Bathing for (bio-cultural) healing

I love baths - they have long been one of my favorite ways to destress, disengage, and let the magic of water do its own thing. My mom modeled this wonderful behavior for me. For a few years when I was young (and probably always followed her around), she would take weekly "clean up baths" filled with bubbles and her favorite book - and I was not allowed to come in. It was one of the ways she practiced self care as a full time working wife and mother. Later, when I was living with some locals of Marrakesh, Morocco, they women took me to their local bath: the social dynamic, vigorous scrubbing,

and mutual care was a far cry from my mother's private oasis. Both were wonderful. And both said a lot about the culture- the bio-culture - in which the women taking the bath were situated, which determined how they thought about cleaning, healing, self-care - and water itself.

These days, when I'm not dipping into rivers and oceans on a regular basis, bathing is a way of connecting with water. And, as we are regularly reminded, #waterislife.

Recently, I've been getting into adding herbs and other ingredients to my bath besides whatever bubble bath is lying around. And good thing - lots of those bubble baths are made from chemicals, not natural oils. I started with epsom salts after long days doing chaplaincy work - and was astonished I hadn't known about these magical crystals earlier. Complimenting

epsom salts with himalayan sea salt (which has a similar mineral makeup as your body) is also great for replenishing as well as releasing toxins. Note - the first few times i did this, i had to scrub the bath afterward because so much ugly stuff came out of my body!

Fortunately, today, there is a rich array of great resources online (such as this Mother Earth News article) to get inspiration on which flowers and herbs to add to your bath for different impacts. There are some basics - lavender, rose, cinnamon (all good for cleansing) and some I hadn't really picked up on, like Comfry, which can cleanse, rejuvenate, promote new cell growth and alleviate painful muscles. How cool is that?

There are also an array of super cool, made at home bath bombs that you can buy through etsy and other places - which are great ways of supporting (usually women) entrepreneurs. I buy from Balanced Roots myself - her products are beautiful, organic, and smell amazing.

Recently something else has been coming to me in my prayer/meditative sessions that I've been experimenting with. I open the cabinet with my spices, oils and herbs, and start sniffing, and listen to my instincts. What am I drawn to? What feels good today? This is a highly intuitive game, and is somewhat limited (I don't always have rose water or lavender - maybe I should change that!) to what's in the cupboard. I'm always surprised with what comes up - and with how great I tend to feel afterwards. It also helps to use some kind of a sachet, especially for things like bay leaves, twigs of rosemary, and cinnamon sticks which are large, and can otherwise clog up the drain later on!

Bathing is absolutely a way to engage with the bio-culture.

Your bath tub might seem far from the river, but the water is from your local watershed - do you know what river that is? Is it a year rich in water? I avoid a lot of baths when I am in a place (like the south west of the USA during summer) where there are serious droughts and water shortages - and not just because of the cost of water, but also out of respect for the water itself. After all: water is life.

I pay attention to what's growing in my garden (or what would be growing if I gave my garden more energy), what time of year it is, what's the weather like, and where the moon is. I pay attention to culture. I think about what might my ancestors might have used? What herbs might my bio-chemistry be more naturally attuned to? Not that I only use them (I do enjoy coconut oil sometimes, and I'm confident my european ancestors didn't use coconut oil!), but I pay attention to where I come from.

Given how differently different cultures use baths, its also good to read up on some of the traditions in the culture you come from and/or resonate strongly with. The Japanese, for example, have a long and rich tradition with many rules around the temperature of the bath, duration, and frequency based on which ailment one is aiming to shift. Sorting through what really works for your body/soul/mind (and its really connected when it comes to baths - the aromas impact your emotions as much as the oils influence your body) can take some trial and error.

Note: I don't put peppers or anything I might even remotely have some kind of strong reaction to - the oils can get in your eyes, and that can be dangerous. Our skin is absorbent, so be careful and use your own good sense about what works for you. If in doubt, don't use it - and at the very least, check its healing properties! For this reason I don't use flowers growing outside that I'm not super familiar with!

So be it your moon time, your long day, a need for some extra privacy, or just a need to revitalize, enjoy your moment in soaking in the waters which are the essence of life, the herbs we are blessed enough to be able to use, and the rivers from which your water comes.