prana

Prana is a Sanskrit term for the life force or vital energy that sustains living beings and, in many Indian traditions, pervades the cosmos. The word prāṇa is usually translated as breath or life principle, though it denotes more than respiration alone. In Hindu philosophy and related systems, prana enters the body with breath and moves through subtle channels called nadis, nourishing the senses, mind, and organs.

Yoga and Ayurveda treat prana as a dynamic energy that can be cultivated and regulated. A traditional model divides prana into five major functional principles, or vayus: prāṇa (upward and inward energy, governing intake and respiration), apāna (downward energy, governing elimination and movement), samāna (central energy, governing digestion and assimilation), udāna (ascending energy, directing speech, thought, and consciousness), and vyāna (diffuse energy, circulating prana throughout the body).

Prāṇāyāma, the systematic breath control aspect of yoga, aims to balance and refine prana by modulating breathing patterns and awareness. In the yogic view, refined prana supports meditation and spiritual absorption by quieting mental fluctuations.

In Ayurveda, prana is one of the body's vital energies that can be affected by diet, routines, and environment; disturbances to prana are thought to contribute to illness, while restoring prana supports health and resilience.

In scriptural and philosophical contexts such as the Upanishads and the Yoga Sutras, prana is described as a function of the subtle body, closely linked to consciousness and the breath. Outside traditional contexts, the term is used in modern wellness and holistic traditions to denote life energy, though its scientific basis remains a matter of belief rather than established science.