Plan 39. Apana Loka
While prana is the force that serves to absorb energy from outside through the lungs and to carry food energy to the stomach, apana serves the opposite function. Apana literally means "downwards" and this energy is responsible for the release of energy from the body. It is located in the lower part of the body, contributing to the exit of the child from the womb. It is the cause of the release of energy in the lower direction. Apana is the energy responsible for urination, defecation and ejaculation.
In the West, the importance of apana is not well understood. Everyone knows about the presence of gases in the intestines, but these gases have never been isolated in a separate physiological category. There are many proprietary remedies for the treatment of conditions caused by apana imbalance, but their cause is not yet clearly understood in the West.
In traditional Indian medicine, apana is regarded as the main force that serves to cleanse all body systems. In the process of digestion, as a result of chemical interaction with juices in the stomach and intestines, the gases contained in food are released. These gases are produced in greater quantities if the food is poorly digested or the circulation of the juices is disturbed (raw foods such as nuts or seeds produce more gases). In any case, when the correct movement of gases is disturbed, instead of going out, they begin to rise up, and this upsets the balance of the chemical system of the body. If gases reach the heart area, it can lead to high blood pressure, palpitations, or even a heart attack. If they rise even higher, this leads to disruption of the respiratory system. If the gases reach the head, the result will be schizophrenia.
When Prana, charged with positive ions, mixes with apana and goes to the entrance to the central channel in the spinal column, in the process of interaction of positive prana ions with negative ions of apana, a huge amount of energy is released, awakening energy, which is located at the base of the spine in a latent state and is called Kundalini . (Kundalini is the immovable basis of all processes occurring in the body. It is the energy that is present in a resting or moving form in all phenomena of this world. The same energy is used by the body for survival.)
The practice of the bandha locks prescribed by yoga directs the apana upward. When it reaches the navel area, it increases the digestive fire. Apana then mixes with fire in the third chakra and penetrates into the fourth, where it mixes with prana. Prana is by nature hot. This mixing leads to a further increase in heat, and both energies rise, creating a vacuum. The scriptures say that with the help of this intense heat, which arises from the mixing of prana with apana, Kundalini awakens and enters the central channel, like a snake crawling into its hole. This mixture of prana and apana leads to a rejuvenation of the yogi's body; he becomes full of life, hardy and energetic, as at sixteen. Thus, in this field, the player realizes the importance of apana in his life and learns how to keep his energies in a harmonious state through proper diet and other practices.