Befriending Winter Water™
Exclusively at Shou Sugi Ban House
March 2024

RewildRestore x Shou Sugi Ban House

An invitation into the transformative rituals of water and fire

Befriending winter water™
Rituals of water and fire
Mini-retreat, March 4-7, 2024

Registration opens December 2023

I am so excited to bring my winter water practice to Shou Sugi Ban House, one of my most favorite wellness sanctuaries on the planet. Join me here for a luxurious, invigorating immersion in the transformative power of winter sea immersion, complimented by the rituals of our exclusive seaside sauna, hosted by collaborator Kayla Sibilia of Altaer Sauna.

The Befriending Winter Water retreat will ignite your ancestral cells, reminding them of the restorative benefits of Nature as you are invited to explore the depths of Ritual, Self, each other, and untamed presence. You will be immersed in the wild beauty of winter water, ceremony of sound, and the purifying warmth of fire.

Water x Fire

The transition from one extreme temperature to another (contrat therapy)  is restorative for the mind and body, and supported by many heath and wellness benefits.

For me, moving between the extremes of each temperature, gently expanding what the body knows, stands out as an invitation of befriending. Making friends with sensation and things that are beyond what we define as our limits of what our body knows - i.e. too cold or too hot- and the stories we tell ourselves. On the other side, through connection and relationship, is a spontaneous aliveness.

You will come away deeply nourished and perhaps even meet a new version of your fearless self.

  • We begin with an introduction to the magic of the winter sea and a walking-in ritual. I will share my approach to winter water, and the rituals that make water a powerful ally. 

  • Following each cold immersion, we will immerse in warmth, heat, and the companion rituals of fire and sauna, led by Kayla. The rituals of cold and heat will be synchronized, so that we gently go deeper with each round as the elements work their magic into our cells.

  • We take a beat to reflect, and we begin again. With more clarity and exuberance each time.

Image courtesy Shou Sugi Ban House
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  • "My teacher and inspiration. Patricia has changed my life around embracing the cold."

    -Libby DeLana., This Morning Walk

  • “A truly beautiful experience, a gift. A secret, sacred space–offering expansive time to connect deeply with the elements. An imprint, a memory that will last forever.”

    -Sara Auster, sound therapist, meditation teacher and author

  • “Only by venturing into places we’ve never been can we discover parts of ourselves we’ve never known. I was fortunate to have Patricia guide me into the forty degree water with love.”

    — Michelle Fiordaliso., writer and filmmaker

  • "I expected to feel pain, but the only pain I felt was my fear. The water wasn’t cold, it was just different. My fear transformed into a deep trust of my body."

    Caroline S., New York

  • "I believe anyone can become friends with winter water. Cold water can conjure deep, primal, impossible-feeling fear, but on the other side of it awaits joy in equal measure."

    - Patricia Garcia-Gomez, Artist, Creator of RewildRestore

Set yourself up to love it

My 5 winter swimming essentials

These are my go to choices for a safe and joyful winter practice.

The benefits of cold water immersion

My winter swim practice is more about soul than science, but science supports so many great healthy benefits, from increased metabolism and stamina, to more joy (and lessened anxiety and depression).

Patricia Garcia-Gomez, 57: Stamina for all of life’s challenges

The only thing I like better than winter swimming is introducing other people to winter water. How I started and why I keep doing it.

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