AYP Lesson 315 - Intestinal Wash

Advanced Yoga Practices
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Lesson 315 - Intestinal Wash (Audio)

From: Yogani
Date: Mar 11, 2009

New Visitors: It is recommended you read from the beginning of the web archive, as previous lessons are prerequisite to this one. The first lesson is, "Why This Discussion?"

A more thorough and taxing method than basti (yogic enema) for cleansing the entire gastrointestinal (GI) tract is the shatkarma dhauti, or the intestinal wash, which entails drinking a large quantity of salted water. The salt prevents immediate digestion, and the water passes through the entire digestive tract, flushing everything in the digestive system out with it.

This procedure has been used by yoga practitioners for many centuries, and something similar to it is used in modern times to evacuate the digestive tract before a major medical procedure such as surgery.

Dhauti should not be done often. It depletes the system of natural biochemicals much more than basti does. Weekly would be considered to be very often for dhauti, and even monthly may be considered frequent for this procedure. Several times per year, at most, is a more balanced approach to its use.

To perform dhauti, we drink two quarts or liters of salted water (two teaspoons of salt per quart or liter) slowly but steadily glass by glass over about fifteen minutes. Doing some light nauli (see Lesson 129) between glasses of water is okay to aid in the inner flow. Then lie down on the left side (for best flow through intestines) for 20 minutes. Then go to the toilet, if the urge has not sent you there already.

It is best to plan on at least 30 minutes of eliminating off and on, and then lie down and rest afterward. The salt causes the water to pass straight through the entire GI tract for a big flush out. Besides the cleansing, this procedure can be temporarily depleting, due to the loss of biochemicals and vital essences in the GI tract.

In truth, basti (yogic enema see Lesson 314) is a more practical method. It can be done much more easily and quickly on a daily basis, if desired that often, and is not depleting. In fact, basti will increase the flow of inner energy, once ecstatic conductivity begins to arise in the neurobiology. Basti stimulates higher digestion in the GI tract, upstream from the colon, whereas dhauti temporarily suspends all digestion until the GI tract recovers from being completely flushed out. This is why it is recommended to use dhauti sparingly, particularly when ecstatic conductivity is on the rise.

The guru is in you.

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