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Jala & Sutra Neti Instructions

    Summary of the Benefits of Jala Neti

  • Neti removes all the dirt and bacteria filled mucus from within the nose.
  • It also helps to drain the sinus cavities. This in turn, will help to reprogramme the body’s natural mechanisms against nasal infections such as hayfever, allergies, sinusitis and other upper respiratory complaints like sore throats and coughs, post nasal drip, inflammation of tonsils and adenoids.
  • It is beneficial for illnesses such as asthma and bronchitis as it reduces the tendency for mouth breathing by freeing the nostrils of mucus.
  • It has a cooling and soothing effect on the brain by drawing out excessive heat, and is therefore beneficial for headaches, migraine, epilepsy, temper tantrums, hysteria, depression and general mental tension.
  • Neti is of great benefit for problems associated with the eyes. It helps flush the tear ducts, encouraging clearer vision and gives a sparkle to the eyes.
  • It can be beneficial for certain types of ear disorders such as middle ear infections, glue ear, tinitis.
  • Neti improves sensitivity of the olfactory nerves, helping to restore lost sense of smell, and thereby benefits the relationship with taste and the digestive processes.
  • It has subtle effects on the pineal and pituitary glands which control the hormonal system. This has a harmonising effect on emotional behaviour.
  • Neti affects the psychic centre known as Ajna Chakra which helps in awakening higher states of meditation.
  • It helps to stimulate better powers of visualisation and concentration and gives a feeling of lightness and clarity to the mind.
  • Neti is excellent for those trying to give up smoking. Since it reduces the tendency for mouth breathing, Neti re-sensitises the nose to the actual pollution of ingesting smoke, thereby de-programming the brain of the physical and psychological addiction.


    Method (Stage 1)jala neti
  • Nasal cleansing can be performed over a sink,
    a bowl on a table, in the shower or outside.

    First fill the Neti Pot
    with warm water of a temperature suitable for pouring in the nose. Neither too hot or cold. Just like testing a baby’s bottle, pour a bit on your arm or taste and spit to check the temperature. A little hotter than warm is better than colder. Pure water is best if available. Mix in salt to the proportion of one teaspoon for half a litre of water. This equates to 0.9% and is called isotonic solution – the same as human blood. Sea salt is best if available. (See section following - “Recommended Salts for Use in Jala Neti”). Mix the salt thoroughly. Taste the water and spit, to be sure of the correct mix and temperature. It will not be as salty as sea water. Adjust if not correct. After several attempts you will be able to recognise the exact correct mixture by taste.
  • Place the nose cone into the right nostril, sealing it inside the nostril with a few twists and slight pressure. Try to point the spout straight up in line with the nasal passage so as not to block off the tip of the nozzle on the inside of the nose. Open your mouth and breathe gently through the mouth. Try not to sniff, swallow, laugh, talk or have any movement of air through the nose whilst the water is flowing through.
  • Now slowly bend forward from the waist so that the tip of the nose is the lowest point of the head; and then tilt/roll the head to the right, so that the left nostril is now the lowest point of the nose. Tilt slowly so that water doesn’t run out the top of the pot onto your face. Keep the nose cone fully sealed into the right nostril so that it doesn’t leak. Keep on mouth breathing whiles the water comes through. Just wait a few seconds and the water should run out the left nostril. keep breathing slowly and gently through the mouth. After the water begins to run, wait about 30 seconds for about half a pot to flow right to left, and then remove the pot and stand up.
  • Before changing sides, blow out gently through both nostrils to clear water and mucus from the nose.
  • Repeat steps 2 & 3 as above, but with the nose cone entering the left nostril and the flow of water going left to right. After the pot runs dry, stand up, blow out gently through both nostrils and then prepare to dry out the nose.
  • If after doing the above steps, there is still a mucus blockage, the whole process may be repeated several times until it clears. If this still fails to clear the nose, it is recommended that you visit a doctor to ascertain if there is some structural blockage in the nose.


    Drying The Nose

    forward bend Drying the nose properly is a very important part of the practice. Never neglect to do this part properly. People with high blood pressure should be careful of this part. If dizziness results when draining the nose, drying should only be done standing upright.
  • First bend forwards from the waist and hang the head upside down with the nose pointing towards the floor, letting any residual water drain from the nose. Then point the nose towards the knees. In each position, gently breathe in the mouth and out the nose about 10 times. A few droplets of water may run down.
  • Then stand up to do some rapid breathing through the nostrils. First, do 10 breaths through both nostrils together, sniffing in and out moderately with a bit more emphasis on the exhalation. Then close off the right nostril with one finger and do 10 rapid sniffing breaths through the left nostril only. Then do 10 sniffing breaths through the right nostril only. Finally, do 10 breaths again through both nostrils together. This should clear and dry the nose. If it feels as if there is still some water in there, repeat the whole drying process again. Failure to dry the nose properly may manifest the symptoms of a cold for several hours, or leaving dirty water in the sinus passages or eustachian tubes may result in infection!.


    Jala Neti Stage 2

    The second stage of Jala Neti is actually called Vyutkrama Kapalbhati, or sinus bellowing. It’s a more advanced and powerful practice, hence one should first master the simpler version of Stage 1. This stage of Neti should be supervised by a teacher on your first few attempts. Whilst the water is running through from one nostril to the other, it is gently sniffed backwards and spat out of the mouth. Although not dangerous. one should not swallow any water when sniffing backwards. When doing Vyutkrama Kapalbhati, first one potful of water is done as per the Stage 1 version, and then a second potful is done in this more advanced way. In this case, it is not necessary to dry the nose fully between Stages 1 and 2. Extra care must be taken to dry the nose properly after Stage 2, as more water floods the nasal passages and may cause irritation for some time if not completely dried out. Vyutkrama Kapalbhati Neti works more on clearing out the posterior sinus passages which Stage 1 does not reach and is even more effective than Stage 1 for post nasal drip, sinusitis, snoring, chronic catarrh, thyroid imbalances, coughs and throat problems.




