The Wim Hof Method combines breathwork and cold therapy to help improve certain ailments and connect more deeply to the body.

I was listening to another one of Mark Hyman’s podcasts the other day (as always) and it was on a really interesting topic of ice water immersion and deep breathing with The Iceman himself, Wim Hof.

Some of you may have heard of him before, as he’s achieved some exceptional feats during his life, such as climbing Mount Everest in shorts, sitting in an ice bath for almost two hours, swimming beneath the ice for almost 119 metres (130 yards), he has been injected with biotoxins that would cause most people to die and has wilfully controlled his immune system to fight the infections, he’s run a marathon in the Artic, and completed another marathon in the Namibian desert at 40 °C (104 °F) without drinking any water, and so much more.

Altogether, Hof holds 26 world records. He sounds superhuman, right? But he actually trained himself to do all of this over years and years of practice. He now teaches his methods to people all over the world.

The Wim Hof Method

Many of us unconsciously breathe at a very low rate, only taking in small sips of air that stop just below the throat, meaning we’re only receiving the same energy equal to that which we bring in. Hof shares that, the more oxygen we can gather and hold in our bodies, the more powerful the body becomes.

He learned this through his practice of submerging himself in ice cold water. Hof’s breathing technique helps pull in more oxygen than is usually needed which stimulates the autonomic nervous system.

Wim Hof has been able to achieve what was once believed to be impossible: consciously control the autonomic central nervous system. Mechanisms such as regulating body temperature is something he can actually control at will. How? Through accessing the periaqueductal gray (PAG) area of the brain (where autonomic functions occur).

He has also gained control over the adrenal axis (the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis) part of the brain, where the central stress response system is found. He says, “If you have control over the adrenal axis, then you know how to reset yourself to the way nature meant it to be. To be the utmost of functionality, because there is danger and now you get a control over that.” Once you have control over your own stress response, he says things like anxiety and depression can simply disappear.

Wim also shares how the cold can be healing, too. “You just have to adapt. You’re learning about the mind. It’s learning how to let go of your fear, anxiety, too much thinking, overthinking, complicated being.” He shares how, in the cold, you learn to let go of all of that, so the body is able to respond, to adapt. Once this happens, “you get into adaptive mode of the immune system,” where “the neurology changes and you get neurological pathways to the adaptive power of your own body, the way nature equipped you with… And that bacteria and virus and anxiety, mood regulation, all those things, they happen naturally.”

Most of this control comes with breathing rather than simple cold therapy, “because what do you do when you go into the cold? You learn to breathe deep,” Hof shares.

Learning how to influence your own biochemistry can also help in supressing inflammation, he claims.

Hof writes that modern life has become far too comfortable; the body is no longer being stimulated and as a result, the full potential of our breath has been cut short, as we have become disconnected from the forces within.

We protect ourselves from the cold, the rain and have air conditioning for when it’s too hot. Our nervous systems have become weak and, as Hof suggests, they are even atrophying (wasting away), as the body is never tested against anything outside of itself.

If you are looking to start cold therapy, Hof recommends gradual cold exposure. Very gradual. He says, “First take a cold shower. A cold shower does miracles.” He talks about how cold showers can help to improve blood flow. “When they (the little muscles found in our vascular channels and capillaries) are stimulated through cold showers, they help the blood flow go through. Then the heart rate goes down 20 to 30 beats a minute, 24 hours a day. That means stress is out and the blood flow is guaranteed to go better to all cells. So oxygen, nutrients, vitamins go better into the cells. You get more energy and less stress.”

So, how long do you have to stay in a cold shower for?

Hof recommends beginning with 30 seconds. He says you will notice a boost, and feel the effect of the stimulation on the millions of little muscles inside your body. Then, once you’ve adjusted and adapted to the 30 second cold shower, you can progress to 45 seconds, then to one minute, until eventually you’ve progressed up to 3 minutes.

Before we get started in learning how to practice the Wim Hof breathwork technique, if you like what you’re seeing, subscribe to my email newsletter at the bottom of the page to keep up to date on the latest recipes, DIYs, gardening and health tips I share!

Wim Hof Breathwork

Please note that this technique should never be practiced near water, or while driving or walking, or in any other circumstances where you might get hurt should you pass out. Please consult your doctor if you are pregnant or have a heart condition before trying out this breathing method.

To begin, find a quiet place and either sit down or lie flat on your back with a pillow under your head. Then, relax the shoulders, chest, and legs.

Take 30 very deep, very fast breaths into the pit of your stomach and let it back out. If possible, breathe through your nose; if your nose feels blocked or obstructed in any way, try breathing through pursed lips. The movement of each inhalation should look like a wave, filling up your stomach and softly moving up through your lungs. Exhales follow the same movement, first emptying the stomach then the chest as air pours through the nose or pursed lips of the mouth.

At the end of 30 breaths, exhale to the ‘natural conclusion’ of the breath, leaving about a quarter of the air still in your lungs. Hold that breath for as long as possible.

Once you’ve reached your absolute breath hold limit, take one huge inhale and hold it another 15 seconds. Very gently, move that fresh breath around the chest and to the shoulders, then exhale and start the heavy breathing again.

Repeat the entire process at least three times.

This breathwork technique takes some practice, and learning it from written instructions can be confusing and difficult. To help, here is the live tutorial of Wim Hof’s breathing method.

Through breathing, you may not only able to influence your immune system, reduce inflammation, regulate body temperature, and help to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and more.

As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor before trying or using any new products.  I am not a doctor. All opinions expressed are my own  personal thoughts and feelings of the products mentioned. Check with your doctor or health practitioner if you are uncertain about trying out any of the products, recipes, methods, or tips mentioned in this post.  

Have you had an ice bath or cold shower before? How was it? Share in the comments below.

Lots of love,

Vanessa