Bathing the right way – for keeping good health
Recently, when my mom came to our house she noticed the chappals kept in the bathroom and she asked me if we used these chappals while bathing. When I replied affirmatively, she told us not to do that as our body heat has to come out only through our feet while taking bath.
Also, looking at the shower she added not to use the shower before wetting the body, that is, never to start pouring water onto the head directly.
She started recollecting what she had observed from the lifestyle of people in the villages: In those days, they used water for keeping their body cool and by that they avoided many diseases and health-related issues thus ensuring their physical wellbeing. They ensured that the body never experiences overheating and for that they followed a few simple practices with water which did all the wonders.
Drinking adequate water and bathing the right way were enough to keep the diseases away for them.
The right way of Bathing starts with not wearing the chappal when you take a bath. Pouring water on the head not only helps you upkeep your hygiene, it also reduces the body heat. The heat has to come out and for that you need to be barefoot.
Geetha, my friend from Kerala, shared with me that people used to have baths in a river or in some stream of flowing water, the idea was that one should get into the water and take a bath. When our body gets immersed inside the water for a significant duration, maybe ten minutes or so, the heat in the body gets released and the body becomes cool. If we know the proper way of bathing and take bath accordingly, most of our problems will get solved there itself. Also, she added water is a good conditioner for hair.
You might get a question now, in the absence of a flowing stream, that too in a metropolitan city how to get the benefits of bathing in this way?’
While taking a bath, keep your mouth filled with water. Pour water on your head slowly and gently. Slow, slow, slow. Pouring slowly is essential. In fact, for a few of you the eyes may turn red. It is a good sign only, no need to worry!. With water in your mouth, when water is poured on the head, certain common tubes connecting the ear, nose and throat open up and that helps you to overcome some respiratory issues.
Later I understood that you can keep the sneezing or nasal congestion issues away from your system by doing so. Try this even in the winter and you will experience what has been said here.
When you are driving for a long time or working on your laptop or mobile for a long time, you may feel the body heat and a burning sensation in your eyes. During such times, fill your mouth with water and wash your face, splashing water in the eye region for some time. You will feel relaxed.
Water, when used properly, has so many beneficial qualities. Don’t be in a hurry while bathing. Taking a bath is a process and it not only cleanses your body, but also helps in keeping it cool which is the core thing in maintaining health.
Additional tips:
When you happen to take bath in chill water, you can try this:
- First sprinkle a little water on your head, have a mouth full of water and then slowly pour water starting from your feet, then legs, then your body – you will not feel the chillness. The interesting thing is you will not feel like coming out of bathing! You might have observed this when people take baths in a river.
I have used this technique many times, once in Tirupathi where we were to take bath in the chill water in a small false, and again when we went for a relatives wedding at Bangalore the geyser was not working in the hotel where we stayed, like that.
Also, when you are wiping your body after a bath, first wipe your back and then the other parts. This will help you avoid getting a cold & cough.
You might wonder about bathing involving such significant steps and impressive benefits, explore on your own and share your experience 👍🏻
Kindly do share some good practices your grandma has told you on this so that the future generation might get benefitted!
