Our environments have a significant impact on our health and wellness. Colour is one environmental factor that makes a big difference. From the colour of the clothes we choose to wear to the colour of the rooms and objects around us, we can use colour to have an impact on our mood, emotions, and wellbeing.
Colour Theory
There is a lot of theory surrounding the power and influence of colours on our moods and personality. These theories are often applied to marketing campaigns and business branding decisions. It’s not a coincidence that Microsoft chose blue and UPS chose brown for their company colours. You’ll even encounter colour psychology when shopping for paint at the local hardware store.
Colour has the power to influence our emotions, thoughts, and well-being. Colour therapy uses the unique powers of the different colours to treat different ailments and help us achieve balance in our moods and lives.
What is Colour Therapy?
Colour therapy requires some science. Light moves in waves that allow us to see the colours of the spectrum. Different colours have different wavelengths that allow us to experience each colour individually. In colour therapy, we use the different frequencies of colours to harmonize the body’s inner vibrations, depending on the ailment. Colour therapy is also known as chromotherapy or colour healing.
How Can Colour Therapy Be Used?
The simplest method of applying colour therapy is to look at or be surrounded by a specific colour. You can choose an object, a piece of cloth, or shine a light using the colour of choice and look at it for as little as a few minutes while you feel the therapeutic effects.
Colour therapy can be used to treat stress, immune deficiency, insomnia, and critical illness. The colour you need will depend on your condition. Someone experiencing stress will benefit more from green, cyan, or blue light, while someone who is experiencing depression will benefit more from a shade of orange, yellow, or red.
While you can apply colour therapy strategies at home on your own, the benefits of colour therapy in an infrared sauna compound the effects. Plus, a health professional can help you gain insight into your true emotional state, which you might not recognize on your own. After you’ve experienced a session of colour therapy, you’ll find yourself feeling energized, refreshed, and calm.
The Benefits of Combining Infrared Sauna and Colour Therapy
Sweating is a healthy and natural eliminator of toxins in the body, and infrared saunas can help you sweat seven times more than traditional Swedish saunas. The infrared sauna promotes relaxation by balancing your levels of cortisol, the main stress hormone in the body. The main benefits of infrared sauna use include:
- Muscle relaxation
- Tension release
- Pain relief
- Skin purification
- Improved circulation
Colour therapy can be combined with an infrared sauna by applying a coloured filter to the sauna light. You’ll be able to sweat out your toxins while simultaneously balancing your chakras and targeting your specific stressors. Our infrared sauna at Urban Massage and Wellness has various colours to choose from!
Colours & Their Meanings
Colours are unique and have their own positive and negative associations. The key to benefitting from the use of colour therapy is to choose the right colours and use them in a moderate balance.
Blue
Blue is the colour of trust, honesty, and loyalty. Blue inspires idealism, responsibility, sincerity, and confidence.
If you have high-stress levels or anxious thoughts, blue is a colour that can help you feel more relaxed. Adding blue elements to your home or wardrobe can help you cultivate tranquillity and calm in your everyday spaces. Blue is best in moderate doses. Too much of the colour can foster feelings of sadness.
Positive associations: integrity, trustworthy, tactful, reliable, conservative, devoted, organized.
Negative associations: rigid, sad, passive, unstable, weak, manipulative, self-righteous.
Red
Red is the colour of energy, motivation, and passion. Red inspires action, confidence, ambition, and determination.
If you need a motivational boost or encouragement for physical activity, red is the colour to incorporate into your life. It can be as simple as adding a red home decor item to a specific room in your house or an article of clothing that you put on when you need a confidence boost. But don’t overdo it! Too much red is known to increase aggression and anger.
Positive associations: assertive, confident, exciting, stimulating, powerful, courageous, strong.
Negative associations: aggressive, domineering, angry, ruthless, intolerant, violent, fearful.
Green
Green is the colour of balance, harmony, and growth. Green inspires feelings of renewal, stability, and energy.
Green is a great colour that promotes the balance of the head and heart. It’s the colour of sustainability, gardens, and spring. Looking at the colour green and wearing green clothing can help you feel refreshed and restored of energy. When you feel in need of an energy boost or positive thoughts, find some green to incorporate into your surroundings. Keep in mind that too much green can be exhausting.
Positive associations: balance, harmony, calm, reliable, generous, tactful, kind.
Negative associations: possessive, overly cautious, envious, greedy, hypochondriac, misery, jealousy.
White
White is the colour of purity, innocence, and completion. White inspires creativity with the image of a blank slate or clean sheet.
White is a colour that symbolizes peace, independence, and inner cleansing. White is often associated with a fresh start or a clean slate, so if you want inspiration or a cleanse, try looking at the colour white. However, too much of the colour white can feel sterile and empty.
Positive descriptors: wholeness, innocence, simplicity, pristine, open, equality, purity.
Negative descriptors: sterile, boring, critical, cautious, empty, isolated, fastidious.
Purple
Purple is the colour of imagination, spirituality, and balance. Purple inspires creativity, humility, intuition, and transformation.
Purple is the combination of red’s energy and blue’s integrity, creating a balance between the body and mind. Purple is often used to foster meditation and introspection. Too much exposure to the colour purple can lead to intense introspection and feelings of depression.
Positive associations: creative, intuitive, inventive, humanitarian, selfless, fantasy, psychic.
Negative associations: immature, cynical, impractical, aloof, arrogant, corrupt, pompous.
Cyan
Cyan is the colour of clarity, harmony, healing, and energy. Cyan inspires clarity of thought, increased creativity, and decisiveness.
Cyan is a colour that is associated with heightened sensitivity to emotions, thoughts, and actions. To induce clear thinking, compassion, and self-healing, try incorporating some cyan into your surroundings or wardrobe. Too much exposure to cyan can lead to confusion and indecisiveness.
Positive descriptors: clarity, balance, harmony, compassion, healing, self-sufficient, communication.
Negative descriptors: boastfulness, secrecy, unreliability, deception, carelessness, indecisive, reticent.
Yellow
Yellow is the colour of intellect, optimism, and cheer. Yellow inspires mindfulness, happiness, hope, and clarity.
Yellow is the brightest colour on the spectrum, so it seems natural that it suggests fun and entertainment. Yellow is also a colour that symbolizes research, innovation, and analysis. If you’re in search of a pick-me-up stimulus or a sliver of hope, infuse some yellow into your life.
Positive descriptors: optimistic, cheerful, enthusiastic, creative, wisdom, logic, fun.
Negative descriptors: critical, egotistical, pessimistic, spiteful, cowardly, impatient, judgemental.
Try Colour Therapy in Our Infrared Sauna in St. Albert
Are you feeling down? Irritated? Uncertain? If so, colour therapy can help bring you back into balance. Book a colour therapy infrared sauna session with Urban Massage & Wellness in St. Albert today. Our clients and therapists alike love the experience. You’ll feel relaxed and rejuvenated after every session!
