Ice bath, anyone?

Have you heard of Wim Hof, otherwise known as “The Iceman”??He’s a strange dude. He holds 26 world records for extreme feats including climbing Mt. Everest and Mt. Kilimanjaro wearing only shoes and shorts, and running a marathon across the desert without a drop of water. He also speaks 10 languages. Oh, and he’s only eaten one meal a day at 6:00 pm for almost 40 years.

He’s most famous for his love of extreme cold and has a cult following for the Wim Hof Method (WHM) which is based on the three pillars of breathing, cold therapy and commitment. Backed by scientific study, he touts that exposing ourselves to ice baths and enduring freezing temperatures will do everything from decreasing inflammation, lifting depression, aid weight loss and cure diseases. I value my health, so he has my attention.

I hate being cold. Despite growing up in Minnesota (or maybe because of it), I’m much happier in flip flops than Sorrel’s. So, when I came across Wim and his love of ice baths, I was curious. Could someone like me, who loves to be warm, sit in a bathtub of ice and feel relaxed?

Last month, there happened to be an introductory class of Wim’s method being taught here at a local gym and I felt compelled to go check it out. I wanted to see for myself if Wim’s claims were legit or a lot of hype.

We were instructed to arrive at class with a yoga mat, swim suit, towels and an open mind. Check. I walked in to the class as another woman was also arriving. She looked at me and said, “I’m nervous. What have we gotten ourselves into?” I laughed and said “I’m nervous too.”

After going around the room and introducing ourselves, the instructor (an ex-Navy Seal) explained the Wim Hof methods. We laid on our yoga mats as he led us through intense breathing and meditation. The concept is that the amount of oxygen we take in greatly effects our health. The technique is to inhale as deeply as you can in rounds of 30 breaths. The Navy Seal is yelling in a booming voice “Deeply In! Let it go!”as some tribal sounding music is playing in the background. After each round of breathing, you hold your breath before exhaling and proceed to the next round.

An hour later, he debriefs the experience and everyone in the room including me, agrees it was incredible, with body sensations, tingling and deep meditation. My hands and feet feel like they are plugged in to an electrical socket. We’re all high energy and a little freaked out on how good it was. All of this, just from breathing? Navy Seal asks us how long we think we were holding our breath after each round and to my surprise, I had easily held my breath for 2 and a half minutes without feeling uncomfortable.

Now, it’s time for the ice bath. The grand finale. We all scurry to get our swim suits on and meet outside on the lawn. Navy Seal uncovers something in front of us to expose a big metal tub filled with ice. He takes the temperature at 37 degrees. We’ve been instructed to get in the tub and use the same breathing exercises we just practiced. If you focus on your breathing, you’ll be able to relax in the ice. If you lose your focus, the consequences are severe.

I go last. I’m pretty sure I’m going to die in my swimsuit surrounded by strangers. Instead, after the initial shock of getting in, I find myself comfortably meditating while looking out at the gorgeous mountains. Me – the one who hates the cold, is kicking back in an ice bath for over 2 minutes! I’m so exhilarated that I consider doing it again but we’re out of time.

I met friends for dinner right after class and when I arrived, I was so pumped up that they speculated about what I might have been up to that weekend. “No, I just did some crazy breathing and sat in a bathtub of ice and I feel AMAZING! You need to try it!” I go on much like an evangelist who just found the benefits of quitting smoking. ?

My high lasted for a couple of days and I’ve incorporated the breathing into my morning routine. You can do cold showers at home in lieu of ice baths to get some of the same benefits. I can’t say I’ve done that. I still love a hot shower.

What the experience reminded me is that we’re all so much stronger and more capable than we realize. We can do things that initially seem impossible. It’s one of the reasons I love coaching people. Hiring a coach is having someone in your court who believes you can do more than you think you can and helps you in creating the strategy to get there. Had Navy Seal not given me the tools, there is no way I would have had the experience that I did and the resulting benefits. I work with people who want to do extraordinary things. Is there something you want to create that feels daunting? Perhaps I can help.

Curious about Wim Hof? Check him out https://www.wimhofmethod.com