Hot Cold Jal Neti Technique For Mental Fatigue

Few months back I had written about Jal Neti (Nasal Cleansing). In this article I would like to take upon some other benefits of Jal Neti apart from the ones I mentioned in the earlier article.

Jal Neti is best done in the morning. Some people also do it in the evening before meals. Usually Jal Neti done with lukewarm water and once in a day. I thought of tying out a experiment and observe the effects. I thought of doing the practice twice in succession and with warm water followed by cold water. I call this technique Hot Cold Jal Neti. For this experiment I started to do Jal Neti twice a day and with both warm and cold water.

How this experiment was conducted?
I decided to do two rounds of Neti. First round was done with the usual lukewarm water with salt. It performed for both the nose with the warm water. Similarly I did a second round for both noses with cold water without salt. For the second round water taken from an earthen pitcher which is used in almost all Indian homes in the summer for cold drinking water. Pitcher makes it little colder than the room temperature due to evaporation and is any day better than chilled water as there are very less chances of catching cold.

I am personally more susceptible to cold therefore do not usually perform Jal Neti with cold water. But since this is summer time in India with the temperatures here soaring to more than 42 degrees centigrade, it is relatively safer to try out with cold water. If this was winter time I would have tried water at room temperature.

The reason that cold water is used after the warm is water is because of the fact that warm water opens up the passage more easily. It is easier to flush with warmer water. Cold water will lead to nasal passage contracting, whereas warm water opens the passage and makes the second round easier. Taking cold water second also cools the brain after cleaning is over.

After completing the two rounds I flushed out the excess water by gently pushing out air from one nostril by blocking the other nostril and breathing from mouth. For doing this I gently exhale for 10 times through one nostril while closing one nostril with fingers, and then repeat for the next nostril. I repeat this for 4 times for each nostril.

How it felt?
This was a new thing to try for me as this is not documented in any text. As I tried with lukewarm water it was usual nasal cleansing with the dirty mucous being flushed out. When I took cold water, there was a slight sting I felt in the nose, especially near the nostrils. I concentrated on the how it felt inside the nose, and I could feel that cold water was flowing through the one nostril and follow the passage till it came out from the other nostril. I also felt slight irritation on the upper portion of the mouth which we sometime feel when we have cold. This irritation went away shortly afterward.

Precaution : This technique should be tried only by people who have been practicing Jal Neti for at least 3 months and should not be done in winters.

These are my observation from Hot Cold Jal Neti.

1. Increased mental clarity and alertness
   I work as a senior Software professional and my work is mainly mental and in front of the computer. In this kind of job there is more of mental fatigue instead of physical fatigue. Also since I practice yoga, I the question of physical tiredness due to routine office work does not arise. Another issue is there are lot of radiations from a monitor to which one is exposed all the time. This increases the mental tiredness. After I do Jal Neti in the evenings, the tiredness vanishes, I have a more alert and active mind and therefore more easily able to participate in family affairs.


2. Massage of the Nerves
   When cold water is used immediately after the warm water the nerves of the nasal passage which are also connected to the brain are massaged. Warm water cleans and opens up the pores and the nerves below the skin are better exposed and receptive. When the cold water is used brain cools down and nerves get relaxed. Also warm and cold pair send opposite signals to the brain which makes it active.


3. Increased Awareness
   I could feel that the breathing was more even which is there with Neti. But another aspect which I discovered is the area of awareness increases a lot. Usually after Jal Neti the awareness or sensitivity increases in the nasal passage area, though in my case it was more near the nostrils, but with Hot Cold experiment, the awareness area increased significantly.


4. Better Sleep
   It is well known fact that Jal Neti is good for people suffering from insomnia. I usually sleep well, and there is no problem of insomnia what so ever. In fact it is quite the reverse, that I fell too sleepy once the clock goes past 10 O'clock. But what I observed is that the quality of sleep increases quite significantly and with lesser hours of sleep you feel as much fresh as you would with normal hours. May be it could have to do with stillness mind which increases with Jal Neti.

Buying a Neti Pot

You can buy neti pot from several online stores. I prefer to use Stainless steel neti pot since it is light in weight and easier to handle. You can also know the water temperature by touching the surface of the pot. Here is a link to buy neti pot.




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