6:30 a.m. Saturday, April 5th – I’m leaving for Toulouse. I pick up Marie in Tournefeuille, who’s waiting for me, and we head to Foix. Marie and I don’t know each other yet. We talk so much that we miss the exit for Foix and we’re heading for Carcassonne. Shit!

 We’ve lost an hour. We send a message to Thibaut: His instant response: no worries, we’re waiting for you. A few kilometers from Foix, in this tiny village clinging onto the mountain, we’re going to spend two extraordinary days.

I’ve been dreaming about this for several years: discovering Wim Hof’s ​​breathing and ice baths. I only knew videos of those weeks in Poland where participants are coached to breathe in a special way, so powerful that they emerge changed, having experienced a breakthrough in their way of being.

Those same participants will take ice baths, they will also hike for several hours in the snow, bare-chested and in shorts, to reach a summit. And all this expend their consciousness, to strengthen the immune system and make it better able to withstand the stresses of everyday life, whether mental or physical. Whether with viruses or chronic illnesses. Reducing the inflammation in the body created by stress is the goal.

And now, I’m the participant. For several years, and every year, I did two or three week-long fasts with only water, when Geoff was away, and I never felt in danger at all. I received undeniable benefits in terms of well-being and vitality.

 But here, it’s different. I feel like I can’t just take an ice bath without knowing what I’m doing. I don’t want to get sick.

In the few hours following our arrival, Marie and I are introduced to the science behind the Wim Hof ​​method. Personally, I don’t need to understand how it works. The fact that it works is enough for me. But it’s still interesting. It’s even more than that actually; it’s fascinating. Sitting on the floor on our yoga mats, in a lovely little renovated stone room, a huge window opposite offers us a breathtaking view of the valley, while Thibaut as cool as a cucumber talks us through it all.

We then prepare for the first breathing session. I tried it several times last year, lying on my bed, but I didn’t get any particular results. I was able to hold my breath for a minute without difficulty, and I concluded that I was missing some essential elements.

 Indeed, during this first breathing exercise, punctuated by Thibaut’s voice, I feel tingling all over my legs and arms. Something is happening, that’s for sure. At the end of the exercise, I feel lighter, soothed. Yet I came here feeling light and confident. It was as if I had accessed another level of consciousness, barely perceptible but very real. When I was young, it was hashish, but I quickly gave it up: I enjoy my feet on the ground more than anything….

After lunch, we prepare for the ice bath with slow, conscious belly breathing. We practice positive visualization. During these activities, there’s always a fluid dialogue, some sharing, opinions, discussions… My experience of these moments is very gentle, sometimes funny, and always kind and respectful.

In my chest-deep icy water, I concentrate on my breathing, but after a minute, I start laughing because it’s so easy! Oh yeah?  I lose my concentration and start shivering from the cold, which is time to get out and warm up. I lasted a minute and a half.

 Marie, who, unlike me, hates the cold and is truly afraid of it, lasted two minutes. Well done girl!

The next morning, we do another round of breathing, but this time it is longer and harder. We talk about “MIND-SET” as one of the three pillars and the most important one in the Whim Hof ​​method, the other two being BREATHING and ICE BATHS.

And then we go for a long circle walk in the mountains around the village. The weather is beautiful, the steep terrain is harsh, and I return exhausted but feeling good. Luckily, the 20+ km walk Thibaut originally had planned was replaced by a shorter one so we wouldn’t have returned to Toulouse too late. It’s a stroke of luck because I would never have lasted another kilometer. For Thibaut and his partner, both seasoned athletes, they are like two goats in the mountains.

During this outstanding scenic walk, Thibaut talks about his plans: sharing his life changing Whim Hof ​​experience in this superb wilderness. Lauriane stands by him and supports him in his project while searching for her own: What will her professional future be, what will her path be… two beautiful people so mature, so real and yet so young. I have no doubt that they will both succeed.

As we’re walking down, I share my projects at the farm. A farm bought when we retired because, among other things, it had large barns that could be converted into a meeting place. What kind of meetings? I didn’t know exactly, but meetings that would be enriching for the heart… that much I knew. We’re halfway through the renovation works. Two more years, maybe three.

 I can easily imagine Thibaut coming down to us to spend weekends here coaching… it’s perfect.

Before returning to Toulouse, Marie and Lauriane will soak their hands and feet in a bowl of ice cubes for two minutes. They both really suffer from their extremities when it’s cold or hot and they seem to find comfort in thinking that perhaps by being consistent they could transform their discomfort…

The return to Toulouse is uneventful. I drop Marie off and take the ring road towards Lavaur, where my cousin Catherine has prepared dinner for both of us. We have a lot to share: We are on the same wavelength on a lot of controversial subjects and we always have a ball whenever we meet.

 When I leave her just before 11pm, I am taking her Jean-Jacques Charbonier’s book: The Hidden Powers of the Invisible: Breathtaking revelations obtained through hypnosis about the afterlife, unexplained healings, memories of places, and extraterrestrial worlds. I can’t help but think of Lauriane’s father, who is very ill…

 I’m going to devour this book in the coming days, and like Thibaut, who wants to share his life-changing experience, I too want to shout to anyone willing to listen: go read these testimonies, and dare to try the experience yourselves… I’ve already signed up for a workshop in Toulouse, in December of this year… My next adventure has already begun… life is beautiful.