Jal Neti - yogic cleansing
Neti pot that’s used to perform the cleansing technique.
Im here after a bit and now I think that has started to be a bit repetitive to say this itself. So, I’m going to skip the repeated lines and dive into why i’m now here. It’s a good learning over a few months now, that nothing really changes for you to take time for things you love. It just must be given priority and time that you can’t share with anyone.
With passing time, I’ve realised that so less is the time we have in hand to do things we enjoy. Most part of our lives are invested in things that are a part of mandatory society standards, the mundane and for the things that bring not much of joy to our internal system.
Its been a year to practicing Hatha Yoga, regularly under the guidance of a yogic practitioner with not just knowledge of yoga as exercise, but also as a system that help the soul line up with the body.
I’ve dived into parts of yogic living by just making small changes in my routine. Its not that easy if you start to think, but as you make subtle changes one after the other, giving each good change some time to register in your mind, body and routine, things start to look easier than you thought.
Time has made me think if I only want to share food stories in my blog and wait for the right time and situation to post it or let my thoughts flow into you making small impacts (maybe / eventually) creating an unknown pen friendship that helps us grow happily together yet in our own spaces.
My body type is more defined by the Kapha (Kapha body type may be more susceptible to fluid retention, allergies, and digestive issues when their dosha is out of balance.) This means I wake up with a whole lot of nasal stuffiness that define my day into a sluggy one. Nevertheless, Ive tried and tested different modes of mediation and I tend to come back to Ayurveda. (the authenticity of Ayurveda path of medication in Kerala is unmatched to the modern Ayurveda or mere jadibooti babas you find in other parts of India)
With much study about my conditions of sinus, chest congestions and allergies, my yogic gurus pointed me to a something I never heard of.
Jal Neti.
The Neti Pot
A copper vessel with a jug like look and a spout to fit the nostril for ease of irrigation.
This photo of a vessel might look like a vintage jug from the kitchen, but it is a copper pot that allows you to practice Jal Neti Kriya. The thought of using a “so looking” contraption for a kapha issue looked a bit over the top to me at first.
So what is Jal Neti anyways?
Lets step into why its done in the first place. There are tons of cra* in our body and it’s not always our mundane system of flushing off the waste in our body that actually cleans up our body.
Some of us are a bit more prone to nasal congestions that go beyond just blowing off from the nostrils. It could be sinus, allergies like pollen or mites, or one could be prone to general morning stuffiness.
Hatha Yoga Pradapika (introduced to me by my guru) is a textual system with practical studies and applications that have recorded different forms of cleansing the body. From the vast text of Hatha Yoga, i’m pulling out only references to cleansing techniques. One such cleansing technique of the nasal passages is Jal Neti.
Jal means water and Neti means drawing out. So the water that pulls off congestions and mucus from the nasal passages is Jal Neti. It is a Yoga Kriya that yoga practitioners do to clear the system of breath in one’s body. It helps the yogi to breathe efficiently and practice different forms of Pranayama ( Breathing techniques to improve ones outer and inner self)
As wonderful it might sound, the technique requires a guru and a bit time of skill. I wouldn’t suggest that you get an amazon delivery of the pot and DIY to complications.
Using rock salt and lukewarm clean water from this vessel, the water is streamed into one nostril and made to release from the other nostril cleaning off any congestions and blocks caused by nasty mucus in the breathing system of our body.
Ive just started to practice this Kriya after learning it from my guru and it honestly it feels a bit scary to practice but the effect seems instant.
This technique also clears off the heaviness of the head, headaches, puffiness of the eyes, cheeks, jaw, congestions on the chest, nose, head, throat.
Why on earth am I writing all of this? It’s a mind that said I need to share this with anyone who needed to know. And I felt the need to be more present in the space i’ve created with so much love and care.
If you are someone who struggles to get through a day with breathing problems, write in to me to chat on. Maybe sharing those thoughts might be meaningful to the situation.
My immediate thoughts on this Kriya is that it works from the moment you begin. I felt like there’s so much built up in my breathing system that needs proper cleansing and rejuvenation.
I am extremely grateful to my gurus who constantly work on my conditions, fear, thoughts, and help me get through each day transforming my mundane and irregularities to meaningful somethings.
Il be back soon with something new or something just so regular but il be back soon.
