With wellness rituals and techniques like yoga and meditation in the mainstream, almost everyone is aware to some level that mindful breathing is a healthy practice. But what if a simple, straightforward breathing technique could significantly impact your health and even heal an injury?

Ever heard of Wim Hof? At this point, probably so. He’s risked life and limb multiple times to set records, usually involving ice: longest time swimming in icy waters, longest time in direct, full-body contact with ice (yes, that’s essentially being buried up to your chin in ice), fastest half-marathon running barefoot on, you guessed it, ice. He’s also done a few mountain climbs in nothing but shorts and shoes, and in an unusual break from his more polar pursuits, he once ran a marathon… in the desert… without water… and rehydrated afterwards with beer.

So what’s the point? For Wim, the point is three-pronged or as he might put it: three-pillared. He claims that his ability to handle extreme challenges is based on the Wim Hof Method, a health technique he developed involving control of the breath, cold therapy, and commitment to the practice of both.

During this pandemic, I gave his methods a shot and the results have literally been astonishing.

Back Pain Recap

In April, I wrote about my experience with persistent, intense sciatic back pain. After a serious biking injury, I began to experience this debilitating pain that often prevented me from walking more than a few steps at a time. To fix it, I tried all kinds of therapies, exercises, and treatments from simple things like yoga and heating pads to complicated and painful treatments including fascial adjustment and platelet-rich-plasma injections. Some treatments gave temporary relief, while others seemed to lead to more lasting improvement, but the pain was still not “gone.” Eventually, I decided it probably never would be.

New Complications and New Ideas

And then, of course, along came COVID-19. Suddenly, normal things like going to the gym or visiting the chiropractor were just not possible. Eldoa, a system of stretching that mimics the effect of traction therapy, was also more difficult to continue with the distancing requirements of the pandemic. This was terrible news on top of terrible news, because the exercise, chiropractor visits, and Eldoa practice were all key ways that I managed my chronic pain.

In the midst of all this, I remembered a Netflix documentary featuring Wim Hof. Now, Wim claims that his method can not only promote wellness in general, but actually reduce inflammation and heal various injuries and illnesses. I had tried just about everything else, and definitely didn’t mind trying some simple breathing techniques.

Breathing

To familiarize myself with the method, I watched Wim Hof’s tutorial on YouTube a few times, and I downloaded the Wim Hof Method App. I also decided to start with just the breathing practice, although Wim typically combines breathing with cold therapy.

The breathing practice is really pretty simple. Following along with the app, I did three rounds of the method.

First, you practice breathing heavily, almost hyperventilating, for 30 to 40 breaths. After this, the app instructs the listener to exhale and refrain from inhaling for as long as possible.

In the beginning, I could only hold my breath for about 1 minute, but by the third day of practicing this method, I could easily hold my breath for 2 minutes, and sometimes even 2.5.

Once you reach your limit, you allow yourself a deep “recovery” breath: inhale deeply, hold for about 15 seconds, and then let the breath go.

Some Wim Hof Method breathing practitioners feel themselves go hot and cold, have tingling in the hands and feet, and experience lightheadedness while practicing the breathing technique. Wim himself notes that you can even lose consciousness for a few seconds, which is why he emphasizes not doing the technique while swimming or driving. Instead, he recommends a very relaxed and supported seated posture, or better, lying down with a yoga mat and small pillow (which is what I do).

For the first 4 days, I did experience some of the hot and cold sensation, and the tingling, but from day 5 and on, I did not. What did happen was that, by day 6, I noticed a remarkable improvement in my back pain.

I was amazed. And even more amazed when, by the following week, the pain was entirely gone. Let me say it again - for the first time in five years, my chronic and often excruciating back pain was literally gone.

It’s an understatement to say that I was profoundly shocked to realize this. And of all the things I tried for my condition, practicing a breathing technique for 15-20 minutes per day is definitely the simplest. It also worked the fastest, and with the best results.

Cold Therapy

With the breathing method working so well, I decided to give the cold therapy a try, as well although I didn’t really need it. The recommended intro to cold therapy is taking a cold shower every day. That became fairly easy, fairly quickly; maybe because the cold water isn’t very cold in Miami!

So I started taking a cold bath instead, soaking in a large Rubbermaid outdoor tub. I invested in an outdoor chest freezer and some plastic buckets to make large ice balls, which I add to the water to get it really cold.

It was tough at first. I started out doing two 5-minute increments, with a 5-minute rest interval between them. Within about a month, I’d worked my way up to 15-20 minute increments, and I can now handle that amount of time with no issues; by doing my breathing exercises, I actually feel warm in an ice bath!

So I’ve settled into a routine of doing the cold-water therapy every few days, and I have noticed that on those days, I feel more focused, less stressed, and generally experience a better emotional state.

Physically, I can tell that the cold soak reduces my inflammation. In fact, even after a crazy hard weight-lifting session, I don’t experience the muscle soreness I used to. The cold therapy seemingly eliminates that side effect of weight training.

To add to the method, I began using heat therapy as well. This isn’t a recommendation by Wim, just my own decision. I have a small Jacuzzi infrared sauna in my apartment, and after a cold soak, I’ll use it to warm up. I’ve noticed that the benefits of the cold soak seem enhanced by the addition of heat.

Another Case in Point

Around this time, my cousin decided to try the Wim Hof breathing methods. He suffers from severe rheumatoid arthritis, and despite strong medications and steroids, both oral and injected, his condition has been serious for some time. As an example, it was normal for him to wake up in the morning, but be unable to get out of bed for several hours

Within his first session of Wim Hof breathing, he noticed some relief. He continued practicing daily, and has seen enough improvement that for several weeks he has been able to simply wake up and get out of bed immediately. As an M.D., he thought at first that he might be experiencing a placebo effect! But his research has led him to conclude that it really is the breathing which is changing his health.

My Current Wim Hof Practice

I also believe that the breathing portion of the Wim Hof method is, by far, the most important and effective piece of the puzzle. The cold (and in my case also heat) therapies are very helpful, but the breathing has a much greater impact. If I could only do one, the breathing exercises would be the obvious choice. It’s just that much of a game-changer.

After getting started with Wim Hof, I’ve allowed it to replace meditation. This might surprise some people, and there certainly are a lot of wellness experts who swear by meditation in treating chronic illness. But like Chloe Milne, who replaced meditating with laughter, I have simply found this technique more effective than meditation! I did try traditional meditation for over a year, and while I enjoyed some benefits (mostly that it was somewhat calming and relaxing), they were not substantial. This has been the opposite: for me, the Wim Hof techniques and system have been astonishingly effective, across a number of issues.

And when you’ve found something truly transformative, that’s what really ONLY matters.

Hold Your Breath a Little Longer ... For Fresh Health