Guest guest Posted October 3, 2001 Report Share Posted October 3, 2001 Sat Nam! I've been doing and teaching Kundalini Yoga and taking cold showers for a few years now, but the topic of cold showers has always been a source of great confusion for me. >From everything I've read and heard, the way I've understood taking the cold showers was as follows (give or take a few steps): * Brush the skin, aiming toward the heart (to generate heat and exfoliate dead skin cells) before entering the shower. * Massage almond oil into the skin (to further stimulate the skin and allow for maximum moisture absorption). * Wear underpants or shorts to protect the calcium balance in the thighs. * Jump into the shower cold--water should never be warm first--to create the initial shock. * Move in and out of the shower at least 4 or 5 times to allow the body temperature to adjust. * End the shower by rubbing off briskly with a large towel. * Avoid taking the showers cold during menstruation (or when washing hair). Now here's where I get confused: When does one actually get *clean* during this process? If oil is put on the skin beforehand, using soap afterward will only remove it. And rubbing oil on my skin *before* it's actually cleaned only traps in the dirt from the day before, making my skin feel more dirty/oily than before the shower. Also, it's very difficult to wash one's groin--which most certainly needs a washin'!--with clothes covering it. When I asked these questions of some fellow KY teachers, they responded in surprise, "You're not supposed to take the cold shower to actually get clean! A second shower should be taken later in the day for that purpose. The cold shower is extremely brief and only for invigorating the body." Well from what I know, it is detrimental to the skin to bathe more than once a day. (In fact, I've read that one should actually shower only every *other* day to prevent excessively drying out the skin.) So in order to get my entire body and hair clean, as well as keep my body hydrated, the way I take cold showers is by soaping up & rinsing (nude), and then applying almond oil to my skin *after* toweling off. During the times I wash my hair, I turn the water to warm temporarily. Is this the wrong way to go about it? Are the cold showers for stimulation purposes only? Should follow-up "cleansing" showers or baths be taken during the day? I'd appreciate as much detailed elaboration on this topic as possible and what steps I may be misunderstanding. Thanks a bunch! -- Mara -- _____________ Talk More, Pay Less with Net2Phone Direct®, up to 1500 minutes free! http://www.net2phone.com/cgi-bin/link.cgi?143 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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