Wim Hoff: The Ice Man
Why do I have a half naked man on a blog post? Well, I have a half naked man, in a frozen lake picture because this is Wim Hoff, (The Ice Man). I owe a lot to this man. He has rid me of the teeth clenching, the muscle tensing, the irrational anger and the willingness to always jump to the wrong conclusion that I'm told is part of the menopause story. What am I talking about? COLD WATER THERAPY and the benefit of taking a dip in Menopause.
Now, I haven't tried the cold water swimming in the sea or a lake but I do take a cold shower each morning and it has rid me of a tense body. Apparently, when we are going through the menopause, some people have more cortisol in their system, (yep that's me). This cortisol is normally produced when you are in 'fight or flight mode' so, naturally you are looking for a dangerous situation and your body is flooded with the cortisol hormone to help you to fight. If it stays in your body but there is no fight, then it wreaks havoc on your system. The cold water, dampens down this system (the Vegas Nerve) and allows everything to relax. It honestly works and I don't think that I could live without it now. It has also rid me of sore hips because it has an anti-inflammatory affect too. This means that I have been hip pain free for the first time in 10 years. Yay! and Yay! again.
So how did I do it? I read Wim Hoff's book, ' The way of the Ice Man,' then I did the following:
Take a warm shower as normal, during this time breathe in and out slowly through your nose.
When your breathing is controlled, turn down the hot water so that the water is luke warm.
Stay for as long as you can. Initially this was 10 seconds, but build up to 2 minutes.
Over time you will build up the amount of time and decrease the temperature of the water. You will come out of the shower feeling energised and relaxed, honestly!
The process of building up the time, cooling down the water and feeling a huge benefit from this took about two weeks of daily practice. Remember your breathing too.
There are many free resources on You tube to get you started with cold water swimming or bathing. Here is just one example of the Ice Man talking to Dr Chatterjee, but there are many.
If you have Instagram, check out @emmabwellness or @themenopauseguineapig. Both of these lovely ladies dove in at the deep end with cold water swimming and benefitted greatly, they are a fab source of inspiration and information about cold water therapy and the menopause.
So to re-cap: How does cold water showering benefit me?
It makes me a much calmer person to be around.
My muscles and in particular my jaw do not feel tight after a shower and tffect lasts all day.
My sore hips are no longer sore due to the anti-inflammatory effect of the water.
I am less angry and feel more like myself.
I am not so bothered by the cold in the house or outside in the fields.
Here's some great bed time reading for you on the benefits and risks of cold water swimming by the National Library of Medicine,
Or you can check out Emma's cold water antics for the month of October:
Or you can read Elizabeth Joseph's fabulously funny book on the Menopause here:
2. Sadhguru: Jagadish Vasudev and the Isha Centre
Have you ever tried to meditate but could not? Of course you have. So... let me introduce you to my guru, Sadhguru.
He runs the Isha Centre in Coimbatore, India and many other centres throughout the world. Many people have benefitted from his online and in person programmes of hatha yoga and meditation and his wit is legendary. He has many online resources for learning and increasing your spirituality, but if you would like to learn to meditate, please check out the Isha Kriya meditation on the following link:
So, how has Sadhguru helped me?
Isha Kriya has helped me to become 'present in the moment' and to appreciate the small things in life that I would normally miss. I am more aware of my surroundings and calmer in my approach. I have completed the Isha Inner Engineering course, read the book and of course complete the daily practices.
Don't be put off by the speaking element of the meditation, please try it and then see how you feel after a month. At first your mind will wander all over the place but eventually it is stilled and then the magic begins where you start to feel better for the rest of the day.
If you have never heard the term 'yogi' ( not the bear!) then please let me enlighten you. Throughout India there have been many mysti beings who reached enlightenment through following the Yogic Traditions: Sadhguru is one such being. There are many other Yogi's alive at the moment such as Gurunath, Sri M, or you may have heard the names of previous Guru's such as Paramahansa Yogananda (who brought Yoga to America) or OSHO (who was deported from America) or Jesus (yes I said it) who spent many years in India learning from the Yogis and Gurus there in his time. These beings are not religious in their practices but through following various breathing, meditation, bathing, eating practices they raise their consciousness beyond our world to reach the expanded consciousness outside of our awareness called the divine.
There is a wealth of knowledge available for you online and the Isha centre has its own app and you tube channel. Their website can be found here:
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of meditation please check out the article from the Mayo Clinic below:
Other resources and people that you may like:
Eckhart tolle: https://eckharttolle.com/
Gurunath: https://siddhanath.org/
Dr Joe Dispenza: https://drjoedispenza.com/
Russell Brand: https://youtu.be/eET9nuipS9E
All are spiritual teachers with very different practices but who will hopefully, be helpful to you. When I say a spiritual path, I do not mean a religious path, I mean a path of expanded awareness and all of the health benefits that come with this choice.
3. Hal Elrod: The Miracle Morning
Did you know that the most successful people set up their day by getting up earlier and completing tasks that they would not normally have time for, but have always wanted to do. I mean, have you ever wanted to 'read that self help book by Flo Andreas' or complete those stretching exercises but you just don't have the time? Now you have.
Meet Hal Elrod, the inventor of The Miracle Morning. Hal teaches a 6 step rule called 'savers'. The idea is that you get up an hour before everyone else in your household (I know!, I know!) then you complete the 6 savers of 10 minutes each. These include:
Silence (or meditation or prayer).
Affirmations.
Visualisation.
Scribing.
Exercise.
Reading.
You complete 10 minutes of each and there's an app to help to keep you on track.
So.... how did I participate in the programme? Well I read the book titled, 'the Miracle Morning' then I downloaded the app and decided to accept the 7 day challenge. There's lots of tips and help with affirmations and scribing etc. I then accepted the 30 day challenge and continued on the path.
How has it helped me?
It sets me up for the day ahead. I have found that I am more focused, calmer about the day ahead and much more positive because I feel in control. I set myself the 3 most important things each day to complete and then I make sure that they are done.
There's a community of 'miracle morningers' that you can draw inspiration and energy from and I genuinely look forward to getting up and completing my savers. Honestly, I'm not joking.
I rise at 6.50am, do not check my phone or get distracted and I head straight to the app. This keeps track of the number of days for me and gives inspirational videos along the way. I've managed to read some books that I've had for a while but not been able to tackle suck as Dr Rashid Buttar's '9 Steps to keep the Doctor away' or Napoleon Hill's 'Think and Grow Rich' and I am more focussed around my health and my business. It is a really interesting phenomena.
Other inspirational speakers
Christie Marie Sheldon: (removing energy blocks) https://youtu.be/dPwYd_hkYEc
Bob Proctor: (self development and motivation) https://youtu.be/ZsrFT5WPybw
Flo Andreas: (Increased confidence) https://youtu.be/k9aVWalQYiA
Mindvalley: (A platform of self development courses) https://youtu.be/oaI-0rO1OCc
Or why not check out our very own Instagram Coach @x_transcendence_x for tips on how to navigate your day and have it all.
In conclusion
The menopause can be a really trying time but there are people and tools out there that can help you to navigate the stormy waters. There are so many resources available that I did not know about when I was in peri-menopause and wish that I had. As we all continue to discuss and share ideas, my hope is that future menopause ladies feel empowered to tackle their challenges, to have gained sound advice and be able to navigate the meno waters smoothly. These 3 men have made my menopause journey easier, I hope that you are not struggling with your journey: but if you are, please check them out. Thank you.