Here at UNIT NINE we love to train and sweat as you know and we are always looking for new ways to recover and rest and we came across infrared saunas. I can go on for hours about how much I love infrared saunas and the benefits, but I will leave that to our beautiful expert Su Tuttle who owns Nimbus & Co. We love what Su is all about and we are in LOVE with Nimbus & Co..... take a read to find out more.
Why did you decide to open Nimbus & Co?
I started using infrared saunas a few years ago for some health stuff that was going on and fell absolutely in love with them and the amazing ritual along with the vast health improvements. My partner Neil and I had always wanted to open our own business in the health industry but it wasn’t until I fell in love with the saunas the idea flourished. We are both extremely passionate about mindfulness and mental health and wanted to give back to the community and found the saunas allowed us to do exactly that. Not only do they provide a range of health benefits such as detoxification, pain relief, cardiovascular health, and anti-ageing they allow people to take 45 minutes of alone time and that’s what it’s really about for us.
What do you offer at nimbus & Co?
We offer a range of well-being services including infrared saunas, yin yoga, meditation, reiki, acupuncture & wellness workshops.
Su's wellness rituals to help your slow down
Whether for good or bad, society today has created this fast paced, ‘always-on’ culture adding new pros and cons in terms of living in our modern world. There’s a constant need nowadays to be continuously connected and contactable. This new paradigm shift really sums up the speed in which society has grown over the past 50, 20 or even five years.
Are you someone who always gets sick before they go on holidays? This is likely due to your body constantly being in a state of flight or fight mode. ‘But I can’t leave the office before…’ or ‘I’m working on a deadline’ are phrases common to the modern workplace. But by constantly keeping your body in this state, you’re slowly increasing your stress levels which could end with a whole range of nasty health consequences such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and ill-mental health. Introducing and implementing simple small daily self-care rituals into your routine can play a huge part in your body’s need to recharge, stay well and healthy.
My favourite self-care rituals to slow down and disconnect
Infrared saunas are highly effective at reducing anxiety and stress. There are many amazing benefits of regular sauna sessions, however, one of our favorite reasons is because you get an hour booking of peace and quiet, just to yourself. How often do we get five minutes, never mind 45 minutes of alone time these days? Not very often and this commitment to you alone is such a major step forward.
Infrared sauna sessions also allow you to disconnect from the outside world. It’s the perfect place to decompress after a busy day, meditate, be still and simply relax. Not only that, but, studies have shown regular sweat sessions can also help lower cortisol levels, which is your main stress hormone in the body.
This seems like a simple one but many people don’t follow any kind of ritual here and sometimes it can be the most important. Here’s a few quick fire tips that might help, bearing in mind everyone is different so what might work for you, might not work for others and vice versa - it’s about finding what makes you a better version of yourself.
1. Turn off all electronics by 9pm. This is a great way to switch off in order for your body to have a deeper more restorative sleep
2. Try reading, diffusing lavender in the bedroom or add a salt lamp to your room
3. Drink a cup of chamomile tea - stay away from caffeine after 5pm if you can! That includes English breakfast tea
4. We also love putting our feet against the wall, above your head, which really allows your nervous system to wind down after a busy day
5. Eye masks. This might be hard at first to transition to, but, by blocking our light from street lamps or cars, or even if your blinds aren’t the best, this will help you get a deeper sleep
Yin yoga is a beautiful restorative practice that can help bring back stillness and calmness to our nervous system. This doesn’t mean that your mind will not fight back with some resistance, Yin yoga is simple, but it doesn’t mean it’s easy - especially for guys as some of the poses are long and deep.
A yin yoga practice not only relaxes muscles, but it can go much further toward managing important joints in the hips and back, increasing circulation. The more circulation you have, the more fluid the joints will have to support them, making the body feel younger and stronger.
Recommendation: one a class a week is a good place to start here, especially if you are new to Yin. Maybe doing an evening class to de-stress after a busy day in the office
Really leave work on Friday, but if you can’t… Here’s what to do
Even if you have to work on the weekend, fair enough. But, we have one caveat. Pick a time that you’re dedicated to when the weekend comes. For some, it might be 9am on a Saturday, where you can stroll to get your morning coffee, start the day off a little slower and then maybe blitz a two-hour session. You’ll be surprised how productive you can be if you set a time and commit to it.
But if you do that, leave it there. Don’t check your emails late at night, or even late on Sundays, it will disturb your rest before the weekend ends. There are emergencies from time-to-time, but, just remember, most things can always wait until the next day.
You need to allot time to wind down to avoid things like breakdowns. You can even try working at times that works for you. Monday 9-5 schedules have lots of merit to them but they are just a human creation, not everyone is built to work that way. Something for you to think about.
