THE COOL CLUB
In today’s climate celebrating World Mental Health Day at The Ice Co felt more important than ever before. Did you know that poor mental health accounts for more than half of all work-related illnesses? Or that around 51% of long-term sick leave is due to stress depression or anxiety?
With this in mind, this year we really wanted to give our colleagues the tools to not only relieve any pressures they might be feeling at work but also in their day-to-day lives outside of the workplace. To mark World Mental Health Day this October, we gave all of our employees their own Ice Bath to take home, as well as the opportunity to take part in a Wim Hof Method Taster Session with our friends Jim and Natalie from Root2Rise. These brief but powerful sessions offered the opportunity to learn about the Wim Hof Method, experience a guided breathwork session and take the plunge with a 2-minute ice bath to round up the day.
See what we got up to below:
The Science
To kick off the day everyone was asked to share their intentions and what they were hoping to achieve by participating in the session, with reasons ranging from pure intrigue to struggles with poor mental health. Root2Rise guided us through Wim Hof’s story and the science behind why breathwork and cold exposure can offer a range of physical and mental well-being benefits. Our team were prepped with how the breathwork supports the cold plunge and were guided through how the next steps of the session would look, with Jim answering many questions from our eager colleagues!
The Breath
The next part of the session was the breath, where the lights in the room were dimmed and everyone got comfortable on mats around the room taking deep breaths to relax the body. The team did several rounds of breathwork, each time increasing the breath hold at the end before finishing with a powerful sound bath experience.
The Cold
After we’d mastered the breath, it was time to get ready for the cold! Jim and Natalie prepped everyone on the dos and don’ts, reminding them to remain focused on their breath, controlling their breathing with a 2-second count in and a 6-second count out before and during their cold plunge. Some of the team had tried ice baths once or twice before, but the majority were novices of the cold, so everyone got into teams of 3 to support one another through the plunge. With full guidance and support from Root2Rise, everyone tackled a 2-minute ice bath, enduring 2-degree water filled with lots of Party Ice, all-embracing the horse stance for 2 minutes afterwards to warm up the body naturally.
The feedback from the session was incredible, we asked those who took part to tell us how they were feeling in one word, with responses like “Energized”, “Lighter”, “Clear”, “Refreshed”, “Electric” and “Revitalized” just name just a few. Almost everyone said that after the taster session, they wanted to integrate breathwork techniques and cold exposure into their daily routines to help deal with life’s daily stressors.
If you’re struggling with your mental health, you can find support here and if you need someone to talk to, call 116 123 for the Samaritans who are open 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
