When the food is eaten, it remains in the stomach for a considerable length of time. It takes about 3 – 5 hours for for heavy meal to empty the stomach and push it into the small intestine. In the stomach, the food is mixed with the enzymes and digestive juices, which prepares it for absorption in the intestine. Even though the food is emptied into the intestine, small particles of undigested food remain on the lining of the stomach. Of course, this may get flushed down when we drink water or when we take the next meal. But during that time, it can cause irritation and produce gas and acidity. The undigested particles of food get stuck to the stomach lining as a sticky yellowish-white substance called ‘Aama’ in Ayurveda. It further moves down to the small intestine and can get absorbed into the body, creating toxins and causing diseases.
Kunjal Kriya is the process of cleansing the food pipe and stomach. Kunjal kriya helps us to remove these toxins from the stomach and the food pipe. It is practiced in the morning on an empty stomach.
How we can do Kunjal Kriya?
- Prepare 1.5 litres (about 6 glasses) of lukewarm water solution (2 teaspoon per litre). It should be as per one's capacity to drink as much as water.
- While standing, quickly drink all the water (one by one, first checking your comfort level with first glass of water) (or as much as you can) without any pause between glasses. It will feel unpleasant, but that you have to bear it.
- Bend forward and stimulate the back of the tongue by inserting the middle and index fingers in the mouth, and this will create an urge for vomiting. Keep doing this repeatedly, until all the water is eliminated and the stomach is emptied.
- At last, you can wash your mouth and hands and may do kapalbhati to eliminate water if any remained in the nostrils during vomiting.
- Do not eat for at least half an hour.
Benefits
- As above said, kunjal kriya reduces ama and therefore various related diseases.
- By kunjal kriya, indigestion, acidity and gas from the stomach is alleviated.
- Excess mucus from the esophagus is eliminated by kunjal kriya. So, it helps to treat cough, sore throat, mild asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory ailments. But never do during asthma /brochitis attacks and be careful in these cases.
- Alleviates depression, sloth and heaviness
In yoga therapy, kunjal kriya is excellent for disorders for udana, prana, samana, vyana and apana. It cleanses and stimulates the stomach, oesophagus, lungs, chest, heart, throat, nose, eyes, ears and sinus. It balances the vayu (winds) in the body especially the upward moving prana-vayu (the prana that moves upwards). It alleviates depression, sloth and heaviness. It is a remedy for many kapaha and tamasic imbalances. Kunjal kriya is one of the specific remedies in kapaha and tamasic imbalances. Kunjal Kriya is one of the specific remedies in Ayurvedic medicine for stomach, throat, asthma and lung affliction (alongwith hrid dhouti).
Let it be said that especially today with our unfortunate custom of repressing instinct and natural function, the natural vomiting instinct has also been repressed by early childhood memories of disapproval (mess) from peers and parents. Social pressure expected the adult to control and hold-in bad, excess or inappropriate food or poisons even if the body wanted to evacuate it. This repression of our natural healthy instinct if carried on, creates imbalance of natural function.
People with following issues should never do kunjal kriya:
- Asthma,
- Stomach ulcers
- Heart problems
- Hernia
