| Description
Pawan is wind, mukta means released. As this
asana helps release the wind, it is called Pawanmuktasana.
Benefits
Physical
- Helps release wind.
- Reduces the fat around the abdomen.
- Strengthens the digestive system.
- Strengthens lower back muscles, eases up the spinal
vertebrae
- Tones and massages the pelvic muscles and reproductive
organs
Mental
Relaxes the mind.
Techniques
Lie supine on the back, keep the legs together,
hands on the floor, parallel to each other, biceps touching
the ears. Inhale and lift your right leg to form a right angle
to the ground. Exhale and bend the leg to bring it towards
the stomach. Hold it near the chest using the hands. Raise
the head and try to touch your chin to the knee, so that it
touches the knee cap. Maintain this posture, by maintaining
pressure on the abdomen by right thigh with natural breath.
This is called Dakshina (Right) Pawanmuktasana.
Cautions
- Not to be performed by patients with serious problems
like, slipped disc or sciatica
- Pregnant women should not practice this asana
- People who suffer from cervical spondilosis should not
lift their head to touch the chin to the knee.
- Patients suffering from high blood pressure or heart
disease should ideally not practice this asana. If they
have to, they should practice it cautiously.
Duration
One to three minutes, two to three times.
Variations
- Lie supine on the back, keep both the legs together,
hands on the ground, parallel to each other, biceps touching
the ears.
- Lift both the legs up as you inhale to bring them at
right angles to the ground.
- As you exhale, bend the legs and bring the thigh near
the chest. Pull the legs by interlocking the fingers and
clasping the hands on the skin bones just below the knees.
- Raise your head and shoulders and try to touch the chin
to the knees.
- Maintain this as long as you can comfortably do, breathing
naturally. Slowly release the legs and keep them perpendicular
to the ground as you inhale while touching the hands to
the ground.
- Exhale and bring both the legs down slowly, keeping
the knees straight.
Variations :- While performing this asana,
one can roll the body front to back and side to side. This
gives a massaging effect to the back muscles.
Please remember that no practice can be adequately
learned from a book, written instructions. The guidelines
given in the web pages are intended to give you an introduction
to different yogic postures. However, it is advised to practice
the asanas under the guidance of a Guru or a qualified yoga
instructor.
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