Breath, Ice & Pain

BREATH & ICE Can Help PAIN👌🏼🥶⚕️

In the study posted above, “Modulation of Pain Sensitivity by a Hyperventilatory Breath Exercise and Cold Exposure Training” Zwaag, et al. published earlier this week, it was explored how BREATH & ICE (cold exposure) can modify PAIN.

Pain is a fascinating topic, and I’ve gone as far down the pain science rabbit hole as anyone. This paper supports many theories I’ve held for quite a while. We have the capacity to improve/modulate our pain experience. As I began working with patients early in my Physiotherapy career, I found that many factors contributed to pain, but one stuck out greater than the rest… STRESS.

This led me down a pain-science and mind/body/breath rabbit hole, to learn how different tools, techniques and modalities can help release stress, and in doing so, reduce pain.

One of the primary tools I’ve used has been the method and other similar mindfulness based stress reduction meditation and breath techniques.

For years, I’ve seen the positive impact of breath and ice on pain, through hundreds of patients improving their experience through these practices.

To get support through research papers like the one above only furthers what I’ve known for a long while, “the work works”.

Our minds and bodies are resilient. We have the capacity to modulate pain. We have the capacity to improve our pain experience.

Breath, cold-exposure, nature, exercise, mind/body, emotional health. This is the way of the future of healthcare and pain support. Grateful for this study to help keep the momentum going!

And while the science is powerful, there’s nothing quite like experiencing it for yourself.

That’s why I host regular in-person breathwork and ice bath sessions—to give people a chance to feel these shifts in real time, in a safe and supportive space. Whether you’re new to cold exposure or returning for your next reset, these events are designed to help you reconnect with your body, regulate your nervous system, and walk away feeling more grounded, clear, and alive.

We breathe together. We plunge together. And we remind ourselves what it means to feel fully present—in community.

👉 Join an upcoming event near you — your next breakthrough might be just one breath (or ice bath) away.

- JT