The Wim Hof Method: Activate Your Full Human Potential

Product Information

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon with the Iceman. Yes, he bangs on a bit, but that’s because he does passionately believe it. He’s also entertaining and funny. And extraordinary. He sat in an ice bath for one hour, 52 minutes and 42 seconds! It makes me hyperventilate just thinking about it. On a completely separate note, while I do understand this is Wim's book and Wim's way of thinking, I can imagine quite a lot of people getting at least slightly annoyed at how he sometimes describes women and mothers - loads of stereotypes there. Nothing too terrible, but still. Let this be a small trigger warning for readers who keep feminist matters as close to their heart as I do.

Hof, in emotional agony, as well as facing bringing up four children himself with very little money, found some comfort in cold water, in the canyons around Pamplona. “I found that going into cold water stops whatever is going on in your mind, you’ve got to survive in cold water, it is merciless, but righteous.” It helped him heal, and he began to think it could help others heal, too. And the seeds of the Wim Hof Method were born. The author believes that we should all experience happiness, strength, and health. One way of helping individuals achieve this is shining light on human consciousness, potential, and “the truth of nature.”

Retailers:

That said, the book is about the method and from an author who put their ego aside and invested their life on a w(h)im! I have no doubt his method has helped many people but do not accept all he claims for it. That said, he is a passionate, inspiring and interesting individual who has achieved many remarkable feats. He certainly walks the walk. The benefits of cold water exposure are undeniable, as are the benefits of breathing exercises and meditation. Beyond that the book is a mix of biography and increasingly fantastical mystical claims. Practice is the key. As is learning. And this book doesn’t quite pin down precisely what is needed. It’s like he’s trying to convince us that his method is real, and that it works, but he doesn’t quite show us what his method is. He gives us data and a lot of biography. He tells us how he came to his method and why he felt it was necessary. And it’s very convincing. I believe in what he says. I think he has found something, and he understands a crucial fact of human existence: none of us ever really discover our true potential.

I gave this 4 stars because I have this rule where if the book changes me, and changes the way I think, especially immediately, than it must have been significant enough to rate it fairly as a great book. If I was going to rate this though based on "how interesting it was", or "how well it was written", than I would give it a 3. But fortunately for Wim, and myself.. I get to keep it a 4. Here is why. And one more time, two and a half minutes without breathing. He talks as I hold it, and says my body is bringing down inflammation. I told him I had some osteoarthritis in my hand; this will help, he says, optimistically. I also told him I’d had depression. He says this helps depression as well. “You’re dealing with the chemical residue that causes the anxiety, you are cleansing the shit. And, yes, it improves the virility as well.” I don’t think I said I had any issues with my virility, did I? Wim Hof's program has become an essential part of my daily regimen for self-care and grounding. I warmly recommend it Dr Gabor Maté, author of When the Body Says No Others in the book have similar experiences and you can too. In addition to the immediate benefits, there are additional benefits if you practice consistently. Your health, performance, mood, and overall well-being can improve. Before you begin an endurance exercise like running or cycling, do 3-4 rounds of a modified power breathing exercise. 1) Breath in and out 60 times. 2) Hold breath for at least 15 seconds or as long as it’s comfortable. 3) Start a new round and increase the speed and intensity of your breathing 4) Wait a few minutes until you ground yourself and then begin the endurance exercise. RESOURCESWhen it comes to the breathing... its really profound, and some of the things he has claimed are world changing if they can be duplicated by us common mortals. I believe in it (due to a book I read last year called "Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art" by James Nestor), and I believe that breathing the right way, and consciously breathing will be a boon for my health, and future in this very bleak world. (yeah I said that). The breathing protocol, which is composed of three to four rounds, takes about twenty minutes to complete. The best time to do these breathing exercises is before breakfast. For cold exposure, some benefits begin at 60° Fahrenheit. Does the book convey a well balanced, considered argument for the ability of spiritual well being to transcend modern health care (like a Sam Harris would)? In nature, it is not only the physically weak but the mentally weak that get eaten. Now we have created this modern society in which we have every comfort, yet we are losing our ability to regulate our mood, our emotions.” Wim is an impressive human being, with absolutely astonishing achievements. The number of people who have benefitted from his method is, even if you adjust for the extreme cases who claim they've cured cancer, MS, etc, astonishing. And it shows that there's really something there, but it's probably a more complex answer than simply cold exposure and breathing. A cold shower can really motivate a person to go about changing other aspects of their lives. As such, Wim Hof has most certainly done a lot of good and, in spite of this pretty bad book, I deeply respect and admire him. Most would benefit from practicing this method.

A stressful exposure can have harmful effects at high doses, but at low doses, it can actually create changes in our bodies that make us healthier and stronger. This is called “hormetic stress.” Acute short-term stress can lead to powerful positive changes in our cells. Mind – 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 — the power to send your attention to any part of your body, to observe any bodily process. This method is very simple, very accessible, and endorsed by science. Anybody can do it, and there is no dogma, only acceptance. Only freedom.” (Wim Hof) Always practice the breathing method in a safe and stable environment. Never practice while standing or driving a car. Hof goes on long monologues, extolling the benefits of the WHM and generally bigging up WH. He can control his core body temperature, prevent it falling to dangerous levels of hypothermia when exposed to the cold. He says he can manage the part of his nervous system that is responsible for breathing and heart rate, as well his adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin. And that we have control over our immune systems and our anxieties, and the power to prevent illness, depression and inflammation.

Select a format:

Wim Hof is a man on a to transform the way we live by reminding us of our true power and purpose. “This is how we will change the world, one soul at a time,” Wim says. “We alter the collective consciousness by awakening to our own boundless potential. We are limited only by the depth of our imagination and the strength of our conviction.” It's been a few days that I've started taking cold showers and doing breathing exercises, and I already see some of the benefits. The best part about this breathwork is how immediate you start to feel the benefits. When you practice the standard Wim Hof Method, you’ll feel it throughout your body within several minutes. Personally, I feel awake and energized after a few rounds. It takes away all my morning grogginess. Mindset ―Build your willpower, inner clarity, sensory awareness, and innate joyfulness in the miracle of living

I truly believe this book could become a great one, helping to popularize Wim's method, but it requires some serious work from a good editor. Some chapters feel like an exact repetition of many other ones. The fact that Wim, too, admits it to the reader does NOT help. It only made me more irritated, to be honest. Simply making this book a bit shorter (to avoid the constant repetitions) would make it way better. Also, please fix the chaos in the narration. This work really needs a better-organized narrative.The Wim Hof Method is based on three simple, natural pillars: cold exposure, conscious breathing, and the power of the mind. The Wim Hof Method: Own Your Mind, Master Your Biology, and Activate Your Full Human Potential is, perhaps not suprisingly, repetitive and peppered with all kinds of mysticism and pseudo-science. When you practice the breathing techniques of Wim Hof, and follow the Wim Hof courses, you can eventually control your autonomic nervous system, and boost your health. But, there also are some calming breathing techniques that you can easily do yourself. The only thing you need is just a few minutes of leisure time. It’s a relatively short book that can be read in a few days. You can start reaping the benefits even faster than that. Once you understand how to practice the Wim Hof Method, you can try it yourself and feel the jolt of wakefulness and energy immediately. After reading this book, I have added the practice to my morning routine and can’t imagine a morning without it now. On reflection, "the mission" Wim is on, is to bring spirituality (and it's associated wellbeing) into a form that everyday people can access easily and benefit from.