HOW TO TAKE A BATH (INCLUDING VAPOUR BATH AND OTHER DIFFERENT BATHS)
A bath is a daily ritual, but few understand its purpose or importance. That is why most of us merely throw water over our heads and bodies and think we have done our duty. Throwing water over the body is beneficial, but not what a bath is.
The twin purposes of a bath are cleanliness and reactivating the blood circulation by the tingling sensation that cold water produces as it comes into contact with the skin. The first purpose, i.e. cleanliness, can be better served by hot water. The body’s skin has millions of pores through which the skin breathes as we do through our lungs. If the pores are clogged, the lungs are overworked. Overwork may lead to fatigue or exhaustion of the lungs. And then, closed pores do not pass any perspiration, which the skin breathes as we do through our lungs. If the pores are clogged, the lungs are overworked.
Overwork may lead to fatigue or exhaustion of the lungs. And then, closed pores do not pass any sweat, which is a must to clear the blood of morbid humours. Closed pores are a danger to the general health of human beings. Cold water is also a cleansing agent, but it cannot deal with the grease and dirt infesting the pores of the skin. Hot water mixed with lemon juice is the best cleansing agent for the skin. Or, better still , take a lemon and roast it lightly over a fire. Then cut it into two parts, dip a part in hot water and rub it over your skin. This will cleanse your skin as no soap can do. But a hot bath should not be taken daily. It generally brings lethargy, weakness and slows down the digestive processes. Once or twice a week is enough if you have to take a hot bath. The temperature of the water should not be more than one or two degree above body temperature.
A hot bath before retiring for the night is the best for your health. It helps you to sleep better and if you cover your body after a hot bath, it will save you from the danger of exposure. A bath, hot or cold should be taken one hour before meals or three hours after it.
Really, hot water for a bath has its own advantages but it should be used sparingly. If you are suffering from a cold, take a hot bath, cover yourself with woolens and get into bed. It will drive away the cold. A really hot bath when you are tired acts as a tonic: it drives away fatigue as nothing else does.
A bath with hot water has its used, but a daily bath should be with cold water. When the skin is cooled by the cold water, blood rushes to warm it up. The circulation of the blood is activated and the blood is also cleansed of many impurities. A slowed down circulation is a prelude to old age. A cold bath is, therefore, instrumental in keeping us young.
The best way to start a bath is to rub the whole of your body with your palms or with a rough towel. Start with your scalp, forehead, face and the neck. Then go on to your wrists and then to the shoulders through the arms. Afterwards rub your chest, the armpits and abdomen and the back. The feet should be the lst to receive attention. Keep your feet straight when you rub them. Start from the feet and come upto the thighs. In the beginning, rub gently but later increase the pressure.
After the vigorous rubbing, take a cold bath. Wipe your body with a towel. Start with the head and then dry up the whole body. You will feel a peculiar kind of pleasure when you rub your body after a bath. For weak persons a rubbing can do the job of exercise.
If this method of taking a bath is adopted, there will not be any danger of any skin eruptions or itch. The face will be free of pimples and other blemishes which mar its beauty. The skin will acquire a healthy glow and if it is rough and leathery, it will become pink and soft. You will have the feeling as if you had been having an oil massage.
WET PACK FOR THE WAIST
The bandage to be used as a wet pack for the waist should be seven to eight feet long and six inches broad. It should be of soft cotton cloth. Dip it in cold water, ring it lightly and wrap it around your waist. It should cover the area from the navel to a little above the pubes and should remain in direct contact with the skin. Cover the wet bandage with a woolen cloth of equal dimensions and secure with a safety pin or a string so that it does not loosen up.
There will be a cold sensation on the skin covered by the wet pack but after about 10 minutes warmth will return. If you still feel cold after 10 minutes, that is an indication that the bandage has been wrapped lightly and has to be tightened. Or, the bandage has not been properly wrung out or it is thicker than it should be. The wet pack for the waist can be used from half an hour to two hours at a time.
WET PACK FOR THE CHEST
The dimensions of the bandage for the chest should be the same as for the waist. It should be similarly dipped in cold water, wrung out and wrapped round the chest and covered by a woolen piece of cloth. It should be wrapped in such a way that it should cover the chest, the upper part of the shoulders and the corresponding portion of the back. The woolen covering for the wet pack should be secured with a safety pin or a piece of string as in the case of the waist pack.
