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Anyone using the Wim Hof Meditation Method?

Kaizen502

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I was searching this forum and was quite startled that it has not yet discussed here.

I learned about the Wim Hof Method a while back in one of the most famous documentaries about him, which is from VICE and dates back a few years. I tried doing the breathing exercises and never really maintained it as a habit with the consistency that is necessary to use it successfully.

After seeing the big wave surfer Laird Hamilton talking about it, I kind of got obsessed with it again and started using the Wim Hof Method again with the additional cold exposure training.

I like the feeling of the energy boost after doing the breathwork and also think it is fascinating how we can control our autonomic nervous system "only" through breathing.

I find it also a good alternative to standard meditation. I use the Headspace app and find it hard to focus on the meditation while the breathing works like an active meditation exercise for me.

It is hard to think about anything else then your body when it tingles and your brain feels like a napalm bomb exploded inside of it.

I am still experimenting with the right technique and wanted to know if anyone is using the Wim Hof Method as well.
 
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maverick

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I've changed my breating habits towards box breathing and found this to work very well for always keeping a calm head.

Box Breathing

I have a dog, cat and girlfriend at home and they all love falling asleep on my chest listening to my breathing.
 

Kaizen502

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Yeah. I encourage everyone to try it.

He is a crazy dude, to say the least. I find his explanation a bit confusing and I read somewhere that they are not always medically correct. This might be the reason why some people think that he is a charlatan.

His story is interesting and I think he holds 26 world records and 20 of 'em have to do with extreme cold exposure. The feats he has accomplished should be proof that what he teaches works, which gladly was confirmed in some medical studies lately.

Cold showers are amazing in combination with the breathing.

@maverick

I never used the box breathing technique long enough, but I am certain that the right breathing is very effective and powerful. A few years I read about Buteyko, a Ukrainian doctor who cured asthma patients with breathing exercises.

I think it is evident that nowadays most people have a shallow and fast breathing rhythm and breath more than 20 times on average per minute or so. Breathing deeply 6 times a minute is found as normal and considered as the natural rhythm afaik.
 
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maverick

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It's a form of meditation. Consciously breathing unconsious if you will.

I read an ancient proverb/quote somewhere that said the number of breaths per person has been defined up front. You will breathe X times and then you will die. I like this line of thinking so try to breathe as slowly and deliberately as possible.
 

Roli

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I bought the Fundamentals course back in the summer, however I've only just got around to using it. I've also turned two friends (cancer and rheumatoid arthritis) onto it.

Love the fact that it has all been scientifically proven, as I usually find it hard to accept claims like this without evidence.
 

Roli

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I read an ancient proverb/quote somewhere that said the number of breaths per person has been defined up front. You will breathe X times and then you will die.

This clearly can't be true.
 
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maverick

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This clearly can't be true.
Never said it was true, however the thought resonates with me.

Just curious though: how would you prove this to be false?
 

Roli

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Never said it was true, however the thought resonates with me.

Just curious though: how would you prove this to be false?

Okay, maybe it is true, maybe the writer of that ancient proverb somehow got access to this 'higher' knowledge that says the number of breaths we have is predetermined. Whether you're a sick baby who dies minutes after birth, or an old woman who lives to 110.

I find the chances of that unlikely, and even if it were true, the number is fixed no matter how quickly or slowly you breathe, you have no idea what that number is, so why take any note of it?

You're right, I can't prove it definitively, in the same way I can't prove there isn't a small china teapot orbiting Alpha Centurai, however past experience and observations leads me to believe there isn't.

Phew, bit too metaphysical for a Tuesday morn. :)
 

Anakalypsi

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I've embedded cold showers in my morning routine. If I could keep only one thing from my list of morning routine and had to loose everything else, it would be cold showers. Paradoxically it is the thing on my list I hate the most to do.

Somewhere lately I've read that if you want to be successful you must do the things you hate. That quote describes pretty well my relationship with cold showers.

Sent from my Nokia 6.1 using Tapatalk
 
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ericaung

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You can download the app and start adding breathing exercises with cold showers into your morning routine.
 

Ninjakid

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You just reminded me, I need to do my breathing today haha.

