Activate Your Full Human Potential
Wim Hof
In The Wim Hof Method, Wim Hof, “The Iceman”, shares his passion and love for life through his journey and mission. Wim Hof has set 26 world records related to cold exposure, for example, submersion in ice water for an 1 hour and 52 minutes. He has also completed extraordinary feats such as climbing to an altitude of 24,300 ft on Mount Everest wearing only shorts and shoes.
No magic, no illusion, no superpowers! Only a man willing to explore the depths of his potential. Once considered crazy (actually, still considered crazy by many), Wim Hof is open to the critics and has subjected himself to rigorous scientific testing to demystify and validate his methods. Not only has he shown the ability to control autonomic pathways within the body (believed to be impossible), he has trained others in his method in as few as four days to replicate his results.
The Wim Hof Method has three components: the breath, the cold, and commitment (also known as mindset), but it is the cold that separates his method from other practices. In his words, “The cold is merciless but righteous. It will show you the way”. It is no gentle teacher, but the cold offers a classroom if we allow it.
Practicing breathwork, mindfulness, or other related practices often come down to setting aside the time and making them a priority. But let's face it, these practices are often quite gentle and don’t require us to step into much discomfort, let alone extreme physical pain. To the contrary, knowing what the water holds for us, requires a different level of discipline. Not only do we need to set aside time for the practice, we must utilize top-down control to put ourselves into a stressful situation. Sure, over time your body undergoes various physical adaptations, but it is always a daunting experience, even for “The Iceman” himself. Personally, I have been doing cold exposure in some form (cold shower or cold plunge) daily for over two years… and I still do a countdown from ten to one every time.
As stated, I am not new to cold exposure… and I have been aware of Wim Hof and his accomplishments for quite some time. Despite my awareness, I have never taken the time to deeply investigate his method and have only done a few breathing exercises demonstrated on podcasts, but all that has changed now! The book doesn’t waste time getting into the method and per the recommendation to practice in the morning on an empty stomach, I began working with it the next day. Since that first day, I have continued to work with the method in the morning before my cold shower, but today I met up with a friend to do a cold plunge at a local lake. The water was a “comfortable” 45°F and to make matters even better, the wind was ripping across the beach in a fierce manner. Before entering the water, we lied down on the beach and did a round of the basic breathing exercise from The Wim Hof Method. Amazingly, with no external guidance, we fell in sync with each other and came to the point of retention at the same time. It was a beautiful experience. As I lay there in the cold sand, air temp below 40°F, wind blowing, I felt heat developing. My eyes were shut, and yet, my vision was filled with light. As I lay there, I was setting my intention and instructing my body in preparation for the plunge. After the breathing exercise, we promptly rose and headed to the shoreline. At this point, my friend informed me he is setting a timer for five minutes! Mind you, I’m usually within the two to three minute range, so this caught me off guard, but I was “committed”. We entered the water and I immediately focused on my breath, it wasn’t long before my friend stated “one minute”... and my first thought was that we had been in the water for a single minute, but to the contrary, we had only a minute remaining. As a new personal best, this brings me to the “commitment” part of the work. Had I been alone, I would have set a timer for two, maybe three minutes. But the simple act of my friend setting the bar at five minutes created a new reality. Like I said, I was committed and just as the method teaches, our commitment can influence our bodies to do amazing things. I’m excited to continue this journey and grateful for Wim Hof’s passion and his mission to share his personal discoveries with the world.
(...) reject the primordial, prehistoric feeling that the cold is our enemy and that we have to make fire and sit in the cave to combat it, we have nothing to combat but our own conditioning and fear. Wim Hof : The Wim Hof Method
Our vascular system needs to be stimulated to achieve the desired muscular tone. It doesn’t need training, only awakening. Wim Hof : The Wim Hof Method
The cold is merciless but righteous. It will show you the way. Wim Hof : The Wim Hof Method
Breathe Motherf*cker Wim Hof : The Wim Hof Method
The breath is a door. It leads to corridors that take us deep within ourselves. Wim Hof : The Wim Hof Method
(...) there is no road toward peace; peace is the road. Wim Hof : The Wim Hof Method
The cold is a teacher. It’s merciless. You don’t picnic when you go into the cold. You don’t think about your mortgage or your kid’s braces or your divorce, you just survive. You reactivate the deepest part of your brain. Wim Hof : The Wim Hof Method
It’s quite impossible to find anything meaningful when you are caught up in the stress of daily life, which can be all-consuming. Once you are able to detach from that stress, a new reality can enter your consciousness. Wim Hof : The Wim Hof Method
Something always comes up from the moment. I don’t go into these things prepared. I meet the moment. It informs me better. Wim Hof : The Wim Hof Method
It’s time to move beyond your fear or whatever else is holding you back from living fully because that’s the way nature meant you to be. Your fears are a consequence of a conditioned mind, and they are nothing but a burden. Wim Hof : The Wim Hof Method
People think of the sixth sense as "extrasensory perception.” like reading minds or telling the future. But I call the sixth sense “confidence.” the absolute confidence in your own nature, your own destiny, your mission, your purpose on this earth and beyond. Wim Hof : The Wim Hof Method
I’m not here to be an example for you, but instead to be the master within myself. Let that be the example for others to emulate. Wim Hof : The Wim Hof Method
It may sound like a contradiction, but those who are truly in control are the most free. Wim Hof : The Wim Hof Method
Our comfort-zone behaviorism has made us weak. Wim Hof : The Wim Hof Method
I’m no superhero, and I’m not a guru either. Anything I can do, you can do too. Wim Hof : The Wim Hof Method
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