This kriya has the ability to help you shed approximately 1-1.5 kg of weight instantaneously. But this is just the secondary byproduct. Its main forte, however, lies in de-toxifying your internal organs to bring that external glow on your face, body and of course, life.
‘Stepping in’ with a ‘Firm Foundation’
Despite the many strictures we impose upon ourselves, over indulgence in rich and unhealthy food especially towards the end of every year, which is abundant with festivities and celebrations, leaves our system sluggish and tired, our body shapeless, constipated, acidic predisposed, our mind cluttered and almost everything disoriented, making it susceptible to toxin accumulation. This is a common side effect of our holidays at the end of every single year. The very next step is buying gym membership to undo this mess. Indeed, a wise decision. Rushing to gym, however, is like touching upon just the surface of the problem where we take our toxin accumulated body without cleansing it of its impurities first. The obvious result – depriving ourselves of optimal benefits.
Shankhprakshalan – A natural DETOX
Shankhaprakshalana is one of the traditional shuddhi kriyas (yogic cleansing process) which is a sub kriya from the group of kriyas as Dhouti. It is a cleansing process for the whole of the colon from the mouth to the anus, by tepid saline water. In Shankhaprakshalan, water is taken from the mouth, goes through throat to the stomach, from the stomach to the small intestine, from small intestine to the large intestine and finally comes out through the anus. This process replicates the cleansing of a conch and is named Shankhaprakshalan. This is an excellent way to detoxify your body from the accumulated toxins.
The hatha yoga practice of Shankhaprakshalan is known to greatly reduce the levels of blood sugar in the body, almost immediately. Constipation, flatulence, acidity, indigestion see great result with regular practice of Shankhapraksahlan.
In this blog, I am focusing on one of the easier versions of Shankhaprakshalan, namely ‘Laghoo Shankhaprakshalan’ which does the same job with just 6 glasses of lukewarm salted water.
Method
- Prepare approximately three liters of lukewarm water with two teaspoons of salt for every liter. The water should taste mildly salty.
- Drink two glasses of the prepared concoction in quick succession.
- Perform five asanas eight times each at a steady pace without taking a break.
- Drink two more glass and repeat the five asanas eight times each again.
- Finally, consume the last two glasses of water and repeat the asanas eight times each for the last time.
- You should feel the urge for motion by this time. If not, wait for a few minutes and the urge would eventually be upon you. Do not force yourself for the motion at all.
Rest
On completion of the practice, rest for half an hour. Keep yourself warm, but try not to sleep. You can lie down or sit down.
Food after Shankhaprakshalan
After resting, eat khichdi – prepared with moong dal (yellow) & rice. Add 2-3 teaspoon of ghee before eating. It is important to have ghee to create the inner lining of the food pipe, which would have been washed away due to the saline water. Eat light during the rest of the day, avoid refined or non-veg food & alcohol. The practice is designed differently for different therapies. But in general, practice once a month to keep your system energetic and toxin-free.
Contraindication
- Do not practice this in case of stomach/intestinal ulcers, hernia, heart disease and high blood pressure.
- This is one of the most recommended kriyas to control diabetes. But, blood sugar levels fall drastically after this performance hence, modify insulin dosage accordingly.
As per “Hatha Yoga Pradipika”, a classic Sanskrit Manual, “when different systems of the body have been purified, the overall result is that energy can flow through the body freely.”
For any query, write to “Ask Shammi” on www.shammisyogalaya.com For other blogs on related subject, check www.shammisyogalayablog.com
Shammi Gupta, founder of Shammi’s Yogalaya holds an MA in Yoga Shastra, is a certified Yogic Therapist and Naturopath, has completed an Advanced Yoga Course and holds a Diploma in Yoga Education from Mumbai University. She is a certified trainer from American College of Sports Medicine and holds an MBA in HR & MBA in Finance from The University of Akron, Ohio, USA. She conducts Health Awareness Workshops for Corporate, Yogasana Workshops for Athletes and Yoga Therapy Workshops on different medical issues for patients. Among the celebrities Shammi trains are eminent personalities from the film and television industry and corporate world.