I’m in week 3 of the 10 week Wim Hof Method Video Course. Before I get into where I am with the course, I want to recap on my progression that led me here.

I initially started some of the Wim Hof breathing when I purchased the App on my phone. It was fun, but I wasn’t diligent enough to maintain consistency. I could get myself to do the breathing exercises, but I was unwilling to explore the cold. After a nudge from my friend, who signed me up for the Wim Hof seminar in San Francisco, things began to change.

At the seminar, I was educated about the importance of training in the cold along with training the breathing. This made a difference and I started trying more of the cold showers and baths, but I was still unwilling to embrace the warm hug of cold showers. It wasn’t until my visit to Houston, TX where my friend Reed Shelger and now certified Wim Hof instructor nudged me further into the cold. He had the full set up with a permanent ice bath next to a sauna and a pool in his backyard for winter Wim Hoffing.

In week 3 it become apparent that the body and experience, the sensation is different that the first. My 2-4 times a week of doing the breathing, turned into an everyday practice and I notice myself with more energy, a stronger sense of breathing while training jiujitsu. Wim Hof explains that week 3 is the beginning of the body having gone through a detox state. Not just the body but the autonomic nervous system, reconnected with the breathing and the cold.

There is great gains that can be made with commitment to train and experience the Wim Hof Method. The breathing is a means to connect the mind with the body and when you are immersed in the diaphragmatic breathing you are unable to focus on much else. Another tangible difference I’ve noticed is the ease to continue with the progression of each round. The path to breath opens up and I feel less tension on the inhale as I progress from round to round.

The last, and possible the most significant, is mastering the squeeze. The squeeze seems to me the “trigger” that sends signals to connect the body with the brain. I’ve been having some sciatic pains and shoulder pains that are training related lately and have been trying to connect the flow with the squeeze. Interestingly enough, I feel pulsing for 3-5 times after a squeeze that is directed toward my sciatic pain.

I can’t wait to finish the year in Colorado visiting family and playing in the cold!

A note to everyone, DO NOT WIM HOF IF YOU ARE NOT IN A SAFE AND CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT. (EX: SWIMMING, DRIVING, ETC WHERE YOU WOULD BE IN DANGER IF YOU FAINT)