Wim Hof: The Dutch Iceman
Wim Hof, also known as the Iceman, holds twenty records in the Guinness Book of Records to withstand extreme temperatures. He climbed Mount Everest and Kilimanjaro wearing only shorts and shoes. He manages to stay down in icy ice baths for hours and he ran a marathon in the desert without drinking water.
His goal is to show that he has complete control over his body and mind. Hof’s ability is so extraordinary that scientists, doctors, neurologists and psychologists around the world will study him. His body has basically become a research object.
Wim Hof trained for several years to develop the special breathing technique that allows him to control his cardiovascular, endocrine, nervous and muscular systems.
The method of Wim Hof
In 1995, Hof’s wife had a severe psychotic episode that resulted in suicide. It completely changed Hof’s life and inspired his method. He wanted to show the world that willpower can take you anywhere and that you can control your body and mind.
Hof began to be called “The Ice Man” because withstanding cold temperatures is one of the pillars of his method. Although Wim Hof’s method seems simple, it is very difficult to master.
Many see Hof as an example of people being able to control their bodies. His breathing method allows people to affect their immune system in addition to their sympathetic nervous system.
In theory, this would mean that everyone has the ability to voluntarily reduce their systemic inflammation and release certain hormones such as adrenaline and dopamine. All this can have very interesting health effects. Wim Hof’s method can also help relieve depression-related symptoms and strengthen body and mind.
Several studies support Hof’s claims. For example, some studies show that focused breathing (also important for yoga and meditation) can affect health and body weight. This is because adequate breathing techniques can reduce inflammation and lower stress levels.
Connections to the natural world
Hof feels that people should not try to change their surroundings without first assessing the consequences of this. We use air conditioning and heat pumps to regulate the room temperature all year round. We eat food out of season and pollute our planet slowly but surely.
Stages of Wim Hof’s method
Exposure to extreme cold
Hof explains that low temperatures contract the muscles around the veins, which improves circulation and lowers your heart rate.
Cold therapy can provide great health benefits when done correctly. Hof claims that it strengthens your immune system, restores hormonal balance, improves sleep patterns and increases the production of endorphins, which puts you in a better mood.
The method of Wim Hof: The breath
Hof believes that most of us are not aware of the enormous potential of our breath. He thinks that experimenting with the breathing rhythm can have significant health benefits. His deliberate breathing method increases the level of oxygen in the blood, which gives you more energy, reduces stress and improves the immune response to pathogens.
Meditation
Meditation is the path that leads to bodily awareness and mental clarity. According to Iceman, the mental aspect of his method is fundamental to success.
More than one journalist has asked him what he wants to achieve. His answer is always the same: that he will forget the pain of loss and give love back to the world.
To conclude, scientists, neurologists and psychologists around the world are amazed at his achievements. Wim Hof is happy to be able to contribute to scientific research and that the scientific community can use his body to learn more about healing and prevention of incurable diseases.
