Why Sacred Soaking?
Bathing and sacred baths have held an important role in history. The Romans were famous for their large bath houses for relaxation, cleansing and socialising. Turkey, Greece and Japan also have a long history with communal baths and using bathing for health and wellbeing benefits.
And I wanted to share with you both the Physical and Spiritual benefits of Epsom Salt baths.
Physical Benefits of Epsom Salt Baths
Epsom Salts are basically made up of Magnesium and Sulphur which, when added to a bath, are easily absorbed through the skin.
-Helps you to relax. Magnesium is one of the main minerals that is needed to relax muscles and soaking in warm water with the benefits of absorbing magnesium, helps your muscles to relax and your mind to slow down.
-Assists you to sleep better. The increase in magnesium helps nourish your neurotransmitters which aid restful sleep.
-Epsom salt baths are a great way to get magnesium into children. And perfect just before bed to assist in their sleep, to help them settle from the day and balance mood.
-Detoxification. Sulphur can be used for detoxing, especially environmental toxins, as it helps to bind the toxins and move it through the liver and stimulates pathway 2 of liver detox.
-Digestion. Both sulphur and magnesium are important to help stimulate the production of certain enzymes within the gut. The sulphur helps to stimulate your pancreas and so helps with the digestion of your food. Epsom salts can also be used if there is mild constipation issues.
-Reduces stress levels and anxiety. “A grade school teacher in his mid 40’s said he was in the middle of a panic attack when I called him for his first consult. Luckily he had Epsom salts on hand. I told him to immediately pour a bath and put in the whole bag of salts and sit over the edge with his feet and lower legs in the water. Within minutes his panic attack subsided and he received instantaneous confirmation that magnesium would treat his anxiety and he was able to wean off his medications with proper magnesium supplementation.” Dr Carolyn Dean (http://drcarolyndean.com/2014/06/is-anxiety-a-magnesium-deficiency/)
-Helps to temporarily relieve itch or stings and can soothe skin. Epsom salts acts as an anti-inflammatory on the skin and can be used for bites and stings and other skin conditions.
-Relieves colds and flu symptoms. “The soaks increase your body’s temperature, causing you to sweat and helping your body’s immune system fight germs, he says. The sulfur from Epsom salt also helps kills bacteria and fungus.” Dr. Mao Shing Ni says. (http://www.epsomsaltcouncil.org)
And Dr Ramsey from the Center for Natural Healing says, “soaking in Epsom salt helps spur a process called vasodilation, which increases white blood cell production and helps the body fight illnesses quicker.” (http://www.epsomsaltcouncil.org)
Physical reasons to use Epsom Salts
- Muscle tension and stiffness
- Tiredness and fatigue
- Clearing chemicals and heavy metals out of the body.
- Great for any food chemical overload
- During busy and stressful times
- Feeling run down and out of sorts
- Insomnia or restless sleep
- Great to help ease anxiety in children
- Promoting sleep in kids
- Eases pain from injury or sport
- Soothes eczema and skin conditions
- Calms anxiety or during panic attacks
Spiritual Benefits of Epsom Salt Baths.
-Clears your auric field. We you are feeling vulnerable or spiritually open, you can pick up on other peoples energy and carry it with you. I like to call it feeling ‘sticky’ and I especially feel like this after being in crowds, shopping centres and when I’ve mingled with people with big personalities or those that cross boundaries. Epsom salt baths are great at clearing this energy that isn’t yours, from your auric field and helps you to feel revived and refreshed.
-Grounds your energy. Sulphur is one of your major foundational salts that make up your body and so replenishing this helps you to ground your etheric bodies into your physical. And helps to integrate your higher energies with your lower energies. Epsom Salts is regarded as an Earth Element which supports you to ground, and has the strong quality of cohesion, bringing everything together and integrating all energies.
-Provides a space to reflect. Energetically, Water itself is the most Yin of all the elements, meaning water provides you with the space to delve within your depths of self, your emotions and psychology. Water supports you to flow around challenges and to go within. And as its the most Yin, represents a space where you can be at your most quiet, reflective, calm, draw on your reserves, independent, objective and introspective.
-Rebalances you after a shock. When you go into shock your auric body has been shaken and may sometimes look and feel shattered. When this happens your physical and spiritual or energetic bodies become misaligned. Making you feel ungrounded, in fight or flight mode, hard to process what occurred and open to other energies that are not yours. Epsom salt baths can help with dissolving the shock and helping you to process the event.
-Brings you into the present. Epsom salt baths allows you to be present, have gratitude and helps to slow your energies down. If you allow it. The warmth of the water, the physical benefits of magnesium sulphate, being quiet and taking time out for yourself assists you to be in the here and now and to feel the comfort that your bath is providing you. It also allows to become more aware of your physical body which makes it easier to be present.
Spiritual reasons to use Epsom Salts.
- Before any ritual work
- During the waning moon for releasing old energy
- On the New Moon for cleansing
- When you don’t feel like you are in your body
- After you have done a lot of emotional release work.
- After a healing session or a Sacred Space session >>
- Regularly when you are going through challenging times
- After a confrontation
- After an accident, shock, fall or any event that has caused a jolt
- After being in over crowded or stressful environments.
- After working with lots of people and groups, being amongst illness or low energy people.
- Any time!
How to create your Epsom Salt bath for Sacred Soaking.
1.Time. Make a time when you will be undisturbed for at least 20 to 30 mins.
2. Epsom Salts. Place 1 to 2 cups of Epsom salts in the bottom of your tub and run the water to your desired temperature. You may need to swish it around a bit to help dissolve the salt.
3. Keep it simple. Don’t try and add anything else to your bath, apart from Epsom salt and water. No essential oils, no flowers, no soap, no essences. Nothing. This is to be cleansing and detoxing so keep it pure and simple.
4. Surrender to your Sacred Soak. Allow the water and epsom salts to do their thing. You don’t have to meditate, visualise, or create elaborate rituals. Give yourself permission to just be, relax and enjoy knowing that the water and salts know exactly what it needs to do.
5. Gratitude. Once you have finished your sacred soak, please give thanks to the Water and Earth element. All elements are a reflection and embodiment of Spirit and so acknowledging Spirit’s support and presence is showing your gratitude and appreciation.
6. Let it go. Once you’ve finished and gotten out of the bath, pull the plug. And hold an intention of, whatever is no longer needed for your highest good is being drained away.
7. Gentle. It’s always lovely to curl up and rest after a sacred soaking. Be gentle with yourself and give yourself permission to sleep, relax or just soak in more good vibes from reading a good book, listen to your favourite music etc.
Happy sacred soaking to you!
NOTE: Please seek medical advice if you are uncertain about reactions or uses of epsom salts for you personally. Do not rely on epsom salt baths for medical reasons or replace medications.
much Love
Renée x
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