And the answer is: YESSSSSSSSSSS!

I first discovered it around 2-3 years ago when I saw the Vice documentary. I had actually just started practicing Tummo meditation, so it seemed the universe wanted me to watch it.

It really shows that our bodies are just manifestations of spiritual energy, and our power is only limited by our minds.
 

GoodluckChuck

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Ive been doing the breathing exercises followed by a cold shower for only 5 days and I have more energy than usual and am already getting more accustomed to the cold shower.

Wim Hof himself is super entertaining to listen to. His love for life and jolly demeanor is a breath of fresh cold air.
 
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Primeperiwinkle

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I have a client who suffered from debilitating back pain, severe ADD, financial loss teetering on bankruptcy, and was about thirty pounds overweight.

He did 20hr intermittent fasting plus breathing from Wim Hof for two months. He lost all the weight plus another five pounds, his back pain is almost gone, and he’s on track to make 300k this year after landing four entirely new clients in that two month period.

He still has ADD.

I tell all my new clients who are looking for a big kick-in-the-butt type of change about Wim and intermittent fasting.

I’ve never seen a person’s body change this fast. I still have no idea which did more, the breathing or the fasting. My client doesn’t need long sleeves now. We do live in Texas so.. it wasn’t as horrible as up north, but still. He wore short sleeves from January-February but his body would be warm to the touch. Most weird thing? He doesn’t have a ton of loose skin either from losing the weight.

I support Wim because I saw so much change in this one client.

I personally can’t stand the videos though, lol.
 

Dreamify

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I've practiced the technique from time to time, and it has definitely helped me a lot. I find it particularly effective for stress reduction and achieving mental clarity. Intense breathing sessions can sometimes, as I've experienced, lead to psychedelic visions and/or absolute inner stillness. A great tool to have in an entrepreneurs survival and productivity kit.

Another thing that's pretty cool is how Wim studied the ancient yogis and eastern philosophies and has now, with a little help from others, managed to marry it with western science.
 

rblitz

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I've tried the technique from time to times but every time when breathing deep, I get dizzy. Anyone else experiencing this?
 

Anakalypsi

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I've tried the technique from time to times but every time when breathing deep, I get dizzy. Anyone else experiencing this?

Yes, that can happen. I don't remember the exact science and source behind it but it's normal when doing some sort of breathing exercises.

Thinking now about it I guess I had it from this book here
 
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GoodluckChuck

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So I've been doing Wim Hof method for 8 days.

For the first 7 I did one round of breathing and about 30 seconds cold shower.

Yesterday was the first day I did the recommended 3 rounds of breathing exercises. It felt like 3x the effects... Inagine that...

The reason I'm posting is to share this. My girlfriend got sick about 3 days ago and has been coughing up a storm. I feel great. Not sick at all.

I'm not sure if it's because of Wim Hof Method but I'm def going to continue doing it.

A buddy if mine told me it's been his secret weapon for the last 4 months and he's a pro basketball player.

I got the app to help track my progress. Can hold breath for 2.5 minutes. The last two rounds yesterday were exactly the same length down to the 10th of second. Pretty crazy how tuned the body is.
 

TreyAllDay

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I used his technique of 30 deep breaths, hold breath in and do 20 push-ups, then sit and relax. Repeat the cycle a few times. Great way to meditate in 5 minutes and get your blood flowing and oxygenated.

Although I've heard varying opinions on how safe this method is, depending on your health as you're sort of hyperventilating almost breathing in that deeply.
 

GoodluckChuck

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I used his technique of 30 deep breaths, hold breath in and do 20 push-ups, then sit and relax. Repeat the cycle a few times. Great way to meditate in 5 minutes and get your blood flowing and oxygenated.

Although I've heard varying opinions on how safe this method is, depending on your health as you're sort of hyperventilating almost breathing in that deeply.

That's exactly what it is. Hyperventilating (too much oxygen) for 30 breaths then hypoxia (lacking oxygen) for a couple minutes. Both states increase levels of epinephrine which affect white blood cells among other things.
 
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GoodluckChuck

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Here's a link to the actual study. It's worth reading to fully understand what this is.


