Daredevil, yogi, madman, Iceman – Wim Hof has been called all of these things and more. His eponymous Wim Hof Method boasts thousands of followers worldwide (and the number is growing), and combines breathing techniques, cold exposure and mindset techniques with physical exercise – techniques that the Dutch-born Hof has been developing for the past 30 years.
It may sound simple, but the Wim Hof Method promises profound effects: increased energy, better sleep, heightened focus and determination, improved sports performance, reduced stress levels, greater cold tolerance, faster recovery and enhanced creativity. Cold exposure can offer benefits, such as the build-up of brown fat – which turns food into body heat – as well as reduced inflammation and the production of endorphins.
“The Wim Hof method is simple, effective and accessible,” explains Hof. “It has proven to go to the deepest level of our physiology – to our primordial physiology. From there, one learns to think differently of oneself, and to breathe more into life.”
Hof himself holds 26 world records – he’s climbed Mount Everest in nothing but shorts, run full marathons in the desert with no water, and has been submerged in ice for almost two hours.
“You’re tapping into foundational systems and mechanisms within the body related to alkalinity, adrenaline, cell biology and metabolic processes in the deepest sense,” says Hof. He explains that practising the breathing techniques exercises the cardiovascular system, alkalises the blood and activates the adrenal axis – all of which help reset the body to its natural state.
“The cold trains the vascular system and taps into deeper parts of the brain when done in a mindful, controlled manner, which makes the body’s mechanisms aware of your will,” explains Hof. “A deep sense of control emerges from there.”
Scientists have studied him, and he’s been shown to be able to tap into his autonomous nervous system at will, and with that, to activate his immune system – something they didn’t know was possible. “It’s like finding a ballroom in your own house – unexpected,” says Hof.
In October, Hof spoke at the Global Wellness Summit in Florida, and gave a demonstration of his breathing techniques. He says the demand is there to implement his Method in spas with the right education; already there is a Wim Hof Method Academy, and a growing list of certified instructors worldwide. “We have to come up with the right programme – a professional platform for instructors related to the wellness industry, and make it happen on a much wider scale,” he says. “This would open up a new dimension in the wellness industry, where the spas provide much more than wellness alone, moving into self-awareness and hands-on prevention techniques related to stress and disease.”
And he says therapists are a natural fit for working with the Method. “They have great affinity with people and existing knowledge of the heat and cold,” he says. Additionally, spas often have the facilities already to offer workshops in the Method – cold water experiences and spaces for breathing exercises, such as relaxation lounges. But he’d like to see spas do more with cold therapy.
“We in the wellness industry should create facilities to go into the cold water, with the right knowledge of both how to approach the cold and what the benefits are for the participant,” says Hof. “Wellness is becoming a great way to prevent the consequences of our daily stress and modern lifestyles. Prevention of diseases – both mental and physical – is a great new route to enter on. The Wim Hof Method would be able to create a new dimension in the wellness industry – actually, we are doing it as we speak.”
