Kriyas
These practices are not taught or even referred to in most schools of yoga. They look complicated, sometimes revolting, even un-natural. Many yoga teachers do not know these practices; teaching them is not easy either. There is a risk of harm to the student if something goes wrong.
Most Yoga teachers, therefore, conveniently overlook the kriyas. However, they are a part of traditional hatha yoga. They are prerequisites – they cleanse the body and prepare it for Hatha Yoga. It is as if you are cleaning up your house first before re-decorating it. Surely you will not bother beautifying a dirty home. Cleanliness comes first; hence the importance of kriyas.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT KRIYAS IS THAT YOU MUST LEARN THEM UNDER THE PERSONAL SUPERVISION OF AN EXPERT TEACHER.
You could hurt yourself from an improperly done kriya. Please do NOT try to learn from a book or a web site. The six kriyas are :
1. Dhauti
This is the first and most challenging kriya. It involves swallowing and regurgitating a fine piece of muslin cloth. I have not tried this practice. My teacher told me that it is prescribed only in case of severe ailments of the stomach. It is aimed at cleaning the mouth, throat and stomach. A variation of this is gaja-karani, which is done with water.
2. Basti
This is the ancient version of enemas or colonic irrigation. It involves drawing water into the lower intestine via the anus and then expelling it. IT aims to cleanse the lower part of the colon up to the sphincter. I have not tried this either 😊
3. Neti
This practice involves cleaning up the nasal passages as well as the throat. It can be done with water (jala-neti), where water is poured into one nostril, and it automatically comes out through the other. A variation is Sutra-neti, where a fine thread is taken inside one nostril and then pulled out of the mouth through the throat. Other netis are done with milk (dugdha-neti) or ghee (ghritha-neti). Neti is a prerequisite for cleaning up the respiratory passages for the proper practice of pranayama.
4. Tratak
This kriya is for cleansing and strengthening the eyes. The eyes are focussed usually on a small object or the flame of the lamp in a dark room, without blinking, until they water. Advanced variations involve gazing at a portrait of god or even imagining it in your mind's eye.
5. Nauli
The rectus-abdominii (abdominal column) is churned left and right in this kriya. Details are available in classic Yogaa texts.
Shanka-prakshalan is another advanced kriya that cleans out the entire GI tract. It involves drinking glass after glass of lukewarm salt water and then doing four specific exercises. Then you drink one more glass of the water and then do the exercises again. This is repeated until you feel the urge to go to the toilet. After you have relieved yourself, you go back to the water drinking and exercises. Soon, you will feel like going to the toilet again.. Notice the consistency of the faeces. This cycle of water drinking and exercises is to be repeated, ideally until the water expelled from the anus is as clear as the water you are drinking. At this stage, your entire gastro-intestinal tract has been thoroughly cleaned. It is as clean as it ever was in your life, apart from when you were a newborn baby.
After this exercise, the body is extremely stressed. You have to rest the whole day. For that day, you should only have a special diet called "khichdi" consisting of boiled rice, lentils (dal) and ghee (clarified butter). This lubricating food replaces the natural lubrication of your insides which has been washed out by the saline solution.
6. Kapalbhati
This is a cleanser for the respiratory system, especially the lungs. It involves forceful breathing in and out repeatedly. The lungs work like the bellows of a blacksmith. The body is kept in different positions for different effects.
I have personally tried gaj-karani, jala-neti, sutra-neti, trataka, nauli and shankha-prakshalan. I am uncomfortable doing gaja-karani and sutra-neti, but my sister does it easily. Jala-neti is easy and can be done by one and all.
My suggestion to you is to have a look at these practices with an open mind. If you feel like it, give it a shot, UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF AN EXPERT TEACHER. I cannot over-emphasise the importance of this. You can do SERIOUS DAMAGE to yourself if the kriyas are performed improperly especially Dhauti.