hi I'm Alicia Lynn Diaz ayurvedic health
practitioner and longtime friend of
Banyan botanicals our ears are very
important to our health and are
constantly exposed to the elements in
the outside world so Ayurvedic shares
with us a really simple practice called
ear oiling that really supports and
maintains the health of your ears
throughout your lifetime there are two
practices in Ayurveda to administer oil
to your ears in sanskrit the first one
is known as karna practice anonym this
is the practice of putting just a few
drops of oil in your ears and it has
many many benefits it helps loosen
tension in the jaw and in the neck it
helps support the overall groundedness
of the body and the mind and this
practice is really great to use during
the colder and windier months such as
fall and winter simply warm the ear oil
to your body temperature and place one
to two drops on your pinky finger or a
piece of cotton and gently lubricate the
ear passages alternatively you can tilt
your head and using the dropper place
one to two drops in each year gently
massaging it in this practice can be
done at any time of day and it can be
especially grounding before bedtime
making a wonderful addition to a
relaxing evening ritual now while that
first practice can be used as a simple
daily practice there's the second
practice called karna prana which is
where you put a little bit more oil in
your ear and you hold it for an extended
period of time this is typically used
monthly or as directed by your Ayurvedic
health practitioner this practice is
deeply nourishing and grounding for the
body and very very supportive for the
ears just like for the quick method warm
your ear oil to a comfortable
temperature you can test the oil on your
wrist to ensure it's neutral you'll need
ear oil to hand towels and washcloths
and if you'd like a timer and a warm
blanket place one hand towel on top of
the pillow lay down on one side with the
dropper bottle comfortably in arm's
reach
prop the washcloth along the outside
edge of your ear in case it spills
fill the ear with oil about three to six
drops if you'd like cover your ear with
the washcloth and hand towel so it stays
warm relax for 10 minutes you can set a
timer if you'd like once 10 minutes is
up slowly tilt your head to pour out oil
onto the washcloth remove the towels
roll over onto the other side get comfy
and repeat on the other ear ear oil
cleanses and moisturizes the tissues of
the ears thanks to a synergistic blend
of oils and Ayurvedic herbs the base
oils of sesame and olive are warming and
nourishing an olive oil also has a long
history of helping to break up excessive
ear wax these oils are then infused with
powerful Ayurvedic herbs bilva is gently
cleansing and has been traditionally
used in Ayurveda for centuries to
support a healthy ear environment
ashwagandha brings its tonifying
nourishing action Bala and calamus both
work in the nervous system
while Ajamoda another friend to the
nervous system helps with the proper
flow of Vata this formula is rounded out
with a small but mighty pinch of garlic
and garlic is known in the east and west
for its beneficial properties that
support the ears I was happy to know
that when I tried this product for the
first time it doesn't smell like garlic
so don't worry you get the benefits of
the garlic without any of the scent we
don't recommend that you use ear oil if
you have a perforated eardrum or an
infection in your ears or when your ears
are wet or may have trapped water inside
also if you have excessive ear wax you
may want to ask your practitioner how to
go about using one of these practices so
while this ear oiling practice is extra
beneficial for Vata dosha it is actually
tried o Schick and people of all body
types and doshas can benefit from this
nourishing practice I personally love
this practice it is so
rounding and nourishing it's a great
part of my self-care practice I hope
that you'll try it
