Wim Hof, the Iceman, has won 20 Guinnes World Records awards for its resistance to extreme temperatures. He climbed Everest and Kilimanjaro wearing only shorts and shoes. He was able to stay submerged in ice water for hours and ran a marathon in the desert without water.
Your goal is always to show that you can exercise total control over your body and mind, a power so extraordinary that scientists, doctors, neurologists and psychologists around the world are interested, in this way, their body became the object of study for various fields.
- They were years of arduous training that allowed him to develop a personal breathing technique that allows him to have greater control over his body.
- Wim Hof ensures that he is able to control his immune system as he pleases.
- As well as cardiovascular.
- Hormonal.
- Muscular.
- And nervous system.
- All this through breathing.
The history of his method dates back to 1995, when his wife had a severe psychotic crisis that eventually took his life, from there he had to face life in another way, caring only for his four children. starting point of his goal: he set out to show the world that will can lead us where our desires take us, including control of our body and mind.
This amazing Dutchman, also known as the Iceman, earned his nickname for building one of the pillars of the method that bears his name based on exposure to the cold. The Wim Hof method is apparently very simple, which does not change the fact that we need many hours of work to develop it.
For many, this Dutchman has shown that humans are able to influence the whole body system, both in immunological matters and in the sympathetic system itself through a respiratory technique.
This means that we have the ability to reduce systemic inflammation according to our will, as well as to release certain hormones such as adrenaline and dopamine, which have very interesting effects on our health, and it also seems to have many benefits for depressive symptoms and to strengthen health. body and mind.
In fact, there are several studies that confirm the benefits of these premises, for example, breathing, which is also important in many disciplines such as yoga or meditation, has been shown to have a decisive influence on health and body weight, as a correct breathing technique can reduce inflammation and decrease the stress levels of our bodies.
“The worst mistake in contemporary society is to disconnect from our natural environment. We live in a completely artificial habitat in which we change all models of nature. We are the only animal that adapts the environment to itself, not the other way around. It weakens us and sick, is the mind going crazy?” explains Hof.
Her words highlight an idea: we try to change our nature without knowing it, we do not think about the possibility of adapting to it, with attitudes such as maintaining a constant body temperature throughout the year based on heating and cooling, not consuming foods according to it. the season and gradually destroying our planet with constant polluting emissions.
Hof explains that low temperatures contract the small muscles surrounding the veins, which improves blood flow and reduces heart rate.
Cold therapy, if done correctly, offers a wealth of benefits for those who practice it, such as strengthening the immune system, balancing hormone levels, improving sleep quality, and producing mood-enhancing endorphins.
The Dutchman says we are not aware of the enormous potential of breathing and the important benefits it brings if we simply manipulate the breathing rate. Its conscious respiratory system increases oxygen levels in the blood, providing more energy, lower stress levels and an increase in the immune system. response to pathogens.
Meditation paves the way for greater body awareness and mental clarity. According to the Iceman, the mental component of his method is essential to be successful in his feats.
Hof has a philosophy of life in which living fully every day is the success he wants to achieve with his accomplishments. “When I expose myself to the extreme, I embrace life,” he says.
In several interviews he has been asked what else he would like to achieve, and he always replies the same thing: “I would like to make all the pain of the loss of my mind disappear, make my love lose and return love to the world. “
Scientists, neurologists, and psychologists around the world are in awe of Wim Hof’s achievements, and he is also pleased to contribute to science and use his body to conduct experiments and research on the cure and prevention of diseases we don’t have today. effective treatment.