For the love of Neti

Neti has become a trend as of late. I am certain part of it is the trend factor and the other is just that it works. But in any case neti is a kriya, or cleansing practice revered because it is a preventative measure to getting sick and alleviates sinus problems and allergies.
Neti is nasal irrigation using a saline solution. We have numerous items on the market that are similar but I feel neti is more direct. Instead of put drops or sprays of saline solution up your nose, neti is a continuous stream of salt water. The water washes away the germs that collect in your nose hairs so that they cannot grow and eventually make you sick. This also applies to allergens.
There are people who are interested but there is a fear factor involved. The idea of pouring water up your nose sounds scary to many people who would benefit from it. The beauty is in the fact that technique and a calm mind plays a big part in your neti experience. First by understanding the benefits you can approach this kriya with a calm and willing mind. Second understand that adjustments can be made to fit your needs so if not successful the first time tweeking the process a bit may lead to ultimate success. Being open also plays an important role in making neti an integral part of your life.
A good technique is vital for success. First you must have the proper tools, which is a neti pot of your own and sea salt preferably without any additives. Next is finding the right balance in terms of the amount of salt you use. I have seen variance is sizes of neti pots so giving an exact measurement is impossible. But I can say too little is uncomfortable because the salt assists in clearing out the impurities and too much salt will burn so its an issue of trial and error. The water should be warm but not hot. After the salt water is in the neti pot you can actually enjoy the benefits of jala (water) neti. Neti should be done on both sides. The arm that does the pouring should mimic the arm of a tea pot. Either over a sink or in the shower lean forward and tilt your head to the side to allow gravity to assist you in getting the water to flow from one side to the other. Make sure that you keep your mouth open since you cannot breathe through your nose while you are pouring. Once you are done pouring, a sharp exhalation through the nose will force the excess water, muscous, and germs. Sometimes this must be repeated. Follow the process again on the other side. Blow your nose gently afterwards to be certain that all the water is gone.
There are a few tricks I have learned through my own personal errors that may be helpful to you. I find that the water may go down your throat if you are not leaning forward enough or if you are already stuffy. Sometimes you can successfully do neti when you are sick or having an allergy attack but its rare. By getting into a groove with neti and making it part of your routine, like brushing your teeth, helps by leaps and bounds. If you have a nose ring or septum ring or retainer you should take it out before doing neti. It’s just uncomfortable and you might lose your nose ring because the spout is pushing in your nose. Another important thing is breathing. Your mouth is open and you will not drown. I have had close friends say they were afraid of this but as long as you keep your mouth open, breathe, and remain calm it will be a good experience. I find it relaxing, refreshing, a great start to my day or end to my night. I am sure with a little practice you will too.

The Bow (Dhanurasana)

The Bow is a backbend that is beneficial to numerous systems of the body. There are two ways to do this asana. The first starts laying on your stomach with your forehead on the mat, reach back and grab your ankles or your feet. They should come towards your buttocks. Taking several breaths here, you lift your head chest thighs of the ground so that the weight of your body is now resting on your abdomen. The arms should be as straight as possible. Try to hold steady and breathe here. The breaths should be through the nose and as full as you can handle. For a challenge you can allow the breath to rock you. when you inhale your body wants to lean forward and xhaling brings it back. The head and neck must remain still to prevent injury. We are working our back muscle in this asana or posture. The more advanced version requires rotation in the shoulders. When you lift up you grab the toesand rotate the shoulders so that the toes come closer to or touch the back of the head. The arch in the back is more intense and for me personally the massage on my intestines feels nicer.

The bow, when executed properly, assists in realigning the posture, keeping the spine flexible, and helping digestion to take place. Depending on the branch of yoga you practice, it is suggested that it helps the pancreas function more efficiently and can help with diabetes. Most of us do not have good posture and its great to do as much exercise as we can to combat its effects. It is said that a flexible spine is a youthful one. Flexibility in the spine helps us to stay young and we do not face some of the difficulties that come with old age. Your grandpa or grandma look shorter and they probably are. We lose muscle and bone mass as we age and if we are not physically active. Doing exercises that focus on the spine is a great preventative measure. When you put the weight of ur body on your abdomen you are massaging your intestines and encouraging better or complete digestion. This posture is a great way to alleviate constipation.

