Time for Gratitude
Recently, during National Sauna Week (Feb 15-21, 2026), I spoke about sauna textiles--past traditions, present and future possibilities. Many folks, directly and indirectly, inspired and supported me in bringing forward the idea that textiles are essential to sauna's sensory and cultural richness. I want to take time here to thank the many people that made my recent presentation Sauna Threads: Textiles, Tradition, and the Sauna Experience possible. Gratitude is an important practice and it is on theme with both sauna practice and textile tradition to observe that tasks that take time provide a bonus--they slow us down, they require a certain stillness, provide space for thoughtfulness and help us feel relaxed and refreshed when we are done, whether it is-- the time it takes to make a textile by hand, the time it takes to write a thank you note, the time it takes to relax and gather thoughts in the sauna. My mum holding a tea towel embroidered by her mum. It features sweet peas, a ...
