Understanding The Cold
Ideally you look for a 50-60 degree cold tub and start exposing yourself. This is fuel for your system and calming your mind. The low 40’s high 30 degrees are great, but if you’re not experienced can be a bit of a struggle and ruin the experience. The cold has a unique way of teaching you about yourself. Through our experience of coaching and teaching these methods, you often see that moment before the plunge the tendency to freeze. This is the minds way of protecting against something that’s about to happen (future). Or we have a tendency to remember our experiences with cold and the pain/discomfort (past). The mind is always looking to keep us safe and not using energy unless it means surviving. This is what keeps us inside our comfort zones. The modern human doesn’t need to fight for shelter, hunt/gather or run away from lions. We created an ecosystem that no longer stresses the human organism. Environmental stressors will wake up the primal inside you to a level you didn’t know existed. And it’s never about the cold, it’s about who you become because of it! What “you” can you meet?
You can start by simply finishing your showers on cold. We suggest a cold shower in morning and at night. Work your way up, doesn’t need to be too long. Our reps in the cold tubs are typically 2-5 minutes. •
You will notice an energy spark in the mornings and a relaxation at night. The breathing techniques...Well we use many. The world famous technique can be found through the Wim Hof method. We just try to focus on slowing and quieting the breath as you sit with the cold. The brain listens to the sound of your breathing to perceive the situation as good or bad. Focus on a controlled and slow exhale as this shifts the system into calm. So before entering a cold tub, shower, lake, creek...practice a good inhale through the nose and extended exhale through the mouth. As you enter the cold resist the urge to breathe aggressively through the mouth. This tends to create “panic”. Calm the nervous system. Just simply focus on slowing and quieting. Our favorite protocol for this is 4 seconds in with a slight pause before a 7 second exhale. Inhale nose, out mouth. Enjoy!
One Love, Harv
You can start by simply finishing your showers on cold. We suggest a cold shower in morning and at night. Work your way up, doesn’t need to be too long. Our reps in the cold tubs are typically 2-5 minutes. •
You will notice an energy spark in the mornings and a relaxation at night. The breathing techniques...Well we use many. The world famous technique can be found through the Wim Hof method. We just try to focus on slowing and quieting the breath as you sit with the cold. The brain listens to the sound of your breathing to perceive the situation as good or bad. Focus on a controlled and slow exhale as this shifts the system into calm. So before entering a cold tub, shower, lake, creek...practice a good inhale through the nose and extended exhale through the mouth. As you enter the cold resist the urge to breathe aggressively through the mouth. This tends to create “panic”. Calm the nervous system. Just simply focus on slowing and quieting. Our favorite protocol for this is 4 seconds in with a slight pause before a 7 second exhale. Inhale nose, out mouth. Enjoy!
One Love, Harv
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