Pawanmuktasana :
Transformative Exercises for All

As a teenager I had back pains that woke me up crying at night.
Since practicing Yoga this is nothing but a fading memory. The fact is that there is something transformative about these seemingly simple excercises.

It wasn’t until much later after meeting my teacher Gilles, that he introduced excercises to us from his teacher Nil Hahoutoff. I was always amazed by the precision but yet simplicity of them.
I decided to dedicate my own practice to learning as much as I could from Hahoutoff’s techniques and over the years these have brought me a feeling of freedom in my body and mind.

To give you an idea I will record some of them and share them on my social media and youtube channels. These videos are a homage to my teacher (and his teacher) to whom I am always grateful for transmitting their knowledge and experience and inspiration.
However, they are best taught in person as there are details and intricacies that differ per person. Please check here for my Private Class options. 

The exercises themselves and the way to practice them are known, for the most part, in Yoga under the name Pawanmuktasana. In the practice of Hatha Yoga, they may find their place at the beginning of a session, preceding the classical postures (or asanas), to prepare the body, muscles and joints.

They are suitable for beginners and people who are weak or of frail constitution, as well as those whose heart is weak or whose body is too stiff for the practice of classical asanas.

These exercises will also be of great help – by approaching them gradually – for convalescent or disabled people and those who have rheumatic difficulties in moving the body or the limbs.

They will be wonderfully helpful for all varieties of atrophies and cases of muscular degeneration. They are recommended to people suffering from high blood pressure with the certainty that it will not be aggravated.

Used with discernment, they will be very effective for strengthening weak or dilapidated vertebral columns and for correcting vertebral deviations.

These exercises are not intended to build muscle or increase muscle mass, but rather their full effectiveness by awakening muscular awareness and intelligence at the same time as recovering joint range of motion diminished by sedentary life and by misuse.

Blocked or reduced joints are blocks for the circulation of vital energies. Their release will allow a freer movement of the latter.

The choice of these exercises and their mode of execution means that they will never be prejudicial to the cartilages, in particular those of the vertebral column.

Their practice is also recommended for young children and growing adolescents.

In all cases, their execution requires a particular mental attitude of self-observation, patience, tranquillity, confidence, contemplation. In fact, of internalization.

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