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October 28, 2020Publisher’s Note: Health. Strength. Happiness. Available to all Humans – regardless of race, class, gender, color, caste or creed – for 20 minutes of daily energetic investment.
Winter is Coming, Vermont.
After splitting and stacking our wood, harvesting our autumn season’s food crops, and buttoning up our barns, businesses, and homesteads for the coming cold, what else can we do to get ready?
Two questions:
Imagine if you could learn to use your mind and body to strengthen your immune system, control your autonomic nervous system, and develop more happiness, strength and health?
And what if learning to do this cost not a single cent, and took only twenty minutes of daily practice in the privacy, comfort and convenience of your own home or workplace?
Welcome to the Wim Hof Method.
Dutchman Wim Hof, popularly known as “The Iceman,” holds 26 world records, including running a marathon in the high Himalayas wearing only shorts, and swimming under a frozen glacier the length of a football field in nothing more than goggles and a swimsuit.
After years of exploring the limits of the human mind and body, “The Iceman” is bringing his “Wim Hof Method” to the world, transforming thousands of human lives for the better and rewriting scientific textbooks (literally!) as laboratory researchers confirm ancient secrets that Hof has rediscovered; basic neurophysiological wisdom that allow all of us – regardless of race, gender, color, caste, creed, or age – to become more resilient human beings.
Full disclosure – I became a “Hoffer” more than one year ago. The Hoffing community is an emerging global one, fellow humans from all around the world pursuing greater resilience through a method consisting of three simple “pillars” which “The Iceman” explains with characteristic whim and verve in his brand-new book entitled The Wim Hof Method: Activate Your Full Human Potential.
Here they are:
Pillar 1 – Mindset/Commitment
The easiest of the three to understand, and yet the most difficult of the three to master. Can we cultivate enough focus and commitment to invest twenty minutes daily to deepen the power of our minds and the strength of our bodies? “Energy flows where focus goes,” Hoffers explain.
Pillar 2 – Breathing
Some of us pursue a daily breathing practice, while many pay little attention to breathing – our most fundamental human activity. Wim Hof breathing involves lying down, getting comfortable, and pursuing a several rounds of deep inhalations and exhalations, punctuated by a short “breath hold” at the end of each. Done daily and repeatedly, this breathing cycle unlocks more energy in our body, provides more clarity for our mind, and over time, reduces stress and increases our immune response to pathogens. Sound too good to be true? “Get high on your own supply,” as Hoffers like to say.
Pillar 3 – The Cold
“The cold is merciless, but righteous,” explains “The Iceman.” Indeed, immersing ourselves in cold water – be it a bowl of ice into which we gingerly place our hands or feet, 30-60 seconds of cold water immersion at a hot shower’s end, or a plunge into the Mad River (be safe – work up to this, please, and always plunge with resilient friends) – triggers a whole host of health benefits, including the release of epinephrine, the building of “brown fat,” more balanced hormone levels, improved sleep quality, and lower levels of stress over time. “Cold is Gold,” Hoffers point out, and “Ice is Nice.”
Big picture – the Wim Hof Method is built around a simple neurophysiological concept called “hormesis” – each of us can induce “positive stress” through simple breathing and cold water immersion protocols which, when done daily, catalyzes a host of health benefits.
For skeptics, Hof’s new book features an introduction by Elissa Epel, M.D. “The true story is that Wim has shown us what we all can do,” Epel observes. “The underlying method requires something uniquely human – the power of belief in ourselves, the power of strong intention combined with directed attention, the unique dialectical state of relaxing into physical discomfort and pain – of ice, of cold water, of breath-holding – I find this to be a remarkable state.”
Before jumping in, I encourage caution and safety first and foremost. For the curious, I suggest perusing the Wim Hof web site and related free resources. Additionally, Hof has been featured on Vice, Netflix’s “The Goop Lab,” and a host of other news and documentary programs.
Interested in finding out more about the Wim Hof Method here in Mad River Valley?
Winter is coming.
Prepare yourselves!
