A mentally and physically healthy life is certainly the result of practising Yoga over time but the same breathing exercises to attain nirvana and the use of yoga as a complete body cleansing agent is still mostly unknown to most people.
Acknowledging the growth of yoga as a way to keep away from illnesses and staying fit, a large number of people have turned to this age-old system of harmonizing the mind, body and soul, as well as organisations, who to keep the welfare of its member in mind, have started hosting regular yoga practising sessions.
“What makes yoga different is that it identifies three humours in the body, namely, Kapha ‘mucus’ , Pitta ‘bile’ and Vata ‘wind’, and are called as Tridosha”, says Anuradha Jeyakumar, yoga professional.
“A balanced proportion of these three facilitates body function. In Hatha yoga there are six particular practices which were specifically designed for this purpose called “Shat Kriya”, where ‘Shat’ refers to six and ‘Kriya’ refers to technique or method”, she added.
These six fundamental cleansing techniques are the most important aspects of Hatha yoga. These practices activate almost all vital systems in the body, especially the digestive, respiratory, circulatory and nervous systems. These techniques are both preventive and curative if practised with the help of experienced and knowledgeable yoga teacher. ShatKriyas are regarded as the preliminary steps towards advanced practices of meditation, pranayama and asanas.
The six techniques or Shatkriyas are Dhauti, Basti, Neti, Trataka, Nauli and Kapalapathi and each is a technique for cleansing different parts of the body. While Dhauti is a technique for cleansing the stomach and is practised in the early morning with an empty stomach to make stomach clean, Basti seeks to cleanse the bowels (intestine) from all toxicities.
Neti is a technique for cleaning the nasal cavity and sinus and also it stimulates certain nerve centres in the upper nasal passage while Trataka is practised by steadily gazing at an object in order to eradicate mental disturbances and develop mental power and concentration. It can also help in the steadiness of mind and improves eyesight.
Nauli, yet another technique is practised by churning and isolating the abdominal muscles. This practice tones up all the abdominal organs and removes digestive disorder. When muscles isolated to the right it is Dakshina nauli, to the left Vama nauli and in the middle, it is Madhyama nauli.
The last Shatkriya is a powerful one to cleanse the internal organs and in this, the air is forcefully expelled from lungs, removing any stagnant carbon dioxide accumulated in the lower part of the lungs. It is also an effective technique for reducing weight as it results in raising the Basal Metabolic rate (BMR) in the body. This technique involves forceful exhalations and passive inhalation.
“The main aim of Hatha yoga is to make mind and body fit for higher practices of Raja yoga. Shatkarma while making our body clean and strong, improve concentration and eliminates toxins from the body. Also helps In the movement of the Prana into the organs and the pranic meridians or nadis”, she added.
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