The technique isn't offered in many yoga classes and should only be practiced under certain conditions.
By Lindsey Lanquist, Self
Anyone with an Instagram account has been bombarded with images of rainbow foods or unicorn-inspired makeup
over the past year. But the latest thing Instagram users are rallying
around comes straight from the world of fitness and wellness. The trend?
Nauli, an advanced yoga technique that's as mesmerizing as it is challenging. Alison West, yoga teacher and director of New York's Yoga Union, describes it as "basically creating a vacuum" with your abdominal muscles.
Yoga practitioners attribute all kinds of benefits to nauli. West says the technique makes her feel "energized" and "enlivened."
[post_ads]"When
I do it first thing in the morning, I feel extremely light and have a
sense of overall refreshed well-being," West tells SELF. According to
her, nauli can do things like cleanse the intestines, improve digestion, eliminate toxins, and bring "very positive inner energy" into someone's life. West says it can also aid with constipation—though
you should never do it while you're actively experiencing a blockage,
she warns. (Nauli can make existing inflammation worse because it puts
such pressure on your abdomen, West says.)
But there's not a ton of medical evidence to back up these claims, according to Loren Fishman,
M.D., of Manhattan Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. Fishman
studied yoga with BKS Iyengar and uses yoga in his rehabilitation
practice. What nauli does do, though, is "massage your intestines, which
can cause changes in the pressures around them." This pressure change
increases the blood supply momentarily, which could explain why people
feel a "sense of lightness," says Fishman, who is also an assistant
clinical professor at Columbia Medical School. Fishman explained
that—when done under the careful supervision of a yoga
practitioner—nauli can be beneficial in this way. "You can feel
ethereal—it can be an elevating thing for you," he says.
If you want to try it, don’t try it at home. In fact, you should only try to practice nauli under very specific circumstances.
First things first: Don't attempt nauli without the guidance of a skilled yoga teacher.
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Now that we've established that, we can touch on all the other times you shouldn't try nauli:
- After you've eaten. West says you should only attempt nauli on an empty stomach—first thing in the morning, after you've gone to the bathroom.
- When you're healing from an abdominal injury or surgery. Nauli can irritate your wound.
- When you're suffering from extreme constipation. Remember: You want your intestinal tract to be pretty much empty when you're doing this.
- While you're on your period. Things are already inflamed, and nauli could make that worse.
- When you're pregnant. (For obvious reasons.)
Nauli can be incredibly hard to practice. But for some it comes easily.
So
how do you even practice nauli? West says you start by pretending to
inhale—but instead of drawing air into your lungs, you expand your
ribcage. This creates a "strong withdrawal" that pulls your muscles to
the back of your abdomen, West says. She likens it to sucking your
cheeks in. From there, you churn your muscles, which feels like a "very
deep massage on the ab organs with a very soft and large hand" when
you've done it correctly.
But even
when a highly-regarded yoga instructor spells it out for us, it’s clear
this technique is pretty challenging. "Rare is the person who
understands how to do nauli on their own," West says. "But for some
people, it's just there, and it's never difficult to learn how to do
it."
And West isn't surprised it's becoming an Instagram trend.
[post_ads]"It's
attractive because it's hard," West says. "And it's interesting because
it's weird." Nauli isn't offered in many yoga classes—both because it's
an advanced technique and because it demands such specific
circumstances. (West only teaches it to her most experienced students
first thing in the morning, before they've had anything to eat.) "It's
unusual—it's a little weird," West says. "But again, it's only valuable
when it's done under the right circumstances."
So
there you have it: Nauli isn’t for everyone, but it’s kind of
incredible to watch. It's little wonder the technique has generated so
much interest online.
See some mesmerizing nauli videos from Instagram below.
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