The Hatha Yoga Pradipika

(c) What is the purpose of Kriya?

The purpose of Kriya, as outlined in the HYP, is to start to cleanse the system of impurities, before commencing on intense pranayama practise. It is written, that those of us that have “flabby and phlegmatic constitution(s) should first practice the six acts [kriyas]. Others should not, as they have not these defects, the three humours (wind, bile and phlegm) being equal in them. Brahmananda later comments that the kriyas were not designed to be practised by ordinary people but were practised in secrecy with the aid of a guru. There are two reasons for this as far as I can see. One for the safety of the ordinary student, who may witness these cleansing techniques, and try them out for his or herself. Some techniques can not only be dangerous physically, if not carried out with careful instruction from the guru, but also mentally, as it can release a lot of blockages in the psychic body, and needs to be carried out with slow and careful attention to the student. Also there should be privacy in these practises, as they involve what could be seen as embarrassing or personal behaviour.

The six Kriyas are Dhauti, Basti, Neti,Tratak, Nauli and Kapalabhati. We will look at each Kriya in turn and outline its purpose.

Dhauti

The Gheranda Samita divides Dhauti up into four sections and again into more sub-divisions. The Dhauti as described in the HYP is one of the Hrd-dhauti(heart cleansings) and is called Vaso-dhauti. It is said to cure “Gulma or abdominal diseases, fever, enlarged spleen, leprosy, and other skin diseases and disorders of phlegm and bile, and day by day the practitioner gets health, strength, and cheerfulness.”(2) the HYP also adds asthma to its list of attributes. We would understand it as cleansing the oesophagus and stomach and drawing out any excess mucus and food left on the stomach walls. One soaks a gauze in a saline solution (1/2 a teaspoon of water to a ¼ of a litre of lukewarm water) and then starts to chew, this in turn stimulates the body’s response to swallow. Ideally, when one has been practising some time, one combines this with Nauli(which we shall look at momentarily). The cloth should be 15 cm long and 5 cm wide. When a student is first practising one should just swallow a foot at a time. There is no doubt that this should be practised with the aid of an expert practitioner as the cloth can easily get stuck in the stomach when one panics and can seriously damage the student.

Going back to the Gheranda Samita again, there are described two Basti’s or Vasti. Jala-Basti (water Basti) and Stahla-Basti (dry Basti). It is Jala-Basti, which the HYP describes. The practitioner sits in a bowl of water up to his navel and assumes utkhatasana, he then inserts a small bamboo tube into the anus(or these days a plastic tube) and contracts the anus whilst performing nauli, the water is then dispelled. By practising this Kriya we actually strengthen the abdominal muscles rather than weaken them as when an enema is performed. When performed it can cure”splenetic disease, dropsy and other diseases arising from an excess of wind, bile and phlegm”(3). The Geranda Samita goes on to say that it can also cure urinary disorders and that the body “becomes as beautiful as that of the god Cupid.”(4) Again there are precautions, the bamboo tube should be six fingers long of which four fingers length is inserted, if a plastic tube is inserted its diameter should be 1cm. Brahmananda warns us, that it can be practised without a tube, but this can leave water in the stomach, which in turn can cause some nasty diseases.

The Neti practised in the HYP is Sutra-neti. In the HYP this is practised with a string, although it can be practised with rubber tubing (a urethral catheter to be precise). The string or cotton threads bundled together should be forty-five cm long and three mm in diameter. Both ends should be coated in beeswax, one end about 10cm and the other about 12cm. Pass one end through the left nostril and inhale closing off the right nostril the string should pass through the back of the throat. Take hold of the string with the thumb and forefinger and pull it through, so the middle of the string is in the nasal passage. Repeat on the other side. Lastly one can thread through the left nostril out through the mouth and thread it back up the right nostril and again out through the mouth, so that both ends of the string emerge out of the mouth. Rub the wax off the last 5cm of each end, and then join the two ends together. Thread the string back through the mouth, until it eventually emerges between the front of the two nostrils. Undo the tie, and one now has both ends appearing out each nostril. Again this is not a practice to carry out without the aid of an expert, as it can damage the nasal passages.
This helps prevents colds and other nasal dysfunctions, it also helps with the eyesight as well as clear sightedness(clairvoyance).

