It’s cold outside – and the last thing I ever thought I would try was a cold shower in the morning. Brrrrrrrr lol 🙂 But this is actually something that I am enjoying!
Showers are a very quick and easy way to get rid of “negative-energy-debri” in our daily lives – I love to have a quick shower straight after I arrive home from a long day out, to keep my energy space clear and get rid of any energy that I might have collected during the day (from the tube etc).
And thanks to my recent boiler break down, I started to notice the difference in my own energy before/after the cold showers… Also known in the yoga lifestyle as Ishnaan (cold water massage therapy/shower) – My occasional mild winter blues lifts, my skin turns a rosy colour even when my skin tone is dark lol and I actually *feel* much more alive during the day too… I had to look this up further to see what the benefits are because I know there are therapies out there that use this method.
Very interesting… Hmmmm 🙂
The science behind it is amazing – You can read more about the benefits here – taken from this source, not my words:
-
A cold shower at night before bed can knock out your insomnia. I have found this personally to work very well for me. Ten minutes of focusing a cold shower on my head, neck, chest and back is a refreshing end to the day, and begins an intense relaxation that starts about the time you are toweling off to go to bed. I know I have had several nights of not remembering a thing once my head hit the pillow in spite of chronic insomnia. I have also noticed cold showers have helped me get going when I have not had enough sleep.
-
Cold water bathing can stimulate your immune system. The cold shot to the body causes the body to raise the metabolic rate which in turn creates more heat. It has also been shown to create more white blood cells. Cold-water dousing like jumping into an icy pool or pouring ice water over your head and can create flash fevers that go as high 107 degrees Fahrenheit. A study published by Shevchuk and Radoja shows the potential to enhance anti-tumor immunity via cold stress. Another study shows that winter swimmers have improved antioxidative protection.
-
Cold water showers have the ability to increase your hormone production and activity. Men may see an increase of testosterone.
-
Cold showers have the potential to alleviate depression based on this study by Shevchuk. I have noticed that I feel less prone to irritation and the blues since I have started my cold shower regimen. I also feel less stressed when taking a cold shower at the end of the day.
-
A study by Nikolai Shevchuk seems to show a possible treatment for fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome via cold water bathing. I did not know about this at the time I started cold showers, but CFS is something I have had for a number of years. I can say that my bouts of CFS has been significantly reduced if not altogether removed. I will keep taking cold showers just for this benefit alone.
-
Cold showers seem to improve the appearance and health of your hair and skin.
-
Cold showers increase internal circulation which helps with detoxification.
-
Cold showers can boost your metabolism. Particularly good for the winter when you are trying to stay warm – odd as that sounds. If you are constantly feeling cold, you may need to give your metabolism a kick via cold showers. Boosting your metabolism via cold showers is a good way to increase weight loss.
-
If you practice Stoicism- cold showers are a very Stoic thing to do 🙂 I think there is a psychological benefit to cold showers which is a Stoic bonus.
-
Cold water showers can make you appreciate the simple pleasures we have in life more such as hot showers.
I also enjoy the Kundalini yoga angle of it – I especially love doing this before meditation and yoga practise… I notice that any time I need more clarity or if I need to shake off bad energy, this is what I am beginning to do. And it works wonders!
Note for women: No ishnaan if you are pregnant or on your monthly Moon Cycle.
Kundalini yoga, Sadhana with cold showers and energy explanation:
Tips for daily cold showers:
[Tip 1] Warm >>> Cold – OK, so we don’t need to jump straight in at the deep end.. scary and shocking to the system when we are not used to it 🙂 Instead, you can start off with a warm shower and wash your body at this point – then when it comes to the final rinsing, slowly and gradually turn the temperature dial to the coldest point you can stand and practise breath of fire under the water. Keep this flow of cold water over your body until your body no longer feels cold (usually about 2 minutes, varies from person to person).This actually changes the flow of energy and blood so you do get some great benefits here and you’ll see how energised you are afterwards!
[Tip 2] Smelling Gorgeous! For some extra things you can try if you have some time to spare in your shower time, sprinkle the shower floor space with uplifting essential oils before you run your warm or cold water over it. This will fill the bathroom with beautiful relaxing scents that your body will receive. My favourite is lemongrass essential oil in the morning.
[Tip 3] Detox & Glow! And if you want to exfoliate, try skin brushing in the shower… traditionally, this is done with dry skin, but you can do it in the shower if you prefer.
Follow this with a deep moisturiser lotion or oil after your shower. Or if you want to practise a more traditional method, massage your body with pure oil (like almond oil) before doing the cold water shower. The oil will be driven through pores of the skin while showering, providing a protective coating. Oil is easily absorbed by the skin when mixed with water, so you won’t be greasy afterwards.
Check out the video below for more details and enjoy your soft skin and overall health benefits 🙂
YOGA FOR EMPATHS & HSPs 