Allergy Relief with Jai Neti Yogic Technique – Saline Nasal Irrigation
Jal Neti Yogic Technique
Nasal Irrigation to Fight Allergies
A few months ago I detailed this wonderful Yogic technique for fighting allergies and improving your awareness in the the Monthly newsletter and today I would like to share it with all the readers of the blog, as I feel this is a great technique to use and employ during this high allergy time.
Spring is here now in the US and with that comes the dreaded allergies that many people suffer from. To help you all I want to explain an Ayurvedic/Yogic Cleansing technique which is excellent for clearing the sinuses and strengthening the subtle channels and membranes in the eyes, ears, nose and throat region. It is called Jal Neti or Nasal Irrigation.
Although at first Jal Neti might appear daunting (or disgusting :-) to do, I assure you after a few tries, you will wonder why people think it is difficult. This is one of the best morning practices you can adopt and it bestows a long list of excellent physical, emotional, mental and spiritual benefits.
Below are the details for practicing this wonderful cleansing and toning technique. If you have not tried it yet, I strongly suggest you do!
Tools Needed for Jal Neti – Saline Nasal Irrigation:
- Neti Pot
- Salt (pure sea salt is preferred)
- Warm Water
The MANY Benefits of Jal Neti – Saline Nasal Irrigation:
- Excellent for those with allergies, hay fever, etc.
- Excellent for those prone to getting colds and coughs.
- Treats other respiratory ailments such as sinusitis, asthma, etc.
- Good for the ears and eyes.
- Promotes awareness, intuition and clarity (yes it works on the Third Eye Chakra to do this :-).
- Helps with headaches and migraines.
- Promotes a sense of freshness and alertness.
- Calms the mind and senses. Promotes peace and tranquility.
How to do Jal Neti – Saline Nasal Irrigation:
- The best time for doing Jal Neti is first thing in the morning as part of your morning routine.
- Fill a tall glass with warm water, or if your Neti Pot is big enough fill it with warm water.
- Add salt to the water. The portions you should use are as follows. 1 level teaspoon of salt for 16 ounces of water (about 1/2 liter of water). This will bring the solution to the right level for the body to accept.
- Place the tip of the pot into the right nostril to form a gentle seal.
- Lean forward from the waist, open your mouth and tilt the head to the right.
- The water will start to enter through the right nostril and as you remain in this position, will start to flow out the left nostril.
- Breathe through the mouth during this time. Allow 8 ounces or more of water to rinse through.
- Then remove the pot and GENTLY blow your nose to expel the rest of the water.
- Once the water has been cleared out, do the other side. Water in through the left nostril and out through right.
- Again blow out the water gently once done and you can repeat the cycle if you like.
Jal Neti – Nasal Irrigation Tips and Tricks:
I regularly practice this techniques and want to share with you some important tips to help you with your own practice.
- Make sure the water is not cool and is not too hot. Luke warm will be least irritating. Also, modify the salt content slightly to suit your body. If all is correct it will feel quite smooth and comfortable.
- I have a small pot, so I mix the solution in a large glass first and then pour half into the pot to do one side, and then half to do the other.
- Keep everything handy as that will go a long way in making this a regular practice. Keep all the necessary stuff in your bathroom itself, including the salt.
- I want to re-emphasize that DO NOT blow your nose hard and do not pinch your nostrils when blowing out. This is counter productive and will send rubbish up into your ear canals and upper membranes.
- Keep a tissue with you as some of the water may leak out a few minutes after you are done.
- I bought my Neti Pot at Walgreens, but you can find it on Amazon or other Yoga stores as well.
- You can do Jal Neti more than once a day, although for regular practice one or two times a day is enough.
- Even though this does not sound like the most pleasant practice, it is really worth it and once you do it you will really enjoy the benefits and will soon be promoting it to others as well :-).
Hi there Anmol! I really appreciate these free videos and the information you share. But I wonder if you had heard of a couple of cases where some one contracted something through the nasal cavity because there were microorganism in the tap water? Is was very rare, but as a caution the water used in neti pot should be boiled and cooled to warm temp. I hope this info. is helpful. God bless you,Eileen
FYI…..to make an isotonic solution of saline 0.9% you use 1 tsp of salt to 1 liter or 32 oz. of water. Or 1/4 tsp. of salt for 8 oz. of water. Using more salt makes a hypertonic solution, which burns the mucus membranes of the nares as too does using less salt (making a hypotonic saline solution).
If you have a cold or sinus infection….use your Neti Pot 6 or more times a day to flush out the microorganisms and you will recover very soon.
Pat Khan RN
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Hello, firstly , i love this site and it is so informative :) i have many allergic manifestations like skin rash, asthma and hay fever. I wanna try this way out but i don’t understand the method of placing water into nostrils. How should i place my face? up? and if i tilt the head to right, doesn’t the water come out without entering the nostrils? Thank you so much!
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Our readers enjoy hearing about both traditional and natural remedies to treat their allergy symptoms. We recently did a post on nasal irrigation on our blog, but I had a question for you on this topic: are neti pots and other nasal irrigation techniques all basically the same, or are there differences between Jal Neti and others?
I’ve asked a couple of different experts this question, and I’ll be letting our readers know what the various opinions are when I’ve got the feedback. Would really appreciate your (and your readers’!) comments.
Thanks! Lee
Hi,
Nice information for allergy relief.
Thanks.
Rain777,
This is very unusual and we have not come across such a report before. If indeed the problem is due to jal neti, then we dont suggest you use that method unless you can get a yoga teacher to check exactly how you are doing it.
If you have blocked nose, or a cold, please try the other tips we have in the followig article…
https://anmolmehta.com/2008/12/09/ayurveda-yogic-tips-for-fighting-colds-flu/
All the best,
Trupti
dear anmol, quite a few months back, i was practising the jal neti method to clean my nostril. I felt that my breathing is easier after doing it. But the problem is that maybe i couldn’t get all the water out of my nostril and that it had get into my lung. After that i was coughing heavily everyday and did not realise the what went wrong. Then i go to doctor and he said that water had enter into my lung. That make me coughing every day. Why is it that? I am now afraid to try the jal neti method even though my nose blocked. Please help me. Thanks, anmol ;-)
This is a very sane practice to do every day. One advice : do not swallow during jai neti, as dust in your nose would then go right to your stomach.