The 5 Kalaas of Pran [air]:

1. Pran
2. Apaan
3. Samaan
4. Udaan
5. Vyan

Discription:

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.