"Throughout the years the cold shower has become a constant in my life. Not every day and –like in my yoga practice- I like to vary, but any resistance will be quickly overcome by knowing how it will make me feel later." Monique
Back in the early days of my Kundalini Yoga classes, I also frequented the early morning discipline called sadhana. Each morning I took a cold shower, also known as ishnaan. During my teacher training in the French Alps I washed myself in a freezingly cold small streaming river under a bright starry sky. It takes some courage to come out of your warm sleeping bag, but the reward is huge!
According to the Yoga tradition Ishnaan is something like this: you brush your skin and/or massage your body with oil in preparation. This is to nourish the skin but it also protects you from the cold. While massaging the body parts, you direct the cold water from the feet and legs to the hands and arms, the torso following (be gentle with the head). You do a few rounds like this, the longer you do it, the more effect.
Because of the cold, the blood rushes to the vital organs to protect them. The brain and organs receive fresh blood and the capillaries get flushed. It boosts your energy, the immune system, lymph glands and the nervous system. Other benefits are: a detox effect, a radiant skin and it balances the blood. The latter positively effecting your mood.
Throughout the years the cold shower has become a constant in my life. Not every day and –like in my yoga practice- I like to vary, but any resistance will be quickly overcome by knowing how it will make me feel later. Your system gets used to it. To me, the effect of a cold shower, especially with winter temperature cold water, is fantastic, even if taken a short one. The warming and tingling feeling afterwards, energizing and relaxing at the same time.
For more information about ishnaan you may check this link: https://www.3ho.org/article/cold-showers/ or ask your Kundalini Yoga teacher.
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