Meditate in icy waters

” Would you be game to try it? »

Shit, he just had me.

Dominick Gravel is a photographer for The Press. The other day, he saw men bathing in the river in the dead of winter to boost the health of their bodies, minds and hearts. He thought it would make an interesting story. He ended his email with the line that would assure him of absurd photos: “Would you be game to try it? »

As I find it very difficult to refuse a challenge, I accepted. To fully understand where I was starting from, however, you should know that I go to sleep every night with a heating bag on my feet… The idea of ​​bathing in water at 0.5°C only aroused panic in me.

Of course, I knew that exercise was in vogue. I have heard athletes talk about its benefits on their physical recovery and I have relatives who appreciate the relaxation it brings them (my little brother has been trying to convince me to take cold showers for at least a year) …Some experts even advocate cold exposure for mood, concentration and metabolism. Among them is neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, who teaches at Stanford University and hosts the podcast. The Huberman Lab^⁠1.

But I hear all the talk, but I know that exercise is also dangerous. Hypothermia, derailed heart… It’s not for everyone. Besides, consult a doctor first if the idea interests you.

I also know that there is a panoply of qualities in ice baths that are refuted by other experts. In short, the activity must be approached with extreme caution and a critical spirit.

The good news is that I am healthy and Kasra Faraji has swimmer safety at heart. He’s one of the men that Dominick Gravel met during his winter walk, and he’s the one who’s going to initiate me… if I don’t run away.

Kasra is part of a group that gathers at Verdun beach every Sunday for a no-pressure, no-performance dip. More experienced participants watch the others and guide them as needed.

When I ask her how I could prepare myself for this, Kasra tells me to take cool showers to overcome my fear of the cold.

Good, okay. I have a week ahead of me.

I decide to dive the hard way (for no good reason) by slipping under a jet of freezing water as soon as I wake up the next day. I hold out for 45 seconds and I hate every one of them.

On forums, online, many followers talk about intention. Remembering why we’re doing this would apparently help us sustain the pain and calm our minds.

The next day, I dive under cold water, telling myself that I’m doing it because I’m curious. I come out after two minutes and, fifteen minutes later, I realize that my body is particularly relaxed. My head is perfectly awake. I find myself saying out loud: “It’s booon! »

Of course, waking up to a cold shower isn’t “booo” for everyone, but I believe in finding what’s good for you and I’m finding that maybe it is for me.

So I start over every morning. Sometimes up to four minutes. I’m the girl who invites the pressure of performance into her cold showers. I am, in other words, very heavy.

Then the big day arrives.

I join Kasra Faraji in a cafe. He introduces me to Vadim Lapine, his mentor. Vadim grew up in Russia, where ice baths are a tradition. Both were working in healthcare when, in 2021, they began to search for a way to better cope with the immense stress and fatigue they were under. Vadim had the idea of ​​reconnecting with swimming in very cold water.

Thanks to him, Kasra discovered a passion. Since then, they have been doing ice baths a few times a week, and on Sundays, it happens with about twenty other enthusiasts.

“I fall into a state where I could almost sleep as I feel good,” Kasra explains to me. This is my happy place ! Sometimes I focus on my breathing, sometimes I meditate, sometimes I pray… For me, it’s spiritual. »

Kasra Faraji bathes in the cold to refocus.

“And to be able to intervene if I see a dog in distress in the river,” he adds, finding the best argument to convince me.

Let’s go!

Six swimmers join us at Verdun beach. The men work hard to break through the ice as I chat with the participants. They are on their first jump of the year 2023, but they both have experience. They reassure me: we feel good in the water (“it’s warmer than outside!”) and, above all, we are very proud when we come out.

The hole is ready. Vadim enjoins us to do a series of physical exercises. The -5°C felt quietly gives way to heat. Then he invites us to hold hands and repeat the words “peace”, “love” and “courage”.

Vadim, with his experience in martial arts, yoga and the armed forces, stimulates our esprit de corps…

It’s time.

I take off my clothes and I walk towards the water repeating aloud “courage”. I can’t tell you what state I’m in, but my determination is immense. I discover in myself a mental strength that I did not suspect.

Vadim, Kasra and a participant are already in the river while I slip into it without hesitation. Vadim said to me, “You are safe. »

I smile, nodding my head. I know it.

Besides, am I… well?

I take a deep breath and think of nothing at all. I smell. I enjoy… Until my hands freeze.

(I made the blunder of slipping them in water and not wearing mittens. My fingers are terribly numb.)

A little less than a minute after my immersion, I have to get out. A participant gives me a push, the hole being particularly deep and my state vaguely panicked. I walk at full speed to my bag and my briefcase. My lover immediately helps me to take off my swimsuit and put on some dry clothes because I can’t move my fingers.

A few minutes later, everything is back to normal.

I savor the adrenaline rush that I have just experienced and the immense relaxation that follows. I am so calm that I would like to sleep, but my body is filled with such energy that all I find to do, when I get home, is exercise.

On a loop, in my head: “I did that and I wasn’t scared. »

The next day, I take a cold shower as soon as I wake up and I shop for little socks that go in the water to protect my toes… Next Sunday, I intend to be at Verdun beach with everything I need. it takes to enjoy it even more.

Because not only am I gamebut I’m a future follower.