Pawanmuktasana
Does gas twist and turn inside your stomach and intestines, leaving you restless? Is your belly swollen, and do the abdominal muscles keep spasming?
Did you know that by practicing Pawanmuktasana (the Wind-Relieving Pose), you can bring calm back to your digestive system?
This asana gently presses and massages the abdominal organs — like the stomach, liver, small intestine, and pancreas — helping release trapped air, support bowel movement, and increase bile, stomach acid, and digestive enzymes.
Pawanmuktasana balances the Vata and Kapha doshas and mildly increases Pitta.
What else can we do to get rid of bloating?
How about treating yourself to a glass of digestive lassi? Here’s how:
Ingredients:
Yogurt or kefir ¼ cup
Boiled water ¾ cup
Spice mix #1: A pinch of saffron + ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder + a pinch of nutmeg + a pinch of rose powder + 1–2 pinches of salt
Spice mix #2: ¼ teaspoon black seed powder + a pinch of rose powder + 1–2 pinches of salt
Spice mix #3: ¼ teaspoon fennel powder + ¼ teaspoon cumin powder + ¼ teaspoon coriander seed powder + 1–2 pinches of salt
Preparation:
Pour ¼ cup yogurt or kefir into a cup.
Add a little boiled water and whisk with a fork until smooth. Then fill the rest of the cup with more hot water and add one of the spice mixes. Stir well.
If possible, blend everything for one minute — it will mix even better.
Your digestive buttermilk is ready.
Drink it warm like tea, either with your meal or two hours after eating.
Warm spiced buttermilk, also known as lassi, is one of the most effective ways to balance excess Vata.
Cold buttermilk, however, weakens the digestive fire, slows digestion, and fills the gut with undigested mucus and toxins. When taken warm and spiced, it acts as a digestive nectar, strengthening the digestive fire and bringing Vata into balance.
The spice combinations above are suitable for most body types, except for people with high Pitta (heat). They can replace the mix with a pinch of cardamom, a pinch of rose powder, and 1–2 pinches of salt.
People with a Kapha constitution should use goat or camel yogurt instead of cow’s yogurt because cow dairy is too heavy and can create toxins in their digestion.
If using camel buttermilk, mix ½ cup camel buttermilk with ½ cup hot water instead of yogurt and water.
Another tip:
Massage your abdomen and navel area in gentle, circular, clockwise motions using warm castor oil, sweet almond oil, or coconut oil. Warm the oil slightly by placing it in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes.
For more home remedies and dietary tips for bloating, check digestive tea and chewing spice blends.
Stay full of health and vitality
Written by: Setareh Kiumarsi
Please make sure to mention the author, “Setareh Kiumarsi,” if you share or republish this article, which was written with hope for everyone’s health and love.