This pack can also be used for half an hour to two hours.
ENEMA
Clean the enema can and fill it with 2-3 pints of lukewarm water. Remove the air from the enema tube and catheter by allowing the air from water to flow out. Fold the enema tube and hang the can to the wall at a height of 3 ft. above the bed level. Lie down on the mat or on the table on to your right side extending the right leg and folding the left leg at right angles. Apply oil to the anus with a cotton pad and insert the catheter after applying oil to it, gently without causing pain. Allow the water to flow in. Take a deep inhalation to facilitate the entry of water. While water enters in, rub the abdomen gently in anti-clock wise direction. If the pain is experienced, stop the water flow by pressing the enema tube with fingers. Release the water after the pain subsides till the water in the can gets emptied. Take out the catheter gradually after for 5-10 minutes. Retaining the water. Expel the water in the toilet slowly without any haste. Enema helps in relieving colitis, acidity, constipation, fever etc.
CHEST PACK
Take a cotton cloth 8-9 ft. in length and width. Dip it in water, wring out moderately and wrap around and across the chest. Over this, wrap dry cloth in the same manner so that the cloth snugly fits the chest. Allow the pack to remain for one hour. After removing the pack, wipe the front and back portion of the chest with a dry towel. Useful in cases of all lung congestion, bronchitis, asthma, fever, anxiety, neurosis, insomnia, etc.
ABDOMINAL PACK
Take a cotton cloth (cold) of 4 to 5 ft. and wrap around the abdomen extending from last rib to groin. Cover the cold cloth with a dry cloth and then flannel. Duration of the pack is one hour. Useful in constipation, indigestion etc.
COLD ABDOMINAL TOWEL PACK
Take a medium size towel and fold it into a 3 or 4 folds, so that it attains a length of 10-14 inches and width of 10 inches. Dip the folded towel in cold water and wring it to remove excess water. Lie down on your back and lace the towel pack on the abdomen and cover it with a dry towel or a woolen cloth. Allow the pack to remain for 10 minutes and reverse it for another 10 minutes. The total duration of the pack is for 20 minutes. If desired, repeat process for a longer time by dipping the towel again in cold water. Useful in constipation, flatulence, indigestion, jaundice, etc.
EYE PACK
Take a cotton cloth of 1 meter; fold into 8 folds. Dip in cold water. Wring it out moderately to remove excess water. Place it over the closed eyes. Smoothen it so that the cloth touches the eyelids. Allow it to remain for 20 minutes. Afterwards wipe with dry handkerchief. Useful in eye strain, conjunctivitis, myopia etc.
OTHER PACKS
Other packs like ankle pack, foot, wrist pack, elbow pack, throat pack can be taken using the suitable cloth made for these purposes. Procedure and the direction is the same as that of the above mentioned packs. Useful in inflammatory conditions and pain.
SUN BATH
Sun bath is an important tool of the Naturopath. Even though people in the west use it for cosmetic purposes, it plays an important part in restoring health.
In Indian conditions, the ideal times for a sun bath during summer is 6 to 6.30 in the morning and during winter from 7 to 7.30.
Take off all your clothes and sit in a secluded corner away from interruptions. The whole of your body should be exposed to the health-giving rays of the sun. In the beginning take a sun bath for only two to three minutes but increase the timing gradually to 15 to 20 minutes.
When the sunlight is very hot, cover your head with a towel. If you cannot find a secluded place to take the sun bath, cover yourself with a light cotton sheet.
SUN-BATH FOR INDUCING PERSPIRATION
Sweat can be induced through a sun bath. For this purpose the sun is hot enough at 10 to 11 in the morning in summer and 2 to 3 in the afternoon in winter. Take hot water and lie down naked on a mattress or blanket spread on the floor. You will start sweating in about 10 to 15 minutes after you have lied down. After 15 to 20 minutes whether you sweat or not, you must take a cold bath just after it. Some people may not perspire in the beginning but after repeating the sun bath for three of four days, their sweat glands will be activated and they will perspire. You must cover you head with a wet towel while taking a sun bath, but at the same time go on sipping warm water to aid the body to produce the sweat.
SPONGING THE BODY
When you are running a temperature, a sponge bath is more advisable than a bath. The patient should be covered with a sheet or blanket and his body should be wiped with a wet towel. Wipe his feet first, one after the other. Rub them with the wet towel for four to five minutes and then wipe them with a dry towel. But even when the feet have been dried rub them with the palms of the hand so that some heat is generated in the body. In the case of fever, such rubbing is not advised.
