Probably a paradox for many, but they do exist: artists who use ice bathing to create their works in the water. One such talent is Luisa Püschel, who continues to impress our community with her photographs and works of art.
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Luisa in self-portrait
My name is Luisa Püschel. I live in the Czech Republic in the varied landscape of the Czech Central Mountains, where there is beautiful and wild nature in the north of Bohemia. The place is called Valkerice and is located near Děčín. I live there with my husband Jakub and we are currently building a 250-year-old farm – as naturally as possible.
I am 28 years old. I have been painting since childhood and have always loved water and nature. I studied at a graphic design school in Prague, but that rather distracted me from creative work. My life process of change, healing and awakening has a long history. I had a bad relationship with myself and also bad relationships with other people.
I have been creating pictures in ice water for five years now
I mostly create paintings of trees of life in connection with nature and the earth, especially in the Bohemian Uplands. I paint them directly on the hills of this landscape, each hill tells its own story – its tree of life. I also paint Tree of Life paintings for families, couples and rooms.
I started ice bathing in 2017. At the time, I was in poor health and energy levels and I was looking for answers by delving deeper into myself and looking at my soul.
Together with my husband Jakub, I discovered that walking barefoot and connecting with the earth brought us improved immunity and answers to health issues as well as changes in our patterns. Suddenly we met like-minded people, including people who also walk barefoot.
In 2017, we focused intensively on our health and immunity. We also came across a documentary about Wim Hof, which deals with general health and body strengthening. Jakub was attracted to the idea of toughening up as he was preparing for a hike to St. James and wanted to sleep in nature instead of relying on pilgrim accommodation.
After Jakub was plagued by a virus or a cold every year and was constantly freezing, he decided to gradually harden his body with cold showers and started going to the lake and walking barefoot. This inspired me and we started walking barefoot together. For me, the result was a connection with a source of energy. Hardening up was also beneficial for Jakub, because he sees it as self-care and self-love. Since he has been hardening his body, he has been healthy.
What made me go into the ice water?
Even though I was barefoot, I still had poorer thermoregulation and occasionally had flu, bladder infections, but I also suffered terribly from asthma and other health issues. In the summer I was overheated and in the winter I had icy limbs and a hot navel area, so I struggled with a lot of inconsistencies in my body related to my blockages and thinking blocks.
So in the winter of 2017, I began to seek a relationship not only with myself, but also with accepting the cold. It was also the year I started to eat differently. I opted for a plant-based diet, got to know it and connected with the wild herbs of our nature that have done me good and continue to do so. Although I had asthma, wild plants paradoxically supported my health.
I felt in the water that ice bathing has an activating power
I felt the activating power of water in winter and felt the call to connect with its purity and strength. As a Pisces, I have always felt a connection to water and began walking barefoot in the snow and taking cold showers. These experiences activated me and helped me find answers and heal myself. In spring 2018, I immersed myself in water in nature for the first time and have not been able to get away from it since. The water gives me strength and positive energy.
I realized that no one can give us health or a happy life. It is up to us to take responsibility for our health and happiness. There are many ways to return to holistic health and one of them is to connect with nature and water.
When we started to approach our health in a different way in 2017, everything started to change. The connection to the earth without shoes and the ice water were part of this change and helped us to solve many problems.
The creations I share are born from the connection with water. Each place of water has its own story, energy and mission, and I visit them to create images.
I created my first painting while ice swimming at the end of November 2019
It all started at the end of November 2019 with the creation of the first painting made of water. I never know what will appear on the canvas, I always let the water speak.
I find it hard to put into words, but water is a living thing that drives people to truth and vitality.
How did you get into ice swimming and how has it changed you?
I create most with water in winter, as it is particularly active at this time. In summer, I tend to be drawn to the mountains and springs with living, clean water. I particularly enjoy painting in the Ore Mountains, where the water is soft and crystal clear. My family also comes from there. I have also painted in other places such as the Adriatic Sea in Croatia or the alpine turquoise ice lakes in Austria.
Every body of water, be it a pond, a river or a waterfall, calls to me and I immerse myself in it to paint. I paint on small canvases over a tray and let the water of the place create a picture with acrylic paints. The colors are chosen by the place itself, and I always take some water from that place to paint with.
How long does it take you to paint a picture in ice water?
I can’t say exactly how long I’m in the water when I’m painting a picture. My husband Jakub sometimes films the painting and then tells me the time. The average time is about 40 minutes, but it can be longer or shorter. The longest time I’ve spent in the water was 1 hour and 20 minutes.
I let myself be guided by the water and always finish the painting in the water without harming my health. I paint at the request of the water and with its permission in order to pass on its healing power.
Since 2019 I have painted almost 40 paintings of different bodies of water and I will continue to work as the water wants and as our connection allows. There is humility, mutual love, understanding and care in dealing with the water.
Do you have tips & tricks for other ice bathers?
I initially tried ice showers, the Wim Hof method and the Buteyko method, but they did nothing for me. However, once I accepted the water for what it was, my body no longer needed any artificial stimulation. I really wanted to go into the cold water that day, so I didn’t do any breathing exercises or warm-up.
The truth is: when we go into ice water, it forces us to breathe more consciously and helps us to find peace, balance and warmth. If we want it and feel like it, we can really accept the cold as a warm friend.
Anyone can try ice water, but you should be careful if you have kidney problems. Thanks to ice water, I no longer have bladder infections or other inflammations that I used to have, but this may not apply to everyone.
It is important to listen to yourself and be aware of your own body in order to find out what is good for you and to be kind to yourself. There is no universal rule for everyone. Everyone is individual and there is no one-size-fits-all recipe for health. Some people prefer regular dips in the water, but I go into the ice water whenever I’m called upon.
What other “hacks” do you do apart from ice bathing?
Everyone should take responsibility for their own life and health without seeing themselves as victims. When we value nature, we also value ourselves, as we are inextricably linked. Our humanity is often influenced by unhelpful beliefs that we need to question in order to make room for something new. Nature and the life around us show us that regeneration and vitality are possible when we live in harmony with nature.
In recent years, we have become so disconnected from nature that we are even becoming ill. It is important to reconnect with nature and take responsibility for our lives in order to heal ourselves. When someone is frequently ill, it indicates a great disconnection from the essence of life. It is time to take action and gradually put the pieces of the puzzle together to allow healing to occur.
What projects do you have planned for the future?
I continue to paint images of water and trees of life that embody the energy of nature. In 2020, I began to connect with people, and so the motif of water expanded to include trees symbolizing life itself. I mainly paint trees in nature, often in the landscape of the Czech Central Highlands. When a hill in the low mountain range calls me, its tree of life appears. If someone wants to paint a tree according to their wishes, I create a tree that supports them and whose history I recreate.
I use these paintings of water and trees at exhibitions, creative festivals and discussions in the Czech Republic. I also cooperate with friendly stores to make gift prints. However, it is not my intention to create only prints, but to bring joy in the form of postcards, magnets, greeting cards or canvas prints. At the end of the year I also create a calendar for the coming year.
I would be fulfilled if there was interest and opportunity to share my creations abroad at exhibitions or friendly creative festivals. I am open to tips and invitations! I would like to exhibit my paintings of water, trees or a combination of both outside the Czech Republic, in Germany, Austria or Switzerland. My paintings can be purchased and each one tells a story about water, landscape, event, space or person.