Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 35
योगप्रकारनिर्णयः
Classification and Definition of Yoga
प्राणो ऽपानः समानश्च ह्युदानो व्यान एव च । नागः कूर्मश्च कृकलो देवदत्तो धनंजयः
prāṇo 'pānaḥ samānaśca hyudāno vyāna eva ca | nāgaḥ kūrmaśca kṛkalo devadatto dhanaṃjayaḥ
Prāṇa, Apāna, Samāna, Udāna, and Vyāna—and also Nāga, Kūrma, Kṛkala, Devadatta, and Dhanañjaya—these are the vital airs operating within the embodied being. Knowing their functions, the yogin steadies the life-force and turns it inward toward Śiva, the Lord (Pati) who transcends and governs all breaths.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Vāyavīya teaching to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
FAQs
It enumerates the ten vāyus (five main and five subsidiary) to show that embodied life is governed by subtle forces; by understanding and mastering them, the seeker loosens pāśa (bondage) and orients the inner current toward Śiva, the supreme Pati who is beyond the breath yet immanent as its regulator.
In Vāyavīya teachings, inner worship supports outer worship: stabilizing prāṇa makes japa, dhyāna, and Liṅga-pūjā steady and one-pointed, allowing Saguna Śiva (worshiped as the Liṅga) to be realized as the indwelling Lord who empowers all vital functions.
A practical takeaway is prāṇāyāma with Śiva-mantra japa (especially the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), using calm inhalation–retention–exhalation to steady prāṇa and apāna, making the mind fit for Śiva-dhyāna; if done ritually, it can be paired with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as supports for Shaiva sādhanā.