By Ankita Goel

Yoga has several parts- asana, pranayama and shatkarma. Asanas (postures) and Pranayama (breathing techniques) are quite popular and widely practiced but today only a few people practice Shatkarmas (Yoga cleansing practices).

Shatkarmas according to hatha yoga are the six yogic cleansing processes of the body- Neti, Basti, Tratak, Kapalabhati, and Nauli. These kriyas (processes) clean the eyes, respiratory system, food pipes, and tone up abdominal viscera and the small intestine.
The body works like a machine and has to be continuously cleaned and maintained. The body releases toxins in the form of mucus, gas, acid, sweat, urine and stool. It is these toxins that have to be removed and cleaned for the proper functioning of the body.
Earlier, these practices were undertaken by yogis to prepare their bodies for advanced practices of yoga. They were not designed for therapy alone, but to create harmony of body and mind. As shatkarmas detoxify the body, resulting in many benefits, they are very relevant to us today and make a lot of sense if we learn and follow them.

Benefits:

	Helps to build resistance to diseases by eliminating the toxins.
	Sharpens the mind
	Washes the colon, sinus tracts, the stomach etc.
	Provides massaging effects to the areas applied
	Increases vital capacity
	One's capacity to think, digest, taste , feel express etc. increases and greater awareness develops

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