The Vastra Dhauti is practiced to clean the stomach and the food canal with the help of a long strip of cloth usually from five to seven meters in length.
Technique
Take a clean piece of muslin about nine centimeters broad and five to seven meters, long. An ordinary four inch, surgeon’s gauze of the required length can meet the requirement. First put the cloth in a basin of water, and after it is thoroughly saturated insert one end of it as far back in the throat as possible and go through the motions of eating and swallowing. This will encourage the throat to take hold. There may be some spasms, but they will soon pass, as will all soreness that is experienced. It will take only a few days for the throat and stomach to accommodate themselves. Do not try to accomplish the feat on the first day. One begins with a few inches and increases the length a little each day until the whole length is swallowed in about a fortnight.
One should practice only ten to fifteen minutes each day.
In this way there would be no undue strain on the delicate lining of the throat. The first task is to accommodate the muscles to this foreign intrusion. When this has been done, time and practice will develop the needed strength to swallow the entire cloth. To overcome the difficulty encountered at the initial state, it would be found helpful to sweeten the water in which the cloth is moistened. It might also be soaked in the milk.
Extracting the cloth is the second part of the process. One is to bend on a basin and gently pull the loose end of the strip of cloth, while holding the mouth in a grasping position. If the throat contracts, pause for a few seconds and it will release its grip. A sip of water would also serve the purpose. Do not pull hard, for there is nothing to fear.
Precautions:
- The Vastra Dhauti must be practiced under the guidance of an expert.
- One must not try swallow up to the last quarter of an inch, for by chance one might let the end slip and find one self with a stomach full of cloth and no end to pull.
- Do not leave the cloth in the stomach for more than twenty minutes.
Benefits
- Removes cough, Asthma, splenetic diseases, leprosy and other diseases brought on by phlegm.