What happens in a yoga class inspired by the Wim Hof Method? Watch the video to find out.
When an instructor says to wiggle your fingers and toes to wake up from savasana, I’m always a little sad. It’s a bit jarring to go into the real world after reaching peak relaxation. Five, a unique practice in Brooklyn created by Danielle McCallum, takes that feeling to the next level—breathwork followed by an ice bath.
In the latest episode of What the Wellness, host Ella Dove takes Five, a class comprised of five parts: yoga, meditation, breathwork, cold exposure, and you. McCallum, a yoga teacher and Wim Hof Method instructor, created Five in part to share the benefits of cold exposure. “Ice baths are good for circulation, they’re good for energy. They decrease inflammation, so that helps with recovery from injuries and illness,” says McCallum. “These are tools that have greatly increased my health, and I wanted to package them together.”
The Wim Hof Method has three parts: training the mind, breathwork, and cold exposure. “The philosophy behind it is that greater health leads to greater happiness,” she says. “When you get out of the tub, you’re going to feel so alive, so invigorated, you’ll feel like super woman.”
The meditation and breathwork—athletic, deep, and fast—are meant to help prepare the body for the cold exposure. Once you’re in the tub, McCallum says you have to maintain that focus on the breath. “When you get in, your breathing will naturally start to speed up as a reaction to the cold, so you’ll want to focus on slowing the breath down, really stretching it out.”
McCallum teaches Five twice a month at the Brooklyn Athletic Club. Each class is limited to eight students and costs $40.
Want to see what else Dove has been up to? Watch her get a $220 ‘royal jelly’ facial fit for a queen, or learn the right way to use a Theragun.
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