There are two types of Tratak, outer Tratak(Bahir Trataka) and inner Tratak(Antar Tratak). The HYP deals with the former as it is using it as a Kriya, not a meditation technique. For outer Tratak one needs to find a minute object, this is quite often a candle, and look with a relaxed gaze and a concentrated mind (without blinking) until the tears come. If one is using a candle, the candle should be at eye level or slightly higher, and 30-40cm away from you. The benefits are that “all diseases of the eye are destroyed and clairvoyance is induced”(5). The HYP also informs us that sloth is removed. It is suggested that if one is trying to improve ones vision, that the Kriya should be practised daily, but for no more than 15-20 minutes at a time, starting with 1-3 mins.

Nauli

“Nauli, the crown of Hatha Yoga practices, drives away the dullness of the gastric fire, increases the digestive power, produces a pleasing sensation and destroys all disease and disorders of the humours”(6). It is also known for increasing prana in the solar plexus, and helps strengthens the muscles used for elimination and breathing. So this really is rather a wonderful kriya.

Nauli is traditionally practised standing with the legs slightly bent and the hands on the thighs, the middle fingers pointing down towards the knees. Take a large inhalation, then exhale through the mouth, eliminating as much air from the lungs as possible. The chin should be tucked slightly in half jalandhara bandha. Without taking a breath draw the stomach upwards and backwards. Hold this and when you are ready to take a breath, unlock the chin and allow the breath to come in. When one is used to this practice, one can contract the central band of muscles in the stomach and draw it forward until it forms a ridge down the centre of the abdomen. Eventually one learn to moves this ridge from one side to the other, by placing slightly more pressure on one knee and then the other. This starts to resemble a wave.

There are many forms of  kapalabhati, or blacksmith bellows or skull shining and the Hyp is slightly vague on its method so I shall describe the form I practice.

Firstly contracting the abdominal muscles expel all the air out of the lungs, next relax the abdomen and allow the air to return back to the lungs, build the repetitions up slowly. Starting with 3 rounds of 5 breaths, building up to 10 breaths, 15 breaths, 20 breaths, all the way up to fifty and you can build the rounds up to 5.This is a wonderful Kriya but should not be carried out by people who suffer from panic attacks or high blood pressure. It eliminates large quantities of carbon dioxide from the body, It renews the body’s tissues as large supplies of oxygen are bought in through the blood supply, it massages the diaphragm and the stomach, liver and pancreas, helps destroy phlegm and makes us feel happy and alive. My favourite of the kriyas. 

These are the kriyas as mentioned in the HYP, and there purposes.

References:

1. Sris Chandra Vasu, The Gheranda Samita, (1976), The Theosophical                                 

      Publishing House, ISBN 7229-5066-7, page 16

1. Swami Vishnu-Devananda, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, (1987), Om Lotus Publications, ISBN 0-931546/02/8
2. Sris Chandra Vasu, The Gheranda Samita, (1976), The Theosophical Publishing House, ISBN 7229-506an6-7, page 19
3. Sris Chandra Vasu, The Gheranda Samita, (1976), The Theosophical Publishing House, ISBN 7229-5066-7, page 20
4. Swami Vishnu-Devananda, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, (1987), Om Lotus Publications, ISBN 0-931546-02-8

Bibliography:

Sris Chandra Vasu, The Gheranda Samita, (1976), The Theosophical Publishing House, ISBN 7229-5066-7

Swami Janankananda Saraswati, Yoga Tantra and Meditation in Daily Life, Samuel Weiser Inc, ISBN 0-87728-768-6

Shakta Kaur Khalsa, Kundalini Yoga, (2001), Dorling Kindersley, ISBN 0-7513-0863-3

Swami Satyananda Saraswati,A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya, (1981), Bihar School of Yoga

Sivananda Yoga Centre, Yoga Mind and Body, (1996), Dorling Kindersley, ISBN 0-7513-0567-7

Swami Vishnu-Devananda, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, (1987), Om Lotus Publications, ISBN 0-931546-02-8