    Stage 2 (b)
    Inhale the water through each nostril separately than spat out of the mouth Than do both simultaneously
    Do not swallow, Dry the nose completely to avoid infection!!!





    Stage 3

    The third stage or method is a little more difficult and advanced again. This is called Sheetkrama Kapalbhati. Here the warm salty water is taken in through the mouth and snorted out the nose. This is quite tricky at first and may be a little uncomfortable in the beginning. The benefits are similar yet stronger than the other forms of Neti. It is done after a potful of Stages 1 & 2. Again care must be taken to dry the nasal passages properly, and again, this stage of Neti should be supervised by a teacher on the first few attempts.


    Dugdha Neti - Neti with Milk

    Using milk in the Neti pot, pre-warmed to body temperature, is suitable for those who may suffer chronic nose bleeds or those who initially find intense irritation from the use of salty water. Milk Neti can be done in instances where airborne chemicals or particles have already stripped and/or irritated the nasal lining, for example after sanding plaster or fibreglass. It is best done after a normal pot of warm salty water of Stages 1 and 2. The milk does not need to flow through from one side to the other for half a pot as in the water methods. It only fills the ingoing nostril and is then withdrawn. Once from each side is sufficient. Milk Neti should not be done without qualified advice for your specific problem, and even then, it should not be done excessively.


    Sutra Neti - Nasal Cleansing Using a Cord

    sutra neti This is a very effective method of keeping the nasal passages open to their fullest capacity. Sutra Neti is performed by passing a cord made of cotton threads or a rubber catheter into the nose through one nostril and then out via the mouth. The cord is gently pulled to and fro for some time, removed and then threaded through the other nostril and out the mouth again. With practise, the cord can be passed in one nostril and out the other nostril. Sutra Neti can be of great benefit, and is highly recommended, for those who may have been trying Jala Neti for a while and who find that most times the same one nostril is more blocked than the other. They may have some kind of fleshy obstruction such as cartilage obstructing the nasal passages. Short of a medical operation, Sutra Neti is a viable alternative for removing such blockages. Firstly one should try to succeed with the 3 forms of Jala Neti using water, and if this fails to clear blockages, a proper medical examination should be made of the nose, and the cause of structural blockage ascertained. Sutra Neti should then be learned under the guidance of an experienced teacher.
    Before and after usage it is advisable to rinse the string in warm water (or in specialized cases medicated oils). Then place straight to dry. In case of deviated septum. polyps, or other diseases of the nose consult your physician or yoga therapist.

    The string is slowly, gently, and with conscious feeling (non-mechanically) inserted along the nasal cavity floor without any pain. The nasal cavity is like a long cave which narrows at the roof and is widest at the floor, thus keep the string pointed toward the back of the throat, slightly downward, and slightly medial (inward) so that it will smoothly slide thru the widest passageway toward the inside back opening of the nose. The goal being that it pass through the valve (swollen lip) at the root of the nose into the upper back of the throat where it can be grabbed by the index and middle fingers of the opposite hand (forming a tong-like appendage) and then pulled through after a gentle massage by pulling back and forth on the string a few times (as long as it is comfortable and invigorating).

    Under no circumstances should pain be experienced during the insertion. If pain occurs, it is a sign of going too fast, the string has become pointed in the wrong direction, and/or is caught up against the nasal wall, or some other obstruction exists. In this case back off the pressure immediately and twist the string in one direction or the other until a clear unobstructed passage through the cave is found. Soon the misty and mysterious dark cave will become a bright and clear one.

    It is helpful to smoothe and straighten the tip of the string while maintaining a slightly downward orientation of the tip throughout the insertion, so that when the tip goes under the medial bottom lip of the nasal-pharyngeal valve at the entrance to the throat, it points downward toward the mouth. It is not necessary to grab the string with the fingers and pull it back and forth through the nose. 99% of the benefit is obtained by simply passing the string up to and through this nasal-throat valve while gently massaging the nasal membranes which reflex back to the powerful group of nerves which serve in common the entire cranium. Inserting the fingers to grab the end of the string or even the end of the string itself touching the back of the throat can trigger a gag reflex with some. Going slowly and breathing consciously and fully helps. The entire procedure can take less than ten seconds after a little practice.

    Some people can perform this cleansing activity (kriya) completely on the very first try, while others may take up to a month or longer. At first allow 5 minutes or more with a good supply of tissues handy, if a copious mucous flow is activated. Take your time, very slowly and gently easing the string forward, enjoying its' cleansing effects, and always breathing deeply. It is normal to feel tickled and to sneeze much at first and to eliminate copious mucous from the sinus so have handkerchiefs or tissues handy. As the mucous membranes, nerves, glands, organs, and tissues of the nose, throat, ears, eyes, sinuses, and cranium become tonified, stimulated, invigorated, and purified the body's reaction becomes less dramatic.

    Sutra Neti is one of the most powerful and beneficial, yet one of the most simple, of the Hatha Yoga shat karmas. It is best performed soon after rising in conjunction with the rest of the morning cleansing activities.

    For a more detailed information read Jala Neti Booklet.pdf



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