Wim Hof method: how to consciously control the immune system. Frost-resistant man wim hof - incredible human abilities
Wim Hof, a 20-time Guinness World Record holder who can withstand extreme temperatures, who was able to conquer Everest and Kilimanjaro in nothing but shorts and sneakers, calmly soaks in ice baths for hours and runs marathons in deserts at temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius without food or water. And all this thanks to the method of Wim Hof, who, thanks to his abilities, received the nickname "Ice Man". According to him, the Wim Hof method will allow you to control autonomous systems body, and most importantly - to consciously control immune system body, thanks to which you will be able to resist any disease, including cancer.
What is the Wim Hof method
Wim Hof's method resembles tumo and pranayama meditation, but is completely different from them. Practicing yoga long years, Wim Hof has learned to withstand extreme conditions by constantly exposing his body to their effects.
The first part of the method consists of breathing exercises similar to controlled hyperventilation. Of course, controlled hyperventilation is just an oxymoron because it happens outside of our control. However, such exercises will perfectly help oxygenate the blood and cells.
Sit back and close your eyes
Take a posture of meditation - any that is comfortable for you. Make sure you can breathe in and out freely without any restrictions. This exercise is best done after waking up and on an empty stomach.
warm up
Inhale deeply until you feel a slight pressure inside. solar plexus. Hold this position and then exhale completely. Now stay in this position. Repeat 15 times.
30 powerful breaths
Imagine that you are inflating a balloon. Inhale through your nose and take short but powerful exhalations through your mouth. On exhalation, the stomach should be pulled in, on inhalation - relaxed.
Scan your body
During the 30 breaths, look into your body and focus on it as much as possible. Try to understand in which parts of the body there is not enough energy, and in which there is too much of it. Try to send energy/heat to the right places. Feel how the body is filled with warmth and love, and the negativity recedes.
Delay
After 30 rapid breaths, inhale again maximum amount of air, then exhale it and stay in that position without inhaling as far as you can. Relax, think about how oxygen is distributed throughout your body.
Revitalizing Breath
Inhale as much air as possible again. Feel how your rib cage, relax. When your lungs are full of air, once again hold your breath for about 15 seconds. Direct the energy consciously to scan the body for tension or blockages. Eliminate any tension by directing energy there, feeling how the dark areas of the body are filled with light. Relax.
It is better to start practicing such exercises gradually - from one or two cycles, gradually increasing their number. If you feel dizzy or in pain, lie down on your back, breathe and stop exercising.
Cooling according to Wim Hof: from cold showers to ice baths
Phim Hof himself says: “Cold is your warm friend". To be in the cold, you need to relax as much as possible, allow the body to be covered by it - only then the body will process the signals and begin thermogenesis.
Cold shower
For beginners who want to learn how to endure the cold, it is better to cold shower. You need to start with the feet and gradually pour over cold water legs, stomach, shoulders, neck and back, and only then - the head. Initial shivering and hyperventilation - quite normal phenomenon. Try to remain calm and breathe normally. Close your eyes and try to merge with the cold.
Carefully! Severe physical discomfort, manifested in severe numbness or pain, indicates that you need to warm up as soon as possible.
When you get out of the shower, again use the body scanning technique described above.
Getting used to the cold is like lifting weights: over time you will get better and better. Your veins are surrounded by small muscles that contract when exposed to cold. In a couple of weeks, they will strengthen along with the vessels and the heart, and at one fine moment you will forget about the need for hot water altogether.
Ice baths
Only when you are fully accustomed to a cold shower, you can try ice baths. Take half a bath of cold water and pour ice into it (the temperature should be 10-12 degrees Celsius).
It is also necessary to take ice baths in a relaxed state. Start with 10 minutes and gradually increase the time spent in ice water. If you doubt your abilities or experience severe discomfort, get out of the bathroom and scan your body.
54-year-old Dutchman Wim Hof can sit for hours in icy water, run barefoot in the snow and endure low temperatures. He assures that these abilities, and with them perfect health can be purchased by anyone, at any age. The main thing is to learn how to breathe correctly.
When Wim Hof was 50, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro wearing nothing but shorts. In the same year, he ran a marathon beyond the Arctic Circle barefoot and in the same shorts - at twenty degrees below zero. At 52, Hof climbed into a glass cylinder filled to the brim with crushed ice, and stood there for 1 hour 52 minutes, sticking only his head out of the ice. And Wim Hof has similar achievements - 20 records for the Guinness Book.
It seems that the ability to do all these amazing tricks in best case- an innate gift that has nothing to do with the capabilities of an ordinary person, and at worst - tricks of a charlatan. Wim Hof argues that neither is true: everyone can learn how to use resources own body, and its method is confirmed by real scientific research. Actually, all the activities of Hof, it is not about ice and cold, but about control over one's own health.
