relief for clogged sinuses

 I have had a cold respiratory virus. 

Bloody hell. 

Anything respiratory gravites towards me at breakneck speed.

And lingers. 

And is full on.

Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash

This time my sinuses were also affected. Until I was in my early twenties this had been  a major permanent problem.

But then I learnt a pranayama (yoga breathing practice) which was specific for clearing one's sinuses of all that yukky thick green stuff.

It was miraculous.

Over the years I have given this technique to so many people who have then found relief from - shall we say it? - thick, green snot. 

The only time that it wasn't so effective was for a friend who had unnaturally narrow sinuses, For everyone else, it has been fantastic.

When I used it it my twenties (a long time ago), it cleared out my sinuses and nose, and stayed that way for decades.

But then, recently - yuk - a horrible virus brought it back. Dramatically so. I was too sick to remember that I knew what to do. But I did finally recall it. Thankfully.

For a very long time in my life, I did the yogic saline (salt in water) wash, using a special pot. To be honest, it didn't really agree with me. I finally stopped doing it, and until then I had been faithfully using a neti pot every day. 

Every day?! I know now that this wasn't necessary; once a week would have been fine.

magic sinus breathing practice aka known as a pranayama:

Using the rapid breathing known as bhastrika, the bellows breath. Pump your abdomen as you breathe fast, with inhale and exhale roughly equal.

This version of bhastrika slightly reverses the order of using the nostrils that many people use. However, it works best done exactly as follows:

close off your left nostril with your ring finger, and do six rapid breaths in and out of the right nostril

now close the right nostril with your thumb, and do six rapid breaths in and out of the left nostril

take finger and thumb off your nostrils and do six bhastrikas in and out of both nostrils together 

Don't worry if your nose is so gunked up that you feel as though you can't breathe properly in and out of one nostril. Just do your best, and keep going as though you are able to do it perfectly.

The above is one round.

• The first day, do three rounds
• Second day, do four rounds
• Third day, do five rounds
• Fourth day, do six rounds
• Fifth day, do seven rounds.

You will probably find that on the fourth - or even the fifth day, that the ghastly green mucous is streaming out of your nose. Even at inopportune times during the day. 

Usually by the time you've finished the fifth day - you're pretty clear. You might need to blow some gunk out during the day, but the technique has done it's work. 

I've resumed doing three only rounds of this practice each morning. Just as a back-up. You don't need to do any more. 

For anyone who suffers from the dreaded green gunk, and uses this, I'm sure that you will love the effects. 

** link here to my lifestyle blog. It often has useful snippets that you might find useful