I've been practicing the Wim Hof breathing method for about two weeks. Four days ago I experienced a very intense feeling throughout my body during the session. The buzzing was very intense and I felt a lot of pressure in my joints and my jugular veins. I had a very minor scratchy throat when I started. An hour later I was quickly coming down with strep throat.

The night was very intense. Though this is 100% subjective, I felt like the breathing kicked my immune system into high gear. The lymph nodes in my throat swelled quickly and I had body aches and chills. I drank a bunch of water and laid down to go to sleep.

About 6 hours later it was midnight and I woke up. The sore throat had subsided about 80% and I felt fine. I ate some food and chilled for a bit before going back to sleep.

The next morning I felt sick again. The sore throat was very bad and the fever had started. I went from 99 to 102 in about 3 hours. This is when I did another breathing exercise.

Immediately after the exercise the sore throat was almost gone. I think it's something to do with the anti-inflammatory hormones. About 3 hours later the fever broke and by the end of the day I was back down to normal temps.

The next morning all symptoms were gone except the sore, swollen tonsils. I did the breathing exercise and carried on with the day like normal. No fever or anything.

Here it is day 3 and I'm about 90% back to normal. If the sore throat was at a 3/10 before the breathing exercise, it's at a 1/10 now.

I read the study abstract linked above last night and I can relate the data to my experience. I've had strep in the past and I never recovered this quickly.

Though this is completely anecdotal it's made a believer out of me that this is legit.
 

Woodsman81

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Thank you @Kaizen502 for starting this thread.
I live at high elevation, and found that the breathing techniques really help when trying to do activities up here.
I see so many people buying all this crap for altitude sickness that seems to me to no more than a placebo. When Wim Hof breathing techniques would help, or slove the problem, and make people's visit more enjoyable.
Has anyone read the book What Doesn't Kill us?
 

Hijena1

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I have been doing the method for about 4 months (with cold showers, breathing technique and, yoga) and stopped. Because at the time it was just too cold (- 10 °C, 14 F), but I will start again. I must say that it is pretty damn amazing. You have health benefits, energy levels are going through the roof and the meditation session is my favorite. All this with his 10-week program that you can buy on his website.

Dizziness during the breathing session is completely normal, I don't know for others but I like it!
 
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GoodluckChuck

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I know I keep posting but I love to share this stuff.

The last two times I did the breathing I literally went into a trance. Where I usually count thirty breaths and then press the timer as I start holding my breath I completely just zoned out instead.

After a minute or so I would realize that I was holding my breath but forgot how many breaths I took and forgot to time it...

I'm not sure what's happening. I've heard people say you go really deep into the brain body connection. It's possible that I'm just partially losing consciousness haha.

Either way I feel very clear minded and energetic afterwards which is nice.

Cold showers don't feel as cold these days. Granted, I'm in Vietnam so the water doesn't get that cold.
 

struka

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When you guys take cold showers, do you set it to the coldest setting or somewhat cold? OR do you work your way down from cooler to cold?
 

Hijena1

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When you guys take cold showers, do you set it to the coldest setting or somewhat cold? OR do you work your way down from cooler to cold?

In his program, he says:
First two weeks: first hot shower then cold, hot, cold... but it is really important to finish with a cold shower.
After two more weeks: you start with a cold shower, then hot... finish with a cold shower.
Finally: you star with cold and finish with a cold shower. When I was in this stage using the coldest setting was my option because you have really to fight with your mind and learn how to cope with it.
If you want to push even further more. You can do ice baths once or twice a week.
 
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gryfny

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zgzLdZg31w


I just stumbled on this video. I know some friends who talked about Wim Hof and cold showers for a while. I tried cold showers a few times, but I hated it. But after watching the documentaries and interviews (with both Joe Rogan and Tim Ferriss) I feel like I must give his method a real try.
 

Roli

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I saw some new (unrelated) studies the other day, which stated that initial observations of the epigenome (the mechanism used by your body to repair your DNA), showed that it was most functional when it went through extreme heat, extreme cold, and wasn't breaking down complex animal proteins.

It found that a person who regularly fasted, and put themselves through extreme temperatures once or twice a week, may extend their life by a significant amount.

Research still in early stages.
 

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