Jean Nichols reflects on stepping outside comfort zones through a Sauna Camp polar plunge experience, discussing cold plunges and saunas, community support, and inviting viewers to consider trying something uncomfortable and potentially magical.
Jean Nichols: Today, we're gonna have a little conversation around the getting out of your comfort zone. She went to a place called Sauna Camp in Minneapolis where they cut a hole in the ice of a lake. There's a lot of scientific benefits to cold plunging and sauna ing.
Getting out of our comfort zone helps us to stretch and grow. There are tons of medicinal benefits for cold plunges or taking cold showers and sauna ing. Sometimes it's important to find some people that lift us up or at least a friend that can hold space for us.
Yesterday I co hosted a women's retreat and I'm starting this series called Celebrate you. Two ladies in particular were communicating to me their story about becoming empty nesters. I find so much beauty and so much gratitude in those moments where we just don't know.
What might be something this month that you can do that might be uncomfortable but might be magical at the same time? If there's something that you're considering, type it in the chat. Say yes to the thing. Go for it.
Hello. Hello, Sunday. We're here taking a few seconds for people to come in to join in, making sure Major is appropriately ready in his position to be the support to our time together today. Hello. Welcome. Welcome. It's nice to have you here. It's Sunday. When you're popping in, why don't you type. If you're willing and not driving a car, type in the chat where you're calling in from today, where you're joining us from. My name is Jean Nichols. Sunday. I live in Minneapolis. I am definitely all bundled up, and I will explain why.
But today, on me time, we're gonna have a little conversation around the getting out of your comfort zone. So if you are listening to this live or you're joining in later, I'd love to hear or love to know about a time where you took the plunge and got out of your comfort zone. So today, you'll see I am literally bundled up. I saw my stocking cap on. I'm in a big sweatshirt. I still have my big, warm jacket on. And as I mentioned, I live in Minneapolis, and it's 23 degrees out right now, I think.
So this morning, I had the luxury of joining a bunch of friends of mine who are. Some of us are ambassadors for the Lululemon. And they had an event today, and we got together, and we went to this place called Sauna Camp in Minneapolis. It's actually in a suburb. And at this camp, they cut a hole in the ice of a lake. And if you. If there wasn't any ice and you were walking into the lake, it would probably go up to about your waist, depending on how tall you are. And so they cut a hole into the ice.
They put little ladders, like those ladders that you would use to get something from the cupboards in the kitchen. Just like an indoor small ladder. Three steps. They put two of those in the ice. They actually have two holes cut. And they own a number of saunas. So they look like big round cans with, like, glass pane on one side, and. And they do polar plunges in sauna. So there were 50 of us who were brave enough to get in a pair of shorts and a sports bra or shorts and a T shirt and put wool socks on our feet and go from a hot sauna where you're in it, and it's like 150 to 200 degrees inside there.
And then you walk outside, and you walk your way right into a lake. And then you try to stay in there as long as you can. And sometimes people can stay in there for like 30 seconds and they just like walk in and walk out. I was able to make it for five minutes. I don't know how. It's a lot of breathing and concentrating. And then at the end, a group of us decided we were going to go in all the way. And there's a lot of scientific benefits to cold plunging and sauna ing. I think I need to do more research on it, but I've watched some series on it and I have done some reading on it.
But at the very end, a group of us held hands and we jumped like a cannonball into this hole in the lake and went all the way under. And I feel like I can't even hold my phone right now because it's still shaking. Good morning, Jules. So getting out of our comfort zone. I will honestly tell you I last night was having a whole bunch of different thoughts go through my head. I was nervous for many reasons. It was going to be cold. We were going to be in swimsuits or shorts and sports bras. And I just didn't want to be the person to freak out with everybody and everything that I thought in my head about what the experience is going to be.
Thank you for sending me. Warmth was not it. And it was fun. We had fun. People were telling stories, people were laughing. Everybody was supporting one another in going into this lake. It's a frozen lake, and doing this plunge and staying in there as long as you think you can. And then when you're ready, you get out and then laughing about it when we're sitting in the sauna and cheering each other on as somebody prepares to go take the plunge. And it really turned out to be a very community oriented event and experience.
Experience. I'm so grateful that I had that experience and I was able to do it again. There are tons of medicinal benefits for cold plunges or taking cold showers and sauna ing. Infrared saunas are also a really great big thing that are happening. I feel like I can't even talk straight. I'm still so cold. So if my words are off, I apologize. But sometimes I think it's really important to find some people that lift us up or at least a friend that we can go with that can hold space for us and do something that we're not sure we can do.
Whether it's a cold plunge in a lake or cold plunge anywhere. Maybe it's going skiing, maybe it's walking into a mall, because sometimes that can be overwhelming for people. But what's important about it is that we Just don't have to do it always alone, you know. And getting out of our comfort zone helps us to stretch and grow. I mean, think about a simple thing like a caterpillar. A caterpillar goes into a cocoon and at some point in time it decides to break out of that cocoon because it's grown and it's evolved and a butterfly couldn't fly if it didn't actually have to break its own way out of the cocoon.
So part of it getting stronger with its wings. When things break out of shells, it's their rite of passage to find strength and courage. So when we do things to get out of our comfort zone, Major, are you out of your comfort zone? When we do things to get out of our comfort zone, it just helps us to grow and unique ways and it helps us to identify opportunities to step into our own possibilities. Yesterday I co hosted a women's retreat and I'm starting this series called Celebrate you. And it was really, at one point in time I stepped out of the room and I was just, I was crying.
I was crying because I was so overjoyed and so filled with gratitude for all the people that had shown up yesterday and the stories that they were willing to share. And even at the end when I was talking to some of the people that attended the event, they were talking about how, you know, two ladies in particular were communicating to me their story about becoming empty nesters. And they got really emotional and they were talking to me about how, or sharing with me how they have invested so much time in their families and their children and the thought that their last child be going to college and in six months they wouldn't know what to do and didn't know really who they were anymore.
They knew they were moms, they knew they were beautiful people. But a significant role of which they played in their life was transitioning to something very different. And so when we think about that, they, they randomly found my event the night before they signed up and they came and they didn't really read the agenda. Well, one of the two didn't. And so they didn't know what they were getting into and they took the plunge. They just signed up for something, they did it together, they came, they had an experience and they walked out of there having a really cool experience.
And then they went to lunch and they could continue the conversation about their journey through the three hour event that they had just gone through. And I just, I find so much beauty and so much gratitude in those moments where we just don't know. But we find ourselves walking through the door anyway, and we find ourselves taking that moment to simply stretch our wings, to break through that shell, break out of that cocoon and see what strength and beauty that we have. So on this Sunday, I'm gonna keep it short, partially because I can't stop shaking and I'm accidentally holding my phone.
I just want to share with you or I want to ask you, like, what might be something this month or this next month that you can do that that might be uncomfortable but might be magical at the same time? So if there's something that you're considering, type it in the chat. The minute you put it into the universe, magic happens. So type it out here. What will that be for you? Maybe it'll be a polar plunge or a sauna. Maybe it'll be something totally different. Taking a painting class. What will get you a little uncomfortable?
Because in that comfort, in that discomfort. And that's where we stretch. That's where we spread our wings, and that's where we can fly. So my wish for you and me time today is to just fly. Say yes to the thing. Go for it. Tag me in a comment. If you're in Minneapolis, I'll go with you. But most importantly, show up for yourself. I hope you have the best day. Stay warm.
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