Am reading an interesting book called “asana pranayama mudra bandha” by swami satyananda, and he talks about jala neti (the practice where you clean your nose with water in one nostril and out the other). He notes that there are versions done with milk or ghee, but the most powerful version is to do it with (mmm!) urine, a practice known as swamootra neti.
A new fronteir for all our amaroli aficionados!
Indeed!
By the way, I am much more interested in jala neti than I once was. Once I viewed it as like an over-advanced way of blowing your nose.
But now, having done Kechari and knowing how important the inner nose is, it starts to take on a new dimension…
Hi Jim,
I don’t know abt jala neti with urine. I have read in a book that urine should be used to clean the last part of the GI tract (sorry dunno the name in English) which leads to curing/preventing all kind of illnesses.
The plain jala neti (water+salt) has had great results from me. I used to have runny nose many years ago as a kid which disappeared since I started jala neti again many years ago. It takes very little time to do (less than a minute).
I have done the urin neti several times one year ago. It works very well! But the smell of the **** was still in my nose even some hours later. I dont like that. So I stopped it and never tried it again. Perhaps its a good thing if you have a cold or so.
Most Vata people have to add water to their urin because otherwise its to salty and that hurts.
I tried it and had similar results as brauniver. It was very hot and intense and cleansing but I couldn’t get rid of the smell for hours so I didn’t try it again.
One thing you could do is follow it with a salt-water Jal Neti to clean out the urine out of the nose.
Im not 100% sure but I think I tried this but it didnt really work.
So, Yes try it.
I tried it 3 times during the weekend to ward off a cold that I sensed was coming. I did not get a cold during the weekend but this morning I feel the typical pain in the ears, matbe I slept too little tonight or something. I will try it again tonight. The smell really stays in your nose and you get the impression you have left a container of urine standing somewhere.
I have now been doing Swamootra Neti 1-2 a day for a week. It is quite simple when you get the hang of it. In fact, I think it is a simpler way to do Jala Neti, since you do not need salt, pot and fire, but have your saline solution ready directly at the correct temperature.
The smell goes away after a few days and if you have a vegetarian yogic diet your urine should not smell much at all.
Hello Lavazza,
I think you may have just gotten used to the smell.
Are you sure it is true that urine does not smell much if you have a yogic, vegetarian type diet?
As far as I know, urine does not tend to smell so much when it is fresh. When the oxygen has had a chance to react to it, it stinks.
Do an experiment – soak your underwear in your urine, wring it and wear it. No-one will notice for a while. You could do a tango dance immediately. After a few hours, you’ll stink. You’ll stink whether or not you have a vegetarian, yogic diet. 
-D
David, can you explain more about that? I do the Jala neti occasionally, since I don’t really think it’s that usuful other than cleaning the nose a bit more thoroughly than blowing it.
Sometimes it could overstimulate my nostrils to make it a bit more constricted!! My nostrils just get too “dry” after doing it because the protective oily thing have been washed away. (just like wasking your hands too thoroughly with soap) So, after Satyananda’s book Jim mentioned, I have long been thinking about doing it with oil. Anyone can give me some comment/experience on that?
In Ayurveda it is often done with sesame oil mixed with herbs such as Calamus root (Vacha) or Gotu Kola (Bhrami). You can use plain sesame oil if you like and it should help with that dryness problem. Just use a few drops though, not a whole neti pot of oil.
Thanks. So a pot of salt water with a few drops of oil, right?
I don’t usually cook with seasame oil. What about other types of oil like olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, Grape seed oil, etc? Does it makes a difference?
David, I have a quite unhealthy diet, so I was only guessing.
I tried swamootra neti just now, but I diluted it with water. I didn’t expect that sensation, once the fluid started flowing through the cavity! Pretty intense! It smelled like white powder donuts!
Oh by the way, I wanted to ask you guys something.
What do you think of this practice in light of the Damar Tantra, which states that using urine on external surfaces of the body should be allowed to evaporate (to 1/4th the amount)? The nasal passages and cavity are kind of internal…yet external at the same time since they do come in contact with the air. The Damar Tantra states that if you don’t let it evaporate, it will bring about diseases instead of curing them…which I have noticed to be somewhat true with the massage method (perhaps if done over a long period of time).
So does anyone think that the urine should be allowed to sit…or should it be used right away?
Hi Scott,
I’d say it’s quite OK to use un-evaporated urine in the nasal passages. That part of the body, unlike the outer skin, is used to being constantly moist.
Hi Alvin,
Olive oil is fine if no sesame oil. If you can get hold of Cow-ghee (clarified butter, made of cow’s milk) …it’s best. Even to just put a few drops in the nostrils, and tilting head way back while doing it. Keeps colds away, dry nose moist, and is good for eyes too. I have no direct experience of the latter… it is pure heresay.
Me too, David! I’ve done urine neti twice now and find it does fit well with Kechari. I had a dream of smelling urine and I interpreted it to mean it was time to give amaroli neti a try. To my surprise, I did not have any problem with after-odor.
Jim, thanks for that reference. I have Satyananda’s Asana book, and, more than ten years ago, I had used the neti instructions. But had not noticed this before: “…the most powerful form of neti is practiced with urine…” The books instructions on nasal drying is helpful too.
Under the heading “benefits,” Satyananda writes: “…most importantly, neti helps awaken ajna chakra.”
In his Diet book, Yogani includes a section titled, “Using urine with nasal wash.” He does not recommend it as a regular practice, but rather for “short durations when the inner calling is strong…” p. 78