External cleanliness is very important to most of us. However, we are usually not as attentive to purifying our minds and spirits as we are to taking a regular morning shower. Spring is the best time to try kriyas - yogic purification techniques for the body and the mind.
1. The simplest one is kapalabhatti breathing.
Make sure your stomach is empty (do not eat for two hours prior to practicing kapalabhatti.) Sit in a comfortable cross-legged position, with a straight spine. This allows your energy to circulate more freely in your body. Keep your eyes closed and mentally gaze at your third eye center, the point in between your eyebrows.
Inhale fully. Exhale all the air out.
Inhale to a comfortable level and begin a round of short, sharp and forceful exhalations through the nose, forcefully contracting your abdomen on every exhalation. Inhalations happen automatically, don't pay attention to them. Concentrate on the exhales. Draw your diaphragm in and up on every exhalation and make sure that every exhalation is twice as long as every inhalation. Count fifty sharp exhalations, then exhale the remaining air out of the lungs, inhale deeply and exhale slowly and completely. You can repeat another round if you wish.
Kapalabhatti clears the stale air out of the lungs, it increases the oxygen supply in the blood , which leads to blood's purification,. Kapalabhatti clears the brain and tones the diaphragm muscle.
2. Trataka
Trataka is a steady blinkless gazing at a candle flame. One of the effects of trataka is stimulating tear glands that purify the eyes. Light a candle and stare at it, without blinking. Lt the tears come out and wash your eyes. Don't practice trataka if you wear contacts.
3. Neti
Neti is nasal cleansing that includes two techniques - Jala Neti and Sutra Neti. Nasal cleansing is essential in allowing free breathing that help to ensure good health.
Nasal passages can be polluted by dust and toxic substances in the air. When nasal passages are blocked by common cold, the nose cannot perform its function. Modern medicine does not know another remedy from this condition except inefficient chemical sprays.
Jala Neti is nasal cleaning with salted water that is poured into the nostrils with the help of a special pot with a spout. You can buy a neti pot in any healthfood store. Pour the salty water from the neti pot into one nostril, lean your head towards the other nostril and let the water come out of this other nostril. Then, reverse the process, pouring the water into the second nostril, letting it come out of the first one. Do not get discouraged if the water doesn't come out right away. Be persistent.
Sutra Neti is nasal cleaning using a 30 cm long piece of cotton cord, in modern times often replaced by a medical rubber catheter. Sutra Neti is used together with Jala Neti. Sutra Neti helps to dislodge foregn substances from the internal surfaces of the nostrils that a then washed away by salted water.
In addition to cleansing benefits, neti also stimulates various nerve endings that pass through the nose and leads to a clear mind, if practiced regularly.
These are simple kriyas, but there are many others, working on the body, mind and spirit.
Anastasia Dorohova is a yoga teacher and a holistic health counselor. For more about health and yoga, visit http://www.steadybliss.com
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information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
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