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Pranamoves

We are a group of health professionals who are passionate about health balance and managing your fast pace, busy lifestyle. We offer health programs such as yoga, meditation, deep relaxation and group fitness classes at your work. Our intention is to maintain employees’ mindset, morale, loyalty, productivity and managing their stress. Pranamoves have been established since 2014, however its team members have been servicing Sydney local businesses for the last 12 years.

All group classes have been proven to bring great results in peoples everyday performance. Naturally lightness within the body and mind unfolds, leaving a positive energy within your work environment.

Pawanmuktasana, a lost art …

Pawanmuktasana Series

The pawanmuktasana series is one of the most important groups of practices that has a very profound effect on the human body and mind and is thus a most useful tool for the yogic management of various disorders and maintenance of health. It is one of the special contributions of the teachings of Swami Satyananda Saraswati. It is essential for laying a firm foundation for the perfection of yogic asanas.

Pawanmuktasana is valuable for understanding the meaning of asana by developing awareness of the body’s movements and the subtle effects they have at the various levels of being. It is very useful as a preparatory practice as it opens up all the major joints and relaxes the muscles of the body. The series may be practised by anyone: beginner or advanced, young or elderly. It should never be ignored and treated casually just because the practices are simple, gentle and comfortable.

In Sanskrit these practices are referred to as sukshma vyayama, which means ‘subtle exercise’. The word pawan means ‘wind’ or ‘prana’; mukta means ‘release’ and asana means ‘pose’. Therefore, pawanmuktasana means a group of asanas that remove any blockages preventing the free flow of energy in the body and mind.

Sometimes, due to bad posture, disturbed bodily functions, psychological or emotional problems or an unbalanced lifestyle, the energy becomes blocked. This initially results in stiffness, muscular tension, lack of proper blood flow and minor functional defects. However, if these blockages become chronic, a limb, joint or physical organ may malfunction, fail or becon1e diseased. Regular practice of pawanmuktasana removes energy blockages from the body and prevents new ones from fanning. In this way, it promotes total health, regulating and stabilizing the flow of energy throughout the body.

Mind-body aspect

Most modern day diseases are psychosomatic in nature. Drug treatment of these ailments is only symptomatic and fails to touch the roots of the disease. These asanas, if done correctly, in a non-competitive and relaxed atmosphere, not only relax the muscles of the body, but these relaxing impulses travel back to the brain and relax the mind. By integrating the breath synchronization and awareness, the attentive faculty of the mind is made active and is not allowed to wander into tension and stress. The nature of these asanas is thus more mental than physical. If asanas are performed correctly they relax the mind, tune up the autonomic nerves, hormonal functions and the activities of internal organs. Right-handed people will generally find that these asanas are easily learned with the right side leading. They should then be performed with the left side leading to counterbalance the effects of habitual behavior patterns.

Three groups

Pawanmuktasana is divided into three distinct groups of asanas: the anti-rheumatic group, the digestive/abdominal group and the shakti bandha group to release energy blocks. All three groups supplement each other, stimulating and encouraging a free flow of energy throughout the body. Practitioners are advised to perfect each group before attempting the major asanas. Daily practice of pawanmuktasana parts 1 , 2 and 3 over a period of months brings about a profound relaxation and toning of the entire psycho-physiological structure which is necessary for the practice· of advanced techniques. The asanas in each group should be performed in the order given. Advanced yogasanas are frequently physically demanding and have a powerful effect on the body and mind. It is essential to respect this and prepare correctly.

Pawannmuktasana Part 1

ANTI-RHEUMATIC GROUP

This group of asanas is concerned with loosening up the joints of the body. It is excellent for those debilitated by rheumatism, arthritis, high blood pressure, heart problems or other ailments where vigorous physical exercise is not advised. It is particularly useful for eliminating energy blockages in the joints of the physical body, and for improving coordination, self-awareness and self-confidence.

