05 Aug Ice baths for a happier life?
|| How Wim Hof method helped me practise an important life skill ||
About 3 years ago, I came across a photo of a barely clothed guy on my Instagram feed. He caught my attention because he was happily seated on a bed of ice. I clicked on his profile to find out more about this rather eccentric looking character:
A Dutch man, 64 years old, known as Wim Hof ‘The Iceman’. He was famous for his ability to put up with freezing temperatures and to break athletic world records. He was also the creator of ‘The Wim Hof Method (WHM)’. A method that he defined as a simple, easy to apply approach for a happier, healthier and stronger life.
A few months later, I found an instructor in Mexico certified by Wim Hof, who had an upcoming workshop on the foundations of the method. I signed up immediately but when the day came I was extremely nervous. Cold temperatures have been one of the biggest challenges in my life since I can remember. I get cold very easily and I struggle to cope when I am cold. I can’t focus or function properly. But that was exactly why I decided to sign up and so I embraced the challenge.
THe three foundations of the method are: breathing, cold exposure, and commitment.
In my case it wasn’t really about becoming healthier and happier as the advertisement promised. I just wanted to defeat this enemy called ‘cold’.
The workshop started with the instructor explaining the three foundations or pillars of the method: breathing, cold exposure, and commitment. The first pillar, breathing, had the purpose of becoming conscious of our breath and with that we could regulate our nervous system. The exercise was simple and powerful.
If you’d like to practise it, here are the 4 steps that integrate it:
- Get comfortable on a meditation position - sitting or lying down
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Inhale deeply through the nose, then gently exhale through the mouth. Do this 30 - 40 times -
After the last exhalation, inhale one final time, as deeply as you can. Let the air out, then stop breathing. Hold until you feel the urge to breathe again -
When you feel the urge to breathe again, take one big breath to fill your lungs and hold the breath for 15 seconds, then let go
Those 4 steps complete one round. The method suggests you practise 2-4 rounds to receive the overall benefits of connecting with your breath and calming your state of mind. We practised 4 rounds and I really did feel calmer and centred. I noticed my mind clearing up, just like the sensation you get after a deep and long meditation.
I was in the ice bath for 3 minutes. The first one, without doubt, was the most challenging, I could feel my body literally freezing and sharp stings covering every inch of me.
The second pillar is cold exposure, which has several health benefits: It reduces inflammation, improves your metabolism, and strengthens your immune system, among other things. To practise this part of the method, we experienced a cold immersion into tubs filled with ice. Yes, my absolute nightmare!
I was in the ice bath for 3 minutes. The first one, without doubt, was the most challenging, I could feel my body literally freezing and sharp stings covering every inch of me. My breathing wasn’t stable, I was extremely agitated and couldn’t seem to calm down. The instructor came over to my tub and somehow, he managed to guide me to breath in and out slowly and deeply. Inside of me, there were still two voices speaking; one inviting me to surrender and the other screaming and begging to get out of there. I chose to listen to the first one, to trust and to actually breathe as the instructor was guiding me. And miraculously, my mind began to give up the fight. The pain stopped, my breathing regulated itself, and I can honestly say that I kind of started to feel comfortable.
I could even see myself smiling. After the third minute, which is the recommended time frame, the instructor helped me get out of the tub. I felt like a new human. Rejuvenated, extremely energised, powerful, peaceful, happy and so proud of myself. But this is not where the method ends.
You have to commit in order to break your body and mind limits.
The third pillar, ‘Commitment’, is what the other two pillars lay on. You have to commit in order to break your body and mind limits. One-offs are just for those who want to tick it off their bucket list or post it on the ‘Gram’. But actual impact requires repetition. Frankly, I have not been going back into those ice buckets regularly. But I do practise the method here and there by incorporating cold showers into my routine, where I also follow the breathing techniques mentioned.
I don’t think you need to get into a tub of ice over and over to receive the benefits – having cold showers is probably a little more practical. Maybe start by incorporating 15 seconds of cold water at the end of your shower for one week, then increase to 30 seconds the next week, then 45 seconds and so on. Until you only shower with cold water. In fact, there are many free resources on Wim Hof´s website that can help you incorporate the method at home. And if you feel that you want to go deeper, there’s a long list of certified instructors in many countries where you can find workshops.
But as I said, the key is to do this over and over and eventually you will experience a list of pretty impressive results.
some of the benefits are:
- Reduction of stress
- Stronger immune system
- Reduction of inflammations
- Increased energy
- Better sleep
- Improved focus
- Increased willpower
My personal favourite sensation and result is the feeling of surrendering when inmersed in the cold.
There is a lot of scientific information that supports the method and explains what happens in our body when we execute such activities. However, my personal favourite sensation and result is the feeling of surrendering when immersed in the cold.
That moment you decide to embrace the extreme discomfort and just accept the present situation.
That moment when the mind stops fighting and you accept that it is what it is. To me, it is such a profoundly important action that every human should be taught to do from an early age. Life comes with so many situations where there’s nothing left to do but to surrender to what is in that moment in time. The more trial runs we have, the better.