This guided meditation is of best use if you already know the Wim Hof breathing method. This method involves breathing fully in and then letting go, until you hold your breath on the last exhalation for as long as you comfortably can. You then breathe in again and hold for as long as you comfortably can and restart the cycle. Warning. Please make sure that you are in a safe environment and never do this near or in water. It is possible to pass out while doing this and you don’t get a warning signal. This passing out is supposedly harmless and only happens to few people, but if you are one of them, please be very cautious.

Take a deep breath. Feel the wave of nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide press against the bounds of your rib cage and swell your lungs. Exhale. Repeat.

Before consciously inhaling, you probably weren’t thinking about breathing at all. The respiratory system is somewhat unique to our bodies in that we are both its passenger and driver. We can leave it up to our autonomic nervous system, responsible for unconscious actions like our heartbeat and digestion, or we can seamlessly take over the rhythm of our breath.

To some, this duality offers a tantalizing path into our subconscious minds and physiology. Control breathing, the thinking goes, and perhaps we can nudge other systems within our bodies. This is part of the logic behind Lamaze techniques, the pranayamic breathing practiced in yoga and even everyday wisdom — “just take a deep breath.”

These breathing practices promise a kind of visceral self-knowledge, a more perfect melding of mind and body that expands our self-control to subconscious activities. These may be dubious claims to some.

For Wim Hof, a Dutch daredevil nicknamed “The Iceman,” it is the basis of his success.

The Man Who Breathes

Now approaching his 60s, Hof has run marathons barefoot and shirtless above the Arctic Circle, dove under the ice at the North Pole and languished in ice baths for north of 90 minutes — all feats that he attributes to a special kind of breathing practice.

His website outlines the basics, although for more, you’ll have to pay. Sitting at home, you can easily try it for yourself. While sitting in a comfortable place, take 30 quick, deep breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. Then, take a deep breath and exhale; hold until you need to breathe in. Inhale again, as deep as you can, and hold it for 10 seconds. Repeat as many times as you like.

Combined with repeated exposure to the cold, Hof says that his method will lead to tangible health benefits: more energy, lowered stress levels and an improved immune system. For him, it enables seemingly superhuman feats of endurance, brought on, he says, by the physiological changes that his breathing techniques impart.

Breathe properly, Hof claims, and oxygen levels in the tissues increase and adrenaline floods the body, granting strength that we didn’t know we had.

“If you oxygenize the body the way we do it, the oxygen gets into the tissue. [Regular] breathing doesn’t do that,” he says. “What happens in the brain stem, the brain says, ‘There is no oxygen anymore.’ Then it triggers adrenaline to shoot out throughout the body. Adrenaline is for survival, but this time it is completely controlled … the adrenaline shoots out throughout the body and resets it to the best functionality.”

Hof speaks convincingly of the heightened mind-body connection his technique engenders, begging comparisons to a long tradition of semi-mystic practices such as pranayamic yoga, tum mo breathing and breath work.

Over the phone, Hof is loquacious and utterly convincing, perhaps fitting for a man who ran up Mt. Everest shoe less and shirtless, trusting only his breath. He touts the multiple scientific studies he’s been involved with, while tossing mentions of mitochondrial activity, blood alkalinity and adrenaline in a flurry of scientific buzzwords.

Above all, he speaks of a more profound connection between mind and body that allows us to quell the primal desire to run from pain and fear — or from the cold.

“I found by deeper breathing, going into the cold, thinking about it, dealing with it; getting the conviction that my ability to breathe deeper is making connections with my body,” he says. “If you go into the ice cold you have to go deep. There is no other way. It is just bloody cold.”

This mindset aligns with the core tenets of yoga and other practices that aim to grant us more control of our physiology. Breath control is at the center of many of these techniques, and the concept has worked its way into modern medicine as well.

