13 May WHM Poland Winter Travels: Part 1

My journey began early this year in the snowy mountains of Poland. I was seeking myself at a deeper level and refining the offering of my prized jewel practices – Wim Hof Method and Bowspring!

The adventure began with 4 weeks of the Wim Hof Method in a frozen wonderland of forest and mountain. Alongside, Wim Hof and 3 other lead instructors, we guided groups through nature as we trained with the Breath, Cold, and Mindset.

There were about 300 participants in total for the month. I was inspired to see that the diversity was off the charts with over 20 countries represented! Many colors, languages and customs and yet the mission and purpose between groups and participants were one and the same – Happy, Healthy, Strong!  

Wim tells of his first workshop 7 years ago where he had only 3 participants… and 1 of the 3 participants wanted a refund! Haha!
2016 I assisted Wim when he had only 1 group per week.. and this year, there were now 4 groups per week – for 4 weeks!!!  

One would often find Wim singing enthusiastically, lecturing passionately or flying in and out of each group, inspiring and shaking up things up with playful games, jokes, or impromptu snowball fights. What a wonderful Wim-storm he is!

Each group was a gift for my growth. I was surprised to be less challenged by the cold and intensity and more challenged by the week to week transitions between groups. The connections made were very deep and I was blown away with how each group showed up fully – unique and powerful. 

Down time was non-existent and the next group would arrive only hours after the prior group departed. It’s as if we were at a superhuman theme-park and I was riding the emotional rollercoaster on full speed. It was an unexpected challenge to keep my heart receptive and open to each new group.

Nevertheless, I rose to the occasion each each week and had my heart blasted open in a new way. It was like keeping your arms up on all of the steep drops of the coaster. It was well worth the effort as the group energy and enthusiasm were key to the power of the week. I received more hugs in one month than in my whole life! Weaving community into the practice of Wim Hof Method holds a rare element of magic that I am continually flabbergasted by. 

Each morning began with deep breath practice before breakfast, and often each night would end with ecstatic dancing and laughter late into the evening. The days were spent building a relationship with the cold and training for the end of week mountain summit in shorts!

The day after the jam-packed adventure I sat alone at a coffee shop with my journal and attempted to process the month. If one stays in the cold for too long and loses focus they could experience the discomfort and challenge of an after-drop. We had a few cases in the month where some got a little too confident in the water and over did their stay. No worries tho, no life or death situations, just extremely uncomfortable and insightful for the afflicted. 

In my cozy chair with journal time I experienced what I can only describe as an emotional after-drop. Each week was powerful in its own way and processing all 4 weeks at once was intense to the max, to say the least. It was a mix of processing the gift each individual brought to each group, each group expression as a whole, the experience of practice in nature, and the growth gained from all of the above.

We often tease and call the WHM breathing the “get the shit out” practice. This was my emotional after-drop experience, only the usual “shit” that comes up and out during a deep practice was mixed with a wonder, a realization of beauty and inspiration that left me deeply heavy, emotional and introspective. 

Thank you for reading the first tale of my Poland adventures.

With love,
Elee