by Om Swami
It is the seed of the mother of all negative emotions – fear. Fear is the greatest mental affliction. It causes the greatest insecurity. Greed propels you to engage in misdeeds, and that creates fear in the mind – fear of shame or fear of being exposed. Now, you have to conceal your acts. This may require lying or distorting the truth. It is a chain reaction. Stress, anger and fear dominate, and from the perspective of health, it’s only downhill now. This saps your mental energy, causing weakening of the appetite, creating disequilibrium and completely destroying your peace and calm.
People who suffer from these mental afflictions find it hard to stand themselves, so they resort to excessive socializing or drinking to forget themselves. They can’t go to sleep unless they have a drink or a sleeping pill. Diet or food alone can never make you lose your sleep. The chances are, it’s one of the above five afflictions or a guilty conscience that is consuming you.
Fortunately, these emotions are not permanent. It is possible to eliminate them from your system. The path is simple. Your physical health promotes your mental well- being and your mental health supports your physical wellness. Besides the right diet and mindful living, there are other steps you can take to enjoy fine health. I am dividing those steps into two parts: Physical Cleansing and Mental Detoxification.
13
Physical Cleansing
Hamish and Irene, who lived in the US, had been married for nearly seven years. Hamish was a first-generation immigrant from India and Irene was of Japanese descent, born and raised in the United States. They owned three convenience stores, had no personal debt and shared a healthy relationship. Not everything was well, though. Irene was in her mid-thirties and had been desperately trying to conceive for five years. With each passing day, and with each failed treatment, the couple’s despair built. They went to the best specialists and took all sorts of medication, but to no avail. The medicines and stress caused havoc in Irene’s body. In the preceding three years, she had become a patient of thyroid dysfunction and hypertension and had gained twenty pounds in weight.
Medically, there was absolutely nothing wrong with either of them. All their reports were fine. They tried Ayurvedic, homeopathic, Greek, Chinese, and other oriental systems of medicine with no result. They had healthy lifestyles, which included exercising, healthy eating and the occasional consumption of seafood, chicken and red meat. None of this I considered unhealthy, given their genetic disposition and cultural backgrounds. Her inability to conceive a child, however, was having a negative impact on their relationship.
In their moments of intimacy, no love was present: it had become simply an act, an attempt to conceive. Irene started living by the calendar so that she could have the most sex during the days she was ovulating in order to conceive. This put Hamish off, but he carried on because he wanted a child as much as she did.
Hamish had known me since his days in India. Over the years, we had lost contact, as I had moved to Australia when he was still in India. Through a friend of a friend, he traced me and broke down during the very first phone call. He wasn’t as concerned about having a family as he was about Irene and their relationship. He asked me if there was any hope for them, whether they could do anything astrologically, or medically, if there was any healing I could do, or if I could give them any amulet or talisman or any tantric remedy.
I was due to fly out to San Jose two weeks after we spoke. Hamish and Irene agreed to meet me there. I had met many childless couples, but Irene’s desperation was not ordinary. What had aggravated it were the taunts from her in-laws that she was a ‘defective piece’; that because she belonged to a different culture and caste, she was not fit to bear Hamish’s child. Irene’s parents were of little help as well, since they had been against the marriage from the beginning – they were both doctors, whereas Hamish was a simple convenience store owner.
Hamish even thought that some relatives of his had practised black magic on him out of jealousy, because he had ‘made it’ in the US. From being an immigrant with just a few hundred dollars, he had built a business of three convenience stores and had a net worth of more than a million dollars. Irene was starting to believe him too; both were searching for answers in anything. Needless to say, I didn’t believe in their explanations of black magic or the evil eye, nor did I plan to give them a talisman or a meditation. I didn’t even want to change their diet. I tried a different approach. The question that went to the heart of the matter was why Irene couldn’t conceive if nothing was medically wrong with them.
As far as I was concerned, medication was no longer an option. According to Ayurveda, if a medicine can’t cure you in nine months, it cannot cure you. Nine months is enough time for a medicine to effect a change in the whole body, because new skin is formed, new cells are created and new blood is formed within this period. If a system of medicine fails to cure in nine months, one should look for alternatives. Hamish and Irene had already been through the alternatives as well. The problem was not in the reproductive fluids but in the vessel that had to hold them. Imagine a high-voltage wire that’s rusty. A rusty wire is a poor conductor of electricity. Similarly, Irene’s body was an inadequate conductor of the energy required to conceive and sustain a pregnancy. A thorough cleansing of her body was needed, I felt.
I advised Hamish and Irene to check into an Ayurvedic treatment centre where various cleansing and rejuvenating treatments were to be given to their bodies over a period of a few weeks. They both flew to south India and spent a month in an Ayurvedic spa. Their medicines, phones and laptops were taken from them upon entry and were only returned when they departed a month later. They were both sceptical. Irene was even concerned, because they had taken away her inhalers and her medicine for thyroid and blood pressure.
