I am an affiliate of the Wim Hof Method, which is still a part of my daily life six years on. I’ve recommended it to pretty much all my family and friends and highly recommend it to you too, especially as there is currently 35% off. It’s for anyone looking for the ultimate course in boosting all areas of your physical, mental and spiritual health, and think this should be taught in every school.
Wim Hof is known for being able to run marathons barefoot across snow and immerse his naked body in freezing temperatures for extended periods, but the Wim Hof Method also allows the practitioner to go deeper into the mind and body. It’s essentially, an incredibly powerful form of meditation.
Over the last few months, I’ve been practising the Wim Hof Method which some people suggest is similar to the ancient Tibetan inner heat practice called Tummo. Although the Wim Hof Method involves much more than the breathing below, I wanted to share with you the main power breath exercise I’ve been doing every morning for two months. If you meditate after the power breath exercise, you should find yourself in quite a deeply relaxed state of meditation very quickly.
Disclaimer from the WHM course:
“Warnings: Always do the breathing exercise in a safe environment (e.g. sitting on a couch/floor) and unforced. Never practice it before or during diving, driving, swimming, taking a bath or any other environment/place where it might be dangerous to faint. The breathing exercise has a profound effect and should be practiced in the way it is explained. The cold is a strong force. We strongly advice you to gradually build up exposing yourself to the cold. Always train without force and listen to your body carefully. If not practiced responsibly, you risk hypothermia or an after drop. Individuals should also not practice cold exposure when pregnant, on an empty stomach, after drinking alcohol, after meals or during exercise. If you have (serious) health issues, please always consult a doctor first before practicing.”
1. Get comfortable
Find a comfortable place to do your breathing exercises where you won’t be disturbed. You can sit or lie on your back, but do not do this exercise whilst driving or standing up.
2. Do 30-40 power breaths
Once you’re comfortable, you can start to breathe in and out 30 times. This is essentially deep breathing at a steady pace in and out through the mouth. Inhale fully but don’t exhale all the way out. As you inhale you should feel your belly rise and on the exhale, you should feel your belly fall. It may feel a bit like you are hyperventilating, but you are in control. Like me, you may also feel a tingling or lightheaded sensation throughout your whole body, when you do this for the first time. This is perfectly normal.
**September 2017 update**
I understand point two might not be completely straightforward, so I created a short video (My first ever YouTube video!) below demonstrating the Wim Hof power breath.
3. Hold your breath
After doing 30-40 Wim Hof power breaths, empty your lungs of air and retain the breath for as long as you can without force. During the retention, I found it relaxing to close my eyes and focus on the space between my eyes. Just remember to set a stopwatch if you’re interested in recording your results. You might want to see how you progress with the breath retentions if you plan to do this regularly over a set period of time.
4. Breathe in for 10 seconds
After the breath retention, take a deep breath in and hold it for a further 10-15 seconds, before exhaling.
5. Repeat steps 1-4
Repeat the whole process for another three rounds. Remember to record your times down, so you can track your progression.
6. Meditate after 4 rounds of power breathing
After the power breaths, you can then go into your regular practise of meditation or meditate for five minutes if you’re a complete beginner by closing your eyes, bringing your awareness to your breath and focusing on the space between your eyes.
Over time, you can gradually increase the amount of time you spend in meditation after the power breaths, but five minutes is sufficient for a beginner.
March 2019 update
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I recently went to the Wim Hof Live Experience at the Roundhouse in London which has to be now the best and most important live workshop I’ve ever been to. You can read about my Wim Hof live workshop experience here, but I wanted to add to this article to share a few additions to the breathing technique.
Something I perhaps should have placed more emphasis on when I initially wrote this article was letting go, and getting out of your head. One of the Wim Hof Method instructors explained Wim’s famous quote ‘Breathe motherfucker’ beautifully. It’s not being rude, it’s about following what feels right and just breathing. It doesn’t matter whether you breathe in and out through the nose or out through the mouth — it’s what works for you, so try not to get too hung up on the ‘perfect’ technique.
During the live workshop, we also practised six rounds of the breathing instead of four. Once you get used to the exercise, however, you can even let go of meticulously counting 30-40 breaths.
I don’t know if it was the powerful effects of breathing with hundreds of others, but not counting the breaths, allowed me to completely get out of my head and enter a deep meditative state much sooner. I felt my physical body dissolve as I entered this expansive state of light where I felt such an incredible feeling of connectedness.
***
As with any new meditation or breathing technique, if it doesn’t feel right, stop doing it and trust your intuition. If you found the power breath exercise useful, I’ll be posting up more articles about the Wim Hof Method over the next few months.
You can read my article written after I finished the course here Wim Hof Method: review by a yoga teacher
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