Book – The Wim Hof Method, Activate your full Human Potential – (Review)
Author – Wim Hof
Genre – Self-help Book
Published in – 2020
I picked this book after watching one of Wim Hof aka Ice Man’s videos on YouTube and got hooked to the book and his teachings of the cold shower, breathing, and meditation.
The Wim Hof method consists of basic natural practices, which are simple to inculcate in daily life with numerous benefits.
You can safely practice the Wim Hof Method by yourself, at your own pace, and within the comfort of your own home. No pills, injections, vitamins, supplements, equipment, or specialty diets of any kind are required— all you need is yourself and a desire to unlock your body’s hidden potential.
About Wim Hof –
Wim Hof is also known as ‘ICE MAN’ Dutch extreme athlete noted for his ability to withstand extreme freezing temperatures.
He has set numerous Guinness World records, like swimming under ice and prolonged full-body contact with ice, and still holds the record for a barefoot half-marathon on ice and snow.
He attributes these feats to his Wim Hof Method (WHM), a combination of frequent cold exposure, breathing techniques, and meditation.
About the Book –
The Wim Hof method book is a hands-on guide, whether you want to increase your vitality, strengthen your immune system, become more joyful, feel alive, focused, energetic, or want to combat anxiety and stress. The Wim Hof method got you covered.
Wim Hof claims that his method will help anyone in becoming Strong, Healthy, and Happy.
The Wim Hof Method consists of three parts. 1 Exposure to Cold (through cold shower), 2 Breathe (Breathing Exercises), 3 Mindset (To commit to practice).
The Wim Hof Method Overview
1) Exposure to Cold –
As Wim Hof puts it “Cold showers a day, keeps a doctor away.”
- Wim advises taking cold shower. Within 10 days one can see great results like lower heartbeat between 15 to 30 beats per minute and it remains that way twenty-four hours a day causing way lesser stress in day to day life.
- It’s important to understand that our heart rate increases whenever our body experiences stress. That sends a primordial signal to the body to activate adrenaline and cortisol, which sets off a series of biochemical process that exhaust your adrenal axis, our energy, because we’re in poor vascular condition. Our heart needs to pump more, work harder.
Cold Shower Way –
- Start with 15 to 30 seconds of cold waters and increase week up to 2 minutes and more within 4 week time. Once, this habit is developed. You will be able to go in to cold shower without any shivering feeling.
- Try this for 10 days. End your bath with cold shower and increase exposure as you go along. Within 10 days you’ll be way more comfortable with cold than you began with.
- There are various methods given for different conditions and all can be done at home and doesn’t require much of time and equipment.
2) Breathing –
- Breathing exercise in The Wim Hof method is really simple yet very powerful and it backed it’s claims with various scientific studies done over the years.
- From helping in curing numerous on the rise diseases like anxiety, bipolar, depression, arthritis, asthma to reach our peak potentials these simple breathing technique is really powerful.
- He also removes concerns of many like breathing from mouth or nose. He advises simply to breathe, however is comfortable to you. Idea is to reach in the depths of lungs.
Breathing Technique –
- Begin day with breathing exercise before breakfast.
- Take thirty to forty deep breath, simply inhale and exhale. Don’t try so hard, keep it normal.
- Retain breath for thirty seconds and gradually increase retention with further rounds.
Like this do 3 to 4 rounds. You may check out guided breathing sessions or tutorials on YouTube for understanding before you begin. He also has a free mobile app on his website.
3) Mindset –
- The third pillar of the method is mindset. He call this pillar “commitment” in his training programs because you must have the right mindset to make the commitment to go against your ego and take the damn shower, to just breathe.
- You could also call this pillar the power of the mind. It includes the idea of will and the power to imagine, to meditate, to visualize.
Wim Hof Methods for Various Concerns –
The book shares WHM (Wim Hof Method) practices about so many aspects. To name a few –
- The Wim Hof way to get Warm.
- the Wim Hof way to Meditation.
- WHM and Breast Cancer.
- WHM and Sexual Performance.
- WHM and Chronic Pain.
- Breathing For mood regulation.
Conclusion –
I have started taking cold showers and doing breathing exercises over a week and I am feeling way too low stressed and able to keep calm throughout the day.
I highly recommend the book and do check out his videos on YouTube or his site for more information. These methods are free to use with little time commitment and there is nothing to lose, but to gain so much.
You may download The Wim Hof Method E-Book here.
Do share your feedback/suggestion in the comment of this review or if you have any questions and I will gladly respond.
If you like reading this book, you may also enjoy reading IKIGAI (The Japanese secret to a long and happy life)
Wish you a life full of Strength, Health, and Happiness.
Muzammil