Sarah Suda

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What I did last weekend... (and why it matters!)

Sarah Suda

Ice bath - cold therapy during the Wim Hof Method Fundamentals workshop.

Last weekend I did something totally outside of my comfort zone. I participated in a Wim Hof Method Fundamentals course. 

For those of you who don’t know what the Wim Hof Method is, it is a method for a happier, healthier and stronger self based on three pillars; breathing, cold therapy and commitment. The course itself with WHM certified Instructor Pavla Borg, covered all facets of the method. We found out how oxygen and cold can be beneficial and how the mind can be controlled. We engaged in a number of breathing and cold therapy activities during the day. The day ended with a 2 minute ice bath.

Last week I wrote about how you can find growth in discomfort. This is the reason why I signed up for this day. We experience several stresses in our everyday life, both personal and professional. How we handle these situations matters. It matters not just in terms of how we feel while living through them, but also in terms of the outcomes and the results we see at the end of these situations or activities. I already considered myself somewhat resilient in the face of a difficult situation. What this method exposed me to is something more - antifragility. The resilient resist shock or stay the same, the antifragile becomes better in the face of it.  Particularly the cold therapy is a testament of that. The cold water is a metaphor in some ways of stressful situations. It is indeed a stressor on the body. The first minute in the ice is the hardest (my facial expression in the photo above is a proof of that), as you adjust and control your mind to go into a calmer state through breathing. 

The breath work, which took up the largest portion of the day, was an experience in itself. A process that seems to trigger a number of chemical and physiological processes in the body. Known benefits of this type of breath work are stress reduction, better sleep, and more focus and mental clarity. I must say that for me the breathing exercises were also healing. Learn more about the breathing exercises here.

Many of us have different experiences which we do to get out of our comfort zone and grow.  I also did this, to test my limits and my boundaries. To have a reference point, when in doubt, of what I am capable of when there is a difficult situation ahead. 

Here are some of the benefits of the Wim Hof Method;

If you want to know more about the wim hof method you can find more here. If you are based in Malta, Pavla is your go-to instructor - she’s excellent and the only certified WHM Instructor on the island.