Thursday, December 01, 2005

The joy of a neti pot...

Monday I picked up a neti pot. I've been meaning to for a long time. Due to it being the new moon I had a bit of extra time so I pulled it out of the package, mixed up a light warm saline solution (with sea salt) and gave it a try. What a great device! I swear that I must have rinsed stuff out of my sinuses that had been there for years. Now I need to set the alarm a few minutes earlier so I can get up and do this before practice. I typically spend most of the Suryas focused on how much my sinuses are blocked. Of course, by the second or third Surya B I'm clear, but I imagine that being clear from the start will assist in my focus on the bandhas and mental vigilance.

As I used the neti pot I couldn't help but wonder why this practice hasn't been integrated into our culture. I mean, it is so simple and so beneficial! You'd think that people would be clamoring to get to any technology that would help them to breath better. During my ayahuasca ceremony I had the great pleasure of sitting next to a man who was having a fairly intense purge. It was beautiful and horrifying at the same time as he just kept on expelling various demons. At one point when we were passing around the pipe he went on a phenomenal rant about how we need to teach our children to keep there noses clean. He was so very sincere about it. His rant hit a note deep within me. Our children need to be presented with all the information we have massed about how to breathe, how to cleanse and how to be as healthy as they can be.

Why is this not imperative on a cultural level? Sometimes humans are so confusing.

I'm just thrilled to have experienced the joy of a neti pot!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

My husband, not a yoga practitioner, has been doing this for years and years... I have tried once but I can't get past the uncomfortable fear....

Anonymous said...

Wow, that was quite an endorsement.
I think Im gonna have to give it a shot.

Karen said...

I like the neti pot, but my boyfriend LOVES it. He doesn't practice yoga, and he made fun of the neti pot for about a week before he tried it and was instantly addicted.

Anonymous said...

I have heard of the neti pot but never tried until I went to India my friend Henrik recommend, and I tried it,it worked. How amazing it is to breathe...........

Anonymous said...

NPR Morning Edition had a report a few weeks ago on the neti pot and research being conducted showing that it has a measurable effect on controlling the common cold. I'm a neti man too - every morning before practice.