Wim Hof breathing technique

Wim Hof breathing technique

Imagine the love of your life jumping from the eighth floor to their death, leaving you with four kids to take care of. Most people deal with tragedy by withdrawing themselves from the world around them because they feel the world does not care for them. Like Wim Hof says, “The world is huge and is not interested in natural effects so much it is the money.” Instead of being overwhelmed by grief, Wim used it as a motivation to seek answers for the cause of the problems humans face. Although the Wim Hof breathing technique has been proven by many factions, including scientists to be an effective method of unlocking the full potential of our bodies’ power, it takes suspension of disbelief and personal effort and faith in the process.

I agree with the argument that Hof puts across that, human beings become happy, secure, and healthy when they explore the potential their minds have through taking control of their consciousness. The fundamental method Hof uses is the breathing techniques, and according to (Brule, 25) “By changing the pattern of our breathing, we change the pattern of information being sent to the brain,” and this can have a fundamental impact on how the mind operates and controls your body. However, my reasoning is, these kinds of techniques can be fatal, especially to people with underlying medical conditions. The methods that Hof postulates are generally helpful. Still, in my opinion, they should be done in a controlled environment for people who have had problems with their health because pushing their bodies to the extreme can cause catastrophic results.

Hof uses his ethos method of persuasion through the direct involvement of the practices he teaches people. His credibility is authentic because, in his search for answers, he has accomplished feats that are on the record like climbing the Everest in his shorts or Winning the Guinness World record of sitting in ice water for two hours. All this information is available for any person who feels they need to verify his character. He uses the pathos method of connection to the emotion of his audience by sharing his story and the different experiences he has had throughout the journey to find answers. He mainly hinges adversity and sadness he experienced for the loss of his wife as a trigger to find peace, and most people in society now can relate to this.

Hof says despite all the accolades he has received and the achievements he has do not define his path because until his mind is at peace, he is not yet reached his goal. The logos or appeal to logic, Hof has managed to effectively use this method by bringing science into his ways and has allowed his body to be used as a laboratory to revolutionize our understanding of physiology. Through the different medical tests and research Hof has proven that we can influence our immune system in the hope that the immune deficiency diseases decrease.

The Wim Hof Method is based on three pillars: cold therapy, which states that cold is your warm friend. Breathing, which uses different breathing exercises to control body energy, and commitment, which implies the determination of the person using this method to explore and master their body and mind.

According to Jordan, the first part of the Wim Hof Method is to sit or lie in a comfortable position. Your lungs should be expanded freely without any feeling of constriction, then close your eyes and focus on your breathing. The second step is the warm-up in this phase. You need to harness the power of your breathing by drawing up breath till you feel a slight pressure from the inside of your chest. Hold the air in your lungs for a moment then exhale completely. The consequent breaths should be taken in such that the amount of air you breathe in is more than the air you breathe out. Do this routine fifteen times, then stop. The third phase of the Wim Hof Method is the 30 power breaths here your breathing technique should be done as if you are blowing a balloon. Inhale through your nose and exhale through the mouth in short but powerful bursts. The tummy should behave such that it is pulled out when inhaling and pulled inwards when exhaling the pace should be steady and ensure you utilize your midriff fully. This part of the process should be done repeatedly 30 times until the body feels saturated with oxygen. The symptoms are such as; lightheadedness and feeling tingling sensations or energy surges in the body. The next step, as stated by Carney (128), is harnessing the power of intuition. While doing the 30 power breaths, use your intuition to do a scan of your body to identify areas in the body that are overflowing with energy and direct them to the areas that lack power. The idea here is to send warmth to the dark places in your body, tremors and traumas come up as the whole body is filled with positive energy. The next stage is the hold where you draw in breath to fill the lungs to maximum capacity then in a swift motion draw the air out for as long as you can. When doing this method, your chin should be drawn a bit to prevent air from coming in again. Then you should relax to open up all the energy channels in your body. In their book, (Hoff, Rosales, and Robinson, 82) reveal that in this state, you should notice the oxygen spreading around your body. They say, “You should hold your breath until you experience the gasp reflex on the top of your chest.” The last part of Hofs’ breathing technique is the recovery breath; you need to inhale to full lung capacity, and as you feel your chest raising you should release any tension in the solar plexus. At full lung capacity, hold your breath once more and drop your chin to the chest then hold this position for 15 seconds. This stage, you can control and direct the energy to parts of your body using your awareness, you should feel tension burning away and your body being in a state of peace.

Hof, when teaching this method, insists on consistency and allowing your mind to work for you instead of your feelings. After you have fully grasped the breathing techniques, then you can pursue the cold exposure method. You can start with cold showers then gradually advance into doing ice baths, as it is for all forms of exercises you need to do it steadily by increasing your exposure time as your body becomes comfortable.