Table 1.

The five principal forms of rlung

Name	Sanskrit equivalent	Location and movement	Function
Life-sustaining (srog’dzin)	prāṇa	Located in the crown of the head and travels through the throat and the breastbone	Swallows food and drink, inhales, spits, sneezes, belches, endows the mind and sense organs with clarity and holds the mind [and body together]
Ascending (gyen gyu)	uḍāna	Located in the chest and runs through the nose, tongue and throat	Projects the speech, provides (physical) strength, complexion, ‘color,’ energy and effort, and clears the memory
Pervading (khyab byed)	vyāna	Located in the heart and moves throughout the whole body	Raises, presses downwards, moves (the body), stretches, contracts (limbs and digits), opens and closes (the orifices) and is relied upon in the majority of functions
Fire-like equalising (me mnyam)	samāna	Located in the stomach and runs throughout the internal (vessel) organs	Digests food, separates nutriment and waste products, and nourishes the objects of harm (bodily constituents, excretions etc.)
Downwards voiding (thur sel)	apāna	Located in the anal area and operates in the large intestine, urinary bladder, genitals and thighs	Discharges and retains the semen, (menstrual) blood, stool, urine and foetus