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IMPORTANT NOTE: Only basic information is included here in this file, and certain details have been omitted about the cleansing techniques since it is not our intention to have these documents used by people for the purposes of trying things out untutored. If, after reading the whole of this document, you are seriously interested in actually experiencing the wonderful benefits these techniques can bestow, you should seek out a yoga teacher with qualifications and experience in these areas.
The purpose of this document is to put Jala Neti into the broader context of the complete Hatha Yoga cleansing regime and to explain in general terms the mechanics and interrelationships of yoga, the body, the mind and the spiritual outcomes of cleansing. No liability is accepted by the producers of this site or by any of the contributors to it for any effects arising from untutored attempts at yoga techniques.
General Introduction To the Hatha Yoga Cleansing Techniques
The term Hatha Yoga most correctly refers to a group of techniques used for purification of the body and psyche which work on balancing the flow of Prana (energy) between the Solar (Ha) and the Lunar (Tha) parts of human personality.The term Hatha Yoga is often misunderstood in the West to mean solely the postures and exercise regimes of Yoga. Some teachers and students think only of Hatha Yoga being "the physical side of yoga" and that meditation is the "mental stuff". Whilst it is true that the yogasanas (postures) do help to balance the Ha and Tha energy flows, with exercises and static postures, it is achieved much more slowly and somewhat less effectively than with the more direct methods of the pranic cleansing practices.
According to the classical yoga texts, Hatha Yoga involves the following Shatkarmas or Shatkriyas which are in fact little known or practiced in contemporary western yoga classes. There are 6 groups of cleansing techniques: Neti, Dhauti, Nauli, Basti, Kapalbhati, Trataka.
Neti (nasal cleansing) is divided into: Jala Neti (using water), Dugdha Neti (using milk), Ghrita Neti (using ghee), Swamootra Neti (using ones own urine), and Sutra Neti (using a thread).
Dhauti consists of: Chaksua Dhauti (eye cleansing), Karna Dhauti (ear cleansing), Jihwa Dhauti (tongue cleansing), Kapal Randhra Dhauti (scalp cleansing), Danda Dhauti (cleaning the esophagus), Vatsara Dhauti (stomach cleansing with air, also called Bhujangini Mudra), Vaman Dhauti includes Kunjal Kriya (stomach cleansing with water) and Vyaghra Kriya (emptying the stomach of excess food), Vastra Dhauti (stomach cleansing with cloth), Vahnisar Dhauti (same as Agnisar Kriya or stomach massage), Varisara Dhauti also called Laghoo and Poorna Shankaprakshalana (washing from mouth to anus with water), Moola Shodhanam (cleaning the anus).
Nauli is abdominal purification through massage and churning. The various stages are: Madhyama Nauli (central contraction), Vama Nauli (left contraction), Dakshina Nauli (right contraction), and rotational Nauli.
Bhasti (colon cleansing) can be done with water (Jala Bhasti) or air (Sthal Basti).
Kapalbhati (frontal brain purification) is done by air (Pranayama Kapalbhati) or water (Jala Neti stages 2 & 3).
Trataka (intense gazing to purify the optic and psychic facilities) is done as a meditation practice upon a Yantra or Mandala such as a candle flame, star, photo, statue, gemstone, or any other symbol or object.
Why all these strange ways of cleansing the bodily senses?
The ancient yogis discovered and/or invented these amazing ways of internal cleansing not solely for health (of course that was an obvious by product) but primarily for preparation for higher states of meditation.With today's unhealthy environment, lifestyles, bodies and minds, these techniques can be used just as effectively by modern people as a physical therapy for a wide range of common illnesses in place of conventional medicines and procedures.
But beyond their use as healing techniques for body and mind, the metaphysical effects of these cleansing practices can also help one to gain more from their spiritual endeavours and meditation.
At first, some of them may seem rather extraordinary and somewhat disgusting to westerners, but after some explanation and practise, the simplicity and efficacy of them becomes evident, and their adaptation into everyday life becomes effortless and highly beneficial.
The Hatha Yoga cleansing techniques have been used for thousands of years as both preventative and curative medicines. You may only want to learn them for better digestive function or better breathing, but their benefits will gradually show to you the deeper nature of physical, mental, emotional and psychic cleansing.
Out of all the different cleansing techniques listed above which Hatha Yoga has to offer, there are three primary practices which are the easiest to learn and the most efficient for modern people. Easy - in so far as they require no previous yoga experience to perform them properly and efficient - in so far as together, they work quickly and effectively to enable the student to clean out the most commonly troublesome areas of the body, that being: 1) the upper respiratory system and the 2) the digestive system.
All 3 of these techniques use warm, slightly salted water to clear out the mucus passages, leaving the body feeling light and clear, and the mind receptive for yoga and meditation practice.
More details about each of these are linked as follows:
Jala Neti - An Introduction
Jala Neti - The Different Stages and Types
The Jala Neti Booklet
Kunjal Kriya - The Stomach Wash
Shankaprakshalana - The Intestinal Wash
Frequently Asked Questions about the Cleansing Practices
| Home Page: - An Introduction and its Applications | The Links Page: For Finding Teachers and Neti Pots |
| Learning Jala Neti: - How to, and how not to, do it | |
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Our Library of Articles: on Nasal Cleansing |
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