The first time I heard the name Wim Hof was while watching an episode of The Goop Lab with Gwyneth Paltrow called “Cold Comfort.” I had somehow stumbled upon the Netflix series, watched the trailer, and was drawn in by what I saw and the topics they had chosen to cover. “Cold Comfort” is the second episode in. I remember being impressed by the things Hof was able to do and the results that occurred for his participants, but didn’t really think about it much after that. Some time had passes and I ended up seeing Hof on a YouTube video with Russell Brand. This evoked a curiosity in me and I fell down the YouTube rabbit hole watching video after video about him. I was completely and utterly impressed by all of the world records Hof had broken and how he was able to do so. I decided that while I was not willing to do the cold showers (yet), I was ready to try one of his breathing techniques. I learned that he had an app and immediately downloaded it onto my phone
My first attempt at using Hof's technique was extremely memorable. I didn't know what to expect so I just drank it all in. I remember being so light headed as I took in great gulps of air. I did four rounds, as Hof suggests, and each round I was able to have a longer hold. After I had completed the technique I remember this incredible ringing in my ears and how my hands and face felt all tingly. The ringing went on for a few minutes before finally subsiding. I did my meditation right after and I have to tell you that I felt this incredible sense of peace wash over me. My mind was completely quiet and all was well in my world. I liked how combining the breathing with meditation made me feel and began to incorporate it into my morning routine.
If you’re not familiar with Hof’s breathing technique - he actually has several, depending on what your goal for doing it is – it goes like this: (either sitting up with a tall spine or laying down) take a deep breath down into your belly and let it go. Your lungs will naturally express the air, like un-pinching the end of a balloon you've just blown up, so you don't have to force the exhalation. Do this 30 – 40 times and then after your last exhalation, hold. Stay there for as long as you can without inhaling. When you need to breathe - Hof says this is when your body starts becoming acidic again - take in a large breath and hold for 15 seconds. This is one complete round.
You may be wondering why one would do this. Hof states in his book, The Wim Hof Method, that it helps your body to become more alkaline. Your next question is probably, “Why would I want my body to be more alkaline?” The number one reason is to reduce inflammation. And why is this important? Well, it is inflammation that causes disease in our bodies - things like “Crohn’s disease, cancer, depression, arthritis, asthma” (p.35). Hof states in his book,
"The breathing exercises employed through the method help clean up the biochemical residue in the lymphatic system…All the stressful activities we do in our work and emotional life leave behind a biochemical residue that causes and compounds inflammation in our cells. [He] is convinced that by changing our biochemistry from acidic to alkaline and cleansing ourselves of biochemical residue, we can eliminate the primary causes of diseases” (p.36).
This sounded like a great idea to me! Why wouldn’t I want to be proactive and help my body reduce possible inflammation, thus reducing the risk of disease? It wasn’t long after I started doing this that I told a friend at work about it. I began doing a daily check-in with her regarding how long my breath holds were. She was astounded! At the beginning, making two minutes felt incredible. Then, as the days passed, my breath holds got longer. After two weeks I was able to make three minutes. My longest hold – and when I say hold, remember it means I have exhaled all of my air and lay relaxed until my body begins to turn acidic and I need to breathe again - is 3 minutes 46 seconds. Pretty incredible, if I do say so myself! I would love it if I could get to 4 minutes, but Hof stresses not to push yourself. He says it’s important to listen to your body, and I do just that.
As for when the best time of the day is to practice this, Hof recommends morning before eating breakfast. He says it’s because when we digest food, we are using our parasympathetic nervous system – which is rest and digest. Doing his breathing technique however, is activating our body and activating the sympathetic nervous system – fight or flight. He says eating before doing his breathing would be counterproductive (p. 36).
I have to be honest and tell you that I stepped away from Hof’s breathing for a few months. As I mentioned before, I don’t do very well at getting things done when I’m out of routine. In the last month as I have been returning to my usual daily habits, I have done this breathing for seven days and each time I have done it, I felt like I was back home - that I had returned to a good place. I knew it and my body knew it too, because right away I was able to reach over three minutes. It was like my body had missed this practice and was drinking it in.
While I don’t have any empirical evidence as to what this breathing is doing for my mind or my body, I do know that by incorporating it into my morning routine it helps put me in a good head space to start my day, and that if what Hof says is true about it creating a more alkaline body, thus reducing inflammation and potential disease, I’m in.
If I have piqued your curiosity about this practice I encourage you to check Hof out on YouTube. As for his app, I was very disappointed when it went from being free to costing $7.99/month or $47.99/year. In saying this, the retention timer which logs your breath holds is still free, as is the ability to log your cold showers. You could also check out Hof’s book. While I found it to be a bit repetitive, there is still loads of valuable information worth reading. Hof’s enthusiasm while he talks about his findings is certainly undeniable. I have a direct link available under BOOKS in my RESOURCES section if you’re interested. And that’s it! If you’re thinking of giving it a go, do just that! Something is calling you, so don’t ignore it. You may surprise yourself and soon find that you have included into your daily morning practice some Wim Hof Breathing.
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