This winter i have been pushing myself to turn the shower water to full cold once i am done with the hot and stand under it for a period of 30 seconds to 1 minute, making sure the water touches all areas of my body. In the coldest part of the winter the temperature of the water went down to 7Β°C and was quite a test to stand under, but always so invigorating when it was done. A once cold bathroom suddenly seems quite pleasant stepping out of the shower and i can feel an elevated sense of perception which stays with me for some hours. In addition i noticed that i didn't feel so cold during the day, even when i was working outside for hours in freezing temperatures, so this was an unexpected bonus.
Inspired by the cold water i have been dreaming for some time of heightening this experience by building a mini earthship in the Spiral Garden which will also double as a sauna.
I intend to build it right here where i have already created a sunken greenhouse.
Even without the back wall of rammed car tires designed to act as a thermal mass it is still very warm in here throughout the winter simply because the only window faces south.
Being able to make myself super hot in an enclosed space like this (with steam) means that any cold water will feel much colder upon entering it. The tradition of alternating between hot steam and cold water is of course deeply rooted in both Russian and Finnish cultures and the therapeutic benefits are many.
So i started looking at this area to the left of the greenhouse as a potential place for a plunge pool/pond, filling it with cold water from our canal which comes directly from snow covered mountains.
I did not feel motivated to dig it however till Esteban told me on the way to his first fencing competition how much he would love to have a pond!
I would like to tell you more about Esteban's fencing in another post, though i will tell you now that he won a medal and does seem to have a natural talent for this sport.
So a few days after the competition i decided it was time and began the process by digging the hole. After which i placed the pond liner in there and added a little sand to make it feel soft underfoot.
Luna says it looks like the footprint of a giant. Which sounds perfect!
I made a bamboo 'fountain' which plugs into our hose from the canal.
I also put some spider plants around the edges and in a single day it was done.
An outflow zone leads the water directly into the rabbit enclosure and out of the back of the garden into the bamboo forest, at the bottom of which is a stream where this water will end up.
So simple to build and what a difference it makes to the garden!
The pond liner cost β¬15 and was my only expense. If any of you know a natural alternative to this plastic liner i would love to hear about it!
Over time it will attract aquatic life such as frogs & dragonflies, each of which has their benefits for us humans. In the case of frogs they will help us keep our slug population under control.
Since then i have every day been stripping off my clothes and saying a little prayer at the edge of this water before submerging myself for 5mins.
The temperature is currently 13β.
Needless to say the children have been enjoying it too.
Ever keen to compete with their father (and each other!) they both had a go at submerging themselves. Esteban managed 1min 30secs.
While Luna managed 1min.
Later in the Summer having this pond to cool off in will be less of a 'pushing ourselves' experience to one of complete pleasure. Even just being able to clean the sweat off my body without going home will be enjoyable.
We actually have a shower zone now, right next to the forest, so one can enjoy a clean hot shower when they come out of the pond if they choose.
The water is heated up in the sun during the day, making it a very pleasant temperature in the cool of the evenings.
Drying off only takes ten mins when you sit naked in the sun, lapping up that vitamin D.
Luna cheekily snapped a shot of me doing just this a few days ago.
It really is a joy to sit in this water and observe all the beautiful colours of the garden which unfold in an ever changing slide-show of infinite perfection, willing us always to observe and repeat what we learn here in our lives.
And Geoff Lawton was so very right when he told us how "all the world's problems can be solved in a garden".
Love & Light everyone π±
