Breathwork. 5 Things That I Have Discovered With the Wim Hof Method

“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” ― Thich Nhat Hang

Breathing is one of those things that we all do, yet not all of us are very aware of the processes behind it.

After birth, our first waking hours started with a deep breath. Thus, by now we should all be experts at breathing, right? Well, if it were so easy, there wouldn’t be a market for meditation gurus or other type of breathwork instructors. Their existence shows that people are genuinely interested in this elusive phenomena and want to know how it can affects their psychology, capabilities, and health.

In this post, I’d like to share some of my personal reflections about one of the most popular contemporary breathing techniques - the Wim Hof Method.

My experience with breathwork and meditation

I became interested in breathwork at the same time as I first heard about meditation. Throughout the last 10 years, I’ve experimented with various forms of meditation, such as Vipassana , Zazen, Yoga Nidra, and the Sri Ravi Shankar’s method.

From those mentioned above, the Sōtō Zen way of sitting quietly stuck with me the most. It is simple and direct. All you have to do is to sit patiently and focus on your breath. Pretty straightforward, isn’t it? It is, but the mind is a tricky companion. It might take you places making suggestions about what else you could be doing right now instead of monitoring your present circumstance, thus, one has to acknowledge these thoughts, bring the attention back to his or her breath and continue to sit, patiently, quietly.

How I got involved with the Wim Hof Method

This July I participated in a three-day long Brazilian Jiu Jitsu summer camp. The days were hot and the camp was filled with tough training sessions. Fortunately for us, one of our training partners was a certified Wim Hof instructor.

During the breaks, he was more than happy to share his knowledge and guide the other participants through a few breathing sessions. All sweaty and tired we lay on the ground, breathing heavily. Yet, after a few rounds of repetitive breathwork I’ve noticed that my sense of tiredness is beginning to dissipate. As the breathing began to get deeper and the body relaxed, my mind began to wonder in a semi-waking state.

After each of the sessions I felt great, yet in a somewhat different way. Needless to say, I got hooked on this breathing method ever since and down below I’d like to share some things that I’ve noticed during the few months that I’ve been practicing it.

1. It gives you space to relax after strenuous activities

After rolling for 2 hours or so nothing feels better than lying on your back and filling your muscles with oxygen. As the breath starts to get deeper and your CO2 tolerance rises, the body begins to change gears. Slowly but surely it moves into the recovery phase, which is greatly appreciated after any type of strenuous activity.

10–15 minutes of Wim Hof can get you reset and up-and-running once again. Who knows, maybe it can even help you to squeeze out a couple more rounds of your practice?

If I do this routine when feeling drained or exhausted (either mentally or physically) I definitely feel better afterward.

Maybe it has something to do with our body’s chemistry and the way that cyclical breathing and breath retention helps to modulate it, but to confirm this hunch you’d have to talk with a certified instructor. As a mere practitioner, I can only say that I feel calmer, more focused and better rested after I do the breathwork than if I were to skip it.

2. It preps you for the day ahead

After coming home from the camp I decided to make this breathing routine a part of my day-to-day. I tried doing it in the mornings, I did it in the evenings, and I played around with it in the afternoons. Through experimentation, I’ve come to see that depending on the time and my mood, the body and mind react differently to the exercise.

While afternoon and evening sessions might help you calm down and relax, the morning sessions often times do the opposite. They pump you up with energy and sharpen your mind, clearing the senses.

Probably that is why this specific breathwork is often done before ice baths — it preps your body for something demanding while simultaneously focusing your attention for the task ahead. Thus, the morning breathing sessions may prove beneficial for both waking you up and getting your mind in the zone for what’s upfront.

3. It makes you more focused

After the breathing practice I often feel significantly less scattered both mentally and emotionally. This helps me to stay creative and remain focused.

As an online tutor, I spend most of my daytime looking at screens. Coffee can prove useful, but to stay alert and sharp I need other systems in check. As it is said, every disease has to have a specific cure, therefore, 3 of my main ingredients to work against virtual fatigue are exercise, cold water, and meditation or breathwork.

Here, the Wim Hof Method works twofold. First the patterned way of breathing opens my mind to new ideas and experiences, and after I’m finished — it helps to stay calm and collect them. Here, having a pen and paper ready at arms length in order to write down one’s thoughts after the session has ended might prove useful if you want to retain them. This leads us to the 4th point.

4. It boosts creativity

As mentioned before, breathwork makes your mind more receptive to new ideas. Most probably this is the consequence of the semi-waking state to which the breathwork leads you in.

When you are relaxed yet not sleeping, new and novel ideas can reach the light of your consciousness more easily. This is because our attention is divided into two primary categories. The creators of an online MOOC “Learning How To Learn” Dr. Terrence Sejnowski and Barbara Oakley call these modes as the diffused and focused ways of thinking.

Playing around with these ways of thinking is crucial if one wants to do any type of creative work. There are times that you have to work hard, and moments when you have to relax and rest completely. That is why so many great ideas come when you are taking the shower or strolling in the woods.

Nonetheless, for the diffused mode of thinking to do its magic, focused attentions has to be employed first. Otherwise, the right connections will not be made and the person will feel just as scattered and unimaginative as previously. So, focus first, connect later!

5. It unclogs your breath trails and relaxes the spine

Even though many people practice the Wim Hof Method while sitting in a cross-legged position, others do it while being flat.

As I was first instructed to breath lying down, I’ve continued to do so ever since. What I liked about this posture is that it relaxes my muscles more thoroughly while simultaneously giving my spine a chance to get some well-disserved rest from all the sitting which I had put it through. This in turn both decompresses the muscles and helps me maintain my posture.

On the same not, deep breathing requires more air to go through one’s nostrils. During the process it unclogs the pathways through which the air is meant to travel, clearing up all the mess that has accumulated there throughout the day or night.

Finishing words

I’ve been playing around with the Wim Hof Method for a few months now and I still feel that I am but a novice that has much more to learn. Given the chance, I’d like to thank Žilvinas Gruodis for introducing me to the subject and enriching my day-to-day with this lovely routine.

I feel my mind sharper, my body healthier, and my energies better. This type of breathwork can have different effects depending on the time of day and the people who practice it. The effects can range from deep relaxation to high alertness. It may also help with both focus and creativity alike, although a pen and paper somewhere at armlength is highly advised as well. Finally, if performed while lying on your back it can help to decompress your spine and fix your posture, given that you are already taken care of it in other ways too.

Good luck with your breathing routines! If you haven’t yet found the one you like, I highly suggest that you do so. 😮‍💨🧘🏻‍♀️

Also, if you’ve enjoyed this article, be sure to follow my account and leave a comment sharing your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below. Peace! ✨