Deep Breath, Deep Freeze.
This chapter is all about cold exposure and breath work. Aubrey heavily references Wim Hof, a cold immersion and breathing guru to put it mildly and Dr Rhonda Patrick who has an intimate understanding of the effects of hot and cold on the mind and body.
Breathing (Wim Hof method) - Take 30-50 power breaths, in through the nose or mouth and in to the belly with deep, powerful breaths. Exhale without additional effort, just let the chest fall. Keep the pace steady and deep. You should do this until you start to feel slightly light headed or a tingling sensation in your extremities, the aim is not to get to the point of passing out, which certainly can happen! After your 30-50 breaths, fully exhale and hold the empty breath for as long as you can without it being uncomfortable, again passing out is a real risk, don't push this early or do it with a partner. By doing this you will not only insight mindfulness through deliberate breathing, you will also cause your body to produce adrenaline and norepinephrine, which is partly what your morning coffee does.
Cold - The cold is great for your mental fortitude, reduces the effects of inflammation (remember some inflammation is good) and activates your cold shock proteins.
The aim is not to set records immediately, Aubrey provides a prescriptive guide for working your way up. Start your shower in a normal fashion and clean your vehicle etc. (the etc. is up to you), complete your breathing exercises and then aim to drop the shower temperature all the way down and aim to tolerate this for 3 minutes, you may rinse and repeat. you can alternate between hot and cold water to break the session up.
*Note that this can take up to 10 minutes and is a little indulgent, we suggest you complete your breathing exercises pre or post shower to avoid water waste.
The level up from this for the savages out there is to fully immerse in cold by utilising an ice bath, although there are obvious benefits we will leave you to research this as it can become impractical unless you have an industrial ice machine. The aim here is to give you tips that you can easily action at home.