Nasya Oil - Benefits and Guide to Nasya Treatment
Updated: Aug 17
Curious about Nasya Oil? Discover all you need to know about Ayurvedic Nasya therapy and its many benefits.
Explore more on the Saumya Blog, selected top Ayurveda blogs and websites to watch.
As always with our Ayurvedic practice, our focus, intentions and habits center around Prana, the vital life force that enters through the breath. Cleansing breath is the foundation of all health, and the nose, with its passages that lead directly to the brain, our consciousness, is the doorway where Prana enters our bodies.
Just like we sweep and clean the entryway of our home before guests arrive, we should cleanse and nourish our nasal passages to restore and balance our Prana. This offers multitudes of beneficial side effects for our overall health.
In Ayurveda, we use Nasya oil to perform this inner cleansing. Nasya treatment involves applying medicinal herbs, decoctions and oils to our nasal passages to support the sinus, nose, throat, and head. While different substances can be used depending on the ailment, we recommend adding one to your daily routine no matter what: Ayurvedic nose oil, or nasya oil.
Nasal oil in Ayurveda is infused with herbs to balance all Doshas, but especially Vata. This healing therapy involves anointing the nose in order to lubricate the nasal passages, provide subtle moisture to our breath, and nurture the higher cerebral faculties and sensory organs.
Nasya Oil Benefits - What is Nasya Oil Good For?
Nasya oil supports our inner wellbeing and overall health. When you begin regular Nasya treatment, youâll see the benefits right away. Nasya oil can be used to increase mental function, as a preventative medicine, for better breathing, and for stress relief. Nasya soothes Vata dosha, Pitta dosha and Kapha dosha. What oil is best for you, depends on what is happening.
Nasya Oil Benefits: For Seasonal Transition Support
Lubricating the nostrils with herbalized oil is especially supportive during seasonal transitions. During the shift from one season to the next, Vata, Pitta and Kapha are more in flux leaving us more vulnerable to stress and illnesses.
There are many types of nasya oil. Which type of nasya oil is most beneficial depends on oneâs prakruti (constitution) and vikruti (current state) as well as location, stage of life and the season.
Nasya Oil Benefits - For Vata, Pitta and Kapha Dosha
For Vata dosha, the correct nasya oil can soothe anxiety, improve sleep, and improve focus.
For Pitta dosha, nasya can cool off that hot headedness and may relief migraines when used as part of a comprehensive Ayurveda treatment plan.
For Kapha dosha, nasya can invigorate and clear out dullness in the mind.
Related Reads:
What is Ayurveda? A Beginner's Guide and Beyond Ayurvedic Doshas and Their Impact on Your Life | The Dance of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha
Which Oil is Best for Nasya?
The beauty and effectivness of Ayurveda lies in its specificity of treatment. When Saumya Ayurveda determines your Prakruti (original constitution) and your Vikruti (current state, symptoms, imbalances), then treatment becomes laser focused.
So it is with nasya treatment. Which oil with which herbs will benefit you the most, depends on your what's going on for you individually, your stage of life, your location and of course your symptoms. There are many formula of nasya, however common base oils are sesame and ghee.
Nasya Oil for Improved Focus
Any medication that is administered through the nasal passages will affect the mind. In the case of Nasya oil, thatâs exactly what we want. The herb-infused oil will quickly reach your mind to promote concentration, mental clarity and a sharper memory. Youâll even feel that youâre perceiving the world around you more clearly â both consciously and physically, as nasya oil also supports clear vision.
âSaumya Ayurveda has helped me to become reborn. With the help of Veena, I have become more than ADHD. My entire body responds better to stress and relaxation.
Being a molecular scientist, it was difficult to grasp the simplistic complexity of Ayurveda, but the changes I experienced with Veena allowed me, not only a general understanding of health, but sparked a lifelong journey to use my knowledge to advance the acceptance of Ayurveda as a needed modality of health. This is a feat, considering I had difficulty focusing and digestive issues only four short years ago.
