Mmmm. Infrared Sauna.
Posted on April 6, 2012 with 0 comments
Tonight was my first experience with infrared sauna. I usually only end up in a sauna when I'm on the road and have the rare opportunity to work out a long time and then detox a bit in the hotel sauna. It doesn't happen often.
I tried the infrared for the first time tonight in a boutique spa. It was strangely blissful.
First, natural oils were applied - if I remember correctly, it was grapeseed oil with rosemary and oregano oil. Then I was basically cocooned inside a sheet and then in an infrared sauna wrap. Lights dimmed, muzak playing, and the rest went like this:
Warm. Nice. Relaxed. Drifting in and out of meditation.
Hot. Nice. Relaxed. Meditation.
Hot. Uncocooned arms to get sip of water. Relaxed but slightly unsure.
Repeat.
Still Hot. Another sip. Happy. Back to meditation.
When it was over, it felt as if it were either 20 minutes, or 5 hours. I felt like some sort of a champion. An hour of sweating profusely in a high-tech space bag was way different than 20 minutes in a hotel sauna. First of all, I didn't have to worry that someone would steal my sandals outside the door. Second of all, I was alone, the practitioner came in periodically, I assume to make sure that I didn't disintegrate or burst into flames. Alone with my brain relaxed, for once.
Was it worth it? Yes. I thought back to my few bikram yoga classes that made me want to vomit and forbade me to drink water for an ungodly amount of time. The poses, easy. The delirium and odor of nearby hairy men in speedos - hardly relaxing.
I literally had to relax my mind, focus on breathing and the feeling of heat penetrating to the bone. I couldn't think of things that were worrying me, things that annoyed me, things that made me anxious. It was magic. Of course, a perfect opportunity to meditate. Something we all should do on a daily basis.
I still feel good. Came home and had a dry skin brush, then a hot bath (like I needed more heat???) Enjoyed a lot of water to replenish and eventually a small bowl of organic granola with a banana and almond milk.
And now? I have much work to do - but really I'd like to just go lay down and fall asleep before a movie starts. I have a very long day tomorrow, and Sunday, and Monday is my long flight to Alaska. Hopefully the plane won't feel like a sauna, but I will try and keep my "sauna meditation brain" in the overhead compartment just in case I need it.
My life, as many artists experience, always feels a bit up in the air. I guess it keeps me alive, trying to suspend everything up there. I enjoy what I do, and I can't complain. I love my little family and how we all support each other in our endeavors, no matter how big or small. I have a rocky few months ahead, and by no means am I complaining. I'm honored when a challenge presents itself. It wasn't always that way.
Feel honored when you get in that sauna. Find your time to meditate, daily. Find time for you - whether it's an hour at a spa or 5 minutes behind your closed eyelids. Enjoy life's challenges. Know that you can do anything that is set before you - that's why it's there!!!
More news coming when the time is right. For right now, I'm ready to count my blessings. There seems to be a whole lot, so this could be a while.
xo,
NP
I tried the infrared for the first time tonight in a boutique spa. It was strangely blissful.
First, natural oils were applied - if I remember correctly, it was grapeseed oil with rosemary and oregano oil. Then I was basically cocooned inside a sheet and then in an infrared sauna wrap. Lights dimmed, muzak playing, and the rest went like this:
Warm. Nice. Relaxed. Drifting in and out of meditation.
Hot. Nice. Relaxed. Meditation.
Hot. Uncocooned arms to get sip of water. Relaxed but slightly unsure.
Repeat.
Still Hot. Another sip. Happy. Back to meditation.
When it was over, it felt as if it were either 20 minutes, or 5 hours. I felt like some sort of a champion. An hour of sweating profusely in a high-tech space bag was way different than 20 minutes in a hotel sauna. First of all, I didn't have to worry that someone would steal my sandals outside the door. Second of all, I was alone, the practitioner came in periodically, I assume to make sure that I didn't disintegrate or burst into flames. Alone with my brain relaxed, for once.
Was it worth it? Yes. I thought back to my few bikram yoga classes that made me want to vomit and forbade me to drink water for an ungodly amount of time. The poses, easy. The delirium and odor of nearby hairy men in speedos - hardly relaxing.
I literally had to relax my mind, focus on breathing and the feeling of heat penetrating to the bone. I couldn't think of things that were worrying me, things that annoyed me, things that made me anxious. It was magic. Of course, a perfect opportunity to meditate. Something we all should do on a daily basis.
I still feel good. Came home and had a dry skin brush, then a hot bath (like I needed more heat???) Enjoyed a lot of water to replenish and eventually a small bowl of organic granola with a banana and almond milk.
And now? I have much work to do - but really I'd like to just go lay down and fall asleep before a movie starts. I have a very long day tomorrow, and Sunday, and Monday is my long flight to Alaska. Hopefully the plane won't feel like a sauna, but I will try and keep my "sauna meditation brain" in the overhead compartment just in case I need it.
My life, as many artists experience, always feels a bit up in the air. I guess it keeps me alive, trying to suspend everything up there. I enjoy what I do, and I can't complain. I love my little family and how we all support each other in our endeavors, no matter how big or small. I have a rocky few months ahead, and by no means am I complaining. I'm honored when a challenge presents itself. It wasn't always that way.
Feel honored when you get in that sauna. Find your time to meditate, daily. Find time for you - whether it's an hour at a spa or 5 minutes behind your closed eyelids. Enjoy life's challenges. Know that you can do anything that is set before you - that's why it's there!!!
More news coming when the time is right. For right now, I'm ready to count my blessings. There seems to be a whole lot, so this could be a while.
xo,
NP