Shatkarma

Description

The six purifications taught in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and repeated in the Gheranda Samhita, are:

• Netī, a nasal wash. This is the practice of using a neti pot to cleanse the nasal passages. A basic neti wash consists of purified water and non-iodized salt, to create a gentle saline solution.
• 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 muscles alternately in a clockwise, then in a counterclockwise direction.
• Basti, a colonic irrigation.
• Kapālabhātī, a skull polishing, and is a pranayama (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, gazing at a fixed point such as a black spot or a candle flame.

The two additional purifications in the Hatha Ratnavali 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.