Sauna for Health

Benefits I expererienced

The buzz word, SAUNA. I remember back in 2002, my gym membership was $80.00 for the year. Yes, you read it right $80.00. I was in, for good. I remember it was an all-women gym which I appreciated, and it had a pool that was only 4feet deep, which was the best part, since me not knowing how to swim, this was perfect! I finally was able to be in a pool worried free, first time ever, I had no fear of drowning.

Fast-forward to the Sauna part, I remember after working out on my way to the showers, there were these two rooms, both had a glass door, yet one of the doors was always foggy, and the other door I could see this cozy room with benches, and a cold bucket. I had no idea what neither of these were, yet curious me, one day I decided to open the foggy door. I went in and immediately felt may airways open, there was lots of steam and it was hard to see much, but this feeling was amazing. I stood in for about 3 minutes, back then there was no such thing as a smart phone, so this was an interesting moment, as I, for the first time, was not entertaining. I could barely see anything other than the fog, yet felt fully connected to my breath, and I liked it. My knowledge of Pranayama came later, so my relationship with breath really started in the sauna room.

After my first entrance to the wet sauna room, my visit to it became regular. I would go in after every workout and stay there for a few minutes. What I noticed since I started doing this was less muscle soreness, huge difference in my skin, (softer, brighter, cleaner). I then started to not like being in the dark, hahaha, well it was not dark, but it felt like it, because I could not see much. Other ladies would come in and I was not able to see a clear face, which made me feel unsafe. I mean, if nothing had not happened, I was at a loss, hahahahah. This was the paranoid me, thinking.

Eventually, I moved to the other room, which was not as enjoyable, as it felt very dry, yet I could appreciate feeling my muscles relaxed, better circulation, and how being in the room supported detoxification of my body. Notice the key word here is, supported. I make this notation because in reality we have our own internal detoxifying system, our kidneys and our liver. Make sure you take care of these two.

In conclusion, visiting the sauna can help improve one’s health, or at least this was my experience. I do however suggest always consulting with your healthcare provider, especially if you have an underlying medical condition or are dealing with an illness.