What is Wim Hof Method?

Breathing, Cold & Mindset Explained

The Wim Hof Method is a natural path to an optimal state of body and mind. It harnesses the full extent of the natural elements that our bodies already work with.

WHM in a nutshell

The Wim Hof Method is about reconnecting us to ourselves, to others and to nature. It is a way to tap into the hidden power of breathing and cold exposure: two natural resources that used to be part of our everyday lives throughout most of our evolutionary history, but that have been almost completely lost to the comfort of modern society.

Wim Hof aka "Iceman"

Wim Hof is a Dutch man who spent decades exposing himself to cold, nature, and discomfort. Not to prove anything — but to understand what the human body and mind are truly capable of.

By spending time in extreme cold, Wim discovered something powerful: when we work consciously with our breathing, our mindset, and cold exposure, we can influence how our body reacts to stress.

He is known as “The Iceman” and he has been listed over 20 times in the Guiness World Book of Record, including for:

  • Climbing Mount Everest past the “death zone” (~7,500 meters) wearing nothing but shorts and shoes (2007)
  • Completing a full marathon in temperatures close to −20 °C (−4 °F) above the polar circle in Finland. He ran the entire race shirtless and finished the marathon in 5 hours and 25 minutes (2009)
  • Taking the longest ice bath ever recorded: 1 hour 53 minutes and 12 seconds
  • Running a full marathon in the desert of Namibia with temperatures of 40 degrees, without drinking any water

Over time, he showed that what he was doing wasn’t magic or talent — it was something everyone can learn. Scientists later studied him and found that he could consciously influence his nervous system and immune response. That’s when Wim decided to share this with the world — so people could reconnect with their own strength, health, and inner power

The 3 Pillars of Wim Hof Method

If the Wim Hof Method were a tree:

  • The roots are mindset — love, inner wisdom, and power.
  • The trunk and branches are the tools — breathing, cold exposure, and the science.
  • The fruits are the purpose — happiness, strength, health, self-love, and the true self-confidence to live at our fullest potential.

At its core, mindset means trusting and recognizing your inner power, not letting the mind interfere with what the body can do, and simply doing it. It’s a shift to a “can do” mindset that unlocks our full potential.

“The Wim Hof Method is not only a training, it’s an awakening.
And it just needs a couple of steps.”

Wim Hof

It’s science backed!

Benefits of Wim Hof Method

You might start the Wim Hof Method for one specific reason, maybe better recovery, less stress, or more energy. But all benefits are connected and when you practice regularly, you’re not just working on one thing, you’re creating a chain reaction in your body.
 
You just practice. You show up. You breathe. And over time, your body takes what it needs, for where you are in your life right now. So whatever your reason is for being here today, that’s enough.

Physical benefits:

Mental benefits:

How can Wim Hof Method help reduce your stress?

The problem today isn’t stress itself, stress is natural. The real issue is that many of us stay in a stress state for too long, without knowing how to come back to a calm and balanced state. Over time this means cortisol levels stay elevated for too long, which can lead to inflammation, and potentially make us more vulnerable to different health issues.

And this is where the Wim Hof Method comes in. Because the tools of this method allow us to consciously influence our nervous system. We learn how to move from one state to another, and give the body the time it needs to recover after stress.

In fact, we can already do this simply through breathing. A slow and deep breath sends a signal of safety to the body and activates the relaxation response. On the other hand, fast and intense breathing activates the stress response. 

With the Wim Hof Method, we learn to stay “calm in the storm” — during the breathing exercises, but also during the cold exposure. And the breathing exercise and the cold itself are great examples of what we call hormesis: a small, controlled stress that actually helps the body become stronger and more resilient over time.

The first time scientists studied Wim, he was sitting in an ice bath while they were taking blood samples. He was extremely calm, yet his adrenaline levels were very high.

This showed something that had never really been demonstrated before: that it is possible to consciously and voluntarily influence the autonomic nervous system. And this is what later led to the famous Radboud University study (read more about the study).

