How the body cleanses itself after intense yoga. Shatkarmas. Exercises for daily cleansing

Yoga not only develops endurance, flexibility, improves mood, improves well-being, it helps remove toxic, harmful substances from the body. By exercising, the functioning of the renal system improves, the organs better remove uric acid and other components. Our body gets rid of various wastes through urination, breathing, skin evaporation, and bowel movements. Unfortunately, it is very difficult for the body to get rid of harmful components on its own, which is why we start brushing our teeth and cleansing our skin. The practice of Kriya is valued in India. Its main goal is to completely cleanse the body and get rid of various pathologies.

The importance of yoga for the body

For a long time, those who are actively involved in yoga have identified 6 Kriyas. These are various special exercises that cleanse the stomach, eyes, esophagus, respiratory organs, colon from toxins, . It is worth noting that kriya relieves various diseases developing in the internal organs.

Let us list the main Kriyas:

Basti to cleanse the colon.
Dhauti to cleanse the stomach.
Nauli cleanses the abdominal organs.
Kapalbhati cleanses the respiratory organs.
Neti clears the nasopharynx.
Tratak improves vision.

We do not recommend performing the exercises on your own; you must consult your doctor, because many practices have serious contraindications. Only a doctor can use a specific method for cleansing.

Cleansing the body (Kriya Dhauti)

We know that over time, harmful components accumulate in the stomach and esophagus, which is why a person suffers from indigestion, stomach upset, poor appetite, lethargy, and pain. In addition, when the stomach becomes dirty, various pathologies develop that affect well-being and performance. In yoga, this practice is divided into several parts.

Cleansing with water

You get up in the morning, you need to immediately drink a lot on an empty stomach (at least 2 liters). If you can't do this, add a little salt to the water. Then you need to move your stomach, squeeze your stomach and induce vomiting - all the water you drink should come out. The procedure is performed no more than 2 times a week.

Air purification

The exercise is quite complex, so it should only be done under the supervision of a trainer:

Close the epiglottis.
Make a sharp push with your stomach.
Repeat the exercise several times.

This will fill the stomach with air.

Purification by fire

You need to sit cross-legged. Exhale sharply (as if you are blowing out a fire) and hold your breath, then try to move your abdominal muscles. Push it forward sharply and pull it in as much as possible. This exercise not only cleanses the body, it gets rid of and improves the functioning of the pancreas, spleen, liver, and kidneys. With the help of exercise, you can get rid of the fat that likes to accumulate on the sides of the abdomen.

Cleaning with a cloth

You need to take cotton fabric 8 cm wide and 4.5 cm long. The fabric must be clean and not split. Dip the fabric strip into warm salt water. One end is completely squeezed out and swallowed, then carefully remove the rag from the throat - all movements are neat and smooth, otherwise you can damage the mucous membrane. Those who practice yoga for a long time can swallow a long cloth, the main thing is to hold it by the end to avoid swallowing completely. The exercise must be performed in the morning on an empty stomach. Using this method, you can alleviate the condition, remove bile and phlegm.

Clearing the nasopharynx (Neti)

This practice cleanses the larynx and tongue, and actively fights infection and inflammation. Do you have a sore throat? Be sure to rinse it with salt water. But to clean your tongue, you need to periodically wipe it with a toothbrush, then rinse your mouth. A wooden or silver spoon cleans the tongue perfectly. But to remove phlegm, rub well the pit located on the forehead near the bridge of the nose. For prevention purposes, it is necessary to stop smoking, try to protect yourself from various odors, and stay in dusty rooms as little as possible.

Improve vision and increase concentration (Tratak)

It is necessary to learn to fix your gaze on one object, while blinking is prohibited. We offer the following options for performing the exercise:

Light a candle, sit with your back straight, relax your body muscles. Look at the flame for a few minutes, then you need to close your eyes and relax their muscles. Next, imagine with your eyes closed that there is a “candle fire burning” between your eyebrows, then open your eyes and look at the candle again.
Sit comfortably, relaxing your muscles. Look at the tip of your nose, then into the distance. Do the exercise 15 times. Tired? Close your eyes and relax. With this exercise you can strengthen your eye muscles.

