If you suffer from allergies or just cant seem to kick the sniffles maybe its time for some good old nasal irrigation. In Ayurveda, the sister science to Yoga, the neti pot is used in daily hygiene and health routines. A neti pot is just a small tea pot filled with a warm saline solution that when put to one nostril slowly rinses out the nasal passage and nose. After doing it a couple times on both sides you will likely take a nice easefull, unblocked breath! I got my first Neti from my Dr. when I was a teen. I had a sinus infection but was allergic to antibiotics so my Dr. recommended trying the neti. It cleared me up in two days! I won't go into detail about the things the neti pot dislodged, but I will say I was astonished and am a forever believer. I had terrible allergies as a kid and am very susceptible to them now but with a regular yoga practice and a neti by my side I am able to keep my sniffles at bay.
Here are some simple and effective recipes for your neti:)
Neti Pot Solution Recipes
- Dissolve ½ teaspoon of salt (uniodized or sea salt) and ½ teaspoon
of baking soda in 8 ounces of lukewarm (body temperature) sterile,
distilled or previously boiled water to prepare the base solution.
- Alternatively use more salt and less soda: ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼
of baking soda. Baking soda adjusts the pH of the solution to the one
your body has.
- 3 drops of goldenseal tincture added to the base solution will drain the excessive mucous production.
- To ease nasal dryness add 2-3 drops of sesame essential oil or aloe extract.
- 2-3 drops of garlic oil, 2-3 drops of grapefruit seed extract or 5-6
drops of 3% hydrogen peroxide added to the base solution are applied as
sinus infection treatment.
