Taking a cool or cold shower before you meditate is something a lot of meditation enthusiasts have come to consider important. It can make you feel more alert, increase blood flow, speed up recovery and make your skin look more ‘alive’. Showering after meditation can help to wash away toxins released onto your skin and help you to feel clean and fresh before starting your day.
This article will explore the pros and cons of meditating before or after your shower so you can make an informed choice.
Showering before you meditate
A shower can be a symbolic cleansing of the body that many people believe enhances their yoga sessions, and there’s lots of evidence to support this belief. Some of the advantages of taking a shower before meditating include:
- You become more awake and are therefore more ready mentally for your meditation session.
- You can enjoy physiological reactions, including better skin tone and improved blood circulation.
- It causes your brain to be less “foggy” and a lot more alert.
- You can meditate while enjoying numerous physical sensations, including tingling skin.
- A shower beforehand can help you feel better physically and therefore mentally so your session can be more productive.
In addition to all of these things, taking a shower before meditating can make you feel more excited and “pumped up” about your session. You’ll feel happier and more content, and these things always contribute to the effectiveness of your meditation sessions.
There are also some disadvantages to showering before meditating, including the following:
- Some people feel a little too alert and awake and have trouble calming down enough to meditate.
- If you use water that is too cold, it can make you physically uncomfortable and affect your meditation in a negative way.
- People may feel like they have too much energy after a shower, making it more of a challenge to gain calmness and relaxation.
- Showering raises your body temperature for around 20-30 minutes, which can cause a necessary delay in the start of your meditation session.
Showering After You Meditate
Just like there are pros and cons of showering first and then meditating, there are also pros and cons of meditating first and then taking a shower. If you’re one of those people who would prefer to meditate as soon as you wake up without taking a shower first, here are some of the advantages you’ll be able to enjoy:
- It may be easier for you to relax.
- It simply feels good to start meditating first thing in the morning before you do anything else.
- It gives you something to look forward to after your meditation.
Likewise, there are several disadvantages to meditating first and showering afterwards, and they include:
- You may feel a little “unclean” because you haven’t had a shower yet, which can affect your mental capacity as you meditate.
- Not showering might affect your feeling of being awake and you might be a little too calm or relaxed to make the most out of your session.
- If your shower takes too long, the meditation session may have to be cut short.
Keep in mind that if you’re used to meditating for 20-30 minutes, you’ll have to carefully plan how much time you spend on both the meditation and the shower.
You don’t want to head out to work without getting that shower in, and if you wake up late one morning, this might just happen. If you tend to take short showers, you should still wait a minimum of 20 minutes before starting to meditate.
You have to keep a closer eye on your timing in the mornings when you decide to meditate, regardless of whether you do it before or after your shower.
Having a cool shower before meditating
Most experts suggest taking a cool shower can be fantastic for your practice. You will need to keep the water temperature below 70 degrees Fahrenheit to get the benefits
If you shower before you meditate, like most experts recommend, keep in mind that cool or cold showers offer numerous advantages, including the following:
- It will increase blood flow.
- It can help speed up the recovery of certain ailments and injuries.
- It increases endorphins, which can help alleviate depression.
- It makes the skin look more “alive.”
- It could speed up metabolism.
- It can help relieve some gastrointestinal problems.
- It can even out hormone levels.
Most people find that getting used to cool or cold showers can take time. Keep in mind that whether you take a shower before or after you meditate, you should allow 20-30 minutes in between these two activities.
8 Tips for a great pre-meditation shower
Let’s take a look at a few things to remember before you take your pre-meditation shower.
1. A Shower Will Help You Cleanse
When you meditate, your body and your mind should both be clean. This creates an environment that helps you better prepare for the experience, and it shouldn’t stop at just a shower.
You should also brush your teeth, wash your face, and make sure that your stomach is neither too full or too empty. If you’re hungry, have a light snack before going any further, but never stuff yourself. If you’re hungry or uncomfortably full, it will affect the effectiveness of your sessions.
2. The Temperature Should Be Just Right
People always ask about the perfect temperature for their pre-meditation shower, and believe it or not, most experienced meditation practitioners say that the best water temperature is a few degrees above room temperature.
That sounds as if it might be too cool for some people, and you certainly have to be comfortable, but keeping it slightly cool is often the perfect way to take a shower before you meditate if you can tolerate it.
3. You Don’t Need a Super-Long Shower
Just because you’re preparing for a productive meditation doesn’t mean you have to stay in the shower for twenty minutes or more. A two- to three-minute shower works just as well.
You still have to make sure that you’re as clean as possible, but you can do that even if it’s a short shower. If you simply detest cool or cold showers, this two- to three-minute rule will help keep you in the shower just long enough to make sure that your upcoming meditation session is productive without being uncomfortable first.
4. The Right Type of Shower Provides Physiological Advantages
When you take a short cool or cold shower, your body gets flooded with much-needed oxygen and lots of endorphins, which work together to prepare both your body and your mind for a great meditation session.
As soon as you sit on the cushion to start meditating, you’ll feel awake and super alert so that you can feel better both physically and psychologically the entire time. Depending on how long your session is, this can also help you feel much better even after you stop meditating.
5. You Can Take a Bath Instead of a Shower If You Wish
If you prefer baths over showers, feel free to take a bath, but keep it two to three minutes long, clean yourself well while in the tub, and keep the temperature cool or cold. You can also meditate in the tub if you like.
If you decide to do this, clean yourself in the bath, let the water drain out, then put fresh water in it. Just make sure that you do not fall asleep, so keep the bath cool to keep your body refreshed.
Making sure that you’re nice and relaxed is a must when you meditate, and baths can help a lot.
6. Other Advantages to Taking a Shower or Bath First
If you want to meditate successfully, a nice shower or bath beforehand can help you relax and can create good changes in the brain. Listen carefully to the sound of the water as it comes out of the faucet and concentrate on that sound while you’re being cleansed.
It is a soothing sound that helps produce results when you’re meditating, and you should concentrate on that sound from the beginning to the end of your shower or bath.
7. Make Sure That Every Inch of Your Body Is Clean
When you take a shower or bath, pay attention to every part of your body and make sure that it is perfectly clean by the time you’re finished. Scrub your torso, arms and legs, hands and feet, and of course, your head and neck and shoulders.
Don’t just cleanse some parts of your body and forget about the others. A total cleansing is what you want because that’s the only way to jump right into your meditation session and make the most of it. If your hair is dirty, wash that as well.
8. What If You Dislike Showering Before You Meditate?
If you’ve tried showering before you meditate and you simply aren’t comfortable with it, go ahead and meditate first and then shower or bathe. The effects of your meditation session are not going to wash off just because you did things in a different order!
Meditation is always helpful and beneficial, and it produces certain physiological and psychological benefits each and every time. Your meditation sessions will produce results as long as you relax and concentrate on your main goals. The shower will prepare you to meditate, but it is not a requirement to make the session successful.
Summary
Deciding whether to meditate before or after your shower is a personal decision. Now that you’ve learned a few of the pros and cons of each option, it might make the choice a little easier for you, but remember that a cool or cold shower always works best.