How to beat gas or flatulence with these three asanas

BENEFITS

These three asanas, done in one sequence, stretch and compress the stomach area, thus helping in releasing the gas, which is caught either in the diaphragm due to gulping of air when you eat hurriedly or due to putrefying of food in the large intestine because of food remaining undigested in the small intestine. This happens when you are into the habit of having heavy food with no exercise.

Besides helping in expelling excess gas, these asanas strengthen the arm and leg muscles, manipulate your spine in different directions, improve digestion and give relief in constipation.

PRACTICE

Bhujangasana (Cobra pose)

· Lie down on the stomach, place your hands along the shoulder but a little away from the body, keep the elbows close to the body, forehead on the ground, head and spine aligned, whole body loose and relaxed.

· Take a deep breath and begin to raise your head and then the upper part of your body up to the navel. Throw your head back.

· In the final position, the whole spine is curved in a backward bend imitating the pose of a cobra.

· From the final position of the cobra pose, keeping palms and feet firm in the same position, breathe out and keep your feet flat on the floor. Begin with raising the hips and pushing them up, simultaneously dangling the head between the hands. In the final position, your legs and arms should resemble two sides of a mountain.

Ashtang Namaskar (Eight-point movement)

· From the position of mountain pose, continue to exhale, keeping arms straight and palms firmly in the same position. Slide your body parallel to the floor so as to find the body’s centre of gravity, then drop your knees to the ground, chest and finally chin so that your buttocks and abdomen are raised and not touching the floor.

· This whole movement should be done in exhalation, such that your stomach is pulled in making a kind of a cave of the upper abdomen.

This completes one round of the sequence of three asanas. The next sequence can follow this last pose without a break if the person is fit enough to do so. Or else one can rest in Advasana, that is reverse Shavasana, with your whole body resting on the floor with the head turned first to the right and then to the left side.

After resting for a few seconds, the whole sequence should be repeated again.

Just in case a person finds it tough to do this sequence of asanas, then the single asana, that is the Supta Pawan Muktasana pose is best suited to expelling gas from the stomach.

Supta Pawan Muktasana ( Wind release pose)

· Lie down on the back with legs stretched out and whole body relaxed.

· Fold your right leg, interlock fingers and clasp the shin of the right leg and little below the right knee.

· Let the left leg remain straight on the floor.

· With folded knees, take a deep inhalation. This may prompt some wind to escape. Let it happen.

· Then as you exhale, raise your head slowly and try to touch your chin, nose or forehead on the right knee.

· Hold the position with exhalation for some time. Most of the time there is release of wind and gas in this position, which one must let happen.

· When you want to inhale, drop your head back to the floor and straighten your right leg.

· Repeat the same with the left leg.

· Then finally repeat the same with both legs together.

· This makes one round. Do three rounds initially and go up to five rounds.

Prevention is better than cure. Hence, always observe what causes flatulence which may be different for different people, like spicy, oily food, excess of non-vegetarian portions, or some foods not agreeing with you.

(Kamini Bobde is a Kundalini practitioner who follows the Swami Satyananda Saraswati tradition of yoga. She is the author of Kundalini Yoga for All: Unlock the Power of Your Body and Brain. Published by Penguin)