Cleanse the intestines (Basti)

Do you suffer from constipation? Be sure to pay attention to the practice of Basti. It is necessary to sit in the “Turkish” position and, as you inhale, draw in the muscles of the anus, and as you exhale, release them. The exercise is performed at least 20 times. It can be done in the bathroom. Using this method, not only the intestines are cleansed, but also the diuretic and digestive system is strengthened, and the abdominal muscles are strengthened. To keep your intestines healthy, it is recommended to drink as much purified water as possible at the same time.

Strengthen teeth and cleanse the oral cavity (Danta Dhauti)

In addition to brushing your teeth, yogis recommend massaging your gums. This way you can strengthen them and cleanse them of toxic substances. In India, a special paste is prepared to keep teeth strong and gums healthy. For this use:

Ashes from baked eggplant peel.
Unrefined olive and sunflower oil.
Pine extract.

The paste is used during gum massage. Yogis also recommend paying attention to yours. It should contain hard food - fresh fruits, vegetables, while sugar should be completely eliminated.

So, yoga is a healing force for the body. If you want to cleanse your soul and body, be sure to practice yoga.

One who has excess fat or mucus should perform Shatkarma (six cleansing techniques) first. Others, whose Doshas are balanced, do not need to do them. Dhauti, Basti, Neti, Trataka, Nauli and Kapalbhati; this is known as Shatkarma or six procedures. Yogi Swatmarama. "Hatha Yoga Pradipika"

Surprisingly, but true: such “rough” cleansing as basti (enema), neti (nasal rinsing), dhauti (vomiting, etc.) lead to refinement, to the manifestation of subtle sensations - feeling the flow of prana in the body during the practice of pranayamas and asanas , and other desirable purely yogic effects. Therefore, the practice of Shatkarmas can be used both for the purpose of healing and for the purpose of yogic “refinement” of perceptions (in fact, for yogis, if they have a Sankalpa - the intention to grow spiritually - the second follows from the first). Usually, following these principles, soft and quick cleanses can be done every day, and powerful and long ones (such as Shankha Prakshalana or Basti) are done on weekends or on days free from work and yoga practice.

Let's take a quick look at the practical side of Shatkarma:

There is also a more rigorous practice - Sutra Neti, clearing the nose with a string (sometimes a 3 mm rubber catheter is used), it can be done after achieving perfect execution Jala Neti (usually after a month or so). The catheter or string is lubricated with vegetable oil, inserted into 1 nostril and removed from the throat with two fingers, which is unpleasant at first. It is not necessary to do Sutra Neti; usually Jala Neti is enough. There are also practices of washing the nose with milk (dud-neti) and ghee (ghee-neti). This practice removes mucus from the nose, improves vision, improves sleep quality, sharpens the mind and intuition, and is also good for the ears.

3. Nauli (“wave”), also known as “Laliki” (“rotation”). You should stand with your knees bent, rest your hands on your elbows (as for Agnisara Kriya and Kapalbhati for beginners). Do Uddiyana Bandha while exhaling: after exhaling completely, draw in your stomach, creating a retraction in it - not with your muscles, but by pulling your stomach in and up. Then mentally highlight the middle part of the abdomen and “release” it, relax it - a cord of muscles will protrude in the middle of the abdomen, the abdomen will remain drawn in on the sides. Hold for as long as possible (as long as the hold is comfortable). Repeat several times. It is advisable to hold this position for 20-30 seconds. When this practice (Madhyama or central - Nauli) is mastered, you can begin to learn to rotate (“beat”) the stomach left and right, ending with a movement to the left for proper digestion. This practice (even Madhyama Nauli) is very beneficial for digestion and is believed to bring success in yoga and bliss. Experienced yogis do 100 abdominal rotations, rotating the muscle cord left and right and back, and more, then there is virtually no need for other Shatkarmas to cleanse the digestive system (Agnisara Kriya, Basti, Shankha Prakshalana, etc.).

