Benefits of Sauna
Whilst Hong Kong is in a mess, going to my regular hot yoga classes is sometimes not possible. Thus I discovered a sauna in my building complex and wanted to share with you the ever beneficial uses of sauna. The adage “heal with heat” is used in a variety of different cultures to heal, soothe and detox, not to mention destress. Wherever heat goes, circulation improves, this is why many athletes use infrared saunas these days. Heat makes the heart beat faster and blood can easily flow to where it needs to go. especially regarding muscle soreness.
In Finland, I had my very first “real Sauna” experience, where participants are fully naked and then they hit the sauna, using a plant to smack onto one another to improve circulation. I was in shock a little, because it resembled some S&M play… lol
As soon as the patron has had enough heat, they proceed by jumping into an ice cold lake. This is repeated about three times and is very rejuvenating. Science has shows this method to help improve immunity and circulation. Furthermore, saunas have been studied to reduce the risks of cardiovascular diseases. The reasoning is because sauna resembles physical exercise making the blood flow improve and sweating occur. Due to this, the cells in the heart function better are are ‘reset’ so to speak. According to this research data, saunas can help with something known as "vascular compliance," meaning how efficiently the blood vessels respond to changes in pressure. This is indicative that the efficiency of blood flow can be amazingly impacted, even in the brain.
The sweating itself, flushes out toxins from the body, and according to Ayurvedic medicine (an ancient system of healing from India) sauna or sweat boxes helps the skin detox the majority of toxins via the skin channels, clearing and rebooting the lymph or otherwise known as ‘rasa dhatu’.
In another study, Sauna have been seen to protect the lungs from potential harm. This is because they improve the functioning by removing mucus or ‘Kapha’ from the respiratory region. A very good technique to use if you want to get nicotine out of the body ASAP. I’ve used this technique several times on my journeys to quitting smoking and it helps remove those addictive substances faster than most other forms of sweating.
