Six classical Shat Kriyas cleansing techniques for advanced yogis: master Nauli, Kapalabhati, and Trataka to clear your body, breath, and mind.
## Introduction Been doing yoga for years and your practice still feels "just physical"? Here's the honest answer: you're probably missing the inner cleansing piece. Advanced yogis stop focusing only on the body from the outside and start paying attention to what's happening inside.
That's exactly what the Shat Kriyas are for — six classical cleansing techniques meant to clear your body and your energetic channels (Nadis) of blockages. They're the reason yogic practice is more than fitness: Trataka, Neti, Kapalabhati, Dhauti, Nauli, and Basti clean the eyes, nose, airways, esophagus, abdominal organs, and large intestine. In this DOMISPORTS Academy pro guide, we'll show you how to master these demanding techniques with clean technique.
## What you need Since the Kriyas act directly on your internal organs, preparation matters almost more than technique: - An absolutely empty stomach: Practice all Kriyas — especially Nauli, Dhauti, and Kapalabhati — first thing in the morning, before your first sip of water. - A neti pot: A small vessel with body-warm salt water for nasal cleansing. - A candle: For Trataka — positioned exactly at eye level.
### 1. Kapalabhati: lung cleansing Kapalabhati ("skull shining") is often mislabeled as a breathing exercise — but it's primarily a cleansing technique. Sit upright. Exhale sharply and actively through the nose, driven by a jerking contraction of your abdominal muscles. The inhale happens completely passively. Start with 3 rounds of 30 pumps; advanced practitioners work up to 100–120 — this noticeably lowers CO2 in your blood and jolts your nervous system awake.
### 2. Nauli: the abdominal massage Nauli is considered the crown discipline — an intense massage of your internal abdominal organs that demands absolute control over your trunk. - Uddiyana Bandha: Bend your knees slightly, brace your hands on your thighs. Exhale completely and pull your relaxed belly wall up deep under the ribs through the resulting vacuum. - Madhyama Nauli: From that vacuum, isolate your rectus abdominis and push it forward as a hard band. - Vama and Daksina Nauli: Shift your weight alternately onto your left and right hand — the isolated muscle band shifts with it, creating a rolling, wave-like massage.
### 3. Trataka: eye cleansing This Kriya combines physical cleansing with deep concentration. Place a lit candle about a meter away, exactly at eye level. Fix your gaze on the brightest point of the flame without blinking, until your eyes start to water — that's the cleansing effect. Then close your eyes and hold the afterimage of the flame internally for as long as you can.
### 4. Neti, Dhauti, and Basti: the hidden cleansings Three more techniques round out the system. Neti flushes the nose with salt water (advanced: with a cotton thread). Dhauti cleanses the esophagus and stomach, classically by swallowing and pulling out a long cotton strip soaked in salt water. Basti is the yogic enema for gut cleansing — traditionally done in flowing river water.
## Common mistakes - Doing Kapalabhati with your whole face. The movement comes exclusively from the diaphragm and lower belly — not from tensed shoulders or a scrunched forehead. - Trying Nauli with air in your belly. No absolute breath-empty state, no vacuum. No vacuum, no isolated muscle band. Sounds logical, still gets messed up constantly. - Treating Trataka as a blinking contest. It's not about gritting through pain — it's about a soft, receptive gaze.
## Safety notes The Shat Kriyas intervene heavily in your autonomic nervous system. Abdominal techniques like Kapalabhati, Uddiyana Bandha, and Nauli are off-limits with high blood pressure, glaucoma, stomach ulcers, hernias, acute abdominal inflammation, during your period, and throughout pregnancy. Never practice Dhauti without direct supervision from an experienced yoga teacher — serious injury is a real risk here.
## Pro tip Sequencing determines the effect. Start your morning with the Kriyas (say, Neti, then Kapalabhati and Nauli) to power your system up. Only then move into asana practice, followed by calming Pranayama (like Anuloma Viloma) and meditation. That way you move from coarse to subtle — and get the most out of your practice.
### Are the Shat Kriyas suitable for everyone? No, explicitly not. Abdominal techniques like Nauli and Kapalabhati are off-limits with high blood pressure, glaucoma, stomach ulcers, hernias, or pregnancy. Talk to an experienced teacher or doctor before starting if you have a pre-existing condition.
### How long does it take to master Nauli? Most people need several months of regular practice before the isolated muscle band works reliably. Uddiyana Bandha (the vacuum) is the prerequisite — practice that alone until it's solid before even attempting the isolation.
### Do I need to practice Kapalabhati before Nauli? Yes, that makes sense. Kapalabhati strengthens and sensitizes the abdominal muscles you need for the fine isolation in Nauli. Many curricula build in exactly this order — Kapalabhati first, then Nauli.
### Why does the stomach need to be empty for the Kriyas? Because the techniques put direct pressure and movement on the stomach and intestines. With a full stomach, that gets uncomfortable to dangerous — worst case, you get reflux. So: always in the morning, before your first sip of water.
### Can I learn the Shat Kriyas on my own at home? For Trataka and Neti, yes, with careful study of the technique. For Nauli, Dhauti, and intensive Kapalabhati, we strongly advise against going it alone. The movements are complex and the risks from incorrect execution are real — find an experienced teacher for the demanding Kriyas, at least to get started.
Beyond Asanas: Samskaras and the Five Kleshas