One of the most transformative features of this year's wonderful Contact at the Canyons event was the breathwork training given by master teacher Brandon Powell, a certified Wim Hof Method instructor and all-around adventurer, martial arts master, and investigator of the intersection between vortex mathematics, sacred geometry, and human motion and their implications for athletics and injury-free movement. Brandon's new website is being constructed at onphyr.com ("on Fire").
Each morning, Brandon led the group on powerful hour-long breathwork sessions during which we learned some of the basics of the Wim Hof Method of breathing -- you can learn more about those techniques and see free videos and instruction at the Wim Hof website here.
Without "talking it away" too much (since it is really something you have to experience for yourself), the method involves a long series of preparatory deep breaths followed by a complete exhale of all breath and a holding period with no air in the lungs, during which you simply sit (or lie) still and observe what happens for as long as two minutes, before resuming the cycle of deep breaths again.
During this period of being still with no breath, the mind will initially revolt and demand a breath, thinking that your survival depends on it -- but in fact the body can go for quite some time without taking a new breath, having just fueled up on the previous series of deep breaths and partial exhales.
What happens, describing it from my own perspective and using terms pioneered by Dr. Richard Schwartz of the Internal Family Systems therapeutic paradigm, is that the "protective parts" will start saying all kinds of things initially, but then the voice of Self will arrive to say "I've got you" and that you can do this -- and you find yourself going into a deep calm place as if you've been dropped into a deep pool of crystal clear water, where you feel that you can remain calmly almost forever.
You may at this point begin to see some different colors and even shapes and figures -- what those might be is probably best left to each practitioner to experience for himself or herself.
All I will say is that it is a deeply transformative and very powerful practice and I highly recommend investigating it if possible and if interested. There is a wealth of material on Wim Hof's site, and if you want to really experience it I would definitely recommend seeking out an experienced practitioner and trainer such as Brandon.
After the weekend of hikes and star-gazing was almost finished, we had a somewhat impromptu opportunity to experience the other, more famous, aspect of the Wim Hof Method -- cold work involving submersion into a body of cold water.
We were just finishing up our spectacular hikes in Zion Canyon National Park and we availed ourselves of the waters of the Virgin River, which flows down through the basin of the central canyon of Zion Park.
Once again, the experience was very similar to the breathwork described above. Brandon supervised. The waters were cold and flowing at a moderate pace -- enough to cause me to drift while trying to stay submerged. In order to stay beneath the surface, I found it best to go down to the bottom of the river and hug a large boulder, about chest wide, which was covered with a soft coat of moss.
While beneath the surface, I experienced the same feelings that I had felt during the breathwork -- although the breathwork was even more extended and even more transformative. I went down and held the rock for a couple of times, because it felt so peaceful to put the method into actual practice. Afterwords, I and everyone else who had done the cold work in the water felt completely invigorated.
Thank you, Brandon, for sharing this powerful discipline with us during this year's special event -- and thank you to Wim Hof for sharing his discoveries and method with the world!
