My new Neti Pot
The interesting thing really is that I used a neti pot for a straight 6 weeks - when I was in India doing my yoga teacher training certification program. Neti was one of the things I feared going into the program. I mean, really? You want me to stick something in my nose and have fluid run out the other side? Disgusting! And why? Because it helps cleanse me out? I thought my body was made to do that on it's own and that I didn't need to stick a spout of salty saline water to assist it. Was I ever WRONG. Neti is such an amazing thing. I was lucky enough to have a bit of peer pressure the first time I used it, everyone was doing it and it was an expectation for the program (attendance was mandatory for this part of our morning) so I stayed as open minded as possible and gave it a go. First time reaction, eh that wasn't so bad. After that it became something I did every morning that I actually didn't think a ton about. Funny how that happens when something become a routine. What I did start to notice though was that it was a ton easier to breath through my nasal passage during pranayama and asana practice. I could feel how my nasal passage felt more open and more clear. After that doing neti was something I had a bit of a fond feeling for and that I WANTED to do each morning. My head felt more clear and I could honestly tell that in some way I had never felt before my body was starting to become cleansed.
Flash forward to now when I am back in the state and I purchased my own neti pot. Interestingly enough I was looking to buy the same one I had left in India! (Why did I choose to leave it there anyways? Surely I could have squeezed it into my carry on!) I couldn't find a cheap plastic one with a smaller spout to it so I settled for a ceramic one from none other than amazon. This week has been my first week using neti again and wow am I happy to be doing so! Living in Colorado at ~7,500 feet has many perks to it but one of those is not the way you breath or the way your nasal passage feels. Up here ,even though you acclimate, some things are more work for your body than they are at sea level. Enter my new neti pot and sweet relief. I'm happy that this will be part of my daily routine again, even if I don't get to use my cheap plastic pot anymore. Hahaha!
The theme for me has been "Thank You India" as in the Alanis Morissette song and it rings true once again, thank you India!
