Shankha prakshalana (cleaning your digestive tract) - first experience

[Elisabeth]

So I've had various problems with digestion (including flatulence and vomiting) for about three weeks now and it wouldn't clear up despite dietary changes so I decided to try the cleanse. I found the yogic technique rather easy to do, so I'm writing this to encourage people who might be a bit afraid to try. (Disclaimer: Obviously, I'm no expert.) It's supposed to get all of the undigested junk which got stuck inside out of your colon - so that's a very pragmatic thing to do. 

So the technique goes essentially like this:

• Perform in the morning on an empty stomach 
• Prepare mildly warm salty water. (As far as I understand, the more salty, the faster the procedure, but anything saltier than the physiological solution will do - the salt should prevent effective absorption of water through osmosis.) 
• Drink 1-2 glases of salty water and perform some special (but easy) exercises to help propagate the water through your digestive tract. Go to toalet afterwards, or whenever you need to. Rinse and repeat until only water with no bulk components comes out (in softer versions just do 4-6 rounds of drinking and exercise). The exercise should be a bit dynamic, but overall keep a comfortable relaxed pace.
• You can finish the practice by drinking non-salty warm water and throwing up (to help stop the effect of water just going through). Or just go to toilet a few more times. 
• Take some rest lying on your back, then after 30-60 minutes take a meal. White rice with butter is recommended to cover the now vulnerable colons with some mucus. 
• If you've been thorough with the clense, you'll be tired afterwards, so dedicate the day to rest
• Restart your diet slowly, avoid meat, dairy and sour foods at first 

You can find many descriptions of the full technique online, with varying depth - this is a nice one http://www.yogapoint.com/info/shankha_praksha.htm . Better read through a few of them just to be sure. I had a slightly more detailed one in my language and I also consulted someone who practices. Some texts say to only try this guided by an experienced teacher, but actually, I don't think there's much to do wrong. One might be put off by worries of whether you'll perform the asanas right, if the water is too hot or cold or salty enough etc., but I find none of it is extremely important. 

I did this in the morning, so I don't know about the long-term effect yet. So far I'm feeling really tired but really relaxed too, body and mind, and my stomach does seem better than it was, so I conclude this is probably a good idea every now and then. 

Additional tip: Your anus might be a little irritated by the salt, so consider washing it instead of wiping all the time and using a cream or oil

Wish you a healthy digestion