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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThe Importance of Sauna<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhile many cultures around the world have types of saunas, the Finns take great pride in the claim that they have one of the oldest and continuously active sauna cultures in the world. The Finnish sauna started more than 2,000 years ago and was little more than a modest burrow in the earth in which a pile of stones heated for the bathing process were added. Because, ultimately, that\u2019s what sauna really is \u2013 a way to get clean. Water thrown onto the hot stones give off vapor, which makes the bather sweat. Before leaving the sauna, it is still common today to either douse yourself with water, or to have a permanent tub installed inside the sauna. This natural process of sweat bath followed by cleansing isn\u2019t only intensely healthy; it\u2019s an incredibly important aspect of Finnish society.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s an old Finnish saying that Finns live and die in the sauna. At first I smiled thinking it was just a nice example of flowery speech, but it\u2019s actually literally true. Naturally there are rules associated with taking a sauna, but they\u2019re more guidelines than rules and not once was I chastised for not knowing any better. That\u2019s because at its core, sauna is all about personal freedom.<\/p>\n
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<\/figure>\nHow Sauna Changed My Life<\/strong><\/h3>\nAmong the rules is that sauna goers should be naked, something that still causes my fellow Americans to unconsciously shiver. Yet the societal mores in Finland are different, and chatting with someone in Helsinki, I began to understand why these concerns about being naked don\u2019t exist in Finland. He said growing up going to sauna several times a week and seeing all different kinds of people naked means that Finns don\u2019t usually suffer from the same body-image issues that the rest of the world can\u2019t seem to escape. \u201cI just understood that everyone looked different and that was ok,\u201d he went on to say \u2013 a refreshingly open and healthy attitude. This was a revolutionary concept for me.<\/p>\n
Like so many other people, I have dealt with body image problems my entire life \u2013 I still do if we\u2019re being honest. I never accepted that I was enough, that I didn\u2019t have to be \u201cbetter,\u201d whatever that means. Sitting there without a scrap of clothing on, I began the long process of self-acceptance and learning that I can be great just the way I am. That concept has been so freeing for me, I don\u2019t have the words to properly share its impact. Freedom is subjective, freedom has many definitions and connotations but for me I have never felt as free and alive as I did sitting there in a warm sauna in Helsinki.<\/p>\n
Finland and Helsinki<\/a> in particular will always have a part of my heart reserved and I can\u2019t wait to return to experience not only this definition of freedom again, but to discover new shades of the word as well.<\/p>\n
The post Sauna and Finding the Ultimate Freedom in Helsinki<\/a> appeared first on LandLopers<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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