Could something as simple as cold water improve our wellbeing? Discover these 12 steps for cold water exposure.
In the wake of her divorce, Leah Scott fell into a spiral of anxiety, stress, and depression. At her self-described rock bottom, she realised she needed to make a change and began exploring different healing modalities. This search led her to the Wim Hof Method, a combination of breathing techniques and cold-water exposure. Describing her first experience as euphoric and beautiful, Leah came out of it feeling at peace for the first time in over a year. She was hooked, and within two months Leah experienced a strong pull to explore her limits with the cold, prompting her to move to one of the coldest parts of the country.
Leah grew up in Queensland, and remembers as a young child being whisked off to waterfalls and rivers on the weekends by her parents. She always felt a strong connection to nature but, like many of us, her priorities shifted when she grew older and became more social as a teenager and then later as a wife and mother. ‘Culture and society wanted me to have those priorities,’ she says. ‘Everything was structured, but I realised that once I started ticking off all of the goals, there was no pot of gold at the end.’ From her new balcony, Leah could see Lake Jindabyne and she began to go down there regularly. ‘I would drive down every morning, sometimes it would be snowing, and I would strip off and go into the river,’ says Leah.
During one of these early experiences, Leah had what she describes as a spiritual encounter. She felt a separateness from her thoughts, her body, and her mind, and became one with the river. Describing it as a gift, she realised she needed to share this experience with others. ‘It’s changed every single perception in my life, even the way I raise my children. I’m calm, I’m patient, I’m peaceful.’
The transformations that Leah has witnessed, both personally and in the retreats she leads, are profound. ‘To see how we react in a difficult environment really highlights how we live in the world,’ says Leah. Fear of the cold is passed on very early. As children we are told to put a jumper on and stay warm, but releasing that fear and going into the water surrounded by ice is how Leah helps her retreat attendees create distance from their thoughts and let go of their trepidations. ‘Yes, it can hurt. The body is sweating and the pupils are dilated, but after about 60 to 90 seconds there is a wave of calmness in the chaos as stress is released from the body.’ Coming out of the icy water then gives the body a dopamine hit (the hormone released to signal pleasure) – a reward for conquering your fear and moving through limiting beliefs, which can be life-changing.
Leah facilitates retreats for all people but her all-female groups are her favourites. She notices that while some are very happy to just jump straight into the water, others often take their time in understanding the weight of the experience as more than just a physical challenge. Slowing down becomes part of the experience. ‘The world is fast, but nature is not in a rush; she’s so slow. She’s the opposite of the structured social world,’ says Leah. ‘[We] should be in flow. Attuning to nature at a deeper level and spending time within it teaches us to let go.’
Revisiting the memory of sitting by a river on an early morning where everything was white and still among the snow, Leah recalls being visited by a rust-coloured fox that came down for a drink and stopped just metres from her across the bank. For a minute or two the fox just stood there looking Leah in the eyes before walking back into the snow. Moments like this are what made all her sacrifices over the years worth it for her. ‘For a while it was an incredibly lonely journey, but I had the deepest knowing that I had to do this,’ says Leah, referring to a time before her retreats. ‘I received a message of how many lives I could help change if I just kept going. It felt like a sacrifice then, but there was never any going back.’ Leah describes one of her greatest lessons from nature as the feeling of freedom. ‘Nature has allowed me to slow down because when I’m out there I become nature.
COLD-WATER EXPOSURE INSPIRED BY LEAH SCOTT
Cold-water swimming has been practised throughout Scandinavia, the Baltics, and Russia since at least the 18th century. The practice has been popularised in the last decade, in large part due to the work of Wim Hof, the Dutch “ice man”, who has been guiding people all over the world into icy plunges and snow walks. Many of the understood health benefits are thanks to Hof’s willingness to be studied and the upholding of traditions from these northern countries.
Science has slowly been catching up with these practices, showing us that immersing our bodies in cold water can:
- Improve blood pressure and circulation
- Quicken muscle recovery in athletes
- Strengthen the immune system
- Support the body’s metabolism
- Have profound impacts on mental health – there have now been multiple reports of patients with treatment-resistant depression making full recoveries and even leading to a discontinuation of medication for some.
No need to worry if natural open water is not something you have access to as baths, showers, and even splashing your face with cold water have also been shown to provide positive benefits.
She felt a separateness from her thoughts, her body, and her mind, and became one with the river
To Begin:
- Start by gradually introducing colder water at the end of your shower.
- Each time you reduce the temperature, allow yourself a few moments to adjust before lowering the temperature further.
- If you are struggling to adjust to the cold, you are at the temperature where the most health benefits are found. Try to stay with it for a minute or two.
- Eventually you will be able to begin your showers from a colder temperature or go completely cold the whole time.
- You might find that this is enough for you, which is great. Otherwise, once you have been doing this practice for a while and feel you are ready to try the next stage, decide where you would like to do your plunge. A bath or large tub of cold water works just as well as a lake, river, or the ocean.
- Find someone to be there with you who will stay out of the water for words of encouragement and support should you need it.
- Firstly, you want to try to calm your nervous system by taking some deep breaths, concentrating on elongating your exhale.
- When you are feeling calm, enter the water on the exhale. Don’t put your head under if the water is freezing over. Always have someone with you if there is snow, ice, or this is the first time you are doing it.
- The first minute is always the hardest, make sure you breathe through it.
- Five minutes is your sweet spot. If you can stay in the water for this long, your body will be getting the most benefits. If you are really struggling, get out and try again another time.
- Be sure to warm up as soon as you get out of the water with dry clothes, socks, gloves and a hat.
- Drink something warm and have something to eat. Don’t have a hot shower as the sudden change in temperature can be a shock to the system.
 | This is an edited extract from Women & Nature by Emma Drady, Published by Thames & Hudson Australia. |
