The spirituality of Cold

[jack hammer]

Im researching the spiritual effects of the cold(meaning:im reading but also icying myself with cold water as much as I can),the main line of thought is that it triggers a sort of ancestral memory from the glacial age of hunters.I also try to sleep with the window open, sleep bare-chasted,etc.

id like to know if there are any historical precedents for spirituality of ice, i know some saints prayed while sitting in an icy river,for example.

[EmeraldHead]

gooood down the rabbit hole it goes. train the water element. it's a powerful element.

[shunka]

cold water can be powerfully cleansing.

Japanese Shinto do Misogi  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misogi

Tibetan Buddhists do  g Tum-mo   https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2002/04/meditation-changes-temperatures/

 

exposing oneself to too much cold, without proper training is not wise and likely to make one sick.

 

I hope this helps

shunka

[Vajra Fist]

I had been practicing the Wim Hof method for about four years almost daily with cold showers. But recently I'd noticed I got some sort of dry cracked skin on my palms, which became painful and frankly embarrassing.

 

I found this blog from a Chinese medicine perspective and found it explained quite a bit. 

 

https://anncecilsterman.com/cold-plunge-cold-shower-hot-mess-by-ann-cecil-sterman/

 

Accordingly, I've stopped cold showers and the breathing exercise and my skin issues cleared up within a week. Could be coincidence, your mileage may vary. 

 

Also, I'd stay well away from Misogi. There's a book by John Maki Evans (Kurikara), who is a master of traditional swordsmanship, who details plenty of cases of people getting brain damage from the force of the cold water hitting their skull. Even Wim Hof advised people to not take cold water showers directly on their heads. 

 

 

[shunka]

42 minutes ago, Vajra Fist said:

Also, I'd stay well away from Misogi. There's a book by John Maki Evans (Kurikara), who is a master of traditional swordsmanship, who details plenty of cases of people getting brain damage from the force of the cold water hitting their skull. Even Wim Hof advised people to not take cold water showers directly on their heads. 

 

 

very good advice Vajra !

 

shunka

[Vajra Fist]

I definitely miss the cold though. It strips off your layers of conditioning and makes you feel like a force of nature. To paraphrase Hunter S Thompson you feel like your heart is an alligator. 

 

I'm not sure if cold exposure per se is spiritual. For some it is. A popular documentary on Wim starts with his quote "For me, God is the cold". The breathing exercises he teaches certainly are spiritual, and fast acting, and can trigger some altered states of consciousness. 

 

Personally, I've always seen the cold as a powerful, unyielding force that you push against. Similar to how in karate's sanchin kata you have someone battering your arms and body while you hold the posture.

 

 

That external opposition is what develops inner strength and power.

 

@thelerner is also a long term Hoffer, so might be able to offer his thoughts.

 

3 hours ago, shunka said:

exposing oneself to too much cold, without proper training is not wise and likely to make one sick.

 

This is very true and good advice. Wim's beginner course starts with very gradual exposure, of no more than a minute of cold water at the end of a shower for the first week. Even then, most beginners get flu for the first few weeks (during which time you're advised to stop with the cold water). After that, you seem to develop a natural tolerance.

Edited September 23, 2020 by Vajra Fist

[silent thunder]

Scandanavians have a long established practice of leaving their babies outside in Winter to nap.

Especially say when you're meeting some friends at a coffee house for a chat, they'll leave the babes parked outside.

 

Well bundled, but that clean, cold air makes for hearty, vital people and strong immune responses.

 

I dearly miss Autumn, Spring and Winter especially those incredibly still Winter days and the Cracking Thunderstorms...

Where I live now we have two seasons.   Summer and Summer's coming...

 

[thelerner]

I'm starting to get back into it.  In Chicago the water ain't cold yet, it's cool.  Thus, for me, fine for the head.  Come winter, it'll be cold, a whole nother thing.  It gets real.  Even after some time of work up, have the cold hit my hands, then my head.  Keeping it short..

 

But it does seem, if I'm diligent there comes a time, I get my winter legs.  And cold becomes an old friend.

[RobB]

On 23/09/2020 at 9:33 AM, Vajra Fist said:

I found this blog from a Chinese medicine perspective and found it explained quite a bit. 

 

https://anncecilsterman.com/cold-plunge-cold-shower-hot-mess-by-ann-cecil-sterman/

 

Interesting blog, thanks @Vajra Fist