After the feet have been attended to go to the calves and the rest of the legs, the abdomen, the chest, the back, the face and the neck. The hands should be rubbed for five to six minutes and the abdomen, chest and the back a little longer. The total time taken for a sponge bath is on an average half an hour. The ideal time for a sponge bath is mid day.
FASTING
Nothing but water should be taken when you are fasting. The intake of water must be two to two and a half liters. One feels fresh if one continues drinking water and the intake of water also helps the expulsion of morbid matter from the body. In the evening of the first day of the fast and the morning after, an enema of hot water should be taken to clean the bowels.
One day’s fasting should be followed by a food intake 25 per cent less than one normally takes. A two days fast should be followed by ingestion of fruits only the next day; normal food should follow the next day. A three day’s fast should be followed the next day by fruit juices and soup of vegetables (the soup must be clear, without addition of any thickening agents or condiments). On the fifth day eat fruits only and on the sixth breakfast on fruits, lunch on bread and boiled vegetables and repeat a fruit diet for your dinner. It is only afterwards that you should resume your normal diet.
FRUITS, FRUIT JUICES AND MILK DIETS
When you have been advised to live on fruit juices or juices or soups of vegetables, you should take about 250 milliliters of fruit juice or juice or clear soup of a vegetable three to four times in the day. The best juices are those of oranges, pineapple, rose apple, raspberry and tomatoes. If the juice is too thick, mix it with plain water in the proportion of 1:¾th.
Juice of gourd, tomatoes and carrot can be taken in its natural form. If you do not have a juicer then grate the fruits or vegetables and sqeeze them through fine muslin or other fine meshed cloth. Other vegetables have to be half a kilogramme and should be boiled in 250 milliliters of water and the juice drunk. When you are living on fruit, take them thrice daily. But take one kind of fruit at one meal. For example, you can take tomatoes for breakfast, oranges at lunch time and apples for your dinner. If you can take the same fruit at all meal times, it would be still better.
The total intake of fruits in the day should not be more than one to one and a half kilogrammes. When a diet of fruit and milk is indicated, take 250 to 300 milliliters of milk with the fruits. If your appetite improves, as it should the quantity of the milk can be increased to half a litre at one time. Unboiled milk should be taken in the morning and even during lunch time milk boiled in the morning can be ingested. Sip the milk as you munch the fruit. It will be more beneficial than eating the fruit and drinking the milk.
Even when you are on a diet of fruit juices, do not forget to drink one to two liters of water in the day. If your bowels do not move automatically during the fruit and milk diet, take recourse to an enema. But the bowels must be evacuated properly and no morbid humours or substances should be allowed to accumulate in the body.
INTAKE OF WATER
One must drink one to one and a half liters of water in 24 hours. The best time for taking water is the first thing in the morning, one hour before meals and two hours after. If you must drink water during the meals, see that the quantity does not exceed 200 to 250 milliliters. If you have taken water one hour before the meals, you will not feel the need to take it during eating. But still, water may be taken during the meal according to need and inclination.
WALKING, DEEP BREATHING AND SLEEP
During a walk, you must move briskly. Your back should be straight and the arms moving. The normal speed of walking should be about four miles per hour. Take a different route for a walk every day as that would be more enjoyable instead of taking the same route every day.
Five to six miles walk in the morning and two to three miles in the evening is the best. Those who are starting to take a walk should not overstrain themselves but increases the distance gradually.
Deep breathing : Deep breaths should be taken during a walk. Inhalation should become a natural rhythm with you. Inhalation and exhalation should not be done slowly. Sleep : Sleep should be sufficient to give a sense of relief from exhaustion. But do not oversleep, nor laze about in bed when you are not sleeping. The ideal time for sleep is from nine o’clock in the night to five in the morning. Those who feel sleepy all the time return to normal sleeping hours after some days. During summer, a siesta for an hour or so will refresh you. If you cannot sleep, relax for an hour after lunch.
INHALATION AND VAPORISATION
Inhalations are considered to be highly effective, as the olfactory (smelling) receptors have direct links with the brain.
Inhalations are said to quite useful and effective in routine skin-care treatment, respiratory conditions, such as colds, coughs, sore throats, catarrh, blocked nasal passages but use with utmost care if you are an asthmatic, Vaporisers and scented baths can also prove relaxing and invigorating, depending on the oil chosen for a specific physical/mental problems.
