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No, it's not some obscure martial art or Jedi skill, but the ancient yogic technique of saline nasal irrigation.
I discovered this after my Septoplasty operation. After reading a friend's story of his septoplasty, he mentioned irrigating his nose with salt water to aid the healing process and I was intrigued to find out more.
So my first port of call was Google and I instantly turned up a number of articles on Jala Neti. This technique is part of a yogic cleansing ritual to prepare the body for meditation as well as promoting good nasal and respiratory health.
The technique requires a Neti pot, which is like a small teapot but with a conical tip on the spout. Fill the pot with warm water, about body temperature, and add one quarter of a teaspoon of salt. Now, whatever you do, do not use domestic cooking salt or the like. This contains anti caking agents and, in some cases, other preservative agents. These are not recommended to be poured into your delicate nasal passages and can cause lots of problems. You can buy pure dried salt that contains nothing but 100% salt and other trace minerals that naturally occur in salt which are not at all harmful. Ensure the salt has completely dissolved then, with your head over a sink, tilt it to one side about 60 degrees.Now place the spout of the pot in the upper nostril and start to pour. The water flows through the nostril, around the sinuses and very quickly exits through the other nostril. Some people do half a pot and then switch nostrils, or some do a whole pot per nostril. It's whatever you feel most comfortable with.
You will notice varying quantities of debris in the sink (especially on your first few attempts or after a long day in a polluted environment. I find that after a day working in London, I get all sorts of horrible stuff come out!) and when you have finished, you should hang your head down so the nose is the lowest part of your head and then exhale through your nose about 10 times with mild force to ensure all water has cleared.
There are further stages of Jala Neti but these are best done with an experienced teacher.
Why am I telling you all this ?
Well, I've been doing this for over six months now and it greatly helped the healing process after my op, but it has also improved my overall nasal function and as I suffer from hayfever and colds very badly in my nose, it has helped enormously there too.
It also makes my CPAP experience so much more comfortable too. A good Neti session before bed and first thing in the morning really freshens me up !
Read more here....
An excellent 41 page PDF can be found here....
I cannot recommend Jala Neti highly enough
I buy all my Neti materials from shopneti.co.uk. I can highly recommend the plastic Neti pot for first timers and travellers and the Himalayan Rock Salt is fantastic.
I would be glad to answer any questions on the subject so feel free to post
In the meantime, here are a few videos I found on YouTube to give you an idea. Sadly, my webcam doesn't stretch to the bathroom and I don't have time to grab my camcorder and set it up. Maybe another time.
I apologise in advance for the patronising advertorial style of some of these.
All the best,
Rob.
I discovered this after my Septoplasty operation. After reading a friend's story of his septoplasty, he mentioned irrigating his nose with salt water to aid the healing process and I was intrigued to find out more.
So my first port of call was Google and I instantly turned up a number of articles on Jala Neti. This technique is part of a yogic cleansing ritual to prepare the body for meditation as well as promoting good nasal and respiratory health.
The technique requires a Neti pot, which is like a small teapot but with a conical tip on the spout. Fill the pot with warm water, about body temperature, and add one quarter of a teaspoon of salt. Now, whatever you do, do not use domestic cooking salt or the like. This contains anti caking agents and, in some cases, other preservative agents. These are not recommended to be poured into your delicate nasal passages and can cause lots of problems. You can buy pure dried salt that contains nothing but 100% salt and other trace minerals that naturally occur in salt which are not at all harmful. Ensure the salt has completely dissolved then, with your head over a sink, tilt it to one side about 60 degrees.Now place the spout of the pot in the upper nostril and start to pour. The water flows through the nostril, around the sinuses and very quickly exits through the other nostril. Some people do half a pot and then switch nostrils, or some do a whole pot per nostril. It's whatever you feel most comfortable with.
You will notice varying quantities of debris in the sink (especially on your first few attempts or after a long day in a polluted environment. I find that after a day working in London, I get all sorts of horrible stuff come out!) and when you have finished, you should hang your head down so the nose is the lowest part of your head and then exhale through your nose about 10 times with mild force to ensure all water has cleared.
There are further stages of Jala Neti but these are best done with an experienced teacher.
Why am I telling you all this ?
Well, I've been doing this for over six months now and it greatly helped the healing process after my op, but it has also improved my overall nasal function and as I suffer from hayfever and colds very badly in my nose, it has helped enormously there too.
It also makes my CPAP experience so much more comfortable too. A good Neti session before bed and first thing in the morning really freshens me up !
Read more here....
An excellent 41 page PDF can be found here....
I cannot recommend Jala Neti highly enough
I buy all my Neti materials from shopneti.co.uk. I can highly recommend the plastic Neti pot for first timers and travellers and the Himalayan Rock Salt is fantastic.
I would be glad to answer any questions on the subject so feel free to post
In the meantime, here are a few videos I found on YouTube to give you an idea. Sadly, my webcam doesn't stretch to the bathroom and I don't have time to grab my camcorder and set it up. Maybe another time.
I apologise in advance for the patronising advertorial style of some of these.
All the best,
Rob.
They used their own "Pee" as the fuild, thats what put me off. They must have been the extreme end of the practice.
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