Traditional Medicine in Asia

secretion of thin mucous, which
cleans out the respiratory tract. It
probably does this by either
stimulating the sympathetic
nervous system or retarding the
action of the parasympathetic
nervous system;
� Varisara dhauti – Also called
shankhaprakshalana, this
technique cleans out the whole
intestinal tract. The practitioner
quickly swallows two glasses of
warm salty water, then does a
series of five postures (asanas),
which open the valves of the
stomach and intestines, eight times
each. This technique of swallowing
the water and practising the asanas
is repeated until clear fluid comes
out of the bowels. It is excellent
for constipation, but it also forms
the mainstay of the yoga treatment
for diabetes. There is a shortened
version, laghoo shankhaprakshalana,
in which only three rounds
are done. People with high blood
pressure, hernia, peptic ulcer or
cardiac illness should not do it, but
it is generally quite safe and easy;
� Vastra dhauti – Swallowing a long
piece of cloth, and gently pulling it
back up. This is also good for
asthma, and probably works the
same way as vaman dhauti. It
sounds difficult, and may be so for
some people at first, but most
people can generally master it;
� Vahnisara dhauti is also called
agnisar kriya; the muscles of the
front of the abdomen are rapidly
contracted and relaxed, with the
breath held out. It strengthens and
massages abdominal muscles and
organs, and stimulates the
digestive fire.
Fundamentals of Yoga
(3) Basti – Yogic enema, cleans out the
lower intestine. It is not needed if one
is doing shankhaprakshalana.
(4) Nauli – Advanced practice that needs
excellent control of abdominal
muscles.
(5) Kapalbhati – (transl. ‘frontal lobes’ +
‘to shine’). In this practice, there is
forced exhalation and passive
inhalation. It is said to stimulate the
frontal lobes of the brain, and so clear
the mind of disturbance, and allow it
to become one pointed and
concentrated. It also increases the
vitality.
(6) Tratak – Visual concentration on one
point, develops mental concentration,
mind control, clarity and calmness. It
stimulates melatonin hormone
secretion.
Done in this sequence, the shatkarmas
are designed to clean and purify the gross
body (neti, dhauti and basti), then
stimulate the pranic energy (nauli), then
stop mental dissipation (kapalbhati), and
then concentrate the mind (tratak). After
this preparation, the practices of
meditation can progress smoothly.
Nowadays, it is usual to include in
hatha yoga, the group of techniques called
asanas, pranayamas, mudras and
bandhas.
Asanas
Asanas are the postures usually associated
with the name ‘yoga’. They vary in
complexity from simple stretching practices
to difficult advanced postures. It should
be noted, however, that even the simplest
asanas can have a profoundly beneficial
effect.
Asanas affect all dimensions of the
person, especially the body-mind
connection. Swami Satyananda states in
Asana, Pranayama, Mudra, Bandha. 1
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