Using Infrared Sauna & Chromotherapy as Happiness Tools - It's Sweat + Salty Time!
Need a little happiness in your life right now? I am delighted to share with you a really fun happiness experience I just had at an infrared sauna studio located near me called Sweat +Salty and learned all about how you to use infrared Sauna and Chromotherapy as Happiness Tools to combat the “Winter Blues”.
First, a little rewind to how I stumbled on this hidden gem located right in my own backyard. Back in 2013 when I was climbing my way out of a heartbreak hole, I set the intention for myself to have a monthly elevate. I challenged myself to do an activity - by myself - that was creative, fun, joyful. I usually wanted it to be something new that I had not tried before or at least something that I used to love but had not made time for in the busyness of life. If you have seen the Disney + movie Soul (and if you haven't please do yourself a favor and watch) it's doing something an activity or even a hobby that gets you in that happiness zone of FLOW. The point of this activity - my "Monthly Elevate" - is exactly as described. The effects increase your emotional vibration. It is a fun way to connect back to your spirit, your soul. I am encouraging everyone to take themselves on an Artistic Playdate this month. It allows you to connect back to you. I LOVE LOVE LOVE doing things with my girlfriends (ask anyone) but this is about you, for you!
Let me paint a picture and help you visualize the experience. From the moment you enter the doors a sense of peacefulness envelopes you. Sweat + Salty provides everything you need for your sweat session. You are provided with several towels to use, sit on and wrap you and your birthday suit in. You are escorted to a private room which holds each Sunlighten mPulse aSpire sauna. These are not the old school saunas of the 80s and 90s. Sunlighten mPulse aSpire sauna is the world’s FIRST and ONLY 3-in-1 full spectrum infrared sauna, featuring Chromotherapy and Acoustic Resonance Therapy.
It had been years since I used a sauna and sitting in extreme dry heat is something I have never really been comfortable with. These new sauna systems are different from the ones of the olden days. These newer Infrared saunas operate at a lower temperature than a traditional sauna so you can experience a more intense sweat at a lower temperature.
Some of the overall benefits of this incredibly cleansing and therapeutic practice of infrared and chromotherapy include:
Detoxification, Pain Relief,Relaxation, Weight Loss & Cardiovascular Health Improvements, Stress Relief using Chromotherapy, Alternative Treatment Use for Illnesses such as Lyme Disease, Beauty benefits ranging from acne relief to collagen production and other anti-aging properties.
I have to share with everyone my goals when I started going this past fall into winter. I have shared previously that I am all about longevity and living well so I can make it to the age of 100. I was making time to get serious about my bone density and muscular structure if I was going to carry this bag of bones around on this planet. I said I wanted to live to 100 but that is only if I am healthy and mobile.
I began a twice a week weight lifting program with a trainer and by going to Sweat and Salty after my workouts, I really did see a much much faster recovery time for my sore muscles. Did I mention the minted cool washcloths they provide if you get too hot are also a treat!
So, I was on a roll with my physical body and to balance my mind I often use my time in the sauna to meditate or listen to podcasts while I am having my session. Yes, it is safe to bring your phone inside. No checking emails. This was my pace to practice some deep breathing. To practice the pause and feeling your breath in your body….
I let your hands rest on your thighs, palms facing up, chin gently down.
Feel the echo of my breathing in your chest
Savor in 3 deep breaths - taking full deep breaths in and extending the exhale to the natural pause
Ahhhhh...This is my practice of listening with AFFECTION towards myself.
Right now I am going in for sessions about once or twice a week. It’s winter and it gives me a good warm up and I love the chromotherapy or color therapy feature that is built in. It really helps lift my mood and beat seasonal depression.
An added bonus is the whole spectrum of colors that you can program in while you sit. There is a little chart posted (see below) and every time I go it’s just a great check in to look at that chart and say to myself - “what do I really need right now” To explain further
the color chart:
❤️ Energy - Red brings warmth, energy and stimulation
💖 Soothing - Pink is calming, soothing and eliminates impurities from the blood stream
🧡 Happiness - Orange brings enthusiasm, confidence, joyfulness and assists in digestive health
💙 Uplifting - Turquoise rejuvenates the skin, releases feelings of stress and is cleansing to the body
💛 Cheerfulness - Yellow stimulated happiness,gives mental clarity, inspires and purifies the skin
💚 Balance - Green Reduce the symptoms of depression, stress, insomnia and helps fight infection.
💙 Calming - Blue reduces blood pressure and relieves headaches. Great for relaxing the mind and body
💜 Strengthen - Violet soothes the nervous system, improves immunity and inflammation
It is nice just to take a moment for yourself. Again, I encourage everyone to take 1 day a month to explore on your own your heart’s desires. Why alone? There are many times when we take on other people’s energies or stories and we get confused as to what is our own stuff. This solo exercise removes the cloudiness and it allows yourself to get clear from any emotional baggage you might be carrying.
It is time to reclaim your space! Speaking of, the element of Space will be in my next blog post. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and signup online for my monthly newsletter so you don't miss.
As you will find out if you listen to my podcast, Sweat + Salty is a lot of different things for a lot of different people but for me it is a happy meditation space because practicing meditation is both science and an art. It is an art in the way it molds consciousness and for me personally it is what gets me operating from my heart center. But meditation is a process, if you are new to it, it can be somewhat hard to stare at a candle or sit completely still and just expect your mind to not fluctuate.
It is on my heart for 2021 to help everyone to get into a heart centered space and heal the broken hearted out there. So to that end, each month, one podcast episode will continue to be with a guest format and the other will be me solo, sharing my story, my heartbreak, my healing journey. 💖 I will be sure to include a 6 minute meditation within that episode to support everyone who wants to meditate to support mental balance and resiliency.
I hope you are inspired you to take one day a month to step away from everyday life and take yourself on a "monthly elevate adventure." If you want to take more than a day - maybe even a whole weekend - I invite you to go join me on retreat where you can make time to make wellbeing a priority. If you are ready to be more centered in mind, body and spirit, I do encourage you to check out my website GirlfriendsGuru.com to learn more about these opportunities.
I believe that we're shards of glass broken from the same vessel. It is in looking at our own pieces of shattered glass that we seek to unify these pieces and recognize that same light in others.
I am here to support you, you know where to find me but regardless of the actions you choose to take, the essential element will be the internal gesture of choosing to remain in love, It’s all that is needed.
Sending Love & Light 💫 Kelly
P.S. To listen to my podcast with Sweat+Salty Owner Cynthia May click link below.