Neti

Neti (Jala Neti)
is one of the cleansing practices of Yoga

The purpose of neti is to cleanse the sinuses as well as the nasal tubes and cavities.  This is done with salty water.  It is a blessing for those who suffer from frequent colds, rhinitis and/or sinusitis as it seems to keep these completely at bay.  It also seems to prevent the pain in the ears, that some people find excruciating, when flying.

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To Practise (the Jolly way!)

It is a good idea to be familiar and comfortable with ujjayi (drawing breath) alternate nostril breathing (nadi sodhana) and breath holding (antara kumbhaka) before beginning Neti.

Boiled water cooled to tepid is best.  Pour the water into a bowl about 15 cm in diameter.  The most important part is this: add approximately 1 teaspoon of salt to 1 pint of water.  This will make the practise pleasant and comfortable (unlike when you accidentally breathe unsalted water in through your nose when swimming).

Take in a comfortable breath of air as you are going to be holding your breath for a short while.  Lower your nose into the water and, with your mouth closed, waggle your epiglottis, rhythmically and steadily, sort of blocking and releasing the trachea.  You can stop at any time for a breath.  Experiment a little with this waggling and you will find it feels a little like drinking through your nose and the water will begin to flow slowly and in a very controlled way up the nose.  Continue with this, pausing whenever you choose for a breath.  If you find it easy and you are relaxed you just continue with this waggling and after some time, longer than you might expect, the water will trickle into the throat and you can expel as you do when you finish brushing your teeth.

You can do this practice one nostril at a time by simply pressing on the side of the nose with a finger to close one nostril.

When finished you may like to blow your nose strongly through each nostril in turn to complete the cleansing and to prevent the nose from suddenly dripping later on!  Assuming you have no food intolerances, if you practise daily this becomes unnecessary as everything is so pure and clean.

Alternative methods

1.         You can purchase a ‘neti pot’ and perform this practice in a different way but it is not as effective and is rather uncontrolled!  This way you pour the water into one nostril and it should flow out through the other.  This method is, in my experience, not nearly as beneficial but one could presumably use the neti pot with the first method.

2.         The commonly taught method without a neti pot, is to put the nose into a bowl of water and sniff the water up into the nose and then spit it out.

Only to be practised with an expert guiding you to protect against inflammation

3.         A length of cotton can be dipped into warm water then inserted into one nostril and drawn out through the mouth via the throat or through the opposite nostril.  The cotton is then gently pulled to and fro to cleanse the passages.  The westerner could substitute a thin catheter lubricated with antiseptic jelly.  This method has the advantage of accustoming us to procedures that explore internal parts of the body which helps us remain relaxed when undergoing, for instance, medical investigations involving scoping the throat via the nose.

Strictly speaking these practices are called Vyut-krama – if practised the other way round, the mouth being filled with water which is then expelled through the nostrils, this is called Sit-krama.

Benefits attributed by the Yogis to the regular practice of Neti are:

Relief from and usually cure for rhinitis, colds and coryza.

Improved vision as a result of the effect on the eyes

Enhanced olfactory nerve sensitivity and functioning

Cleansing of the nerves and brain which often relieves and cures migraine

Purification of the skull may lead to clairvoyance (although this is not relevant to Yoga as interest in such things is seen as a distraction from our true purpose)

If practised using a 12 inch thread it is said to remove illness from above the shoulders

Swami Sivananda concluded that irregular breathing and some sicknesses could be attributed to unclean nostrils because practising Neti regularly brings about relief and/or cure.

The Gheranda Samhita (an Ancient Yogic text) says “by this practice … one becomes like the god Cupid.  Old age never comes to him and decrepitude never disfigures him.  The body becomes healthy, elalstic and disorders due to phlegm are destroyed”.