Personal practices · On your own
Cleansing practices
“Everyone may perform the practices below if they wish.” (Caryácarya Part 3, “Different Yoga Practices”): utkśepa mudrá, vasti mudrá, múlashodhana, násápána and dhaotii.
Why we do it
The aim of yoga is Supreme Consciousness
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The aim is Supreme Consciousness. The goal of yoga is far off, like a distant star system.
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The instrument to reach that goal is the mind. It is the subtlest part of us, so it is the only part fine enough to reach the aim.
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The method is meditation. Seeing a star takes a telescope pointed at it; reaching Supreme Consciousness takes the mind pointed at it. That is meditation.
- 4See how it leads to the goal ↓
The preparation and care. A telescope has to be looked after, cleaned and set right to see the stars. The mind is the same. Every practice does this for the mind, directly or through the body, because the mind is connected with the body.
Reaching the goal through Cleansing practices
The cleansing practices bring us to the goal through the body. Which propensities the mind follows depends mostly on the body, education and environment; so a clean body helps to keep the propensities pure. The body is the easier half: the mind too has to be freed from its fetters. Once the impurities are gone from the mind, nothing separates the unit soul from Brahma. That is the goal of yoga.
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Like a temple
The body is kept neat and clean like a temple: it is the place where sádhaná is done.
“Keep the body neat and clean like a temple.”
Caryácarya 2, “The Body” - 02
The mind follows its propensities
Most of the time the mind does not lead its propensities but is led by them, and which propensity it expresses itself through depends mostly on the body, on education and on the environment.
“The propensity through which one expresses oneʼs psychic power depends in most cases (except in the case of original actions) on the influence of physical constitution, education and the environment.”
Subháśita Saḿgraha 5, “The Only Way to Salvation” - 03
A pure body for pure propensities
So a pure body is needed for pure propensities, and these practices keep the body clean inside and out.
“Hence, to maintain purity of the psychic propensities, the purity of the body, the reactive momenta and the environment is crucial.”
Subháśita Saḿgraha 5, “The Only Way to Salvation” - 04
The greater cleansing
Cleansing the body is the easier half of the work. Cleansing the mind is far harder, and still more needed.
“Therefore, it is a necessity to maintain the cleanliness of body, dress and house, but the need to keep the mind clean is still greater. Cleansing the mind is a far more laborious job than cleansing the body, clothes, house, etc.”
A Guide to Human Conduct, “Shaoca” - 05
Free from the fetters
In sádhaná the self is freed from the eight fetters, such as hatred, doubt, shame and fear, and from the six enemies, such as anger, greed and pride.
“And in this endeavour one must free the self from the domination of the eight fetters [bondage of lineage, vanity of culture, false sense of prestige, hatred, doubt, shame, fear and backbiting] and the six enemies [anger, greed, lust, pride, envy, enchantment].”
Subháśita Saḿgraha 5, “The Only Way to Salvation” - 06
Nothing between
When the mind is clean, nothing is left between the unit soul and Brahma: they are found to be one. This is the goal.
“That is to say, whenever sádhakas realize the unit soul, they discover that the unit soul and Brahma are the same. Once the impurities are removed from the mind, the separate existence of these two entities is lost.”
Subháśita Saḿgraha 5, “The Only Way to Salvation”
What it is
Five cleansing practices that everyone may perform if they wish: utkśepa mudrá, vasti mudrá, múlashodhana, násápána and dhaotii.
In the sources
“Everyone may perform the practices below if they wish.”
Utkśepa mudrá: “This mudrá should be practised in bed immediately upon waking. While lying on the back, one should flex both the arms and legs, bringing them over the chest, and then return them immediately to the extended position. After doing this three or four times, sit up in bed and drink a glass of cold water without allowing the water to touch the teeth. After this you should expose the navel area to the air, and walk up and down in this way for some time in the open air.”
Vasti mudrá: “While defecating, keep the genital organ pointed upward, pressing its base with the middle finger of the left hand and pressing the scrotum with the rest of the fingers. This is as good as using a kaopiina. Remove the hand while urinating.”
Múlashodhana: “After defecating, insert the middle finger of the left hand as far up the rectum as possible and clean that area.”
Násápána: “Draw in clean water through the nostrils and pass it out through the mouth. This water may be swallowed, but it is better to spit it out.”
Dhaotii: “Immediately after násápána, at a time when your stomach is empty and you are washing your face, the throat should be cleaned with the middle finger of the right hand, inserting it as far as possible.”
Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti, Caryácarya Part 3, “Different Yoga Practices” (1965)
When to do them
Utkśepa mudrá: in bed, right after waking.
Vasti mudrá and múlashodhana: at the toilet.
Násápána, and right after it dhaotii: on an empty stomach, while washing the face.
How to do it
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Utkśepa mudráCaryácarya 3, “Different Yoga Practices”
“This mudrá should be practised in bed immediately upon waking. While lying on the back, one should flex both the arms and legs, bringing them over the chest, and then return them immediately to the extended position. After doing this three or four times, sit up in bed and drink a glass of cold water without allowing the water to touch the teeth. After this you should expose the navel area to the air, and walk up and down in this way for some time in the open air.”
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Vasti mudráCaryácarya 3, “Different Yoga Practices”
“While defecating, keep the genital organ pointed upward, pressing its base with the middle finger of the left hand and pressing the scrotum with the rest of the fingers. This is as good as using a kaopiina. Remove the hand while urinating.”
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MúlashodhanaCaryácarya 3, “Different Yoga Practices”
“After defecating, insert the middle finger of the left hand as far up the rectum as possible and clean that area.”
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NásápánaCaryácarya 3, “Different Yoga Practices”
“Draw in clean water through the nostrils and pass it out through the mouth. This water may be swallowed, but it is better to spit it out.”
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DhaotiiCaryácarya 3, “Different Yoga Practices”
“Immediately after násápána, at a time when your stomach is empty and you are washing your face, the throat should be cleaned with the middle finger of the right hand, inserting it as far as possible.”
Take care
- “No one should risk harm by practising ásanas and mudrás without the permission of an ácárya.”Caryácarya 3
What studies of nose rinsing found
Rinsing the nose
A Cochrane review found that rinsing the nose every day with a large volume of salt water may ease the symptoms of chronic sinusitis, though the evidence was of low quality. The trials used salt water; Caryácarya’s násápána uses plain clean water.
Chong LY et al., 2016, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
Another Cochrane review found that rinsing the nose with salt water is safe and may relieve the symptoms of colds and other acute upper respiratory infections, though most of the trials were small.
King D et al., 2015, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
What Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti said
“The proper use of soap, water or other cleansers to keep the body, clothes or surroundings clean is external cleanliness. By this cleanliness the physical objects with which people are directly associated are cleaned and made fit for use.”
A Guide to Human Conduct, “Shaoca”““Ápashcavishvabheśajii” – that is, “water is medicine for all diseases.” Truly, all types of disease can be relieved if one knows how to use water properly.”
Yogic Treatments and Natural Remedies, “Appendix A: Water Drinking”“Shaoca is of two kinds – purity of the body and of the mind. The methods for mental purity are kindliness towards all creatures, charity, working for the welfare of others and being dutiful.”
Caryácarya 2, “Sádhaná (Intuitional Practice)”