Breath and cold exposure (as explored in this deep dive) meet at a simple point: the body learns through direct experience. When the breath steadies under pressure, the mind receives a different message. When cold becomes measured rather than chaotic, resilience becomes trainable.
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[Music] [Music] welcome to the personal development Mastery podcast I am Ai keramidas and my mission is to inspire you to grow stand out and take action towards the next level of your life I interview leaders authors successful entrepreneurs spiritual teachers exceptional people who will inspire you to improve your [Music] life tune in for two episodes each week and make sure you sub subscribe to get them as soon as they are released welcome to episode 1091 this is the sixth episode of consolidating the knowledge and again let me quickly explain what this is and why am I doing it um I made an important realization having spoken with around 150 people on my podcast now and what I realized was that during these conversations there were many ideas that they were actionable like implementable knowledge however many of them remained just ideas meaning I never took action on them and allowed them to to change me to help me grow and of course in time they were forgotten so the intention Behind These consolidation episodes is revisiting some of these previous podcasts and picking up specific
podcasts and picking up specific actionable items key knowledge that can be learned and implemented from them or acted upon and I hope you find this approach useful so today I will revisit episodes 18 and 19 the two parts of my conversation with Emma strella who is a whim Hof method instructor and she's actually the only level three which is the highest level whim Hof instructor in the UK a reason why I'm excited to do this particular episode and this particular topic really is because I have my own personal Fascination and involvement with the Wim Hof method or at least elements of the wiim Hof method so there are two things in particular that I have been doing almost every day for the past 3 4 years now one of them is cold showers and I will talk about this a little bit later on uh the other one is the the breath work basically a breathing exercise that I do breathing um it's one of my favorite things uh I remember uh my Fascination about breathing and breath work started when I was in my 20s and I first read the Jitterbug perfume by Tom Robbins I
the Jitterbug perfume by Tom Robbins I remember that there was a couple there a husband and a wife that would they would practice some specific breathing exercises and they lived until they were 800 years old or something like that it was a beautiful story and an outstanding book anyway I digress that planted the the seed in my mind about breath work so I was always intrigued by it and when I discovered whm Hof and the breathing exercise he was sharing it was then when I actually got involved and started practicing it uh daily so in case you don't have any idea of what I'm talking about who whim Hof is he's an extraordinary duts he's 62 now and his nickname is the Iceman he holds over 20 I think Guinness World Records about extreme cold exposure some some incredible fits considered superum by many so he teaches a method his method that has three pillars breathing cold exposure and commitment and by doing those things you get more energy reduced stress levels augmented immune response improved Sleep Quality and more and I had the opportunity to go to
more and I had the opportunity to go to one of his workshops in London in 2019 and even now 3 years afterwards I still remember the the breathing practice we did which was a meditation practice really using the the breath in such a way to go into a very deep uh meditative State I remember I felt calm and Blissful I was crying with gratitude sensing the energy through my lungs it was an immensely tranquil and wonderful experience peaceful happy and feeling love for for the people around me and radiating a big smile throughout and the other main pillar of the Wim Hof method is cold exposure and that provides some important health benefits like activating the brown fat in the body and boosting the immune system and releasing happy hormones Etc it's so many things to go into details here but I remember the that first ice bath experience that I had at that workshop and it was February in London so it was cold during the winter time and we just got out and went into the ice bath and I still remember that's sensation when I first stepped into the freezing water and after 5 or
into the freezing water and after 5 or 10 seconds my mind started shouting and uh there was an instructor there next to me and he saw my reaction and told me to slow down my breathing and once I did that once I controlled my breath and let go it became easier I trusted the the physical sensation of my body uh being inside the freezing water and letting go rather than uh fighting it and the the feeling when coming out of it and gradually warming up again was phenomenal feel a phenomenal feeling a feeling of being really alive I consider that event in many ways for me a spiritual experience and understanding how breath is the bridge between our body and our mind and going into deep uh meditative state by controlling our breath and experiencing that um blissfulness and happiness afterwards by doing something as simple as this is it's something I believe you should try it out um so coming back now to the consolidation of the the conversation with em Estella the Wim Hof
conversation with em Estella the Wim Hof method instructor uh one thing she discussed was how after a personal crisis she had she got introduced to the Wim Hof method and uh what it did for her and this is one interesting part where she talks about learning from the uncomfortable n doing the thing that takes you out of the comfort zone and that skill that um different pathway of thinking being able to go out of your comfort zone how transferable that is in life so let's hear Emma talking about this that it is an opportunity to explore how you respond and What Makes You tick and are you happy is this really what you wanted and it's and so back then I was sort of asking myself those questions and they way to find out about yourself you sort of learn from the uncomfortableness so I was really up for trying to push myself into a place that didn't seem good in order to see how I would be um and the more that I did it the more it's quite addictive because you feel so amazing and so good after it and you're almost it's a really good lesson that you definitely overthink it well I did anyway and then when I came out I was like what was I ever worrying about mean and and that's
