Deepening the connection with your body
Q: How can experimenting with extremes help you?
Mitali’s Dialogue
The icy shock of the San Francisco Bay in October 2022 was my first taste of cold water immersion. That was the year when I was learning to tune into my body in order to nourish it and help it relax. Over the years, I had battled neck and shoulder pain due to the tension that I held there. One day my friend Krista told me about a group of women that had started doing cold water dips at sunrise in Marin and encouraged me to join them. As I read more about cold water exposure, I learnt that it could help reduce inflammation and improve blood circulation. Intrigued to see the effects on my body, I decided to join her one Sunday morning.
While discussing my plan with friends, a lot of them thought I was crazy. It probably was a bit crazy - putting my body through the shock of a practice that involves submerging the body up to the neck in ice-cold water (roughly 10-15°C, 50-60°F) and staying in the water for about 5-10 minutes. I convinced myself that doing it with a group of women would allow me to get over any fear of the cold. In preparation for my first dip, I pored over tips shared within the community. I dug out my son’s old swimming parka, packed a woolen hat and thick socks to warm up my extremities quickly, and carried hot tea to sip in the car to prevent the “afterdrop” which occurs when the core body temperature continues to drop after exiting the water.
I followed the women as they walked calmly into the water. Stepping into the frigid water with Krista, I immediately noticed a tingling sensation in my body. As I waded further into the water, the shivers started. A numbness was gradually taking over my feet and legs. There was a deep awareness of my body and I realized that the only way to handle the physical shock was to focus on my breathing. Memories of the breathing classes that I took in preparation for labor came flashing back - that was the first time I discovered how regulated breathing allows humans to get through a great deal of pain. With each passing breath, I drew out my exhalations and tried to slow down my breathing.
After about a minute of focused breathing, I started to perceive something different. A warmth was slowly spreading through my body. It was deep inside because on the surface I was still covered with goosebumps and shivering and feeling numb. It was a sensation that I had never felt before - like all the cells in my body were vibrating together, generating heat, helping me withstand the shock to my system. Suddenly I was no longer convincing myself to stay in the water. I was embracing a feeling that required me to just be present and trust the signals from my body. And strangely after a few minutes I found myself relaxing into the cold instead of fighting it.
That first morning I spent seven minutes in the water. After I changed out of my swimsuit and put on the many layers I had packed with me, I found myself shaking profusely. It was an intense reaction to the cold water exposure and this time it felt like all the cells in my body were quivering even faster, unable to let go of the vibrations that started during the immersion. It was a heady sensation, a bit like euphoria, or lightheadedness. The feeling persisted for almost an hour and I knew I was hooked.
What I hadn't anticipated was the immediate mental health benefits of doing this practice. For the rest of the day I felt invigorated and alert. Sensations were heightened, colors around me seemed more vivid. I imagined my neurons firing on all cylinders, processing and transmitting information throughout my body. Putting myself into a physically stressful situation, gave me a sense of accomplishment when it was done. The results seemed to only last for the day but the memory of my positive mood motivated me to try different ways of continuing this practice.
There is a lot that has been written about the benefits of cold water immersion (CWI) - bolstering immunity, combating symptoms of depression, improving circulation, increasing metabolism, reducing inflammation, improving sleep quality, and building mental resilience.
“During the initial shock of CWI, the body experiences stress and discomfort due to the sudden drop in temperature. To counteract this, endorphins, the body’s natural pain relievers, are released. These endorphins not only reduce pain but also enhance feelings of well-being. CWI also activates the sympathetic nervous system, which controls our “fight-or-flight” responses. This activation leads to a significant increase in noradrenaline (also known as norepinephrine), an excitatory neurotransmitter that not only helps manage stress but also boosts energy and focus. The surge in noradrenaline increases blood flow to the brain, potentially causing feelings of euphoria.
The impact of these two neurotransmitters is complementary - norepinephrine prepares the body to handle acute stress by enhancing alertness and readiness, endorphins work to soothe pain and promote a positive mood. This dual response helps individuals cope with the immediate impacts of cold exposure more comfortably and can make the experience of cold water immersion more tolerable–and potentially even rewarding.”
