How Use A Neti Pot
"Neti" is a gentle rinsing of nasal passages that originated in India thousands of years ago. The simple "pot" device uses a pure water and salt solution to wash away pollen, mucus and other undesirable substances, encouraging optimal operation of your body's own filtering system, your nose.
How ‘Neti’ is done
A neti pot is filled with warm, slightly salted water and the spout of the pot is inserted into one nostril. The position of the head and pot are adjusted to allow the water to flow out of the other nostril.
The technique is not as uncomfortable or difficult as you may think at first. You will be pleasantly surprised at this simple and effective practice for maintaining your health. Once learnt, neti can be done in about 3 minutes and is easily integrated into a daily routine of body cleansing such as showering .
Neti pot instructions
- Prepare the saline solution with lukewarm water and fill the neti pot. Hot water is irritating and dangerous. Cool water is not soothing.
- Tilt your head to the side as shown in the picture at the beginning of this article.
- Insert spout of neti pot gently into the raised nostril creating a seal between the neti pot and the nostril. If it drains out of your mouth, lower your forehead in relation to your chin.
- Relax. If you are calm, the water flows right through. But if you aren't, it just won't flow. If you keep breathing through your mouth, relaxed, the water should gently flow through the nose on its own. There's no forcing it.
- Raise the neti pot slowly to develop a steady flow of saline solution through the upper nostril and out the lower nostril.
- During the process breathe through your mouth.
- When you're done, exhale firmly several times to clear the nasal passages.
- Reverse the tilt of your head and repeat the process on the other side
Preparing The Solution
Mix a heaping ¼ tsp of finely ground non-iodised salt or a slightly rounded ½ tsp of coarsely ground salt in the neti pot with 200ml of warm water until the salt is completely dissolved.
