Mind-Melting Days with the Iceman, Wim Hof
I am sitting down at my computer, having just completed 30 minutes of breathing like a drowned castaway gasping for air. My mind is clear, fingers tingling and my body warm. I am full of energy and ready to write.
This is The Wim Hof Method...
Myself and three other men, Mark, Joel and Dave, drove along the Great Ocean Road to Airey's Inlet to participate in 4 days and 5 nights of a unique method of life enhancement developed by a peculiar Dutchman named Wim Hof.Wim, aged 57, has claimed 26 world records in unrelated feats of human performance. His resume is impressive; climbing 7,500m up Mt. Everest in just his shorts, running a marathon in the Namibia desert without water and even hanging for the longest time from 1 finger, 500m above the earth between two hot air balloons (29 seconds).
At an early age, Wim became fascinated with the cold and began cutting holes into iced lakes to jump in and feel the immense effect it had on his body. The icy water made him feel fully alive, breathing as if to be clutching onto life. If you have ever had a cold shower, you can only imagine how that might feel. Wim would experiment with cold exposure and breathe techniques for decades to come.
At this time he was also reading whole libraries on Indian & Tibetan Philosophy & Mysticism. By divine fate, his wife committed suicide 20 years ago and sent Wim on a quest to further the meaning of strength, health and happiness.
Growing through great suffering, Wim now dedicates his life to helping people become happy, healthy and strong. This thirst for changing the world has propelled him into stratospheric popularity in recent times, so we ventured off to see what all the fuss was about.
We each had different reasons for attending the 5-day retreat; I have been fascinated with various forms of yoga and meditation for the last 6 years. Dave O'Brien is quite a sceptic, but when I mentioned some prior research on Wim and his ability to prevent endotoxemia from injection of E. Coli toxin, he was in. Since contracting hypothermia at age 13, Joel Sargent has been deathly afraid of cold water, so he bravely wanted to overcome his fears. And Mark is always up for a challenge and collecting unique experiences. When asked why Mark follows his macronutrient plan to the T, or never missing a week of training for the last few decades, he just stares you straight in the eye and says "You just gotta do it, Mate!"So after the first night of meet and greet with 60 other attendees, we woke up from our bunk with a cold shower of approximately 5 degrees. It was proclaimed that the hot water tap should be labelled "Wimp" for the week. There were the usual tension and awkwardness you find in the conversations of any large group of strangers.
Without much organisation, we wandered over to the yoga hall to begin our first session. Wim was sitting on the ground playing his guitar alternating between Tibetan throat singing and ad-libbing about an unknown crazy monkey and changing the world. He is a truly unique character.
There was a lengthy discussion about Wim's history and some Q&A before he instructed us to lie down and begin to "Tune into the breath". Having practised this technique before, I somewhat knew what to expect. Others were completely in the dark.
Wim's voice maintained the mantra "Fully in! Let go..", which forced us to breathe harder and deeper than we are typically accustomed to. Within a short while, my hands started to tingle, my head became light, and my lungs opened. Unlike my previous experiences in pranayama and yoga classes, it was very obvious that EVERY person in the room was feeling something. We completed 3 rounds of the hyperventilation technique and a 4th concluding with as many pushups as possible while holding our breath out.
Some research has shown considerable physiological effects of this breathing method. There is a robust increase of the excitatory neurotransmitter, epinephrine, as well as an increase in oxygen saturation of the tissues from 16% to 22%. By decreasing carbon dioxide levels, we also raise the blood pH from 7.4 to approximately 7.8. This state of voluntary sympathetic nervous system activation, blood alkalinity and oxygen saturation has profound effects:
Increased endurance
Increased pain and cold tolerance
Improved cardiovascular conditioning
Increased white blood cell count
Suppression of inflammatory cytokines
Feelings of love, connection and happiness
After just one breath session, there was definitely a greater connection between the group. As each day passed, that previous tension and awkwardness morphed into love, compassion and connection. We all knew we were going to be tested at some point - either by the approaching ice bath or by the transformative breath work - and this pressure forged us together, like steel in a fire.
