Wind Removing Pose in the Bikram Series.

 What is Wind Removing Pose ?

  The Wind Removing Pose in the Bikram Hot Yoga Series is the first pose of the floor series and helps prepare you to do the Spine Strengthening Series. The name of the Wind Removing Pose is called Pavanamuktasana in Sanskrit. The Sanskrit name Pavanamuktasana breaks down into English in the following way: Pavan has the English meaning of "wind, Mukta translates from Sanskrit to English as "free," and as always, Asana has the meaning in English as "seat" or "posture." Let's take a detailed look at the correct way to do Wind Removing Pose.

One leg at a time in Wind Removing Pose

  When you finish the standing series in Bikram, you lay on your back in Savasana for a couple of minutes to help you transition to the floor series. The first pose in the floor series of Bikram is the Wind Removing Pose which you do when you are done Savasana. When you are done Savasana, the instructor will tell you to go into the Wind Removing Pose and say to lift your right leg up.

When you lift your right up, you need to establish a tight grip just below the knee. The grip is all ten fingers being interlaced two inches below your right knee as tight as you can. Make sure you are keeping your wrists relaxed and elbows in towards the body. Pull the right knee out and in towards your chest or your shoulder. This depends on whether you are experiencing any tightness or not. The spine should remain flat on the floor throughout the pose, including the neck. You get your neck flat on the floor by tucking in your chin towards your chest.

Keep the leg extended in Wind Removing Pose

  Your left leg is extended and in line with the left shoulder and hip with the left foot flexed back. The left thigh is flat on the floor for the whole pose. Your eye gaze is on the ceiling or on the wall in front of you. You need to make sure you are forcing and jamming the leg straight but relax and extend the leg. The breath is calm and easy for the duration of the pose. Keep the spine flat on the floor for the whole Wind Removing Pose.

If you do this pose enough, eventually, your spine will be perfectly flat on the floor. Keep pulling your right knee towards your chest or shoulder, depending on where you are at today. You need to make sure you are keeping your right foot totally relaxed for the pose duration. You know that you are doing the Wind Removing Pose correctly if you feel gentle stretch and compression in your hip joints. Release the posture and do the same exact thing on the other side of the body.

Both Legs in Wind Removing Pose

  When you are done on both sides, you are ready to do the third part of the Wind Removing Pose. You need to lift both of your legs up and press your thighs and feet together. Press your thighs to the stomach and the knees to the chest and establish your grip. The ideal grip is to wrap your arms around your legs and grab your elbows as if you are giving yourself a hug.

If you can not hold your elbows try and grab a finger, a thumb, or your wrist to establish a grip. If for some reason you can not establish a grip, press your legs together as much as you can and just keep trying to go for your grip the best you can or if the instructor will allow you to use a towel or a strap to give you the compression that you need to do the pose.

  You should have everything compressed with thighs to stomach and knees to chest with the spine perfectly flat. The hips and the back are perfectly flat on the floor as well, along with the spine. Make sure to keep both feet relaxed as you continuously pull through the entire third part of the Wind Removing Pose. Keep your chin tucked in towards your chest and your eye gaze towards the ceiling. Depending on where you are today, you can also fix your eyesight on the wall in front of you. The elbows remain in towards the body if you have not grabbed them. When releasing the pose, go to your Savasana. You are doing two sets of Wind Removing Pose.

Conclusion

  The Wind Removing Pose in the Bikram Hot Yoga Series is the opening pose in the floor series. The primary purpose of doing Wind Removing Pose is to prepare you for the Spine Strengthening Series. You are trying to move any gas or air bubbles stuck inside of your digestive system to make the Spine Strengthening Series more comfortable to do. When you pull down down the right side, you are compressing the ascending colon; when you pull down on the left side, you are compressing the descending colon, and when you do both legs, you are compressing the transverse colon. Hopefully, this post helps you get a better understanding of the Wind Removing Pose. Namaste.

Cheat sheet for new teachers and beginners

• You start the pose by laying on your back
• Lift the right leg up 
• Grab below the right knee with all ten fingers interlaced
• The wrists are relaxed
• Make sure the chin is tucked in
• The left leg is straight and in line with the hips and shoulder
• The right foot is relaxed, and the left foot is flexed back
• The eye gaze is on the ceiling or the wall in front of you
• The elbows are in towards the body
• Your spine and back of the neck are flat on the floor
• Pull the knee in towards the chest
• If having trouble pulling the knee towards the chest pull the knee to the shoulder
• Release the pose and do the same thing on the left side
• When done doing the left side lift both legs up
• Press your knees and thighs together
• You should relax the feet
• Tuck your chin towards your chest
• Try and establish a grip by grabbing opposite elbows over the knees as if you are giving yourself a hug while pulling knees to chest
• If you can not grab the opposite elbows establish a grip by grabbing a thumb, finger or wrist. 
• Pull your knees to chest and your thighs to the stomach
• The spine, the back of the neck and hips are on the floor
• Keep pulling for the duration of the pose
• Release and go to Savasana
• Do two sets of each pose

Benefits

• Helps massage your ascending, descending and transverse colon
• Helps remove any trapped air or gas that is trapped in the digestive system
• Wind Removing can help relieve your back pain
• Helps tone and trim the thighs, the hips and the muscles that make up your abdomen
• Wind Removing can help relieve your constipation
• When used with proper diet can improve digestion
• This pose can help improve stomach acidity
• Helps you absorb the nutrients from your food