A mere two months later, Irene conceived and gave birth to a healthy daughter in due course. Even more remarkably, a few weeks after her pregnancy, she began losing the excess weight she had gained from years of medication and stress. Three years later, she gave birth to another child, a healthy boy.
Ayurveda understood five thousand years ago that the body is a vessel. It must be clean to protect its substance. Imagine putting fresh milk in an old, unwashed jug. It’ll sour quickly. Even a few drops of old milk in the jug has enough bacteria to spoil the new milk. The jug needs to be washed. Along with the right food at the right time, Ayurveda describes in great detail various methods of cleansing the body. If your body is clean and if your food is clean, you will probably never need to take medicine.
Your body has a vascular system, a digestive system, a respiratory system and a cardiac system. Whether you are sleeping or conscious, it is always working. Physical cleansing comprises a set of Ayurvedic and yogic exercises to keep your system squeaky clean and free of obstructions. It is a method of detoxification. These exercises strengthen the vital energy channels, your gastrointestinal system and the seven dhatus. Some of the exercises should be done at the change of every season, some once every quarter, and some can be done monthly, weekly or even daily. Some of them require the presence of an expert to guide you in the beginning.
Let me elaborate on the various practices. Before I do that, however, I must spell out a word of caution – a warning, in fact. Please consult your physician regarding the suitability of the following exercises for you. Most notably, some of the cleansing exercises use salt, and are therefore not suitable for hypertensive patients or those with an impaired renal function. Even borderline renal function patients, especially diabetics who may not be aware of their renal status, should not perform these cleansing exercises.
COLON THERAPY
I must start this exposition on physical cleansing with the process of cleansing your gastrointestinal tract. A clean digestive system pacifies the three doshas, makes the skin lustrous and radiant, rejuvenates you and makes you feel light. In most people’s digestive tracts, particles of undigested food stick to the walls of the intestine. In the larg
e intestine, there may be remnants of old and hardened stools. These undigested particles and un-excreted stools are highly toxic. They sit there, creating gastrointestinal problems, causing difficult bowel movements and preparing the perfect breeding ground for major chronic ailments. There are primarily two types of colon therapy in Ayurveda: conch cleansing and enema. One clears your entire gastrointestinal system and the other clears only the large intestine. You can do both at your home; neither requires any expert supervision or medication.
Conch Cleansing
The term conch cleansing is derived from the Sanskrit shankha-prakshalana. Shankha means conch and prakshalana means cleansing or bathing. If you observe a conch you can blow like a horn, you’ll see a hole at the top. If you pour water in this hole, it travels through the conch and comes out from the bottom outlet. In doing so, it cleanses the conch from the inside. In conch cleansing, this is exactly what you do to your body. You cleanse the colon so thoroughly that by the end of the therapy when you drink a glass of water, you almost immediately pass water through the rectum. When you drink water and pass water for your stool – almost as clear as the water you drank – you can well imagine how clear and clean your colon must be.
How to Do It
Take about four litres of warm water. The water should not be hot, just warm – more than lukewarm but less than hot. It should be easily drinkable. In the four litres of water, put three teaspoonfuls of salt. You can reduce or increase the quantity of salt. The saltiness in the water should be as if you are drinking soup, so put salt as per your taste. Take your vessel of warm water and an empty glass, and be close to the washroom, if not in the washroom. If your washroom is large enough, you can do the whole process there; otherwise, be close to the washroom.
Drink two glasses of the salty warm water. Water with just salt alone is repulsive and you may feel like throwing up, but gently massage your belly in round circular motions and take a few deep breaths. This will help you keep the water in your stomach. It is important to not vomit the water, because this water is the cleansing agent for your digestive tract. Once you practise it a couple of times, you will not throw up. Follow the steps below for effective conch cleansing:
Drink two glasses of water.
Do some stretching. In particular, stretch your stomach. You can do so by standing straight with your legs slightly apart. Tuck your tummy in and bend a little backwards. Hold this posture for a few seconds. Go back to the original position of standing straight and relax your stomach.
Move your legs a little further apart now. Raise your right arm and bend to your left. This will stretch the right oblique.
Go back to your straight position and do this on the other side.
Gently massage your stomach in the natural direction of the intestine or in circular motions.
Drink two more glasses of water and repeat the stretching.
Most people start to feel the urge to void their bowels within the first four to six glasses of water. In case you don’t, simply drink more water and do the stretching again. As you continue the process, you will start defecating almost immediately after drinking water. That’s fine, that’s what we want.
Initially when you do this process, the stool in the large intestine from the previous night’s meal or even before – depending on the state of your digestive system – is passed. As you continue drinking the saline solution, stagnant stools start to evacuate, and you will see a change in their colour, hardness and smell. Don’t stop; drink some more water and old stools that were sticking to the walls of your colon start to flush out of your system. Drink some more and soon you will be passing only brownish water. Continue the process and you will see that the water you are taking in is now coming out almost like clear water, only a little coloured. Your colon is perfectly clean now. It’s clear of any mucus, undigested food particles and stagnant stools. Any deposition on the intestinal walls is greatly cleaned. This pacifies the three doshas almost instantly. You will feel much lighter. The whole process takes between thirty and forty-five minutes depending on how clogged your colon is.
