Bathing like a Yogi / Yogini: Cold Water
Some pathys – fields of medicine – believe that the right use of water can both prevent & cure numerous ailments. Yogis agree.
Drinking 3 or more liters of water a day – in between meals – helps with digestion, purifies the skin, and provides numerous other benefits.
Water is not only for drinking. We also of course use it to wash ourselves. In that function, yogis say that water is not just for cleaning the outside of the body but also for revitalizing the inner systems as well.
That is why cold water is preferable for bathing / showering. I know, I know, most of us shudder to even think such a thought. But here is how it works. The blood has a tendency to pool both in the limbs and within the inner layers of the body. Yet this same blood is responsible for delivering nutrients to all cells of the body. When it pools it fails to do this.
The application of cold water to the body gets the blood moving fast. The blood can no longer stagnate. As one researcher wrote: “The cooler blood from the skin is squeezed out to the deeper organs and the warmer blood from the deeper organs is pumped out to the skin for cooling.”
Here is more about the benefits of a cold bath:
A cold bath has various benefits which a hot bath lacks…With a hot bath the blood circulation does not reach the uppermost layer of the skin. Besides, the blood cells near the outer skin become weak, whereas a cold bath strengthens them. When our skin comes in contact with cold water, it contracts. The contractions caused by the loss in temperature provide relief to the body. It creates an effect equal to that of body massage…When we use cold water for a bath it accelerates the blood circulation; we can feel it while bathing. The interesting thing is that when we take a cold bath the body experiences a sort of inner warmth. It happens because of the rapid flow of blood. (reference)
I always try to at least complete my bathing process with 100% cold water – dousing the body until I feel every cell revitalized. I do find that this creates an inner warmth as well. Plus this cold water system is incredibly energizing.
Now that we are getting into the warmer weather – try cooling down the water a bit in the shower / bath and see for yourself the benefits this has. The effect is instantaneous!! Plus there are many hidden benefits as noted in these below articles.
For more about the benefits of cold water: (a) 7 Benefits of cold water + James Bond bath, (b) Cold Shower Cures, (c) Cold Water Therapy, (d) Cold Baths to Promote Health. And not doubt there are more.
Let us know how it goes…(warm comments only please!)
I believe it but UGH. Being healthy might kill me. Lets try it and see!
That’s the spirit Catrina!! Report back to us and let us know!!
Heat causes vasodilation while cold causes vasoconstriction. That means a hot shower increases blood flow and a cold shower decreases it.
Have you had pink skin from a hot shower? That’s increased blood flowing through and cleansing the outer layer of skin.
The inner warmth and exhilaration after ending a warm shower with a cold burst of water is adrenaline kicking in – a stress response.
Just my two cents backed by 12 years of higher education studying the human body backed by residency and clinical experience. 🙂
Hi Kathleen,
Thanks so much for joining in – you raise some good points for discussion. It is wonderful to have your expertise and viewpoint here. This is a good occasion to exchange and compare western and eastern viewpoints and practices.
YOU WROTE: “Heat causes vasodilation while cold causes vasoconstriction.”
The yogic response to this is that yes, the hot water does create vasodilation which in turn brings more blood to that area; however, that hot water does not push the old blood (non-oxygenated blood) away. So there is not a great exchange of blood. Yet that is precisely what cold water does by, as you say, vasoconstriction. With cold water, vasocontriction occurs and pushes away all the old blood. Naturally then, newly oxygenated blood comes and fills that void. So with a warm water bath the blood that had previously pooled in the limbs and inner organs remains stagnant in those places whereas with a cold water bath, that blood is forced (squeezed) out and new blood comes rushing in. That is what yogika doctors and eastern medical practitioners state. For this reason they say there is a great transfer and movement of blood with a cold water bath.
So where are we?
The life practices and theories of yogis and western scientists is quite, quite different. However, these days that gap is narrowing as western medicine has begun to discover that many of the practices, which yogis have known for hundreds and even thousands of years, are indeed beneficial for human health.
One critical example of this is diet. Now western medical research is rejecting so many of the dietary standards which they themselves put forth in the 20th century and are adopting and recommending eating patterns that are in line with the age-old yogic diet.
My point here is that while these two worlds (western material science & eastern intuitional science) are starting to merge, they do not yet agree on each and every point. For instance, very few western doctors advocate regular fasting; whereas this is a regular practice for the yogi. My personal belief is that the day will come in the not too distant future when western medical researchers will also advocate regular fasting for human health.
And I will also maintain that soon western medical research will support the idea of taking a cool or cold water bath for health. Though I understand that not all are going to accept this notion at present.
Finally I would say, let everyone practice for themselves – hot water vs cooler or cold water – and see for themselves which system of bathing is more refreshing. Life is after all an experiment.
