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anthony574
USA
549 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 04 2007 : 4:22:41 PM
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http://www.anahatabalance.com/yogal...ractice.html
Check out this site on cold showers. There are many, but this one is specifically for yoga. Has some other useful cleansing methods as well.
I was somewhat of a wuss about it at first, but once you start you don't wanna stop! |
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Yoda
USA
284 Posts |
Posted - Jul 09 2007 : 3:10:34 PM
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| I've never been able to make this into a long term practice. It's a good one, though. Clears the mind, the aura, helps ground energy, etc. Good to do multiple times a day imo. Good luck sticking with it! |
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anthony574
USA
549 Posts |
Posted - Jul 09 2007 : 8:41:28 PM
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| Oh, I absolutely love it. In fact, I look forward to it as it has become one of my favorite times of the day. |
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Etherfish
USA
3615 Posts |
Posted - Jul 09 2007 : 8:47:49 PM
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| Years ago I had a job in hawaii for a few months, and I decided instead of renting an apartment I would live in a tent on the beach! They had cold showers there, and I always felt invigorated in the morning. |
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cosmic_troll
USA
229 Posts |
Posted - Jul 14 2007 : 12:54:47 AM
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| I've been doing this for the past few days (thanks to this post, actually), and I dig it so far. It makes me feel all toasty afterwards, while drying off and getting ready for the day. The warmth feels loving, like being dried by a parent as a child, after the bath. Thanks for posting this! |
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emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - Jul 14 2007 : 07:42:40 AM
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A Chinese way to do it is to switch between warm and cold water 6 times. That will increase the effect and awaken the chi quite vigorously.  |
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Etherfish
USA
3615 Posts |
Posted - Jul 14 2007 : 08:57:44 AM
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Seems like almost everything invented by man tends to drag us in the wrong direction. No wonder people become ascetics!
emc,
do you know the procedure? i mean just quick changes, or maybe change the temp and turn around and let it penetrate, then change it again? |
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anthony574
USA
549 Posts |
Posted - Jul 14 2007 : 10:58:02 AM
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the ayurvedic method is to step in and out of the water 4 times.
i have found sometimes if i do the temp change it makes my skin itchy during the transition from cold to warm, but i think maybe my idea of warm is too hot!
yes cosmic troll, i have noticed some interested nostalgic feelings too during my first couple cold showers. that feeling afterward when your skin is nice and taught and you curl up into a nice robe or sheets feels childlike somehow.
also, another good effect of this practice is it is better for your hair and skin because in many water systems a lot of the impurities and additives, especially chlorine are reduced. also, the lack of steam created lessens your respiratory burden because you are not inhaling fluoride and the like. |
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emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - Jul 14 2007 : 11:16:26 AM
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"change the temp and turn around and let it penetrate, then change it again?"
Yes, that is right! You stay in as hot water as you can cope with until you have "gotten the feeling of it", then you switch to the cold water.
The nerve cells transmitting temperature to the brain are the same whether it's cold or hot, so the nervous system gets a little to work with. This is a common technique in stress research, when you want to agitate a person's stress system. You let them dip a hand reversingly in hot and cold water. Get's them really stressed after a while! |
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anthony574
USA
549 Posts |
Posted - Jul 15 2007 : 10:28:08 AM
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| is that a good thing for sadhana, to be stressed? |
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Etherfish
USA
3615 Posts |
Posted - Jul 15 2007 : 10:47:28 AM
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I tried the six changes this morning, and it has an interesting side effect: It tightens the skin and makes me look noticeably younger!
Let me see if I get this straight: Is hot-cold-hot one change or two? I took the lazy option and called that two changes. |
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emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - Jul 15 2007 : 11:37:11 AM
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Anthony,
Stress in the above is only defined as a reaction in the hormonal system, it has no negative meaning. In stress tests you just want the system going. Some find it arousing but not uncomfortable. It's a convenient way to induce stress in the body system without involving emotions (for example show emotionally upsetting material)which would be more unethical or cognition (for example counting back from 100 by subtracting with 7) which would be silly to do if you for example wanted to test ability to make logical decisions during stress.
The arousal also happens to awaken chi. That's also what we do in the asana when we give ourselves a proper rub all over. We get the nervous system going. 
Etherfish, yes. In the end you will have had 3 hot showers and 3 cold showers. =) It definitely tightens the skin! The skin is in shock and tries to get out of there! |
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anthony574
USA
549 Posts |
Posted - Jul 15 2007 : 5:08:28 PM
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i will try the temp change method tomorrow morning. still dont know why it makes my skin itchy....
also, its good to follow the ayurvedic link's suggestion and rub oil on your body and give yourself a nice massage beforehand. |
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emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - Jul 15 2007 : 5:25:42 PM
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| The itchyness might just be a biproduct since all nerv cells in the skin are activated somehow. I don't remember if the same receptors that are activated by temperature are the same as the itchy ones. If not, just being nearby and getting a little of the spill over arousal would certainly send itchy signals as well. I know those detecting pressure and those detecting pain are different ones. |
Edited by - emc on Jul 15 2007 5:26:26 PM |
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anthony574
USA
549 Posts |
Posted - Jul 15 2007 : 8:20:07 PM
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| i just tried the temp change method and it was really pleasurable. when i would switch i would get a nice giddy feeling and when i was done i had nice tingling sensations in the middle of my spine. defintley a great pre-sadhana practice! |
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Etherfish
USA
3615 Posts |
Posted - Jul 16 2007 : 07:16:32 AM
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emc wrote:quote:
Etherfish, yes. In the end you will have had 3 hot showers and 3 cold showers. =) It definitely tightens the skin! The skin is in shock and tries to get out of there!
