Plavini pranayama is a breathing yoga technique which helps in removing impurities and toxins from our body by producing immense energy through retained air in the stomach. It helps swimmers to float over water for a long time. Plavini also helps a person to feel lighter as it can relax the brain cells.

 Plavini pranayama is a yogic breathing exercise for higher awareness and inner clarity that draws air into the stomach. The Sanskrit word, plavini, comes from the root, plu, meaning “to float.” This pranayama can be practiced from a comfortable seated position — such as vajrasana or siddhasana — or a reclined posture, like savasana. It may even be practiced while standing.

Benefits of Plavini Pranayama

This pranayama improves the blood flow and helps the body to flush out the collected toxins.

It helps swimmers to float over water for a long time. They can float on water for twelve hours at a stretch on mastering the plavini pranayama.

As plavini also called cleansing breathing, it removes impurities and toxins from our body by producing immense energy through retained air in the stomach. 

Plavini also helps a person to feel lighter as it relaxes the brain cells. 

When breath gets hold on the stomach for a prolonged period, it helps in digestion and getting rid of constipation.

Plavini helps increase the energy levels

It also removes flatulence.

How to do Plavini in Sitting Pose?

·   Sit in Padmasana, Siddhasana or in Vajrasana. Make sure from your back, neck, and head aligned in a straight line and your awareness is focused at the middle of eyebrows.

·  Relax your shoulder, abdomen muscles and let breathing expand and contract it freely. At this moment, watch your normal breathing to familiar with the frequency of breathing in and out

·  Take a deep breath in through nostrils and let it fills your lungs and abdomen consecutively. Expand your chest here to increase your inhalation limit. Do not put much pressure on your heart.

·  After complete inhalation, bend your neck to chest. That is, make Jalandhar Bandha (Chin to chest lock) to hold the air inside your lungs and belly as per your capacity. Holding will let retained air fills into the intestine and thus resulting in inflated abdomen organs.

·  Now release Jalandhar Bandha by bringing your head up and slowly expel the hold air from the lungs and abdomen through your nostrils.

·  Repeat in this manner for 5 times.

How to do  Plavini Pranayama in Shavasana?

·   Lie down in Shavasana

·   Start breathing in and out in a very relaxing way without putting much pressure on your heart.

·   Start swallowing breath from your mouth to the abdomen like you drinking the water. It will let your abdomen muscles go out and it looks like a balloon filled with air.

·   Hold the air inside your stomach as long as possible. Retained air inside your stomach makes you lighter in weight and thus body buoyancy increases.

·   Exhale all the air out, relax and wait till your navel chakra sends you a signal.

·   Inhale, once you receive the signal. Repeat in this manner for 5 more times.

Cautions

Make sure to not exceed the capacity of your breath-holding capacity. The capacity of holding breath varies from person to person and beginners should not push their limit.

Practice plavini pranayama on an empty stomach or 5-6 hours after a meal.

There shouldn’t have any obstruction while taking air through nostrils to the stomach.

As it is a practice which needs good control on your breath, it is very important to be practiced under professional guidance.

Contraindications 

Persons having any heart problems and hypertension should not practice this pranayama. 

In case of hernia and hydrocele, avoid doing it. Breath-holding can impose pressure on it.

If you have any chronic disease or serious medical condition, take expert advice from a physician before practicing it.

Research study results 

More research studies are needed regarding the benefits of this pranayama. No conclusive research evidence found by us to describe .

References 

1.Yogasana and pranayama for health by Dr .P.D Sharma

2.https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/6506/plavini-pranayama