Dominic Oliveira has made a career to protect the community; however, in 2019, after a biking accident, he discovered the importance of healing himself.
Oliveira, who is a Sargeant in the Brantford Police Services (BPS), and has been with the force for 25 years, dove into a life-changing event in August 2019.
“I took my son to try out the new bike park by Waterworks Park. I wasn’t anticipating doing any jumps so I didn’t bring my helmet. I was watching all these young kids going off on all these hills, and seeing how they landed. Then at the last minute, I decided to go off on a jump. I overshot the landing and went over the handlebars. I came crashing down, and I broke my clavicle, three ribs and I punctured my right lung. That landed me a stay in the hospital for about a week,” he explained. “During that time, I began watching some documentaries about nutrition…and then I came across a documentary where Wim Hof was featured. I watched a part where he was being injected with E coli bacteria/endotoxin…and he was able to influence his immune system and [didn’t get sick]..he said that anyone, with a little bit of training, could do this too. That grabbed my attention.”
It was then that Oliveira started doing research on Wim Hof, an extreme athlete noted for his ability to endure low temperatures while functioning at high levels whether it was holding his breath underwater while swimming or running barefoot on snow and ice.
“I went on YouTube, and I found a ten-minute beginner Wim Hof breathing session video. I tried it and felt all these sensations. Then I got into cold showers…I did them for about two years before actually doing a cold plunge. I was anxious and a bit apprehensive in doing one so it was about easing myself into it…and then found the anxiety and the mild depression symptoms starting going away,” Oliveira recounted.
As Oliveira’s mindset changed, he decided to make an important move towards his own growth becoming a certified instructor of the Wim Hof Method.
“In 2023, I decided to become an instructor, because I just felt so amazing and noticed the changes in me. I was able to lean into daily stressors, not just with the Wim Hof Method, but doing those things that I never thought possible of doing [and getting past] self-limiting beliefs and just having more confidence overall in life,” he said. “I went to Spain, meeting 70 other people around the world with the same goal of becoming instructors, and it was a great experience. Unfortunately, Wim wasn’t there. He was getting ready for a mountain climb in Poland [but] he usually likes to come out to the instructor master modules. It was great being led by other instructors’ [which] pulls down those barriers, and you’re able to let go a little further with the work….I’m still connected to them through our chats, and we have reunions, and it’s a great community.”
From there, Oliveira continued to be committed to the process, embracing challenges and discomfort.
“There might be a day or here and there where I pass on the cold-water immersion…but I usually have a cold shower instead. Doing this… sets my mind and body right….having that peace and relaxation [in] stressing the body, bringing on that hormetic stress, which is a short, acute stress that we’re able to take on. Some people do it through intermittent fasting. Other people do it through high-intensity interval training. Everyone has their own way of leaning into some discomfort. It allows me to have other difficult situations, and leaning into those, whether it’s having a difficult conversation with someone or just doing things that you never thought possible,” he noted.
The improvements to Oliveira’s health have been notable using the method while maintaining a healthy diet.
“There are so many benefits, whether it’s cardiovascular issues, improving the immune system, and influencing the autonomic nervous system that science said that we wouldn’t be able to do, but Wim proved them wrong. And then with the cold water, it’s just another acute stressor of leaning into that discomfort…and that’s why people keep coming back to doing the cold water, because it makes them feel energized, focused, awake, and it’s long-lasting,” he said. “I also started delving into what certain plants could do and their effects on the body, and then moving more towards an animal-based diet. I then got into cancer research and certain doctors like Dr. Anthony Chafee. And then I started following certain people who have changed autoimmune issues they’d reversed, like type two diabetes, all with going either on a keto diet or just a strict carnivore diet for three or four months. Then, integrating different plants in the diet, which I’ve done over the last little while. But fermented foods and just staying with whole foods, with a focus on a simpler way of eating.”
However, he has continued to build a strong network in the Brantford community, including with Rachel Strasser, founder of Up Yoga + Wellness, while promoting his workshops in creative ways.
“When I first came back from Spain, I met Rachel through Jill Ferras, who was a partner of hers….and was just starting up her place in Paris. They had the previous spot in St George [and] they soon opened up [and] they were getting a cold tub…and they had the space for the breath work. I started hosting workshops there while also doing them at my home,” he said. “Around the summer of 2023 just to advertise the method, I was looking at my vehicle in the driveway, and was listening to a podcast on finances and making extra money. Someone had mentioned…doing Uber and so I had actually, at that time…I had my vehicle wrapped with the decals about the Wim Hof Method and some of the benefits in the back window. I just started doing Uber on the side. And people would get in the car and they would see…all the advertising. A lot of people had never heard of breath work and would ask about it…I also had sort of podcast playing in the background when I was driving people around and at the same time, kind of advertising the method or other things like nutrition, finances, health, or overall wellbeing.”
Along with building upon his knowledge of Wim Hof, Oliveira has a goal of developing more workshops and retreats.
“I’m planning to go to Poland for my advanced training…which I can then teach different breath work styles of the Wim Hof Method…so power breathing, which is more advanced. And then I can hold more retreats too. I’ve done one at an equestrian farm out in Simcoe, and we did a men’s circle the one day. I led them through breath work in the actual area where the horses are, and then at the end…the horses came into the center with all the men that were laying down. And it was a pretty magical moment,” he noted.
Nevertheless, Oliveira has maintained the importance of reconnecting with nature and making time to better ourselves.
“I think we’ve just became disconnected with our ancestral way of life, whether it’s our food system, the way our sedentary lifestyle, [or] our constant connection with our phones or being on social media, which has led to disconnection as a whole and losing a connection with nature…and what real nourishment can do for the body and even sleep. A lot of people don’t value their sleep and their stress management [and many people can’t] sleep because of our lifestyle and our food choices and the stressors that we take on and, you know, the need to do more and more and accomplish more and achieve more and get more. It’s kind of led people to burn out,” he said. “A big benefit why most people do the method (breathwork) along with myself, is the emotional healing….allowing the body to feel safe in surrendering and releasing/suppressed stored trauma, hurts, emotions (childhood or ancestral). I see it in my workshops many times and it gives me great honour to be present in their vulnerability. It is truly healing on multiple levels.”
