How to guide yourself through a Three-minute ice bath
How to guide yourself through a one-minute ice bath
In this 3-minute guided cold exposure, Daniel invites you to surrender to the cold, reminding us that the cold is always stronger than we will ever be.
We are not trying to fight it or control it, we are trying to make peace with it.
As Wim Hoff puts it, “When you go into the cold, you cannot think. You have to be. You learn to be, to be the best version of yourself.”
We change through challenge
The cold demands that we step outside of our comfort zone. Challenging our minds and bodies is how humans have evolved for millennia. Cold water immersion has transformed minds and bodies from different cultures and countries throughout history. From modern cold-water swimmers to ancient Spartan soldiers, Navy SEALs, philosophers, monks and mystics.
Today, we’re smothered by the comforts of modern life. With endless options to stay warm from central heating and climate-controlled working environments to fashion-focused ways to block out the cold from head to toe, it’s no wonder we’re programmed to hate the cold. We’ve engineered it out of our lives. We’re taught to fear it and in doing so, we have lost the benefits and lessons that it once gave us.
Change the fear into freedom
During your 3-minute immersion, focus on using your breath to stay fully relaxed. Acknowledge that yes, it’s cold, but your reaction to it is changing. Don’t focus on the time, focus on getting to a state of relaxation and connection with yourself.
When you start to get cold, and it’s difficult to control your shivering, that’s a definite sign to get out. It’s preferable to try and get out before that moment sets in.
What happening to my body when I start to shiver?
Shivering is one of the ways our bodies create its own heat. It’s part of our temperature regulation system, and survival mechanism called thermogenesis.
The brain and body work together to regulate our temperature through hormones and
neurotransmitters. Everyone has an internal thermostat that receives signals from receptors from our skin and inside our body. The signals tell the thermostat to release hormones and chemicals to help us adapt and, in very simple terms, stay alive and help us prepare for next time.
Take it slow
When you feel ready, slowly get out of the bath, keeping the focus you’ve maintained throughout your 3-minute dip. The real work starts now. Deep breathing. Slow movements. No talking. Just deep connection and relaxation within yourself, keeping that focus and starting to use the Horse Stance to help your body warm up naturally.
Next up, explore Daniel’s top Ice Bath preparation techniques.