Veenaâs evaluation and treatment is so individualized that it was easy to adjust my life which spawned health. Veena is a skilled healer with a solution to fit all.â
--Dr. Jessica B., Washington
âYour nasya oil treatment really had a strong, positive effect on my life. My mind was racing, and I have been highly stressed for a long time. I did the nasya and suddenly all went quiet. I felt like meditating. Your nasya oil really calmed the mind.â --Anonymous, New Mexico
Nasya Oil as Preventative Herbal Remedy
Since Nasya oil application is a daily practice, itâs benefiting our health constantly, in many different ways. Lubricating your nose helps protect you from the pollen, pollutants, and toxins that live in your environment and can slide through dry pathways inside your nose. Nasya oil can be used to prevent and treat allergies. It can also fend off headaches, earaches, sore throats, and other sinus-related symptoms.
Nasya Oil for Better Breathing
The flow of Prana relies on regular, grounded breathing patterns and clear nasal passageways. When all these align, all the vital organs, tissues, and cells are being nourished directly through the bloodstream. Nasya oil relieves mucus and congestion, clears stagnation and improves breathing for enhanced cerebral circulation, longevity, and vitality. It can even provide much-needed soothing for your vocal cords. Now is a perfect time to check out Learn Diaphragmatic Breathing and Change Your Life and to pair that with our free guided practices.
Nasya Oil for Stress Relief
When your Prana is cleared through your breath, youâll experience stress and tension melt away in your neck, jaw, head, and shoulders. Any energy that has been blocked will be released, and energy wonât be able to stagnate in these areas. Mental and emotional stress and anxious thoughts contribute to fading health and many unnecessary afflictions. Nasya oil can help balance these energies, so you feel energized and revitalized all day long.
âVeena is highly intelligent, kind, and easy to talk toâour first conversation felt like I had known her for years. Veena remedied several gastro-intestinal issues coupled with anxiety. Highly recommend! -Jade Gagnon, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nasya Oil for Migraine Relief
Nasya oil application is a daily practice, and herbalized oil applied to the nostrils is a direct route to soothing and rebalancing doshas in the mind channel. (manovahasrota). Think of it this way. Vata governs movement. Pitta is heat. What does heat do? It rises! When Vata is imbalanced it can push Pitta. In other words, heat goes to the head and migraines are the result. The causes of those doshic imbalances are different for every person, so treatment is customized at Saumya Ayurveda.
How Do I Know If I Have a Dosha Imbalance?
Peruse these comprehensive and convenient lists of signs and symptoms of dosha imbalances.
Peruse these comprehensive and convenient lists of signs and symptoms of dosha imbalances. As we are comprised of all Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, there can be an imbalance in any of the doshas, or a combination of dosha imbalances. Read all three lists and see if anything looks familiar.
âI have suffered from chronic headaches and migraines for as long as I can remember. I had talked to multiple PCPs and specialists about these issues, had been prescribed a variety of medications that helped somewhat, but never really fixed the issue.
Veena promptly put together a plan of action that consisted of herbal remedies alongside some simple changes to my diet. Right away I noticed a significant decrease in the number of headaches I was getting, and when I did get them, they were much less severe than they had been in the past.
I am very thankful for Veena's knowledge and advice and would not hesitate to recommend her services to friends and family alike.â -Adrienne Sobering, Albuquerque, New Mexico
âI was inflamed. I had trouble keeping weight on, I was diagnosed with incurable ulcerative proctitus, my energy was very low, and I was taking medications daily for a skin condition, and I had severe migraines.
Following Veenaâs guidance, all of these conditions have been nearly eliminated! The incurable ulcerative proctitus was given a Mayo Clinic Score of 0, normal or inactive disease.
Iâm very grateful to Veena for the wonderful results and the healthier quality of life we have attained together. Without reservation, I highly recommend Veena at Saumya Ayurveda.â
---Chris Schirber, Yoga Teacher, Minnesota
Nasya Oil Benefits for Hair Loss Treatment
Clearly there are many benefits to nasya treatment including increased focus, happier sinuses, improved energy, and migraine relief. In addition to those significant benefits, according to Ayurveda, nasya treatment can prevent hair loss as well as speed up hair growth. Rejuvenation treatments, which includes nasya oil, overall supports health and wellbeing and therefore slows down the again process. According to the Cleveland Clinic, 30 million women in the United States experience significant hair loss, a total of 80 million people are affected in the US.
