Ice Bath

My skin is so red that it looks sunburned. I’m in bed typing this, drinking warm chamomile tea. Minutes ago I felt more alive than I have all year. It cost me almost nothing, and I didn’t need to go on an obscure spiritual journey to do it.

All it takes is a bathtub full of cold water, 4-5 bags of ice, and you’ll learn more about yourself in five minutes, than you would doing almost anything else.

I put five minutes on the clock and dove in. The more you think about it, the harder it is. My whole body wanted to fight to get out of the tub, but my mind was resolved on staying in it for the ride. It hurt. It wasn’t fun.

But I did it.

Once the five minutes were up, the feeling  was euphoric, empowering, maybe even transformative.

Our 21st century minds spend so much time overwhelmed with thoughts of the past, future and a thousand other disconnected virtual realities, that we barely know what it is to appreciate the moment. At this pace, life ends, and you didn’t even notice it passing you by. But create situations that force you to be in the now, and life takes on a new flavor. You feel inspired to make more of it, reminded of your own mortality, and driven to have a more fulfilling existence.

Life can be incredible if we just stop and appreciate its majesty. Sometimes it takes a jarring shock to the system to remember how to live in the present and make our own excitement and experiences.

For further reading:

Here’s a guide of do’s and dont’s of an ice bath: http://www.active.com/triathlon/articles/8-ice-bath-dos-and-don-ts

An article from the BBC explaining why and ice bath can be good for your muscles post workout (hint: it forces new blood and oxygen to rush into the muscle, helping expel lactic acids in the process): http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/treatment_room/features/newsid_3097000/3097114.stm

For a great podcast on mindfulness and living in the moment, aka mindfulness: http://fourhourworkweek.com/2015/11/29/magic-of-mindfulness/

Finally, I highly suggest a daily meditative practice. Your life is guaranteed to improve.To start, try this free ten minute one: https://www.tarabrach.com/ten-minute-basic-guided-meditation-practice/