The Clumsy Interloper

I change into my swim trunks and enter the sauna. An unforgiving wall of heat hits me as I gingerly sit upon the long wooden bench and cast a furtive glance at the thermometer – 220 degrees. My body is supple and my nostrils sting with each nose breath. I make pleasantries with my five other sweltering comrades while we settle into this stewpot of our own creation. A few minutes pass and a thin sheen of sweat now coats my entire body. One of my sauna mates rises and departs with knowing nod. The sensation of blood pumping through my body is calming and my thoughts begin to wander. I study the wood slats running along the ceiling and stretch my neck and back to distract from the rising mercury. Then someone puts another ladle of water on the hot rocks *sssssssssss* and the plume of invisible heat engulfs me finally pushing me past my limit. Time to go outside, too.

I step out of the sauna and twist the handle for the outdoor shower. A cascade of cold water hits me and equal parts relief and shock surge through my body. I step away from the shower to straddle the tub of ice water, pausing briefly to gather my resolve, and then quickly plunge my whole body into the abyss. I buoy up and jam my balled up fists into my armpits while waves of piercing cold grip me tight. My brain is sending tremors of shivering frenzy down to every inch of my body. I close my eyes and take five deep, slow, deliberate breaths through my nose before looking up at the digital clock on the wall – 1 minute past, 2 minutes left. My senses heighten as I begin to disassociate from my body. I hypnotically watch the gentle pulsing of the jagged cube-packed surface with each breath. Time stands still – the indie music from a nearby café, the strafing of a bird in the azure sky, the gentle summer wind on my cheek – I am in a primordial suspended state. I am now and eternity in a single breath. I look up again and my three minutes are up, back to the sauna…

For the past eight months the above experience has become my weekly ritual. A one hour meditation on doing hard things and channeling hormetic stress to my benefit. Hormetic stress is an adaptive way your cells respond to moderate stress that tests but does not exhaust or fatigue your body. Types of hormetic stress include intermittent fasting, high intensity interval training, sauna exposure and cold plunges. At first blush, the whole enterprise feels a little woo-woo but there are actually heaps of scientific evidence supporting the benefits of these activities.

As your body sinks into the cold water your blood vessels constrict which directs blood to your organs thereby infusing them with more oxygen and nutrients. Once you emerge from the cold water, your blood vessels expand and return the oxygen and nutrient rich blood back into your tissues to help remove waste products such as lactic acid buildup. The sauna acts as a catalyst for this process as it increases blood flow and circulation.

The initial shock of the cold will trigger fast breathing and a fight-or-flight response in your body, but by mindfully slowing your breath with gentle nose breathing you can stem this within the first 30-40 seconds of immersion. When this happens, the sympathetic nervous system slows down and the parasympathetic system takes over. All of these swirling interactions just below the ice cold surface create a euphoric body high and a tension release that supersedes any deep tissue massage. After a session your body is light, without aches or pain, your mood is improved and you sleep more soundly than with any pill.

For many years I felt like the cold plunge movement was a Joe Rogan-led fad for those who do CrossFit, count their macronutrients and have “26.2” bumper stickers. I was relieved from my troublesome bias shortly after my first experience at Fire & Ice in IX Park. The community I found were vibrant and thoughtful people who cherished their communion with the elements and each other. If you live in Charlottesville and want to get out of your comfort zone all I can say is, “C’mon, get in! The water is… friggin’ freezing!”

See you at IX.