Kunjal Kriya or Vamana Dhauti - Yoga for cleansing stomach

What is Kunjal Kriya?

Kunjal Kriya, also called as Vamana Dhauti, helps in purification of the middle part of the body. Kunjal kriya is a yoga done for cleansing the stomach from the undigested food particles. This is done by drinking a large amount of lukewarm saline water and then throwing out the entire water. This makes the stomach and the food pipe (esophagus) clean from inside. Kunjal kriya is also done in Ayurveda and Naturopathy to remove the toxins from the body.

Kunjal Kriya

What is the need of Kunjal Kriya?

Kunjal Kriya is done to remove the undigested food particles from the stomach that are present due to the following reasons - 

• When we eat our food, it enters into our stomach through the food pipe. The food remains in the stomach for considerable amount of time. In stomach, food is digested and converted into semi-liquid form with the help of enzymes and digestive juices. It takes around 2-3 hours for stomach to digest the food. This digested food then enters the small intestine for absorption. Even after digestion, small particles of undigested food remain in the lining of stomach.
• Due to our busy lifestyle, we tend to eat food in a hurried manner. Not chewing it properly and eating junk food also leads to undigested food in the stomach.
• Stress, anxiety, pollution, adverse weather, unhealthy life style also causes undigested food in the stomach.

This undigested food is neither absorbed in the body as nutrients nor excreted out from the body. They get accumulated and stay in the body as toxins. Such toxins are named as "Ama" in Ayurveda and is a reason for many diseases like obesity, acidity, gas etc. 

Digestive System with Undigested Food

Steps to perform Kunjal Kriya

To perform Kunjal Kriya, do the following steps - 

• Take at least 1-2 liters of lukewarm water. 
• Add 1 tea spoon of salt into it to make the stomach cleansing more effective.
• Sit at one place and start drinking the water. 
• Drink one glass of water and then the second glass of water and so on. 
• After drinking 1-1.5 liters of water, you will feel nausea. 
• Drink more water till you have the feeling of vomiting. 
• Let the water stay inside you for 3-5 minutes. This will make the cleansing more effective.
• Now its time to throw out the water. 
• Bend over a washbasin with a gap of 1-1.5 feet between your legs. 

Way of doing Kunjal Kriya

• To start the process insert your two fingers - index and middle, into the throat and touch the root of the tongue. 
• Initially, water will come out in small amount. 
• Continue the process until all the water comes out. 
• Once the whole water is out, its time to relax. (Note: If all water that you drank does not come out, do not worry in that case. It will get eliminated naturally).
• Lie down in Shavasana pose and relax for 5-10 minutes. 

Shavasana

Benefits of Kunjal Kriya

Kunjal Kriya is beneficial in the following - 

• Prevents the formation of toxins in the body.
• Detoxifies the digestive system.
• Removes problems caused by pitta dosha i.e. gas and acidity.
• Removes extra mucus from the food pipe.
• Provides relief in case of sore throat and cough.
• Cleans the skin.
• Helps in constipation, indigestion and insomnia.
• Makes the digestion very easy and effective.
• Eliminates stress and tension.
• Helps in asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory problems.
• Helps in proper functioning of kidneys, liver and intestines.
• Helps in obesity and diabetes problems. 

Best Time of Performing Kunjal Kriya

• Morning - When stomach is empty 
• Kunjal kriya gives best result when done empty stomach in the morning.
• Any time of the day - When stomach is full
• When we eat more than what our body needs, we feel heavy and cannot sleep. Even if we sleep, we feel tired in the morning and feel lethargic. Doing kunjal kriya after eating a heavy meal helps in sleeping and makes body lighter. 
• After eating unhealthy or spoiled food, we get gas and acidity which leads to headache. Kunjal kriya helps in acidity and gives instant relief from headache due to flatulence or gas.

How often should I perform Kunjal Kriya?

Kunjal Kriya can be performed once a week and is a one time process at a given time. This process is not repeated again once you are finished with it. 

Who cannot do Kunjal Kriya?

Kunjal Kriya is not recommended in case of -

• Stomach disorders like ulcers, cancer
• Hypertension
• Cardiac pain
• Blood pressure
• Hernia
• Heart diseases
• Pregnancy
• Menstrual periods

Points to Remember After doing Kunjal Kriya

After doing kunjal kriya, avoid the following things

• Do not eat heavy food
• No alcohol
• No smoking
• No non-vegetarian food

Eat a light meal after 30 minutes of performing kunjal kriya.

Note

It is recommend to take help from qualified yoga instructor when doing kunjal kriya for the first time.