Wim Hof is sure that illness and infirmity do not have to come with age. On the contrary, at right approach you can stay energetic and happy. One of the key elements of this approach is breathing.
“Most people just don't know how to breathe properly,” he says. - Because of this, a lack of oxygen is formed in the body. It is the lack of oxygen, in turn, that causes disease at the cellular level, as well as the aging process. With proper breathing, oxygen enters the cells in enough, the immune system is strengthened, the aging process slows down.”
And if you breathe correctly, you can learn to control activity. own organism including blood circulation. Then the frost is not terrible.
Wim Hof says that correct breathing helps everyone, even those who are not different good health. “Oxygen for humans is like water for plants,” he explains. “Without water, the plant withers, but as long as it is alive, it can be watered and cured.”
Hof's method includes elements of yoga and meditation - his idea is that with the help of the mind you can control the energy of your body. their techniques and wellness techniques Wim Hof describes in books and teaches in his training centers. Among his students there are people who are 60, 70 and even 80 years old.
They come to Hof, of course, not for the ability to run barefoot in the snow (although many end up running), but for the skills of a healthy life.
One of these skills Wim Hof formulates as follows: "To be healthy and not grow old, you need to be energetic and happy."
I slowly stepped into the water. First right leg, then left. It was cold. However, the feeling was not unpleasant. After an initial reaction of resistance, I was able to relax and dive deeper. My heart started racing and my breathing became uncontrollable. But after a few seconds of shock, I could breathe normally again. Almost instantly, my body began to create heat, an inner fire, the process of thermogenesis was ready, equal to the power of cold. So I relaxed in an ice bath on a sunny Sunday in Amsterdam. I smiled at Wim and he smiled back, telling me to get out.
Wim Hof, or known by its nickname " Iceman" (ice Man), holds the Dutch world record for the longest ice bath dive (1 hour and 44 minutes). Hof also reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in nothing but shorts within 2 days, and also completed a full marathon of 42.195 km over the Arctic Circle in temperatures close to -20°C, wearing nothing but shorts and sandals. On March 16, 2000, he swam 57.5 meters (188.6 ft) in an icy lake near the Finnish village of Kolari, inside the Arctic Circle, without using special equipment, and is only wearing swim shorts and a pair of goggles.
From the Arctic Circle to Everest.
He discovered this skill in himself 20 years ago. "I was walking in the park with someone and I saw ice and I thought what would happen if I went there. I was drawn to him. I went and got rid of my clothes. I was in ice for thirty seconds," Hoff said. "I was filled with a good feeling when I got out and since then, I've been repeating it every day." It was the moment that Hof knew that his body was reacting differently somehow: he was able to withstand deathly freezing temperatures.
Wim Hof began a lifelong quest to see how far he could go. In January 1999, he traveled 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle to run a half-marathon barefoot. Three years later, dressed only in a swimsuit, he dived under the ice at the North Pole and entered the Guinness Book of Records for the longest time spent swimming under the ice: 80 meters, almost twice the length of an Olympic-sized pool.
When he did not experience frostbite or hypothermia, the body's normal reaction to extreme cold, his extraordinary ability interested doctors who specialized in extreme medicine.
Dr. Ken Kamler, author of Surviving Extremes, walked around dozens of people who were trying to climb Mount Everest and almost died from low temperatures. He couldn't believe it when he heard about the Dutchman who decided to make the ascent without protection other than shorts.
"People are always looking for new obstacles on Everest. They climbed many times, conquered it without oxygen, climbed with their various types shortcomings. But no one has come close to climbing Everest in these conditions," Dr. Kamler said. "It's almost unthinkable."
Hof carried out the expedition in shorts.
"It was pretty easy," Hof said. "I've been in a snowstorm before, say fifteen, sixteen thousand feet, but for now eighteen thousand feet."
"I know my body, I know my mind, I know what I can do" Hof said. And he says he can handle high temperature and also low.
Nearly naked, surrounded by ice Dr. Kamler met Hof for the first time at the Ruby at the New York Museum, where Hof was poised to break another Guinness World Record, this time nearly naked being plunged into ice up to his neck.
Wim Hof walked out of the museum, stripped down to his swimming trunks, climbed into a 5-foot-tall perspex container filled with ice. As soon as he entered they poured out more ice into the container until it reaches his chin. All this time, Dr. Ken Kamler monitored Hof outside. Usually, when a person is exposed to freezing temperatures for an extended period of time, the body goes into survival mode as its fluids begin to freeze. Frostbite sets in and, in order to save money, the major organs of the body sacrifice blood flow to the extremities, drastically reducing circulation from the fingers, toes, ears, and nose to maintain blood flow to the organs necessary for survival.
