

After you’ve done as many rounds as you have time for, start meditating. When you do finally need to take a breath, inhale fully and hold your breath again, but this time only for 10-15 seconds.ĥ. Most people are surprised that after oxidising their bodies, they can hold their breath for two minutes or more.Ĥ. After 30 deep breaths and your final out-breath, hold your breath (with no air in your lungs, for as long as possible, until you experience the gasp reflex). You might feel a slight tingling as you do this, which is a normal sensation.ģ. Inhale as far as possible, and then release the air without exhaling fully. Crook lying tends to be a good position to relax your lower back and allow you to fully inhale in comfort.Ģ. Get comfortable – you can either perform the method in sitting or lying. So, how does Wim Hof breathing differ? Let’s take a look. You might have already heard of Lamaze breathing or 4-7-8 breathing. Wim Hof Breathing and Cold Therapy Protocol More than anything, the approach suggests a deeper mind-body connection that has been proposed with techniques such as yoga and meditation. Looking at testimonials around the web from those who’ve completed the training, it’s hard not believe that such benefits aren’t accessible to us all.įrom more energy, lower stress and the aforementioned improved immune response, Wim Hof breathing and cold therapy may certainly be a cheaper, safer option than some of the pharmacology we’re usually prescribed for health disorders. In addition to being able to withstand extreme discomfort, Hof says that by accessing a more primordial state through the exercises, we can tap into a deeper level of happiness, strength and health. Until that is, he started practising the method. However, he has an identical twin, who, despite having the same genetic makeup, was unable to perform similar feats of endurance during testing. It might be easy to simply label Wim a genetic anomaly. The researchers point out that such results not only have implications for managing immune system disorders but also psychological conditions related to mood and anxiety

#WIM HOF BREATHING METHOD RESEARCH SKIN#
What’s normally felt as severe discomfort by most people, Hof is able to turn into a euphoric experience, stimulating the part of the brain that releases opioids and cannabinoids, the body’s natural painkilling substances.īy innervating his sympathetic nervous system he’s able to self regulate, controlling both core and skin temperature.

The results were surprising, with Hof able to artificially induce a stress response to cope with the temperature change. More recently Otto Musik, a paediatrician in Wayne State University’s School of Medicine, performed research analysing Wim performing the method under the observation of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Positron Emission Tomography, while cold water was passed through a specially adapted suit. The suggestion is that this could be the result of the release of adrenalin precipitated by deep breathing, although one caveat of the study is that the individual aspects of the method weren’t isolated to identify the exact cause of the effect.

Results showed lower levels of inflammation, fever and nausea compared to a control group. In 2014, Matthijs Kox injected participants of the Wim Hof method with an inflammatory agent while performing the exercises. Undoubtedly, these practices have given the Iceman near-superhuman abilities, attracting the attention of the scientific community. While his feats of endurance alone have attracted many admirers, it’s his efforts to validate the approach that appeals to potential sceptics. What’s intriguing about the technique is that Hof is subjecting himself to rigorous scientific research in order to verify the effects that he and his students have observed. More recently, I discovered the Wim Hof breathing and cold therapy method, which seemed like it might just help.Īccording to reports, I’d heard it could help to reduce inflammation, which according to Wim, contributes to many diseases.Īfter trying the technique on and off with subjectively good results (and seeing another recent interview with Wim – linked later in this article), I wanted to look at some of the research behind the method.
