I want to share a little secret with you on how to prevent colds and flu during the winter months. It involves practicing a couple of techniques that Ayurveda has recommended for thousands of years.
The secret is…. keeping your nasal passageway clean and free form bacteria and viruses that are easily spread through our environment.
So, the big question is, what are the Ayurveda techniques and how do you do them in order to prevent the colds during the winter cold & flu season.
The answer involves two practices called Neti and Nasya
I believe these are two techniques that everyone can benefit from and are especially great tools for a yoga teachers or health practitioners.
“I have been doing these practices for years and has it has helped me with many sinus problems (including getting rid of allergies) and chronic colds.”
Both Neti and Nasya prevent colds and flus because they kill viruses and eliminate bacteria that enters and lingers in your nasal passageway.
In addition, these practices allow you to breath more freely and allows for more prana (energy) and oxygen to get to your brain.
This oxygen and prana or life-force energy stimulates and rejuvenates your brain allowing you to have more focus, clarity, concentration and energy.
What is Nasya and How to Perform it?
Nasya is the application of oils infused with herbs or essential oils into the nose and nasal passage. It can be applied using an oil dropper directly into your nose.
It can also be done by adding the infused oils into your neti pot or applying a small amount of oil on your finger, placing it in your nostrils and then massaging it into your nose.
In our Ayurveda and yoga trainings and courses we teach you how to prepare and apply oils with infused herbs such as calamus, eucalyptus, camphor or mint into a nasya oil.
What is Neti and How to Perform it?
Saltwater using a neti pot is the simplest way to do neti and cleanse your nasal passage from viruses and bacteria.
A neti pot is a special pot in which you can add un-iodized sea salt and/or oils to water that creates a mixture for cleansing the nasal passage.
Using a neti pot to cleanse the nasal passageway is quite simple. First you need to buy a neti pot and the salt to create a saline solution.
You can buy a neti pot and salt at a variety of different places these days – most commonly at a drug store or a yoga studio.
Once you have your water (distilled or purified is best), pot and salt, fill the pot up with warm water, add a pinch or about a 1/4 teaspoon of salt and gently swirl the warm saltwater solution around in the neti pot.
It is important to note that too much or too little salt will cause discomfort in your nose, in the form of a burning sensation.
Next, place the spout from the neti pot firmly in the left nostril and tilt your head to the right or bring your right ear towards the sink.
The stream of water should flow freely into the left nostril and nasal passage and then flow out of the right nasal passage and nostril.
Once all the water from your neti pot has flowed through the nostrils and into the sink, repeat the same process on the other side – pouring more saline solution into the right nostril and out the left.
Once both sides of the nose and sinuses have been flushed, you should gently blow each nostril into a tissue to expel any excess water.
If both nostrils are plugged, it may be difficult to use the neti pot and you should wait until your nostrils are cleared to attempt this. Doing this after a warm shower can help.
Also, it is important that the spout of the neti pot be fitted to the nostril securely to form a water-tight seal.
Most neti pot kits that you buy come with directions which can be helpful.
Practice make perfect and after a while, using a neti pot will become quick and easy for you to do.