Purify your body through these Yogic cleansing kriyas

Now a days our life style has become so irregular and imbalanced that most of us need internal and external purification. How many of us really give thought about the kind of food we eat, the kind of water we drink, the way we sleep? Most of us are slaves of tongue. For the sake of taste we eat anything and anytime. Body is an amazing equipment but if you overload it daily, over a period of time these impurities block its normal functioning and this gives rise to disease.

In Yoga there are various Shuddhi Kriyas (Cleansing Techniques). out of these six are important and are collectively called as Shatkarmas. The techniques involved in  Shatkarmas are:

• Dhauti
• Neti
• Tratak
• Kapalbhati
• Nauli
• Basti

though it is highly recommended that one should practice these kriyas under the guidance of a Guru, I will explain the first four which are relatively simple and can be practiced easily.

Jala Dhauti

In Sanskit, Jala means water and  Dhauti means "purification" or "cleansing". So, Jala Dhauti is cleansing with the help of water.

The entire process of Dhauti is explained below:

• Get up early in the morning (no laziness please)
• Take a big jar full of lukewarm water (around 2 liters)
• You can add little salt in the water (people suffering from blood pressure should avoid this step)
• Sit comfortably on a chair (actually in strict Yoga there is a special way to sit in this step but I am giving the simplest technique here)
• Start drinking the water one glass at a time. Drink to the extent that you can not consume any further
• Wait for 30 seconds
• Now stand and bend forward
• Push your abdomen inwards and start vomiting the water
• you may apply multiple pushes to vomit all the water
• Make sure you vomit everything. Do not stop in between.

Initially you may find it difficult to vomit but after practice you will that you can do it at your will without much physical pressure. Initially you will find that even if you have not eaten anything you vomit "something". That "something" is nothing but impurities in your body. After practicing you will realize that water starts coming out as is. This indicates that cleansing is taking place.

You can perform longer cycles of this process such as 21 days. However, I suggest that you start with much lesser cycles such as 5 days.

Jala Dhauti is an amazing cleansing for people suffering from Indigestion, Cold and Acidity. It thoroughly cleanses the stomach.

Take light food after 3-3 1/2 hours.

Jala Neti

In Jala Neti water is made to flow from one nostril to other. You get a special pot called "Neti Pot" that has a small nozzle to insert in your nostril. Take lukewarm water in the Neti Pot and add some salt to it. Then insert the nozzle in one nostril and tilt your head so that water rushes inside and starts coming out of the other nostril. Repeat the same process with other nostril.

Jala Neti is an excellent remedy for frequent cold and sinusitis. It makes nasal passage amd membrane clean and strong. It can be performed daily till the time you get rid of disease symptoms.

I strongly suggest doing Neti after you travel through a polluted road. Knowingly or unknowingly carbon particles, dust and other toxic substances ruin the nasal passage and membrane. Especially people who travel a lot on bike will find it very useful to remove such impurities.

after doing Neti one must perform Kapalabhati (explained later) so as to remove the excess water from the nostrils.

Tratak

Trataka is exercise fpr eyes and also improves concentration. Take a candle and light it. Place it around 4 feet away from you and in line of your eyes. Now, start staring at it without blinking. After some time tears will start flowing but still do not blink. Maintain this position for 3 minutes initially and gradually increase to 15 minutes. After performing Trataka do Palming or sprinkle water on the eyes.

One important note for PC users. PC users should start with very small time and increase the time very slowly. Their eyes are already stressed and doing Trataka in excess can cause cause further stress.

Trataka is a very good remedy for eye diseases and concentration. Students MUST do it regularly. Concentration from Trataka helps to go in meditation quickly.

Kapalabhati

"Kapal" means skull and "bhati" means to shine. So, Kapalbhati means shining skull i.e. shining face.

Sit in Padmasana or Sukhasana. If you can not fold your legs because of some reason, you can even sit on a chair. Keep your hands on knees. Keep spine straight (very important). Now inhale slowly and with sudden contraction to abdomen exhale with full force. Release abdominal muscles and let breath flow inside again. Repeat these cycles for 10 times initially and then gradually up to 10 minutes.

Kapalabhati is very useful in Cold, Sinusitis. It cleanses nasal passages thoroughly and makes them strong. It also helps in curing stomach problems.

These Yogic kriyas if practiced sincerely will make you stronger and healthier without any medicine. Many people neglect their health in young age but repent later. The only prerequisite to practice these kriyas is sincerity and determination. Let this be your new year's resolution!