Ice Cold Plunge OR Warm Herbal Bath? with Dr Raskin – Your SV Ayurveda Newsletter March 26, 2026, #11, Vol 16

Ice cold baths – or cold-water immersions – are the latest fad. They are touted for offering significant benefits for overall health. How do they work? It is said that they reduce muscular pain and support muscle recovery by reducing inflammation and easing muscle soreness also increase mental health by boosting dopamine and circulation. How does cold water reduce inflammation? Cold water and cold temperatures, in general, restrict our physical channels. In ayurvedic terms, the shrotas. When the channels or shrotas are constricted, blood flow is decreased. This results in decreased inflammation and reduced swelling… At its best, this is a temporary “fix” because the root cause of inflammation is not addressed, but that’s another topic altogether. 

In addition, it is said that cold plunges produce an overall feeling of well-being and alertness, and this is what people love about it. But do you know at what cost? An ice-cold plunge causes a strong stress response that can trigger a “fight-or-flight” response. It stimulates the nervous system abruptly resulting in higher levels of alertness and therefore an overall feeling of well-being or improved mood ensues… Specially after the plunge, when the muscles relax and circulation resumes its normal flow again.

Short-term cold exposure has been associated with reduced stress, anxiety, and depression… However, at what cost? Here are a few of the risks associated with this practice: cold/ice water immersion can cause a shock on the nervous system that can lead to uncontrolled breathing, dizziness, and increased heart rate – it is not recommended for sensitive individuals or for those with cardiovascular disease, hypertension, or cold sensitivity. In addition, some research has found that while an ice bath may help reduce soreness, it will also hinder long-term muscle growth by excessively reducing the inflammation needed for the body to help muscle repair and adaptation…

Did you know that Ayurveda recommends the opposite?! Scroll down to read more about hot baths versus cold plunges. But before that, Dr Lisa Raskin shares her own personal experience and input on cold baths below… 

I don’t do cold plunges – you know, those ice baths or freezing water immersions everyone’s talking about!

And I believe some people do feel better from them.

But they’re not for me…

Not because I haven’t tried. Not because I’m avoiding something difficult. It’s because I’ve learnt to listen to what my body actually tells me. And my body is very clear: cold water makes me feel worse.

When I get into freezing water, I don’t feel invigorated. I feel like everything is shutting down. My nervous system goes into overwhelm. Everything in me says: “get out!”

And I’ve learned that’s not weakness. That’s information.

Vaidya Mishra taught me why this happens. Cold shrinks the channels. When you expose your body to extreme cold, your srotas – the physical channels like blood vessels and lymphatic pathways – contract. Blood vessels constrict. Circulation slows. The pathways that deliver nutrients and clear waste become restricted.

But it’s more than that. Cold constricts the flow of prana through the nadis, the subtle channels that carry life force. And it creates vata – dryness, coldness, and instability in the body.

For people who are already vata-imbalanced – and most sensitive systems are – this can be really vata aggravating.

So that overwhelming feeling I get? It makes complete sense. My already responsive nervous system can’t handle that level of contraction and stimulation.

Now, does this mean cold plunges are bad for everyone? Not at all.

Some people genuinely feel better after cold exposure. Cold stimulates the vagus nerve and creates a powerful response that can wake up sluggish nervous systems. Some people find cold exposure wakes up their nervous system in a helpful way,

But for those of us with already responsive, sensitive, reactive nervous systems, cold does something different. It can overstimulate. Create agitation. Sometimes even trigger histamine responses.

Same stimulus. Completely different response.

This is what I see over and over: what works brilliantly for one person can be completely wrong for another.

And when something doesn’t work for you – when everyone else is talking about how great they feel and you feel terrible – it’s easy to think something’s wrong with you…

But nothing is wrong with you.

Your body just needs different things.

This is why I always ask: at what cost?

Yes, cold plunges might help some people. But if they leave you feeling worse, they’re not the right tool for your system.

You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing.

The goal is to understand what your body actually needs. For some people, that’s cold exposure. For others, it’s warmth, gentleness, and practices that don’t stress an already sensitive system.

Both are valid. But they’re not interchangeable.

And knowing what works for YOU – that’s everything.

If you’re realizing you need help understanding what your body actually needs – not what wellness trends promise – I work with people to figure this out.

You can learn more about working with me here or go to https://somaradiantwellness.com

So What Does Ayurveda Say About Warm or Hot Baths?

Nowhere are the therapeutic health benefits of bathing better documented than in the ancient ayurvedic texts. Why to bathe, how to bathe, when to bathe, what materials to use in bathing, what temperature of water to be used for whom, even directions on when and why ‘not to bathe!’ Ayurveda talks about natural clay mixes for bathing and uses herbs and flower petals in the bath along with natural foaming and cleansing agents, like soap nuts – reetha. 100% natural cleansing materials are selected for their power to cleanse, nurture, soothe, and detox – ALL without synthetic scents, colors, binders, or emulsifying agents. Here is what Bhav Prakash, a SVA ancestor from Vaidya Mishra’s lineage, had to say about the health benefits of bathing:

Bathing in warm water is: deepanam – it resets metabolism by balancing and pacifying metabolic and digestive fires; vrishyam: nourishes and increases the seven tissues, especially the reproductive tissue, or shukra; ayushyam: increases longevity; snanamojo: bathing increases ojas; balapradam: increases stamina; kandumala: (takes away) itching and malas, toxic waste of the skin; shrama: removes fatigue; sweda: cleans sweat; tandra: removes drowsiness; tridda: makes strong; daha: takes away heat trapped in the blood/body giving burning sensations; and here is yet the best: it is papmanutam: cleanses physically and vibrationally, i.e. takes away bad karma!

So now you know: you have absolutely NO REASON NOT TO TAKE A HOT OR WARM BATH!

Instead of taking a dive into an ice-cold bath, run some hot water and add an ayurvedic bath pouch to feel better – physically and karmically….

Namaste!

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