Some say ‘the happiest people in the world live by the water’. I believe it…. there is just something magic about water. Its sheer strength, ability to cleanse, calm and soothe continue to amaze me. I am starting to believe that even if the place we rest our heads at night is nowhere near the water, we can still benefit from its magic in our day to day, and join those who say ‘the happiest people in the world live by the water’.  

Today I wanted to explore steam, and in particular, steam inhalation.

For context, I returned home one day from some time spent in a very cold place (which will remain unnamed), which left my body stiff, full of aches, and my chest sore and tight. The next morning, I boiled some water on the stovetop and when I lifted the lid the steam visibly came up from the saucepan and I felt its warmth. I leaned forward over the water and took a deep breath in. It felt amazing! So incredibly nourishing and as such, I breathed out to the side and took another generous inhale over the raising steam. With every breath I felt the pours of my face soften, my nostrils, throat and chest expand with greater ease, and the muscles in my whole face, chest and upper body relax. It was in this moment I thought surely this has to be good for you.

In saying this, I appreciate steam inhalation is not something new and community used as a home remedy for colds or nasal congestion. I just hadn’t really done it much myself.

For some reason, in this moment, my grandpa came to mind along with one of his sayings: “prevention is better than the cure”. I started to wonder whether regular steam inhalation could have health benefits and help to prevent these types of issues as well as soothe symptoms when they arise. 

So, as such my curiosity led to me doing some research. I found, according to multiple sources^ that:

1. Regular steam inhalation,

• can enhance overall respiratory health by maintaining moisture in airways, prevent dryness, and help to clear irritants,

• while does not kill viruses or bacteria, can help with symptoms of common colds and other respiratory infections,

• benefits can be realized with anywhere between 2 and 15 minutes of exposure (once or twice a day), and

• does not have any known negative side effects other than the risk of being burnt by handling hot water itself (so note to self to always take care when practicing).

2. It was clearly noted that steam inhalation does not substitute medical advice or treatment by a healthcare professional.  

So, I thought why not add steam inhalation (i.e. 12 deep breaths/ ~2 minutes) to my morning ritual to test out potential benefits for myself and also incorporate some ‘saucha*’ (purity or cleanliness) in my day. So, with that I implemented it immediately.

If we now fast forward a few months later, I am happy to report that I still feel the ‘this feels amazing’ factor every single day. In particular, those days I think I just don’t have the time, and somehow force myself to make the time, are often when I feel even more so wonderful for doing it. Perhaps, it is because on those days the simple act of hitting pause and taking 10 deep breaths is in fact what I need with cleaning and nourishment to my airways being just a bonus.

Anyhow, I enjoyed capturing this little experiment. I hope that you had fun coming along on the journey with me and can be inspired to also explore what saucha* you can bring into your day to day.

So, let’s continue the journey to appreciating the magic of water@home. What shall we explore next? We will have to wait and see.

I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this, so do drop me a note via the contact form below if you are in the mood and would like to connect.

#sharingiscaringandcaringisfun.

*'Saucha' (translates to 'cleanliness' or 'purity') is the first of the Niyamas, together with the Yamas, forming an ethical framework for living in harmony with one another, and experiencing deep inner peace.

^sources including the Australian Queensland Government, VeryWell Health, HealthLine and research published by Financial Express.