{"id":101667,"date":"2018-12-15T15:47:11","date_gmt":"2018-12-15T20:47:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/?p=101667\/"},"modified":"2020-01-14T13:30:24","modified_gmt":"2020-01-14T18:30:24","slug":"why-does-sweating-feel-so-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/ja\/journal\/why-does-sweating-feel-so-good\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Does Sweating Feel So Good? Jacy Cunningham Explains"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jacy Cunningham is just one of the exceptional teachers you can learn from at our events this year!\u00a0<\/em>One-day tickets and donation tickets are still available for our 2-day city Festival in Seattle! For more information, click here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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We\u2019ve all been there: Leaving a tough yoga class, the gym, or having hit the pavement for a solid few miles, and despite the sweat dripping down your back, your legs, in crevices you didn\u2019t know you had, you feel freaking amazing. Like, \u201creaching the summit of a mountain with the love of your life\u201d or \u201cthere\u2019s no way something this healthy should feel this good\u201d amazing. You may be a hot sweaty mess, but there\u2019s nothing and no one that could kill that au natural buzz. But why? What\u2019s actually going on inside our bodies that makes sweating feel so darn good? What’s behind that yoga high? <\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with some simple <\/span>science<\/span><\/a>. Very literally speaking, sweating is our body\u2019s way of cooling itself down when we\u2019re pushing it to the active extreme. What\u2019s emitted is really just the release of byproduct (water, urea, ammonia, salt, and sugar) to regulate core temperature. We have two types of sweat glands: eccrine and apocrine glands. Eccrine glands secrete a clear, odorless liquid, and are responsible for body temp regulation. Apocrine glands secrete a thicker, milkier substance that is broken down by bacteria. Fun fact\u2014that delightful sweat smell comes not from the byproducts we\u2019re releasing, but from that bacteria employed by the apocrine glands. <\/span><\/p>\n

So, cool\u2026 Surprise, surprise that our bodies are able to self-regulate. But a little bacteria and byproduct doesn\u2019t explain the extreme feelings of euphoria and calm that we have when we really get into it. Is there spirituality to sweating? <\/span>Jacy Cunningham<\/span><\/a>, founder of <\/span>The Jacy Method<\/span><\/a>, a fitness method that embodies the duality of human experience by combining high-impact movement with mindfulness\u2014according to their website, \u201cwhere working out meets working in\u201d\u2014believes so.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we sweat, we are reminded of so many physical memories where we pushed our bodies beyond their limitations and discovered a new sense of being.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI believe sweating is sacred,\u201d says Jacy. “When we sweat we release all of the toxins and negative stories we hold. To sweat is to move. To sweat is to live,\u201d he says. Jacy notes that he feels most alive when his clothes are drenched in sweat\u2014and he\u2019s likely not alone in that. His mentor went as far as to consider sweat one of the three most important pillars to living a happy, healthy life (the other two Jacy\u2019s mentor considers essential are swimming and crying).<\/span><\/p>\n