If not treated immediately, the damage to these limbs is irreversible. Another danger is hypothermia, an abnormally low body temperature. The bodily functions begin to shut down, and once it starts, you could be dead within minutes.
But Hof remained in the ice for one hour and 12 minutes. Then ice water was poured from the tank and Hof appeared, his skin still pink. "He doesn't move, he doesn't generate heat, he's not dressed, and he's immersed in ice water. And water will transfer heat 30 times faster than air. It literally sucks the life right out of you. And yet, despite all these negative factors, Wim Hof was very calm and was immersed in that water" Kamler said.
It was a new entry in the Guinness Book of Records, but in fact, no one else is able to compete with him. He just keeps breaking stereotypes. In the hypothermia lab at the University of Minnesota Duluth, scientists who have studied cold for years say they have never seen anything like it. Dr. Robert Pozos and Dr. Larry Wittmers hooked up Hof to machines to monitor his heart rate and evaluate his body's response after being submerged in a very cold tank of water. Normal reaction may include intense pain, cardiovascular stress, hysteria, but with Hof, it's a different story. From inside the tank, Hof said: "I feel the cold, it fills me with a noble strength, as they always say, and for me, it is important, but this is what I do every day in winter, because I like it". Since then, there is nothing wrong with his body, all doctors can say that Hof's secret must be in the wiring of his brain." It is very easy to assume that the same mind control that you use to control your heart when you are scared also could be called upon to control other organs in the body. Maybe that's how Wim Hof does it," Kamler said. That's an assumption, but it kind of makes sense, and a lot of scientists are working very hard to try to figure it out now. One answer may lie in an ancient Himalayan meditation called "Tummo", which is believed to be used to generate heat. Hof started practicing a few years ago.
American swimmer Lynn Cox swam the English Channel in 14 hours at the age of 15, hitting the Guinness Book of Records. Like Hof, Lynn soon discovered that she had near-superhuman abilities to survive in freezing water. In 1987, she became the first person to swim across the Bering Strait, from Alaska to what was then Soviet Union. And in 2002, she set herself a new goal: swim a mile through the massive icebergs of Antarctica. Like Hof, Cox prepared herself, one way or another, using her mind to control her body temperature. “I went into the cockpit and sat down and focused and breathed and thought about how I was going to get into the water, how I was going to swim. I certainly went through the mental rehearsal of all this. cold water" Cox said. "Before I entered the water, one of the doctors measured my internal temperature and found it to be 102.2 F". The water was 32 degrees and hovered around the freezing point. Without a wetsuit with 35-knot winds, Cox entered the water. She began to swim between the icebergs. "It was amazing to be able to physically do it", she said. But how do they do it? Kamler said the answer lies deep in the brain. "It tells us that there is huge potential in the brain that remains unused. And if we start to study it more, and study people, maybe we can unlock this potential for others."
The nickname of the 57-year-old Dutchman Wim Hof is "The Iceman". He holds more than 20 records for survival in low temperatures: he ran marathons barefoot in the snow, plunged into icy lakes and climbed Kilimanjaro in nothing but shorts. Hof has developed his own method, which allows him to control the process of breathing, his body temperature and pulse rate, and teaches this method to others. The method allows you to achieve super-health and heal from the most serious diseases.
The technique developed by Wim Hof is rooted in the breathing exercises of yogis - pranayama. When performed correctly, these exercises lead to hyperventilation of the lungs and, as a result, to increased blood circulation and excess carbon dioxide in your blood, which dilates the capillaries in your limbs to keep them warm.
Among the additional benefits of technology - massage internal organs and development various groups respiratory muscles.
Video about the Wim Hof method at the end of the article.
Wim Hof interview:
You don't feel cold. But... what about the heat? Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, you got sunburn. So you can't handle the sun?
It was the first time I faced the force solar energy and she took me by surprise. However, I soon went on an experiment with the heat myself. I made a march through the Sahara Desert - walked fifty kilometers on the sand, without drinking a single sip of liquid: even the sweat on my skin stopped appearing. After all, it is worth taking a sip of water, you turn on its circulation in the body and lose any protection. My opinion is that it is harmful to drink in the heat.
Controversial assertion. How about putting your hand in the fire?
Not ready yet. Although - the same area is responsible for the sensation of heat in the brain as for the sensation of cold: this is a clot of energy, and it only needs to be properly adjusted. But walking barefoot on hot coals is not a problem, I would venture to try.
Do you think that if you accustom your body to cold, you will be saved from all diseases?
Of course. The heart will work more, you will avoid a heart attack.
A heart attack is possible, but training in the cold is unlikely to cure cancer.
