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The cold bath: everyone is talking about it!
Articles in the press, audio-visual reports, new world records. For several years now, the press has been talking about it every winter and people's enthusiasm continues to grow. I myself was interviewed for the magazine Générations (to discover here)! More and more curious people are trying this practice, with varying degrees of success. Alone or with friends, with your yoga teacher or by following a Youtube tutorial.
Everything is said, everything is told, but what is it really?
What is the cold bath?
The cold bath, also called winter bath, consists of bathing in very cold water, generally a lake in winter, below 10 degrees. The cold bath is practiced in a group, even if practicing alone is not prohibited, it requires certain knowledge of the functioning of one's body to understand how to secure yourself properly.
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This will be the objective of the first session of the initiation and its theory video. At the end of this first session, you will know why 1 minute per degree is not a sufficient security protocol. We will see together other physiological benchmarks that allow you to graduate the duration and strength of your swim.
But we risk getting sick?!
The cold does not make you sick. It causes people to lock themselves in confined spaces and at 22 degrees. At this temperature, the transmission of germs is favored, and woolen clothes retain moisture better, thus allowing better propagation. The more layers we have, the more we offer a cozy nest to germs of all kinds. In addition, winter (season of rest according to nature...) the stress of work and the lack of sun favor depressed states which weaken the immune response.
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On the other hand, discovering your skin on a sunny winter morning promotes the production of vitamin D and UV rays eliminate pathogens on the surface of the skin. Doing it in a group promotes the production of serotonin and other neurohormones. As for the cold bath, it strengthens the immune system. This will be the subject of the second video and the second session.
Each person is psychologically and physiologically different. And if the course is given in a group, it is because the group is important. The cold bath requires a certain letting go of one's preconceptions, one's beliefs, one's abilities. This is also why it helps to resolve post-traumatic states. Our heart is an organ that rhythms with our psychic states. Learning to calm it down means learning to control yourself. How does it work? This will be the subject of our third session.
I can't do it, it's impossible!
Meditation and heart coherence
The fourth session will be dedicated to the nervous system, meditation, mindset. A cold bath outing is not complete without this special moment. Meditation in a cold situation is a particular meditation, but after 4 days of adapting and learning you will be ready enough for this experience. On the fifth day will be there to show me that you no longer need me.
A little history
Cold bathing has always been practiced, if only because hot water from the tap is a comfort that arrived in the 1960s. Throughout history, taking a hot bath has been considered a luxury.
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In 377 BC, Hippocrates already taught his students the virtues of alternating hot and cold depending on the patient's condition.
In Rome, the first thermal baths are cold. It was with the advent of Imperial Rome that hot and cold baths made their appearance and with this revolution the development of diseases such as leprosy. Hygiene is very important for the Romans, but hot water + a large number of people in the same place and in the same water inevitably lead to the spread of pathogens. For us, it would be inconceivable to set foot in a Roman bath because it would seem so unhealthy.
In Europe, medical treatises talking about the cold are present throughout history. The method changes and evolves according to medical theories (theory of humors, miasmas, etc.) and according to changes in society.
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The first scientific treatises on the therapeutic practice of cold appear around the 18th century. It is a German, Johann Siegmund Hahn, who will publish in 1738 "Lesson on the power and the effectiveness of cold water on the human body, in particular the diseases in internal and external use".
In the 19th century, it was Sebastian Kneipp, a monk who succeeded in treating his tuberculosis with the help of cold, who published "Ma cure d'eau" (My water cure) in 1886. This writing will be distributed throughout Europe. He will also found a clinic and his centers will multiply, thus making known his method. Today, his name is unfortunately synonymous with brand and we are very far from the original thought of the author.
Nowadays, many methods can be taught; the Tummo/Toumo, the Wim Hof method, the Kneipp method, and a whole lot of things are said and told. It is through readings, experiments and experiences of my practice as a cold bath initiation teacher for 3 years, that I have developed my method over 5 sessions, each bringing an important aspect of the practice, in order to to experiment with the method and its benefits.
What matters is what you will experience for yourself!
Contraindications to the practice of the cold bath
The practice of cold is not without effect on the body. As much when a body is in good health, the practice of cold poses no problem and is even a major tool for prevention. As much in a body already tired by the fight against the disease or a strong chronic stress, the reactions can sometimes be spectacular. This requires increased vigilance on my part to follow you and it is up to us to do everything we can to ensure that these manifestations, these rebalancing crises take place in the best conditions.
If in doubt about your condition, please contact me directly.
Cold bath practice under medical supervision
Any pathology that requires taking medication requires authorization from your doctor to be able to register for the initiation. All these personal situations must be reported. You can contact me to decide together on a beneficial approach to your condition, whether in initiation or in the office with complementary treatments.
List of contraindications requiring medical approval
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Autoimmune disease
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Diabetes type 1 & 2
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Herniated disc
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Asthma
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Gastrointestinal disease
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Heart disease stabilized
- Mental illness followed
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History of thrombosis & flexitis
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Any other chronic illness involving medication
Absolute contraindications
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Ongoing chemotherapy treatment
- Chronic illness not followed by a doctor
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Decompensated cardiovascular system
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Disease of the ventilatory system
Mental illness not monitored
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Viral & bacterial disease in treatment