पवनमुक्तासन
Pawanmuktasana — Wind-Relieving Pose
pavana = wind, mukta = released — the pose that frees the winds
Hug the knees to the chest and let the belly exhale its troubles — as honest as its name.
In the simplest words
Lie on your back and hug your knees like a teddy bear, squeezing them to your chest. Rock gently left and right — it's a tiny massage for your back, and yes, sometimes a toot escapes. That's the pose working!
What it is
Lying on the back, the knees are drawn in and hugged firmly to the chest, the folded thighs pressing gently into the belly like a warm compress. The name states its business without embarrassment: the compression massages the abdomen and helps trapped gas move on, which every yoga tradition considered health, not comedy. It is also simply the kindest lower-back release there is — the spine flattens, the hips unclench — and rocking softly side to side in it massages muscles no hand can reach.
Before you practise — health first
Skip deep pressure in pregnancy, hernia, and soon after abdominal surgery; with neck trouble keep the head down. Recent hip replacement follows the surgeon's angles, not ours.
Getting into it
Lie on the back, legs long, and take one soft breath.
Exhale and draw both knees to the chest, wrapping the arms around the shins.
Keep the head and shoulders relaxed on the floor; lower back melting down.
Hold, breathing into the squeeze; rock gently side to side if it feels good.
One-legged version: hug one knee while the other leg rests long — each side in turn.
The breath
Long exhales deepen the hug; the belly breathes against the thighs.
What it is kept for
Bloating and sluggish digestion, lower-back release, the gentlest start to any floor practice.