How to Use a Neti Pot

Photo credit: Ikuah.fotografias:flickr.com

Are you curious about how to use a neti pot? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Although I’m a new neti pot user, I can vouch for its safety and cleansing benefits, and now that I’ve tried it I’ll never go back to my old ways. Taking its roots from a very old cleansing technique embraced in India, Jala Neti is the sanskrit word for “water cleansing.”

What are the benefits from using a neti pot? Well, for one, you can use it as part of your nasal hygiene ritual, just like brushing your teeth. Using a neti pot can also help you to recover after  nose surgery, and relieve nasal congestion, infection or irritation. Irrigating your nose with a neti pot can also help relieve cold and allergy symptoms, as well as post nasal drip and a dry nose.

A neti pot treatment will flush out your nasal passages using gently salted — or saline — water that streams naturally in and out of your nostrils, ridding your nose of mucus, allergens and other irritants.

How do I use a neti pot? First, you need to buy one. There are many types on the market today, including stainless steel or ceramic. Below is a stainless steel neti pot available for purchase from HealthandYoga.com for a very affordable price.

Next, get yourself a natural salt, such as sea salt without added iodine. Some neti pot kits will include a spoon in which to measure your salt accurately, and some even come with salt packets. How much salt you use will be up to you. Next, fill your neti pot with warm water. You can test the temperature of the water by pouring a couple of drops on the inside of your wrist.

Stand in front of your sink or a special bowl that you’ll use just this purpose. Bend over and breathe naturally through your mouth. Be sure that no air enters your nose. Place the cone of the neti pot into the right nostril and make sure that no water can escape. Gently bend your head forward and roll it to the left side. Your forehead and chin should be at about the same level.

Start by pouring a half pot of water into the right nostril, saving the other half for the left nostril. Keep experimenting with the angle of your head so that you can feel the water coming out the opposite nostril smoothly and effortlessly. Then, tilt your head up a bit toward center and remove the neti pot. Gently blow your nose. Repeat the process in the left nostril, tilting your head this time to the right. Bring your head back to center and blow your nose gently, letting all water flow out naturally.

Want to learn more about how to use a neti pot? Purchase a kit with instruction DVD included. Click below for your own personal neti pot kit!