In this article we hear from Damon Bowen-Ashwin from @Adapt.and.Flow.DBA. Damon became a Wim Hof Instructor after finding cold water immersion helped him mentally and physically recover after a life threatening illness. (Read more about Damon's inspirational Story here). Damon runs monthly, weekend workshops from Guildford Chiropractic Centre, find out more below...
"The Wim Hof Method helped me heal mentally and physically from a life threatening illness and continues to do so! But you don't have to have a life threatening illness to benefit from it!! It is preventative and great for everyday stress, resetting our bodies and helping them repair and rejuvenate....just by breathing in a certain way and going into the cold. If you join me at a workshop, you will be guided through practicing correctly, safely, in the way that benefits you most, and gives you the best experience.
A Wim Hof Fundamentals Workshops is 4-5 hours long and typically you will be part of a group of 6 to 10 people all exploring the method together. You’ll learn about Wim Hof and his journey and history, the science behind the method, the scientific studies that are backing up the health and healing benefits, and the theory and practice of the method.
There are three pillars to the Wim Hof Method, and they all play an important role and together they become even more powerful. The Three Pillars are; Breathwork, Mindset Exercises and Cold Exposure.
Breathing is our life force. We can go weeks without food, days without water, but just a few minutes without oxygen. How we breath affects our state of mind and state of being. There are lots of different ways to breath, and they all affect us in different ways. Some make us sick, and others make us stronger and keep us healthy.
The Wim Hof breathing method is based on an ancient Tibetan breathwork called Tummo – in English Tummo means “Inner Fire”. You’ll learn about this type of breathwork and be guided through a Wim Hof Method breathwork class.
Mindset can make the difference between us feeling like the sun is shining on us, or that we are stuck in a storm. Ultimately our mindset is our beliefs. Through some simple but effective exercises we can start to become the master of our minds and prove to ourselves that we are
powerful beings capable of so much more than we currently believe.
The Cold! In recent years cold exposure has been part of numerous scientific studies and so as a society we have a deeper awareness as to the benefits. However, let’s not forget that athletes have been taking ice baths as part of a recovery process and training plan for many years.
What has changed is that we are now associating cold exposure with mental health benefits, and for good reason too!
At a workshop you will learn about the five bodily systems the WHM influences; Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Endocrine, Nervous and Immune systems.
Here are some of the benefits of consistent practice the WHM:
⁃ BOOST your IMMUNE SYSTEM and INFLUENCE IT!!
⁃ INCREASE your ENERGY and MENTAL FOCUS
⁃ REDUCE INFLAMMATION - We are living in an inflammation Epidemic and it’s only looking to increase based on our current lifestyles
- Inflammation is at the route cause of all disease
⁃ IMPROVE CARDIOVASCULAR fitness - Your CV system is crucial to your general WELLBEING
⁃ REDUCE STRESS & ANXIETY - who doesn’t want this??!!
⁃ IMPROVE your overall WELLBEING - as above
⁃ RESET your BIOCHEMISTRY (Blood chemistry) - Find out why this is so important
⁃ STRENGTHEN your MIND-BODY CONNECTION - Take more CONTROL of your MIND
⁃ BUILD RESILIENCE - MENTAL and PHYSICAL
⁃ EXPERIENCE a state of DEEP CALM and RELAXATION
Everyone will take something different away from a WHMF workshop depending on who they are and what is going on in their life, but here are some of the consistent themes:
⁃ Clearing a racing and active mind through Breathwork
⁃ Releasing suppressed emotions leading to a feeling of being
“lighter”
⁃ Feeling proud having embraced the challenge of the cold!
⁃ More awareness of how to breath properly on a day to day basis
⁃ Feeling better about yourself
⁃ A feeling of having reset and recharged your body
If you are curious as to what the WHM could do for you then I’d love to have you along to my next Workshop. I hope that you will leave with a new sense of how powerful you are and on a path to taking more control over your mind and body.
All the love and all the power
Damon
xx"
Book onto Damon's next workshop: https://www.wimhofmethod.com/instructors/damon-bowen-ashwin
Take a look at the adapt and Flow Website: https://www.adaptandflow.co.uk/