I've used a neti pot daily first thing in the morning for several years now, and just love it. It is one of the ancient yogic purification practices called jalaneti, but has been adopted into modern mainstream cultures around the world because of its many benefits.

At first, the idea of using a neti pot seems a bit repulsive and some basic instincts get alarmed by the practice. But with daily use, these responses fade quickly so that using the neti pot becomes quite enjoyable.

To perform this Jala Neti, use a small ceramic (or plastic) neti pot (pictured) available at most health stores and even some pharmacies. Fill the pot with purified water. I like to just use cold water for its bracing effect, but many people prefer warm. Add to the water about 1/4-1/2 tsp. of sea salt, and stir it until it is dissolved (undissolved salt in the water will sting and is not pleasant!).

Then, you are going to pour the water from one nostril into the other; then after half the pot has been emptied, switch nostrils. After emptying the pot, gently blow out the remaining water and mucous, and then continue to exhale through the nose vigorously to dry the nasal passages.

The practice was developed originally to cleanse the orifices of the head which was known to improve meditation, attention span and concentration. On a more mundane level, neti potting relieves allergies, solves post-nasal drip, prevents colds, nose or ear infections, and acts as a general tonic to the nervous and immune systems.

I've started to include this series of yoga asanas (poses) in my morning wakeup routine (sadhana: "daily practice"), and have found it really gets the day started off on the right foot (pardon the pun).

The purpose of this series of poses is to greet the Eastern Sun as it brings its fresh, new life-giving power into the world. And that is the mood and intention to hold while doing the series. As with all yoga asanas, the drill beyond accomplishing the poses themselves, is to be fully in the present moment. To do both the poses and non-thinking simultaneously can be a challenge, and therein lies the work of self-improvement.

I'm not the world's most flexible person (in fact, I've been famous for being the world's stiffest person--but that's changing), and if you're in the same boat, always remember that depth into the pose is not "doing the pose better." You do the poses to the best of your ability and move on, without self-judgment or excessive thinking. The poses will tend to stimulate thinking and self-judgment, hence the challenge.

My yoga teachers, Bhava Ram and Laura Plumb of Deep Yoga, produced a lovely video of Laura doing the poses. She is an advanced yogi, so don't get discouraged if you can't follow along exactly. Again, do what it is you can do, and that is perfect. Bhava narrates and notice he includes the breathing pattern along with the direction. This is as much a part of the series as the movement.

The other challenge is to notice when you begin thinking, then apply the ancient Buddhist technique of saying to yourself "thinking" when you notice thoughts. Another technique is to do a yoga pose for the mind by chanting to yourself "Om" in the in-breath and "Shanti" on the out-breath--or use any meaningful words to focus on as you breathe. Enjoy!

Most of us, most of the time leave breathing to our autonomic nervous systems as an automatic function. I have come to realize that breathing is one of the most miraculous of treasures that we all have that is right in front of us all the time!

By making breathing a conscious activity, the health benefits (as well as general life benefits) are immense. First of all, just considering the breath as a miracle as you observe it is in and of itself a wonderfully uplifting practice. All the millions of intricate chemical processes that happen with each breath in and out is truly astounding, especially when you consider that ALL body processes depend on the breath to continue. That sounds obvious, but in the context of the miracle of life it bears pointing out.

Conscious breathing means that you couple the imagination with the breath, and in that way create a powerful mind-body connection.

Consider this: When breathing unconsciously, when you breath in, you are merely breathing in air, and when you breath out, you're just exhaling the metabolic wastes into the atmosphere. With conscious breathing, however, you use the mind via the imagination to supercharge that air you breath in with the subtle energies you create.

Breathe in LOVE, breathe in LIGHT, breathe in ABUNDANCE, breathe in HEALTH, breathe in whatever you want to see happen in your life. Then, do the same on the out breath, but send it out into the world--to your friends, your family, the entire planet. In this way you complete the circle of life and build karmic momentum. Feel the planet breathing you, feel you breathing the planet.

By working consciously with the breath, you make your life more conscious, and you improve the world!