Wim Hof Retreat: Grand Haven, MI (Part One)
Last weekend, I went to a breathwork and cold exposure retreat with my friend and it was an experience we will never forget.
About a month ago, my boss had asked me if I had heard of the Wim Hof Method. Which of course, being the wellness nerd I am and having watched Goop on Netflix, I said yes! She told me that her and her husband had bought spots for a retreat that taught the Wim Hof Method and included cold exposure - I had NO idea people were trained in his technique and actually put together retreats, I thought it was SO COOL!
Unfortunately, they were no longer able to go, so she asked if I would be interested in taking their place - I didn't hesitate and said yes, knowing I could convince my friend to come with.
Leading up to the retreat, I had talked with Alec, who was running the retreat to get more information on what to expect. I was excited but also nervous and wanted to know what we were getting ourselves into! On our call, we started sharing our health philosophies and shared a lot of the same views - our bodies having the ability to heal themselves and thrive. As we talked, I was asked how I became involved in holistic health and I said I owed it to my personal healing journey with Crohn's Disease. To my amazement, Alec said he knew exactly what I meant because he had experienced the same with Colitis... CHILLS.
I joke that people in the IBD community always have a way of finding one another, I have too many synchronized experiences like this one to believe otherwise. Almost immediately, I felt supported. Not only did he have a similar experience to mind, but he had healed through only natural modalities - breathwork and cold exposure being big contributors. I was inspired and my nerves went away. Because of that, I knew this was more than luck bringing me this opportunity. I knew that I was meant to have this experience, it was being gifted to me.
QiGong
The retreat was two days long, some people had gotten there the night before, but we had driven early Saturday because of snowy weather! It was my first time visiting Grand Haven, which is normally a beach town, so to see it almost deserted and covered in snow and ice was amazing.
Once we got settled in and met everyone, we prepared for a class in QiGong. QiGong is an Asian form of yoga and is used to create a flow between the mind, body, and spirit. Through specific movements and breathwork, we are able to connect with the energetic meridians of the body. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, these twelve meridians are believed to be connected with specific organs in our body (ex. the heart meridian links to the heart space). When we flow through these meridians, we are moving stagnant energy and emotions being held in these spaces.
Although the movement was really gentle, when it was combined with the breath and flowed properly, I could feel the burn throughout my body. After a couple of rounds, the temperature in the room significantly increased and we all were sweating! As we moved through the different meridians, I noticed more resistance in some areas than others. To my amazement, when we worked through the smaller / larger intestines and liver meridians, I felt the most resistance - as if something were physically holding me back. But as I concentrated on my breath and movement, tears started to fall and it felt like a dam had been broken. A rush of emotion and relief came over me and I felt lighter. I clearly had some things I was holding in that needed released... it was surreal.
Cold Exposure I
After class, it was time for our first cold exposure! The plan was to go down to the beach and do what we were comfortable with. For some that meant going straight into the snow, for others that meant taking off a layer. Allie and I were both nervous, but we knew that we would only do what we were okay with, while still pushing ourselves. So for the first day, we agreed we would test out the cold air by taking off layers, then on the second day we would go all in.
Most of us were bundled in our coats, hats, and layers still while others were more bold and just went out in their swimsuits and a sweatshirt. Once we got outside and started moving though, the cold wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be - the anticipation leading up to it was much worse.
There was a specific breath pattern we were to follow as we walked (or ran) over to the beach. Inhaling and releasing on specific steps we took (inhale 2 steps, exhale 2 steps). Once I got the hang of it and got closer to the beach, I noticed my body had warmed up really quickly!
At the beach we all dropped our things and started following Alec as he walked us through some movement to keep our blood flowing. We were in a circle, squat low and moving from side to side (if you've seen the Goop episode, you know lol). People had previously been in their cars watching the waves had gotten out to watch us - confused and probably thinking we were insane.
After a couple of minutes, members of our group started taking off layers and plopping down in the snow. Allie and I decided it wasn't that bad out so we stripped our top layers to just our bikini tops - fully exposed to the cold air but it oddly felt warming. Alec made sure we kept moving and breathing and the longer I was exposed, the more adrenaline I felt. Sure, I was jumping around, flailing my arms, but considering I was stripped in 10 degree weather, I wasn't phased at all.
Heading back, my entire body felt warm and tingly - I felt like I could run a mile, I had so much energy. I had the biggest smile on my face, so proud and amazed at what we had just done. It was a small step but it gave me confidence that I could fully embrace the exposure the next day!
Cacao Ceremony
That night, we had a cacao ceremony, which I had only heard of but was really excited for. A cacao ceremony is a healing practice that is centuries years old, and allows you to connect with your inner self and open your heart. Because of cacao’s ability to increase your connection to your inner self and your heart chakra, it aids in any transformational shift you are working towards. In this practice you set an intention and consciously sip the drink as you allow your heart space to open and receive.
For that reason, we set our intentions and then broke off into pairs (someone we didn't know coming in) to discuss some prompts. For this exercise, we were to take turns listening and speaking, while the other person was talking we were advised not to say anything so that we practiced equal giving and receiving. The questions we answered to one another were: "what is one thing in your life that doesn't feel in alignment?" and "what is one area in your life that does feel in alignment, that lights you up?"
This was a test of vulnerability and it's sometimes hard to do that with someone you just met a few minutes before, but surprisingly it was a lot easier than I thought. I'm not sure if it was the cacao doing its magic, or the fact that I already felt comfortable and understood by this group of people I had only known for a few hours, but I felt extremely open and ready to share.
The consensus from the group after that exercise was that we all were more alike than we had thought. There was deep connection between a group of strangers not only because of our similar interests, but because of our appreciation for connection, love and curiosity for peoples stories, and emphasis on radical acceptance and support.
I don't know if it was the cacao, the shared experience from the day, or everything combined, but I was starting to really feel connected to everyone. It felt easy and right.
You can read the second part here, talking all about day 2 and my full cold exposure experience!