The ears are often overlooked as powerful mediators of our experience, yet their importance roars to life when our hearing is compromised, say, by a cold or a change in air pressure while traveling, or when overwhelmed by loud construction noises or car alarms. Yet the melody of birdsong, or the buzz of summer’s crickets, or an angelic choral performance can lift our spirit and serve as medicine for our soul.

Taking care of our ears intentionally can be a beautiful way to honor these powerful sense organs and bring more attention to the role they play in our pleasure, as well as our practical functionality. Gratitude for the gifts of living is always therapeutic.

Karna purana is the practice of oiling the ear. Some of the possible benefits include reducing dryness or itching in the ears, preventing ear infections, reducing wax build-up, relieving tension in the neck and jaw, relieving some headaches, reducing vertigo, and reducing the intensity of tinnitus or ringing in the ears. (However, you should avoid putting anything in the ear if you have a current ear infection.)

The simplest form of this practice is to take a little warm oil on your pinky finger and insert it in the outer portion of the ear canal to lubricate the opening, and massage the folds and crevices of the outer ear. This can be done daily as part of your dinacharya.

A more involved option, great as a weekly or periodic practice, is to lie down on one side and place 3-4 drops of warmed oil into the exposed ear canal with an eye dropper. You will hear when the drops have covered the ear drum as your hearing will become muffled. Massage the outer ear with oil and then stay still for a few minutes. Before sitting up, place a cotton ball in the ear to catch any oil as it trickles out, and then do the second side.

Classically, warmed sesame oil was used for this practice. You could also use warmed garlic oil, a common remedy in western herbal tradition, or another oil formulated for this purpose like Banyan Botanical’s Ear Oil. Place the glass eye dropper bottle in warm water for 5 or so minutes in advance to warm the oil. Using cold ear oil is definitely not recommended, as it can increase Vata dosha which coalesces in the ear.

Oiling the ears can be particularly calming and nourishing to the nervous system, especially In summer when chlorine pool water, or even salt water, can dry out the ears. For those who interact with others a lot during the day, perhaps overusing their listening faculties, karna purana can be a restorative balm to the spirit.

Let me know how you like this practice in the comments below!