to distinguish between the various functions or roles that it performs inside the body in order to study this air or wind element in a comprehensive way just like we classify any given subject into various streams to facilitate study and analysis. Therefore, hypothetically, the Pran is divided into five main Kalaas. Thus, there is the main Pran and its four Kalaas as follows:
(i) The ‘Pran’ is the wind element which, as breath, is exhaled as well as inhaled and is responsible for infusing and sustaining life in the body; it is considered the chief wind in the whole setup because without life no other wind would be of any significance to the creature.
(ii) The ‘Apaan’ is the wind that passes down the intestines and is responsible for digestion of the food taken by the creature and its excretion through the anus and urinary organs (kidneys).
(iii) The ‘Samaan’ is the wind that is responsible for equal distribution of nourishment throughout the body, as well as in circulation of blood.
(iv) The ‘Udaan’ is the wind that helps the body to rise and move about, it also helps the body to expel toxic waste gases in the body through the nostrils and mouth in the form of exhalation and cough.
(v) And finally the ‘Vyan’ is the wind that helps in maintaining equilibrium and pressure within the body, and it also controls the functioning of the other winds.