Forgiveness and letting go

Forgiving is hard to do. We hold on to so much of what happens in our day to day and allow it to shape not only how we react to the person who may have initially upset us but whoever else comes in our way. Holding on to the hurt or anger impacts us much longer then we think. Forgiving welcomes a freedom that we will be thankful for and allow us to feel the emotional weights removed from our sides.

I know this is no easy task. In the Utopia we wish for this would be very doable. But we live here on planet earth. Not too many people are trying to make changes, admit imperfection, or fault. People push their way into the train before you get out bumping into you or forcing you to go an extra stop. No one helps when they see a person in need. We stare or pull out video cameras. Incidences of bias, which is sad in itself, still occur on a day to day basis. It’s difficult when we deal with these emotional obstacles to feel the desire to forgive or to overcome the hurdle and reach a point of forgiveness.
So I am sure someone is probably thinking why is she going on and on about forgiveness? What does that have to do with yoga? Yoga itself has a few definitions but one of them is union or unity. That unity is referring to a spiritual union and therefore elevation of the self is part of that. So we have to learn, grow, and attempt to step beyond the pettiness of the human condition.
If enlightenment is not where you are aiming, then realizing that holding on to emotional baggage is not good for your health might be a better reason to forgive and let go. All emotions we go through impact our bodies even on a cellular level. So when someone pisses you off your whole body tenses. Nothing you eat is fully absorbed and used regardless of its nutritional value. The scariest part of this is that the effects of emotional distress last several days. All we are really doing is hurting ourselves! If we can just let go of things when they happen and forgive those who slight us then we can save ourselves from doing additional harm to our bodies.
Forgiveness is not limited to other people. We have to learn to forgive ourselves. We are human beings and that means that we are not perfect. But we all have difficulty remembering that and proceed to tear ourselves apart for things that ultimately don't matter. In our superficial world minor details are more relevant and take center stage. We criticize ourselves and give no slack. Mistakes are to be learned from. Forgiving is a way to love yourself. You should treat yourself the way you would one of your closest friends. Allow yourself the time and space to learn from all aspects of life.
This blog post is especially important to me because I was reminded that I need to forgive. Working on yourself and achieving spiritual goals is a day to day battle. I was faced with someone who really knows how to upset me, doesn't realize it, and honestly doesn't care. But my relationship with them is a permanent one through blood. But at the same time I should forgive anyway because regardless they are human. As I face this struggle to honestly forgive and let go I realize I am not the only one and maybe someone else needs to be reminded that it is within their power to forgive and let go.

The importance of Breath

Breath is one of the most important things in life and yet we often take it for granted. I am sure everyone is aware that oxygen is brought into our lungs and then distributed to the rest of our body by breathing. But we never realize the power in breath.
Breath is connected to our emotions and state of mind. When we are stressed or upset our breath become fast and short. When we are calm its slow, long and steady. This is not a coincidence. There is a direct link between our emotional state and breathing patterns. And although breathing in itself is something that is automatic, we can control it. The advice we have all gotten to take a deep breath or count to ten was actually good, sound advice! The counting makes us slow down and as we continue to count we slow our breath. We can try to elongate our breath in times of stress. We can also have our exhalations double the length of our inhalations to slow down our breath and bring calm faster.
As a woman living in a borough of NYC I understand the emphasis we put on looks over breathing. Let's be honest, most women and some men do not breath fully and limit their breath to prevent their stomachs from not looking thin or sleek like those we see or admire in magazines. So instead of breathing fully like our bodies were created to do, we only breathe into our chests. This is called thoracic breathing. It leads to serious problems in old age because we have trained our bodies to restrict our breath and eventually will not be able to talk full breaths even if we wanted. Breath is something we should never constrict or resist. We should at the very least breathe from our bellies like babies do. A practice that can help is taking "full yogic breaths" where the air starts filling the belly then the chest and some of the shoulder area. It helps us to keep that space open and get used to really using all the space given to breathe. Its very good for the body.
In yoga we breathe through the nose.Breathing through the mouth encourages sickness. Our bodies have protection built in but sometimes we forget that. The lovely hairs in our noses are there to act as filters along with the mucous preventing intruding germs from making your body their temporary home. The air is also moistened and warmed the air so it is not as dry going into the lungs. Breathing through our mouths leaves us vulnerable to whatever germs may be flying around looking for a home to infest and start to grow.
These are just a few things to think about when you go about your daily business. Appreciate the greatness of our breath, consider all it does for us, and all the ways we can harness its strength to bring calm and strength to our lives.