Plavini Pranayama

When your inner abdomen full with air, you can swim as a lotus leaf in the water.

“Plavana” means ‘swim’. Hatha-yoga texts say that plavini pranayama gives possibility for human to stay on the water surface (lay on the water). It’s non usual form of pranayama that can look like vatsara-dhouti, just air holds in abdomen and intestines and do not moves out quickly. In “Hatharatnavali” it’s called bhujangi-mudra. Very rarely taught pranayama and only few people write about it. It is practice that usually pass on from guru to student.

Technique

Sit in meditation posture and prepare for pranayama. Inhale can be in two ways: breathe through both nostrils and swallow air to stomach, or swallow through mouth in kaki mudra, it means by putting lips in form of crow’s beak. Swallow air after inhalation the same as you swallow food and keep it inside without releasing it outside. Do it as many times as possibles without releasing air. By saving air in stomach there should be absolutely no physical movements, otherwise air will be released. Just try to keep air in stomach from 30 to 90 minutes.

Plavini pranayama should be practiced after asanas and after all other pranayama techniques, also it’s allowed to do in the whole day if you’re fasting. It will give feeling of full stomach and will stop feeling of hunger and desire to eat.

Benefits

Plavini pranayama useful in case of gastritis and increased stomach acidity. Some yogic practice it before going to samadhi, for some days, so in the natural time of their fasting stomach stays full.

Holding of surface of water usually performed in shavasana. If you can reach this stage of perfection, it means that there was awakening of prana and svadhisthana chakra awaken, because it controls “water” element.

Source: OUM.RU