Immediate Relief For Congestion

So many people are dealing with some type of congestion. It could be in the head in general or the sinuses or chest or the digestive system or the  joints or your energy or even your mind. Many think that because it has always been this way that that’s just the way it is and it will always BE that way. But that isn’t necessarily true and that kind of thinking will definitely make that more of a possibility. But I would like to suggest that there has always been an imbalance of some kind and there are some easy and effective personal care methods that, if done consistently, will improve congestion. 

Most of the techniques I use and am going to share are from Ayurveda, which means science of life and longevity. Ayurveda is yoga’s sister science. It made a lot of sense to me to have a good working knowledge of ayurveda after I became a yoga teacher. And I studied nutrition in college so I already had an interest in healthy eating. Just prior to becoming a yoga teacher 20+ years ago, I also became a vegetarian. My time at the ashram where I did my yoga teacher certification also inspired a 5 year detox on all levels. So I have a lot of personal experience and knowledge about the health of body, mind and soul. 

First I wanna talk about why people are not successful in improving conditions they are ultimately responsible for creating. I  mean after all, no one is making you eat all that dairy or heavy, rich foods,  or drink cold water or overdo sweets, all of which are big contributors to congestion. So we have to be willing to take responsibility for what we are doing that isn’t helping. Along with that, one of the biggest reasons for lack of success is the failure to be consistent in doing what needs to be done to restore balance. With congestion for instance, you will need to create some new habits that will begin to address the imbalance that is causing the congestion. Most of these practices are not time consuming so the idea that you don’t have time is just an excuse in my view. Either you don’t believe you can improve the condition by doing these things or don’t value that improvement enough to take the time to create it. For our personal care routines to create the lasting balance and harmony we want, they have to be done consistently and often in conjunction with each other. The easiest thing is to just make them a daily habit. We also need to understand that there can be multiple things that need to be addressed and that it will take time. It didn’t happen overnight and it won't be cleared overnight.

If you're like me, you might have a tendency to stop being so vigilant about whatever you might be doing to address an imbalance once you start to feel better. This is a mistake! It's important to stay focused for at least 3 months. In 3 months time you will have created a more solid foundation for the balance and harmony you want like better sleep and concentration and more focused  rather than scattered energy. I’m not saying it will be gone forever but you will have made enough of a difference that you will definitely be aware of an improvement. Some of you might say that 3 months is a long time. Well how long have you been dealing with it to begin with?? Probably , longer than that and so far nothing has really made a long term improvement so what do you have to lose to commit the time to better easier breathing and less dripping and congestion? We take 21,600 breaths each day, give or take a few wink wink. Wow that’s a lot of breathing! And if we are congested, we may be taking even more breaths than that or breathing through our mouth instead of our nose. Modern science says that if we decrease the number of breaths we take per minute, without depriving the body of what it needs, we prolong our life! That’s a pretty big benefit! So handling congestion is the first step in better breathing. 

Our diets are often part of the congestion cycle we are in even if we are what we would call healthy eaters. What’s healthy for one may not be for another and it’s not about the food itself but about the time we eat and a few other factors. So looking at your diet might be needed in truly clearing up chronic congestion. 

I overheard a lady at the chiropractor the other day talking about her upcoming sinus surgery. I observed some strong vata or air features in her body and energy and knew that one of the biggest issues that needed attention was dryness. Going back to 21,600 breaths each day, that’s a lot of air and air can be very drying and often that dryness is a key factor in what we think is congestion. And most medications dry things even further and only make things worse. 

In ayurveda, daily practices are called dinacharya and they are a way to simply honor the body as the faithful servant it is and acknowledge our responsibility in creating what we want and in creating whatever imbalance we are experiencing.

One of the key practices for clearing congestion is oil pulling. You take a teaspoon of sesame oil in your mouth and swish it around for 5-20 minutes. Swish all throughout your mouth, the longer the better. This can easily be done while you’re in the shower. It’s possible to pull congestion through the oral cavity into the oil. It can feel thick or heavy just like congestion. Then you spit it out which is very satisfying to me!  I spit mine outside somewhere because it is gross. Oil pulling is also one of the best dental hygiene practices around! Then you scrap your tongue from the back forward. They make a special tool for this. Yucky disgusting stuff comes off your tongue. How it looks and where it was located on your tongue provides information about your digestive system and how it’s doing. This film collects while you sleep and if you fail to scrap it off, the boy will reabsorb it. Yuck. Not for me. 

 Then you rinse with a salt water gargle. This should be done first thing in the morning. 

After that, the first thing I drink every morning is a mason jar of warm water with half a lime or lemon and a touch of honey, yummy! Lime has a very alkalizing effect in the body which most of us need more of. I do not drink cold liquids or use ice. I have clients that come in all the time who are freezing to death and holding a cup of ice water in their hand and don’t know why they are cold. Seems obvious that if you drink a lot of cold beverages that you will be cold. After all, what is the temperature inside the body? 98 degrees, that’s pretty warm. Drinking a lot of cold liquids can also weaken our digestive fire and easily contribute more than you think to congestion and other issues. 

Congestion in the mind often accompanies congestion elsewhere. In our age of information and technology, we are often overloading the mind with more information than it needs or can possibly process which ultimately causes a backlog or congestion in the mind. Having a hard time or even an inability to process new ideas or concepts easily can also represent congestion is our mind.. There is often a story that supports this lack of ease in processing new information. I’m sure everyone would prefer ease in processing new information and ideas. For that to be possible, the old story must be replaced with a new story. I’m good at creating these new stories that support the growth that is needed. Being stuck in mental patterns that don't support the experiences we want to have or are dulling and create heaviness and lethargy is another way congestion in the mind can show up.

Many have not been taught to think for themselves or allowed to think outside the box. They blindly follow family or party lines without even considering if it supports what they truly want or think is needed for the greater good. You could call this karma. Repeating patterns without considering if they are helpful and will create what we want or what is needed and supports everyone is a mistake. We need free thinkers more than ever right now. Far too many are only focused on what is good for them but not their neighbor. This kind of thinking is how we got where we are right now on the planet. And clearly, it's not working and needs to change. 

Now, more than ever, is the time for each and every one of us to be the change we wish to see.