Good. Then that's only five changes if you want to get anal about it. Better because ending with cold is good to have the pores closed when drying.
Funny thing about looking younger is it lasts for hours! Must be the chi awakening too. |
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nandhi
USA
362 Posts |
Posted - Jul 19 2007 : 11:17:01 PM
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aum
beautiful subject that has relevance to an empowered worship.
the highest offering to give the divine is our body.
prior to a cold shower, when we meditate into the five elements- as our body being earth and water elements; the inner tummo fire as the awakened divine; breath and beyond breath as energies of wisdom ; and liberated as joy to be the element of space- the body becomes an offering!
entering the cold water is a daily baptism by our guru- our wisdom state that is in being spirit through the renewal process that is like the surrender of the body/the past/attachments into mother ganga.
sometimes the body screams- me,my,i,cold,not happy:( scolding the body saying, 'hey body, while making love you enjoyed yourself. now make love with this sacred union too!' gradually, the body enjoys the extremes in the surrender experience transformed to joy to be sustained by the spirit we are awake to be.
dissolving the 'i' through our cold shower to feel our spirit now hold the body as an offering, the siva puja begins as knowing siva to celebrate being siva.
all in the absolute joys enjoying the wisdom below-
etherfish- 'Must be the chi awakening too.'
anthony- 'definitely a great pre-sadhana practice!'
emc- 'The arousal also happens to awaken chi.'
yoda- 'Clears the mind, the aura, helps ground energy'
etherfish- 'always felt invigorated in the morning'
inner joys as divine presence, and the cold water flows!:)
nandhi
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Sparkle
Ireland
1457 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2007 : 7:16:58 PM
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Nandhi
Your post is so inspiring, thank you.
quote:
the highest offering to give the divine is our body.
prior to a cold shower, when we meditate into the five elements- as our body being earth and water elements; the inner tummo fire as the awakened divine; breath and beyond breath as energies of wisdom ; and liberated as joy to be the element of space- the body becomes an offering!
Such a divine way to prepare for a cold shower or in fact anything involving the body.
Namaste
Louis |
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salvation
19 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2007 : 01:44:10 AM
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Hi to all..
I don't know the techniques of cold shower as mentioned here.But I would like to share my experience with you.
8 years before,I used to take bath in luke warm water in winter seasons.Though I didn't like it at that time but I had no other option.Later I started realizing that my body had started to become habitual of this routine.I started to push my limits slowly because this practice made me tough mentally too.Now for the last 6 years I take bath only in cold water.
Though the minimum temperature drops to about 2-3 Degree Celcius in winters here.After starting these practices I also got rid of my cold problems..
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nandhi
USA
362 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2007 : 3:16:10 PM
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aum
thank you divine louis!:)
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lucidinterval1
USA
193 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2007 : 04:59:43 AM
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I too enjoy to end each shower with cold water. It is a technique that Yogi Bhajan taught. It makes me feel alive and ready to face the day!
Blessings,
Paul |
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emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2007 : 08:20:56 AM
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quote:
Good. Then that's only five changes if you want to get anal about it.
Etherfish, I went anal about it  , and checked with my chi gong teacher! I guess it is a language translation thing that might confuse it. She said that actually she has been taught it should be six periods of each (warm and cold)(but if you want to half it into three of each that is also ok). That will be very many changes... |
Edited by - emc on Jul 24 2007 08:23:01 AM |
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anthony574
USA
549 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2007 : 12:58:14 PM
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| if it were 6 of each that would be an awfully long shower unless i am standing in each period for too long. ill have to try it and maybe cut the time in each by a bit. |
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Etherfish
USA
3615 Posts |
Posted - Jul 25 2007 : 07:29:01 AM
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OK let's anal-ize:
six periods of each is five changes, right?
Another interesting thing I noticed is where I live (in the mountains) the water is very cold. So if I go from the hottest to pure cold water, it is so shocking it takes my breath away and i can't breathe, even after some time. But if i go from hot to mostly cold but not all the way, it is still shocking but I can breathe. Then I like to go to all cold in another step or two.
Probably not following ancient tradition, but then, if the tradition was created in India, it was likely to be hotter country than here.
Then in the winter here the water will be colder yet, just above freezing. |
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emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - Jul 25 2007 : 09:52:31 AM
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Six periods of each (not six periods totally) means six times cold and six times hot. Let's see, do we start with hot? To get a real nice effect of the cold and also finish with the cold, huh? And six of each polarity... (*thinking* Hot - Switch - Cold - Switch - Hot... etc) must be: ELEVEN changes! |
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Etherfish
USA
3615 Posts |
Posted - Jul 25 2007 : 7:52:11 PM
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| right. Now I know we're understanding each other. |
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Topic |
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Cold Showers!
