FROM THE WORLD IS CAVING IN, TO THE WORLD IS MY OYSTER.

FROM THE WORLD IS CAVING IN, TO THE WORLD IS MY OYSTER.

CREATING A ROUTINE AND A COMMITMENT TO EMBRACING THE SUCK.

As the world was beginning to lock down because of Covid I was in Indonesia on the first of what was to be three yoga retreats in Bali. It was the biggest retreat project I had ever embarked on, I was helping three teachers run their first retreats there and we had over 60 guests booked to experience the Island of the Gods. 

I was so proud of what we had organized and the communities we would build visiting my favorite place in the world. I had dreamed about doing something like this when I first visited Bali, I wanted more people to experience the magic and transformation I had experienced there years ago when I began my wellness journey. 

Five days into our first retreat, news broke that things were getting serious and travel restrictions were starting to mount. The dream was over before it really began. Disagreements about the right way to handle our exit ensued and everything started to unravel. This didn’t feel anything like I had envisioned 12 months before.

I came back to the states to find out I was furloughed indefinitely from my favorite yoga teaching job and community and all the parks were closed so I couldn’t run my outdoor community classes anymore. Shortly thereafter I experienced an extremely painful break up and the loss of my best friend. Stuck in the house and in sadness, it became really easy to start eating ice cream at 10am and it was now suggested to watch netflix and not go outside. The days started bleeding together and that lasted a solid two weeks before I knew something had to shift but I felt out of shape and still, just sad.

Where to next?

Even for those of us who have some tools in our tool box, taking the first step really is the most important (see last week’s blog for tips!) I started out with setting small goals, 15 minutes of movement, 10 minutes of meditation and getting my feet in the grass or walking my dogs a bit further than I did the day before. 

Slowly I started to pull myself out of the funk and got some momentum going. Since I didn’t have much else to do, I started building on my morning “wins” and experimenting with new practices. Enter, Wim Hof, the Ice Man. 

I had heard of Wim Hof before but the second I started watching his videos and reading about his story, I was hooked. His mix of seriousness and devotion to his craft with a playful spirit and quick wit. His ardent belief in what he practiced and his ability to teach it to others all resonated with me. He also loves to play guitar and hang with his dog. My kinda guy. 

The first time I stepped into a cold shower, it sucked. I waited for it to get better, it didn’t. I wanted to get out but I stayed. I started hollering and breathing and moving my body in all kinds of weird ways. I reminded myself I was in control of what was happening. It made me feel present like nothing had in awhile. This was something special, I had committed to something that sucked and I made it out the other side feeling amazing.

I experienced a similar centering and subsequent euphoria practicing his breathing techniques. My 30 minute morning practice was now turning into a full blown two hour regimen bordering on obsession. As I continued to up the intensity of the breath work I felt more and more ideas rush into my head and strong feelings of intuition, about people, projects and a deeper sense of myself. I felt like I could conquer the world. 

The cold showers were still invigorating but they were starting to lose that initial “high”, so I started researching cold plunge tubs. The cheaper units were around $3,000 and would take up to 4 months to arrive. So I kept digging. 

I stumbled upon a community of fellow cold therapy enthusiasts and discovered you could “build” one out of an ice chest with a little bit of time and planning. I became SO excited until I realized everything was back ordered. Day by day I waited until the day finally came for delivery, I got an email with my delivery time, “sometime between 2 and 6am.” That sure doesn’t sound right. Backordered again, wait two more weeks. 

The day it arrived reminded me of Christmas day. I carefully laid out my tools and prepared to turn this big white square designed to house ice pops into a party on wheels. I carefully lined the inner gaps with silicone, hooked up an ozonator and fish pump and now, in just 24 hours I would be just like the ice man himself. 

Day 1 - remember the first sucky cold shower? Yeah, this was that x47. Instant pain in my feet, my ribs and an overall sense of being out of breath and having no control over any thought plummeting through my head. “That was a waste of $700” “I really suck at this” “why did I do this” “could I actually lose my private parts?” Were just some of the thoughts I experienced. I made it about 45 seconds before I jumped out hollering (mind you it’s 7am). 

And then…

I got back in. 

I knew I had to keep pushing, despite the INCREDIBLE sense of uncomfortability, I realized it had been awhile since I REALLY challenged myself. At 55 degrees I lasted only about 4 minutes. But once again, I was hooked. After round three I got out and let out a huge “WOOOOOOOOO” the euphoria was back. 

Fast forward three weeks and these practices have grown to 9-11 minutes with no getting out between 32 and 35 degrees (some mornings there’s a sheet of ice when I get in!) It’s inspired me to push myself more in my workouts and to recommit to 20-30 minute meditations. I decided to share my morning routine here and I’ve broken it down into each part so you can follow along at your own pace. 

Start somewhere and then commit. Do something that pushes you and massages your relationship with discomfort!