Bathtub meditation is a great way to relax and unwind after a long day. It is a practice of calming the mind and body, allowing you to drift away from the stress of the day. By combining the warm and soothing properties of water with a few simple meditation techniques, you can create an environment that is conducive to relaxation. Bathtub meditation can help you to reduce stress, improve sleep, and create a sense of peace and well-being.
Yoga is a popular religious-philosophical teaching that came to us from India and developed a system as well as methods of human self-knowledge, self-management of physiological and mental processes. It also includes a set of meditative practices aimed at self-contemplation and achieving maximum self-awareness. Just 10-20 minutes of yoga and meditation a day helps the modern man find inner harmony and improve overall health. In this article, read about what meditation is, why you need it, and how to properly meditate in the bathroom.
About the benefits of yoga and meditation for humans
Yoga includes a set of effective physical and breathing exercises that enhance physical and mental health. Studies have shown that in people who meditate regularly, the gray matter layer of the brain is especially thick in places responsible for mental flexibility, emotional control and attention. This feature helps people work more effectively in life and enhances their physical and mental abilities. After all, due to more gray matter in these areas, they process information faster and have more developed emotional as well as social intelligence.
People who are in a good relationship with yoga and meditation are in emotional balance most of the time. And this is essential for normal physiological processes and proper functioning of the heart and other organs. That’s why yoga practitioners rarely get sick – they have very strong immunity. And the absence of serious diseases explains why people who are fond of yoga, are long-livers.
Preparing for meditation in the bathtub
To maximize the benefits, it is necessary to carry out all the procedures in the right sequence. First you need to perform asanas, which are body postures in which, in terms of Indian religion and philosophy, energy and physiological processes are managed through the internal redistribution of tensions, contractions and tensions. Asanas are followed by pranayamas, special breathing exercises. And only after that can you start meditation.
When we talk about meditation, we think of someone sitting in the lotus pose with hands on knees and eyes closed. But this is not the only pose in which to meditate. Your body can assume any position. The main thing is that it was comfortable and would allow you to relax and reach a state of maximum inner concentration. Therefore, you can meditate in the bathtub while in warm water.
To meditation it is necessary to prepare. To do this, you should:
- Fill the bathtub with water in advance.
- Control the temperature of the air and water. The best temperature in the bathroom is 25 oC, while the water temperature is 37 to 38 oC. In these conditions, you will not be hot or cold.
- Prepare in advance all the necessary things – bath salt, essential oils, terry towels and a robe. During meditation it is necessary to remain in a state of rest – it will suffer from haste.
It is important not just to lie in the bath with your eyes closed. You need to create a relaxing atmosphere. An aroma lamp can be helpful – fill it with lavender, sandalwood, or rose essential oil. Candles and incense and soft music will also help. But you should not talk during meditation. Talking will distract you from the most important process – achievement of the highest degree of inner concentration, during which it is important to clear your head of any thoughts.
Recipes and rules for taking meditation baths
If you are on the path of yoga, take care that meditation baths are not only good for the soul, but also for the body, experts recommend adding salt, essential oils and other components to the water. Here are a few recipes for baths to restore the body after yoga:
- Essential oils. You can increase the tone with the help of essential oil of verbena, rosemary, sage and citrus (orange, grapefruit, tangerine, lemon or cardamom). The lavender oil, sandalwood oil, geranium oil, pine oil, or rose oil will help restore your strength. The best remedy for depression is the oil of orange, basil, ylang-ylang. To prepare a bath you will need from 5 to 15 drops of the essential oil. To introduce aroma oil into the water, it must first be mixed with 1 tablespoon of heavy cream or basic vegetable oil, or the same amount of sea salt or even regular table salt. This helps the essential oil to evenly distribute in the volume of water.
- Sea Salt. To warm and relax the muscles, saturate the body with minerals, it is recommended to make a bath with the addition of 0.5-1 kg of sea salt. Simply stir it with your hands and immerse for 20 minutes.
- English salt. This is a unique product that contains an aqueous form of magnesium sulfate. It saturates the body with magnesium, which is responsible for inhibition reactions. Thanks to him you will find calm, get rid of stress, muscle cramps, headaches, you will sleep better. To relax, it is enough to add 2.5 grams of magnesium sulfate to water per liter of water. If you take a magnesium bath for the first time, you can use more salt.
To take a bath, you can use several components at once. For example, you can simultaneously add lavender essential oil and any salt to the water. The main thing is that the dosage of the ingredients must be respected – no more than 15 drops of essential oil and not less than 2.5 grams of salt per liter of water. Otherwise the therapeutic effect will not be achieved.
It is best to take a bath in the evening – before going to bed, so that you can immediately lie down and go to sleep. Experts advise beginning yogis to meditate in warm water, the temperature of which should be 37 to 38 degrees. Warmth calms the nervous system, relieves muscle and vascular spasms, allows you to get a pleasant feeling of peace and let go of problems. The optimal time of taking a warm bath – 20 minutes.
Hot water (39-40 degrees) promotes maximum relaxation, and cool water (30 to 34 degrees) increases the tone of the body. If you decide to take a hot or cold bath, reduce the duration of the procedure in the bath to 10-15 minutes.
Baths after yoga for muscle pain
After intense yoga practice, lactic acid accumulates in the muscles, which causes pain. To get rid of it, you need to eliminate this acid. This is facilitated by light exercise, walking, massage and warm baths with the addition of English salt, which is used by professional athletes after every workout.
Here’s how English salt works on the body:
- removes toxins, including lactic acid;
- relieves swelling and pain caused by the buildup of this acid in the muscles;
- relaxes muscles and accelerates their recovery;
- enriches the body with magnesium and relieves stress;
- makes it easier to fall asleep and improves the quality of sleep.
