Nauli Kriya: How to Do, Precautions & Benefits

Nauli Kriya is likely one of the Shatkarma methods talked about within the historic yogic textual content, Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Shatkarma includes six yogic purification practices. Alongside Nauli Kriya, these methods embody:

1. Dhauti – Cleaning of the meals pipe
2. Neti – Nasal cavity cleaning
3. Kapalbhati – Purification of the frontal mind
4. Trataka – Strengthening workout routines for the eyes
5. Basti – Cleaning of the massive gut

Common observe of those methods purifies the physique internally, facilitating simpler and simpler practices of pranayama (respiratory workout routines) and meditation. This preparation helps the physique and thoughts change into alert and free from fatigue.

That means of the “Nauli Kriya”

The Sanskrit time period Nauli is derived from two root phrases, “Nau” that means “boat,” and “li” that means “to cling to.” When mixed with “kriya,” which denotes an motion or a collection of actions aimed toward attaining a selected objective, it kinds Nauli Kriya.

For Instance; Yoga Asana is part of kriya as collection of asanas are carried out to realize the soundness of physique & thoughts.

That means: By referring these phrases, in nauli kriya, belly muscular tissues cling to the belly wall whereas being in steady movement, like a ship flows in rolling waves of the ocean.

Nauli can be known as “lauliki karma” in Sanskrit scriptures. The phrase lauliki means “to maneuver hither and tither” or “rolling and agitation” which is precisely what this system does. It rolls, rotates and agitates your entire stomach and the related muscular tissues and nerves.

What Precisely is Nauli Kriya?

Nauli kriya is a cleaning method that includes the belly organs and muscular tissues shifting laterally and vertically in a wave-like movement. It’s properly illustrated as a means of up and down motion of a ship in a stormy sea.

In Nauli Kriya, belly muscular tissues particularly “rectus abdominis (abs muscle)” is used to therapeutic massage and stimulate the digestive organs e.g. the abdomen, liver, spleen, urinary bladder, pancreas, gall bladder, and huge and small gut by churning the muscular tissues of the stomach.

The muscular tissues of the stomach are projected ahead after which contracted constantly. This churning leads to a wave-like motion within the stomach, referred to as nauli kriya.

It helps the physique to improve “gastric fireplace” or “bodily fireplace” and get rid of toxins from the digestive tract and tones the core muscular tissues.

Chakra Concerned in Nauli

All yogic kriyas have an effect on Chakras in our physique in a sure means, Like Kapalbhati kriya is alleged to key within the awakening of the third eye chakra, which is the door of instinct in an individual.

With the assistance of nauli kriya, an individual can stimulate their Navel Chakra (manipura chakra).

The Manipura chakra is the storehouse of important life vitality current within the human physique i.e. Prana. The activation of this chakra helps to get clairvoyance, declutters the thoughts, boosts metabolism and strengthens the immune system.

What to Do Earlier than Performing Nauli Kriya?

Nauli is a complicated degree yogic observe. Earlier than performing it, an individual ought to have mastery over Bandha (bodily locks) observe.

The principle bandha utilized in Nauli kriya is “Uddiyana bandha” i.e. belly lock or “Jalandhara Bandha” i.e. throat lock.

1. Follow Uddiyana Bandha – The Stomach Lock

That is the strategy of lifting up belly muscular tissues & then locking it on the lifted place.

To carry out Uddiyana bandha,

• On the finish of exhalation, suck your belly wall in and up.
• Whereas sustaining suction of the belly wall, maintain your breath.

It stretches the diaphragm and takes it to the best doable place, which finally locks diaphragm close to the junction between the stomach and chest. It’s referred to as Uddiyana bandha, the belly lock.

The Uddiyana Bandha together with its variations is practised properly earlier than performing completely different yoga practices e.g. Nauli Kriya.

So, What Uddiyana Bandha Truly Does?

In Uddiyana Bandha,

• The organs of the stomach are taken to the next than regular place within the trunk by sucking it and holding the breath. (This creates a partial vacuum within the chest cavity.)
• This vacuum attracts blood from the belly cavity into the chest and to the guts. It improves the circulation to the belly muscular tissues.
• Additionally, because the stomach is locked at the next degree, the stress within the capillaries and veins is decreased which facilitates the blood movement and fluid trade.

2. Follow Jalandhar Bandha – The Throat Lock

That is also called chin lock. The observe of jalandhar bandha is recommended earlier than practising nauli kriya because it creates flexibility in belly muscular tissues. Additional, this flexibility makes simpler to roll belly muscular tissues within the observe of nauli.

