Sauna: Sacred Sweat
Over the years, science has revealed to us the phenomenal health benefits of sauna use such as a boosted metabolism, increased blood circulation and improved cardiovascular function; however, this is not what led the ancient people of Finland to originate its use in 7,000 BC. The sauna’s inventors used it as a sacred place of purification and meditation. While the first saunas were small structures in the ground rather than what we experience today, they were places held in high reverence. The Finns escaped their daily duties to unwind here, mothers gave birth in the safe spaces found here, and the dying would be prepared for burial here. Saunas can be found as a cornerstone of most households in Nordic culture today as a result of the prominent role they served. A term was even coined — löyly — to acknowledge the powers of the steam that rise from the sauna stove.
Vintage sauna used by the Nordic people. Typically a wood structure with a chimney built into the ground to insulate the sauna room.
So, how do the Finns typically go about this experience? To find this out for myself I began my own research. I could not afford an excursion to Finland, but I learned that over the years Finnish sauna has permeated into other cultures across the world. I decided I’d visit a Russian bath house to immerse myself in the social sauna-ing experience. The bath house (also known as a Russian Banya) had several large saunas, a steam room, an outdoor area, and a large cold tub. I spoke with a Turkish man who grew up visiting bath houses in Istanbul and he taught me the traditional approach to the experience. He encouraged me to alternate between saunas, remain in the hot temperatures for as long as I could, and then hop into the cold pool. I followed his instruction and immediately entered into a state of inexplicable euphoria — I was hooked! I completed a few more rounds in this fashion and returned home to have the best sleep of my life.
A few months after this initial visit to the bath house I found myself participating in a Native American sweat lodge ceremony for the first time. The native ceremony shared a number of physical similarities to Finnish sauna; however, I experienced a much deeper spiritual aspect during this practice. The lodge structure itself was a small tent-like dome with large rocks placed in the middle, which had been heated up to extreme temperatures. As the ceremony commenced, water was poured over the rocks to generate steam within the lodge. The unique part of this experience resided in the use of sacred herbs such as sage, sweetgrass, tobacco, and cedar. We sang, prayed, and offered these sacred herbs as an offering as our bodies were cleansed. By the end I felt light as a feather and — despite the excruciating heat — my mind was at complete ease. Native American tribes refer to this process as “inipi” - which means to live again. They believe participants shed physical and non-physical impurities throughout the ceremony and regain touch with their true self. I experienced “inipi” for myself and passionately believe in the power of this ceremonial practice.
A traditional sweat lodge structure.
Stoked about my new discoveries, I set out to connect with others who shared the same zeal and to spread the word about them. Slowly, the realization settled in that these experiences were not easily accessible to me or to those I spoke to. After setting out towards a solution, I eventually landed on MND MTR Wellness.
My participation in the Russian bath house, Finnish sauna, and Native American sweat lodge all greatly influence my approach to Sauna & Contrast Therapy as I host events and workshops. Tones of Finnish sauna, Russian Banya, and Native American sweat lodge can be discovered during a single contrast therapy session with me. I wanted to create experiences which were easily accessible to people while still allowing for the cultural inspirations to remain.
“So, what exactly was the solution you came up with Parke?”
My events will incorporate two wood-fired Sauna Tents, which can fit up to 10 people each! I selected these sauna tents rather than infrared saunas to recreate a true Finnish experience. Additionally, while infrared saunas have many great health benefits, they do not reach the optimal temperatures for the experiences I will be providing (as infrared saunas typically max out around 130 degrees Fahrenheit).
For a standard Sauna Session, you will have a 30-minute timeframe to enjoy the sauna at a temperature of about 180 degrees Fahrenheit. This is ample amount of time to gain all necessary benefits of Finnish sauna, especially if enjoyed following a workout.
For a Contrast Therapy Session, things get a little more spicy. This process will be designed similar to my experience with the Russian bath house — and can be thought of similar to an EMOM style workout. For these sessions, we will begin in the sauna which will be set to a higher temperature than a regular sauna session (about 200 to 215 degrees Fahrenheit). The experience proceeds as follows:
You will complete a round in the sauna starting every 5 minutes.
Participants can choose to remain in the sauna for 3 rounds straight (15 mins) or take breaks and rejoin the group at the beginning of each round.
Essential oils will be added to the sauna rocks at the beginning of each round for purification (Eucalyptus, Sage, Sweetgrass, Tobacco, or Cedar).
Following every 3rd round, you will be able to hop into the cold plunge to cool down and further reset your nervous system.
3 rounds of sauna and 1 cold plunge (20 minutes total) equates to ONE Set
A typical Contrast Session will consist of THREE Sets (~1 hour)
For the less heat-adapted or those new to sauna, I would strongly encourage beginning with a handful of our standard Sauna Sessions to begin acclimating to the heat before hopping into the higher heats in the Contrast Sessions. Much like a “Nasty Girl” or “Fran” benchmark WOD, this is designed to be difficult and challenge you both physically and mentally. As we persevere through the harsh environments, we uncover new sides of ourselves — this is the beauty of the experience. (See my previous Blog for more info on this ideology)
Picture of the “Sweat Tent” sauna we will use for our events. Similar to this setup, sauna tents and cold plunges will be set up next to each other for easy alternation between the two.
“These sound interesting, but how exactly is this ‘good’ for me?”
On the physical level, contrast therapy gives our circulatory system a “pump” as we alternate between hot and cold temperatures. As we switch between these two environments, it leads to a process of increased dilation and contraction in our blood vessels which assists in the flow of oxygenated blood to our muscles for efficient recovery. On the mental level, contrast therapy has shown to boost focus, attention, memory, motivation, and mood. As we brave the harsh atmospheres, our bodies experience a massive release of endorphins and other chemicals associated with positive feelings. Our bodies begin to realize (consciously or not) … “If I can overcome this, I can overcome just about anything else coming my way today.” And lastly, the spiritual implications of contrast therapy. As I mentioned before, this is central to the experience and central to my passion for these modalities; however, the benefits will look different from one individual to another. All that’s required is a surrender of your expectations and an openness to connecting with yourself and others.
Please see the links below if you’d like to read more — and as always feel free to reach out with any questions. I can’t wait to get steamy with all you awesome humans soon!
Much Love,
Parke
More About Finnish Sauna:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/everything-you-need-to-know-about-finnish-sauna
2. More About Native American Sweat Lodge:
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2289/origin-of-the-sweat-lodge/
3. More About Contrast Therapy: