How doing the Wim Hof Method on a cold Cork beach changed my life
Wim Hof advocates daily cold water immersion.
On a foggy morning in January 2019 I dropped the kids to school and drove to nearby Garrylucas beach, parking up beside the shore where people stop to drink their coffee and watch the waves. It was mid tide, and the air was wet and cool as it landed on my cheek.
I was determined as I trudged to the water's edge, dropping my towel on the sand and wading into the icy water. Fully submerged, I immediately began hyperventilating - the shock of the cold water frightening my organs as well as my mind. Breathing deeply and slowly I methodically dipped my entire self below the surface, each time a little easier.
Bright pink from the cold, with numb toes and tingling fingers, I was euphoric after that first dip. After over six months of illness, to feel so alive was a welcome shock to the system.
In August the previous year I had come down with a sinus infection that I could not shake. I was used to these viral infections that would take hold of my body for weeks at a time, but this one did not want to release my body from its grip.
With a face so swollen that it was painful to apply moisturiser, and what felt like a constant migraine I went from antibiotic to steroid to heavy painkiller and back again in a heavily medicated dance for six months. I was a ghost of myself, foggy headed and emanating bad mood thanks to months of sleeplessness. Lying down was impossible, because the pain was too severe.
In January I decided that the jig was up. I had spent hundreds of euros at the GP, crying and trying to convince them that I was dying. I had blood test after blood test but nobody could tell me why this was happening to me. Then, one evening as I found myself propped up in bed, dreading the night that was to come, I listened to an interview with Wim Hof about cold water immersion and my life changed.
Along with a specific breathing regime, Wim Hof recommends daily cold water immersion to improve circulation and reduce inflammation in the body. He is famous for attempting to climb Everest in a pair of shorts and hiking boots, he believes that cold water can cure modern diseases and boost our immune systems. He looks like a Viking and speaks with a command that forces you to listen. From the depths of my lowest ebb, I listened, and I have never looked back.
Two weeks on from my first dip, my face began to deflate. I could sleep for more than an hour a night without waking in pain and the brain fog that had plagued me began to leave. One month on and I was feeling more energised than I had in years. The whites of my eyes shone clearly and my mood was incomparable to four weeks prior.
I have submerged my body in cold water every day since January 2019. I do not always enjoy it. I do not post pictures of my bum on Instagram after I do it. I do not call it ‘sea swimming.’
On days when the weather is too severe for the ocean, I fill my bath with cold water and slip into it for twenty minutes, washing my hair and chatting to my family through the door. On the days when I can’t bear the thought of it, I remind myself of the days of doom, and how I swore I’d never go back there.
My daily dip is my church. Every morning, rain or shine I wade into the water and I am grateful for my health and for my happiness. Sometimes, in the summer months, I float on my back for what feels like hours, doing my Wim Hof breathing and feeling like a very small fish in a very large pond. Once a seal swam past me and gave me the fright of my life.
In August and September I long for the chill of November and December, when the water is at its most pristine and icy to the touch. There is nothing more invigorating than emerging from the sea onto a beach that is blanketed in frost, watching the steam rise from your arms as it meets the air, and feel the crunch of the ground beneath your feet.
Wim Hof changed my life. He reminded me of who I am when I was lost to myself. I might never meet him in person, but every morning when I am breathing like a Viking and feeling the power of my own body, I’m grateful to this strange man and all that he has taught me.
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