Exhilaration is Wonderful
Feeling good in a Wim Hof ice bath!
In the last post I mentioned that I belong to a book club. Our latest read is called Breath by James Nestor and I found the links between anatomy, health and the breath fascinating. Those of us who practice yoga know about the influence of the breath on mind and body. I have written a post on this which you can find in this blog called Life and Breath. James Nestor’s book widens the perspective on breathing and delves into various breathing methods, including yogic ones, which have been scientifically shown to be beneficial for our health. One breath technique which is covered is the Wim Hof Method, WHM. I was very impressed with what is written about the WHM and researched it a little further on line.
Wim Hof is a Dutch man known as the Ice Man. He has broken records in the cold, baffling science as to why he does not suffer hypothermia. He attributes his resistance to cold and pain in freezing temperatures to his breathing method and has worked with scientists to study it. One of the things they discovered is that the WHM raises the alkalinity of blood which in turn raises the bodies resistance to the cold. Many health benefits are attributed to practicing the WHM followed by an ice plunge.
I won’t give an in depth description of the health claims here, but do recommend that if I have piqued your interest you look them up on line. I did so and looked at the bad as well as the good reports. A couple of deaths have been attributed to this method when done in an extreme way. Wim Hof himself nearly died swimming under an ice flow to break a record when his corneas started freezing and he could not see. He was rescued just as he was passing out.
Following yoga as a way of life, I can’t see the benefits of going to such extremes. Extremists do exist even in yoga though. They push themselves to the point of injury to attain what their egos are telling them is the full expression of a pose. My hand is up here as that is how I tore the meniscus of my right knee! I now have a more yin philosophy of working around my 80% edge. With time and practice that edge shifts, allowing me to go deeper into a pose with safety. I gain all the benefits without the risks. This is the attitude I took with me when I signed up for four hours of Wim Hof breath training.
I was grateful to find that the instructor of the course also believed in a balanced approach. She had gone to Poland to learn with Wim Hof and participate in one of his extreme expeditions where they hike in near freezing weather wearing only shorts, shirts and boots. Now she believes that by pushing herself too far she gave herself tinnitus, a claim some other extremists make as well. She says the health benefits of practicing the method in a basic and gentler way are fabulous without the necessity to try and break records. If you do not wish to do the ice bath, try cold showers or a cold swim in the ocean after practicing the breathing and don’t do the long breath holds. If your body says “breathe now”, breathe. Gently, gently.
Now for my experience of the course. I enjoyed the day very much and participated in everything. I was able to hold my breath for two minutes without effort and took in a breath before I needed to. After the ice bath I felt so alive and stimulated. It really did give me a wonderful feeling of exhilaration and I didn’t find it difficult even though I certainly felt it! The temperature wasn’t much above freezing. I may have a different perspective though since I grew up in Canada and have experienced some very extreme cold weather. Days of 40 below in the western prairies were not uncommon in winter. It is quite an experience when just sticking your head out the door for a moment causes head freeze if not properly dressed against it!
I highly recommend reading James Nestor’s book Breath if you are looking for the science and health benefits behind different breathing methods. I found the book life changing! I certainly wouldn’t have done the ice plunge had I not read it.