Wim Hof breathing exercise

Wim Hof is known for being able to run marathons barefoot across snow and immerse his naked body in freezing temperatures for extended periods, but the Wim Hof Method also allows the practitioner to go deeper into the mind and body. It’s essentially, an incredibly powerful form of meditation.

Over the last few months, I’ve been practising the Wim Hof Method which some people suggest is similar to the ancient Tibetan inner heat practice called Tummo. Although the Wim Hof Method involves more than breathing, I wanted to share with you the main power breath exercise I’ve been doing every morning for two months. If you meditate after the power breath exercise, you should find yourself in quite a deep state of meditation very quickly.

**Practising this technique is completely at your own risk and if you want to do this exercise, make sure that you do not attempt it in water, whilst driving, standing up or without consent of your doctor or medical caregiver if in doubt. Never force yourself and always listen to your body. **

1. Get comfortable

Find a comfortable place to do your breathing exercises where you won’t be disturbed. You can sit or lie on your back, but do not do this exercise whilst driving or standing up. 

2. Do 30-40 power breaths

Once you’re comfortable, you can start to breathe in and out 30 times — not too shallow or deep. This is esentially deep breathing at a steady pace in and out through the mouth. It may feel a bit like you are hyperventilating, but you are in control. Like me, you may also feel a tingling or lightheaded sensation throughout your whole body, when you do this for the first time. This is perfectly normal.

3. Hold your breath

After doing 30-40 Wim Hof power breaths, empty your lungs of air and retain the breath for as long as you can without force. During the retention, I found it relaxing to close my eyes and focus on the space between my eyes. Just remember to set a stopwatch if you’re interested in recording your results. You might want to see how you progress with the breath retentions if you plan to do this regularly over a set period of time.

4. Breathe in for 10 seconds

After the breath retention, take a deep breath in and hold it for a further 10-15 seconds, before exhaling.

5. Repeat steps 1-4

Repeat the whole process for another three rounds. Remember to record your times down, so you can track your progression.

6. Meditate after 4 rounds of power breathing

After the power breaths, you can then go into your regular practise of meditation or meditate for five minutes if you’re a complete beginner by closing your eyes, bringing your awareness to your breath and focusing on the space between your eyes.

Over time, you can gradually increase the amount of time you spend in meditation after the power breaths, but five minutes is sufficient for a beginner.

As with any new meditation or breathing technique, if it doesn’t feel right, stop doing it and trust your intuition. If you found the power breath exercise useful, I’ll be posting up more articles about the Wim Hof Method over the next few months.

Credit:http://thoughtbrick.com/wim-hof-method/

I’d love to hear your views on this…