Thanks again for your input as it forced me to reconsider this entire topic.
Warmest regards,
Satyam
Satyam,
I love your diplomatic response. The yogic explanation for blood flow is poetic and I understand the theory. I believe circulation is more dynamic. Only in a few instances, like in veins that have lost their valves, does blood become stagnant. Then it pools in the veins – while vasoconstriction to push blood occurs in the arterioles and capillaries. There may be yogic and western theories, but ultimately there is only one physiology. I wish the yogic theory were right on this one. I’ve had a lot of patients with vascular edema. If plunging their swollen limbs into cold water would fix it naturally, I’d be all for it!
Anyway, there’s nothing detrimental about taking a cold shower so if it makes everyone feel better then by all means go for it. Even in my own house, my partner does this regularly. 🙂
On the other hand, I’m so grateful for the yogic wisdom regarding diet and fasting. The movie here:
http://www.forksoverknives.com/
shows that we’re finally catching up to the wisdom of our forefathers about plant based diets!
Am curious about your take on dairy from a yogic perspective as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and the Gheranda Samhita recommend it – then say later that it isn’t necessary. From
my recent experiences in India with various schools I know they’re not advocating it for the most part. Any thoughts?
Warm regards,
Kathleen
theYogadr.com
Greetings Kathleen,
I am so “not-the scientist” and appreciate your kind and gentle response. As you rightly say, “ultimately there is only one physiology”. I will talk to my brother who is an MD and long-time yoga practitioner and others active in the field of yogic health and respond. Thus far I have shared what I was taught living in ashrams of India. So I will get back to you 🙂
Regarding your last para, as you point out dairy has long been accepted by yogis as being sattvika or sentient. Hence it has been wholeheartedly embraced. Dairy was a way to get protein and lots of calories without injuring the animal. And in India where food production and availability has at times been quite challenging, where common people have died from starvation, dairy has been needed for public health.
Nowadays, when dairy comes from cows that are given steroids & hormones etc to produce maximum milk, many yogis have reconsidered. No longer is that milk pure and no longer are those animals unharmed. So that changes things drastically. I know many a sannyasi – inside and out of India – who now refuse to take dairy products. Because when that milk is filled with chemicals and produced by cows whose lives are horribly manipulated, then they feel that milk is no longer sattvika, but rather tamasik or static, the lowest category of food in the yogic diet.
Personally, I have followed a vegan diet since ’91 and find it to be a very satisfying and healthy way to maintain the human body.
Overall I’d say in countries where people need cow’s milk in order to survive and they raise and care for those cows in their own backyard / locale, then I’d say taking milk is fine. For those with access to other dietary resources, then best is to avoid dairy products altogether.
Thanks for raising this very important topic as this does seem to be a point in transition.
Respectfully,
Satyam
I love this discussion! I will definitely experiment and begin to turn down the temperature. One prescription in the meditation system I practice is as follows: “The yogic way of bathing does not permit showers because showers ruin the auric strength that is surrounding the body. We are supposed to take water in our hands and rub it and let it dry by itself—good way of saving water, for one thing.”
I’ve been plugging the tub and letting the water pool slightly in the front, then turning the tap off and using my hands to scoop it over my body. Air drying is really refreshing too! I just brush as much water off as I can and then I dry off after a minute or two walking back to my room.
Nice Emma,
The yogic method is to bathe from a squatting position – this keeps the glands and body at rest. What I do is fill a bucket in a tub and then use a dip cup or litre mug to pour water over the body.
Your point about air drying is also very good – thanks!!
Satyam
What about kneeling while bathing?
Also curious what the take is on the use of soap and shampoos? As a Westerner who shaves her legs, I wonder if shaving affects the auric field as well…
Hi Emma,
1) Kneeling while bathing is probably just fine – the main thing is being in a position of rest – and standing is not rest.
2) Regarding soap and shampoo, the main thing is not to use *artificially* scented and *artificially* perfumed products. That probably wipes out 95% of the western products. My personal preference is unscented.
3) Yogis say that the hair of the body is quite natural and serves a distinct purpose. The hair of the joints of the body is critical for the cooling and heating of the glands of that region. In short, body hair should be maintained – which is quite different from today’s western perspective.
The basic idea of point #3 is the nature has created the body in a particular way and that design is beneficial – it need not be changed or redesigned or modified. Everything has been given for a purpose including bodily hair. Modifications to the body design would definitely affect one’s vibration and subtle self or spiritual self.
So those are just some thoughts to consider…
Satyam
Those are some great insights. Thanks for sharing. I had a similar idea about hair but can we say the same about nails? Because not trimming nails wouldn’t make day to day work any easier.
I will give this a try. Thanks for the encouragement.
You are most welcome – do keep us posted about your experience….