Wim Hof Breathing Method

In a previous post I wrote about the importance of deep breathing. In this post I expose what I have done in this area.

I am doing the Wim Hof breathing method each day now since a little more than a month.

How I do it

The way I do the Wim Hof Breathing Method is to:

• lay on the couch alone in a room. Sometimes I switch off all lights. Some other times I let the torch on my phone. To ensure that I do not get disturbed by my family, I only do the Wim Hof Breathing session either in the early morning or right before going to sleep.
• put my bluetooth headset on during the breathing session.
• tweak the Wim Hof Breathing Method app settings: in the morning I deactivate the background music, so that I enjoy some seconds of light sleep. In the evening however, I activate the music because it relaxes me and provides me with company.

Results after doing it for some time

I did the exercise for about three weeks, once in the morning before I go to work, and sometimes once just before I sleep. I used to inhale deep, hold it for the quiet period, then exhale. I once achieved a retention time of more than 3 minutes:

I thought I was a natural fish. Then, after I watched Wim in a Youtube video, I found out I was doing the exercise wrong!

In fact, I needed to exhale first, hold the breath while in the exhale phase, then inhale for 15 seconds to refill the lungs.

That explains my drop in retention time starting from October 17th.

Observations

• No more stressed belly when sitting on the desk at work
• Movement of the diaphragm: I feel it easier and far less stressed
• General sense of calmness all day long
• Increased awareness of the environment around me
• slight increase of stamina when working out.

Where did I go from there?

I did not stop doing the Wim Hof Breathing Method. On the contrary, I integrated it into my daily routine. Yeah, sometimes I was not disciplined enough to go through it once.

In the following section, I have included my reports practicing the breathing method. Each report shows my retention time for a week: