我在北京冬泳

文/ 何彥斯 譯/史聰一

在中國(guó)已經(jīng)有一段時(shí)間了，2019年秋天，我突然意識(shí)到：自己需要一個(gè)地方來(lái)冬泳。我很佩服那些冬泳人士，能夠在嚴(yán)寒中堅(jiān)持自身愛(ài)好。然而，我卻從未想過(guò)有一天能真正成為其中的一員。

冬泳想法受維姆·霍夫啟發(fā)。當(dāng)你年過(guò)五旬之時(shí)，生活方式也需要變得更為健康，因?yàn)檫@將使衰老的過(guò)程變?yōu)橐环N“享受”。2010年我戒煙了，因?yàn)槲乙庾R(shí)到每天兩包煙對(duì)我的身體來(lái)說(shuō)太多了。我從瑜伽和冥想開(kāi)始。維姆·霍夫的方法包括三個(gè)方面：暴露在冷水中、呼吸以及伸展運(yùn)動(dòng)。

每日，我堅(jiān)持僅用冷水洗澡2—3次。持續(xù)了一年之久后，在2019年10月，我準(zhǔn)備好進(jìn)入下一階段：將自己浸泡在室外的冷水中。生活就是這樣，當(dāng)你真正需要什么的時(shí)候，它就自然而然地來(lái)了。在北京頤和園內(nèi)，我把腳浸在池塘里，走到了一處小亭，遇到了四位同行的女士，此時(shí)，已臨近冬日，于是我索性走上前去，詢(xún)問(wèn)她們這里可有冬泳之處。四位女士都想告訴我地點(diǎn)在何處，卻分別指向四個(gè)不同的方向。緊接著，突然從樓梯下方出現(xiàn)一位男士，他已上了年紀(jì)，并詢(xún)問(wèn)我是真的想冬泳還是隨便問(wèn)問(wèn)。在得到肯定答復(fù)后，他帶著我前往，我吃力地跟著他矯健的步伐。其間，他告訴我他已年逾六旬，過(guò)往幾年一直在冬泳。我望著他，才意識(shí)到他有多么健碩，臉上也洋溢著喜悅之情。終于，我們來(lái)到了冬泳之處。我跟他說(shuō)，因?yàn)榻裉鞗](méi)帶泳衣，所以我要回去適應(yīng)幾天，之后再來(lái)這里冬泳。隨后我們便互相加了微信，約定下一次一起冬泳的時(shí)間。

11月初，我第一次將自己的身體緩緩浸入頤和園的運(yùn)河之中。在景區(qū)之外，有少數(shù)游泳愛(ài)好者們，正在為一年之中的冬泳時(shí)刻做著準(zhǔn)備。有些人穿著泳褲站在周?chē)?，好讓他們的身體沐浴秋日的暖陽(yáng)。就在這樣一個(gè)11月的下午，水溫11.5攝氏度。最令人驚嘆的是，這些上了年紀(jì)的人們展現(xiàn)給我的是樂(lè)觀的心態(tài)與容光煥發(fā)的精神狀態(tài)。而我也能感覺(jué)到他們是多么快樂(lè)、積極和健康。也許，這對(duì)他們來(lái)說(shuō)就是汲取能量，并來(lái)到戶(hù)外的原因。為了讓身體做好潛水的準(zhǔn)備，我在去運(yùn)河的路上就完成了30至50次深呼吸。根據(jù)維姆·霍夫的方法，這樣能使身體充滿(mǎn)活力并抵抗寒冷。我脫下衣服，穿上泳褲，讓自己下到水里。隨后，我浸入大約兩米深的水中，并不停地深呼吸。記得自己曾看過(guò)一個(gè)來(lái)自“Yes-project”的視頻，主角曾在波蘭與維姆·霍夫一同訓(xùn)練，并在冰冷的水中停留了大約十分鐘。因此，我知道自己正在做的事情是可能實(shí)現(xiàn)的，即使對(duì)于像我這樣未經(jīng)訓(xùn)練的人也是如此。11.5攝氏度的水溫并沒(méi)有我在視頻中看到的溫度那般低。在接下來(lái)的幾周中，我不斷來(lái)到這里，慢慢地人們開(kāi)始認(rèn)識(shí)我，而我也認(rèn)識(shí)了他們中的一些人。他們走近我，并問(wèn)我一些客套話：“你來(lái)自哪個(gè)國(guó)家？”“你來(lái)中國(guó)多久了？”“你在哪里工作？”“你幾歲了？”“你叫什么名字？”這些問(wèn)題是從后往前依次問(wèn)的。

Being in China a good while, it occurred to me in autumn 2019 that I need a place where I could go winterswimming. I adored the walrus people where they practiced their hobby in the cold, but I never thought of actually being one of them to one day.

The idea came from Wim Hof. When you are in your 50s, it is time to adjust your life to a more healthy lifestyle, that would make aging more enjoyable. In 2010 I quit smoking because I realized that two packs a day were too much for my body. I started with yoga and meditation. Wim’ method consists of three pillars: cold water exposure, breathing and exercises like stretching.

After taking only cold showers twice or three times a day for one year I was finally ready in October 2019 to get to the next step: immersing myself into the cold water outside. And as always in life: when you really need it, the occasion will jump out. I was walking in the Summer Palace here in Beijing barefoot after I had dipped my feet in a pond when I encountered a group of four ladies in one of the pavilions that were built as bridges. I approached them and asked if they knew a place where I could go swimming during the coming winter. Each of the four ladies gave me different directions as of where the place was. Then suddenly from the foot of the stairs an older bold man jumped out and asked me if I really mean it and want to go swimming? He lead the way in a speed where I had problems following. He told me that he was over 60 and had done winter-swimming for the last couple of years. Looking at him I realized how fit and healthy he was. And the happy smile on his face never disappeared. When we finally arrived at the water-place I told him that I had not brought a swimsuit today but that I would come back in a couple of days and jump in. We exchanged our wechat so that we could stay in touch and make an appointment for the next time we would meet for swimming.

Beginning of November it was the first time that I let my body slowly into the water of the canal that leads to the Summer Palace. Just outside of the Historical Side there were a handful of swim enthusiasts that were getting ready for the cooler time of the year. Some were standing around in swim trunks letting their bodies be warmed by the autumn sun. The water had 11.5 degrees Celsius this November afternoon. The most stunning thing was the very positive and radiant vibes that these senior citizens gave me. I could sense how happy, positive and healthy they were. Just being here and absorb their energy was a good reason to come out. To prepare my body for the dive I had taken 30-50 deep breath on my way to the canal. According to the Wim Hof method this would energize the body and make it resistant the cold. I undressed myself, put on my swimming trunks and went down to the water. Letting myself glide into the about two-meter deep water I kept breathing deep slow breaths. I had seen a video from the “Yes-project”who had trained with Wim Hof in Poland and had stayed in the freezing water for about ten minutes. So I knew what I was doing was possible, even for an untrained person like me. And todays eleven and a half degree were not as low as what I had seen in the video. For the next weeks I kept coming back and slowly people got to know me and I got to know some of them. Then some of the other simmers approached me and asked the “normal” questions: “From which country are you?”“How long have you been here in China?” “Where do you work?” “How old are you?” “What’s your name?”The order of the questions is about right.

之后的日子里，氣溫進(jìn)一步下降，直到1月初的最低點(diǎn)：0.6攝氏度。從那以后，氣溫又緩慢而平穩(wěn)地回升了。這個(gè)冬天，我的個(gè)人紀(jì)錄是在0.6攝氏度的水中浸泡了6分鐘，而拍攝裝置則是我新買(mǎi)的Gopro8。我加入了由這群中國(guó)泳者們組成的冬泳隊(duì)，并在隊(duì)中上傳了15秒的活動(dòng)視頻。這樣人們便知道我就是“何老師”，并很快就會(huì)來(lái)問(wèn)我各種各樣的問(wèn)題。當(dāng)一個(gè)不在我們微信群里的人像往常一樣叫我的“外國(guó)名字”時(shí)，很快便被另一位新認(rèn)識(shí)的同學(xué)打斷說(shuō)：“這是何老師”，而我的臉上則露出了感激的笑容。人們需要時(shí)間來(lái)包容與接納。這里的文化和習(xí)俗，我很久以前就下定決心要接受。不久后，我正式成為冬泳隊(duì)的一員，他們給了我一頂橙紅色的游泳帽，上面寫(xiě)著冬泳隊(duì)的名字，作為加入隊(duì)中的標(biāo)志，我每周都會(huì)進(jìn)行2—3次冬泳，大多集中在周末。之后，我會(huì)乘坐公交車(chē)，并走完剩下的兩公里，或者，我會(huì)從家一路走過(guò)去，路程為十公里，大約需要兩個(gè)小時(shí)。

在我看來(lái)，除了浸泡，同其他志趣相投的人聊天，也是保持年輕和健康的一種方式。一些人在冬泳前把各種各樣的油涂抹在身體上。當(dāng)水變得異常寒冷之時(shí)，我會(huì)感覺(jué)我的手指和腳趾幾乎凍僵，于是我決定采取兩種措施：我拿了淺藍(lán)色的手套和襪子/鞋子，同時(shí)帶了一個(gè)暖水瓶，里面裝著溫水，讓它流過(guò)我?guī)缀鮾鼋┑纳眢w。所以，身體的活動(dòng)是必要的。因此，你會(huì)經(jīng)常看到年長(zhǎng)者們匆匆趕回家或去汽車(chē)站。沒(méi)人會(huì)去喝任何東西。最重要的是：不要飲酒！

冬泳的觀念，深深植根于中國(guó)的傳統(tǒng)之中。照顧好身體并保持健康，在中國(guó)社會(huì)中有著舉足輕重的地位。很多老年人都會(huì)在寒冷的天氣中游泳。

Temperatures dropped further until the lowest point in the beginning of January: 0.6 degree Celsius. From that on it slowly but steadily climbed up again.

My personal record this winter were six minutes in 0.6 degree Celsius water which I also recorded with my newly bought Gopro 8. I had been added to the Chinese winter-swimmers group where I posted some fifteen second video-clips of my activities. This way people got to know me as “Teacher He” and soon would approach me asking all sorts of questions. When one of them who wasn’t in the wechat group called me the usual: “Foreigner” by name, soon one of the initiated jumped in and corrected: “This is Teacher He”, which put a grateful smile on my face. It takes time to be tolerated and maybe accepted. The cultures and customs which a long time ago I decided to accept. Soon I was officially one of the Winter-swimmers-group, and as an out-ward signal for that I was given an orange-red swim cap with the group’s name on it. For my weekly to or three plunges,mostly at the end of the week and weekends, I would take a bus and then walk the remaining two km or I would walk all the way from my home, which would take about two hours for ten kilometers.

現(xiàn)在，已經(jīng)是2022年了，這是我在北京冬泳的第三個(gè)年頭。新冠肺炎的大流行表明：健康是多么重要。大多數(shù)人認(rèn)為細(xì)菌和病毒對(duì)人類(lèi)有害，其實(shí)它們是我們身體的一部分，還能夠幫助我們生存。真正的敵人并不是病毒和細(xì)菌，而是壓力、快餐以及缺乏或從未被鍛煉過(guò)的身體。我認(rèn)為這是我教學(xué)工作的一部分，需要為學(xué)生和同事們樹(shù)立榜樣。當(dāng)他們看到我做瑜伽、普拉提、體育訓(xùn)練及冬泳時(shí)，他們便會(huì)提出問(wèn)題，說(shuō)不定到時(shí)候他們也會(huì)跟隨我的腳步，找到自己的健康生活方式，這就是充實(shí)和平衡生活的基礎(chǔ)。

這里每天都有200多名上了年紀(jì)的男性和女性來(lái)冬泳，每個(gè)冬泳者都有自己來(lái)這里的深層原因。我把每天去南門(mén)（我們?cè)陬U和園的南門(mén)冬泳）的行程稱(chēng)為“訪醫(yī)之旅”。這也是“醫(yī)生”的天職：?jiǎn)栐\并不取決于你的醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)、社會(huì)地位或銀行賬戶(hù)余額。清澈翠綠的河水，無(wú)償?shù)亓飨蚰切┬枰笆芤妗迸c“良藥”的人們。大自然（天性）是豐富的。這并不是一些西方思想家為了維持其優(yōu)越感與活力而發(fā)明的社會(huì)達(dá)爾文主義。當(dāng)你僅僅環(huán)顧四周的大自然——你會(huì)看到樹(shù)木在春暖中欣欣向榮，為路人提供大量的果實(shí)，而你要做的，僅僅是采摘。

Some rub their body with all different kinds of oil before swimming. When the water got really cold I felt my fingers and toes nearly frozen and so decided to take two measures: I got light-blue gloves and sock/shoes and I brought a thermos-bottle with warm water that I would let flow over my nearly frozen body-parts.Moving your body is essential. You would often see old people rushing back to their homes or to the bus-station.Nobody takes anything to drink. And most of all: no alcohol!

The idea of swimming in winter is deeply rooted in Chinese tradition. Caring for the body and staying healthy plays and important role in the Chinese society. Mostly older people are doing the swimming in the cold. Besides the water it’s the chat with other like-minded who keeps people young and healthy, I think.

Now its 2022. It’s my third winter in the water in Beijing.Events in the world show how important health is. Bacteria and viruses that most people consider dangerous to humans are part of our body and help us to live. The real enemies are not viruses and bacteria but stress, fast food and not enough or even no physical activity with our body. I consider it as part of my teaching work to be an example for students and colleagues. When they see me doing yoga, Pilates, physical training and winter swimming they ask questions and maybe in time they will follow and find their own way of leading a healthy life that is the basis of a fulfilled and balanced life.

These daily 200 older men and ladies who seek the kick of the cold are not mainstream. Each of us winter swimmers has its own deep rooted reason why he or she takes the plunge into the icy water day and day again. I call the daily ride to South-Gate (that’s where we swim,the Southgate of the Summer Palace) my visit to the doctor. Its doctor Nature. Visits are not depending on your health-insurance nor on your social status nor on your bank balance. Free of charge the clear emerald water flows for everyone who needs its benefits and medicine.Nature is abundant. Its not the Social-Darwinism that some western thinkers invented to keep the elbow-society alive. When you just look into nature around you- you will see blossoming trees in spring and the same trees offer the passer by an abundance of fruits that you just need to pick.