This may not be the proper forum for this, so please move this post as needed.
Today, I did a 1:1 cold weather training seminar with a good friend who is a yoga and meditation instructor, David Magone. David's meditation and yoga training goes back many years to Tibet where he spent several years living and learning from a group of monks.
Today, David agreed to share with me a set of skills he learned over the years of meditating in the snow fields near Tibet wearing only a light layer of clothing.
Fortunately for me, the closest David could replicate snow field meditation was taking me on an 2hr hike in near freezing temps dressed in a t-shirt, followed by a 2.5 min neck deep submersion in an ice-covered lake.
Training began with a quick overview of the dangers, signs and symptoms of hyperthermia and frostbite and techniques for keeping warm. At about 2pm we began the hike using a series of muscle contraction techniques to keep warm and avoid shivering. About an hour later, I was taught how to generate heat in my feet as I stood with no shoes or socks on a frozen lake for 4 minutes - generating so much heat that the ice melted away under me. As soon as my shoes were back on, we proceeded to hike fairly slowly for another hour before agreeing that the time was now to dress down to swimming trunks and walk into the lake where the ice was recessed.
The most interesting element of the ice plunge was breathing. David explained hyperventilation, and how to work through it to regain control of my breathing. Just like he said, after hyperventilating for just a few seconds, my breathing settled into a comfortable pace and I stood there, every muscle contracted, for another 2.5 minutes.
As the clock hit the 2.5 minute mark, I walked out of the lake definitely feeling the effects of reduced muscle dexterity. After getting dressed in prepacked layers, first covering my core and then my legs, we were back to hiking at a faster pace, knowing that our bodies would cool down further before warming back up.
As we got back to the parking lot, I felt energized, clear minded and totally warm.
So, what does all this have to do with the Pistol Forum?
As I continue to do various cold weather adaptation exercises, I expect to wear fewer layers of winter clothing giving me faster access to my concealed carry gun. The ability to resist shivering and keeping my hands warm without gloves, may also contribute to better cold weather shooting performance.
At least I hope so....
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