“Set your mind and just do it. In full trust and playfulness. You are the master of your own brain”

Wim Hof

Start reconnecting with yourself

Choose a suitable workshop to learn more about the Wim Hof Method.

Korduma kippuvad küsimused

See on loomulik viis iseendaga taasühenduse loomiseks, mis toetub kolmele lihtsale ja üksteist täiendavale sambale: hingamine, kokkupuude külmaga ja mõtteviis. Hingamise, külma ja mõttetegevuse kaudu taasavastame jõu, mis on meis juba olemas, kuid mille tänapäeva elu meid aegamööda unustama paneb. Meetod õpetab kuulama oma keha, usaldama intuitsiooni ning suhtuma stressi suurema rahu, selguse ja enesekindlusega. Külm vesi on vaid väike osa sellest terviklikust meetodist.

Ei. Töötoad on mõeldud nii algajatele kui ka kogenud huvilistele – olgu meetod sinu jaoks täiesti uus või omad juba kogemusi külma vee või hingamispraktikatega. Eelnev kogemus pole vajalik, piisab vaid uudishimust ja avatud meelest 😊

Ei, jäävann on alati vabatahtlik. Igaüks saab osaleda vastavalt oma võimetele ja vajadustele. Töötoa käigus õpid, kuidas turvaliselt külma vette siseneda ja seal hingamist kontrollides püsida.

Tutvud meetodi kolme sambaga: juhendatud hingamisseanss, mõtteviisi ja närvisüsteemi reguleerimine ning juhendatud jäävannikogemus. Samuti saad ülevaate meetodi teaduslikust taustast, sellest, kuidas hingamine ja külm kehale mõjuvad, ning sellest, kuidas neid võtteid igapäevaelus ohutult rakendada. Tavaliselt kestab see terve pärastlõuna (olenevalt formaadist 4–6 tundi).

Võimalik on valida kahe variandi vahel: jäävann (suveperioodil) või külm supluskast ja saunakogemus (talveperioodil).

Teadmised külma, hingamise ja sellega seotud teaduse kohta, samuti praktilised oskused külma vette minekuks ja koduseks harjutamiseks, et ammutada sellest kõiki hüvesid. Lisaks sellele – taasühendus iseenda ja oma kehaga, võimalus vabaneda koormavatest asjadest (olgu need emotsionaalsed või füüsilised) ning võimalus kuuluda kasvavasse kogukonda.

Iganädalased hingamistunnid (neljapäeva õhtuti ja pühapäeva hommikuti; kestus üks tund, praktiline ja kõigile avatud); Wim Hofi meetodi nädalavahetus – kolmepäevane, kõikehõlmav ja looduses toimuv süvitsi minev kogemus, mis leiab aset kaks korda aastas; edasijõudnute töötuba neile, kes on juba läbinud baaskursuse; ning individuaalseansid neile, kes soovivad personaalset lähenemist või tunnevad end rühmas ebamugavalt.

Harjuta hingamisharjutusi alati istudes või lamades ning turvalises keskkonnas. Ära kunagi harjuta sõidukit juhtides, vees või selle läheduses ega kohas, kus teadvuse kaotamine võib ohtu kujutada. Ära harjuta raseduse ajal ega epilepsia korral. Südame-veresoonkonna haiguste või muude tõsiste terviseprobleemide korral tuleb enne alustamist kindlasti konsulteerida arstiga. Kuula oma keha ja ära kunagi sunni end harjutusi tegema.

Jah. Töötoa oluline osa on õppida, kuidas kodus harjutada ja kõiki eeliseid täielikult ära kasutada – sealhulgas omandada põhilist hingamistehnikat ning õppida, kuidas neid vahendeid igapäevaelus ohutult rakendada.

Broneerimiseks saad kasutada iga töötoa lehel olevat kontaktvormi. Samuti võid mulle otse kirjutada aadressil loubrieu.g@gmail.com või kasutada Wim Hofi meetodi ametlikku veebilehte.

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