Last week-end I participated in a retreat where we all dipped ourselves into cold water not just once but twice! 🥶
I hear you saying: why on earth would you want to do that?
You may have heard of Wim Hof already, also known as "The Iceman," a Dutch motivational speaker and extreme athlete who has the ability to withstand low temperatures. He is famous for breaking records related to cold exposure, such as climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in shorts and running a half marathon above the Arctic Circle barefoot. Wim Hof attributes his feats to his Wim Hof Method (WHM), which combines frequent cold exposure, breathing techniques and meditation.
Having heard of Wim Hof breathing technique for many years, I finally got the chance to practice this technique last July with Zineb (the coach naturopath runnning the retreat) and I have been practicing it since. The sensations I feel every time are just amazing! Overoxygenating your body is supposed to alkanalise your body and offer many benefits like:
The Wim Hof method found consistent trends in the increase of the stress response hormone epinephrine, which leads to an increase in anti-inflammatory cytokines and a decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines. This suggests that the method may have anti-inflammatory effects, which could be beneficial for people with inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.
So wanting to improve my health and wellbeing, I decided to do this retreat to experience the cold water immersion as well as a deeper level of the breathing technique as instructed by Wim Hof. Ok it was not iced water but it is already cold enough to put your body into an hormesis response which is what we are looking for.
A short working definition of hormesis is: ‘a process in which exposure to a low dose of a chemical agent or environmental factor that is damaging at higher doses induces an adaptive beneficial effect on the cell or organism’. Simply put it is : any being who is subjected to a sufficiently strong constraint but which does not exceed his threshold of personal resistance and which is followed by a sufficient recovery time will emerge strengthened in all his systems whatever they are. And cold water immersion is a constraint big enough to start up the process of hormesis in the body. Other circumstances could be lack of oxygen, extreme heat, fasting, high intensity sport etc
What happened in cold water? The body thinks it is in danger so it starts firing its amunitions like cortisole, adrenaline etc. It is trying to survive so it releases whatever it needs to survive. The body's capability to adapt to extreme conditions is incredible and this why the human race is still alive today! Once it has adapted it becomes stronger with improved systems: stress coping mechanism, improved cardio system, happiness hormones, capacity to take action, stronger immune system, energy.
Of course to reach hormesis, you need to know your limit and for that you need to prepare yourself slowly for the process. I have been preparing myself for this retreat since last summer by slowly increasing my exposure to cold water, walking barefoot in the garden in the winter, wearing less clothes when going outside in the winter. Once at the retreat I knew I was not going to push myself. Going with the flow and how I was feeling at the time, was key to a pleasant experience.
The retreat was called: Strengthening and Self-confidence because this is the result achieved by the end of it. And it did just that for every participant!
We were well prepared mentally and physically for the challenge. On the Friday evening, our coach Zineb told us what to expect and more importantly that if anyone didn't feel like doing it, it would be ok. There was no pressure!
Satuday morning started with a body warm up with some yogi asanas, then followed by the Wim Hof breathing practice. Once we were by the pool in our swimsuits, we practiced the knight warm up which consist of stanind with legs wide and knees bent and moving one arm after the other as if you are pushing hard against something whilst breathing out loudly. This exercise allows you to keep your body warm, stay focused and in control of your breath. The first day the dip was in 11 degree water for 20 seconds which was easier for me than I thought. Once out of the water, we went to have a hot drink and a hot shower. I felt amazing for the entire day, full of energy and enthusiasm. A conference about detoxing our body and then a sound bath to finish the day were just perfect.
On Sunday morning, we did the same warm up but with more intensity to prepare ourselves for a colder water dip. This time the water was at 7 degrees and we stayed in the water for 1 minute. It seems there was more apprehension that morning as we knew the water was colder and we were going to stay in the water for longer. But I am happy to report that everybody in the group found the inner strength and courage to go in the water! Personnally saying it was easy would be a lie, the cold made my body react strongly and controlling my breat was really difficult: my face on the photo says it all! The group support was immense and helped everyone make that huge step! Zineb's coaching by the side of the pool was also very helpful: I totally focused on what she was saying trying to slow my breath at the same time. Would we be able to do it on our own? I think many of us wouldn't...
The exhiliration when you come out is just incredible! It was like we were high on something: the feeling of achievement, the hormesis effects, the group cheering made us all feel on top of the world and just for that, I am ready to do it again!
I will carry on my routine: starting or finishing my showers with cold water as I immediately feel the benefits. The Wim Hof breathing practice is also now part of my well-being practice with 2-3 times per week.
To anyone who is always feeling cold like me and who wants to reduce inflammation in their body and feel energised, I would recommend to start with finishing or starting your showers with cold water and then increase maybe to a full cold shower? I prepared myself for this retreat for months so slowly does it.
If you would like more info about this retreat or anything else, simply send me a message.
Namaste
Christel
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