There’s no denying that using a home infrared sauna is already a luxurious experience on its own. After all, saunas were made specifically to help you feel your best in the most refreshing way possible! In fact, if you use infrared saunas, you might find yourself wondering if it’s even possible to feel more relaxed. Well, it is! There are plenty of ways you can customize your sauna sessions to create an elevated experience that is perfect for your needs, like incorporating meditation into your sauna routine. Meditation is the practice of focusing your attention using a type of technique, and can be successfully done at almost any location, including your sauna cabin. The goal of this practice is to calm down and clear your mind, making this a useful addition to your sauna routine if you’re in need of some extra de-stressing.  

What meditation can do for your mind and body

Meditation is well-loved by many for its incredible health benefits. Among these benefits include stress reduction, improved sleep, decreased anxiety and depression levels, improved emotional health, and a strengthened mind. Here’s a closer look at what meditating in your sauna can do for your well being: 

Minimized stress

This is probably the most well-known benefit meditation has to offer, and for good reason! Meditation is basically time that you dedicate to clearing out your mind and focusing on being in the moment. The result is a calm mind that isn’t constantly interrupted by thoughts that stress you out. 

Improved sleep and mental health

Insomnia, anxiety, and depression are just a couple of the adverse effects of stress. Fortunately, since meditation can reduce stress, it also helps to minimize these by-products that stress can create, like poor sleep and mental health. Even if stress isn’t the driver behind your insomnia, anxiety, or depression, meditation can still help you deal with these issues by putting you in a better mental state!

Improved emotional health

Some methods of meditation ask you to take a moment to complete exercises such as self-reflection or giving thanks. In doing so, you are being encouraged to recognize and leave behind negative thought patterns. In the end, you’re left with a stronger and healthier relationship with yourself, your thoughts, and the world around you.

Strengthened mind

For many of us, focusing can be difficult, especially for long periods of time. By nature, we are inclined to get easily distracted. Fortunately, there are many “brain exercises” we can do to improve our attention spans, like meditation! Meditation can help strengthen your mind because it literally requires you to focus your attention and control your thoughts for an extended period of time. So if you’re looking to sharpen your mind in a way that doesn’t involve puzzles of numbers, try meditating!

How you can practice meditating in your home infrared sauna 

There are many techniques you can use when meditating, with some being more complex than others. If you’re a beginner, a great way to introduce your mind to meditation is with a simple mindful breathing technique. Begin by getting in a comfortable position in your sauna and closing your eyes. Then, breathe as you normally would and focus your attention on your breath as you exhale and inhale. The key is to follow your breath with your mind as it runs its way through your body. Don’t allow your mind to focus on any thoughts other than your breath, body and how you feel in that moment. You may stay in this state for as long as you like or until you reach your desired level of mental clarity. 

As you begin your meditation journey, it’s important to remember that it can be a quite difficult practice. It requires a lot of mental strength, so don’t get too upset with yourself if you find that your mind wanders often. During these instances, acknowledge that your mind has shifted attention and correct your focus by bringing it back to your breathing. As you get more comfortable with the mindful breathing technique, you can begin to explore more advanced meditation techniques. 

Overall, infrared saunas are plenty relaxing on their own, but why not make the experience even better with meditation? Try it out the next time you decide to de-stress in your home infrared sauna.