Over the past two years, I have done a few more dips in the bay in Sausalito and in the ocean in Santa Cruz, and roped in folks to join me for plunges in a friend’s cold swimming pool in the middle of winter. Each immersion brought me back in contact with my body, bringing an awareness to the present moment and relieving my shoulder pain over the following days. I found myself paying sharper attention to the essential functional units of my body - cells creating energy, neurons transmitting signals, breath sustaining life - each operating involuntarily without any thinking. In my attempts to engage more deeply with my body, this is one of the habits that I will be practicing more consistently this year.
If any of this intrigues you, try it out once to see if it has any health benefits for you. You can start simple by just immersing your face in an ice bath for a few minutes or start your shower with cold water for the first thirty seconds and work your way up to five minutes. For folks with any pre-existing health conditions, please consult a doctor before trying any of these techniques.
Kinnari’s Dialogue
I haven’t mustered up the courage to do cold water dips yet. In fact I was one of those people that thought Mitali was nuts (and also brave) when she slept over at our house in San Francisco to make it to a 7 am dip with the group in Sausalito. My husband used to do regular cold water immersions at the San Francisco banya (Russian spa) when he was dealing with a back injury several years ago. During one visit with him I tried it out - but it was after fifteen minutes of being in a very hot sauna and I lasted for only two minutes. Mitali’s description of the sensations she felt has inspired me enough to reconsider and join her on a cold dip in the San Francisco bay in the distant future.
This winter to recover from a recent shoulder injury from tennis, I hit the Korean spa a few times. I discovered the magic of a Korean spa when my friend Janice took me to one in Los Angeles. Jjim-jil-bang, which means “heated rooms,” are a big part of the South Korean culture, where locals go to relax, unwind, hang out with friends and family, and engage in unique health benefits. Put away that fancy, serene image that pops up when you think of a “spa”. The Korean bathhouses I’ve been to in LA and Santa Clara are pretty basic i.e not as aesthetically pleasing to your senses as a typical spa. But what they lack in form, they make up in functionality.
Upon walking in, you are handed a pair of shorts, t-shirt and flip flops and a locker key. You can get a day pass to avail of the different rooms or sign up for a service. The most common service is an intense exfoliating body scrub with an ajumma (middle-aged Korean aunties). These ajummas are no-nonsense and highly efficient. I tried telling mine to be gentle but she had a process and she was going to follow it. During the scrub, it felt like she was taking layers off my skin. The only other place I’ve felt something similar was in a hammam in Tunisia.
As a mom to two young kids, with limited time on my hands, the last few times I’ve visited I’ve chosen to skip any service and spend a couple hours in the various hot and cold communal rooms. My favorite is the clay room. It’s a room with a large pit filled with tiny smooth balls made of ocher clay. As you lie in these pits, the small beads warm up your muscles, relieving pain and tension and stimulating pressure points along the body.
They also have a jade room, salt room and ice room, each offering a different benefit. I spend my time in these rooms meditating and tuning into sensations within. In these rooms I have felt the tightness in my body melting away slowly. Apart from these communal spaces, they have same sex areas with the standard sauna, steam room, hot tub and cold pool, a room with the best massage chairs I’ve experienced and a cafe that serves nutritious Korean food. I’ve walked away from each session feeling less sore and also mentally relaxed.
Both heat and cold are beneficial for the body. My husband has been going to the sauna at his gym after every workout this month. It helps his muscles relax, avoiding post-workout soreness the next day. He has also joined Mitali for some of the cold water dips at a friend's pool. If asked, he would probably say cold > hot and also a lot tougher. If, like me, you are inspired by Mitali’s experience but are still working on building up the courage for a cold immersion, find a Korean or Russian spa close to where you live. They both offer an opportunity for you to experiment with putting your body through various different hot and cold temperatures and learn what works for you.
Thanks for rallying the troops for the cold dips. Let's keep the tradition going...