Imagine me slumped on the bathroom floor next to an empty bottle of salt water, dry heaving, repeating the mantra, "this is so good for me."
One and a half liters of water and salt. Drink fast. Vomit water. Feel clean.
Vaman kriya. It sounded like a really good idea at the time.
I woke up this morning at 3am. The world was spinning, I was incredibly nauseous, my stomach was bloated and tight, all I could do was lie there and moan. I was burping last night's meal and cursing my habit of social eating. I laid down on the bed, missing the morning's led class.
Hours later, I awoke with a semi-normal feeling in my stomach. Inspired by yesterday's talk on pranayama and kriyas, i had decided to try Vaman kriya. I couldn't fathom drinking all that water earlier, but at that point I was feeling alright. So I started to drink. I wasn't sure where to do it, but the toilet seemed too bulimic, so at first I tried the "kitchen sink". I was still a bit dizzy from earlier, so ended up shuffling to bathroom, where I sat next to the drain. I kept drinking the water and sticking my fingers down my throat. Dry heaving. I tried a spoon. Dry heaving. I gave up, laid back on my bed holding my belly now bloated with salt water and cursed all food. No food would enter these lips until the end of time...
Oooh I would NEVER try to make myself barf. I'm so deathly afraid of it, that I went from age 25 (morning after 24th birthday) to nearly 40 between my last two rounds of vomiting. It was some ice cream at Green Leaf that finally conquered me again, last winter.
ReplyDeleteHorrible. I'd suffer through food poisoning to let it go out the other end if possible. That time, there was just no keeping it down.
Wow, I have never heard anyone write about vaman kriya before, so thank you. I think it is an awful-sounding practice. Just because one culture thinks something is good does NOT make it so. For a huge example, take female circumcision. For a less extreme example, there are the debatable baby-rearing practices of different cultures - allowing the baby to cry all night in order to teach him to sleep through the night versus breast feeding the child until the child is old enough to say, "Thanks mom, I think I'll take it from here."
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better soon. And remember your own title. Bulimia by any other name is still, well, you get the point.
As my crazy eastern european (who thinks shes now european bc of the eu), roommate says, "Its just throwning up!" Crazy commies. Ha ha.
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, now. You've got to try everything once right?
Hey, it's your time on earth...do with it what you wish! I know what drinking salt water does to me - I have to do it every three years or so for a colonoscopy. No vomiting whatsoever...Can you say The Runs?
ReplyDeletehi elise!
ReplyDeleteso a few months ago I did the "master cleanse" which one step of this is similar to what you wrote about. basically for 10 days you drink fresh lemon juice mixed with water and maple syrup. at night a laxative tea, in the morning a salt water flush that is 32 oz. water with 2 teaspoons sea salt-which does not make you puke but goes THROUGH you fast. It was an interesting experience. lots of people consider it a fad diet. but I think it's just a pretty good way to "clean house" if you are careful. there's a forum about it here - http://www.therawfoodsite.com/forum/
I do a salt water flush along with some specific light asana every moon day. its easy to get it out the bum, but am not sure i'd be able to vomit it up.
ReplyDelete