If we’re going to achieve and maintain perfect health, it’s vital to keep our body in balance and free from toxins.
In Ayurveda, toxins are known as ‘ama’, and they can arise from anywhere – the food and drink we consume, pollution in the world around us, or even from stress and other negative or unexpressed emotions that may be dragging us down.
If ama isn’t cleared from our body, our cells won’t receive the nutrition they need, and our waste won’t be discharged effectively. As the amount of ama blocking the channels of our body increases, the toxicity will eventually be absorbed into our bloodstream and enter our circulation, where it will accumulate in the weakest areas and undermine our immune system by creating an imbalance in our doshas. When our doshas are imbalanced, and the imbalance is left untreated, the result is always sickness and disease.
By following an Ayurvedic lifestyle, with proper diet, exercise, and mindfulness practice, it is possible to avoid (or at least significantly reduce) the build-up of ama in our body. However, many Ayurvedic and yogic practitioners also use the six techniques of Shat Kriya to physically cleanse the internal pathways of the body and give themselves an additional boost towards optimum health. We’re going to discuss those six techniques in a moment.
Before we do, I want to emphasise that a couple of them (Dhauti and Vasti) should only be practised under the guidance or supervision of an experienced practitioner. If you feel unwell at any point, you should stop immediately and seek medical advice before resuming.
Also, please keep an open mind as you read the instructions because Shat Kriya can often feel quite overwhelming to many people who haven’t heard of it before. The cleansing processes aren’t as intimidating as they may appear ‘on paper’, and the benefits you’ll experience after integrating them into your Ayurvedic practice are enormous.
Kapalbhati Pranayama
Kapalbhati Pranayama is an active breathing technique that will help you expel toxic air from inside your body. Regular practice of Kapalbhati will calm your mind, improve muscle tone in your stomach area, strengthen your lungs and increase blood flow to your liver and pancreas.
Sit comfortably with your legs crossed, or with your back supported against a wall if that’s easier, and then forcefully expel your breath through your nose by actively contracting your abdominal muscles as tightly as possible. Afterwards, completely relax your abdomen by passively inhaling and then forcefully exhale your breath again.
Continue this passive inhale/forceful exhale cycle for 20 – 30 short pumps, gradually increasing the number of pumps as you become more used to the practice. Apart from the benefits I’ve just mentioned, additional benefits of Kapalbhati include removing dust particles from the respiratory tract and regulating your metabolic state by increasing the oxygen level in your bloodstream. It’s also a useful practice to perform before meditation.
Neti Kriya
The Neti Kriya purifies your nasal passage and nostrils, releases muscular tension, and balances your entire nervous system by relieving anxiety, depression and stress.
To perform Neti, fill a neti orlota pot with warm salty water, milk or ghee. Tilt your head over a sink or bath and gently pour the contents of the neti pot into the upper nostril, allowing the liquid to drain out of the opposite nostril. While you do this, breathe through your open mouth.
When you’ve completed this with your head tilted on one side, refill your neti pot and then repeat on the other side.
Neti Kriya also helps to stimulate the mucous glands and remove particles of dust or pollution from the nasal passages.
Trataka
Trataka is a technique that cleanses the eyes, quietens the mind, and improves concentration by bringing us into a gentle state of awareness. It also enhances perception by awakening our third eye and is useful for alleviating sleeping disorders.
Sit in a comfortable position with your gaze fixed on a single point. You could use a candle flame, a spot on the wall, or a small object in the room. Keep your spine straight, your eyes open, and your attention focused. After a while, your eyes will begin to water, which is a sign that the Trataka exercise is working. Keep staring at the spot, object or candle flame for as long as you can (but no more than 40 minutes) and then close your eyes and observe the after image that is left on your retina. Hold onto this image for as long as possible by keeping your mind focused and your eyes very calm.
After you’ve practised Trataka a few times, you may notice changes in your concentration, memory, and energy levels.
Nauli
Nauli helps to cleanse the abdominal region by rotating the stomach muscles and massaging the digestive tract and small intestine. It has many other additional benefits, including improving digestion.
Nauli comprises four specific movements.
Begin by standing up straight, taking a deep breath, and exhaling all the air out of your lungs. As you exhale, bend your knees and place the palms of your hands just above your knees, with your thumbs on the inside of your thighs.
Movement 1: Uddiyana Bandha
Pull your abdomen inwards and upwards under the lower edge of your rib cage. Push all the air out of your lungs and then do a ‘false inhale’, which means keeping your mouth closed and your throat muscles contracted so you’re imagining taking a big inhale of air without actually letting air into your lungs. The pressure created by your diaphragm will suck your abdomen in and upwards, creating a hollow cave in your lower abdomen. Hold it for no longer than ten seconds (you can gradually increase this as you become more comfortable) before slowly releasing the false inhalation and then beginning the process again. Repeat this movement rhythmically several times, so it starts to flow like a wave in your abdominal region.
Movement 2: Madhyama Nauli
While maintaining the suction of the uddiyana bandha, push your hands down into your thighs to contract and push out your central abdominal ‘six-pack’ muscles. Concentrate your focus on this area, hold for a few seconds, and then release.
Movement 3: Vama (Left) Nauli
Turn your attention to the muscles on the left side of your abdomen.
Establish madhyama nauli by pushing down on your thighs and pushing out your central abdomen, but release the weight from your right thigh and push down with more emphasis onto your left. This will cause the right side of your central abdomen to disappear while the left side pushes out on its own. Focus on maintaining this for the remainder of the breath.
Movement 4: Daksina (Right) Nauli
Return to the madhyama nauli and then release the weight from your left thigh and push down onto your right. Now the left side of your central abdomen will disappear, and the right side will push out on its own. Maintain this until the end of the breath.
Dhauti
Dhauti helps to cleanse the stomach of undigested food particles so they don’t adhere to the stomach lining and accumulate toxins that can lead to disease. Dhauti also helps to reduce indigestion and remove gas and acidity. It clears mucus from the oesophagus and relieves cough, sore throat, asthma and bronchitis.
Prepare 1-1.5 litres of lukewarm saline water by adding two teaspoons of salt per litre of water.
Drink the water as rapidly as you comfortably can.
Bend forward over a sink, press your left hand into your lower abdomen and extend the index and middle fingers of your right hand partially into your throat to trigger the vomiting process. It will usually take several spurts before all the saline water is completely purged from the body.
Dhauti’s additional benefits include eliminating bad breath and reducing allergies. It is best performed in the morning on an empty stomach.
There are other ways to perform dhauti, including using a strip of wet cloth. If you’d like to find out more, please get in touch.
Vasti
After we eat, our body expels a lot of the toxins via our stools. Because our body cannot get rid of all the toxins through our stools, it produces a mucus in the intestine to stop the toxins from being absorbed into the surrounding tissues. It’s a smart solution but expelling the mucus can be almost impossible.
That is why vasti is so essential. Vasti thoroughly cleanses the colon and flushes mucus and toxins from the lower section of the abdomen.
The detoxifying process is a yogic enema that involves inserting a tube into the colon via the rectum, introducing a medicinal liquid to loosen the waste, and washing the waste and toxins out through the intestinal tract.
Afterwards, your body will feel rejuvenated, energised and purified. The benefits you’ll notice will be amazing.
Vasti can also alleviate a wide range of disorders including colds, fevers, constipation, gastritis, kidney stones, joint pain, arthritis and gout.
It should only be performed by a professional practitioner.
I hope you’ve found this overview of Shat Kriya useful and that you’ll feel inspired to explore Shat Kriya for yourself. If you’d like to find out more, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
To your enduring health and happiness in Ayurveda,
