Becoming an Ice Queen

Sara from Breathways, who we are a big fan of at The Wellbeing Hub shares her story of pain and grief and how she got through it.

My story begins in the dark, with loss, pain and grief, after the death of a very dear friend. My grief opened up a black hole that wanted to consume me and I couldn’t escape its clutches. I was sick, mentally and physically. I was sad and broken. Yet something inside urged me not to give up.

I turned to cold water swimming, where the pain felt good. I discovered the incredible power the cold has to transform and strip away what’s no longer needed, and gradually I began to feel again. The cold led me back to myself.

Slowly I began to heal, the voices in my head became quieter, and a sense of peace and calm began washing away the darkness. I appreciated what it did for me. I was so grateful.

Then one day someone mentioned the Wim Hof Method to me and it sparked a fire of intrigue and wonder within me.

I went to a workshop and experienced a profound response to the breathwork. Sheer joy flowed through me and out into the universe. I felt at one with the universe in a way I never had before. I felt cleansed, with a renewed sense of purpose, peace and calm.

I was left wanting more, so travelled to Scotland for a Wim Hof retreat, and this is where my life began to change.

I practiced the breathwork every day. I cried a lot, I dipped in freezing cold lochs and connected with the huge expanse of nature around me.

It was as if the breathwork released my trapped emotions, so they could be washed away by the cold water, renewing me. This cleansing allowed me to begin to grow again and slowly the light returned.

I was ready for change in so many areas of my life, but fear fought to keep me small. After all, change is uncomfortable and challenging, but all the most rewarding things are.

After the Wim Hof Method gave me so much personal peace and calm, I allowed it to change me even further and forever, becoming an instructor.

I ripped up my old life, moved to Devon, and started again as a Wim Hof Method instructor, breath coach and cold-water junkie.

For me, Devon, and especially Dartmoor, feels like the natural home for the Wim Hof Method. It’s wild, open, free and has so many beautiful wild dipping spots. I can’t imagine a better place to live and share the method with others.

I find the method resets the balance that modern life so often steals from us. I’ve seen people use it to overcome anxiety, chronic pain, sleep issues, panic attacks, eliminate psoriasis, incurable blood cancer and so, so much more. Through the Wim Hof Method they find and unleash their own personal and unique power.

Now I spend my time acting as a guide, working with individuals and organisations using the breath and the cold to support all areas of wellbeing. It’s a privilege.

 I feel so lucky that this is my life. I will be forever grateful for it all, even the darkness, maybe especially the darkness, because out of that came the cold and the ice, and they led me back to the light.

Sara Dance

Join the Wim Hof adventure:

https://www.wimhofmethod.com/activities/trainer/saradance

Email: info@breathways.co.uk

Website: www.breathways.co.uk

Insta: @breathways