3. Follow Agnisara Kriya

Agni means “fireplace” and Sara means “wash” so actually it means to purify the fireplace vitality situated on the navel heart.

Agnisara is a sort of dhauti kriya (belly wash), wherein belly wall is quickly expanded & contracted in a really brief interval of time. The train stimulates the immune system, will increase the facility of digestion and warmth within the physique.

Earlier than beginning the extreme observe of Nauli kriya, it’s advised to grasp the Agnisara Kriya. It helps to scrub the fireplace contained in the physique. It makes use of the inner vitality of the physique to supply vitality.

To carry out it,

• Stand with the legs barely aside, inhale deeply via the nostril and exhale totally via the mouth whereas barely bending ahead and bending the knees.
• Relaxation in your each palms whereas inserting it over thighs. The again needs to be straight, the pinnacle upright, permit the belly muscular tissues to loosen up.
• Now draw the navel inwards and upwards again to the backbone.
• Maintain navel for a second & then start stomach contraction and enlargement quickly 10-15 instances whereas retaining the breath.

Breathe out earlier than it turns into too uncomfortable. That is one spherical, full 3 rounds. It’s quite common at first for the belly muscular tissues to tire shortly, it is a positive signal you might have the weak fireplace vitality.

Forms of Nauli Kriya

Nauli is mainly categorised into 3 sorts based mostly on the place of belly muscle contraction.

1. Vama Nauli: the contraction of the left facet of the belly muscular tissues.
2. Dakshina Nauli: the contraction of the best facet of the belly muscular tissues.
3. Madhya Nauli: the contraction of either side of the belly muscular tissues.

Methods to Do Nauli Kriya(Steps)

Nauli Kriya includes contracting and isolating the rectus abdominis muscular tissues, that are two lengthy vertical muscular tissues situated on both facet of the center stomach, stretching from the diaphragm to the pubic bone.

To Carry out it, observe the next steps.

1. Stand along with your toes roughly 1-1.5 meters aside.
2. Inhale deeply via the nostril and exhale via the mouth, emptying the lungs utterly.
3. Bend your knees barely and lean ahead, inserting your palms in your thighs simply above the knees. Level your thumbs inward and relaxation your fingers outdoors the thighs to take care of a agency grip.
4. Preserve your arms straight whereas permitting the load of your higher physique to relaxation comfortably in your palms above the knees.
5. Carry out Jalandhara Bandha (throat lock) whereas holding your breath externally (Bahir kumbhaka)
6. Then Carry out Uddiyana Bandha by pulling the decrease stomach in and up.
7. Preserve your eyes open and observe the motion in your stomach.
8. Raise your proper hand after which your left hand barely off your knees, one after the opposite.

After this, observe the steps for Vama & Dakshina Nauli individually beneath.

1. Methods to Do Vama Nauli

Observe steps 1 to 7. After that observe the next steps.

To Carry out Vama Nauli,

1. Raise proper hand barely off the knee in order that higher physique weight switch over the left hand & from the left hand to the left knee.
   NOTE: Don’t lean your physique to the left facet whereas transferring weight over the left hand.
2. This motion of transferring weight over the left hand to the knee would mechanically isolate left rectus abdominis muscular tissues (left abs).
   NOTE: The isolation of left abs muscular tissues is illustrated with a cavity in the best facet and a muscle protrusion on the left facet.
3. Maintain the identical place of muscular tissues for a number of seconds. It’s referred to as Vama nauli.
4. Now launch Uddiyana bandha first & then Jalandhar bandha by elevating the pinnacle up slowly. Then stand in an upright place, take a number of deep breaths earlier than the following spherical.

2. Methods to Do Dakshina Nauli

After finishing the Vama nauli, isolate the proper rectus abdominis muscular tissues (proper abs). It’s referred to as Dakshina Nauli.

Steps to carry out dakshina nauli is precisely reverse as steps to carry out Vama nauli. Right here weight is transferred over the best hand, which makes muscle protrusion on the best facet & cavity on the left facet.

3. Methods to Do Madhya Nauli

In Madhya nauli, mainly it’s important to contract each (left & proper) rectus abdominis (abs muscular tissues) to the centre navel line.

To carry out it, once more steps 1 to 7 (described in “methods to carry out nauli”) are the identical. After that observe the next steps.

1. Come within the place of Vama or Dakshina Nauli. Let say, you might be beginning with Vama nauli.
2. Now begin rolling your left abs muscle (which really was remoted at left facet until now) to the best facet however earlier than it reaches the other facet, maintain it within the center.
3. Rolling of abs muscular tissues is achieved by shifting the load step by step from left facet to proper facet.
4. Upon getting rolled left remoted muscular tissues to the centre, then you possibly can see either side of the centre would have cavity & muscle protrusion on the centre. It’s the Madhya Nauli place.
5. Maintain this place for a number of seconds. Then launch the Uddiyana bandha & Jalandhar bandha one after the other.

