The Breathwork That Will Change Your Life by Wim Hof

Ok ok, so bear with me on this because it may sound crazy. But the Wim Hof breathing method totally changed my postpartum experience & I just can’t not share.

Wim Hof was introduced to me by 2 of my favorite people: Tim Ferriss & Ryan Holiday. He’s known as The Iceman & has set many Guinness World Records for, well, basically, being an Iceman.

His body can withstand super cold temperatures & he is the definition of an extreme athlete. He was on the HIM & HER podcast not too long ago, so if you haven’t listened to it yet, be sure to check it out.

Wim has run marathons barefoot & shirtless near the Arctic Circle, he’s swam under the ice at the North Pole & has sat in ice baths for 1.5 hours. He says what got him through these accomplishments was his breathing practice.

As my research into Wim went on, I found out that his wife had committed suicide after a long depression & Wim had developed this meditation to help people live happier, healthier, stronger lives. What he ended up with is a method that has amazing benefits.

Oh, & Gwyneth Paltrow is a big fan too. So much so, that Wim is featured on episode 2 of The Goop Lab on Netflix.

Anyway, let’s get right into it…

How To Do The Wim Hof Method:

First, find a comfortable place to sit. Lately my favorite places have been somewhere in nature or in front of the Joovv red light ( see all those benefits here ). So sit down, relax, & follow Wim’s method on YouTube which is about 10 minutes long.

What you do is take 30 quick, deep breaths, inhaling through your nose & exhaling through your mouth. Then you take another deep breath, & exhale for as long as you can until you need to take a breath again. Inhale again, hold it for 10 seconds & repeat.

It might sound confusing but check out his video for specifics. It’s super easy to follow when you do it with him & seriously, it’s been LIFE-CHANGING for me.

Here’s the real cherry on top…the second you’re done with the breathwork, hop into a freezing fucking cold shower for 3 minutes. Personally, I like to listen to The Daily Stoic podcast by Ryan Holiday while I do this because most of the episodes are 2-4 minutes long.

So set your alarm for 3 minutes & scrape your tongue, dry brush ( but it’s not dry cause it’s in the shower LOL ), & wash with the best ever Nécessaire eucalyptus body wash ( Amelia Gray Hamlin’s fave ).

Afterwards you will immediately feel rejuvenated from the breathwork & the cold shower. Wim recommends doing the cold shower RIGHT after the breathwork.

The Benefits of The Wim Hof Method:

♡ more energy

♡ lower stress levels

♡ less anxiety

♡ more clarity

♡ better mood

♡ improved immune system

So how does it work?

“Breathe properly, Hof claims, & oxygen levels in the tissues increase & adrenaline floods the body, granting strength that we didn’t know we had.

“If you oxygenize the body the way we do it, the oxygen gets into the tissue. [Regular] breathing doesn’t do that,” he says. “What happens in the brain stem, the brain says, ‘There is no oxygen anymore.’ Then it triggers adrenaline to shoot out throughout the body. Adrenaline is for survival, but this time it is completely controlled … the adrenaline shoots out throughout the body & resets it to the best functionality.”

Hof speaks convincingly of the heightened mind-body connection his technique engenders, begging comparisons to a long tradition of semi-mystic practices such as pranayamic yoga, tummo breathing & breathwork.

Above all, he speaks of a more profound connection between mind and body that allows us to quell the primal desire to run from pain and fear — or from the cold.” { via }

More Tips For Doing Wim’s Method:

♡ Try to do it as soon as you wake up. This doesn’t always happen for me because of the baby, but I’ll add it to my calendar to make sure I fit it in.

♡ If you think you don’t have time, you do. A typical shower takes a person 15 minutes. You can do Wim’s method in 10 & hop in a freezing cold shower for 3. You have time.

♡ Doing the breathwork in nature is a real plus. As I said, if I don’t get out in nature, I like to be in front of the Joovv, but a nice calming place will do.

After doing this, you will be buzzing. Let me tell ya, like crack cocaine buzzing. I’ll admit, it’s hard to get there. I used to find myself putting it off, but once you make yourself do it, you’ll tell yourself that you NEED this in your life every single day.

Wim Hof’s method combined with The Daily Stoic podcast in the morning sets the perfect foundation of your day. If you can’t do it in the morning, later on is totally good too.

As I mentioned above, if you want to learn more about Wim Hof & his story, be sure to check out his episode on The Skinny Confidential HIM & HER podcast & follow him on Instagram @iceman_hof.

That’s that. I’m off to do my breathwork because writing this post has made me crave it.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Peace, love & breathwork.

x, lauryn

+ how to practice grounding to get rid of anxiety.

++ why you should be breathing out of your nose on the daily.

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