The Five Vata Subdoshas

The five Vata subdoshas are the tradition’s way of saying that Vata, the principle of movement, is never simply one force. Vata is the dosha of air and space, the light, mobile, subtle quality behind every kind of movement in the body, and because movement takes so many forms, the classical texts divide Vata into five, the five Vayus or winds. Charaka names them in the Chikitsasthana, and Vagbhata sets out their seats and functions in the Ashtanga Hridayam: Prana, Udana, Samana, Vyana and Apana. Between them they carry the breath, speech, digestion, circulation and elimination.

Why Vata is divided into five

Vata governs all motion, from the beat of the heart to the passage of a thought, and no single seat or direction could account for so wide a work. The tradition therefore assigns each broad kind of movement to a division of Vata, each with its own seat, its own direction of flow, and its own sphere of action. To understand the five is to understand how Ayurveda maps every movement in the body onto the wind.

The five are also deeply interdependent. Each has its own domain, yet the texts are clear that the Vayus support one another and that disturbance in one readily unsettles the rest. Prana in particular is treated as the leader on which the others lean.

Prana Vayu

Prana Vayu is the foremost of the five, seated in the head and the chest, and it moves inward and downward at the top of the body. It governs the intake of everything: the drawing in of the breath, the reception of the senses, the taking of food and drink into the body, and the activity of the mind. In the classical view Prana is the wind closest to the mind and the senses, and its steadiness underlies clear perception, a settled mind and an easy breath. When Prana is disturbed, the tradition looks to the breath, the senses and the mind, and it settles Prana with calming, grounding practices and an even breath.

Udana Vayu

Udana Vayu is seated in the chest and throat and moves upward. It carries the outward and upward efforts of the body: speech and the strength of the voice, exhalation, physical effort and exertion, and the qualities the tradition links with enthusiasm, memory and complexion. Udana is the wind of expression and effort, the force behind a strong voice and the will to act. Its disturbance shows in the voice and in flagging energy, and it is settled by rest of the voice, steady breathing and the avoidance of strain.

Samana Vayu

Samana Vayu is seated at the digestive fire, in the region of the stomach and small intestine, and it moves in an even, gathering way around the middle of the body. Its work is digestion: it kindles and fans Agni, the digestive fire, churns the food, and helps separate the nourishing part from the waste. Samana is the wind that stands beside the fire and keeps it working, so the tradition treats it as the partner of Agni in the whole business of digestion. When Samana is disturbed, digestion turns irregular and gas and bloating follow, and it is settled by care of the digestive fire, regular meals and warmth.

Vyana Vayu

Vyana Vayu is seated in the heart but, unlike the others, pervades the whole body, moving outward in every direction. It drives circulation, carrying the nourishing essence of food and the other Vayus themselves throughout the frame, and it underlies all bodily movement, the flexing and extending of the limbs, the opening and closing of the eyes, and the distribution of sweat. Vyana is the wind of pervasion and outward flow, the force that reaches every tissue. Its disturbance shows in circulation and movement across the body, and because it pervades everything, it is settled chiefly by settling Vata as a whole.

Apana Vayu

Apana Vayu is seated in the lower abdomen, the pelvis and the colon, and it moves firmly downward. It rules all the downward and outward flows of the body: the elimination of stool and urine, the menstrual flow, the passage of the fetus at birth, and the release of the reproductive essence. Apana is the wind of downward movement and letting go, and the tradition treats a healthy, regular, unforced downward flow as one of the surest signs of a settled Vata. When Apana is disturbed, constipation and irregular downward flow follow, and it is settled by regular, unhurried elimination, warmth, oiliness, and the classical therapy of Basti, the medicated enema, which the texts regard as the foremost treatment for aggravated Apana and for Vata in general.

How the five work together

Although each Vayu has its own seat and sphere, Ayurveda insists that the five move as one system. Prana draws in and leads; Udana lifts and expresses; Samana digests; Vyana distributes; Apana releases downward. The intake at the top and the release at the bottom, Prana and Apana, are especially paired, and the tradition holds that a well ordered Apana supports a settled Prana, and so a calm mind. This is one reason regular, easy elimination is treated as so important in Ayurvedic living.

Keeping the Vata subdoshas settled

Because all five are forms of Vata, they are settled first by the general measures for Vata: warmth against its cold, oiliness against its dryness, regularity against its irregularity, and rest against its restlessness. On this ground the tradition then attends to whichever Vayu is at fault, reading the pattern of complaint, breath and mind for Prana, voice and energy for Udana, digestion for Samana, circulation and movement for Vyana, and downward flow for Apana, and directing its care accordingly.

Vata is the subtlest of the doshas and the most easily disturbed, and its five divisions can be unsettled in fine and overlapping ways. Sorting out which Vayu is at fault, and settling it, is work that benefits from a qualified practitioner’s eye.

This article explains the classical Ayurvedic understanding of the five Vata subdoshas and is for education, not medical advice. For any persistent complaint, consult a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner and keep your doctor informed.