Shatkarmas: Yogic Purification Techniques

Shatkarmas it is cleansing techniques, purification techniques methods that help to purify our body and subtle body.

Shatkarma in Sanskrit means ‘six actions’. There are six main shatkarmas:

1) Neti: nasal cleansing.
2) Nauli: abdomen cleansing.
3) Dhauti: set of methods for digestive tract cleaning.
4) Basti: colon cleaning.
5) Trataka: cleansing eyes.
6) Kapalabhati: cleansing nasal passages and stimulates brain.

Why do we need to do shatkarmas? Because they clean our internal organs and purify our energy. Also we become healthier and our mind works much better.

Here you will find short description of various shatkarmas and benefits that they bring.

Shatkarmas

1) Jala Neti: nasal cleaning with salty water.

Benefits:

1) Better vision.
2) Removes mucus from nasal passage.
3) Allow full breath.
4) Give good health.
5) Prevent nose, lungs diseases like sinusitis, tonzilitis, asthma.
6) Allow breath better.

2) Sutra Neti: Nasar cleaning with thread, catheter.

Benefits:

1) Remove blockage in nasal passage.
2) Stimulate nerve endings in nostrils.
3) Stimulate brain to work better.
4) Increase blood circulation.
5) Prevent from cold.
6) Allow breath better.

3) Jihva Mula Dhauti: tongue cleaning with tongue scraper.

Benefits:

1) Remove a lot of bacteria from tongue.
2) Reduce bad breath.
3) Reduce probability of mouth area, illnesses.
4) Taste becomes better.

4) Shanka-Prakshalana: cleaning entire digestive system from mouth to anus with warm salty water.

Benefits:

1) Purifies whole body.
2) Removes toxins from intestine, digestive system.
3) Purifies blood system.
4) Restore energy.

Shanka-Prakshalana mentioned in many old yogic texts and you need to know instructions how to make it correctly.

5) Kunjala (Vamana-dhauti): cleaning digestive system fro mouth to stomach.

Benefits:

1) Purifies breathing passages.
2) Clean stomach, liver.
3) Help to overcome negative sides of manipura and anahata chakras.
4) Clean skin.
5) Restore energy, apanavayu moves up.

6) Nauli: abdomen cleansing and massage.

Benefits:

1) Immunity system becomes stronger.
2) Clean digestive system.
3) Stimulate blood in system.
4) Hormonal system starts working better.

7) Fasting: one day without eating food (possible more options).

Benefits:

1) Clean body from toxins and impurities.
2) Helps to clean our mind, thoughts.
3) Give additional energy.
4) If you do yoga practice in the time of fasting, it transforms you even more.

In most spiritual traditions they use fasting as a method to grow spiritually. Fasting can be without water and with water. Usually simple fasting is 36 hours (full day without food).

So those are one of the most popular shatkarmas that can help you to purify your body, mind and soul. Especially it’s useful when you start yoga practice because then you clean all impurities and you start grow even faster. One of classical yoga texts Hatha Yoga Pradipika recommends to start yoga practice from shatkarmas. And there are even more various shatkarmas.