Patanjali Yoga Sutra — उदानजयाज्जलपङ्कण्टकादिष्वसङ्ग् उत्क्रान्तिश्च ॥3.40॥
Udānajayājjalapaṅkaṇṭakādiṣvasaṅgaḥ utkrāntiśca॥
Through mastery over udāna, a yogi can walk over water, marshy sludge, thorns, etc, without being touched or affected by them and can also levitate.
Indian traditional texts explain that the Pañca Prāṇas control different functions in the human body as follows:
प्राण आध्यो हृदि स्थाने अपानस्तु पुनर्गुदे। समानो नाभिदेशेतु उदानः कण्ठमाश्रितः॥
व्यानस्सर्वेषु चाङ्गेषु व्याप्य तिष्ठति सर्वदा।…………. ॥३५, ३६- अमृतनादोपनिषद्॥
Prāṇa is in the heart, apāna in the anus, samāna in the navel region, udāna in the neck, and vyāna is spread all over the body.
1. Prāṇa: Moving in the thoracic region, this vāyu controls functions of the heart and lungs.
2. Apāna: Creating peristaltic pressure and moving in the lower abdomen region, this vāyu controls three important functions like the excretory system, urinary system and sexual discharges.
3. Vyāna: Moving in the entire body, this vāyu dispenses energy to all the parts of the body through blood circulation, controls muscle movements, joints movements, the nervous system at the capillaries level, etc.
4. Udāna: Creates anti-peristaltic pressure and moves in the region of the throat, controlling speech, ingestion of liquids, hard foods and air.
5. Samāna: Moving in the region of the digestive system, this vāyu aids the assimilation of food consumed. That means the food we eat is also digested with the help of one of the Pañca Prāṇas. bṛhadārāṇyaka upaniṣad (6.1.14) and cāndogya upaniṣad (5.2.2) say that by rinsing the mouth with water before and after a meal, Prāṇa is activated and helps digestion of food consumed.
In this sūtra, Patañjali describes the power one gets by mastery over Udāna vāyu. Yogi practicing Saṁyama on this vāyu, becomes lighter and lighter (laghima siddhi) and can become totally weightless like feathers of a bird and levitation is mastered. Thus, he can walk or fly over water, marshy sludge, thorns, etc, without being touched or affected by them.
