"This has definitely got science behind it, it's not some hippy guy out in the back woods doing woo woo," she says. This helped to equip people to become instructors of the method. The second training was seven days in the Northern Cascade mountains in Seattle where they were exposed to glacial waters for 15 minutes, and taught longer breathwork and how to increase physical strength. Her first training with Hof was three days in Los Angeles in March where they delved into the science, looking in depth at what was happening to the body during the cold exposure. Warren, who runs workshops through her business Revitalize Me, has been in health and nutrition for 14 years and became an instructor of the method after training with Hof in America this year, calling him a 'whirlwind of a human'. Hof holds Guiness World Records for swimming under ice and prolonged contact with ice and has climbed Mt Everest in only shorts as well as ran a marathon in the desert with no water. Afterward it felt like when you wake up from a nap or that post-yoga feeling. It became clear why I had to sign a health and safety waiver at the beginning.įor some the breathing technique made them grin non-stop while others said it felt like they came to class stoned.įor me I felt light-headed and tingly, amazed at how long I could hold my breath for at the end. She called it 'getting high on your own supply'. Warren told us we may black out, cry, laugh, feel cold, or tingly.
We were taught a new breathing technique, which sees you breathing in longer than you breath out and eventually hold your breath. Some went to the workshop looking for ways to ease arthritis, some went to cope better in the cold surf in winter, and some went purely to challenge themselves and feel alive. I was so anxious about it Warren ended up giving me a pep talk on the phone the week before. It turns out an ice bath is a great cure for those things too.
I was terrified but proud of myself for conquering a fear.