The Wim Hof Method - October/November 2021
My main takeaway: Frequently breathe more than you feel you need to.
“Do not force it – feel it!”
The Wim Hof Method (WHM) is a very simple method which gives tools to maintain your own happiness and strength and help you manage your health, with a growing amount of scientific research backing it up.
*This is a blog of my takeaways from reading the book The Wim Hof Method and trying the method out. It is not a full description or guide. As well as the book, there are various offerings on the Wim Hof website, like the 10 week course (https://www.wimhofmethod.com/). There is also a phone app.
*Update March 2022 - I have now been practicing the WHM most days since last October (2021). For me, it's been very effective. I am pain free (from long-term hip and back pain), am able to embrace the cold (for the first time in my life) and have recently stopped eating sugar 4 days a week, which I believe is part of the mindset part of the WHM (impossible or difficult things become do-able),
Update October 2022 - I stopped doing the breathing everyday in July 22 and now I do it a few times a week. I am still pain free.
Blue writing - direct Wim Hof quotes from the book.
Green writing – step by step instructions taken from the book
Brown writing – my personal experiences
The method has just 3 parts to it:
1. Breathing technique (cyclic hyperventilation with retention)
2. Cold exposure
3. Mindset / Commitment
The mthod is very simple to learn and practise. There are lots of guided practices on the Wim Hof website and on youtube. I am currently following this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tybOi4hjZFQ&list=PLqgc_ZfQK3W6K5W7cJ_MnGXiDpEHFDYpz&index=3&t=7s
Benefits of the WHM:
Resilience to stress
Stronger immune system
More energy
Better sleep
Improved cognitive and athletic performance
Weight regulation
Boost mood
Alleviate anxiety
**Contra-indications:
It is advised you do not do the method or, at least, consult with your doctor first, if you have any chronic illness, are currently unwell, are currently taking any prescribed medications, are pregnant, have epilepsy or any heart condition, vulnerability to strokes or high blood pressure. If you experience migraines you should be cautious with ice baths.
Wim encourages you to build up slowly and listen to your own body, just as he did when discovering the method.
He also begins every guided practice by saying – sit or lie down in a safe and comfortable space. Never practice in a position or situation where loss of consciousness might cause bodily harm.
“Trust in yourself”
How does it work?
Reawakens dormant physiological processes,
Pushes past our conditioning,
The cold exposure tones the vascular system and decreases the heart rate,
The breathing technique changes the body’s biochemistry (acid to alkaline).
Hormesis / Hormetic Stress
The application of low doses to create a response… building to a higher dose to create resilience to the stimulus. Acute sort-term stress can lead to powerful changes in us (as opposed to chronic long-term stress, which is how many of us live our lives and which undermines our health).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. BREATHE!
“The breath is a door”
The Breathing Technique:
It takes about 10-20 minutes daily.
Wim does it before he gets out of bed each morning, before breakfast. It’s better to do it on an empty stomach (digestion is a parasympathetic activity, and the diaphragmatic breath used is designed to activate the sympathetic nervous system (see Hormetic stress). Also, when you breathe in deeply, the diaphragm moves downwards and this massages all of the internal organs – stomach, intestines etc.)
1. Sit or lie down in a safe and comfortable space, eyes closed. Be mindful.
2. Inhale deeply through the nose or mouth to your upper belly, chest and upper chest, and exhale through the mouth - let it go. Don’t force the exhale, just relax and let the breath out.
3. Repeat this for 25-40 breaths.
4. On the last exhale, pause with the breath out for 30 seconds to 120 seconds (retention phase).
5. After the allotted time or when you feel the urge to, inhale deeply, pause with the breath in and squeeze the pelvic floor - for 15 seconds (recovery breath).
6. Exhale and begin again. Repeat 3 to 4 rounds.
*My note: At the end of the retention, before I take a full inhale, I exhale very slightly, to relax and open up the airways. This way I feel I can take a fuller inhale.
“The breath is like a wave – go with it. Fill the belly (lower lungs), chest and upper chest. Let the exhale go – no force – just let it go. You won’t exhale fully – that’s okay.” (paraphrasing from the book)
“Breathe until you feel a little lightheaded, a looseness in the body, and maybe a tingling in the hands and feet. Breathe into these sensations. You are safe!”
It may feel a bit strange and disorientating at first. Most people experience some tingling in the extremities, possibly some cramping (tetany), light-headedness, and ringing in the ears (tinnitus) – all of which Wim says are perfectly safe (and he explains why they happen in the book). However, loss of conscious/fainting is an indication that you are doing too much too soon and he suggests you take it at a slower pace.
“Follow the breath. Lean into it. Let go. Open to your heart.”
The neurological effect is like a tension charge all over the body, so just follow the breath and you will feel the charge.
“The mind follows the breath. But don’t try to contain the breath in the mind. Let the mind go. The breath is greater and it brings you further into the depths of yourself. So follow the flow. Follow the wave. Fully in – let it go. Find your rhythm.”
