Teaching of the Month. Saucha.
No, this is not a tea-pot!
It is a Neti Pot!
Please read on……
It seems particularly appropriate at this time to turn to alternative medicine to look for ways to keep healthy. For many centuries, yogis have practiced rituals for cleansing the body….(the yogic practice of Saucha….purity.) Some of these practices are rather far-fetched (!), but here’s one that is extremely practical. Read on…
Nasal irrigation or nasal lavage is the personal hygiene practice in which the nasal cavity is washed to flush out excess mucus and debris from the nose and sinuses. It has been practiced in India for centuries as one of the disciplines of yoga. Clinical testing has shown that this practice is safe and beneficial with no significant side effects….and has been actively promoted by Oprah Winfrey! Nasal irrigation in a wider sense can also refer to the use of saline nasal spray or nebulizers to moisten the mucus membranes.
The simplest technique is to snort water from cupped hands. Spraying the solution into the nostrils is more convenient, but also less effective. The most effective methods ensure that the liquid enters through one nostril and then either runs out of the other nostril or goes through the nasal cavity to the back of the throat from where it may be spat out. The necessary pressure comes from gravity, from squeezing a plastic bottle or a syringe, or from an electrical pump. Warm salt water is commonly used, often with sodium bicarbonate as a buffering agent. The water and additives serve to flush the sinus regions and helps to displace bacteria.
Bacteria love to hang out in dark, damp places, and what better place than the sinuses?! Especially now, during this active flu season, why not give a Neti Pot a try? The first time you use it, you will feel like you are under water….but as one new user said just the other day…”Wow! You would be surprised at what is up there!”
Most Drug stores carry the Neti Pot! They usually come with the prepackaged packets of mix. For an online demo, please go to:
http://www.5min.com/Video/Learn-about-Neti-Pot-114223554
Saucha is purity that operates on many levels. We aspire to cleanliness for our bodies by washing ourselves, maintaining clean and orderly homes, eating healthy food and drinking clean water. We aspire to cleanliness in our minds and speech by not polluting our minds or speech with negativity or grasping after emotionally and physically charged obsessions. In other words, we find a balance that gives us a way to feel ourselves as clean and clear. As are the other yamas and niyamas, saucha is a pre-condition for experiencing the fullness of yoga and attaining enlightenment.