Rolling abs muscular tissues for madhya nauli wants time to good so to start with, attempt with vama or dakshina nauli solely.

4. Stomach Rotation or Churning in Nauli

After mastering the above-mentioned phases of Madhya, Vama and Dakshina nauli, the process of churning or rotating the stomach needs to be tried.

1. Follow Vama nauli on the left facet, then rotate the muscular tissues to the best, practising Dakshina nauli, and again to the left, vama nauli.
2. Proceed rotating the muscular tissues back and forth. This course of is named churning.
3. Begin by practising 3 consecutive rotations, then launch the belly contraction.
4. Subsequent begin with Dakshina nauli first, this time rotating the muscular tissues from proper to left, then left to proper, thrice consecutively.
5. Lastly, carry out Madhya nauli, isolating the muscular tissues on the centre.
6. Elevate the pinnacle and return to the upright place. Inhale slowly and deeply, permitting the stomach to broaden.
7. This marks the top of 1 spherical and it may be continued after enjoyable in an upright place till the heartbeat returns to regular.

Follow Observe

1. The observe of agnisara kriya and uddiyana bandha needs to be mastered earlier than beginning the observe of Nauli kriya.
2. When nauli kriya has been perfected in standing place, it might be practiced in siddha yoni asana.

Time to Follow & Length of Nauli

Nauli needs to be practised solely when the abdomen is totally empty, at the very least 5 to six hours after the meals if empty abdomen observe just isn’t doable.
The very best time to observe is early within the morning earlier than any meals or drink is taken.

1. A newbie ought to begin with Vama and Dakshina nauli one after different. At first, 3 rounds either side.
2. After 2 weeks of observe of Vama & Dakshina nauli, a newbie can begin with 5 rounds of Madhya Nauli and work as much as 10 rounds inside per week.
3. Then one can begin the belly churning or rotation with 5-10 rounds and slowly improve as much as 25 rotations over a interval of months.

As you might be suggested to keep away from straining, it’s higher to extend rounds slowly with observe as extra management is gained over the muscular tissues with time.

Advantages of Nauli Kriya

Nauli Kriya acts as a strong inside therapeutic massage for the belly organs, together with the abdomen, liver, spleen, pancreas, and intestines. This stimulation enhances digestion, improves blood circulation to those organs, and helps in eliminating toxins from the physique.

• Core Energy and Stability

By concentrating on the rectus abdominis muscular tissues, Nauli Kriya strengthens the core, enhances muscular tone, and helps general posture and stability. It’s significantly helpful for these seeking to develop belly power and obtain higher muscular management.

• Energetic and Religious Advantages

Past its bodily benefits, Nauli Kriya is believed to activate the Manipura Chakra (photo voltaic plexus), which is related to vitality, vanity, and willpower in yoga philosophy. This activation is believed to boost psychological readability, increase vitality ranges, and facilitate a deeper reference to one’s religious self.

A research reported that the yogic kriyas similar to nauli kriya or agnisara kriya are useful within the remedy of Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Illness (GERD).

Precautions

1. Nauli Kriya is a delicate method and will solely be carried out underneath a correct information or instructor.
2. Should you really feel any ache or discomfort within the stomach throughout nauli kriya, you must instantly cease the kriya. With extra consciousness and fewer and managed pressure attempt once more the following day.

Contraindications

1. Nauli Kriya shouldn’t be tried by folks affected by coronary heart illness, hypertension, hernia, hypertension, belly ache, gallstones, acute peptic ulcer, constipation.
2. Nauli Kriya needs to be prevented post-surgery, particularly after belly surgical procedure.
3. The pregnant girl shouldn’t observe or attempt to do nauli kriya.

Conclusion

Yoga is an historic science of other medication that goals very particularly on the preventive points of a illness. It is usually efficient in curing ailments when used as an adjuvant to the fundamental observe of drugs. Nauli Kriya is likely one of the most essential yogic kriyas that comes underneath shatkarma.

So, the common observe of Nauli Kriya improves digestion and avoids the dysfunction arising within the belly space.

Did you study one thing from this text? Share your ideas within the remark part beneath.

In case you are a newbie in Nauli observe or you might be planning on doing it in your subsequent yoga session. Do it underneath the steering of an knowledgeable. Go away your remark beneath about your expertise of Nauli.