Apana

Sanskrit, from apa- meaning "away" or "down" and ana- meaning "to breathe" or "to move." It signifies the breath that moves downward, essential for expulsion and grounding, first appearing in ancient Indian texts on yoga and physiology.

"Inspirational breatli"; a practice in Yopa, Prana and (ipi'nia are the "exj>irational " and the "inspirational" breaths. It is called "vital wind" in AniujUd. Apap (Et].}, in (Jreek Apophis. The symbolical Serpent of Evil. The Solar Boat and the Sun are the {jreat Slayers of Ai)ap in the Book of tfu Dead. It is Typhon. who havinj; killed Osiris, incarnates in Apap, seeking to kill Ilorus. Like Taoer lor Ta-np-oir) the female aspect of Typhon, Apap is called "the devourer of the souls", and truly, since Apap symbolizi's the animal body, as matter left soulless and to itself. Osiris, beinj;, like all the other Solar gods, a type of the Higher Ego (Christos), Horns (his son) is the lower Manas or the p( rsonal Ego. On many a moiniment one can see Horns, heli)ed by a number of dog-headed gods artned with crosses and spears, killing Apap. Says an Orientalist: "The Cioil Ilorus standing as conqueror upon the Serpent of Evil, may be considered as the earliest form of our well-known group of St. George (who is Michael) and the Dragon, or holiness trampling down sin." Draconianism did not die with the ancient religions, but has passed bodily into the latest Christian form of the worship.

In the intricate cosmology of Hindu yogic thought, Apana is not simply a biological function but a subtle energetic current, a vital wind that animates the corporeal form. Mircea Eliade, in his seminal work on yoga, illuminates how these vital airs, or pranas, are not mere physiological phenomena but the very medium through which consciousness interacts with the material world. Apana, distinguished by its downward trajectory, is intimately connected with the processes of excretion and grounding. It is the force that carries away what is no longer needed, both physically and energetically.

This downward flow, often associated with the Muladhara chakra, the root center of our being, provides a crucial stability. Without this grounding force, the upward movement of other pranas, particularly Prana itself (the upward and inward breath), would lack a foundation. The yogic practice of pranayama, as meticulously detailed in texts like the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, involves the conscious manipulation of these breaths. Through specific inhalations, exhalations, and retentions, the yogi seeks to harmonize the flow of Apana and Prana, aiming to purify the nadis (energy channels) and awaken the Kundalini serpent power.

Carl Jung, in his exploration of the psyche, might see in the controlled expulsion of Apana a parallel to the process of individuation, where the conscious mind must release outdated patterns and psychological debris to integrate deeper aspects of the self. The act of letting go, of expelling the superfluous, is a prerequisite for growth. In this sense, Apana teaches us not just about breath but about the profound wisdom of release, of making space for the new by skillfully emptying the old. It reminds us that true vitality is not just about accumulation but about the intelligent circulation and judicious expulsion of energies. The mastery of Apana, therefore, is a path to both physical health and spiritual liberation, a testament to the body as a sacred vessel for transformation.

RELATED_TERMS: Prana, Pranayama, Muladhara Chakra, Kundalini, Vital Force, Chakras, Yoga, Hatha Yoga