The Essential Self-Care Tools

I have been caring for my eyes, upper channels, and dental health for 33 years. For me, it is a right—and a responsibility—to look after these parts of my body myself, rather than waiting for a visit to the dentist or eye doctor after something goes wrong.

When I care for my own eyes, sinuses, and mouth, I feel more balanced, think more clearly, and rest more easily when it’s time to unwind. My two essential tools? A neti pot and a tongue scraper. These are staples in my daily health care and illness prevention routine.

What Are the Best Tools for Self-Care?

When building your self-care tool kit, consider tools that align with your physical, mental, and emotional needs. Two of my favorite daily practices include using a neti pot and a tongue scraper. These tools, rooted in Ayurveda, support clarity of mind, sinus health, and oral hygiene.

The Neti Pot: A Tool for Clarity and Balance

Did you know that netra means “vision” or “eyes”? This is where the word neti comes from. A neti pot isn’t just for clearing your sinuses—it also supports mental clarity and eyesight while helping to balance the brain.

Using a neti pot allows us to clear congestion and release built-up tension in the upper channels, which includes the sinuses, eyes, and even the pituitary gland. For deeper sinus relief or additional immunity support, I recommend Baraka Sinus Rinse Salt, a formula I created to enhance this practice.

When we use a neti pot with warm, salted water, we stimulate the pituitary gland behind the right eye and the hypothalamus behind the left. These glands play a vital role in regulating pleasure, pain, calmness, and excitement, helping to balance our hormones and emotions.

Here’s why I love my neti pot:

• It helps me transition from work mode to personal life with clarity.
• It’s a grounding way to start the day balanced and focused.
• It clears my thoughts when I need to rest or prepare for sleep.

How to Use a Neti Pot:

1. Place the spout of the pot into one nostril.
2. Tilt your head until water flows out of the opposite nostril.
3. Breathe out through your mouth to relax your upper sinuses.
4. Adjust the angle of your head if you feel pressure or discomfort.

While you use the neti pot, consider what you want to release. Visualize stress, tension, or negativity flowing out of you and say goodbye to it as it goes down the drain.

Tongue Scraping: A Simple Tool for Detox and Clean Communication

The second tool I rely on is a tongue scraper. This is a proven way to remove excess toxins from the mouth, teeth, and gums, improving overall dental health. In Ayurveda, tongue scraping is known as jihwah prakshalana and is an easy addition to your morning or evening routine.

This practice does more than remove debris from the tongue—it stimulates the nerve endings on the tongue that are connected to your organs. Essentially, you’re giving yourself a mini detox massage for your whole body!

Why Use a Tongue Scraper:

• It improves oral health and removes toxins that could re-enter the digestive system.
• It reduces bad breath (halitosis).
• It activates the organs to release what they don’t need, promoting a detox effect.
• It supports clean communication, helping you to speak with clarity.

How to Tongue Scrape:

1. You should ideally tongue scrape before brushing. Begin by gently scraping from the back of your tongue to the front.
2. Rinse the scraper and repeat a few times until your tongue feels clean.
3. Enjoy the fresh, clean feeling and the overall sense of clarity it brings.

When we run electrolyte salted water through our nostrils, this primes the pituitary gland behind the right eye & the hypothalamus switchboard behind the left eye.

The pituitary governs our ability to experience pleasure and pain, as well as calm and excitement.  Neti pots are used for clearing traumas from the psyche and balancing our hormonal output.  The pituitary is the governing gland that sends the messages of how we are feeling to the other six endocrine glands via the hypothalamus switchboard.

I like to use my neti pot when transitioning from work mode to personal life mode. It is just as useful to start my day clear and balanced OR clear my thoughts to help me fall asleep. 

Clear Your Upper Channels, Balance Your Doshas

Ayurvedic philosophy emphasizes balance. Using self-care tools like the neti pot and tongue scraper can help regulate our vata, pitta, and kapha doshas:

• Vata Dosha: The neti pot soothes vata imbalances by clearing congestion, helping balance dryness in the sinuses, and calming the nervous system.

  Pitta Dosha: Tongue scraping cools and balances pitta, reducing heat and inflammation in the body. Ideally, choose a cooling metal, like our steel variation. 
• Kapha Dosha: Both tools are excellent for clearing kapha congestion and promoting better lymphatic flow.

Expand Your Self-Care Toolbox

While the neti pot and tongue scraper are my essential tools, here are a few more ideas to expand your self-care kit:

• Gua Sha Tool: Improve circulation and relieve tension with a gua sha tool. This simple tool can be used for facial massage, promoting lymphatic drainage and healthy skin.
• Body Butter: Nourish and hydrate your skin with our organic coconut body butter. Our body butter helps balance dryness and support relaxation.
• Kala Namak (Black Salt): Explore the detoxifying properties of black salt, also known as kala namak, which makes an excellent cleansing tool.

Why Self-Care Matters

When you take the time to care for your upper channels, oral health, and lymphatic system, you’re not just improving your physical well-being—you’re also nurturing mental clarity and emotional balance. 

Learn more about these tools and practices by reviewing our webinars.