In a world seeking solace and well-being, the name Wim Hof has become synonymous with unconventional methods that promise to unlock hidden human potential.
As the fervour around the "Iceman" and his Wim Hof Method continues to grow, questions linger: Is this revolutionary approach a transformative game-changer, or is it a captivating illusion?
I’ve been studying breath work for nearly a decade, a relative newcomer in Yogic terms but, it has become my life. You could say I quite literally live and breathe it.
During that time I have held conflicting views surrounding the Wim Hof method but in recent times I have been able to far better dissect and make sense of this conflict.
So in today’s article I hope to clarify both my personal and professional position on this method that has taken the world by storm.
You see, when I first trained to become a facilitator, I was taught nervous system management tools for general day to day life. These are safe, simple and highly effective techniques that work based on the intrinsic link between the way that you breathe and your nervous system state, ie the way that you feel.
The conflict for me is the fact that the problem that the majority of the world is suffering from is an overactive fight or flight nervous system response. To combat this you must focus on slow balancing techniques such as 4/4 breathing, 4/8 relaxation breathe.
All of the excitatory exercises, such as breathe of fire or bellows breathing are to be used extremely sparingly due to the way that they rev up your nervous system.
This would only feed into the nervous imbalance, and fortify the issue further.
So does that mean Wim Hof is a charlatan? Is he taking everyone for a ride or is he just misunderstood.
Before I alienate any of his die hard fans, no he is not a charlatan, he’s the real deal however I do think something big has been lost in translation with his methods.
His methods are not traditionally a representation of breath work. Yes it is a form of breathing technique, and a very powerful one at that, but it’s more than that. The Wim Hof method is based on both trauma release and building both mental and physical resilience. IE they are extremely specific in what they are trying to achieve and alleviate.
The breathing pattern itself is a stressful experience by its own nature and as such it’s extremely excitable. If you are suffering with anxiety, or digestive issues, these exercises have a great probability of making things worse.
At this stage some of you may still be sceptical. Maybe I’m just another know it all that thinks that his way is best. Maybe I am envious?
The first point I would like to make, I also run trauma release and resilience classes for those that are suffering from events of the past but I am extremely clear and careful about how I explain this to my clients.
These trauma release sessions should be taken seriously. They should be practiced as sparingly as possible and depending on the level of trauma you previously experienced, I believe they should be guided by a professional or at the very least a highly supportive loved one.
Think about it, if you have been the victim of deep abuse and you have managed to bury it deep into the pit of your stomach, then you release this at the end of an hour long breathing session, you’re going to need support.
It’s an incredible experience but it’s one that I feel needs more guidance and education from facilitators.
But why do I feel this way. Are these just the jealous words of envy?.
Definitely not.
The only reason this is even on my radar is, in my breath work practice, at least 50% of people arrive at their discovery calls and make the claim that breath work doesn’t work for them. They tried the Wim Hof method for a week, or a month and it just made their insomnia worse, their digestive issues worse, their anxiety worse.
Not only does it create an uphill struggle for me to get them back on board and convince them that breath work will help them, but, it has no doubt created a lot of suspicion in the wider public.
Due to the notoriety that Wim Hof has built and the automatic status this comes with, I just feel that he should be a little bit more thorough in explaining, not only his methods, but also the alternative methods that the majority of people would benefit from.
So to surmise what I am trying to say, the Wim Hof method is extremely effective at two things, releasing trapped trauma or blockages and of course building mental and physical resilience. However, they are not a very thorough representation of breath work and they should not be practice daily unless of course you understand them you and your nervous system.
The majority of people that are suffering, that turn to breath work, need nervous system management tools and these breathing techniques are very different.
What Wim Hof has done for breath work cannot be understated, he has helped to put it back on the map, I just feel he has neglected to communicate in detail what his methods are for and why they are not daily practices that will benefit everyone.