Yogic Hygiene: How to Clean Your Teeth, Mouth and Ears

We have often heard of different breathing techniques to cleanse our bodies. Additionally, yoga can even help care for your teeth, mouth, and ears. These practices help you cleanse your body internally, although we need to take external care as well.

Check out a few yogic techniques that help in the acts.

The teeth and mouth

Dantamula Dhouti

Dantamula Dhouti is excellent for dental care as it involves massaging your teeth and gums. The massaging makes the teeth and gums healthy and improves blood circulation to the gums. It also helps to deal with bad breath/ foul smell in the mouth.

How to do Dantamula Dhouti?

• Open your mouth wide, so that you can enter your index finger and thumb
• Place one finger outside of the lower set of teeth and the other on the inside. Begin massaging your gums, the movement of the fingers will be top of the tooth down to the gum 
• Similarly, repeat on the upper set of teeth
• The massaging act should be like milking

Caution: Avoid in case of bleeding/ swelling of gums, painful gums, and of course, long nails.

Also read: What Does Yoga Do to Your Body?

Yoga dental hygiene also recommends using fresh babul twigs, the delicate shoots of a banyan tree, or branches of a neem tree as they have strong alkaline and astringent properties.

The tongue 

Jivha Mula Shodhana 

Using a U-shaped silver, copper or stainless steel tongue cleaner is very common. Jivha Mula Shodhana is cleansing the root of the tongue, which affects the entire digestive and eliminative process. Therefore, this technique is best done in the morning as it helps good bowel movement.

How to do Jivha Mula Shodhana?

• Stand in front of a basin 
• After brushing your teeth and cleaning your tongue, open your mouth wide
• Now insert your index and middle fingers into the mouth and rub the tips of your fingers as far back the root of the tongue
• Continue rubbing for one or two times more till you feel the sensation of throwing up
• Gargle with water

Caution: Avoid in case of sore throat, swelling, or painful tongue. Make sure you cut your nails and clean them properly before inserting your fingers into your mouth.

The ear

Karna Randhra Dhouti

To care for the external ear, Hathayoga recommends the practice of Karna Randhra Dhouti. This practice not only cleanses the ear canal, but also maintains its elasticity and suppleness. Along with that, it prevents age-related hearing loss when practiced regularly. It can be easily done while bathing. 

How to do Karna Randhra Dhouti?

• Wet your index fingers in both hands and gently insert them into your ear canals
• Now with awareness rotate your fingers clockwise and anti-clockwise
• You do not have to insert too deep into the ear canal
• Two or three such rotations are enough. Gently remove your fingers

Caution: Avoid this practice during ear infections or any other ear problems. Make sure your nails are well clipped to avoid any injury.

Also read: Useful Tips for Yoga Beginners

Your teeth, mouth, and ears are extremely important parts of your body, and only their external cleaning is not enough. Yoga can help with the process of internal cleaning of the body efficiently.