In yoga, Indian medicine and Indian martial arts, prana (प्राण, prāṇa; the Sanskrit word for breath, “life force”, or “vital principle”) permeates reality on all levels including inanimate objects

In Hindu literature, prāṇa is sometimes described as originating from the Sun and connecting the elements

Five types of prāṇa, collectively known as the five vāyus (“winds”), are described in Hindu texts

Ayurveda, tantra and Tibetan medicine all describe prāṇa vāyu as the basic vāyu from which the other vāyus arise

Prana is divided into ten main functions: The five Pranas – Prana, Apana, Udana, Vyana and Samana – and the five Upa-Pranas – Naga, Kurma, Devadatta, Krikala and Dhananjaya

Pranayama, one of the eight limbs of yoga, is intended to expand prana