BENEFITS OF THE MODALITIES
Breathwork is transformative as a stand-alone practice, but when coupled with the added challenge of cold exposure, the pair illicit incredible adaptation.
prime the body
In a study conducted on Wim Hof and students who practiced his methods of breathing and cold exposure, scientists found that Wim and his students had a stronger immune response than the control group.
We develop the ability to pull ourselves into the parasympathetic state of the nervous system through breathwork techniques and the conditioning or toning of the Vagas nerve that occurs in overcoming the stress of cold exposure.
purposeful stress
When the nervous system is constantly in the fight or flight state, the stress of everyday life can seem much more threatening to our high-alert systems than it would if we were in our rested, parasympathetic state. since we are more often than not, under threat of physical danger, we should be spending the majority of our time in the parasympathetic state.
Purposefully stressing the body, through both certain breathwork exercises and cold exposure, allows us to bring the body into the fight or flight state so we can practice or work on bring ourselves back down in a controlled environment.
RECOVER, FASTER
Now, while some experience less muscle soreness and quicker recovery times from cold exposure, a more impactful and universal benefit of the experience actually happens due to the attention we pay to the breath.
Learning how to calm the system down and allow the nervous system to return to the parasympathetic state, no matter our physical or mental or emotional circumstances allows us to truly recover, faster.