Amaroli

Swami Satyananda Saraswati

Amaroli is an important technique of yoga which was first used in conjunction with many of the advanced practices. Today, however, amaroli is better known as a therapeutic process and people everywhere are asking how it can be used.

First of all, amaroli must be learned from a qualified teacher who has thorough knowledge of the practice. The method of taking amaroli varies from person to person. In some cases it is the fresh substance and in others the preserved substance that should be used. Sometimes only the first urine of the day is taken, and in other cases it is taken up to lunch time. In the case of fast growing diseases like cancer, we tell the patient to drink everything.

Amaroli becomes very powerful if you take care of your diet. Whatever purpose you use it for, you must avoid proteins of every nature. It is also best to avoid too much sweet, sour, spicy or pungent food. Raw food and certain fruits like banana, papaya and citrus fruits are very good in the practice of amaroli. Remember that the raw foods have better value for building up the bodily resistance and fighting disease. Those who take amaroli after lunch must discontinue the practice one hour before and three hours after each meal. It is also a common rule before practising amaroli, to make an application on the head and soles of the feet, that is, you have to anoint the head and feet.

In the past, yogis used amaroli because when meditation is practised for long hours, the inner body temperature falls. Under such circumstances, the practice of amaroli maintains the digestive system.

Meditation also has an effect on the cardiovascular system, and the blood pressure can drop suddenly. If it falls gradually, this does not matter so much, but a rapid fall adversely affects the cardiovascular system. Amaroli safeguards against this. Therefore, if you practise meditation for long periods, you should take amaroli for this reason.

Scientific discoveries have revealed that amaroli contains up to twenty four distinct groups of hormones. One of these is uricode which is important for maintaining the health of the cardiovascular system. This is why the advanced yogis took up the practice of amaroli.

Female yogis also practised amaroli because long term use influences the levels of prostaglandin hormone in the reproductive system. These hormones destroy the ova before they have matured.

By the practise of yoga and especially hatha yoga, all the impurities are thrown out of the body as it is cleansed. When the body is pure, its power of immunity is lost. So a yogi can sometimes suffer from contagious diseases because his system contains fewer antibodies. Thus amaroli was practised by great yogis to maintain a certain 'level of antibodies in the body. These yogis could remain in a cave for three months and nothing would happen to them, but if an ordinary man did this, he would get a lot of skin problems.

If you want to practise amaroli, you must find someone who knows the science and can teach you properly, but this is basically how to start. Have a simple fast for one day. You can take fruit juice, and raw or boiled vegetables, however, a total fast is better. If your intestines are not clean, empty them by enema or glycerine suppository. If you know the short version of shankaprakshalana, taking six glasses of warm salty water, that's the best way.

Next morning when you get up, take the midstream of the first urine. This is enough to start with, and you can continue taking this for one month. If you don't have any positive or negative reaction, then start to use the second urine also, sipping a little water in between. Don't drink the water, only sip a little, not more than half a cup. Continue twice per day for another month. During this time you will definitely have either a positive or negative reaction. If it is positive, increase the intake to three times each day, sipping water in between. If there is a negative reaction, find out what it is due to. Perhaps it is caused by improper diet, or maybe you are suffering from some disease. In this case, reduce to the previous quantity. If the reaction is positive, increase by one round.

In my opinion, three rounds is sufficient. Continue this for many months. Then once in a year or so, leave your home and stay alone somewhere in the countryside, fix your diet and practise amaroli the whole day, for one week only. If there is a positive reaction every day, continue. If there is a slight negative reaction, go back to the stage up to which you did not get that reaction. You will not have any problem then.

You have only to eliminate the excessive protein from the diet and continue this practice with total patience. Even if it takes one, two or three years to come up to the full practice of amaroli, it is still a rewarding period. It will help you in meditation and also in maintaining good health.