Achieve balance and awaken yourself through neti

Neti rebalances the nadis and awakens ajna chakra

I used to be very cynical of neti.  Why would anyone want to pour salty water up their nose through one nostril so that it comes running out the opposite side? Eeek! Uggghh!. But the practice is sweet, I can tell you. It cleans out your head, your eyes sparkle, you feel a spaciousness in your brain, the breath is open and expansive through the nostrils. The body sighs in ecstasy as you do it. Its like you feel a 'high' after doing neti. Well at least that is my experience.

Benefits
If you look at the yoga research ,  Neti has been used successfully to treat the following ailments: colds and coughs, eye ailments, nose ailments, throat ailments, sinusitis, tonsillitis, catarrh, adenoid inflammation, headache, insomnia, tiredness, migraine, epilepsy, depression, tension, lung diseases (asthma, pneumonia, tuberculosis and bronchitis), facial paralysis. It certainly alleviates mental health conditions such as anxiety, anger and depression as well as 'brain fog' where your thinking is foggy and muddled. Perhaps the most surprising of the benefits includes the alleviation of facial paralysis, epilepsy and migraine.

How it works
Essentially neti works by directly stimulating the olfactory nerve, and the trigeminal nerve going from the nose/face into the brain, and the mucous membrane, lymphatic and blood vessels of the nasal cavity. This helps the nasal passages to work more efficiently at purifying the air before going into the lungs, the eyes and the eye muscles are relaxed which relaxes the face.
The autonomic nervous system is rebalanced - so the sympathetic (SNS, fear, fight or flight) and the parasympathetic (PNS, relaxation response) are in equipose. The olfactory nerves in the nose are connected to a part of the brain called the hippocampus which is associated with deeper structures in the brain, concerned with regulation of the autonomic nerves. Stimulation of the olfactory nerves thus influences the autonomic functions of the body.
The pranic channels are opened and balanced - these correspond to the meridians of TCM. Through stimulation of the nostril channels the sinus arrythmia is balanced (the alternating flow of breath through left and right nostrils). The flow of breath through the nostrils influences the nadis. In yoga we call the left nostril flow ida nadi and the right pingala nadi - the former being associated with the PNS and the latter SNS. For adept yogis these are balanced so that left and right are in a state of sushumna nadi - balanced central flow, bringing balance to the nervous system and the whole body-mind.
Neti brings about a profound physical stimulation of the whole brain. It helps to bring relief in cases of facial paralysis and other nervous diseases. Soothing of the brain helps to soothe and relax the rest of the body. Neti helps to remove blocks in the flow of nervous impulses and thereby it brings good health.

Awakening
Neti awakens ajna chakra the seat of insight, intuition and transcendence located in the mid eyebrow point. In acupuncture, the point between the eyebrows is called GV (governor vessel) 24.5. It corresponds to the point called the bhrumadhya in yogic terminology. It is the trigger point for the ajna chakra which is a very important psychic centre. It is the point where the ida and pingala meet and flow as one channel- the sushumna. There are many methods of stimulating this point: acupuncture uses needles etc., yoga uses other techniques including neti.

How to do it
I tend to practice neti two or three times a week. Avoid doing it everyday, as the body could lose its natural balance. But when you first start do it every day for the first 3 months to effect rebalance.

1. Get yourself a good pot - the rolls royce is the nosebuddy pot. And it really is eons ahead of other pots (see right) - you wouldn't believe. Though it might look a bit rude! Fill it to the line drawn on the side, with lukewarm body temperature water.

2. Use the spoon provided with the pot to add a spoon's worth of salt - cooking salt is best.  DO NOT use sea salt - or ouch!!!  stir well to dissolve the salt fully into the water.  If, when you do the practice, it stings the reason is that you have not got the salt balance right.  Salt balance is crucial in matching the osmotic potential of the water with that of your body so that the body 'thinks' that the neti water is simply more of your own body fluid and the process feels sweet.
3. Breathing through your mouth, insert the spout gently into your left nostril, slowly tilt your head and pot slowly sideways to the right so that the water runs into the left nostril and out through the right one. This will happen automatically, provided the position of the pot and the angle of your head are correct, and the mouth is open for breathing. Allow all the water in the pot to flow freely until it is empty and then repeat on the right nostril. If the water passes down the back of the throat you have your head in the wrong position and you need to change the angle.




its important to dry the nostrils


4. After completion, the nostrils need to be dried and cleared completely of water. Do this firstly by bending forward so that the top of your head is hanging down. Slowly tilt your head to each side in turn and lift up and down a little, slowly. Stay inverted for about 30 secs until nostrils are drained. stand up and blow sharply (bhastrika) through one nostril about 20 times, then the other. Then repeat bhastrika through both nostrils until clear. Test if they are dry by blowing through both onto the back of the hand, if you don't feel water then you have probably completed the drying process.