Skip to content

AYP Wiki

A living encyclopedia of AYP

Shatkarmas

Traditional bodily cleansing techniques from Hatha Yoga, used to support the purification and opening of the nervous system. AYP treats them as middle-stage supplementary practices — most useful when ecstatic conductivity is actively coming online, less essential before or after that stage. Do not rush to take them up; the inner calling will come.

Lesson 312: "Depending on where we are on our path of purification and opening, physical methods such as the shatkarmas can play a greater or lesser role in our opening. For example, if we are on the verge of an energy awakening, or entering into one, shatkarmas can become very important."

The six shatkarmas

The classical six are: jala neti (nasal wash), basti (colon cleansing), dhauti (intestinal wash), nauli (abdominal churning), kapalbhati (sudden exhalation), and trataka (steady gazing).

The first three are physical washing techniques — covered in detail below. The last three are energetic techniques whose underlying principles are already incorporated into AYP's standard practices:

  • Nauli — already in nauli as an asana and pre-sitting warm-up.
  • Kapalbhati — its brain-cleansing principle is the foundation of spinal bastrika pranayama.
  • Trataka — steady gazing is the underlying principle of sambhavi mudra during SBP.

When to use shatkarmas

Lesson 316 gives the overall guideline: wait for the inner calling. Shatkarmas are most effective when ecstatic conductivity is coming into play — when the nasal passages, sinuses, and GI tract are beginning to participate in the nectar cycle. The inner urge to cleanse these channels arises naturally from the purification already underway.

Shatkarmas are middle-stage practices, different from DM and SBP which continue daily for life. They are "training wheels for the inner ecstatic processes" — needed during activation and adjustment, often discontinued afterward as the nervous system becomes self-sustaining.

They can also be taken up for health reasons at any stage, regardless of spiritual progress.

Lesson 316: "If we are inclined toward doing shatkarmas now or later, we can be sure it will be in concert with our spiritual desires, deep meditation and other practices we are engaged in."

Jala neti — nasal wash

Lesson 313. The nasal passages and sinuses are intimately involved in the neurobiology of spiritual transformation — they connect the brain to the rest of the nervous system, and the amrita (nectar) flow from the brain passes through this region. Cleansing here supports the kechari and sambhavi practices that operate in the same territory.

Basic neti pot method: 1. Use a small teapot-like neti pot fitted to the nostril. 2. Fill with slightly warm, lightly salted water — approximately ½ to 1 teaspoon salt per pint/half-liter. Adjust until there is no stinging: correct salt concentration feels completely comfortable. 3. With face tilted forward and down, tip head to one side so water runs in one nostril, over the nasal septum, and out the other nostril. Keep face forward to prevent water entering the throat. 4. Repeat on the other side. 5. After both sides, tilt head left, right, forward, and back over the sink — sinuses take a few minutes to drain fully. Don't walk away too soon.

Bowl method (advanced): Draw salted water up directly through both nostrils from a bowl using gentle lung suction and expel through the mouth. Faster, more thorough, and less difficult than it sounds. The soft palate naturally acts as a dam. The same salt concentration rules apply.

Jala neti can be done daily as part of morning hygiene, or as needed. It is a useful aid against colds and sinus conditions. When ecstatic conductivity is rising in the sinuses, the cleansing and stimulation of jala neti can be strongly beneficial.

Basti — colon cleansing (enema)

Lesson 314. A simple warm-water enema using a gravity bag and hose.

Basic procedure: - Warm, clean water (no salt). - About 1 quart / 1 liter, delivered slowly via gravity bag hung a few feet above. - Lean forward on toilet or lie on left side while filling. - Wait a few minutes before expelling. Light nauli on the toilet can help. - Protect against urinary tract infection — don't allow water to leak forward.

When and how often: - For spiritual purposes: can be done daily during the period when ecstatic conductivity is actively rising and the GI tract is transforming. Not for beginning practitioners or very advanced practitioners (the nervous system becomes self-sufficient). - For health reasons: occasional use (once or twice per week) is enough; more frequent as needed for digestive disturbance. - Unlike dhauti, basti does not deplete the system. It stimulates higher digestion and enhances inner energy flow when ecstatic conductivity has begun. - Can be discontinued once ecstatic awakening is strong and self-sustaining.

Dhauti — intestinal wash

Lesson 315. A much more thorough (and depleting) full-GI flush.

Procedure: 1. Drink 2 quarts / liters of salted water (2 tsp salt per quart/liter) slowly over ~15 minutes. Light nauli between glasses aids flow. 2. Lie on left side for 20 minutes. 3. Allow 30+ minutes for complete elimination. 4. Rest afterward.

Important cautions: - Much more depleting than basti — flushes out natural biochemicals and vital essences. - Use sparingly: a few times per year at most. Weekly is excessive; monthly is frequent. - Not during active kundalini awakening. Dhauti accelerates the purification process and can seriously exacerbate kundalini symptoms when inner energies are already active. Basti is the better choice during that period. - Best used for periodic cleansing before kundalini is awakened, or after it has stabilized.

Mouth and tongue hygiene

Lesson 313. Standard oral hygiene (brushing, flossing) improves naturally with yoga practice. A yogic enhancement: tongue scraping — using a flat metal strip bent into a U-shape to scrape forward across the top of the tongue. Far more effective than brushing for removing tartar and bacteria, and reduces dental tartar as well. The condition of the mouth reflects the state of overall health; improving it improves both.

Shatkarmas in context

AYP's primary emphasis remains on DM and SBP — non-physical methods that reach deeper than physical ones. No one is required to do all shatkarmas. The inner call will come when they're needed:

Lesson 316: "Shatkarmas are an important aid for cultivating ecstatic conductivity in the neurobiology. The GI tract plays a central role in this, but not necessarily in the beginning days of our practices. It is much more important to become stable in our core practices."

The interconnectedness of yoga means that activating any limb stimulates the others — once DM is working, the urge to undertake shatkarmas (and better diet, and asanas) arises spontaneously. "All yogic methods are part of the overall process of human spiritual transformation that resides within each of us."

See also

  • Amaroli — urine therapy; related physical cleansing with a strong spiritual tradition; treated separately from the shatkarmas in AYP
  • Nectar cycle — the biological process shatkarmas support
  • Nauli — the internal version of abdominal churning
  • Spinal Bastrika Pranayama — kapalbhati as underlying principle
  • Kundalini imbalances — why dhauti timing matters
  • Diet — the other physical-layer support for inner transformation

Source lessons