How Neti is beneficial for good health and brain

Since ancient times, mankind has sought of ways to enhance the health, increase longevity and rejuvenation by boosting the immune system within the body.  The purpose was to cleanse the internal body using various sophisticated techniques known at the time to eradicate disease from grass roots.  Well known techniques were used to remove toxins from the body making their immune system in a perfect state. Yoga begins with the Shat Karma as it has prime motive to getting healthier and attains longevity for the advanced practises of yoga; and in essence, as it would keep the body clean, bacteria and diseases free. The Shat-Karmas are the six practices of Hathayoga to keep the body in a fine state of existence and these six Shat-Karmas are Neti, Dhauti, Nauli, Basti, Trataka and Kapalbhati. 

All of these techniques of internal purification in nature are known as Shat-Karma, aimed to keep balances among Kaf-Pit-Vayu (basic component of the body, while diagnosis of the sick body in the ancient Ayurveda science was done by observing the three elements prior to diagnosis of the body). In this article we will look at the first ‘Neti’ Kriya/exercises that is intended for the purification of the nostrils. Nostrils are one of the two channels of the nose which divide to the external opening; either fleshy lateral wall, through which you breathe, smell and sneeze. Since nostrils provide a direct connection to the lungs for air and nerves; in yoga nostrils are linked with the pituitary and pineal glands. Both glands are considered to be the most important in the endocrine system.

Neti purifies the nasal path and brings harmony between the two Nadi Ida (left nostril, cold) and Pingla (right nostril, hot); and the third Nadi is Sushumna that brings balance between both Nadi. When one is in a state of consciousness, Nadis play a vital role in yoga for awakening kundalini that would pass through Sushumna Nadi and this is possible only when the Nadis are pure, as the vital force/pranic current moves through all the majors’ chakras. Here both glands play an important role as it is being connected with the neurons of the brain.

Research by modern science on the pineal-pituitary glands concerned the extraction and analysis of hormones such as melatonin, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphin that manifests balanced sex, happiness, natural pain killer, hormones affects the activities of the neurons and brain chemical such as Dopamine to which would be responsible for intense pleasure and oxytocin assigns love hormones, serotonin is a natural mood enhances and endorphin is known as a natural pain killer. So nostrils, if worked properly would provide everything whether it is physical health or spiritual growth because breathe is connected with the nostrils and so is the pranic energy. It makes it easier to enter prana-urja through other doors in the body properly. Prana-urja is a life force that wants a proper way to enter the body such as when all the chakras are working correctly; the energy draws from the universe that further draws correctly throughout the body.

Neti cleans the nose and all organs above shoulders (eyes, ears, and brain). Fresh air is the prime necessity of the body. Neti cleanses the nose as it clears out all bacteria from the nose and supplies fresh air to the lungs by means of a plain rubber catheter, a cotton string and water. And all of these are called Rubber- Neti/Sutra-Neti, Jala-Neti respectively.

In the next article you will get to know about it's right procedure to do Neti.