YOGA ASANA: How To Do Pavanmuktasana - Wind Releasing pose, Lion Pose, Simhasana

THEME: Learn doing Yoga Exercises. How to do Yoga Postures. Learn Yoga Asanas.

Thamizhpparithi Maari, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pavanmukta Asana, Wind Releasing pose

The word Pavanmuktasana is comprised of three Sanskrit words. First is ‘Pavan (wind)’, the second is ‘Mukta (release), and the third is ‘asana’. Full meaning of the word is ‘a posture that helps to release wind or gas (from our body). It is named like this because this yoga pose helps in releasing the gases from intestines.

How to Do Pavanmuktasana

There are many yoga postures which are easy to do. The beginners can start doing this. This asana is one of the easiest poses. No one would find it difficult. However, it gives many benefits to us. Here it is shown how this pose is done. The instructions are step by step.

First, lie down on the floor. You can use a yoga mat or simple cloth to put below your body. While lying down your legs should be straight.

Inhale and take hold of your leg with both of the palms. Palms should be below the knees. This will make your one leg half-bent on your body.

Lift up your head and try to get your knee near to your head. It would be better if you can make your nose-tip touching the knee. At this moment release your breath and try to keep your leg near to your abdomen.

Remain in this pose for ten seconds.

Stretch your leg in its original position. Take a deep breath and rest for twenty seconds. After that, you can repeat the same action by holding another leg with your palms.

You can repeat this pose as many times as you wish.

Benefits of Doing Pavanmuktasana

If you practice this asana regularly, you would find it helps in regulating the movement of the gases present in the body. It would be good if you do this pose in the early morning. Remember that this pose is to be done before taking any food. The stomach should be empty.

As its name suggests, this yoga posture helps in regulating and releasing the wind/gas in our body. It would eliminate the unnecessary gases from our intestines.
It stretches our intestines. This helps in making our bowel function regular. If a person suffers from, he or she would be greatly helped.
Those who suffer from acidity would get relief.
Doing Pavanmuktasana helps in relaxing the whole body. It relaxes the muscles of our lower back. The muscles of the hands and legs get good exercise.
Above all this asana keeps us fit and helps in reducing extra fat deposited in our body. Thus it works as a weight-reducing tool, too.

Simhasana, Lion Pose

Theme: How to Do Yogasanas. Yoga Postures for Health and Fitness. Lion Pose, the Simhasana

Simhasana 2, originally uploaded by tadasimha.

Meaning of the Sanskrit word ‘Simha’ is "Lion". When we are in this Yoga Posture, the shape of our body looks like a lion. Thus this asana is known as ‘Lion Pose’. This asana is one of the easy postures. Those who are beginners, they can do this pose without much assistance from their teachers. Other more complicated postures would require the presence and active guidance of a trained teacher.

Lion pose is different than other poses of yoga. This is the pose that benefits our vital limbs like face, jaw, mouth, throat and tongue. There are perhaps no other similar poses which would provide exercises to these parts of our body.

How to Do Lion Pose

Step-by-Step

Settle yourself in kneeling position on your yoga mat. You can sit in a posture called Thunderbolt. That would be the most comfortable position. Put the front of your right ankle over the back of the left. The feet should be pointing out to the sides. The perineum should be positioned in snuggling down onto the top your right heel.

Before starting the lion pose, you are to exhale. Then put both the hands stretched on the floor. Keep the fingers of the hands wide open. You can also keep the fingers in a manner so as they look like the claws of a big bird.

Now inhale deeply. Ensure that the inhaling should be done by nose only, and not by mouth.

Open your mouth wide and stretch the tongue out as if you intend to touch your chin by the tongue. Keep the tip of the tongue down toward the chin. Both the eyes should be kept in the wide-open position.

Then exhale slowly with uttering the sound “Ha”. Repeating of the same word would provide ample exercise to your throat muscles. You can repeat this pose as many times you wish.

After doing this posture, you can come again to a kneeling position.

Benefits of Doing Lion Pose

This posture provides adequate exercise to the muscles of face, throat and eyes.

While doing this asana, we would find that our respiration becomes regularized. Due to the regularized respiration, one would get improvement in certain ailments, especially if he or she is suffering from any trouble in the throat.

Regular practice of Lion Pose would help to improve the memory power. Your mind would function with a renewed flow of energy.

As the pose indicates it would provide adequate exercises to the muscles of the chest and abdomen, the practitioner would be benefited in this respect, too.