A blog.
To help.
Follow this blog to read about this perfect cold spot in a future post.
A joint study between Columbia University and Microsoft in 2016 found that 59% of links shared on Twitter are never clicked. That means that over half of the people that view and share a headline never read the article. For that reason I have summarised this post in the two words above so you can answer the title of this article without having to read any further. This is a blog and it is to help. However this answer is meaningless in and of itself, "how" it will help is where the magic lies and for that you'll have to join the 31% and keep reading.
I have a tendency to be effusive about things I like and believe in. It isn't all bad but it is a key thing to remember when listening to anyone, especially someone spouting something that is "good" for you. We are all talking from our own perspective based on our own experiences to this point and saying what worked or didn't work for us. What worked for me may not work the same for you. You may have different struggles or aims in life. This is a key factor that I want to bear in mind in life and is the fundamental principle guiding this blog and all future posts.
I do not want to project with this blog that I know what is best for anyone other than myself, (and I am constantly having to revise the later as I grow and change). Unlike my Wim Hof Method and Breathing workshops where I share scientifically proven techniques and guide people through finding their own application of these techniques in a manner that is best for them. Following their feelings. This blog is my feelings, experiences and story.
That doesn't mean I am intending on wasting your time here or farting in the wind. In fact, I hope to very much fart with the wind, I encourage you to join me and together our time will very much be rewarded.
So the question is "How"?
When I started practising the Wim Hof Method I was determined to find out the "right" way to breath. The biggest and most pervasive lesson I have had since I began is to try and remove "right" and "wrong" from my vocabulary, take my mind out of the equation and instead set my intention on listening to my feelings, my body and following that. There are techniques to deep breathing of course but the practise, intention and results are necessarily unique for every person. As every person is unique. My job is to set my stage and help you guide yourself in setting yours.
This has proven applicable in all aspects of my health and happiness. Obi-wan was right when he told Luke to, "Trust your feelings." They will inform everything and take you deeper than any instruction can.
I have over a decade of personal experience making myself the healthiest I can be despite medical conditions that should have, according to the doctors, limited me to a pseudo half life.
I intend nothing I write here to be dogmatic advice. I value your opinions and experience. I assume you know far more than I do about most things. I am not going to tell you, "5 breathing techniques to relax", or how to "Breathe your way to a good sex life", (although there are some very interesting studies on the later, you should look up the nitric oxide benefits of nasal breathing). One size fits all never fits anyone quite right. What I am going to share with you in this blog is my adventures in health. What I am doing as a cause or result of the state I find myself in. The places I venture, to go into the cold water, to breathe and heal. The runs I take, the exercises I do, the wild cold water stops I visit, discover the journey I go on and the results. Not to preach but to share. One of the things I'm most excited to use this blog for is to travel to and catalogue all the best wild cold water spots in the United Kingdom, let you know what's good about them and how to find them so you can enjoy them too. As well as listing the best "proper coffee" shops nearby to warm up afterwards
There may be things that resonate with you on my journey, there may be things that do not.
All is ok.
You are on your own journey. I put mine in a blog, perhaps to give you ideas or simply entertain, while you search for your own answers to your own questions and join me, farting in the wind. I hope it helps.