Are you using your neti pot often enough?
Neti pots aren’t a new idea to most people these days. Filling a small ceramic or stainless spouted pot with warm salt water and pouring it through your nostrils is a practice from Ayurveda and Yoga that many people have tried. (Even if your eyes just got wide and you screeched, “Do what with salt water?” take a breath and stay with me.)
Occasional neti isn’t optimal
I used to do what’s called jal neti (rinsing with water) whenever I got a cold or I happened to think of it. Naturally, my neti pot sat idle in my cabinet most of the time. Meanwhile, I sniffled my way through my days with pockets full of tissues. Then I started Ayurveda and learned that using the neti pot everyday was an excellent practice as part of what’s called Dinacharya, your morning ritual (you can read more about Dinacharya here.) I pulled out my neti pot and gave regular use a try. Wow, what a difference.
Reduce your respiratory symptoms
My sniffles are significantly reduced. The mornings when I wake up with a runny nose and sneezing due to allergic reactions have diminished to almost nothing, and I breathe more easily when I sleep. The same has proved true for my husband. He had a terrible problem with congestion in the morning that had him hacking up phlegm daily. He started (almost) daily use of his neti pot, and everything is better. He uses his mostly at night and it helps him sleep as well as reducing the morning coughing.
Here’s what I use
I do not recommend using the nasal irrigation devices that force water through the nose. There’s no need for that pressure. Plus, you don’t want your warm salt water in plastic. Select a non-plastic pot if you can. I prefer a stainless-steel pot that’s big enough to do both nostrils, so I don’t have to refill in between. I buy Himalayan Chandra Neti Salt online. You can use regular table salt, but not iodized, please.
Here’s how I use my neti pot
I keep my neti pot and a container of salt with a little measuring cup inside in a plastic bag all together. I pull it out of the cabinet in the morning after I scrape my tongue and brush my teeth. I use warm tap water (you can warm up filtered water if you prefer), use the larger measure of salt (experiment with this to use as much salt as is comfortable for you), lean over my sink and run the water into my right nostril. For me, it pours freely out through my left nostril. If yours is blocked, you really need to do this practice! Be patient. Try a little at a time. I use half the water in my pot and then repeat on the other nostril. It literally takes me a couple minutes. I bend over my bathroom rug to let any excess water pour out, which sometimes happens and sometimes not. I may gently blow my nose afterward, then wait a bit and use warm nasya oil (also the subject of another later blog).
After that, I enjoy breathing better all day.
Questions?
Any questions? Give it a try for a day or two and then come share your experience. It’s normal to feel a little like you’re drowning at first. Don’t worry. LOL. And some people never get used to it but give it a fair shake before you give up. In my experience, it’s well worth it.