How to nail your nauli—the crown of hatha practices

The first time I saw nauli I was fascinated. I HAD to learn it.

The five-year-old kid in me who had entertained herself and others by rolling her stomach (vertically though…nauli is rolling sideways) was hooked.

So I tried it and…surprise! It wasn’t as easy as I, a natural born abdominal roller, thought it would be.

After some instruction and a couple of months of practice I mastered it. Now I do it daily as part of my practices.

It’s one of the family of great abdominal kriyas, along with uddiyana bandha, uddiyana kriya and agnisara dhauti.

Here’s a tip: Being proficient at any one of those kriyas will make the learning of nauli much easier!

What is nauli?

Nauli is a deep abdominal kriya…a purifier for the internal organs, especially the large and small intestines.

Lower the shoulders. Revolve the stomach left and right with the speed of a strong whirlpool. This is called Nauli by the masters. This Nauli is the crown of Hatha practices. It kindles a weak gastric fire, restores the digestion, always brings happiness, and dries up all defects and diseases.

— From The Hatha Yoga Pradipika (translation by Brian Dana Akers)

Why learn nauli?

Stomach churning or washing has some great benefits and a few contraindications (all of which I go over in the video below).

Here are a few of its benefits:

• Stimulates digestion
• Relieves constipation
• Powerful massage for the abdominal organs
• Oxygenates the abdominal organs
• Clears stagnant energy from the area of the second and third chakras

Avoid nauli if you’re pregnant or have any sort of abdominal injury or disease, or cardiac problems.

Kriyas are an important part of yogic practices. I suggest you have a well-established hatha and pranayama practice before you add kriyas. Access to a knowledgeable teacher is important too so you can ask questions.

As I mentioned, having a deeper understanding of the other kriyas, which are covered in this course, will definitely aid you on your nauli journey.

I hope you have fun learning nauli. At times I felt like I’d never get it, but consistent practice paid off.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. We love hearing from you!