"Cold is God, Breath is Life". Benefits of Cold Exposure
"Cold is God, Breath is Life" - says Wim Hof - Iceman. Have you heard of him?
He holds numerous records related to cold exposure. For example - 1 hour, 52 minutes, and 42 seconds immersed in ice; climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 m /19,341 ft) wearing only shorts and shoes, completing a full marathon in Finland in temperatures close to -20, swimming underneath ice-covered water for distances of greater than 60m/200 ft and many others .
Wim Hof says that he loves cold and he claims that anybody could do what he does with proper training. He has created a method that includes breathing exercises, training of concentration and gradual cold exposure. You can learn more about it at https://www.wimhofmethod.com/ .
Yeah, Wim Hof is cool, but probably you think "what's the point?" (except being cool)
His method is claimed to have many benefits(this is from his website) -
-Increased energy
-Better sleep
-Heightened focus & determination
-Improved sports performance
-Reduced stress levels
-Greater cold tolerance
-Faster recovery
-Enhanced creativity
It sounds great.. Greater cold tolerance seems like quite a good thing especially for people who love mountains (like me)
And as I was searching for more info, I came across many positive reviews about his 10 week online course.
I've been doing the breathing exercises, but not very regularly. I started and quited many times. I easily get excited about new things, but commitment is something that I should really work on. Even thought I noticed that it has a tangible effects after doing it I always feel calmness, positive attitude, clarity of the mind.. just sense of well-being. Once I tried to meditate after the breathing exercises and I was feeling more conscious and mindful.
So I decided to try his 10 weeks online course, hoping to deal this time with my commitment problems :D
Now I am on day 5.. Only 65 left ;)
I'll share my progress here. My childhood dreams of becoming a superhuman are not dead.
"If you learn how to control your mind, anything is possible" - Wim Hof
Any updates? Have you continued with the practice @danielapetk? I heard about him a few years back and tried some of the stuff he mentioned but as you said would always quit after a week or so. The cold showers were quite interesting.
Hey! Actually I am quite serious this time, it is because of this post, I am sure :D . More than a month cold showers every day gradually increasing the time . Still I can't say I feel comfortable with the cold water. Right now, I am prolonging week 4 a little bit, because in week 5 you should take 10 minutes cold showers every day and I am still gathering courage for it. In week 4 the cold showers are only for 2 minutes, and for the whole week you should take a 10 minute cold shower once. I already did it once and it is not so scary :) (it is winter here). I like the breathing exercises very much, I always feel amazing after them. I feel great after the cold showers too.. but may be it is because it is over :D It is a great course!