I first heard of ‘The Wim Hof Method‘ whilst searching for yoga breathing exercises on YouTube; whilst browsing, I came across a documentary that Vice had done on Wim and his method. The documentary fascinated me and inspired me to look further into Wim’s work. By sheer coincidence Joe Rogan also had Wim Hof as a guest on his podcast; during this two hour interview, Joe and Wim really went into detail about Wim and his method. Joe was so impressed with Wim Hof that he had him back on his show a year later.
You can check out the Vice film and both of Joe’s podcasts below.
Vice Documentary
Joe Rogan Episode #712
Joe Rogan Episode #865
So What is the Wim Hof Method?
The Following is from The Wim Hof Method Website
The Wim Hof Method is a method that combines specific breathing techniques, cold exposure and mind-set techniques, coupled with physical excercies. It has been developed over the sum of thirty years by Wim Hof, who has taught and developed these in nature. It’s a natural method to improve health and well-being.Wim’s website describe the Wim Hof Method as being built on Three Pillars
Cold Therapy
The cold is your warm friend. Exposing your body to it in the right way starts a cascade of health benefits, including the buildup of brown adipose tissue and subsequent fat loss, reduced inflammation to facilitate a fortified immune system, balanced hormone levels, improved sleep quality, and the production of endorphins— the feel-good chemicals in the brain that naturally elevate your mood.
Breathing
We’re always breathing, yet we’re mostly unaware of its tremendous potential. Heightened oxygen levels hold a treasure trove of benefits, and the specialized breathing technique of the Wim Hof Method unearths them all: more energy, reduced stress levels, and an augmented immune response to swiftly deal with pathogens.
Commitment
The third pillar is the foundation of the other two: both cold exposure and conscious breathing require patience and dedication in order to be fully mastered. Armed with focus and determination you are ready to explore and eventually master your own body and mind.
Benefits of the Wim Hof Method
- Increased energy
- Better sleep
- Heightened focus & determination
- Improved sports performance
- Reduced stress levels
- Greater cold tolerance
- Faster recovery
- Enhanced creativity
The Course
When I took the Wim Hof Method course, it consisted of 10 weekly videos and a downloadable PDF booklet. I think the course has changed somewhat since then but as far as I am aware, the core content remains the same.
Over the duration of the 10 weeks Wim guides you through breathing exercises, strength training exercises, meditations and cold water therapy, with each week getting more and more challenging. The ultimate goal being able to hold your breath for substantially longer than you could to start with and being able to withstand the cold to such a degree (pardon the pun) that you can potentially immerse yourself into freezing lakes and ponds or take a hike in the snow capped mountains wearing nothing more than a pair of shorts and a smile.
My Experience
The Breathing Exercises
Holding my breath has never been something I have been very good at, to be perfectly honest, aside from wanting to swim underwater, I can’t really see the benefit to wanting to hold your breath anyway. However, after completing the course, I can tell you that my breath holding times increased from about 30 seconds to start with to around 2 minutes 30 seconds at my peak. I can also tell you that holding your breath makes you feel totally and utterly relaxed and at peace with yourself. There is a real feel of oneness when you are in a quiet environment with huge amounts of oxygen pumping around your body. It is this increase in oxygen and decrease in carbon-dioxide that form the basis and highlight the power of this exercise. Scientific studies performed on Wim Hof have proven that using these breathing techniques, he has the ability to influence the autonomic nervous system and the attenuate innate immune response; in layman’s terms, using Wim’s method, you can potentially control your own immune system and heal your body from many illnesses and disease at will.
You can read more about this in the at the bottom of this article.
It is clear that Wim Hof has a background in Yoga and that the breathing, stretching and strength training exercises have been born from that background, albeit with some modifications from Wim.
The Strength Training
This part of the course combines yoga stretching and push ups for building strength and endurance. As somebody who has a background in yoga, fitness and strength training I can definitely agree to the benefits of both yoga stretches and push ups. However what makes Wim’s method a little different is the way he teaches you to hold the yoga postures breathe into the muscle or point of tension and hold your breath. It is certainly unlike any yoga I have done before where you would always breathe through the posture, not hold the breath. The push ups also involve you holding your breath whilst performing as many as you can, initially on the in breath, then on the out breath. Again, this method goes against everything that you may have been taught in the past about strength training, that is, inhalation during the eccentric portion of said exercise, and exhalation during the concentric phase.
Over the course of 10 weeks my maximum press ups without breath started at around 30 and peaked at around 65. Does this mean my strength increased or my lung capacity and ability to hold my breath increased? I would suggest both.
The Meditation
Meditation is something I have always enjoyed, even if I do usually fall asleep. Wim does guide you through the meditation process but if you have already practised meditation previously, there isn’t a great deal to learn here. However it is an integral part of the method and is a very useful tool for getting you prepared for the final stage of the course.
Cold Water Therapy
I have never really liked cold water and the idea of cold showers or baths give me shivers, literally, before stepping a toe in the water. But, this part of the course is really what brought me to it. As somebody who has suffered arthritis, psoriasis and inflammation for a number of years I really wanted to see if this method would help ease some of my aches and pains and reduce the inflammation. I am also quite active in combat sports, namely Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and some boxing, so my muscles are always sore and tired after training. Warm baths are very relaxing, but do they don’t really help with inflammation.
The course takes you from a short 30 second blast of cold water at the end of a warm shower in week one, all the way up to a ten minute cold shower start to finish in week ten, or for those who are really brave, the option to go take an ice bath, go swimming outside or to sit in the ice or snow for a short while.
I can tell you that the first time I turned my shower to cold it was a very, very unpleasant, this feeling continued right through week one. Week two gets considerably worse because you don’t have the gentle easing into the cold water, you have to START your shower with cold water. If I thought week one was an unpleasant experience, week two was absolutely ridiculous and made me question my reasons for doing this. As the weeks go on the courses teaches you to switch between warm and cold water in the showers whilst the duration of the cold water increases and it does get easier.
Not only does it get easier, it actually gets really quite pleasant and invigorating and I found myself looking forward to getting into the cold shower. By the end of week ten my body had adjusted to the cold and I did manage to get into an ice bath, albeit for 3o seconds to a minute. I also did manage to sit topless in the snow whilst performing the breathing exercises. Certainly something I would never have imagined I was capable of before starting the course.
But did it help with the inflammation? Honestly, I don’t know.
Conclusion
I really enjoyed the challenge in taking this ten week course and I have definitely found it to have some benefits. After finishing this course back in January, I still do the breathing exercises and the cold therapy but admittedly not every day. I do them when I feel like doing them to be honest. Sometimes this is once a week, at minimum and sometimes it is every day. I can’t say with complete certainty that my inflammation levels have improved but I can say that I do seem to have more pain free days than I did previously. The yoga and the meditation I do as part of my standard weekly routine anyway so not really applicable but I do often incorporate the breathing exercises into my asanas.
The mental challenge of this course has been the biggest achievement for me and I will definitely keep up with the program. I would certainly recommend it to anybody who wants to challenge their mental ability and also improve their endurance and health.
You can sign up for the ten week course here
https://www.wimhofmethod.com/elearning/10-week-video-course
From the Wim Hof Method Website
Different publications of research:
Voluntary activation of the sympathetic nervous system and attenuation of the innate immune
response in humans Download
The influence of concentration meditation on autonomic nervous system and the innate immune response Download
Can meditation influence the Autonomic Nervous System Download
Biology now – Chapter 22 Wim Hof and the endocrine-immune system Download