TIP: The instruction about whether to breathe through the nose or the mouth is casual – Wim prefers to breathe through the mouth but says either is fine (to clarify, he does actually say “Just breathe motherfxxkers!”). He mentions that beginners might try inhaling through the nose to begin with.
*My note: I prefer to inhale through the nose to begin with (and exhale though the mouth). Usually, at some point towards the end of the first round I feel ready to also breathe in through the mouth.
What does it do?
Resets the body’s past conditioning
Activates the brain’s adrenal axis
Builds resilience to stress
Suppresses inflammatory markers in blood
Regulates mood, emotions, body temperature
Changes the biochemistry of the blood - carbon dioxide is exiting the body and oxygen is replacing it, making your body more alkaline.
Regulates the nervous system (sympathetic and parasympathetic)
Holding the breath while the body is alkalized is easy because alkalinity lessons the body’s need for oxygen. The trigger for breathing is an acidic state, which you have eliminated by becoming alkalized through breathing. The primitive brain might not be comfortable with it though. It activates the adrenal axis… but the mind is in control (stress resilience). This influences the pineal mind (you may have visions and old memories). You may enter a ‘dream state’ – a natural high, no stress or anxiety.
“You are the alchemist now!”
My experience as a beginner - Oct 21:
I started by doing an unguided practice for the first week, just following the instructions given in the book. I wanted to check out my own pace of breathing first.
The second week, I started to use the guided version from youtube (see link above).
In my experience with breath retention, you get the most benefit if you can stay relaxed. If the retention phase feels intense for you, then keep the time short and build up slowly until you can do it in a relaxed effortless way.
Fun test:
Do as many push ups as you can manage.
Do one round of breathing technique.
On the paused exhale, again do as many push ups as you can manage.
Did you do more?
“Breathe motherfxxkers! Get into the depth of your own lungs”.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. COLD!
“I exist in the whole of my body.”
How to take a cold shower…
1. Take a warm shower first.
2. Prepare to meet the cold water – set your mind, your intention and motivation.
3. Turn the water to cold – enter first with your hands, your feet, your legs and arms and then your body.
4. Remain relaxed. If you initially gasp and lose control of your breathing, calmly attempt to regain control of it. Try not to tense up.
5. Do your best. Smile. Are you enjoying it? A little bit?
TIP: The benefits start when the water is below 60º Fahrenheit (15.5º Celcius). Most tap water is as cold or colder, but if you live somewhere where the tap water is warmer than that, Wim suggests you do a longer exposure time to the cold water.
Aim to take a cold shower at least 5 days a week for 2 minutes. Build up to that slowly over 20 days:
Week one – 15 seconds to half a minute
Week two – 1 minute
Week three – 1 and a half minutes
Week four – 2 minutes
“After 4 weeks – turn the dial to cold and will the body not to react”.
Once you become able to control the response to cold water, you become able to control the physiological effects of stress in the body.
Be active – i.e. don’t just react, react actively!
“After you take a cold shower, you’ll not only feel like you have more energy, but you will also feel more at rest – because the brain and heart are connected neurologically – your decreased heart rate affects your mood, lessening your anxiety.”
My experience:
I have always hated the cold and have never been able to take a cold shower. In fact, whenever there was no hot water to shower, I would throw a tantrum. It was almost a trauma response. I felt impoverished to my core. It was emotional.
To my surprise, I am now able to enjoy them! I actually end up staying under the cold water longer than the specified time. It feels silky and satisfying.
The lead up is still tricky. I know I’m going to do it, but my mind is trying to talk me out of it, and the initial moments still take my breath away. But after 30 seconds I totally relax into it. As Wim says, the cold water brings you to the present moment. It commands your full attention. There really is only that moment. No other thoughts come. It’s extreme mindfulness!
“Follow the feeling – don’t force anything.”
Exposure to the cold has been shown to increase norepinephrine, which, together with adrenaline, increases heart rate and blood pumping from the heart. It also increases blood pressure and helps break down fat and increase blood sugar levels to provide more energy to the body.
After 10 days of cold showers:
Your heartrate goes down (less stress).
Your vascular system wakes up and optimizes to its natural condition. The muscles around the veins are retrained for improved vasoconstriction and dilation.
Inflammation (and associated pain) reduces.
TIP: If you are cold when you get out of the shower/ice bath, stand in horse stance (legs approximately double shoulder width, feet facing forward, knees bent, tail bone tucked under) and extend one arm and hand across to opposite side of body at chest level. Speed up the movement until you feel warmer. Also, drink warm tea, although the general idea is to naturally heat the body back up rather than to use external resources.
* My note: I've found some vigorous shaking or a good dance works well too, and is fun.
TIP: If the cold shower does not follow the morning breathing practice, no problem. Just do a short breathing practice before getting in the cold shower later (e.g. 1 round).
Ice bath / to enter cold water:
Sit or lie down in a safe and comfortable space – do 3 to 4 rounds of WHM breathing with retentions – enter water and do conscious breathing (no retentions).
Before going into cold – set the mindset, stay calm, breathe, cold demands present moment awareness.
Bigger temperature differences, repeated, like sauna to cold plunge, are thought to be more effective, but research is insufficient on this and more research is needed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. MINDSET / COMMITMENT!