Awareness

The practices may be performed in three ways:

1 . With awareness of the actual physical movement, the interaction between the various components of the body,

i.e. bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, etc.; the n1oven1ent in relation to other parts of the body; with mental counting of each completed round; and with awareness of thoughts arising in the mind. This method of practice induces peace, balance and one-pointedness, which in turn brings about harmony in the physical body.

2. With awareness and integrated breathing. In addition to the awareness of physical movement described above,

individual movements are synchronized with the breath. The movements become slower, which in turn slows the brain waves, further enhancing relaxation and awareness. This method of practice has a greater influence at the physical and pranic levels and is especially useful for harmonizing and revitalizing the body and improving the function of the internal organs. Breathing should be practised as indicated in the description of each asana. In addition, experienced students may find greater benefit gained if ujjayi pranayama is used as a breathing technique. This effectively stimulates and balances the pranic energy  flowing through the nadis.

3. With awareness of the movement of prana. Prana may be experienced as a tingling sensation in the body to which one becon1es sensitized with practice. Mentally, one may feel light, yet one-pointed, emotionally fresh and receptive.

Periodic rest

After every two or three practices, sit quietly in the base positionwith the eyes closed and be aware of the natural breath, ofthe part or parts of the body that have just been moved, and ofany thoughts or feelings that come into the mind. After aminute or so continue the practice. This will not only rest thebody, but will also develop awareness of the internal energypatterns, and the mental and emotional processes. This restperiod is almost as important as the asanas themselves andshould not be neglected.If tiredness is experienced at any point during the asanaprogram, rest in shavasana. Shavasana should be performedfor three to five minutes at the end of the program.

Base position

All the practices of pawanmuktasana part I are performed while sitting on the floor in the base position. The body should be relaxed, and only those muscles associated with the asana being executed should be used. Full awareness should be given to performance of the asana as per the notes above. For maximum benefit the eyes can remain closed. Do not practise mechanically, be aware throughout the practice.

Introduction to Yoga …

Yoga is the science of right living and, as such, is intended to be incorporated in daily life. It works on all aspects of the person: the physical, vital, mental, emotional, psychic and spiritual. The word yoga means ‘unity’ or ‘oneness’ and is derived from the Sanskrit word yuj, which means ‘to join’. This unity or joining is described in spiritual terms as the union of the individual consciousness with the universal consciousness. On a more practical level, yoga is a means of balancing and harmonizing the body, mind and emotions. This is done through the practice of asana, pranayama, mudra, bandha, shatkarma and meditation, and must be achieved before union can take place with the higher reality. The science of yoga begins to work on the outermost aspect of the personality, the physical body, which for most people is a practical and familiar starting point. When imbalance is experienced at this level, the organs, muscles and nerves no longer function in harmony; rather they act in opposition to each other. For instance, the endocrine system might become irregular and the efficiency of the nervous system decrease to such an extent that a disease will manifest. Yoga aims at bringing the different bodily functions into perfect coordination so that they work for the good of the whole body.

From the physical body, yoga moves on to the mental and emotional levels. Many people suffer from phobias and neuroses as a result of the stresses and interactions of everyday living. Yoga cannot provide a cure for life, but it does present a proven method for coping with it. Swami Sivananda Saraswati of Rishikesh explained yoga as an “. . . integration and harmony between thought, feeling and deed, or integration between head, heart and hand”. Through the practices of yoga, awareness develops of the interrelation between the emotional, mental and physical levels, and how a disturbance in any one of these affects the others. Gradually, this awareness leads to an understanding of the more subtle areas of existence. There are many branches of yoga: raja, hatha, jnana, karma, bhakti, mantra, kundalini and laya, to name but a few, and many texts explain them in detail. Each individual needs to find those yogas most suited to his/her particular personality and need. In the last half of the twentieth century, hatha yoga had become the most well known and widely practiced of the systems. However, the concept of what constitutes yoga is broadening as more people take it up, and this knowledge is spreading. In the ancient texts, hatha yoga consists of the shatkarmas, cleansing practices, only. Today, however, hatha yoga commonly embraces the practices of asana, pranayama, mudra and bandha as well.