“Shitali kumbhaka is beneficial. One gets neither indigestion nor disorders of kapha and pitta.”
The verse: Gheranda Samhita 5.74
The quote above is our paraphrase. This is the verse as it reads in the Srisa Chandra Vasu translation (1915):
“Let the Yogi always practise this Sitali Kumbhaka, giver of bliss; by so doing, he will be free from indigestion, phlegm and bilious disorders.”
About the text: Gheranda Samhita
The Gheranda Samhita is a Sanskrit hatha yoga manual, probably from the late 17th century, framed as the sage Gheranda teaching a student named Chanda. Its seven chapters set out a sevenfold yoga, from cleansing practices and postures to breath control, meditation and samadhi.
More from the Gheranda Samhita
- “The yogi who practices Bhujanginimudra quickly destroys all gastric ailments.”
- “Viparitakarani destroys decrepitude and death.”
- “Purification, strength, steadiness, calmness, lightness, realization, and abstraction are the seven means of perfecting the body.”
- “The body becomes beautiful, and samadhi is sure to arise through Khechari Mudra.”
- “Padmasana destroys diseases and ailments.”
- “The supreme, subtle dhyana is a hundred thousand times better than the luminous dhyana.”