When I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10)

What does it mean to be “weak”? When you google this term, there are three definitions which pop up:

1)      lacking the power to perform physically demanding tasks, lacking physical strength and energy

2)      liable to break or give way under pressure; easily damaged

3)      lacking intensity or brightness

“Strong” on the other hand has the following definitions:

1)      having the power to perform physically demanding tasks

2)      able to withstand great force or pressure

3)      very intense

How then can I be both at the same time, when clearly the definitions seem to be opposing each other?

Honing in on the second bullet point – this would be what I am saying – “When I give way, or when I allow myself to be hurt, or damaged, then I can withstand great force or pressure.”

This is a concept that can be explained by “hormesis.” Hormesis is a phenomenon by which low doses of stress can lead to greater strength. When we do ice baths and breathwork we are putting our body through doses of stress. The Wim Hof method breathing can be looked at as HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). Having phases of faster breathing which enhance our sympathetic nervous system followed by periods of parasympathetic nervous system, leads to a recalibration of what stress looks like in our bodies. Through these techniques, we are training our cells to become more resilient. The impact is that we become strong, more resilient, and we can take on more stress before we end up cracking or failing.

However, during this process, do we always feel strong? Not really. It is like lifting weights or doing resistance training. When you do a lot of resistance work, you end up tearing micro fibers in your muscles. Given enough time to heal, these fibers end up becoming stronger, which then allow you to carry more weight. This explains the definition based on bullet point 1. It is important to remember that the time to heal is crucial for coming back stronger. Sometimes we do not give the body enough time to heal, and that could lead to more damage than benefit. This is where having an experienced coach is beneficial because the coach can guide you on how to push yourself.

Another analogy would be watching glass being blown. Under the right temperatures, and the speed at which you spin the rod, you can make beautiful glass structures and submerging it into the cold allows for these shapes to stay. At the moments where the glass is being shaped, it is in its weakest state of being fluid like, and then when it is ready to be set, it goes back to being solid again. The glass would be synonymous with the patterning present within our brains and our bodies, and the high temperature would be synonymous with stress. Under the right conditions, we can reprogram our minds and bodies to become more resilient, however it does entail a period of weakness that we have to endure.

It is very common to see people release emotion when they are in an ice bath. This is common after breathwork as well. People tend to express emotions, sometimes emotions they cannot fully understand due to the sheer pain that comes from bad circulation in the body, or releasing pent up emotion that has not been released in a long time. These are moments of very high vulnerability for the individual and should be dealt with the utmost care. It is very hard to cry around people you know, let alone crying around people you do not know. How ever releasing such emotions can be very good for the end goal of becoming stronger. Once again going back to the line – “when I am weak, I am strong,” it helps us understand that releasing our emotions, can in turn help us become stronger people in the long run.

In most societies, crying is considered a weakness. I consider it a strength. Does this mean that we should force ourselves to cry? Absolutely not. However, doing breathwork and ice baths helps us process our emotions better and in turn help us become more comfortable with the way God designed us to be, including challenging societal norms of what weakness looks like. Full acceptance of one self, and honoring our emotions is very important in the process of recognizing what it means to be made in the image and likeness of God.

And last but not the least, I want to share a few lines on the spiritual impact this line has made on me. One of my favorite lines in the Bible is by John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30). The “He” John the Baptist is referring to is Jesus. Going back to the 3rd definition, the more I surrender myself to the ice, and the more comfortable I am with allowing the tension to release from my body through breath, as hard as it can be at times, the more I feel the power of Christ Jesus within me. It is through the emptying of my self-imposed judgements of what I believe I can achieve through my human will, that my attachment to my self-limiting thoughts is weakened. Through the weakening of such thoughts, I am then able to give Jesus more room within myself, to show me what he is capable of doing through me.  It is through him that I experience immense strength both in the ice, when I do my breathwork, and whenever I am challenged in my day-to-day life. For I know that what gets me through these situations is not the limited strength of my humanity but rather the infinite strength of my beloved Lord Jesus Christ.  

Continue to work on your ice baths and your breathwork! You will feel the strength, hopefully through all the three definitions 😊