Don’t misunderstand, I am not talking about the kind you smoke, I am talking about a Neti Pot, an Alladin’s lamp shaped teapot that irrigates the sinus passages. The Neti Pot has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic tradition by yogis (people who practice yoga, not the bear). Breathing is very important in yoga (and in life), so obviously if your nose is stuffed with snot, your breathing experience suffers. Kind of ruins the Zen, you know?
As a former sufferer of seasonal sinus infections, the Neti Pot works amazingly well, and I’ve avoided taking antibiotics for sinus infections for years (yeah!).
Ok, at first it feels kind of strange to pour water from a teapot into your nostril. Initially, a bunch of the saline solution will go down the throat (but hey, your throat is probably sore from all that snot backing up, so it’s all good). That just means you are tipping your head too far back. Adjust a little and you will be rewarded with a little stream emerging from the opposite nostril. For those of us that are easily amused, this is very entertaining (hey honey, you got to come and see this!)
If you are full of snot, then you may experience water going in but not coming out. (This is a metaphor for both nose snot and life snot). You can alternately persist and blow, persist and blow or get a nasal irrigator that uses pressure verses gravity to force the water in.
Out of my deep gratitude to my pot, I have written this little ode, with a nod to my favorite poet, Dr. Suess.
I do not like snot in my nose,
I do not like to blow and blow.
I do not like my nose so red,
I do not like my aching head.
I would not, could not take a pill,
That dries me up and makes me ill.
Try the Neti Pot you say?
I think that I just may….
Hey!
I do so like this Neti Pot!
That rids my nose of vile snot.
Thank You, Thank You Neti Pot!
A happy nose is what I’ve got.
Ok, so it probably won’t get published, but I’m snotless and a little happier.
