Contrast Therapy (Sauna/Cold Plunge)

About the Class

Is cold-shocking your body after a sauna really a good idea? Yes! The contrast of cold immersion after a hot sauna session gets your body to do incredibly awesome things like increase blood flow, release endorphins, get the lymph (or lymphatic fluid) moving, and force your body to calm its nervous system down. When you immerse yourself in very cold water, you activate your fight, flight, or freeze response. When purposefully exposing yourself to cold and hot in contrast, you activate this system and build up resilience in that your body is encouraged to adjust and calm itself because, despite activating that response, you are safe; you are not in danger and so can practice calming the system and building resilience to stress.  To reap these and other benefits, the cold exposure has got to be truly cold: the temperature of the water should be 59 DEGREES or less. Minimally, you should immerse yourself just past your shoulders but, if you really want to jumpstart your body's responses to the water, fully submerge yourself when you first get in.   Is the Sauna Cold Plunge Routine Safe? Are there health risks involved? For the majority of healthy adults, contrast therapy is safe; however, as with any wellness practice, there are individuals who should not participate or who should consult their primary care physician before beginning. Generally speaking, you should not engage in contrast hydrotherapy if you : are pregnant have an abnormal or altered skin sensation have impaired circulation have open wounds or broken skin have a hypersensitivity to cold have severe cardiac disease and/or high blood pressure If you have any reservations at all, always consult with your physician first.