Johanna strikes out across a long expanse of untouched snow, heading to a frozen lake seeking where she swims using a single breath to heal a life-threatening injury. “My leg was so badly broken that they thought I might lose it,” she says. “They had to leave the fracture open for ten days to avoid necrosis. That was the reason I started the cold-water treatment.” Repeated exposure and submersion in ice-cold water had physical and emotional healing properties.

Watch the video to join her in her death-defying ritual.