“Cold is merciless. It shows you where you are. What you are.” -Wim Hof

A few years ago, I watched a documentary from my one of my favorite YouTube channels called Yes Theory that introduced me to a man named Wim Hof, aka “The Iceman”. Wim Hof is an extraordinary man from the Netherlands who has spent his whole life developing The Wim Hof Method, which combines deep breathing, cold exposure, and the power of the mind to allow oneself to achieve an optimal state of being. Through practicing his method, he has been able to climb Mt. Everest in shorts, run a marathon in the desert without drinking any water, and be submerged in an ice bath for two hours without letting his core body temperature drop. In the documentary, the Yes Theory crew traveled to Wim Hof’s training camp in Poland in an attempt to see for themselves whether Wim Hof was just some superhuman, or whether they too could tap into their minds the same way that he could. Wim calls the experience not a “training”, but an “awakening” of the body and soul. After a few days of practicing cold exposure and breathing, Wim takes them on an intense hike in the snow and freezing wind with minimal clothing on. No one got frostbite or hypothermia, and it was all due to the power of the mind and conscious breathing. Thomas from Yes Theory says in the documentary “we accomplished more than we ever thought possible”, clearly convinced that the method was legitimate after having such a profound experience.

While browing in a bookstore a few weeks ago, I found a book titled “The Wim Hof Method”, where Wim gives an account of how he developed and refined his method, shares testimonials from people all over the world who have tried it themselves, and discusses the science that supports why and how the method works. Remembering the documentary I had watched a few years prior, I decided to purchase the book with a renewed interest and curiosity. Through the reading, I have become convinced that the method has the potential to not only prevent but treat diseases, help those with mental disorders, and contribute to an overall enhanced quality of life.

So this begs the question of how does the Wim Hof Method work? Where can I start if I have never done it before? The first aspect is the cold exposure. According to Wim, the easiest way to start is by taking 30 second cold showers after your regular warm shower. If you do this practice daily, your body will start to become used to this duration after about a week. At this point you can then increase to one minute of cold showers. After another week, if you feel comfortable, increase to one minute and thirty seconds. You will notice how after a while your body will start to adapt and you will no longer feel cold, but instead, seemingly warm and completely connected with your body in a way you may have never experienced before.

You may be asking now, why the cold showers? Why should I care and what are the real benefits? In the book Wim discusses that without all the comforts our society has today (i.e. warm clothes, hot showers, and temperature-controlled rooms) our ancestors had no choice but to just survive in the cold. They were able to do this because their vascular systems (specifically, the contracting and relaxing of blood vessel muscles) released energy into their bodies, allowing them to maintain their core body temperatures. Because our society has evolved to enjoy all of these comforts that severely limit our exposure to the cold, our vascular systems are now weak. Practicing cold exposure in a controlled and safe manner will help activate the vascular system and get it working to its full potential. This will lead to an increase in blood flow throughout the body, leading to increased energy levels as well as reduced inflammation, more balanced hormones, and a stronger immune system.

The other part of the method is the breathing. It is already well-documented that deep breathing and meditation can have a positive impact on stress levels, anxiety, and overall well-being. But deep breathing combined with the cold exposure can have an even more profound effects. The breathing alone is meant to change the pH of our bodies from an acidic to an alkaline state by allowing more oxygen in. This biochemical transition allows us to be able to endure the cold for longer, as well as brings our bodies and minds to a state of peace.

The third and last part of the technique is the mind. We make the conscious decision to go out into the cold or to practice the breathing. We then use our minds to stay in the moment, to stay focused on the breath. As Wim Hof states,

“You’re the alchemist now. You’re the one who’s doing it, and you’re in control.”

However, the conscious mind is not the only thing at play here. Wim believes that his method can be used to tap into our unconscious minds, which is profound considering the conscious and the unconscious are thought to be separate, scientifically speaking. Through the breathing and cold Wim believes that we can even tap into our unconscious to set free hidden traumas that we don’t even know we have.

Feeling compelled to try out the method for myself, I set out to first conquer the cold shower. I have now completed three days in a row of 15 second cold showers. 15 seconds may not seem like much, but in the moment it will feel like an eternity, especially if you are a wimp in the cold like me. Since long-term consistency is key in order to notice real benefits, I will be completing 30 days of cold showers and incorporating the deep breathing. Stay tuned for a future blog post documenting my experience! Feel free to check out the official Wim Hof Method website for a step-by-step guide on how to practice the method for yourself if you would like to try it out.