This is the fire wash kriya practice which is none other than many repetitions of uddiyana bandha performed continuously one after the other without breathing in between. Agni sara dhouti is perhaps more often called agni sara kriya or vahni sara kriya. Agni of course means fire. Sara means to wash. Dhouti here refers to the digestive tract. Agni sara kriya washes the abdomen by generating heat or fire. Thus, it is most often called simply, the fire wash.
Agni sara dhouti is like kapalbhati or bhastrika pranayama except there is no breathing during its performance, rather the air is held out in external retention (bahya kumbhaka) throughout. Agni sara thus sometimes looks much like a slightly slower kapalabhati except there is no breathing at all (it is done by holding out all the breath in external retention (bahya kumbhaa). It is one of the shat karmas (six cleansing activities of hatha yoga). Most perfer to this sitting in siddhasana or sukhasana but to start one may want to stand with knees softly legs bent and bending slightly forward at the navel (the navel folders in toward the spine). First one must have already learned the physical performance of uddiyana bandha, since agni sara is a continuous series of many uddiyana bandhas performed fast or slow (the speed is optional). Succinctly put, agni sara is the same as uddiyana bandha, except that it is done repeatedly (in and out) and rapidly while holding the breath out (bahya kumbhaka).
Technique
Start either sitting (say in Siddhasana) or standing. Place the hands on the thighs with the palms down. Extend the torso and back lifting the ribsup off the pelvis. Inhale and exhale. Then inhale halfway and then exhale all the breath out with uddiyana bandha and mulabandha. Apply jalandhara bandha. The breath is held outside (bahya kumbhaka) throughout, without any breathing. The uddiyana bandha is relaxed, then drawn back in, then relaxed again, then drawn back in, etc. Move the navel region back and forth many times in that manner.
This is repeated many times before any strain so that one may take in a fresh breath. Then let the breath come back to normal (or do kapalbhati or bhastrika pranayama to re-oxygenate) and repeat as above up to two more rounds. At first the normal practitioner who is no tused to uddiyana bandha will only be able to do five or so agni sara back and forth motions on one breath. Later with practice, it is easy to do 30 or 40 on one breath without straining depending on your capacity. Some rare people do 108 quick agni sara kriyas in one breath/ sitting but their breath retention abilities and uddiyana bandha are superior.
There are two types of agni sara dhouti. One is fast and more vigorous. It looks like the abdomen is being pumped in and out very rapidly centred at the navel point. This is the one that appears to generate the most heat. Working up to a round of fifty is usually adequate but the classic teaching is 100 or 108 on one breath. That will give complete mastery of agni sara kriya. Beginners might want to start with 5 - 10. That is one set.
It is ofen recommended to do three sets. But if you are already doing 50 or over, one set will adequate. After consistent practice, one can work up to 100 rapid back and forth movements without straining for air. It is much easier done immediately after a round of kapalbhati or bhastrika pranayama because the blood, tissues, glands and organs are already richly oxygenated and as a result, the external retention of the breath (bahya kumbhaka) is easier.
The second type of agni sara kriya is the same as above, but with much slower but deeper uddiyana bandhas. This is like doing many uddiyana bandhas, one after the other. Again no breathing. All is done with external (Bahya) kumbhaka (retention). One will find that the slower uddiyana bandha will allow for a deeper inward motion of the abdomen. However, it lacks slightly in warming and melting quality when compared with the quicker version. With the slow form 10 complete movements on one external retention (bahya kumbhaka) would be sufficient. It is the first version which gives off the most fire (agni). It cleanses the navel region, stimulates fire, burns and destroys toxins, and hence stimulates the immune system.
When agni sara kriya is done correctly, the navel region gets soft and strong. Fire is generated so that old toxins are able to be burned/ purified, thus, it is a cleansing activity (hatha yoga kriya).
Precaution:
Avoid the common mistake of pulling in form the area directly below the sternum (solar plexus). This is the area of stomach, pancrease and liver. In other words, do not allow the chest to sink and upper back to round, but rather allow the inward motion to be created at the line of the abdomen near or below the navel after first implementing and holding mulabandha, keeping the chest open, and lengthening the spine. Remember that the navel point can go in only if the muscles release and soften. We are not trying to build muscle, but rather heat. Relax, soften any hardness and tension, tonify the region with fire or energy, thus, burning up stagnant toxins.
