HOT & COLD
W L HEALTH
HOT & COLD
Two Experts. Two Disciplines. One Common Goal: Building a Healthier Mind and Body
BY ANDY NEWTON LEE
Hot and cold may seem like complete opposites, but both have become increasingly recognised as tools for supporting physical health, mental wellbeing and resilience. While hot yoga develops discipline, focus and self-awareness through movement and breath, cold exposure offers an opportunity to understand how we respond to stress and learn to regulate the nervous system.
For this feature, I met two of the UK ' s wellness practitioners who have each dedicated their careers to helping others through their chosen disciplines.
Michelle Shenton is an internationally recognised Bikram / 26 & 2 Yoga Teacher, whose career has taken her around the world. Since qualifying in 2014, she has helped thousands of students discover the benefits of hot yoga, breath work and mindful movement.
Kevin O’ Neill is the founder of Breatheolution, a methodology centred on breath, cold exposure and understanding human stress responses. Since 2020, he has guided more than 4,000 people through cold-water therapy and nervous system training.
Although their approaches are very different, both believe lasting wellbeing begins with learning how we respond under pressure.
“ IT’ S GETTING HOT IN HERE” Michelle:“ Bikram Yoga Didn’ t Just Change My Body- It Changed My Life.”
Tell us about Hot Yoga and how it transformed your life. If someone had told me twenty years ago that yoga would become my life ' s work, I probably would have laughed.
In 2011, I was living in New York and triathlon was my main focus. Having been a runner for many years, every morning started with a run along the Long Beach Boardwalk before training at New
York Sports Club on Broadway. Yoga wasn ' t even something I ' d considered. Then a close friend bought me a pass for Bikram Yoga Long Beach. I walked into class feeling completely out of place. Everyone looked incredibly focused, balancing on one leg while staring intently into the mirror. Meanwhile, I was wondering what I ' d signed myself up for. Then the teacher corrected me. She calmly told me I didn ' t need to stretch quite so deeply in one of the seated postures. Well... I was naturally flexible. Of course I wanted everyone to know it! I remember rolling my eyes and deciding I didn ' t like her. Looking back, I realise it wasn ' t the teacher that bothered me. It was my own ego.
Not long afterwards, I returned to my career as a First Responder in the Police Force. Like many emergency service workers, I experienced high levels of stress, unpredictable shift work and chronic sleep deprivation. Over time, that gradually became low mood, emotional exhaustion and unhealthy coping mechanisms. Then came what I call my“ lightbulb moment”. I realised I didn ' t simply enjoy Bikram Yoga. I genuinely needed it.
Leaving the Police was one of the biggest decisions of my life, but it allowed me to begin what has become an incredible journey of learning, growth and self-discovery. Since qualifying as an International Certified Bikram / 26 & 2 Yoga Teacher in 2014, I ' ve taught thousands of students and travelled an extraordinary path. Every class continues to teach me something new, not just about yoga, but about people.
What ' s the best advice you can give someone wanting to try? Ninety minutes sounds tough. In Bikram Yoga we often joke,“ 90 minutes or nothing!” Some studios now offer shorter versions, but personally I believe the original 90-minute class exists for a reason. We ' ve become conditioned to want everything faster: faster workouts, faster results, faster lives.
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