Lately I have been playing with the Wim Hoff approach. This is a method in which breathing and ice immersion play a large role in supporting our bodies in remembering the power of being uncomfortable. It has a common myth in our modern day society to associate comfort with happiness. The Wim Hoff method, in addition to many methods used throughout the ages, dispel the myth of comfort and place the participant into a challenging ritual. Whether it is ice immersion, or a Native American sweat lodge, the fundamental practice is to go beyond the mental obstacles that often limit us in unlocking our fullest capacity. Even in physical exertion how often do we witness the mind quit when the body has abundance?
Our bodies are designed for so much more, however, for many of us, when we are confronted with challenge, we often believe a lie that claims impossibility or we fight back. Whether it is the challenge of a financial burden, the challenge of a relationship, or the challenge of the body not working as hoped, discomfort will eventually come in our lives. In the world we live, we have created devices, technologies and medicines that enable us to bypass discomfort, or we rely on mental lies that state that we are right to avoid feeling the discomfort. However, in many of the ancient traditions bypassing discomfort was not an option, and often it was understood in the psychology of the ancient systems that pain was a bridge for healing.
There is wisdom in these ancient systems and when we connect to discomfort instead of avoiding it or resisting it, our bodies rises to the challenge. However, if we do not allow ourselves to connect to the discomfort, we never utilize the bridge in our natural mechanisms to support us moving over the discomfort.
Just the other day I had a client's husband yell at me in the clinic because I was late to the appointment by 2 minutes. As he yelled, my knee jerk reaction wanted to fight and for a moment I tried to defend. Fortunately, as the pain hit, and the discomfort sunk in, I tuned into breathing, I let go and surrendered to the natural process. In a beautiful way, it was like standing in a wind storm and just letting the wind blow. I allowed the wind in my mind to blow in the same way I allowed his angry words to blow. By the end of the transaction, it felt healing for me to apologize for being late.
This experience is not any different than sitting in the cold snow. The discomfort hits, and then the surrender allows the cold to be met with understanding and ease.
Pain is a bridge. Discomfort is a bridge, and where it takes us is not just beyond the pain, bur more importantly, it takes us to our truth. Who are we when we stop believing the lies in our heads? Who are we when we stop believing the conditioning of society?
These are the timeless questions, and in the end the only way to uncover them is for you to unify with your whole life and not just the moments of comfort.
Deepen into your life and cross the bridge.
Our bodies are designed for so much more, however, for many of us, when we are confronted with challenge, we often believe a lie that claims impossibility or we fight back. Whether it is the challenge of a financial burden, the challenge of a relationship, or the challenge of the body not working as hoped, discomfort will eventually come in our lives. In the world we live, we have created devices, technologies and medicines that enable us to bypass discomfort, or we rely on mental lies that state that we are right to avoid feeling the discomfort. However, in many of the ancient traditions bypassing discomfort was not an option, and often it was understood in the psychology of the ancient systems that pain was a bridge for healing.
There is wisdom in these ancient systems and when we connect to discomfort instead of avoiding it or resisting it, our bodies rises to the challenge. However, if we do not allow ourselves to connect to the discomfort, we never utilize the bridge in our natural mechanisms to support us moving over the discomfort.
Just the other day I had a client's husband yell at me in the clinic because I was late to the appointment by 2 minutes. As he yelled, my knee jerk reaction wanted to fight and for a moment I tried to defend. Fortunately, as the pain hit, and the discomfort sunk in, I tuned into breathing, I let go and surrendered to the natural process. In a beautiful way, it was like standing in a wind storm and just letting the wind blow. I allowed the wind in my mind to blow in the same way I allowed his angry words to blow. By the end of the transaction, it felt healing for me to apologize for being late.
This experience is not any different than sitting in the cold snow. The discomfort hits, and then the surrender allows the cold to be met with understanding and ease.
Pain is a bridge. Discomfort is a bridge, and where it takes us is not just beyond the pain, bur more importantly, it takes us to our truth. Who are we when we stop believing the lies in our heads? Who are we when we stop believing the conditioning of society?
These are the timeless questions, and in the end the only way to uncover them is for you to unify with your whole life and not just the moments of comfort.
Deepen into your life and cross the bridge.
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