To rekindle my motivation to resume the daily practice of a breathing exercise called The Wim Hof Method (WHM) and taking cold showers, I read the book "The Wim Hof Method: Activate Your Full Human Potential".
Why do this breathing practice?
- It might just be the simplest way to increase your daily happiness and improve your health (thanks to the release of beneficial hormones and anti-inflammatory effects).
Be mindful that:
- The routine requires 20 minutes of your morning. This means the majority of people will not be able to stick with it, as creating an additional 20 minutes in the morning takes a higher level of commitment. Like sticking with a New Year's resolution, most will fail to keep up the practice.
- I found it helpful to brush my teeth and drink some water 5 to 10 minutes before starting the breathing exercise.
- I felt most relaxed while doing the exercise laying down, however you risk falling back asleep when you complete the 3 to 4 rounds of breathing, so consider sitting if you need to go to work soon after.
- You might feel partially deaf for a few minutes after the breathing rounds, or experience faint ringing in your ears. The jury is still out on what causes this effect, but it is nothing to worry about.
- Some chapters can drag on as the same perspective is repeated, and some "conclusions" drawn when referencing scientific data can be very spiritual.
- There are unsupported claims, Wim is a spiritual and passionate human, don't let these perspectives cloud the legitimacy of this method he developed - it could change your life for the better.
There is an official WHM app in the Apple Store & Google Play Store, which I have paid for in the past (and stopped using once they switched to a "subscription" model).
An alternative app I found on the Google Play Store (for Android users) has been incredibly valuable - Breathe like Wim.
The book did help get me into the routine of doing the breathing practice every day - it became routine to drink a glass of water, brush my teeth, read a few pages, lay down, put on my headphones, start the app on my phone, and begin.
The benefits:
An alternative app I found on the Google Play Store (for Android users) has been incredibly valuable - Breathe like Wim.
The book did help get me into the routine of doing the breathing practice every day - it became routine to drink a glass of water, brush my teeth, read a few pages, lay down, put on my headphones, start the app on my phone, and begin.
The benefits:
- Elevated mood throughout the day (able to better handle stress).
- Strengthen your immune system.
- The practice itself is meditative - focusing on your breathing. It will clear your mind of thoughts as you experience a tingling sensation. Everything else in life fades into the background. It is a tranquil experience.
The book also describes variations of the breathing method I was not familiar with:
- A breathing exercise for increasing endurance before physical exercise (takes 20 minutes plus).
- A breathing exercise for regulating pain (takes 4 minutes plus).
- A breathing exercise for quickly reducing stress (takes 1 minute).
This last exercise to reduce stress has similar characteristics to another breathing practice outlined in a book called The Oxygen Advantage.
When you take a breath in and exhale making a humming sound, this increases nitric oxide released by your sinuses, that sterilizes the air you breathe, and is a vasodilator. Breathing in that nitric oxide when you inhale allows your blood cells to carry more oxygen.
I have always paired any breathing exercise with the Nonin GO2 Pulse Oximeter. Watching your blood oxygen saturation can be fascinating. The Oxygen Advantage provides more information to understand blood oxygen saturation levels.
How I practice the breathing method:
- Deep breath in following the cadence of the app (adjustable in settings), exhale letting my chest fall naturally, repeating for 42 breaths or until I feel a tingling sensation throughout my body.
- Fully exhale on the last breath and hold until I feel the need to take a breath (the app has a timer for this breath hold).
- Take one breath and hold for 15 seconds, then exhale.
- Watch SpO2 level drop to the lowest reading (usually within 20-40 seconds).
- Repeat this cycle for 3 to 4 rounds.
After finishing the book, I find it did fall short of my expectations, but in the end it helped me to accomplish my goal of rekindling the routine of utilizing this breathing method and having more determination to increase cold exposure.
As an added bonus, my girlfriend & I have spent mornings doing this breathing (each wearing headphones and using the app separately) and it is something I look forward to. Our bodies and minds are better for it.
As an added bonus, my girlfriend & I have spent mornings doing this breathing (each wearing headphones and using the app separately) and it is something I look forward to. Our bodies and minds are better for it.