I love nothing more than soaking in the bath. Water, especially warm water, is so soothing. Scented with bath oil or bubble bath, usually lavender, makes a bath even more special. If I take the time to notice the warm water pouring over me, my morning shower can also be both calming and invigorating. But there’s really nothing like a bath.
When my son was young, I’d run a bath for myself after tucking him into bed for the night. It was my first opportunity to be alone. I was around people all day at my job, and being a single mom I had no one to help with childcare in the mornings or after work. I craved solitude, time alone, time just for me. Nothing and no one to be responsible for or to. I could finally relax. I’d usually bring a book into the bath with me so I could lose myself in someone else’s story. As the bathwater began to cool I’d run more hot water, soothed by both the sound of the water running and the feeling of it softly moving along my body. It felt so luxurious.
Many years later a bath took on a different significance for me. In the early 2000’s I began going on silent meditation retreats, lasting anywhere from five to ten days each. These retreats can be quite intense, with lots of emotions and insights arising. I found that when I came home from a retreat I wanted to stay in silence for a while longer. I’d soak in the tub for what felt like hours, letting the calm water flow over me. The internal stillness that I felt on retreat would gradually begin to fade as my experience was integrated into my body, mind, and heart. A warm bath became part of my post-retreat ritual, and I continue that practice today.
Through the years I’ve taken baths for many reasons – to be alone, calm down, soothe myself, relax my muscles and bones, and settle my mind and heart. Sometimes I turn all of the bathroom lights off and bathe in candlelight. Sometimes I’ll listen to meditative music although most of the time I soak in silence.
I love nothing more than soaking in the bath. The bath becomes my refuge.
By Jackie Davis-Martin
On April 26, 2024
Elyse–good to see your name again, your writing.
You’ve sold me on a bath and its benefits. I have a big tub, but I mostly revert to efficiency. I love the different “lives” you include and the role that baths played.