Dhauti
Dahuti consist of five types of cleaning:
Antar Dahuti — internal cleaning Danta Moola Dahuti — cleaning of mouth and teeth Hrid Dahuti — cleaning of the throat Karna Dahuti — cleaning of the ears Moola Sudhana — cleaning of the lower intestines
Antar Dahuti — internal cleaning
Antar Dahuti is, itself, divided into 4 different cleaning methods: purification with wind (Air), purification with water, purification with fire, and purification with cloth.
Purification by Air
This method is difficult, and should be practiced only with a qualified teacher's guidance.
Technique:
Swallow air into the abdomen. When it is full of air, relax the body and allow the air to come out on its own, effortless, with hiccups.
This technique helps to expel toxic gasses, which develop from food particles that are not properly and expediently digested.
Purification with Water
Through this technique the digestive system is cleansed and all water, with accumulated poisons, is vomited out.
Technique:
Drink 4—5 glasses of temperate salt water. Stand with the feet shoulder width apart, knees a bit bent, and place the arms straight on the knees. It is recommended to lean over a toilet. Breathe deeply, and slowly fill your lungs with air. Breathe out all of the air. Hold your breath while applying Uddiyana Bandha. Press hard with your hand on your abdomen and try vomiting out all of the water. If that doesn’t work, put your index finger in your mouth (all the way to the back of your throat) and touch the uvula until the gag reflex is stimulated and the water is vomited out.
Purification with fire
Technique:
Sit in a comfortable sitting position. Breathe all the air out and completely empty the lungs of air. Hold the breath while in Uddiyana Bandha. While holding your breath, draw the abdominal muscles in and push them out as fast as you can. Repeat this 10—15 times. Breathe deeply and relax.
Perform 10 cycles of this practice (10 to 15 repetitions equaling one cycle).
This exercise awakens the liver, spleen, kidneys, and pancreas. It reduces fat, heals constipation and awakens the digestive fire. This technique awakens the Manipura Chakra, which is of the fire element, hence the name 'Purification with fire'.
Purification with cloth
|IN22|The aim this exercise is to purify the entire digestive system. The digestive system is very long and made of many folds. Undigested food is accumulated in these folds and can cause infections. Excessive consumption of food, or malnourishment, can eventually lead to digestive distress, irritation of the digestive system, uneasiness, headache, depression, nausea and vomiting.
Purification with cloth should be practiced only under the guidance of a qualified teacher.
For this practice, a gentle piece of cloth is used measuring 2 inches wide by 10 feet long. It is important that both of the cloth ends are sown, so that there will be no loose strings hanging off. The cloth has to be washed before the practice. This practice is only to be done with an empty stomach.
Technique:
Place the cloth in a bowl of temperate salt water and swallow one end. On the first day swallow only 10 inches of the cloth.
Danta Moola Dahuti — cleaning of mouth and teeth
Danta Dahuti is a technique of cleaning the teeth. In western society, we are accustomed to brushing our teeth with a tooth—brush. These brushes eventually become green houses for germs and bacteria. And also, the gums are left neglected, without the necessary massaging that it needs.
The ancient Yogis used to clean their teeth with a single use twig, 10 inches long, chewed up at one end so that they could clean the teeth just like a modern day toothbrush. Another method that was common, was rubbing the teeth and gums with some earth every morning.
Today, this technique is not very practical, so the toothbrush is the best solution for modern people, but it is important to wash the brush after every use to prevent the accumulation of bacteria. Additionally, the upper and lower gums must be massaged strongly with a finger.
Hrid Dahuti — purification of the throat
The throat and tongue are areas which are usually hygienically neglected. Many times a yellowish layer of mucus is accumulated. This layer is created from poisons and waste that the body tries to expel. Bacteria could grow in this mucus, contaminating the food that is eaten.
Technique:
Place the index, the middle, and ring fingers together inside the mouth on the base, or root, of the tongue. Rub firmly. Wash the mouth. Repeat this action several times. Finally, rinse your mouth with salt water.
Keeping a clean hand is very important. Therefore it is advised to wash it several times during the practice. A daily, short cleansing before breakfast will help keep the throat and tongue free from infections.
Karna Dahuti — cleaning the ears
This technique cleans the ears and helps improve hearing. Inside the ear canal, earwax is accumulated. Its function is to prevent dust and dirt from entering the inside of the ears. Sometimes, an excessive layer of wax is accumulated and should be cleaned.
Technique:
1. Insert your pinky finger a little ways into the ear canal.
2. Turn it in both directions a few times.
3. Repeat this action with the index finger.
Lean your head to one side, and let any dry wax fall outside.
After this, repeat the whole process with the other ear.
It is very important to keep the fingers clean and fingernails short. In no way whatsoever should you put any objects inside the ear canal itself. There is a great danger of damaging the delicate tissues within the ear.
Moola Sudhana — cleaning the lower intestines
"Moola" in Sanskrit means base or root. The word "Sudhana" means purification. Sometimes, in the area of the Descending and Sigmoid colon (the last 2 feet or so) there is an accumulation of unwanted waste. The purpose of Moola Sudhana is to remove that waste and clean the area.
Before you start practicing Moola Sudhana, clean thoroughly and trim the fingernail of the index finger that you are going to use.
Technique:
Sit in a squatting position so that the rectal area will be exposed and opened. Put Ghee (purified butter) on the index finger and gently insert it into the rectum. Initially the finger should be inserted about a half an inch. Turn the finger 10 times (clockwise and counter—clockwise). With each turn you can insert the finger a little deeper. Make sure there is a steady and constant pressure on the rectum. Avoid using any force. Remove the finger gently. Wash the finger thoroughly and clean the rectum with cold water, in order to contract the blood vessels in that area back to their normal state. Repeat the whole process (from stage 2 onwards) one more time.
Inserting the finger to its full length will cause the nerves in that area to be stimulated. This action can help treat constipation by relaxing the muscles.
Any person who suffers from hemorrhoids must be extra careful when inserting the finger and turning it so they don't irritate or rupture the blood vessels.