Levelling Up

Becoming a Level 2 Wim Hof Instructor may not have meant studying science and physiology for 7 months straight as I did at Level 1 but it was no walk in the park.

To be able to qualify you must have run at least 10 Official Fundamentals Workshops, have over 10 testimonials and an average of 5 Stars (the top score), to be knowledgeable about advanced breathing techniques, understand and learn how to plan and guide safe winter travels and to be familiar with all of the new clinical studies that are complete or in the works.

I ran 11 workshops in total, I have 20 testimonials that are so touching and empowering, they make me cry when I read them (all 5 stars)- I invite you to go see what people are saying about my workshops – use this link. I completed the Power Of The Mind, which is an incredible course, maybe the best I have done to date and one which I will revisit over and over again to learn more about myself.

It is all about deepening my own practice so I can lead others in this journey too.

Those that follow me on social media will have seen me doing daily cold exposure, either walking the dog or in the river or ice. I also began hiking much more this year, exploring the Bulgarian countryside like never before and it has made me realize how much I have missed the mountains and being alone in nature. It helps me to connect in a way that is difficult to explain unless you experience it for yourself.

But as with many things, when you work so hard and you get so close to success, life puts little hurdles in your way to create waves. This was no exception.

Following my last workshop in November I injured my back and just when I thought it was time to start full-time training for my level 2, I was now in too much pain to train … this set off a cascade of reactions, self-doubt and self-sabotage. Should I even go to Poland? Was I good enough to do this? Was the universe trying to tell me something?

Well if it was whispering to me in November, when it got to December it started to raise its voice a little.

My friend came to visit and brought the dreaded lurgy with him. He was ill for nearly all of his stay and myself and Dan took over part way through. It lingered a while, but we both have pretty sturdy immune systems and so we ploughed on and I tried really hard to block out that voice once more but found it tough to train.

In January that voice stopped talking and started screaming at the top of its lungs at me to just ‘give in’!

As most of you know I started this journey because I developed blood clots in my legs due to the covid vaccine. The pain was so bad that I couldn’t stand getting out of bed, so I googled natural pain management and discovered the Wim Hof Breathing technique and very shortly afterwards the gradual cold exposure – the rest is history.

Until it isn’t. You see the bout of covid I had in December was the gift that kept on giving and it left me with another clot in my right leg… what was different this time was, I had almost completed the Power of the Mind course and instead of giving in, it just made me more determined. The first thing I said to my doc was ‘can I fly’? Can I climb a mountain in my shorts and can I dunk myself in a waterfall… with the caveat that I wear a support stocking it was a resounding yes.

The day I got the diagnosis, was the day of the Level 2 training webinar. I sat on the train listening to the enthusiasm and connections being made all over the world and decided, clot or not I was going to Poland.

I let the instructor team know, so they were aware I had an issue and to make sure they were happy for me to give it a shot. The response – ‘intention is everything’! So off I went.

I did everything. I danced, I sat on a yoga mat for long periods of time, I walked up and down long, high stairs into the river, sat in the river for extended periods, sauna and icebath, waterfall dips and of course climbing the mountain in my shorts and bra top.

The cold exposure was good, even soothing. Even the carrying of snowballs in my hands as I climbed the mountain was exhilarating…but around 15 mins from the top my leg stopped working. It went like lead, like carrying a lump of wood up the mountain with me, it was a passenger and not helping me with the climb.

Marc (@break_the_ice_bowers give him a follow on Instagram-he’s the reason i have the Hat of Power), noticed me slipping back through the pack and knew I was in trouble. He’s my friend so he knew what I was going through. He offered to carry my backpack but I was determined to do it by myself… he knows how stubborn I can be so let me go on.

Aaron (@thewolf_ie) behind me shouted ‘you got this Jane’ and although he had no idea what was going on, I knew he was right.

Ingmar (@ingmarcreutzburg someone I had never met before this adventure) walked beside me the rest of the way as I explained to him what was going on and he listened, heard me, saw my determination and just kept me company. This is him winning Best Sports Provider for his Tiger Gym in the Netherlands just after leaving camp… what a star!

These guys from so many different places, all with their own battles to conquer, stood beside me and supported me when I needed it the most.

But I fucking did it and a little rest at the top and a hot chocolate meant the descent was a sinch …thanks to Mike (@mikemol_  a lovely guy whose trumpet I didn’t hear on level 1, when he was working for the academy – check out the story here) for shouting me the drink. As prepared as I was, I still forgot to take money with me ha ha…

This family I am a part of is incredible. There are way too many to mention here but here are just a few Marc (flamingo) Bowers, Lina the queen, Fabio my forever buddy, Ingmar the boom box, Thierry the smooth Frenchie, Fede the gentle Argentinian, Petra the knife, Irene the perfect roomie, Marta the latino Pole, Brice the videographer etc etc etc… and of course I couldn’t end without thanking the instructor team of Bart Pronk (I’m a fucking brown fat expert), Matt Soule (I make difficult stuff sound easy) and Michelle Moroney (An endless depth of knowledge & soul).

It is hard to put into words just how much love there is in the world if you just let it in and let go of status, competition and limiting self-belief and realize that people see you so differently than you see yourself.

Be You, Be Free, Just Be!

If anyone wants to get started with the breathing, to explore your own inner world – there is a free session I recorded here – enjoy.