Modern Breath work

Robert Fried is a clinical respiratory psycho physiologist who retired from the Bio-psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience Program at the City University of New York in 2010. He’s also written several books on how breathing is related to stress levels and our physiology. In his practice, Fried worked with individuals whose medical conditions made it difficult to breathe, such as COPD patients, as well as people whose lives or professions left them chronically stressed, and his methods essentially involve

“The purpose of deep breathing is to induce a ‘hypo-metabolic state,’ where autonomic and mental arousal are minimal. It is a resting, restorative state, a counter anxiety, counter stress response of the body induced by using the breathing that goes with relaxation to trigger a similar muscle response in the body,” Fried wrote in an email to Discover.

It’s slowing us down, in other words, to counteract the damaging effects that prolonged stress can have on our bodies — effects that are well known and generally accepted. Fried and therapists like him have used conscious breathing techniques, similar to those found in yoga, for years, and have achieved reliable success. Fried mentions that many of his patients felt rejuvenated after just a few minutes of conscious breathing with him, which sounds similar to what Hof promises.

you get a migraine or sinus and lose a full days’ worth of productivity? You think yoga is for old people or it is too boring to do it? You tried meditation, and think you are better off going to sleep than sitting like a fool? Or even the thought of cold showers frightens you, why would anyone do it?  
Let me tell you a little about myself. I have lived with headaches like a migraine and sinus all my life. It strikes me once or twice a month and sometimes even more. Generally, the trigger is having heavy lunch, or bright sunshine, running, trekking and swimming. Sometimes it depends on the food I eat. Meditating too can be the cause. There are so many variables that it is hard to pin-point what exactly causes a migraine or sinus. Since I am so used to it, I did not bother trying to find a cure. I sleep it off or I take a painkiller.   
When it comes to yoga, I am thinking gymnastics. I rather train for the Olympics than yoga.  All those weird poses, I certainly am not built with pristine genes. I never even tried attempting yoga. I know it will be beneficial if I practiced it a little day by day, but I don’t have the patience and flexibility to do so.
What is with meditation?  It seems to be this new cult, “you need to meditate”. Have you ever noticed that the people who tell you to meditate look as if they are under some medication?  I generally feel socially anxious, so I get this from people, ‘you need to meditate’. Thanks, but no thanks. 
And now the new hype of cold showers. All I know is, the thought of “cold water bath” is enough to send a shiver down my spine. 
But all of a sudden, my views on yoga, meditation and cold showers have changed. This guy from Netherlands Wm-Hof, a.ka. ‘The Ice Man’ comes up with this theory of using your autonomous system to regulate your heart rate. A lot of voodoo stuff. I did not buy into this idea for a while. Being an avid MMA follower, one of my top fighters, mentioned he trained with the Ice Man to improve his endurance. If an MMA fighter is using this method, I need to investigate more into this guy. MMA fighters are arguably the fittest and strongest people on earth. Every novelty in their training has to work or it makes no sense for them to waste time on it.  
This is what sold me on the idea. I need to give this guy a try. He has a 10-week course on teaching you how to regulate your autonomous system. Again voodoo. So I start the 1st week. It is breathing exercise, followed by yoga, meditation and cold showers. While I was doing it, I was feeling like wtf is this. This seems to be another Sai Baba scam. But I made sure I will commit to 10 weeks no matter what. I will follow the process and leave the result to happen organically. 
To keep myself accountable, I made “don’t break the chain” rule. Every day, after I complete the Wii-Hof training, I circle that date. Over time, this will form a chain and as a result, you would not want to break it. It is like a small game you play with yourself, but it also keeps you accountable. 

