Yorkshire-based Wim Hof Method instructor offers cold water immersion and breathing technique training
Mind Synthesis, based in Doncaster, is a wellbeing service set up by Costas Lambropoulos and his wife Ourania Tsavalou.
Costas, an IT specialist, came to the UK 36 years ago. He and his wife are both mental health practitioners and corporate trainers, and want to share their message about the power of the mind.
Costas studied hypnotherapy with Paul McKenna, then trained as a Wim Hof instructor. Wim Hof, known as the ‘Iceman’, is an athlete who has trained his body to tolerate extremes and who advocates cold water immersion.
Costas explained why the Greek word ‘synthesis’, which means putting together simple things to create something bigger, became part of their business name: “We have chosen that word to give our audience a metaphorical meaning, to show that physical and mental health can be like a puzzle with many small pieces that when you put them properly together, you can experience a better quality life.”
Many of the services Mind Synthesis promote are based on ancient techniques which have been around for thousands of years, and while they are based on CBT/mindset development, a more common catch-all phrase used now is mindfulness.
Hypnotherapy
When Costas’ father became terminally ill in the 1990s and was in a lot of pain and distress, his dentist – himself a published hypnotherapy author – shared some techniques, which Costas says help reduce his dad’s distress and physical pain
Costas was so impressed he trained as a hypnotherapist under Paul McKenna, specialising in a range of areas including pain and psychosomatic pain relief, weight loss, trauma, smoking cessation, anxiety and stress.
Breathing
He studied ‘functional breathing’ techniques, which he says cured him of snoring, and claims helped lessen physical symptoms when he has been ill – he believes it helped bring down his fever and shorten his suffering when he had Covid and flu.
Wim Hof
As a person with an open mind who enjoys learning new techniques, he then followed the Wim Hof Method, which has three pillars: mindset/commitment, breathing and gradual cold exposure.
He and his wife have both found the methods helped physical and mental well-being, and Costas has become an instructor.
Costas, who is 58, says he feels fitter than ever before, now runs marathons and half marathons, and says that the couples’ ages are rated as 20 years below their biological ages on their Garmin watches.
Being open to new ideas
As an IT guy with an inquiring mind, Costas does lots of research and is very open to new ideas. He said: “The world thought that Thomas Edson’s invention of Direct Current, DC, was the only way to use electrical energy, and when Tesla came along everyone laughed about his notion that alternative current (AC could be suitable for providing electricity to homes and for transporting electricity over long distances. However, now, the main use of electricity in the houses and the way we transport electrical energy over long distances is AC.’’
He added: “My belief is that, either you take responsibility and you look after your body and mind by living a healthy lifestyle, or your disrespect your body, do not treat it right and pay the consequences.
“I believe in prevention, rather than repairing after the damage has been done.”
Mind Synthesis offers its services throughout Yorkshire for individuals and for businesses.
Visit the business website www.mind-synthesis.com, follow him on facebook, via his official instructor page under the official Wim Hof Method website or his hypnotherapy profile page