Can stress cause hair loss? "Yes, stress causes hair loss" according to the Mayo Clinic, in fact, three types of hair loss can be associated with stress levels"
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- Veena, Saumya Ayurveda
1. Learn Diaphragmatic Breathing and Change Your Life. When we re-learn to breath diaphragmatically, we move from the flight-fight-freeze mode, to rest, restore, relaxation mode from where we want and need to live.
2. Daily Guided Practices: 11 minutes in the morning and in the evening, as anchors of your daily Ayurveda routine.
3. Ayurveda Daily Routines: Ayurvedic Morning Routine | 6 Rituals for a Calm and Centered Day
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Saumya Ayurveda's Two Minute Meditation
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-E.A., North Carolina
Explore More: Ayurveda Breathwork Pranayama
Nasya Treatment for Beginners - How to Use Nasya Oil
The best time to apply a nasya treatment is around the time you brush your teeth â an hour before or after a shower or exercise. Nasal cleansing is simple, easy, and can be done lying down or sitting up.
Explore More About Ayurvedic Oral Care (Danta Shastra in Sanskrit): How To Do Ayurvedic Oil Pulling and Its Many Health Benefits Ayurvedic Tongue Scraping | Why and How?
How to do Nasya Treatment Lying down
Lie down on your back and get comfortable, place a small pillow beneath your head if you find you need the support. If you are on a bed, you can hang your head off the edge.
Tilt your head back slightly, with our nostrils opening toward the sky.
Place 3â5 drops of Nasya oil in each nostril with a circular motion, so all the membranes are fully coated.
Sniff hard, then rest for a few minutes to allow the Nasya oil to penetrate.
How to do Nasya Treatment Sitting Up
Sit comfortably with the head, neck and spine in alignment.
Place one drop of nasya oil on your little finger, and gently insert it into your nostril, or a few drops from the dropper if using a dropper bottle. Hold the dropper outside the nostril opening and gently release a few drops of nasya oil into each nostril.
Sniff up.
Massage the inner walls of your nasal passage so all the membranes are fully coated.
Alternate between your left and right nostril until each has received three applications of nasya oil.
How Often Should You Use Nasya Oil?
In Ayurveda, the correct lifestyle choices - including Ayurvedic diet, yog-asana, and even nasya treatment - depend on the individual. But in most cases, nasya oil can be used as part of a nourishing daily routine.
What is an Ayurvedic Morning Routine? Hereâs everything you need to know about how to build and benefit from an Ayurvedic Morning Routine:
When Should You NOT Use Nasya Oil?
While Nasya oil treatment is generally safe, there are a few important contraindications. You should NOT use Nasya oil:
If you have an active fever
If you are experiencing an acute illness
Before eating or drinking
Before taking a shower
If you are currently pregnant
If youâve recently given birth
During menstruation
If you experience dyspnea, COPD, or asthma
If you are younger than seven or older than 80
Nasya Oil - Benefits and Guide to Nasya Treatment
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âYour nasya oil really had a strong, positive effect on my life. My mind was racing, and I have been highly stressed for a long time. I did the nasya and suddenly all went quiet. I felt like meditating. Your nasya oil really calmed the mind.â
-S.L., USA
"The nasya drops are keeping me healthy! So far, no allergy symptoms this spring and I did not catch the cold my husband had!â
-K.K., Minnesota
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MEET VEENA: YOUR AYURVEDIC GUIDE
Veena is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and meditation teacher, and monk.
She is President Emeritus and teaching faculty of the Meditation Center.
Veena fell in love with the traditional medicine used in her familyâs home, learning herbal remedies at her grandmother's knee.
An experienced Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, Veenaâs deep, intuitive knowledge of Ayurveda empowers her clients to reclaim their fullest, most vibrant lives âmentally, physically, and spiritually.
Veena individualizes treatment plans to each person, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach, so it fits your life and becomes woven in your lifestyle, naturally.
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Kapha (tongue hanging out) and Vata are the newest members of the Saumya pack.
They are our enthusiastic greeters, but as you can see, they like to spend their time with their noses to the ground.
Their favorite way to use ghee as an Ayurveda treatment is to eat it! Shiny coats, big smiles, and excellent digestive health.
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