The Healing Power of Cold Showers
Article by Miriam Young
As parents it is useful to have a range of strategies and techniques up our sleeves to support us in the often challenging role of nurturing our children. One very accessible and effective resource is water. The use of water in the form of cold showers in our regular repertoire of self care, is invaluable in shifting and letting go of negative energy and revitalising ourselves. This is a very simple, accessible and affordable means of providing quick and effective relief and has added benefits of improving our immunity, circulation and even boasting our sex drive!
Cold Showers
The thought of it may be difficult, but the doing is easier. Cold is yin and water is yin and the double yin effect has the ability to clear away negativity that can sit in our energy body (aura). Cold water spins our chakras and forces them to let go of anything we may be holding onto. Cold showers have the ability to strip negativity away from our energy bodies, whereas warm water actually crystallizes negativity on to the aura.
Depending upon whom you speak to, we are made up of at least 70% water. Each cell in our body contains water. As a cassette tape-records sound, so too water has the ability to absorb and hold onto memory. The water in our cells contains the memory of our thoughts, feelings, lifestyles and self-belief systems. In order to change, we need to re-programme our memory in order to think in more positive ways. Taking regular cold showers helps to clear our cells at a faster rate and also helps us to remain clear. Having cold showers keeps our emotional body clear and draws away negative thoughts.
Taking regular cold showers is a very effective method of anger (or exasperation) management for a parent. Many a client has expressed their gratefulness at being able to turn to a quick cold shower before they are about to ‘lose the plot�?or strike out at a child.
The Essenes
As most people are aware, we cannot stay under a very cold shower for too long. This is because cold water holds an immense power and as humans we are unable to be within that power for too long. You may think that it is just because the water is cold, but it is due to the fact that cold water holds so much light. Water is not just a simple chemical formula. The Essenes were a group of people who came together, in and around Palestine, more than 2000 years ago to study and perfect a spiritual way of life. The Essenes believed that water was an angelic being. They knew that the dominant angel inside of them was water. They observed that as water was heated up, the molecules expanded, and the Angel of Water backed-off. They cleansed their physical and spiritual bodies three times a day by taking cold-water plunges. They believed that hot water contained no vital force or life-giving essence. The macrobiotic theory is to also avoid long hot baths/showers, as they believe it is extremely depleting to the body, especially during pregnancy.
When To Have A Cold Shower
First thing in the morning, when you return home from your day and just before you go to bed are good times to take a cold shower. In the morning, have a cold shower to clear any energy that you may have taken on during your travels in the night. On returning from your day, you need to clear away all that you may have collected. The etheric body of our aura acts like a sponge and during the day pulls energy towards it. By the time you get home, your etheric body can be very full. It is important to have a cold shower as soon as you get home, so as to not allow this energy into your house, or into your food, if you normally cook straight away when you return home.
Have a cold shower first. It need be only for 10-20 seconds - you do not need to get your hair wet, but make sure you cover all of the chakras, as well as the back of your neck - then switch to warm and wash yourself normally, and then have a quick cold shower afterwards. Be sensible, especially if you are frail and weak. Little and often is more effective than ten minutes all in one go.
The Effect
When you first start taking cold showers, you may find that you go through a time of experiencing small illnesses in the physical body such as colds or flu. What you must realise is that these illnesses were already present in the form of repressed emotions and toxins and cold water simply serves to expose them. After a couple of days of cold showering, most people report that they feel much lighter and happier. People have a tendency to ‘glow�?when they take regular cold showers and others remark upon how well they are looking. When taking cold showers regularly you may enjoy the following benefits
Improved Circulation/Detoxification/Weight Loss:
Cold showers extract toxins from the body, they improve circulation and help prevent cellulite, as well as slowing down spider and varicose veins formation. Improved circulation helps to eliminate toxins that are accumulated in layers of fatty deposits, which not only makes you feel better as the poisons are no longer affecting you, but helps you to lose weight as well. Improved circulation and the production of the body’s natural blood thinning enzyme are greatly improved. This makes cold showers particularly effective in the prevention of heart attacks.
Less Stress
Cold water also draws tension away from the body. Tension is usually blocked energy, an old thought form or emotional baggage we have been carrying from a particular experience. These all become locked within the body and as we have regular cold showers these are drawn to the surface of our body and removed. Swimming in the sea or in fresh water also has the same effect. The sun expands and feeds our etheric body and the sea carries the negativity away. When swimming in a public pool however, you must remember that whoever has swum previously in that water leaves behind all their negative energy that the water has absorbed from them. Have a cold shower afterwards to get rid of what you may have collected.
More Energy and Vitality
Cold showers combat fatigue and restore energy as they help the adrenaline process that releases natural energy. By clearing the energy pathways or meridian lines within our physical and etheric bodies, cold showers induce sleep more easily and improve the quality of sleep.