Wim does not provide a step-by-step approach to mindset and commitment, like he does with breathing and cold exposure. But he does make it clear that it is as important, if not more important, than both of the other 2 steps in his method.
“The commitment is to go beyond the ego and take the damn shower!”
He does offer this instruction though -
Setting the mindset:
Begin the breathing technique and after a few breaths, when a sense of calm has come over you, focus your mind on what you would like to accomplish - a longer cold shower maybe?, more push ups?
Notice feelings and thoughts that come up and wait for a sense of trust to come over you. Then go and do it!
Here are some other things he talks about in the book regarding mindset/commitment:
The power of the mind.
Reactivating the deepest parts of the brain, parts we never normally reach – to recondition it.
Tune out distractions. Commit fully. Give yourself time enough so that time does not factor into your thoughts at all during the practice.
Surrender unconditionally to the experience.
You have to really go for it.
Be confident – trust.
Connect to your inner power.
Mentally invest in it.
Come home to yourself.
Remain curious and open to the experience.
Shut out the outside world.
Resolve to do your best.
“My mind is my tool.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Science:
There are many great stories in the book, about Wim’s life story and about the many world records he has broken, and there are many explanations of the growing body of scientific research and findings he has been a part of. I found him to be a truly inspiring human being, willing to be scrutinized under extreme circumstances for the good of mankind.
One example of this is an experiment in the US by Dr Comler found “Wim Hof can control the vagus nerve and, therefore, inflammation”.
Illness and Conditions:
There are also many examples in the book of people who have used the Wim Hof Method to help relieve and overcome chronic illness, such as:
Ulcerative colitis, IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), arthritis, inflammation, auto-immune disorders, multiple sclerosis (reported tingling in fingers again when breathing), breast cancer (white blood cell count tripled in one week), athletic performance (ATP – muscle plasticity, faster recovery), and more.
Also talked about in the book:
Trauma - breathing can clear emotional trauma, especially in groups.
Ancestral healing can take place too.
“We are now standing on the threshold of a greater understanding. Can you feel it?”
Tummo: Wim mentions the Tibetan practice called Tummo, which is a combination of breathing and visualization techniques, used to enter a deep state of meditation that is used to increase a person's 'inner heat'. The Wim Hof Method and Tummo are comparable but different techniques. (my notes)
Books mentioned:
The Manual of Breath Therapy – Wilfried Ehrmann
The Emotional DNA by Dr Capal (book on feelings and effects)
Other practices explained in the book:
Breathing to get warm:
Inhale slowly and deeply – then exhale naturally, just let the breath go – repeat 5 or 6 times – then inhale and pause with the breath in while tensing the upper back and chest (not the neck, jaw or head) – exhale naturally and repeat the whole practice again until you start to feel warm.
You will start feeling the heat coming from inside your body as the BAT (Brown Fat Tissue) is activated, for energy combustion, and the intercostal muscles are working.
Practice for warm hands and feet:
Repeat the following daily.
Fill a bucket 2/3 tap water and 1/3 ice – put your hands and/or feet in it for 2 minutes and focus your mind on them while they are in the water – remove them and shake them out keeping your focus on them and on the increased blood flow.
You will notice a difference after just a couple of days. This retrains the muscles around the veins in the hands and feet for improved vasoconstriction and dilation.
Hangover:
20-25 minutes of the breathing technique – alkalizes the blood, alcohol (and other toxic substances) make blood more acidic.
Breathing for stress control:
Set timer for 1 minute – count how many normal breaths you take in that minute.
Reset the timer for 1 minute.
Inhale and as =you exhale make a sound – like – hummmm or ommmm, or haaaaa…
Count how many breaths you take like this in the minute.
Usually the breath rate goes from about 15-20 to 5 or so (try it – it does). How do you feel now?
This reduces stress immediately.
Depression / low mood:
Sit or lie down in a safe space.
Feel you’re body – notice what you are feeling, seeing and hearing
Inhale deeply and let it go 20 times – inhale and pause with the breathe in and squeeze the pelvic floor, chin to chest, direct the tension towards the head for 10 seconds maximum, or, if you have tension or pain in a particular place, tense the muscles in that place and focus your attention there - exhale and release all tension – repeat 2 or 3 times or until you are feeling better.
Power Breathing for endurance:
Inhale and let go 60 times – inhale and pause with breath in for 15 seconds and squeeze entire body upwards towards the head – exhale, release and let go – repeat 3 or 4 rounds – with each round increase the speed and intensity – at end rest for 2 minutes before commencing activity – breathe more than you feel is necessary during the activity.
Altitude headache technique:
Slow down movement – inhale and let go 10 times – stand or sit still – inhale and pause with breath in for 5 seconds and squeeze/redirect the breath upwards to the head – exhale and release – repeat until the headache has gone.
Breathing while walking at high altitude:
Consciously breathe more than you feel you need to. Focus on your breath. Feel yourself breathing as your move. Synchronize your breath and your pace. Find your own rhythm without forcing it.
“People say I’m crazy. I am crazy! I’m crazy about life!”
Comments