PREFACE
With the recent weeks and now months of lockdown not only for New South Wales where I currently reside but across the country, it certainly has given me some time for reflection. Whilst we haven’t hit the sometimes ‘highs’ of lockdown 1.0 this time around, I, like many, are trying to find the positives that have come with the second, and in some states, the sixth wave. What it has given us once more is time. Maybe the ‘time’ itself this time around hasn't been as pleasant or as fun, but it’s still time. It got me thinking about the basics, about life, family, love, relationships, death, the future, and all the cornerstones to being a present human being. And of course, it brought me to our own business, and what started us, infrared saunas and what they mean to me.

So I found myself asking this question, what is it exactly that I miss about infrared saunas? What is it I love about saunas? Here’s what came to mind.

A time to slow down
Maybe for all of us, it’s more around what we miss during the lockdown itself. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is. For you, it might be one thing, for me, another. For those of you who know me, or for anyone who I haven’t met before, I think you’d probably still guess correctly what it is I miss most.

I couldn’t help but draw contrast to a similar love I have for the romance of flying, as silly as that sounds.

It’s not necessarily the science behind it, or the engineering needed and required to be in flight, but more so the process, the aesthetics, the touch, feel, the experience - the softer skills. From packing your back in advance, nestling into bed (sometimes very late) the night before, to heading to the airport, chatting with the Uber driver, your path is forged ahead of you.

You might like the monotony of the check-in process like me, or the weighing of your baggage, or skipping the queue if you’ve arrived late. Even down to the detail of the food that you simply can’t get nor would eat anywhere else, to the board call, you’re now settling in, and the clasp is buckled. You’re still to go through the instructional video, the old chestnut of the repeated message you’ve now heard over a hundred times in slight variations. But it doesn’t deter you, quite the opposite, this love for this process still grows in you. Why?

Maybe it is the food or is it the entertainment, or it could be that it’s just you, in your own space, up in the clouds. Nobody else is around. When you do finally hit that new (sometimes familiar) land, the thrill of going somewhere for the first time can never be matched. You’re here to start a new journey, one you’re stepping into as a new person, a different person from who you were the last time you set foot aboard. Isn’t that beautiful just in itself? It almost feels like a reset, a new chance for you to do adventure and expand your being as a human.

Bringing you back to infrared saunas like the speed of sound, how does it compare? Going for a sauna isn’t just about going for a sauna. You’ve made the choice, that conscious choice from your day, your schedule, your life. You’ve dedicated this time is for yourself. Even if it's your first time, like anything you try that’s new, it can be a major step. But when allot time for just you, this same journey, same feeling, same experience grows and continues, just like a flight, another journey.

Step by step, you follow a pattern, you leave the house, excitement builds. When you arrive, you are met with human interaction. You see a face, maybe a familiar one, conversation ensues. Maybe you chat about life, politics, relationships, or maybe you just stay silent - today, you’re not in the mood. From that moment you step foot inside, the five senses are evoked. The light, the sound, the smell, what you see, feel and touch, as you wait. You don’t know it, but you're subconsciously scanning your surroundings; the colours, other people, the song that hums in the background. It’s almost time.

And when you begin, you shed your clothing, you’re free now. How nice is it to just see yourself bare? We don’t do this enough. Just ponder, stare, be proud, enjoy your body - it’s the only one you’ll ever have. And as the intrigue continues, your heart flutters a bit, butterflies start to present. As the heat rises, your heart rate grows, but the heat here is your friend, not your foe. You’re safe. Sound. Now you're feeling a new surface, the wood of the seated bench, the invisible stimulus continues. The door closes and here you are, enclosed in a tiny confined box. But again, here you feel safe. Sound.

Whether it’s meditation, music, a podcast or a favourite show, you’ve chosen it for today - it’s your time. You’ll travel through it, 45 minutes just for you - no one else. No friends, no loved ones, no partners, kids, stress, you’re just one of 7 billion humans dedicating personal space in a tiny circumference. You should be proud.

Some days it’s tough, sometimes you have to push through, sometimes it’s a breeze, some days you feel light, some days you feel happy, and some you feel sad. But once your time does come to an end, you are in a different place than before, a better place. You're stronger, wiser, and calmer. You’re restored. And at the end of it all, isn’t that what life is all about? Isn’t that a goal for most that we all want to leave the place we’ve trodden that bit better than before? You’re then left with this beautiful thought that it didn’t take much to get there, and how you ought to do it more. How simple life and its pleasures can be.

But then, that old scoundrel, life, gets in the way again.

Thinking of you all during these challenging times.
 

Neil O’Sullivan, CEO and co-founder of Nimbus Co infrared sauna studios.

For more information on Nimbus Co, follow them on Instagram.

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