Daily Wim Hof Breathing
So why am I doing 90 breaths and 3 breath holds a day?!
As I mentioned in the 3 cold plunges a week post, I definitely would characterize Wim Hof as a bit of an eccentric man. However, after attending 2 Wim Hof workshops and doing the breathing method AND cold plunges I’m definitely a fan.
When I was thinking about what challenge I would set up for myself in the month of February, I decided to tackle Wim Hof breathing daily.
I did it every day for a month back in January 2022 after attending my first Wim Hof Workshop. I thought it would be great to bring it back.
The technique technically only takes approximately 11 minutes to complete a 3-round series. So it’s really not that hard to incorporate 3 rounds into your day.
I’m going to test out doing it in the morning or right before bed to see how I feel each day based on when I do it. I use this YouTube video to walk me through the technique. And here’s a video for beginners.
Ok but first, let’s take a step back and review what is the Wim Hof breathing technique.
Wim Hof Breathing Technique
The breathing technique includes 3 steps:
30 - 40 inhale and easy exhalations (almost like you’re just releasing the air and not actually breathing out forcibly). I also was taught to not actually push all the air out of my lungs.
After the last breath, you hold your breath after the exhalation. In the YouTube video, I shared you start at a 1 min hold and can work on increasing the time each time.
You then take a recovery breath and hold it for 15 seconds at the top of the breath.
Then repeat 2 more times.
You can read more about the breathing technique here on his website.
Wim Hof recommends doing it upon waking on an empty stomach.
Because of the breathwork and breath holds you “are inducing voluntarily a short stress response which ultimately will lead to more resilience towards everyday stress, mentally and physiology and feeling more in control.”
That’s exactly what I’m looking for!
I’ll share more about the science behind this breathing technique next week!