Nasya Therapy and Movement of Kapha
In the energy science of Ayurveda there are two principal ways to treat disease....palliative(shaman) and detoxification(shodan) When you change your nutrition to a energetically constitutionally appropriate nutritional format(ahara) and avoid incompatible food combinations you are doing shaman therapy When you follow guidelines such as the dinacharya(vihara) you're practicing shaman therapy These therapies in general do not deal with the guna(qualities) imbalance and the resultant accumulation of ama/amavisha(toxins) but rather palliate or pacify the existing imbalance and not make the physiology worse Shaman work stabilizes the existing imbalance with associated ama/amavsha
Shodan Work and Nasya and Movement of Kapha
In contrast shodan therapies remove excess guna(quality) and ama/amavisha There are 5 therapies(panchakarma) that produce physiologic detoxification....one of them is nasya or the placement of herbally loaded oil into the sinus area
Naysa is best done in association with neti and kapalabhati...both of these latter actions help dry the sinuses of excess Kapha energy(mucous) so that the herbal oils can effectively treat the predominantly Kapha anatomical area But the beauty of nasya therapy is that it moves all three doshas(energy patterns) and ama/amavisha from the area of the sinuses Since these therapies induce shifts in the sinuses and create negative pressure in the sinues, the systemic physiology is treated which makes nasya an incredible tool for daily cleansing
Nasya is quite simple As above you should have completed neti and kapalabhati The head is tilted back(lay on the bed with the head over the side of the bed) and 5 drops are placed according to the accompanying diagram(elements of space, air, fire, water, and earth are collections of guna(qualities)that make up the doshas of Vata, PItta, and Kapha When neti and nasya are done we are treating the elements as well as the doshas of VPK) Stay in the position for 5 minutes and then feel the effects of nasya
The herbs in the oil are delivered not only to the nasal passages and sinuses but also to the brainstem by way of the cribiform plate which holds the olfactory nerves(first cranial nerves from the brainstem) So this is profound therapy at a number of different levels because nasya in the end treats the brain and the way we think bringing balance to our thoughts, feelings, and emotions
