Wim Hof Guided Breathing Method

Per Wim Hof’s Website: “Everybody’s body is different and as such will respond differently to different types of treatment and intervention. If you have a serious or specific medical issue we highly recommend speaking with a healthcare professional.”  

While doing research for a project about human physiology, I came across a man named Wim Hof, who claimed that his breathing technique could aid people both physically and psychologically. He claimed that his method aided sleep, energy, and concentration and eased symptoms of depression and anxiety. He also said that it would make exercising easier - at one point he claims that doing these breathing exercises will increase the number of push-ups that one can do until exhaustion.

I began doing these breathing exercises in May of 2020. As the stress of a pandemic started to get to me, I remembered this unusual practice and decided that since I had no breathing difficulties or similar health issues, I might as well give it a try.  

Searching “Wim Hof Method Beginner” on Youtube brings up a guided breathing session narrated by the man himself. The layout of the video is thus: lie down or sit down in such a position that you can relax. Wim Hof’s voice, as well as an animation of an expanding hexagon, will tell you when to breath, how long to exhale for, and when to hold your breath. He also reminds you that if you need to take a break or breathe before he gives the signal, do so.  He warns that many people will feel a slight tingling sensation during these exercises, which is normal.    

There are three rounds of breathing exercises in this video. After the first round, I didn’t feel too different, but after the second round, I did feel the promised “tingling” sensations in my fingertips. After about two weeks of Wim Hof exercises, I did notice that I had become more calm. What I immediately liked about this video was that because I was following a simple set of instructions, my mind was not free to wander. I always had difficulty letting go of my thoughts during meditation, and this seems like a good stepping stone. Whether the increased calm was due to the meditation or the breathing, I am not sure.  

I also compared my ability to do push-ups before and after doing his program, but alas, I found no effect on my strength or endurance. You win some, you lose some.

In the past few months, I began pulling up this video whenever I needed help calming down; any college student knows the frustration of working on a problem for an hour and still not getting it. Rather than letting my frustration simmer, I find myself doing these exercises in order to clear my head.  

My final verdict on Wim Hof’s Guided Breathing Method: it’s a good meditation practice, especially for beginners. It helps me deal with my periodic irritations. While it didn’t help me become an athlete, it’s at the very least a pleasant experience. If you don’t have any medical conditions, I suggest you give it a try for yourself.