I've only just started to realise that the cold can be therapeutic. It's not for everyone, I know. But why don't you try it out?Wim Hof, from the Netherlands, is called the “Ice Man”. He has been known to climb freezing mountains in his shorts and tee shirt without ill effects. He claims to have ascended Mount Everest in light attire. You be the judge of this!
The Wim Hof method for overcoming extreme reactions to the cold is based on three components: a special breathing technique, learning how to focus your mind, and gradual exposure to the cold.
Here in Sydney, I have been challenging myself to swim in a tidal pool during the colder months. For the past few weeks, I have been preparing myself with daily cold showers in readiness for learning the Wim Hof technique.
A dedicated trainer from Holland was here to guide us during one whole day on a Sunday to teach us the technique.
One of the men in the class pointed out that Wim Hof had travelled a lot, and had almost certainly come in contact with Tibetan monks in cold area. Certain monks in Tibet have practised breathing techniques and meditation for regulating heat in their bodies well before the technique arrived in the West. This is how they managed to withstand the cold in their mountain environments.
Proof of the beneficial effects on the body has been shown by several scientific studies and claims, including by Ken Kamler in 2009.
It has also been claimed as a spiritual technique, that provides lasting effects on your whole body and mind, which I can now believe, after having experienced its magic for myself.
I’m now finishing my hot showers with cold ones, and I shall be taking dips in our local pool throughout all seasons, if conditions permit.
I started this out as a challenge to myself, before realising how good it was for my health. I had always been extremely sensitive to the cold, and I came to see it in psychological terms. That is, it might reflect back to early childhood experiences. It was something that I could work on to reduce or resolve.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a hot bath with Epsom Salts in it to relax, and heal aches and joint pains. But I have started to see health benefits as I age, of alternating this with cold dips.
My next step is to see if it has shown to have true therapeutic effects on my cardiovascular system, as well.
My husband has been happy to try out swimming in our tidal pool and in the ocean, but he stops at the ice bath phase. He has asked me not to continue with the ice baths. Being a medical scientist, he believes it is too dangerous, and he reminds me that death occurs after about 30 minutes or less in icy cold water. So not everyone believes that the Wim Hof method works.
I can only state that it worked for me for two minutes on that one day in Coogee at the end of spring, after I followed meditation and breathing guidelines from an accredited Wim Hof expert. She also, by the way, used her healing hands on me, and sent warm shivers of colour and energy throughout my hands and brain, as she gently massaged me.
I am now willing to believe in the spiritual benefits of following this method.
Feature Photos: What a cute looking ice monkey! Howling-Red-Unsplash