What Is Apana Vata?

Apana Vata is the downward moving subtype of Vata, seated in the pelvis and the colon. It governs the downward and outward currents of the body: the elimination of stool and urine, the menstrual flow, sexual function and childbirth. It is the Vata of elimination, one of five divisions.

The meaning and seat of Apana Vata

The name Apana means the downward or away breath, the air that moves down and out, and Apana Vata is the form of Vata that governs the lower body. The classical texts place its seat in the pelvis, and especially in the colon, the pakvashaya, together with the bladder, the groin, the genitals and the thighs. Since the colon is regarded as the principal seat of Vata as a whole, Apana is often treated as the most fundamental of the five currents, the base from which Vata is most readily disturbed and most readily settled. Its movement is downward and outward, and its whole office is the orderly expulsion of what the body must release. Where Prana above governs taking in, Apana below governs letting go.

What Apana Vata governs

Ayurveda assigns to Apana Vata all the downward and expelling functions. It governs the elimination of stool and of urine, the passage of flatus, the menstrual flow (artava), the movement of the reproductive fluids, and the expulsive effort of childbirth. In each of these the theme is the same: a controlled downward force that carries out of the body what should leave it, at the proper time and in the proper measure. The classical authors treat the regular, easy working of Apana as a foundation of health, since the timely removal of waste keeps the whole system clear. When Apana is orderly, elimination is regular and complete, and the lower body feels light and unobstructed. Its steadiness is regarded as the base on which the other Vata currents rest.

Apana Vata and elimination

The chief work of Apana Vata is elimination, and the tradition gives this a significance beyond the merely physical. The timely downward movement of waste is held to prevent the accumulation of residue and to keep the channels clear, so that a well ordered Apana supports the whole body above it. The texts observe a close partnership between Apana below and Prana above, the downward and the inward breaths, so that steady elimination supports steady breathing and a settled mind, while obstruction below unsettles both. When the downward current is disturbed, waste may be retained or expelled irregularly, and the residue known as Ama, described in the article on Ama metabolic toxins, may gather. The classical cleansing therapy of medicated enema, part of Panchakarma, is directed above all at restoring the order of Apana.

Apana Vata in balance and disturbance

In balance, Apana Vata shows as regular and complete elimination, an easy downward flow and a light, unobstructed lower body. When it is disturbed, the light, dry, cold and mobile qualities of Vata unsettle the pelvis. The classical texts describe dryness and irregularity of elimination, retention or its opposite, discomfort and distension in the lower abdomen, and an uneven downward flow. Because the colon is the principal seat of Vata, disturbance here readily spreads upward and disorders the other currents. These are described as classical tendencies of aggravated Vata in the lower body, to be weighed by a trained eye alongside other signs, and they are not names of medical conditions or diagnoses.

Apana Vata among the five Vata subtypes

Apana Vata is the fourth of five divisions of Vata, each with its own direction and region. Prana draws inward at the head, Udana rises upward to govern speech and effort, Samana moves evenly at the navel to serve digestion, Vyana pervades the whole body to drive circulation, and Apana presses downward in the pelvis to govern elimination. Because it occupies the colon, the chief seat of Vata, Apana is often the first current to be disturbed and the one whose settling most benefits the rest. The wider pattern of Vata is set out in the Vata dosha characteristics, and the ordering of all three doshas is described in the tridosha theory.

Supporting Apana Vata

Because Vata is light, dry, cold and mobile, the classical rule of opposite qualities settles it with warmth, moisture, oiliness and regularity. For Apana Vata the tradition favours warm, moist and well cooked food, adequate fluids, oiliness in the diet, and a regular daily rhythm that allows elimination at its natural time, as set out in the Dinacharya daily routine. Dryness, cold, irregular hours and the habitual suppression of natural urges are held to disturb this current. Gentle warmth and oiling of the lower abdomen are traditional comforts. Where elimination is persistently irregular or uncomfortable, the classical counsel is to consult an experienced Ayurvedic practitioner rather than to self-treat, since the reading of Apana belongs to a trained observer.

This article describes the classical Ayurvedic understanding of Apana Vata and is offered for education, not as medical advice.