Hormonal Balance
In addition, cold showers stimulate the production of testosterone, the hormone that regulates sexual potency in men and oestrogen, the hormone regulating fertility in women. Cold showers improve sexual function and strength.
Strengthened Immune System and Faster Recovery Rate
Our body’s immune system also benefits and this has been proven by medical research. The number of white blood cells produced increases with regular cold showers, significantly decreasing the likelihood of catching a cold or viral infection. In hospitals in the Midlands in the UK, it has been proven that those patients who had cold showers were able to go home four days earlier than those that did not! In Chernobyl in Russia, they are actually encouraging people to have cold showers to keep their immune system active because the environment in which they live is so full of pollutants.
Children
Can children benefit? Of course the answer it is yes. They benefit in much the same way as adults. The trick is to make it fun. One of my client’s children started taking cold showers with her mother when she was only18 months old. She thinks it is great fun. Introduce them slowly. Children will naturally copy what their parents do. Cold showers are a great way of changing the energy when a young child is in a bad mood. The important thing is not to turn it into a punishment. In the summer, get them to take all their clothes off and go into the back garden and you can chase each other with the hose. Observe how their energy and mood changes right before you.
Resistance
Many people with certain problems or health issues will not take cold showers. They think, “I have a heart problem, is it safe to have a cold shower?�?or “I have flu right now, at this moment. Is it right to take a cold shower?�?The answer to these questions is “YES�? It will speed up the healing process by boosting the immune system. The problem is convincing people to have cold showers. It obviously gives you a shock and is not the most pleasant of experiences. Observe how different you feel afterwards, compared to before you went in. Happiness is a cold shower.
Physical, Spiritual and Emotional Healing Crisis
During a cleansing or juicing program, or undertaking a pure diet and taking herbal medicine, deep healing can take place and is often a very emotional time for people. It is a time when old, suppressed emotions resurface and we have the opportunity to let go of them. We are able to let go of past negativity, thus creating new space within our beings for positivity and love. Sometimes when we are in “the thick of it�? it is hard to be objective and not panic or react to how we are feeling. One of the best methods to clear away negative emotions is to have a cold shower. Do not be afraid to have up to ten cold showers a day if you are experiencing a ‘healing crisis�?- when symptoms seem to get worse before they get better. Yes, even in winter! The colder the water, the more clearing and the greater the effect.
Childhood emotions are held in the body on a deeper level, so it is beneficial to have a cold bath occasionally, just for one-two minutes. If you are ill and at home most of the day, have cold showers throughout the day, as this will aid recovery. Karma is a very sluggish, slow energy-unless of course you are processing it. The quickest way to draw it out of the body is to have cold showers.
Sometimes healing and being of service to humanity, means taking on energy from others. It is important to clear it afterwards. Midwives, Counsellors, Aromatherapists, Kinesiologists, Healers, Occupational Therapists and the like can all help to avoid ‘burn out�?by taking regular cold showers. If you were never to eat healthy foods, undertake any sort of cleansing program or work on your self emotionally, yet you had regular cold showers, you would actually be working through your emotional baggage and healing yourself.
Acupuncturists often believe that cold showers are not a good idea if a person has a ‘cold constitution�? What they are forgetting however is that all dis-ease in the body has it’s cause in suppressed emotion. Cold showers remove suppressed emotion that causes ill health in the physical body. Wrap yourself up warmly afterwards.
There is only one reason why a person will not take cold showers and that is fear.
“Unless we try to do something beyond what we have already mastered, we will never grow.�?
Mike Robinson, Spiritual Teacher
source
*** Please note: Cold showers should not be taken during a women's time of menstruation. A woman needs extra rest and gentleness during her menses. Taking a cold shower is too much for the reproductive system during menstruation. A lukewarm shower is recommended. Generally speaking, hot showers are not good as they tend to depress the various physiological systems of the body.
Cold showers have the following positive effects:
*Brings blood to the capillaries, therefore increasing circulation throughout the body.
*Cleans the circulatory system.
*Reduces blood pressure on internal organs.
*Provides flushing for the organs and provides a new supply of blood.
*Strengthens the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems.
* Contracts the muscles to eliminate toxins and poisonous wastes.
* Strengthens the mucous membranes, which help resist hay fever, allergies, colds, coughs.
Many health problems are reduced or even eliminated over time by providing proper circulation of the blood to the affected area using the cold shower massage.
