Once you reach your limit, you allow yourself a deep “recovery” breath: inhale deeply, hold for about 15 seconds, and then let the breath go. In the beginning, I could only hold my breath for about 1 minute, but by the third day of practicing this method, I could easily hold my breath for 2 minutes, and sometimes even 2.5. After this, the app instructs the listener to exhale and refrain from inhaling for as long as possible.
Following along with the app, I did three rounds of the method.įirst, you practice breathing heavily, almost hyperventilating, for 30 to 40 breaths. The breathing practice is really pretty simple. I also decided to start with just the breathing practice, although Wim typically combines breathing with cold therapy. To familiarize myself with the method, I watched Wim Hof’s tutorial on YouTube a few times, and I downloaded the Wim Hof Method App. I had tried just about everything else, and definitely didn’t mind trying some simple breathing techniques. Now, Wim claims that his method can not only promote wellness in general, but actually reduce inflammation and heal various injuries and illnesses. In the midst of all this, I remembered a Netflix documentary featuring Wim Hof. This was terrible news on top of terrible news, because the exercise, chiropractor visits, and Eldoa practice were all key ways that I managed my chronic pain. Eldoa, a system of stretching that mimics the effect of traction therapy, was also more difficult to continue with the distancing requirements of the pandemic. Suddenly, normal things like going to the gym or visiting the chiropractor were just not possible. New Complications and New IdeasĪnd then, of course, along came COVID-19. Some treatments gave temporary relief, while others seemed to lead to more lasting improvement, but the pain was still not “gone.” Eventually, I decided it probably never would be. To fix it, I tried all kinds of therapies, exercises, and treatments from simple things like yoga and heating pads to complicated and painful treatments including fascial adjustment and platelet-rich-plasma injections. After a serious biking injury, I began to experience this debilitating pain that often prevented me from walking more than a few steps at a time. In April, I wrote about my experience with persistent, intense sciatic back pain.
He claims that his ability to handle extreme challenges is based on the Wim Hof Method, a health technique he developed involving control of the breath, cold therapy, and commitment to the practice of both.ĭuring this pandemic, I gave his methods a shot and the results have literally been astonishing. So what’s the point? For Wim, the point is three-pronged or as he might put it: three-pillared. He’s also done a few mountain climbs in nothing but shorts and shoes, and in an unusual break from his more polar pursuits, he once ran a marathon… in the desert… without water… and rehydrated afterwards with beer. He’s risked life and limb multiple times to set records, usually involving ice: longest time swimming in icy waters, longest time in direct, full-body contact with ice (yes, that’s essentially being buried up to your chin in ice), fastest half-marathon running barefoot on, you guessed it, ice.
But what if a simple, straightforward breathing technique could significantly impact your health and even heal an injury?Įver heard of Wim Hof? At this point, probably so. With wellness rituals and techniques like yoga and meditation in the mainstream, almost everyone is aware to some level that mindful breathing is a healthy practice.
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