Once this is done, don’t take a hot or cold shower right away. Instead, lie down on the bed for an hour and cover your head. You will feel extremely relaxed and light. You may even fall asleep but don’t sleep just yet. It is important to eat something now. It’s good if you have someone who can prepare food for you while you are doing the cleansing, otherwise you should prepare it beforehand so that you can feed yourself within five to ten minutes after finishing. You can take a nap after you eat something. Keeping your stomach empty after conch cleansing can cause wind. Therefore, it’s important to eat something light and nutritious.
What to Eat
Just after the conch cleansing, your stomach is extremely soft and sensitive. So it is important to eat the lightest possible food with minimal dietary fibre. Your food should have proper oil in it to lubricate the walls of your intestine, and it’s best to add some turmeric to it because it is antiseptic. Do not eat raw vegetables or fruits, as your intestine is quite sensitive. Eating out in a restaurant or a fast-food outlet is simply out of the question. You should have no porridge with wheat or oats in it, no cereals and no dairy (especially milk and cheese). Dairy has active bacteria and is heavy on digestion. The best food is called khichri. It’s very easy to make and is very light on your digestive system. Khichri is a savoury porridge made from rice and split mung beans. It is extremely light to digest and is nutritious at the same time. In India, since time immemorial, this has been the food to serve to the old, to patients and to infants older than six months. It is detoxifying and nourishes your stomach. Here is how to cook it:
Gather the following ingredients:
Rice: ½ cup
Split mung beans (mung dal): ¼ cup.
Water: 3 cups
Ghee (clarified butter): 3 tablespoonfuls Turmeric powder: ½ teaspoonful Ground cumin seeds: ¼ teaspoonful
Coriander powder (optional): ¼ teaspoonful Asafoetida powder (optional): a pinch
Salt: as per taste
It’s best to separately soak the rice and the mung dal for an hourinadvance. Wash the rice and the mungdal thoroughly and drain the excess water. Khichri tastes best with Indian basmati rice; its grains are thin and long and also easy on the digestion. The ghee and turmeric in the normal khichri are generally one third of the quantity stated here but in this case, we are not just cooking ordinary but medicinal khichri. You need the ghee to lubricate your intestine and the turmeric to heal and protect the soft walls of your intestine for the next little while.
On slow heat, gently warm up the ghee in a pot. After about a minute, add the ground cumin (and the coriander powder and asafoetida if you are using it). When they turn golden brown in a minute or two, add the turmeric powder. All this while, keep the heat low. Now, add the rice and mung dal. Stir the mixture thoroughly. Pour in three cups of water and sprinkle salt as per your taste.
Stir it again. Turn up the heat to no more than medium. Put the lid on the pot and let it boil slowly till both the rice grains and the mung dal are nice and soft. It may take about fifteen minutes to cook properly.
The khichri is ready. It is preferable to put additional ghee at the time of consuming it. It will prevent formation of gas.
For the next two days, it’s best to eat only khichri and go on a light meal on the third day. You should strictly abstain from drinking alcohol for the next four days at least. You can eat raw vegetables and fruits starting from the sixth day.
It is normal to not pass any stool for the next twenty- four or even forty-eight hours. Don’t be alarmed if this happens. Unfortunately, over the years, your stomach has got used to retaining something in it. Serious yogis ritually clean their stomach every four hours. A clean abdomen is the easiest way to remain healthy.
When to Do It
Yogic texts recommend conch cleansing at t
he change of every season. The seasons in India are six, not four. So, at the time this was originally documented by the sages, they recommended doing it a maximum of six times in one year. But you could do it once every quarter. It is important to take care of your diet for a few days after doing it. Conch cleansing must be done on an empty stomach in the morning. I have mentioned earlier that you should cover your head for at least an hour after you are done with the cleansing. This may seem beyond explanation, but covering your head allows you to retain body heat better and helps you regain the heat lost due to the cleansing of the colon. It’s best to rest or even sleep after having your meal. Try not to drink water before or during your meal. Doing so may create the urge to void your bowels. You can have some water after your meal if you are really thirsty. You can drink as much water as you want after a few hours, though.
Enema
This is the second colon cleansing technique. It cleanses only the large intestine, or lower belly. This is called vasti in Ayurveda. It doesn’t cleanse the entire digestive tract as conch cleansing does, but it is still easy and effective. In some ways, it cleanses the large intestine more effectively than conch cleansing, because you are introducing reverse movement of the enematic fluid. Imagine cleaning a pipe in both directions, rather than cleaning it merely in one direction. This ensures better cleansing. A stool always passes in one direction, but an enema injects fluid in the reverse direction.