"Ishnan" is the term used in the old days when people in India referred to cold showers (very cold showers). "Ishnan" is the point at which the body, by its own virtue, creates the temperature that it can beat off the coldness of the water. This happens when the capillaries open with the onset of the cold water. They close again during the course of the cold shower and it is at that point that all the blood rushes back to flush the organs and the glands. This process allows the glands to renew their secretions and "youth" (i.e. young glands) again returns to the body. "
COLD SHOWER THERAPY IN CHINESE MEDICINE
10/08/2007: Richard from Toronto, Canada writes: "I have a diploma in Acupuncture and Chinese medicine and just thought that I would share some Chinese medicine theory with you. According to Chinese medicine, one way to remove bad energy (Chi), also known as anything that ails you—pain, fatigue, insomnia, headaches etc--one way is using cold showers. It forces the blood (a mixture of good and bad energy) to rise to the skin, and the bad energy (toxins) goes out (similar in theory to heat transfer); accelerated breathing due to the cold water pulls “good Chi�?in, and a person feels rejuvinatated afterwards. As far as better skin, hair, breathing, etc, in Chinese medicine, the “channel�?that contains the lungs also contains the skin and hair. The Lung Channel is the first line of defense against illness, therefore, anything that “tonifies�? or strengthens, the Lung Channel also strengthens the immune systems; the strength of which is demonstrated by the condition of the skin and hair. Cold showers, used properly, are a tonic for the entire body."
COLD SHOWER TIPS FROM OUR READERS
5/17/2007: Adil ([email protected]) from New York, USA writes: "I find taking cold showers hard (painful), but I discovered something that significantly helps: Bring a few ice cubes in a glass with you to the shower and keep an ice cube in your mouth as you shower. Take another when it melts."
COMMENTARY
10/10/2007: Scott from Pocatello, Idaho writes: "To add to the cold water effect, I did some reading about the quality of tap water in America and come to find out it is contaminated with pollution well above the EPA standards in most cities (quite disturbing in some cases). Adding chlorine and the presents of all the other contaminants found in the tap water are more readily inhaled and absorbed through your skin during hot showers (also consider the ingredients in hygiene products including soaps, shampoos etc., they contain sodium laurel sulfate which contains dioxin the most potent carcinogen known to man, this is also absorbed into the body). At colder temperatures the effect of these contaminants are greatly reduced whereas your skin pores will close preventing your skin from absorbing the toxins. Also hot showers stimulate the production of sebum to compensate for the loss during a hot shower, thus becoming prone to over production, which may lead to skin blemishes. No wonder bottled water is a “The sales for bottled water are estimated to be between $50 and $100 billion (US) annually and increasing approximately 7 to 10 percent annually. In 2004, total sales were approximately 154 billion liters (41 billion gallons.) http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Bottled_water NO one wants to drink BAD (contaminated) tasting water."
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Alchemy
as taught in
Merlin's Magical Mystery School
Presented by
David Raphael Isaacson
At the sub-atomic level, all matter is composed of protons, neutrons and electrons. It is in the nature of the electron to spin - no matter how imperceptible, there is always some movement... always some vibration. However, there are degrees of vibrational activity.... Water in its "etheric" state as steam, is vibrating very quickly. When it condenses into water droplets, the electrons vibrate slower... and as the water is cooled into ice, the electrons are slowed down even more.. taking on the appearance of a very solid substance (but the electrons are still spinning).
When energy is applied, the molecule holds the charge like a battery, and the electrons start to activate. When energy is released from matter, the molecule loses its potentiality and power, and the electrons slow down.
The "Incarnation" process : when the human spirit transforms from the etheric (steam) body to the physical (ice) body. As the being loses energy, the vibrations are slowed down.. the body becomes more solid and it transitions into a more astral (liquid) body... losing more energy, it slows down even more and becomes "icicle-ized".. appearing to us as the physical body.
The "Ascension" process : as energy is applied to the ice (or any other matter) there is an acceleration in the spinning of electrons around the nucleus (as in a microwave oven, these molecules vibrate, rotate and heat. This heat could also be similar to the heat felt within the kundalini). With enough energy applied, the ice turns into water... then steam. When higher energies are applied to the human being, and as our electrons are activated or "quickened"... the dense physical body (ice) begins to vibrate at a faster and faster rate until the body "transforms", "transitions" or "transmutes" into another state of matter... more astral (liquid)... to more etheric (steam). As ones vibrations are accelerated, light is radiated.
Light
Taken to another extreme, when the etheric body (or steam) is given even more energy, the vibrations are accelerated to the point where there is a transition into an even higher form... "light". Energy released from this process gives off waves of photons (a characteristic of electrons)... perceived as "the aura".
In reverse... as the vibrations of the "Light Body" are slowed down or de-accelerated (as in the incarnation process), the body then transitions into the "etheric" body (steam)... and so on down to the "astral" body (water) and then to the "physical" body (ice). |
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