![]() ![]() Close your eyes and try to become fully conscious of your breath.Don’t try the technique while walking or driving. Sit in a meditation posture or lie down.The foundational protocol involves five steps: Hof believes this technique creates a brief stress response in the body that fires up your nervous system in a way that builds resilience. The breathing exercise is focused on what Hof calls “controlled hyperventilation”: deep, rhythmic inhalations and exhalations that aren’t forced (although you may need some force when you’re first starting), along with periods of holding your breath. By manipulating this process, Hof says, you can maintain control in extreme conditions-that might be mountain climbing in lightweight gear, turning the shower cold for a few minutes a day, or swimming in freezing water like Chris Hemsworth in Limitless. “he way you breathe strongly affects the chemical and physiological activities in your body,” he writes. That’s because the amount of oxygen you inhale influences how much energy is released into your cells, Hof explains on his website. The third pillar- “commitment”- encompasses willpower and self-control, and Hof suggests that’s achievable by focusing on the first two pillars and combining those with meditation.īreathing is at the core of the method, and if that’s the only technique you do, Hof claims you’ll still reap advantages such as a better immune response and reduced stress. The first is the specialized breathing technique (more on that next), followed by cold therapy. The Wim Hof Method includes three pillars. Here’s what’s involved, what the research says, and what happened when I tried to get some Iceman energy for myself. Some, like improved longevity and lower heart health risks, have yet to be confirmed others-better sleep, reduced stress, and faster workout recovery-have already been researched. Hof has made numerous claims about his method, of which his breathing technique is a big part. But it’s also that electricity, the autonomic nervous system, at work.” “The carbon dioxide goes out, and the muscles begin to contract. “Going into the water makes you breathe deeper and more consciously,” he writes in The Wim Hof Method. This breathing technique also suppresses pain, he says, which is handy if you’re going to hang out in a tub of ice cubes. The “Iceman” claims that he can withstand these brutal temperatures through a distinctive breathing technique he developed that changes how the nervous system responds to cold. He set a Guinness World Record for the longest time in direct, full-body contact with ice (1 hour, 44 minutes), climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in shorts, and ran a half-marathon, barefoot, over ice and snow above the Arctic Circle. The 63-year-old Dutch-born Hof is a motivational speaker, life-optimization guide, and extreme athlete rolled into one. Instead, I was plunged into completely bracing new depths. So, when I hit “play” on Wim Hof’s episode of Feel Better, Live More hosted by British physician Rangan Chatterjee, I expected the same low-key vibe. Turn off screens half an hour before bed, for example, or try one new vegetable this week. As an avid consumer of health podcasts, I’m familiar with the earnest, small-step approach most experts advise for optimizing wellness. ![]()
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