4. Basti (enema). Traditionally, the treatises indicate that you need to draw water through the anus, doing Madhyama Nauli (drawing in) from a pond or bathtub - “yogic enema”. However, since chlorinated water is extremely undesirable in the rectum (and in the Moscow River and in the Moscow region, it must be said, generally unhealthy water); in practice, the alternative is either drawing water into the rectum through a tube lowered into a basin\bottle with clean salted water, preferably boiled (like for Jala Neti) with water, or a more comfortable practice - an enema (usually a “simple” salt, or honey or coffee), or the use of the so-called. “Esmarch circles”, which is similar in effect and much simpler in execution than the “orthodox” version.

The enema is done initially every day (for a week), then 3 times a week, 2, then 1 time a week, then 1 time a month or even once every 3 months. to control toxins. It is important that we should not do an enema if the body does not need it, so that an addiction does not form (it’s scary to even imagine a “yogi” who cannot “go big” without an enema!).

To prepare an enema, take from 0.5 to 2 liters of water at body temperature (up to 39 degrees) at a time, 1-3 approaches can be done (up to 6 liters in total maximum per day). The enema is held until there is an acute urge to defecate (you can stroke the stomach clockwise). Ideally, the enema should come out at the end with clean water. With proper yogic nutrition, an acute need for basti usually does not arise, that is, if there are no problems with digestion and toxins. However, if colds are frequent or there are problems with the skin, digestion, then the body is heavily polluted, and it is necessary to do Basti so that it leads to a quick solution to these problems. Basti is also done before fasting to cleanse the rectum of toxins.

5. Dhauti. A series of digestive system cleanses. Usually either Kunjal Kriya (yogic vomiting, cleansing the stomach) or Shankha Prakshalana ("shell gesture", cleansing the stomach and entire intestines) is used. To perform Kunjal Kriya (“elephant gesture”), you should abstain from food for 3-4 hours or more (you can skip dinner the day before and do it in the morning). Then, in one gulp, as quickly as possible, drink 1.5-2 liters of warm water (can be salted as for Jala Neti, so that it is not absorbed, or with lemon or chamomile - to make it easier to drink) and immediately after this, vomiting is induced by pressing with a finger or with the handle of a spoon on the root of the tongue. 30 minutes after practice you need to eat a little. Sometimes special Ayurvedic (natural) bitter herbs are added to the “vomit” water, but this is not necessary.

This practice effectively improves the condition of the body, because... directly works with prana, and therefore frequent use of this Shatkarma without the instructions of a specialist is considered dangerous. Correctly performed practice improves digestion, clears the mind and gives vigor, strengthens Manipura and Anahata.

Shankha-Prakshalana is a more complex, labor-intensive, but also comprehensive method of cleansing the intestines and stomach. Drink 2-3 liters of salted water and perform a series of exercises (asanas) that move water throughout the digestive system and cause bowel movements. At the end of the practice, the water leaves the body clean, because... in fact, the person is washed from the mouth to the anus. This process powerfully cleanses the body at all levels, but is quite labor-intensive and takes 3-4 hours (with experience - 1-2 hours). This practice should be carefully studied theoretically before starting to perform it. It is described in Malakhov’s books (he simply copied yoga texts), and on the Internet, and special seminars on this technique are also sometimes held. It is important to do asanas correctly, and also in some cases, if water does not pass through (severe slagging, fecal hardness), an enema is given or Kunjal Kriya is done. Sometimes the Half Shell Gesture is done, an easier and faster practice.

6. Bhastrika pranayama*— “Breath of the Bellows.” Cleansing blood vessels and nadis (subtle energy channels - prana currents), generating internal heat. Quickly invigorates, raising readiness for practice. It also allows you to remove fixation on any objects (cleans). It can lead to meditation, helps to feel the flow of prana in the body. One of the important daily Shatkarmas.

