Basti (Hatha Yoga)
Encyclopedia
Basti is an important part of Shatkarma
(sometimes known as Shatkriya), the yogic system of body cleansing techniques. It is intended mainly to the cleaning of the lower abdomen, especially the colon. Both the Hatha Yoga Pradipika
and other sources usually attribute to it many beneficial effects. There are basically two techniques to perform Basti:
Shatkarma
Shatkarma , also known as Shatkriya, refers to the Yogic practices involving purification of the body.Shatkarm' is a compound word consisting of two components: shat meaning 'six' and karma meaning 'art' or 'process'. The word kriya or karma is used in Hatha Yoga in a special technical sense...
(sometimes known as Shatkriya), the yogic system of body cleansing techniques. It is intended mainly to the cleaning of the lower abdomen, especially the colon. Both the Hatha Yoga Pradipika
Hatha Yoga Pradipika
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika is a classic Sanskrit manual on hatha yoga, written by Svami Svatmarama, a disciple of Swami Gorakhnath. Said to be the oldest surviving text on the hatha yoga, it is one of the three classic texts of hatha yoga, the other two being the Gheranda Samhita and the Shiva...
and other sources usually attribute to it many beneficial effects. There are basically two techniques to perform Basti:
- Sthala basti (aka Sushka basti or Vata basti), cleans the colon by sucking air into the body without the help of any external aid in the form of a catheter or tube.
- Jala basti (aka 'Vati basti') cleans the colon by sucking water into the anus. It is allowed the use of a catheter tube.