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the accumulated mucus in the nose, this being

a breeding ground.

Regular pra ctice of neti when you don 't have

a cold keeps the nasal passages working at

optimum efficiency and thereby helps to

maintain a healthy body. Remember, breathing

through the mouth or insufficient treatment

of the inh aled air pri or to entry into the lungs,

due to nasal blockage and congestion, can

enc oura ge the o nset of disease, by allowing

germs to infect the lungs, or by generally

weak ening t he state of heal th of the body.

Ne ti is al so a he lp in cur in g si nusit is, ai lm en ts

of the eyes, nose an d throat , tonsillitis, cata rrh,

as well as inflammation of the adenoids and

mucus membranes. It is effective in removing

headaches, insomnia and tiredness. Neti has asubtle influence on the various nerves which

end in t he nasal passages, such as the olfactory

bu lb and ot he r a dj ac en t ne rv es wh ic h in ne rv at e

the eyes, ears, etc. This has a very soothing

influence on the brain and can help to relieve

such ailments as migraine, epilepsy, depres-

sion, tension, etc.

Ne ti he lps in no smal l man n er to pr eve nt

and cure lung diseases such as asthma, pneu-

monia, bronchitis, pulmonary tuberculosis,

etc . , for the reasons already mentioned.

Respiration becomes much easier, which leads

to an improve d intake of oxygen, i mprov ed

remova l of carbo n dioxi de and consequentl y

be tter he al th .

Importance of neti in yogic physiology

Th e science of yoga mai ntai ns tha t the flow of

air in each nostril alternat ely chang es. If you

test this for yourself, you will find this to be

true . At pres ent on e of you r nostrils is

admitting more air than the other. After some

time the other nostril will admit the greater

amount of air.

This alt erna te flow of brea th th roug h the

two nostrils in turn has a profound influence

on the e nergy cycle of man . It control s our

thinking and physical activity, our introversion

and extroversion. This cycle has a great

be ar ing on our ment al and ph ys ical he alt h.

Now if on e or bo th of th e nost ri ls ar e pe r-

manently blocked, then this natural alternation

of bre ath flow can not occur. O ur heal th can

suffer. Th is is an oth er reas on why jal a neti is so

important; it cleans both nostrils and allows the

br ea th to al te rn at e free ly be tw ee n th e two.

Notes1See the index of practices at the end of the

book.2 See Topic 3 of this lesson.

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