2024 marks a turning point for VitalICE.
It's time to turn the page on 6 years of passionate work, and start afresh. No training courses planned, for a time I still don't know... I'll be present on a single partnership from October 4 to 6, 2024 with Clowns Collectifs
Lydie-Anne LAVILLE - Founder VitaICE
We offer workshops, weekends and retreats in exceptional locations. At the heart of these events are two main pillars: the approach to our body and mind, or mindset, via therapeutic methods. The aim of this approach? Well-being and a better understanding of the body and its physiology.
We discover the body's "toolbox" and its archaic survival mechanisms. We try to experience it when it moves, when it warms up; how our mind conditions us. Stress, that powerful friend who becomes an enemy when out of control.
These themes are at the heart of our workshops, and it's through simple, powerful and pragmatic tools such as ice, breathing and movement that we'll explore this wonderful body.
WHY?
The body relies on a balance that it constantly seeks. It also has natural reactions to escape sources of discomfort. It then mobilizes some of our resources such as the "physiological response to cold", by releasing certain hormones, but also the reaction to any stress by activating the cardiovascular system and muscles etc.
We can learn to seek out, control and use its reactions for beneficial purposes. A modern lifestyle, despite all the advantages it offers, tends to take us away from certain sources of discomfort and to make us more and more static, amorphous.
Breathing, cooling and mindfulness activate pathways to reactivate our underutilized body resources. They are shortcuts that instantly connect us to our nervous system. With a few keys, we can then influence and calm it.
People come to discover, learn and/or perfect their approach to the cold; they learn to make better use of their breathing and their mind, and they use movement to fight against our habits (very static positions in particular). The way we live today is not in tune with the way the body works when exposed to the cold. We need to relearn movement in all its dimensions in order to find natural solutions to the cold.
At the start of the VitalICE adventure, we only taught the Wim Hof method. Then, in 2021, we met Roni, and intuitively integrated her into our course.
She's an Israeli teacher trained by Karin Bensabat, a pupil of Ido Portal, founder of #mouvmentculture. Since then, she's been with us on every adventure.
Thanks to her, we will also move our whole body through her exercises of Movement - Animal Flow, her Yoga and intuitive dance classes.
Why do we combine these approaches?
I'd say they're improving each other.
The Wim Hof Method helps us mobilize incredible energy and balance, making the mind clearer and the body more available.
Movement either prepares the body or circulates the energy generated in the body. It helps avoid storing the Cortisol generated by exercise in the tissues.
It helps to "break the ice" between participants through games, to prepare the body properly before cold exercises: in short, it is indispensable to us in one form or another.
Exposure to the cold, Breathing and Movement combined with a well-oriented mind, are extremely complementary in the end.
"I came across Vitalice when I was looking for a place to do a Wim Hof workshop; I was finding sites that were very (too?) well marketed but conveyed an "exploit" or "competition" image that wasn't what I was looking for. Vitalice gave off a more complete, gentle, generous and profound image. And that's exactly what I found!"
The Wim Hof Method: A simple wellness routine to strengthen and reconnect Body & Mind. It's named after its founder, Dutchman Wim Hof.
It is easily and regularly practiced, and consists of 3 powerful pillars:
We originally trained at WHM, and were largely inspired by its energy and principles. Over the years, however, we've brought a broader framework to the table than that imposed by the brand. Our approach is meant to be gentler, more explored than the ice cube bath, safer than what you see on social networks.
We will practice progressively and in symbiosis these 3 pillars during the course. And learn the physiological and scientific principles and keys.
The first pillar of the Wim Hof Method® is breathing. We breathe all day long, but most of us are unaware of the enormous potential of the breath. The specific breathing technique of the Wim Hof Method allows for: more energy, reduced stress levels and a boosted immune response, which results in a faster treatment of pathogens.
The most subtle pillar and certainly the cornerstone of the Wim Hof Method®, but also of any practice: The mind. It is the foundation of the other two pillars: exposure to cold and conscious breathing require patience and dedication to fully master. Armed with focus and determination, you are ready to explore and eventually master your body and mind.
Cold is your warm friend and is one of the three pillars of the Wim Hof® Method. Proper exposure to cold triggers a cascade of health benefits, including the accumulation of brown adipose tissue and resulting fat loss, reduced inflammation that allows for a fortified immune system, balanced hormone levels, improved sleep quality and the production of endorphins that naturally elevate your mood.
It's a set of tools and methods designed to improve mobility and expand the vocabulary of movement. The approach is based on quantity and quality, covering as many parts of the body as possible and seeking mobility, aesthetics and a deeper, more subtle layer of movement.
During a session we move in an intensive and diversified way. This training will adapt to your level by always offering a new challenge. We incorporate different types of exercises and games: cardio, muscle strengthening, mobility, balance, movement in a sequence, gentle acrobatics, breathing, working in pairs, working with objects: balls, sticks etc. and often with music!
It's fun, and challenging at the same time. You become stronger in your body and feel more "complete". You also contribute to your health and rediscover that the more you move, the more you can move.
This approach: the #movementculture is inspired by Ido Portal https://www.idoportal.com, and it is now a culture that is gaining popularity because of its health and mental benefits.
In general, we offer a range of "Movement" practices: Movement Culture, Shadow Yoga, Gaga dance, Animal Flow to broaden and enrich the experience!
"Movement culture represents a contemporary paradigm shift in physicality, moving us away from the main culprits of movement and fitness as well as the separation between health, aesthetics, performance and art."
Ido Portal
Would you like to try out a Wim Hof breathing experience for free, before you start a course? Here is a guide available to show you in 45 minutes how this powerful breathing method can dramatically change your state!
We offer courses mainly in the Rhône-Alpes region and in Sweden.
For any specific request, or information that would not appear on this site, please use the contact form (link below)