For inhalations add 4 drops of a suitable essential oil to a bowl of steaming water and then lean over the bowl with you head covered by a towel but keep your eyes closed. Breathe in deeply. Initially, inhalation may be a bit problematic but once the blocked and stuck up nostrils are cleared of trapped mucus, inhalation will automatically improve.
You can use eucalyptus or peppermint oil (4-6 drops or either or 2-3 drops of each of the oils). If steam inhalation is not feasible, you can put 4-5 drops of the oil on a hanky (tissue cloth) hold it to your nose and take deep breaths. But do not inhale directly from the bottle itself.
DHAUTI (KUNJAL)
It is a process washing stomach by water. Two or three litre of tepid water is required. Squat on your feet back, spine and neck should be straight. Drink glasses of tepid water continuously without any pause upto the brim of neck. One should neither talk nor laugh during this period. He should not bend.
Bend a bit forward. Keep the left hand on the left knee and the first and second finger of the right hand in your throat. Press the stomach by the other hand. You will vomit. Vomit the whole drunk water. Water should not remain in stomach.
Wash you hands and take rest. Milk or breakfast should be taken after an hour.
This Dhauti process should be practised after passing stool and after bath. One should not take bath after this process. Vaman Dhauti process should be practised once a fortnight or once a month. Precautions : 1. Heart patients should not practise it. 2. The nails of the fingers should be trimmed otherwise they may wound the throat. Benefits : 1. Disorders of bile and gas are cured. 2. It is beneficial in the diseases of stomach throat and jaundice.
JALA NETI
For doing this, squat on your feet. Take tepid salted water in a medium sized pot with a long spout, made especially for this purpose. Now fill the pot with tepid salted water and hold it in your right hand to the level of your nose. Then tilt your head slightly to the left so as to have the slanting position of the left nostril. Insert the nozzle of the spout into the right nostril and allow the water to flow down slowly. The water should continue falling down from other nostril in a continuous thin stream. Now repeat the process from the other side. Breath through the mouth only till the process is complete. After Jal Neti, stand erect with your feet together. Keep the hands behind your back clasped and blow out vigorously whatever trace of water that has remained in your nostrils.
Precautions: If sometimes one feels intolerable pain in the back of ear or above nostrils, he should practise the process of Kapalbhati at once. It will cure the pain. Water can come out of eyes in beginning of Neti. Do not fear.
Benefits:
• It cures sinusitis and clears sinuses.
• It cures diseases of nose, eyes, throat and prevents the occurrence of diseases.
• It purifies mind.
• It improves memory.
• It cures coryza and removes old accumulated phlegm.
KAPALBHATI
Kapal means skull and Bhati means shine or lustre. Thus, this term means ‘skull shining’. Kapalbhati is a Pranayama also besides one of the six cleaning exercises. Actually this cleansing process is a milder form of Bhastrika, another vigorously breathing exercise.
Sit on a blanket or a dari in Padma, Sidha or Sukhasana. Keep back, spinal cord and neck erect. Keep both the hands on knees. Shut your eyes. Sit peacefully. Exhale vigorously. Do not inhale. At start begin slowly. After four to five exhales exhale vigorously and quickly. Be careful in exhaling; you will inhale between exhales. One should not pause during the practice of Kapalbhati.
Hold the breath after exhaling (Kumbhak). During Kumbhak practice Jallandhar Bandh, Uddiyana Bandh, Mool Bandha and Mahabandha. Hold this position for a while. Release all Bandhas and inhale slowly. This completes one round of Kapalbhati. Start with two rounds. You can practice unto five rounds gradually. Start with 10 or 12 exhales. Gradually you can increase their number 50 to 120.
Special Note :
1. The stomach should go inside at once after exhaling.
2. The difference between Kapalbhati and Bhastrika Pranayama is that both inhale and exhale are done vigorously. One should learn it from an expert of Yoga.
Precautions: Persons with high BP problems or pus in the ear should refrain from doing this exercise.
Benefits: Kapalbhati is a very good invigorating exercise that cleanses the entire respiratory system by forcefully rushing exhalation.
It removes concentration and mental retention. The movement of the diaphragm stimulates the stomach, heart liver and spleen. This exercise is very good for eyes.