ever worrying about mean and and that's a really nice skill or a nice switch of the or a new pathway of thinking in transferable in life if there's something that you don't want to do you kind of just why do I not want to do it and sort of what's what's the trigger in me am I overthinking it or just do it anyway and then when you do you're like I'm so glad so it's it's very much it's a lovely sort of um you can learn so much from the cold it is not for me now I think it's not about the cold can give you so much more than just that feeling of I'm in in a cold place so I would encourage anyone to explore um by going it doesn't have to be the whole body or anything like that but just find out give yourself that favor and find out about what makes you tick and I Shar earlier how my experience at the workshop felt like a spiritual one and I will play here one more excerpt from the conversation where Emma talks about spirituality and how whm Hof method was a sort of a Gateway for her for connecting inwards yeah what what does spirituality mean to you Emma um spirituality I think good question I think I'm being more and more
question I think I'm being more and more like some people are being more spiritual now so the Wim Hoff method has sort of allowed it's been that gateway to connect with myself um and have a new connection outwards so when I first started it it was very as was quite um uh what do I call it selfish I suppose of trying to like figure out how I TI and what's the what where what place do I have yeah like the more I'm into it spirituality is more about being open to others and and being more sort of not a servant but just sort of helping helping others because and I have been afraid afraid of that because I'm always worried about being judged defin like that but actually the more I talk the more I realize I am spiritual um in the sense I don't have a watch anymore I don't even know what I'm going to do two days time and things but but I don't have much family either so I don't need the routine and the structure which I understand some households do and and things that so I appreciate that that's not my my way or My Chosen so I think me spirituality is is um whim I heard a podcast with whim or not with whim actually he was talking about whim and he was saying about the body and mind connection that you you really need to unite that and when you unite that you can change anything um so I think that's my sort of my new kind of focus is
my sort of my new kind of focus is really because whim uh in the experiment uh body over mind or mind over body it's on online he thought himself warm so when the cold wet suit that he was wearing um he he was F he couldn't do any of the Wim Hof because he was stuck in a little tiny cat pet scan or whatever and he thought himself warm and I just think that's so incredibly powerful um and to have that connection think yourself warm and go up one degree as well so did even more um I think that's spirituality in in the sense that you don't own your body or your mind and you're something more greater than that um and it's really really nice I think that's introducing me to collectiveness and the collective Awakening that's happening now that I kind of want I'm ready for the next level of of um of being open and it's something you can't force so bit of patience as well in spirituality and there were at least two more fascinating Parts in that podcast which I will mention here one was where Emma described how she run a marathon and then an ultra marathon without any of the usual uh running preparation just by breath work and the other part was um an explanation and a live demonstration that Emma did of how a whm Hof breathing
that Emma did of how a whm Hof breathing exercise goes so if you're interested in in that it's in episode 19 a key phrase from all our conversation which uh I still remember was that breathing is the the key key to our life force or the key to our soul if you want I really like that phrase and I believe it's it's key it's a beautiful description of the the power that breathing holds for us if we utilize it and I will leave you with that if you are intrigued go and check out whims web website which is wimhofmethod. com or you can uh download the app for your iPhone or Android and a very last thing to mention is that a couple of months ago I actually started doing the full method myself which is a it is a 10 week uh curriculum of breath work practices uh yoga pushups uh ice baths and some other amazing stuff so I have done recently more ice baths since then and I actually went to deep in the sea in January for the very first time in my life uh it felt amazing I've
time in my life uh it felt amazing I've been doing more yoga and so on and I will in due time return to this uh topic because I believe it's very important as a matter of fact I feel it's one of the most important elements or uh methods that I have been using uh for my own personal development uh Journey so go and check it out or go and have a cold shower tomorrow or do a breathing exercise just take one simple action and see where that can lead you thank you for listening if you enjoy it go to Apple podcasts or Spotify and leave a review it would mean a lot to me [Music] and until next time stand out don't fit in
Transcript auto-generated by YouTube. Verbatim — duplicates intentionally preserved.
#191 Consolidating the knowledge (6. Wim Hof method, Breathwork, Cold exposure) offers a useful lens on how modern recovery is changing: less performance theatre, more deliberate practice. The details vary, but the principle is steady. The body adapts when the signal is clear and the dose is respectful.
16 minute conversation 3 core levers: breath, temperature, attention 1 repeatable practice: return to equilibrium
Breathing is automatic, but it is also accessible. That makes it a rare bridge between conscious attention and the nervous system. A slower, fuller breath can shift the body away from alarm and toward control.
Cold water reveals the stress response without disguise. The first reaction is often sharp: a gasp, a tightened chest, a quick urge to escape. The practice begins when awareness stays present inside that reaction.
The most useful protocols are repeatable. Short, deliberate exposure builds trust. The body learns that intensity can be met, held, and released.
Mental clarity is not only a thought exercise. It is often the result of physiology changing state. Breath, temperature, and attention give the mind a steadier foundation.
The pause is part of the performance. A measured stressor only serves you when recovery is built into the design.
Keep the first dose modest enough that your breath remains controlled.
Pair intensity with recovery. Heat, cold, and stillness all have a role.
Track how you feel afterward, not only what you endured during the session.
