People in Seattle understand it. People in Northern England, Scandinavia, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany understand it. People in Northern Minnesota and Minneapolis understand it too.
After about three days of a persistent low pressure system – when the sidewalks never dry, it remains dark and grey all day long, and rain comes and goes like a persistent cough – we sauna lovers especially appreciate our backyard retreats.
And thanks to super reliable weather forecasting, we are able to schedule our sauna sessions to overlap the worst weather of the day, and celebrate the monotony of “crappy weather.” We take a long walk without an umbrella, soggy shoes and socks, then nude up and enter the hot room with an extra satisfied “ahhhhhh” with how good the dry heat feels. After a hot round, we step outside and cold wet rain drizzles over our bodies as if God himself is anointing us. How great it feels to be alive and to recognize that “crappy weather” is the best damn weather we could ask for as we cool down between rounds.
Others may be adjusting their windshield wipers in traffic or shaking out their rain coat in a climate controlled office or shopping mall, but we sit outside bare skinned with a giddy smile as steam billows off our cooling bodies. There is an undeniable satisfaction with joining the birds and newly greening growth all around us with a natural appreciation of a cold Spring rain. Being alive is being with nature. Connecting with nature can be found in a Minneapolis backyard or anywhere where one can take a deep breath (or series of deep breaths if Wim Hofing it). Breathing within nature does something for us.
There may or may not be a study on breathing with nature, but those of us who experience it, understand it. And that’s good enough for us.
We hear it from many people in many countries: “the worse the weather, the better the sauna“. Rain, rain, rain. Beautiful rain.