Breathwork and Cold Water Therapy

Breath Work

Working with the breath to improve physical and mental health is not a new practice, but one that is gaining in popularity. There are many forms of breath work as it was long ago recognized that breath is a powerful tool to increase awareness and mental performance, boost immunity, release trauma, enhance creativity, boost self-esteem, overcome addictions, treat depression and anxiety, and promote a calm, meditative state of mind.

The practice of yoga includes pranayama breathing, which also takes many forms. Currently gaining  much popularity in Europe, Canada and the US, Wim Hof style breathing is very vigorous and includes breath holds. The Quantum Light Breath is a guided meditation that uses circular breathing over an extended period of time to release charged emotions and trauma, assisting us in reprogramming the conscious as well as subconscious mind. If you breathe fully, you live fully!

Important Disclaimer: Breath work practice WILL produce a shift in consciousness. Make sure you have a peaceful environment to come back to after the meditation. Use caution driving after a session.

Wim Hof Breathing

Wim Hof is a Dutch man in his early 60s who holds a number of world records for enduring freezing water and conditions. He successfully summited Mt. Kilamonjaro and made a near-miss attempt on Mt. Everest, both while wearing just shorts and hiking boots. His breath work techniques grew out of his study of yoga combined with what was probably a need to psych oneself up and awaken something primal in order to endure his habit of submerging in very cold water, which he acquired as a survival mechanism to deal with the suicide of his wife.

The Wim Hof method is mental focus and commitment, breath work and then cold immersion. Benefits include increased energy, stamina and focus, improved sleep, neurotransmitter and hormone regulation, a stronger immune system, greater resiliency to stress, and increased levels of happiness.

Oxygenating the body and brain and then holding the breath allows one to enter a novel inner world. The urge to breathe eventually comes and then one gets a chance to work with aspects of the mind that arise at that point. Connecting and working with fear in the breath hold can translate into breakthroughs in other aspects of life where have been holding back.

Cold Water Immersion

The physical benefits of cold water immersion include increased energy levels, lower levels of depression and anxiety, a boosted immune system, hormonal regeneration and balance, and overall robust health and longevity. The list grows as more people worldwide explore and research cold immersion.

Discomfort can be seen as the barrier that keeps us from reaching our full potential. The cold water is where we can confront the discomfort head on, by plunging right into it! This is a good strategy for discomfort- feel the fear and do it anyway.

We use water that is as close to freezing as possible. At first staying in the water for a few minutes is all that’s possible, but with time and repeated immersions one can go for 10 or 15 minutes or longer without difficulty.

In groups when possible, we warm up with calisthenics and focus exercises and then support each other in facing the cold. In large enough areas outdoors, we go together and stay in physical contact in a circle, with a hand on our neighbors back to send them warmth. While we are in the water we have a little party!

A surprising thing happens when exiting the cold water- you find that you are not cold. You feel warm! There are of course exceptions to this, and so we keep some blankets and sleeping bags handy. Vigorous exercise is highly recommended at this point, in order to warm the blood in the extremities that will cause a drop in temperature as it moves into the core.