This feeling of connection and camaraderie couldn't have been timed better. When I walked back to the dorm and checked my phone, I had received the message from my father that my close grandpa had passed away that morning. At that moment, I knew I was to embody the strength throughout this retreat that he did his entire life. Every time I would feel like backing out, I would bring myself back to honouring him. I proclaimed my intention during 15 minutes of Horse Stance, barebacked and barefooted in the forest amongst 60 other seekers and warriors. I felt free.
As the afternoon came, 2 cars carrying 1,000 kilograms of ice rolled up the hill. The group started to unload the bags from the car into the inflatable pool. With Wim singing and playing his guitar, and I accompanied with my didgeridoo, the energy was palpable. There was a thick soup of nervousness & excitement, terror & joy. The 12-person pool was now full... 3/4 ice, 1/4 water.
The water temperature quickly dropped down to 3 degrees, and we started to breathe deeply. "Fully in, let go." rang through our heads. In a split second, the first group, including Dave and close friend Guy Lawrence took their shirts off and jumped in the water. The look of pain and terror spread across every one of their (check out or Facebook page for proof!). It wasn't very comforting for those of us following on.Any ounce of comfort left was quickly stripped away as my body submerged under the water. Like daggers, the ice pierced through our thin human skin. We are not made for this shit!Mark and Joel were to my right, Joel shivering in fear and Mark trying to sing "Somewhere over the Rainbow". He quickly changed his tune and begun belting out the theme song for the Richmond Tigers. I joined in. The distraction worked for 3 minutes was over in a flash!
We celebrated with a max set of pushups counted out by Mark, which would become a reoccurring tradition as the days went on.
The following morning we went deeper into our breath work, learning a new technique to activate something called brown fat. Believe it or not, this is a good type of fat! The method, which is used to warm up the body, involves a breath retention and squeezing of the chest and back (areas that contain the highest amounts of brown fat). We were to put this method to the test later that afternoon as the water temperature dropped to 0.5 degrees overnight and barely any ice had melted.
After breathing and a discussion, we were instructed to place our hands in the water for 2-minutes. Us modern-day comfort junkies try to minimise as much pain as possible. As a result, our hands have become de-conditioned to cold temperatures. What was once used as important sensors to our outside environment, our hands have become stale and weak and do nothing except type on our smartphones and rest in our warm pockets. Think of your ancestors and consider exposing your hands to the cold from now on.We walked down to the beach, connecting and sharing stories with one another. Each and every person, despite their background, had something fascinating to share. It's a beautiful thing when walls are pulled down, and we share our vulnerability with one another. At the beach, we spent 25 minutes breathing in Horse Stance, with the goal to centre the mind and be present with the sounds of the ocean, the wind and the incessant thoughts occurring in our heads.
Before our evening ice bath in the now 0.8-degree water, the five of us completed another 4 rounds of The Wim Hof Method. As this was our second session of the day, I was feeling incredible. My face and hands were full of electricity, and I had enough energy to run through a brick wall. We walked straight out of the yoga hall into the ice bath.It worked! All of us who had done the breathing beforehand found it profoundly easier than the prior day, despite it being more than 2 degrees colder. This is because our pain receptors, particularly related to temperature are "acid-activated". When we raise our blood pH through hyperventilating (called respiratory alkalosis), our pain receptors don't signal as usual.
The only person who suffered was Mark, having an internal battle between singing "Tigerland" and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariots".Now the sceptics had been silenced.
The Wim Hof Method, at the very least, allows us to take control over our physiology in the realms of cold exposure. It is up to us how far we want to push ourselves from here. The following day we were to sit in 4-degree water for 7.5 minutes. But now there was no fear of the ice. Only during the breath sessions...
After a cold shower and morning walk, we collected into the yoga hall for our third morning of breathing. The group was made up of a diverse array of people. Some were suffering chronic diseases such as cancer or autoimmune issues, others were seeking spiritual growth, and some were looking for that extra edge in physical or mental performance. There were doctors, lawyers, pharmacists, bankers, nurses, builders, teachers, and coaches of all sorts, who made up the bulk of the community. All with one goal in mind: To better understand themselves and the world around them, and to help create a better place on Earth.
