What is jalaneti? Well, to put it simply, jalaneti is a cleansing practice of the sinus passages with warm saline water. Yogis have practiced it for centuries for its innumerable and powerful benefits. It is also called Neti or Saline Nasal Irrigation. In yoga, it has been used for its extremely powerful physical, psychological and spiritual benefits. However, in the modern world - fed on an attitude of immediate gains - jalaneti has gained immense popularity because of its dramatic effect on the sinuses It solves the sinus infection and allergy problems without the use of drugs with immediate, immense and sustained results AND without side effects. At the immediate level, neti is a great tool for any kind of respiratory disorder – sinusitis, allergy, asthma, hay fever to name a few. People invariably notice an immediate relief, which drugs fail to achieve. Neti helps to re-program the body’s natural mechanisms against respiratory complaints including sore throats, coughs, postnasal drips etc.
Other benefits: It can be of great benefit to problems associated with the eyes and ears such as certain types of deafness and myopia. But the great mental and spiritual effects overshadow these tremendous physical benefits Neti has a cooling and soothing effect on the brain and is therefore beneficial for headaches, migraine, depression, mental tensions and even epilepsy, hysteria and temper tantrums. It stimulates better powers of visualization and concentration and gives a feeling of lightness and clarity to the mind. On a higher plane, it is very effective for meditation as it works on the subtle effects of the olfactory bulb, and the psychic center, which is known as the Ajna Chakra in yoga. But the best part is that it is excellent for those trying to give up smoking. It reduces mouth breathing and re-sensitizes the nose to the indecency and discomfort of ingesting smoke, therefore deprogramming the brain of the physical and psychological addiction. If it’s so good, why is neti relatively slow in gaining popularity?
First is our OWN inertia. Somehow, we as humans cannot imagine the thought of pouring water up our nostrils – the involuntary thought is “what will happen”. Well, nothing really – what goes in comes out – and invariably the reaction changes from one of apprehension to one of unbridled delight. Secondly, the drug lobbies are certainly not obliging. After all they haven’t found anything as yet that treats colds and allergies well enough and that too WITHOUT side effects. Jalaneti has been projected as something “esoteric” and oriental. Despite this, neti is gaining immense popularity because of the strong undercurrent of support and propagation by the ever-growing neti doers – including leading doctors and pediatricians. How to do it? For the benefit of understanding, I shall only briefly highlight the procedure. The detailed instructions are provided with the neti pot should you ever decide to try this practice. A special "Neti Pot (neti lota)" is filled with warm, slightly salted water and the spout of the pot is inserted into one nostril. The position of the head and pot are adjusted to allow the water to flow out of the other nostril. This procedure is then alternated with the other nostril. That’s it. The water drains out flushing the nasal passages and the linings thoroughly. After these the nostrils are dried out through special techniques.
Despite this, neti is gaining immense popularity because of the strong undercurrent of support and propagation by the ever-growing neti doers – including leading doctors and pediatricians.
Why is neti so great? Besides being used to treat full-blown sinus infections, neti is perhaps the BEST preventive. Almost all of us can “sense” when we are about to catch a cold or an impending throat infection. But more frustrating is the “helplessness” or the inability to do anything about it as it takes over our defenses. It is here that neti really outscores everything else. Just flushing your ENT passages through neti a couple of times a day ensures that the infection does not take root and just passes by. So, it’s wise to consider shedding your apprehension and trying this wonderful practice. And if you can’t give up smoking through it, I’ll at least guarantee that you’ll NEVER get a full-blown cold or a sinus infection. Now, you can’t get a better tool than that can you? | 
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