Shatkarma

Purpose

Description

• Netī is a nasal wash. This is the practice of using a neti pot to cleanse the nasal passages. A basic neti wash consists of purified water and non-iodized salt, to create a gentle saline solution.
• Dhautī is the cleansing of the whole digestive tract.
• Naulī is a self-administered abdominal massage, using only the muscles of the abdominal wall. The practitioner stands with the feet about hip width apart, hands on knees, and body at about a 45 degree angle. The core is rotated internally by moving the abdominal muscles alternately in a clock-wise, then in a counterclock-wise direction.
• Basti is a colonic irrigation.
• Kapālabhātī is a skull polishing, and is a pranayama practice intended to energize and balance the nadis, and the chakras. Specifically, it is a sharp, short outbreath, followed by a relaxation of the core that allows the body to inhale on its own.
• Trāṭaka is the direction of the gaze at a fixed point such as a black spot or a candle flame.

• Cakri is the dilation of the anus, using a finger moved about in the rectum.
• Gajakarani is holding sweetened water and the breath in the oesophagus, followed by expulsion of its contents.