So week two starts, I continue with the breathing, the yoga gets a bit intense, meditating for longer periods and longer cold showers. After week 3 or four, he states your body will start to detox. And yes, I felt like going to the toilet 2-3 times a day. Was it detoxing, or I just ate some garbage. Was it coincidence or was it due to the training. I don’t know. But I will give the benefit of the doubt to the training.   I also noticed, not getting a headache for a whole month. That is a bit rare. Something in this method is actually working. 
I am starting to feel more productive, less drowsy during noon times, able to have stronger focus, little to no headaches, calmer, being more accountable. This feels a bit weird. How the heck can some breathing, meditation, yoga and cold showers have such a profound impact. For me, not getting headaches is a game changer. 
So what exactly does this Wii-Hof method entail? 
A.Breathing-this is the core of what makes the Wii-Hof method work. The idea behind the breathing is to do 30-40 reps of inhaling fully and exhaling partially. At the end of the 30-40 reps, you need to hold your breath. Do this cycle 3-4 times. On the 5th cycle, you continue with the breathing. This time, not only do you have to hold your breath, you also need to do push-ups. The breathing exercise fuels your body with oxygen. I would think sinus and migraine is somehow related to not having enough oxygen in your veins or blood vessels. This exercise trains you to breathe properly, as a result, you feel your body being a bit oxygenated. You can get a tingling sensation. If all this sounds a bit voodoo, try it for yourself, and see what it feels. 
B.YogaIn the Wim-Hof method, yoga is a combination of stretching and strange poses. Well, that is generally the definition of yoga. The more you do it, the more you can stretch. The more you practice it, you will be training yourself to even do the complicated pose. While doing the yoga, you still need to continue with the breathing. Breathe deeply, hold the breath for a few seconds and then exhale. Focus on the point where the pain is while you are stretching and breathing. Somehow the breath helps alleviate the pain helping you stretch a bit further. 
C.MeditationI don’t think I got this even after 10 weeks. He suggests you should see some white light during the 4-5th week. I did not see anything. I tried to focus on seeing something, but nothing. Meditation, I am not sure if it helps me or not, but trying to be patient for a few minutes, sitting still while focusing your mind on the forehead might have some impact. I just do not know what it is. 
D.Cold ShowersWhen it is snowing outside and you have to take cold showers, that require some willpower. There are medical benefits of having cold showers. For me, it was more of building the mental strength to withstand the cold for a few minutes.  My tolerance to stay in the cold did increase a bit. I still have a long way to go. 
So what have I learnt after completing the 10 weeks of the Wim-hof method? Was it some scam or it does help improve your nervous system? Am I different after the 10 weeks or it made no difference? 
These are my top 13 things I learnt. And no, it is not a scam. Me being quite a skeptic, I would be the 1st to judge. This product sure delivers at a deep level if you follow it thoroughly. 

1. No more shallow breathing. Start taking deep breaths. You start to utilise the full capacity of your lungs.  Just by breathing deeply, you will be fuelling your body with more oxygen. The more oxygen you have, the more alert, the more energetic, and you feel good. 
2. No more headaches and I can wear contact lens have not had any headaches ever since starting the Wii-Hf method. This is a big one for me. Now, I can wear contact lens and feel at ease. My eyes hurt, but that is due to the contacts and my squint. At least this pain is not flowing all the way to my brain. It stops at the eyes. 
3. I can do complex yoga poses. Who would have ever thought I am the most UN-athletic person you will ever meet. When it comes to sports, yoga, endurance, I suck. So for me, going from some below average Joe to now executing yoga poses like GI I Joe’s is shocking. 

4. Cold shower would have never expected myself to dip in the cold. Especially when the temperature is 0degress and it is snowing outside. And yet, with focus, will-power and ‘just do it’ mentality I stuck to having cold showers for 7 weeks. I do switch between hot and cold when I feel uncomfortable. I also know that my tolerance for pain is improved. At least the tolerance of withstanding the cold. 
Note: The last 3 weeks I stopped having cold showers
5. Discipline and accountability For you to stick with this program for 10 weeks, requires some level of accountability. Requires a bit of will-power and tolerance of pain. There will be days where you do not feel like getting up, you do not feel like doing anything, leave alone the Wii-Hof method. And yet you do it. After which you feel amazing; but in the moment it is painful to be disciplined. This is definitely a great way to train your mind to be consistent and disciplined.

