Francine Nunnari admits that jumping into a freezing ice bath on a crisp winter morning sounds “crazy”.
“Who would want to start doing ice baths in the dead of winter? I really thought it would just be me.”
But to her surprise, a growing group of like-minded strangers began joining her to brave the cold every Wednesday morning in New South Wales.
“It became quite a beautiful thing, coming together with the community and overcoming self-limitations,” said Ms. Nunnari.
Port Macquarie Beach, Breath and Ice Group gather at Port Macquarie’s popular Flynns Beach before sunrise.
Ms. Nunnari guides them through peaceful yet important breathing exercises before preparing for the final challenge.
“Cold represents stress; it’s a form of stress that many of us don’t like,” he said.
“It’s about meeting a challenge instead of walking away from it.”
Each member of the group has a different reason for waking up at dawn and pushing their limits, but many said it was to improve their mental and physical health.
“You feel it physically, but really dealing with [the cold] it’s good for my mental health,” said Hendo Longstaff.
“For me, one of the biggest challenges was doing this form of practice in a community setting when I normally hide at home.”
a family challenge
For Michelle Jordan, morning meetings are a family activity with her husband and children.
“I find it a real challenge,” Jordan said.
“I feel like I’ve accomplished something and it’s building more resilience to being able to do hard things.”
Her youngest daughter, Samaya, felt the same.
“It gets me through the week and feels good afterwards,” he said.
After exposure to the ice, the group members run to the ocean, which feels like a warm bath compared to the ice.
Not for everyone
Ice and cold water exposure therapy was made popular by the Dutch athlete Wim Hof and is practiced all over the world.
Queensland University of Technology Senior Lecturer Jonathan Peak conducted research on cold water immersion for athletes and said he understood why it was becoming popular in small communities.
“There’s a bit of a shock at first when you get into the ice baths,” said Dr. Peak.
“There’s the slowing of the heart rate and the activation of a feeling of relaxation.
“What I think is happening is that cold water immersion is putting these people into a meditative state.”
Dr. Peak said that more research was needed into its potential effects and risks for the general population, and he recommended that anyone with a pre-existing heart condition consult a health professional before participating.
Attendees feel ‘invigorated’
Members of the group attempted to soak in the bath for two minutes, but local resident Ian Goldspink withstood the ice for four.
“It felt invigorating, I loved it,” Goldspink said.
For surf and yoga teacher Lauren Enfield, surfacing in cold water is an everyday thing.
“I get a lot of excitement in my life through surfing, yoga, nature, family,” he said.
“An ice bath is something different, so it gives me the same feeling of joy and release all day, but I’ve done it in a different way which is challenging.”
Ms. Enfield believed that other regional communities should adopt the weekly ice bath updates.
“I think communities can benefit, not only from that change in mindset, but also from the community coming together,” he said.
Ms. Nunnari couldn’t agree more.
“Healing comes from connection,” he said.
“I can see this happening in the workplace, in schools, within every community and micro-community.”
Ms. Nunnari added that she had seen clear benefits.
“There’s the challenge, there’s the resistance, it’s overcoming that, driving self-limiting beliefs, self-awareness, all of that,” he said.
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