Tongue Scraping

Older research suggests that using a tongue scraper twice daily can improve your sense of taste. Tongue scraping also improves the appearance of your tongue, removes bacteria, reduces bad breath and improves overall health.

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First of all, we should all brush our teeth before we eat breakfast – not only after! Otherwise, you will be eating with a foul mouth. You can start with oil pulling, then brush & floss your teeth, and finish with tongue scraping.

Yes, using a tongue scraper is a good habit to implement in your morning and night routine to scrape your tongue after brushing your teeth. Bacteria don’t only accumulate on your teeth – what about the rest of your oral cavity? Your gums, tongue and throat, for example, all house bacteria. Cleaning the surface of the tongue is an important part of daily oral hygiene.

Gently scraping the tongue from the back to the front five to ten times, first thing in the morning after brushing the teeth can reduce the accumulation of toxic and bacterial substances that can lead to bad breath and disturbed digestion.

Using a stainless steel or copper U-shaped scraper, this quick and easy ritual can eliminate the white and sometimes yellowish coating found on the tongue, as well as enhance the function of taste buds, which stimulate the oral enzymes (the key sensory organ in digestion). When the brain and mind accurately perceive ‘taste’, only then does your food digest properly. Scraping the tongue stimulates this process, the digestive tract and your digestive fire.

A healthy tongue should be pink in colour and free from any coating. Your tongue is a map of your digestion, and it can really tell you what is going on in your gut. So, next time you wake up and go to brush your teeth, check out your tongue too. Is there stickiness or a coating? If so, then it’s definitely time to add tongue scraping to your morning routine.

Tongue scrapers are inexpensive and now widely available, but a good-quality copper one will last a lifetime – copper is a non-toxic metal and has healing properties of its own, including healing mouth ulcers.

 

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Neti Pot

A neti pot is a container designed to rinse mucus from your nasal cavity. You might use a neti pot to treat symptoms of nasal allergies, sinus problems or colds. Perform a nasal cleaning every morning with a neti pot and see the difference!

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What is a Neti Pot

According to recent research, the human nose isn’t just able to smell 10,000 scents but has the ability to differentiate between at least a trillion different scents. There are millions of microglands in your nasal passages that have a direct connection to your nervous system. Living in an urban environment means that we can lose our sensory sharpness. So why would we not nurture and protect our nasal senses?

Nasal cleaning is becoming one of my favorite daily rituals. It really feels good! The traditional yogic practice of nasal irrigation using warm sterile saline water and a neti pot is truly amazing. A neti pot, which looks similar to a teapot, flushes out mucus from your nose. You can buy a neti pot at your local pharmacy.

 

Benefits of using a Neti Pot

• It clears the sinuses and helps clear blockages
• It helps to prevent allergic reactions
• It relieves cold symptoms (and possibly snoring)
• It pulls out toxins from inner mucosa

 

How to use a Neti Pot

This practice is best done once a day, in the morning, usually after your oral cleansing practices. Using comfortably warm sterile water, mix with 1/4 tsp powdered rock salt in your neti pot. Tilt your head forward and tilt to one side and, using the pot, allow half of the water to trickle in one nostril and out the other. Take a breath and repeat on the other side. Blow your nose to clear the solution, along with the excess mucus.

Neti pot irrigation can be followed up where appropriate by oil cleansing of the nostrils, known as pratimarsha nasya. You can use a medicated oil such as any thailam, but sesame oil or ghee are just as beneficial. To perform nasya at home, you can take a slightly warm liquid ghee, tilt your head backward and administer 1-2 drops in one nostril, while closing the other. Take a deep inhalation, and repeat on the other side. You will feel the oil in your throat, which you can spit out.

Nasya protects the eyes, nose and throat against diseases. It has also been said to prevent premature greying of the hair and hair loss. It can nourish the facial skin and strengthen the voice, so it is a great practice for vocalists and public speakers.

Lemon Water

Drinking warm lemon water stimulates the digestive system to absorb nutrients and eliminate waste, and it boosts your immune system and helps your skin to glow with Vitamin C, amongst other benefits. Learn more about it here!

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Drinking fresh lemon with warm water on an empty stomach after your morning cleansing practices, you can gently cleanse your digestive system on a daily basis.

Although lemons are acidic on the palate, the post-digestive properties turn to alkaline, which allows the body, and especially the liver, to detoxify. The anti-bacterial properties of lemons can also prevent the build-up of toxins and bacteria in the first instance.

Drinking lemon water can also enhance digestion, reduce any sluggish and bloated feelings and aid daily elimination. What’s more, lemons are high in antioxidants, so you can help combat free radicals and give your skin a radiant glow. On top of that, the vitamin C present in lemons helps boost your immune system.

I am a firm believer in learning from first-hand experience – so go on and try it!

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Benefits of drinking warm lemon water