Breathwork -The Wim Hof Method
My partner, friends and I were speaking about Wim Hof the other day over a meal which made me question - why haven’t I wrote a blog post about him yet?… so here we go!
About Wim Hof
Breathwork has been benefiting those who practice it for a while now, and the results are just overwhelmingly positive. But who is behind all this?
And the name that so often pops up after this question is… Wim Hof.
'I'm not afraid of death, I'm afraid not to have lived fully.'
“Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof got his nickname 'The Iceman' by breaking a number of records related to cold exposure including: climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in shorts, running a half marathon above the Arctic Circle barefoot, and standing in a container while covered with ice cubes for more than 112 minutes.
Using 'cold, hard nature' as his teacher, his extensive training has enabled him to learn to control his breathing, heartrate, and blood circulation and to withstand extreme temperatures.” (Who is 'The Iceman' Wim Hof?, 2023.)
Breathing
“Regulated by the autonomic nervous system, inhaling oxygen is an unconscious process. Fortunately it’s an unconscious praxis, otherwise we simply wouldn’t have a break, as we’d have to deal with it incessantly. The amount of oxygen that we inhale through our breathing, influences the amount of energy that is released into our body cells. On a molecular level, this progresses via various chemical and physiological processes. Breathing is the easiest and most instrumental part of the autonomic nervous system to control and navigate. In fact, the way you breathe strongly affects the chemical and physiological activities in your body. Throughout the years, Wim Hof has developed special breathing exercises that keep his body in optimal condition and in complete control in the most extreme conditions. The breathing technique is first and foremost premised on inhaling deeply and exhaling without any use of force!” (The benefits of breathing exercises, 2023.)
Wim Hof Achievements
Running a half marathon above the Arctic Circle, barefoot only wearing shorts
Swimming underneath ice for 66 meters
Hanging on one finger at an altitude of 2,000 meters
Climbing the highest mountains in the world while wearing only shorts>
Running a full marathon in the Namib Desert without drinking
Standing in a container while covered in ice cubes for extended periods of time
Shown scientifically, that the autonomous nervous system related to the innate immune response, can be willfully influenced, something that was previously unknown to science
Benefits
The Wim Hof Method consist of 3 pillars; breathing, cold water theraphy and training your mindset… when combined, they will benefit your health and strength. The benefits include:
The Wim Hof Method is also linked to reducing symptoms of diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, asthma, sarcoidosis, vasculitis, and several autoimmune diseases.
And now the fun part… Click on this link to complete one of his beginner breath work exercises and start your health journey here.
Love,
Kamilla @Sano x
