The Yoga rules

By Robin Brain

This is a shuddhikriya meant for cleaning the stomach. There are three varieties, namely, vamana-dhauti. danda-dhauti, and vastra-dhauti. Vamana-dhauti may be said to be the easiest. Vamana means vomiting Its procedure is to drink about six glasses of water and then to vomit the water out by putting the index and middle fingers in the mouth upto the uvula. This helps to cleans the stomach, bringing out with the water impurities from the stomach. In danda-dhauti, after drinking water as above, a rubber tube, about three feet in length and slightly larger than a lead pencil in diameter is inserted in the mouth and is gulped down slowly so that one end of it reaches upto the stomach while the other end is held outside the mouth. Then by bending the trunk forward the water from the stomach is drawn out by siphon action. When all the water comes out, the tube is pulled out slowly. Before inserting the tube into the mouth it must be cleaned and disinfected by dipping. it in boiling water for a few minutes. Many people find it difficult to gulp the tube down the throat without vomiting, because the throat is sensitive to touch stimuli. Such persons have to do vamana-dhauti in place of danda-dhauti. The latter has one advantage over the former as there is no spasm of the stomach wall and water comes out smoothly.

Vastra-dhauti is more difficult but far more useful as compared to the above mentioned varieties. In it a strip of fine muslin cloth about three inches wide and twenty two feet in length is used. This strip is washed, disinfected (by dipping it in boiling water for a few minutes), and made into a roll. One end of it is held between two fingers and inserted into the mouth. It is then gulped down slowly. When only six inches of its length remains outside the mouth, the gulping is stopped, never allowing this other end of the strip to go into the mouth. The abdomen is then churned by Nauli with the strip of cloth inside the stomach, and the strip is then taken out by pulling the other end slowly. By rubbing itself against the inner lining of the stomach, dhauti cleanses it, and removes all the impurities from the stomach.

Dhauti has a great therapeutic value. It is employedin the yogic treatment of disorders like acidity and asthma.

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