pranayam 18
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7/24/2019 Pranayam 18
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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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