Recently, at the Feinstein Institute in New York, a group of medical professors conducted experiments on me. Toxins were injected into my veins, actually pure poison. I should have felt headache, nausea, noises in the head. But I did not feel anything - my immunity is so strong that it destroys toxins in the bud. Now, as for cancer... It doesn't attack right away from the fourth stage, right? Maintain your health, accustom yourself to frost, ice water - and you will not form any tumors.
And you personally lead healthy lifestyle life? Any special diet?
No. I eat everything and do everything. I can smoke, drink, and as for the rest... I have five children. I am neither a fanatic nor a monk. I love experiments. Didn't eat once whole month to see if it gives a feeling of lightness and better control over the brain.
Hmm... Some people say they don't eat - and then they are caught at night in the kitchen...
Nobody caught me. After 3-4 days, the feeling of hunger becomes dull, and sausage is no longer a drug. I drank a lot of water and lost 7 kilos, no other complex consequences. Since then, every Sunday I eat nothing and feel great! Also on Sundays (if, of course, it's winter outside) I usually swim in the hole.
We also bathe in the hole at Epiphany.
And in Holland there is a similar custom. On January 1, people swim in the winter sea for a couple of minutes - such a tradition, after which they consider themselves heroes. All this is great, but you have to adapt to the cold gradually, step by step. I have a special program - "Classes with Wim Hof". I have just returned from Sweden where I coached large group people - they had problems with blood clots, atherosclerosis, pain in the spine. Believe it or not, most are healed within a week of swimming in ice water. I am not a charlatan, any of my actions are strictly recorded by doctors of medicine and TV journalists from all over the world. Do you want me to conduct an experiment in Moscow? Let's take 20 people, and you will see with your own eyes: in five days they will be running barefoot across the city on ice.
I don't even believe it. Have you never had any problems?
There were also mistakes. In the Arctic, when I ran a 42-kilometer marathon, it seemed to me that blood was not circulating very well in my left leg. I did not attach any importance to this, and in vain. Upon returning to Amsterdam, it turned out that I had the third degree of frostbite. The doctor said that the leg should be amputated - the toes were already blackened. I refused. He rubbed it with onion, milk to return blood, focused the energy of the brain. And… the frostbite is gone. Here is a medical statement about the need for amputation (takes out a form), but the foot is real, see for yourself (twirls his toes). It was a hard lesson. It took me a minute to lose control of my body, and I got frostbite. It's much easier to sit in front of TV cameras on ice!
How much time do you need ordinary person to become Wim Hof?
Well ... if I take on you, then this is a year and a half. Professors prove that my abilities are not subject scientific explanation A: But I wasn't born that way. A person must fully understand his abilities, feel the power of his body, learn to control the brain, regulate breathing. I have developed a method to prevent disease, to develop longevity - and this is the most important thing. However, not only the ability not to feel the cold is economically beneficial ... You don’t spend even 1 euro on heating, and oil is so expensive now. Every time I sit in the ice for 10 minutes more, set a world record, and then they invite me again, put sensors, surveillance cameras and pay money.
Do you consider yourself a superman?
No. Supermen are always fighting someone. And I am a peaceful man!
Translation study guide according to the Wim Hof method (Basic technique):
1. Sit/lie down comfortably.
You can sit in a meditative position, or any other position that is comfortable for you. Notice that your lungs are fully expanded. It is recommended to do this technique immediately after you wake up, or before eating.
2. 30 Deep Breaths.
Imagine that you are inflating a balloon. Inhale through the mouth or nose, exhale through the mouth with a short but strong "push". Keep the rhythm and use the diaphragm. Do all 30 intense breaths with eyes closed. Symptoms of mild dizziness and tingling in the body are normal.
3. Holding the breath on the last exhalation.
After 30 intense breaths, inhale deeply and completely fill the lungs with air. Exhale and hold your breath for as long as you can. Inhale when you feel symptoms of suffocation.
4. Revitalizing breath.
Inhale deeply. Feel your chest expand. Fill your lungs full of air and hold your breath for 15 seconds. The whole procedure will mean that this is the First Cycle. There can be 3 or 4 such cycles. Upon completion of all cycles, it is important to enjoy a meditative feeling of relaxation. Once you start doing these breathing exercises, we recommend that you give yourself enough time to recover. After you have completed breathing exercise and feel better, you can start water procedures- cold shower.
Observations of those who practice the Wim Hof method:
This morning I woke up and started doing breathing exercises. (Wim once mentioned that he, too, in the morning, still in bed, makes a breather).
Before the start, I noticed that I lay my arm down, and something else ached my back because of long sitting at the computer the day before. Interestingly, literally after two cycles, the numb hand moved away, even though I did not move it. The pain in my back is also gone. I was surprised how quickly and thought to myself that the breather works just awesome.
Who else doubts the technique, it will be easy to check for yourself, the blood accelerates to the most inaccessible places. According to Wim, many diseases are precisely due to the fact that there is little oxygen.
