Today, thanks to my friend romain, coach professionnel & préparateur mental, I was able to try the “Wim Hof Method” without leaving Paris !
WHY ?
For a long time, I have been convinced by the benefits of cold on the body and the mind. I am a big fan of cold showers in the morning to wake you up.
4 or 5 years ago, I came across this video of Wim Hof swimming in underwear between the icebergs. I found it magnificent and incredible (especially from 1″00). This is the time when his popularity started to skyrocket. He is now a recognized “guru” and his method is taught all over the world.
Then, it’s the story of a coincidence. On the one hand, Romain who is training in the method and kindly offers me to come and test it. On the other, Me who was, at the same time, in the “YES MAN” mood. 5 min later, the date is set to become “ICE-MAN”
How ? (in 5 steps)
Romain explains the method very well in the video at the end of the article, so I will quote it:
Wim Hof is Dutch and created this method named after himself. So it’s a method to get your health back by finding energy. It’s also a method for professional sport. At some point he just wanted to show that everyone could do it. This simple method rests on 3 different pillars : your mental capacity, so your capacity to concentrate. We call this the “mindset”. The second thing is being exposed to extreme temperatures and the third thing is breathing. Everything that we do has to follow these 3 steps. It’s to be happier, to feel stronger and to be healthy. His slogan is Happy, Strong and Healthy. He says that everything else is bullshit.
STEP 1> Watch the youtube videos on the Wim Hof channel. It will give you a good overview of the method and you will find exercises to do at home, such as the breathing.
STEP 2> Find an instructor near you by clicking HERE. If you are in Paris, contact Romain !
STEP 3> Make an appointment 🙂
STEP 4> Let yourself be guided, everything will be fine!
STEP 5> To go further, do the Wim Hof Academy and maybe become an instructor yourself.
HOW ? (THE EXPÉRIENCE)
I manage to stay about 2m30s in th water on my first experience.
Romain says :
That’s the paradox. To stay in you mustn’t let go, but to stay in you actually have to let go. You have to let go and fight to really accept what’s happening and be in the present. That’s what we saw today. After about a minute and a half your face changed and you stopped fighting. You stopped doing things with the strength of your mind and just accepted the present and what was happening. We call this surrendering. You let go a bit. I think at some point you have so much information in your brain, which isn’t the usual information, that your brain panics. After a while, you’re able to calm down and that’s when your brain is able to concentrate on other things and you’re able to feel good. It’s like a metaphor for life. Loads of things are thrown at us and we have the choice of how we respond to these things.
The goal is to use what you have at home. Progressively put your shower on cold and teach your body to become more flexible and to create a real feeling of wellness. So a cold shower is a week’s holiday !
BONUS :
I started the experience over when I visited the Peninsula Hot Springs (Australia) with their “FIRE & ICE” offer. I lasted 5 minutes!
#03 – Donate blood