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The shatkarmas (
in Yoga Magazine, a publication of
The shatkarmas are six (or more) preliminary purifications described in the ''
The six purifications taught in the ''Hatha Yoga Pradipika'', and repeated in the ''demonstration
/ref> * Dhautī, the cleansing of the whole digestive tract. * Naulī, 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
The shatkarmas (Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
: षटकर्म ''ṣaṭkarma'', literally ''six actions''), also known as shatkriyas,Shatkarmas - Cleansing Techniquesin Yoga Magazine, a publication of
Bihar School of Yoga
The Bihar School of Yoga is a modern school of yoga founded by Satyananda Saraswati in Munger, Bihar, India, in 1963. An Institute of Yogic Studies was created in 1994.
History
The Bihar School of Yoga was established in 1963 at Munger, in the ...
are a set of Hatha yoga
Haṭha yoga is a branch of yoga which uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel the vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word हठ ''haṭha'' literally means "force", alluding to a system of physical techniques. Some haṭha ...
purifications of the body, to prepare for the main work of yoga towards moksha
''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriology, ...
(liberation). These practices, outlined by Svatmarama
The ''Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā'' ( or Light on Hatha Yoga) is a classic fifteenth-century Sanskrit manual on haṭha yoga, written by Svātmārāma, who connects the teaching's lineage to Matsyendranath of the Nathas. It is among the most infl ...
in the ''Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā
The ''Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā'' ( or Light on Hatha Yoga) is a classic fifteenth-century Sanskrit Owners manual, manual on haṭha yoga, written by Svātmārāma, who connects the teaching's lineage to Matsyendranath of the Nathas. It is amon ...
'' as kriya, are Netī, Dhautī, Naulī, Basti, Kapālabhātī, and Trāṭaka
Trataka (Sanskrit n. त्राटक Trāṭak: "look, gaze") is a yogic purification (a shatkarma) and a tantric method of meditation that involves staring at a single point such as a small object, black dot or candle flame. It is said to bri ...
.
The '' Haṭha Ratnavali'' mentions two additional purifications, Cakri and Gajakarani, criticising the ''Hatha Yoga Pradipika'' for only describing the other six.
Purpose
The shatkarmas are six (or more) preliminary purifications described in the ''Hatha Yoga Pradipika
The ''Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā'' ( or Light on Hatha Yoga) is a classic fifteenth-century Sanskrit manual on haṭha yoga, written by Svātmārāma, who connects the teaching's lineage to Matsyendranath of the Nathas. It is among the most inf ...
'' and later texts. Their purpose is to remove "gross impurities", cure a range of diseases, and prepare the body for pranayama
Pranayama is the yogic practice of focusing on breath. In Sanskrit, '' prana'' means "vital life force", and ''yama'' means to gain control. In yoga, breath is associated with ''prana'', thus, pranayama is a means to elevate the '' prana'' ''sha ...
, trapping the breath so as to force the vital energy prana
In yoga, Indian medicine and Indian martial arts, prana ( sa2, प्राण, ; the Sanskrit word for breath, " life force", or "vital principle") permeates reality on all levels including inanimate objects. In Hindu literature, prāṇa is ...
into the central sushumna
( sa, नाडी, lit=tube, pipe, nerve, blood vessel, pulse) is a term for the channels through which, in traditional Indian medicine and spiritual theory, the energies such as prana of the physical body, the subtle body and the causal body a ...
channel, allowing kundalini to rise, and so to attain moksha
''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriology, ...
, liberation.
Description
The six purifications taught in the ''Hatha Yoga Pradipika'', and repeated in the ''Gheranda Samhita
''Gheranda Samhita'' (IAST: gheraṇḍasaṁhitā, घेरंडसंहिता, meaning “Gheranda's collection”) is a Sanskrit text of Yoga in Hinduism. It is one of the three classic texts of hatha yoga (the other two being the ''Ha ...
'', are:
* Netī, a nasal wash. This is the practice of using a neti pot to cleanse the nasal passage
The nasal cavity is a large, air-filled space above and behind the nose in the middle of the face. The nasal septum divides the cavity into two cavities, also known as fossae. Each cavity is the continuation of one of the two nostrils. The nasal c ...
s. A basic neti wash consists of purified water and non-iodized salt, to create a gentle saline solution
Saline (also known as saline solution) is a mixture of sodium chloride (salt) and water. It has a number of uses in medicine including cleaning wounds, removal and storage of contact lenses, and help with dry eyes. By injection into a vein it ...
./ref> * Dhautī, the cleansing of the whole digestive tract. * Naulī, 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
The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...
muscles alternately in a clock-wise, then in a counterclock-wise direction.
* Basti, a colonic irrigation.
* Kapālabhātī, a skull polishing, and is a pranayama
Pranayama is the yogic practice of focusing on breath. In Sanskrit, '' prana'' means "vital life force", and ''yama'' means to gain control. In yoga, breath is associated with ''prana'', thus, pranayama is a means to elevate the '' prana'' ''sha ...
(breathing) 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
Trataka (Sanskrit n. त्राटक Trāṭak: "look, gaze") is a yogic purification (a shatkarma) and a tantric method of meditation that involves staring at a single point such as a small object, black dot or candle flame. It is said to bri ...
, gazing at a fixed point such as a black spot or a candle flame.
The two additional purifications in the ''Hatha Ratnavali
Haṭha yoga is a branch of yoga which uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel the vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word हठ ''haṭha'' literally means "force", alluding to a system of physical techniques. Some haṭha ...
'' are:
* Cakri, the dilation of the anus, using a finger moved about in the rectum.
* Gajakarani (present but described differently in the ''Hatha Yoga Pradipika''), holding sweetened water and the breath in the oesophagus, followed by expulsion of its contents.
References
{{Yoga Kriyas Shatkarmas