Execution: We sit down straight (sacrum, lower back, back, back of the head - aligned), shoulders lowered and relaxed (we do not “help” breathing with our body!), begin active inhalations and immediately exhale and immediately inhale through the nose. The face is relaxed (the forehead is not wrinkled, the lips are not pursed into a duck). We find a comfortable rhythm and depth of breathing, and try to balance the length and intensity of inhalation and exhalation. We breathe comfortably for now (in case of severe dizziness, ringing in the ears, nausea, we slow down or stop completely - we observe the principle of harmony in practice). We do 3 approaches and rest (30-60 seconds), during which time breathing should balance out and return to normal. Thoughts may become active, but we maintain internal silence (we don’t think about anything in particular during practice), observe our breathing and internal sensations.

There are several (conditional) levels of mastering Bhastrika *.

Basic: 3 sets of 15-20 cycles of active breathing;
Basic: 3 sets of 30-50 breathing cycles;
Advanced: 3 sets of 50-100 breathing cycles.

You can also do delays on exhalation (3 bandhas: Jalandhara, Mula, Uddiyana) or on inhalation (2 bandhas: light Mula, Jalandhara, Mula fixed) between cycles, but with caution and only if it is comfortable.

*Bhastrika is considered a very powerful practice (capable of awakening Kundalini, etc.) and therefore, of course, should be mastered gradually (as the great Patanjali “bequeathed”), with caution.

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This article describes five controversial and unusual ways to cleanse the body using yoga. The methods given below are used strictly after agreeing with a professional yogi. The five detoxification practices are described in order from completely easy to impossibly difficult.

1. Yoga. Cleansing the body - Kavala Gandusha

This is an ancient Ayurvedic practice that does not require special skills, characterized by rinsing the mouth with sunflower (sesame) oil. In addition to whitening and strengthening your teeth, Kavala Gandusha will help cure about thirty diseases, ranging from headaches to asthma/diabetes.

Description: In the morning, rinse your mouth (a tablespoon) with organic oil (sunflower, sesame) for 10-20 minutes, then spit it out, rinse your mouth with water and brush your teeth.

2. Yoga. Cleansing the body - Kunjal

The practice is based on inducing practitioners to forcefully vomit. The procedure is carried out in the morning, on an empty stomach. Thanks to vomiting, you “cleanse” the stomach, throat, lungs and chest. This will subsequently lead to the prevention of ulcers and reduction of asthma symptoms.
Description: Drink a liter of warm water + a spoonful of salt mixed in it as quickly as possible and, bending over..., put “2 fingers in your mouth.” In this way you can get rid of harmful acids and toxins accumulated in your stomach.

3. Yoga. Cleansing the body - Jal Neti

Jal Neti is the most popular of the described practices, which involves rinsing the nasal cavity. "Washing" the nose will help get rid of nasal infections, migraines, respiratory diseases and various allergies.

Description: Half a liter of water, diluted in advance with one spoon of salt, is poured into a special reservoir, almost exactly similar to a teapot. Then, there is a smooth transfusion (proboscis into one nostril) of water from one nostril to the other. Thus, complete cleansing of the nasal cavity is observed.

4. Yoga. Cleansing the body - Hrid Dhauti

A way to achieve cleaner and fresher breath. The bacteria that accumulate on your tongue every day give a negative “shade” to your breath. This practice was invented to remove food debris and invisible “pests”.
Description: Using a toothbrush or a specially purchased scraper, your tongue is cleaned, in addition to daily brushing of your teeth.

5. Yoga. Cleansing the body - Variasar

Variasar is probably the most complex and demanding method of performing organ cleansing. This practice is reminiscent of pouring water in a sink - inlet and outlet, after flowing in a spiral.

Description: The practitioner drinks several glasses of water. Then he performs specially selected asanas in a certain sequence. This cleaning method is performed under the supervision of an “advanced” yogi no more than 3 times a year.

Books:

Question to visiting yogi(s):

Have you tried one of the methods (sensations)? Are you going?