 6. More focus After the Wii-Hoff method, am able to concentrate for longer periods of time. I can software program for longer periods, get less distracted and get more work done. Sure the Wii-Hof method has trained my mind to have more focus. As a result, I can get more work done faster. With no headaches, more energy, more focus, I feel a bit limitless. Well, that is an exaggeration, but definitely, have improved on my focus.

 7. Calmer and at ease Now, when I feel a bit anxious, I just do the breathing exercise. The breathing exercise is so simple; you can do it anywhere. The deeper your breath, the calmer you get. Being calm is not bad. It makes you think more clearly. 
8. More motivated After being disciplined and having better focus, you automatically will feel more motivated. This just seems to be a side effect of the above results

9. Feel sharper and somehow my grasping power is improved. I am quite a dumb guy. Like quite dumb. If I feel I am learning something a bit quicker, I can FEEL IT. The other day, I was travel ling to Miami. Every time you travel by air you are given a boarding pass which has your seat# and flight #. I rarely pay attention to those numbers. I tend to look at my boarding pass a million times to find my gate and to fill the immigration form. This time it was different. I was able to remember the numbers. I was paying attention to something I never would. That felt good but strange. I credit my increased grasping power to the Wii-Hoff method. 
 Not to mention the things I am programming now. What I felt before as, “I don’t feel like learning or programming”, I am starting to think, what is it that I need to do now to get shit done. Leaving all my personal bias and preferences aside. As a result, I am able to do things what I previously thought was not my cup of tea. Like this template in which you are reading this blog. Programmed and designed in 2-3 days. Our new service that we are providing. Thought about it, designed and implemented in a week. More on how I am designing, go check out this blog. There are many other examples, only to name a few.  
10. Increase speed of implementation, visualization and thinking By just being more focused, sharper and increased grasping power, my speed of implementation is better than what it used to be. I can do things 3-4x times faster than before. I tend to take time visualizing what I am going to do before I execute on it. The more you visualize, the more vivid the information or task is, the easier it is to execute. The proof of my speed is in the work I am able to produce in the last few weeks. I now plan to up it up even more and get a lot more done quicker. Either be it programming, networking, blogging. 
11. Powerful morning routine I have been doing the Wii-Hf method 1st thing in the morning. As a result, my day starts with a breathing exercise, yoga, meditation and cold showers. I then make my bed and start software programming or writing. This routine helps me get organized quickly. It builds my discipline muscle and what better way to start the day than by feeling more energetic. 
12. Habit of recording your progress This is one of the most underestimated skills in personal development. Keeping track of your progress using pen and paper. In the Wis-Hoff method, everything is tracked.  How long is your retention, how many push-ups you can do, and you even need to record what and how you feel. As a result, this becomes a habit. I keep a stopwatch to record how long I have held my breath. I track how long I do push-ups and how many I do. I even track how long I do a particular yoga pose. What benefit does this have? There are a couple of benefits in my opinion. 1. You take the task more seriously. 2. You know where you were, and where you need to go. You are able to measure your progress. 3. The habit you cultivate can apply to other aspects of your life. You start to take feedback and reflect on how to improve your current situation.  These are micro-habits, but in the long run, they have profound effects.

 13. Cultivating keystone habits If there is one thing this program has taught me, it is the ability to cultivate keystone habits. Think of keystone habits like domino. You want to change a habit such that it affects all areas of your life, not just one thing. To fix my headache issue, I could be, don’t go under the sun, don’t run, don’t eat oily food, exercise more indoors. All of this are random habits to work on. With breathing, yoga meditation and cold showers, all of a sudden I can now run, walk in the sun, eat anything and not get headaches. Because the Wii-Hof method focuses on keystone habits. As a result, it impacts all other areas of your life profoundly.