Wim lead a mind-blowing session in the morning, teaching us new techniques specific to enhancing spiritual growth and obtaining altered states of consciousness. He is working with Dr Rick Strassman of the Cottonwood Research Foundation to understand the science behind mystical or spiritual experiences. Dr Strassman is famous for his research in the early '90s on the molecule dimethyltryptamine or DMT, also known as The Spirit Molecule. I will leave the rest up to your imagination but, depending on how deep you want to go, this is a profound and fascinating rabbit hole.
Immediately after that session, we had a surprise 3-minute ice-bath, reminding us that we must be ready for anything at any time.
The energy around that evening's ice bath was much more relaxed. Despite all the ice melting, the temperature was still only 4 degrees. For 7.5 minutes, this is enough to get a lot of people shivering. We practised the brown fat activation technique, squeezing our abdomen, chest and back with 7 breaths between retention. Mark did not fail to bring the intensity. Drawing on his amateur Australian Rules Football career, he would look you in the eyes and yell "Don't you (expletive) shiver, Son!". It's almost as if he forgot he was in the pool, too.
The breath work had undoubtedly become the most challenging part of the retreat. With any spiritual endeavour, there can be emotional releases. Depending on the individual, these are either subtle or overt. Whatever the reaction, we knew we were surrounded by a group of people who supported us and loved us. This was not just a retreat, this was an exploration of consciousness.
On the fourth and final day, the 60 of us walked through the forest and green pastures to swim in the Painkalac Dam, some 4km away. It was very fresh, but most of us took the opportunity to condition the vascular system and have a pre-ice bath warm up.
That evening Wim called everybody into the hall for an unplanned breath session. He suggested we go slowly. "Fully in. Let go.." The lights turned off. "Fully in. Let go.."
Over the next 90 minutes, we breathed deeper, fuller and longer than we had ever done in our entire lives. The power of this technique really came to light! My hands, arms and face, started to contort with the unusual gaseous exchange & pH occurring in my body.
Upon retention and squeezing, I would revisit childhood memories for what seemed like days, only to come back a few seconds later and realise I was in a room full of people huffing and puffing. I would go again and again until the pressure in my hands became too much, and so I sat up and meditated. I felt an incredible sense of gratitude for the crazy Dutchman at the front singing and playing his guitar.I don't mind if you call it a DMT experience, a spiritual exploration or quackery, I was peace, awe and in absolute appreciation for the world and the people in my life.
I believe that is ultimately the goal of any spiritual endeavour; To make you a better person. To allow you to live a fuller life and love the world around you. It is done to make you happy.
We were now all converts. None of us viewed Wim as the Guru, not even himself. We simply understood the power of the method, and that Wim has gone farther than any of us went that night. He understands something most of us do not.Wim is currently doing research with multiple universities, including Hanover and Stanford. Not because he wants to see if there is proof - he already knows - but to prove to the current scientific community that we do not yet fully understand the nature of strength, healing and happiness. There is much more of our physiology that we are not tapping into. This method will show you how.
The final 10-minute ice bath was more of a celebration than a challenge. We had gone through a hell of a lot as One, and now bonds had formed that hopefully will last a lot longer than those 4 days.
Many insights became apparent to me throughout the retreat, but some more practical ones I would like to briefly mention.
Too often we allow fear to govern our decisions. Once upon a time, when greeting someone, we would hug one another. Now we usually just give a handshake, always keeping a careful distance between each other. Sometimes it's just a silent nod! This is fear, preventing you from connecting with someone.
We stop ourselves from being who we really are, out of fear of judgement from others.
This primitive thinking will get you nowhere. I ask you to say F**k Fear. Fully embrace yourself and those around you. Learn new skills, test yourself in challenging situations and be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
By exposing yourself to challenging and stressful situations (like an ice bath), you are making your physiology stronger. Research now shows that cold showers can help treat depression. When we consciously stress our body, it adapts. When we lift weights, we get stronger. If we live in cotton-wool all the time, we become weak, depressed and fearful of the world.I invite you to take on a new physical challenge. Maybe it's 30 days of cold showers or meditation, doing an ice bath, learning to handstand or playing an instrument. All these challenges make us grow, and when we grow, we can offer more to the world.
In strength, health & happiness.