By Setareh Kiumarsi
After waking up, take care of your nose…
But how…?
Your beautiful nose is the gateway for air and prana to enter your body. It needs daily cleansing, detoxing, and balancing—not too dry, not too moist. It should be a clear, clean, open channel that allows oxygen and carbon dioxide to move freely.
If you usually wake up with post-nasal drip or a stuffy nose, rinse your nasal passages two to three times a week using a Neti pot or saline solution.
– Did you know that rinsing your nose with salt water can help cleanse your sinuses from mucus?
When you use salt water at the right concentration, the salt draws out the mucus from your sinuses and clears accumulated toxins.
So how do we rinse our nose with salt water?
– The best way is to either get a nasal rinse from the pharmacy or make your own:
Mix ½ teaspoon of salt and 1–2 drops of sesame oil into a cup of cooled, boiled water. Use a Neti pot to gently pour the solution through your nasal passages.
You can buy a Neti pot online or from yoga centers. It’s best to learn proper technique from a yoga instructor. If you don’t have access to one, there are plenty of instructional videos available online.
– Did you know that using a Neti pot not only cleanses the sinuses, but also helps with eye conditions, headaches, respiratory issues, depression, memory problems, and more?
– That’s because it helps release mucus and toxins accumulated between the eyebrows—right in the area of the third eye chakra.
– In fact, this practice purifies your third eye chakra. There are also acupressure points related to the liver and spleen in that area. Each time you rinse, you’re stimulating those points.
– When the air is polluted, you have a cold, or you’re dealing with allergies, it’s great to do nasal rinsing once a day.
– Under normal circumstances, it’s enough to rinse your nose two to three times a week. (Overdoing it may dry out your nasal membranes and cause headaches.)
Any other ways to care for your nose?
Yes—by oiling your nostrils!
Once or twice a day, gently apply a small amount of suitable oil inside your nostrils.
– If you frequently experience post-nasal drip or feel heaviness in your head and mind, use violet oil or black seed oil.
(You can order Kapha Nasya Oil on Amazon.)
– If you don’t have post-nasal drip but your nasal membranes are dry, and you’re bothered by anxiety or restlessness, use sweet almond oil or sesame oil.
– If you don’t have post-nasal drip, your nose is dry, your head often feels hot, and you struggle with anger or irritability, use olive oil or coconut oil.
Make a little promise to yourself. Add one small, effective, and healing Ayurvedic habit into your life each week. How does that sound?
Be full of health.
Please make sure to credit the author, Setareh Kiumarsi, when sharing or republishing this article, which was written with love and hope for everyone’s well-being.
