Abstract

*Anil Kothari

ABSTRACT

The intent of yoga is to create well being by imparting positive energy to us. Mental stress, unhealthy life style choices, excessive eating and poor physical activity leads to constipation and obesity. While almost any exercise is good for obesity, yoga’s holistic approach may give an extra boost in the modern world to maintain physical, mental and spiritual balance by curing and /or managing diseases as well. Among the various components of yoga used therapeutically the most popular are Asanas, Pranayamas, Meditation and shatkarma (Internal cleansing practices). There is an emphasis on shatkarma in various Hatha yoga texts to remove wastes from the body and make it light and energetic. The current study summarizes the effects of shatkarma on obesity and chronic constipation by focusing on the results described in review articles. This paper is a review of empirical studies and review publications on shatkarma and highlights the therapeutic effects on obesity and chronic constipation.