How to Practice The Ancient Art of Misogi (Cold Meditation)
And why the thing stopping you is the reason to.
For millennia, shamanistic and nature-based religions have made heavy use of the elements in their spiritual practices.
And the fact is, whether we’re aware of it or not, many of us have also long engaged in such elemental practices — often ritualistically and religiously.
Think bathing in the sun for hours on end. Doing breathing exercises. Going to the sauna. Subjecting the body to intense pressure, strain, and workouts. Or hiking in winter.
Traditionally, such practices as cold and heat exposure were believed to cleanse ourselves of impurities and act as a restorative balancer between mind, body, and spirit.
And in the modern-day, we’re starting to see these claims being backed up by science (apart from the spirit bit).
But here’s the thing. There’s a major difference between how such practices are typically approached today and traditionally.
We often don’t see such activities as meditative practices and ways to connect to ourselves and nature, but rather as tools to improve our health and wellbeing by reducing stress or getting a tan or breaking a sweat.
