What on earth is Jalneti?

You may have seen in either yoga centres or spas those small ceramic pots that look like milk jugs with long spouts (like Pinocchio’s nose) and wondered what on earth they are for? No, they aren’t for watering small Japanese plants or holding your soya milk, but in fact Jalneti pots, crucial equipment in the cleansing of your nasal passages and sinuses. This simple practice of salt dissolved in warm water (Himalayan rock salt is my preference, though regular table salt is fine) poured into one nostril and exiting the other (you need to tilt your head to the side and most importantly breath through your mouth during the process, otherwise is will be like inhaling the Indian Ocean!!) will deepen your breath, allowing you to increase oxygen into your blood and thereby invigorate your mind. After blowing out all the blockages, you still can have a reservoir of water left in, so stand with your legs apart and do a forward bend from your hips – the rest should all run freely out! Look, this isn’t something you want to do after a first date, but if you do practice it daily, and it becomes as routine as brushing your teeth you will start to notice the profound benefits. If like me you have a husband who has always snored like a train due to sinus problems (conventional medicine couldn’t offer him a solution other than drugs) you will overlook the salty nose drips and consider this a miracle.

Victoria