A thin layer of snow greeted the first few days after my return to Berlin. Even though the temperature raised somewhat yesterday, winter is still long, and we are expecting minus degrees during daytime soon.
Xmas markets have closed and there is no more Glühwein (mulled wine) to keep us warm. It´s time to get to a sauna to warm up a bit! But wait…really?
Before diving deep into TCM, I loved going to sauna once or twice a year during winter. Like many, I had the feeling of getting rid of toxins, I enjoyed the high temperatures and felt pleasantly tired after going home.
It turns out that sauna is not a great habit from the TCM point of view. You see, the sweat is actually Qi and what you are letting out in the sauna is basically your vital energy. While sweating under certain circumstances such a sunny hot day or exertion is normal, excessive sweating in other circumstances is a sign of unbalance and it can further damage your Qi. Sweating on purpose and in excessive amount may also damage your Qi.
The more you sweat, the less Qi you have. Qi deficiency can show up differently in each person; the Qi of the Stomach, Spleen, Lungs or Kidneys is especially prone to being deficient. Some clinical manifestations may include slight shortness of breath, weak voice, spontaneous sweating (that is when you sweat even if you are not exercising or the weather is not hot), poor appetite, loose stools, tiredness.
The above symptoms might be caused by other reasons, but if you have any of them, maybe you should avoid going regularly to a sauna.
But we don’t live just to preserve our bodies; thus, I want to stress that everything done with measure, probably won’t cause so much damage. Especially if it really something you enjoy, as the feeling of joy and happiness can actually help the body overcoming health issues.
As for me, despite my obvious Qi deficiency, I am going to enjoy a day in a sauna on my birthday. I will compensate it with a balanced diet, having plenty of food which help tonify the Yin and the Qi. A happy smile will do the rest.
I leave you with my favourite sauna around Berlin (they are not paying me, I just want to share it :D): Bad Saarow
Disclaimer: everything I write about TCM is to share some knowledge and to raise awareness but please be aware that it is an oversimplification for the sake of communication, and it is not meant as a diagnosis or a cure. If you have any health issue you want to solve with TCM, please consult a TCM practitioner. While most qigong exercises are harmless no matter the health issue, some food recipes or treatment I will mention, might have the opposite effect if you do not have the syndrome I write about. Thus, please take my TCM posts with a grain of salt and do not rush to do things without consulting a TCM doctor.
In this case sauna can be a good option, as the heat can help reduce the accumulated humidity (not only from being in the water but also the once caused by a wet swimming suit worn for longer time) and in the 20s, you are likely to have plenty of Qi!
In my 20s I used to teach swimming and was freezing all the time. I used the sauna, not to sweat, but to warm up to normal. I think using the sauna this way is fine, especially in winter when it's cold out.