Son / Ice bath & breath

Ice bath benefits and a breathing technique to handle the cold.

In this post, you’ll read about an ice bath experience with my son, the benefits, and how you can use your breath to stay calm in the cold. After the second photo, you’ll find a technique with many physical, mental, and emotional benefits, but also an ideal way to warm up the body before stepping into an ice bath: fire breathing.

My son turned 24 last month, and I was wondering what to give him for his birthday. I often give him books, but I had noticed that his “to-read” pile was getting quite high😉, so I decided to give him what we call in Dutch a “doe-kadootje”: an experience gift. Something fun to do together and at the same time quality time (which is rare with a studying son who no longer lives at home).

My son takes cold showers every day, and he really enjoys how it makes him feel. An ice bath is the next level, I thought, so I booked a session with Marcel Vos, a Dutch breathwork colleague of mine who also offers ice baths.

As I wanted my son also to have some stress relief and deep relaxation, I booked a combined session for him: a connected breathing session followed by an ice bath experience. My son is already familiar with breathwork (there’s no escaping it when you have a breathwork mom🙂). A session with someone else and with a man (a different energy) seemed like a valuable new experience.

My son was very enthusiastic when he heard about the birthday idea, but he said:
“Mom, I’ll only step into an ice bath if you go in too.”

You should know this about me: I am terrible with the cold. Really. But the feeling after an ice bath is absolutely amazing. I experienced it a few times during my breathwork training. It’s hard to put into words, but if I had to try: an incredibly refreshing and alive feeling, the whole body tingling with energy. It gives a huge boost. I really LOVE that feeling. It can last for hours—sometimes even the entire day. So I told my son I would go into the ice bath too.

Besides the amazing feeling, ice baths are very beneficial for your health (as long as there are no contraindications—always check before trying an ice bath yourself!).

What are the benefits of an ice bath?

I asked my American breathwork friend and ice bath expert, Joseph Anderson. He takes an ice bath almost every day and travels around the world, inviting people to experience the benefits.

His answer (in short—more details can be found on his Instagram: @breathefreeprosperity):

• Stress reduction and mental resilience

• Physical recovery and pain relief

• Immune system support

• Improved sleep

How did we use our breath to handle the cold?

Marcel invited us to put our hands in the ice bath for a while, to feel the cold. When we felt the urge to pull our hands out, he invited us to keep them in a bit longer while breathing consciously: a slow inhale followed by a long exhale. This signals your nervous system that you are safe (more about this in the post “Renate/ breathing ‘slow’”). Our breathing helped us manage the cold much better. After a while we pulled our hands out. Time for the next step: a few rounds of fire breathing.

And then… it was time to step into the ice bath. We started with our feet, letting them adjust to the cold. Gradually, we lowered our bodies into the water. As we did, our breathing shifted up into the chest and throat—and we consciously brought it back down. Slow inhale, long exhale. Marcel reminded us to relax our muscles, breathe slowly, and stay fully focused on our breath.

My son could stay in the ice bath much longer than I could. He is more accustomed to the cold (I only end my daily shower with a minute of cold water). The second round, however, I managed to stay in much longer, and I felt very brave😊. I even started to enjoy being in the ice-cold water, instead of just loving the feeling afterwards (my son prefers to keep his pictures private by the way, so only my photo is in this post).

Being in the cold can give an incredible boost to your system—but staying in too long is not healthy. For beginners like my son and me, just a few minutes is enough. More experienced people can stay in for 10–15 minutes, which is a healthy limit for most. Staying in too long can lead to hypothermia, frostbite, nerve damage, and dangerous cardiovascular stress. Not ideal—you want to benefit from it, not suffer from it.

During a whole ice bath experience, breath can be so helpful. It:

• helps you to stay calm, focused, and in control when you enter the cold

• reduces the initial shock and helps your body adapt

• allows you to relax into the cold instead of fighting it—and get more out of the experience.

Right below the photo you’ll find the fire breathing technique you can do before entering an ice bath. An ideal way to warm up the body, so you can handle the cold much better. So: breathe first😊, then step in ❄️.

Fire breathing:

It is a rapid, rhythmic breathing technique where you actively exhale through the nose and let the inhale happen naturally.

It helps, among other things, to increase energy and warm up the body, making it a great preparation before an ice bath.

• Breathe in deeply through your nose.

• Exhale forcefully, quickly, and rhythmically through your nostrils, focusing on your exhalation. You continuously breathe out in short, powerful bursts (the inhalation happens naturally).

• Each time you exhale, pull your navel inward, creating a pumping motion from your abdomen.

• Repeat this about 20 times in this rhythm, then pause briefly and allow your breath to return to its natural flow.

• You can, for example, do 3 rounds before entering the ice bath.

It is a powerful technique, so make sure you don’t do it too forcefully. With any exercise, it’s important to listen to your body. Stop if you feel uncomfortable or too dizzy—you can always return to your normal breathing. Be aware that slight dizziness from this temporary, accelerated breathing is normal and will pass once you return to your natural breathing rhythm.