When I think of Neti Pots, I think of drowning. I’ve heard wonderful things about using Neti Pots: they make colds go away faster, they keep your sinuses open, and boost your immune system. Sounds like something I’d hop on board with…except for the fact that I associate Neti Pots with death and a memory of my first Yoga Teacher warming himself up before class and water spewing out of his nose like a water dragon. At the time, I didn’t know what came hurdling at me was not snot. My teacher explained that he had just used his “Neti Pot”. I thought to myself, ” that sounds God awful but oh so curiously invitational since you’re still alive”.

But then a couple of weeks ago, a yoga teacher at my studio came in raving about her Neti Pot. Linda Eifer uses one everyday. Maybe even twice a day. So, I had another person standing in front of me who hadn’t died (who could have been used in the testimonial part of an infomercial for one of these things, except this was real life, not an infomercial)….hmmmmmm….conundrum: possible drowning or possible sinus ecstasy…. My curiosity was raised and somewhere inside I buried a true desire to try one of these out. Not a week and a half later did the Universe grant me my very own opportunity: I happened across one on sale for $4.99…and it was visually attractive. So, I bought it and I even used it. (I even documented me losing my Neti Pottal Virginity, but give me a moment to finish up).

If you are like me (who had no clue that a Neti Pot was something way different than a thing you make tea in or a ceramic bowl thing that you pee into) then you’re in the right place. This is a Neti Pot:

Now that you know what a NP looks like there are several steps to make sure your NP experience is a good one. When you get your first Neti Pot you want to:

1. Clean it out to make sure that all the nose germs are washed off from all of those people at the store who wanted to try it on for size.

2. Put a quarter teaspoon of salt in the bottom.

3. Fill it with warm water.

4. Ignore the voice in the back of your head that says, “you’re gonna drown!!!!!”

5. Tip your head sideways and pour the water into one nostril, continuing to ignore the voice that is rising in pitch and picking up tempo. Make sure you stay over the sink because the water will be fauceting out the other side. You can see exactly what I mean in my documentation of me losing my Neti Pottal Virginity:

If this video has not brought about some comfort, please let me know what your Neti Pot fears are below and I may be able to assuage them for you.

🙂Aurora