Colon Cleansing - Basti

Basti involves introducing liquids like medicated oils, herbal concoctions or milk through the anus, urinary meatus or vaginal orifice, to clean the lower organs of the body.

Types of Basti

Bastis are basically of eight types:

• Anuvasana Basti (medicated oil enema),

• Niruha-Asthapana Basti (herbal decoction enema),

• Uttar Basti (cleaning the urinary bladder by passing a catheter, cleaning the birth passage in women through a vaginal douche),

• Matra Basti (limited oil enema taken daily for 3 or 7 days),

• Yoga Basti (scheduled enema for 1 week),

• Kala Basti (scheduled enema for 15 days),

• Karma Basti (scheduled enema for 1 month) and lastly

• Bruhan Basti (nutritional enema).

However, the simplest easiest and most effective form is Yoga Basti:

Technique I

1. Take a small, hard rubber tube, 1 cm in diameter, 10 cms long.

2. Lubricate it with petroleum jelly, oil or soap.

3.



Next, insert the tube about 2 or 3 inches into your anus.

4. Then squat in a tank or tub of knee-level water.

5. Contract the muscles of your abdomen and anus to slowly suck the water into your intestines.





6. In a short while you will automatically feel the urge to evacuate your bowels.

Technique II

1. If you cannot draw in water through the tube, then use an ordinary syringe available any medical store.

2. Connect this to a jar of water with a long rubber catheter and keep the jar above standing head level.

3. Then go down on all fours and let the water flow into your rectum.

By the use of a rubber tube, you will learn to draw water through your anus. But in Technique II syringe water is inserted into the anus. That is only the difference; the result is the same. However, by using a rubber tube you attain mastery over your intestinal muscles by in drawing and evacuating the water at will.

Benefits

Basti has proven to be highly beneficial in all sorts of Vata prakop (aggravation of Vata, one of the three basic doshas in the body). It delivers excellent results in all kinds of stomach and intestinal disorders, gastric problems, rheumatic joint pains and chronic headaches. Basti is most effective in cases of dry colon and rectum and the subsequent constipation. It also provides relief from conditions like abdominal distention, flatulence, dryness of digestive tract resulting in chronic fevers, etc.

Basti is also used for cleaning and nourishing the urinary tract and the reproductive tract in women. Disorders like obesity, lymphatic obstructions, ascitis (abnormal accumulation of serous fluid in the abdominal cavity), urinary problems and birth canal problems (especially in women) respond wonderfully to natural enema.

Contraindications

Basti is contraindicated in all types of diarrheas, dysenteries, per rectal bleeding, diabetes, severe anemia, hypo-proteinaemia, breathlessness and raj-yakshma (pulmonary tuberculosis).

However Basti and Dhautis should not be done daily or made a regular habit. Once every three months should achieve the desired results.