WimHofMethod

This document is a knowledge compendium from the WHM Facebook group. It is a work in progress and is open to suggestions for improvements. Breathing Exercise - Hyperventilation Used to induce temporary blood alkalosis to delay the breathing reflex in preparation of the Breath Retention. How to perform the breathing exercise properly: 1. Actively Actively inhale inhale fully fully to maximis maximise e internal internal lung lung surface surface area area a. From From the the dia diaph phra ragm gm b. Into Into the the che chest st c. Fina Finall lly y the the clav clavic icle le d. Attentio Attention n at the heart heart area area can help e. Laying Laying on your your back back can make make it easier easier to get into into the right right feelin feeling g 2. Passively Passively exhale exhale to neutral neutral atmosph atmosphere ere a. Do not not pus push h the the air out out b. Do not not activ actively ely hold hold back on the the exhal exhale e c. Let the the air flow flow out out by relaxin relaxing g the torso torso and and diaphra diaphragm gm d. The more more relaxe relaxed d the more effective effective the exha exhale le e. The exhale exhale shoul should d sound sound pushed pushed but not not feel feel pushed pushed 3. Maintain Maintain a consis consistent tent rhythm rhythm on on the inhale inhale to exhal exhale e ratio 4. Breathin Breathing g should should be smoot smooth h and and circula circularr a. Do not not sto stop p and and star startt b. No jagg jagged ed port portion ions s at the the ends ends The number of breaths required prior to retention varies with individual physiology; 30 is a common benchmark, but it is best to do as many as are required to feel light or tingly in the head and body. Breathing Exercise - Breath Retention Used to induce the primary stress response (adrenaline). How to perform the retention exercise properly: 1. Allow the the air to exit your lungs lungs to to meet neutral atmosphere atmosphere pressure pressure a. Do not not forc forcef efull ully y exh exhale ale 2. Retent Retent from from breath breathing ing 3. Bring Bring atte attenti ntion on to to the the body body Scan internally to gain a sense of depth

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a. Focus on the tight areas or areas of pain and allow the oxygen and energy sensations to enter the area b. Identify and release any remaining muscle tension throughout the body Avoid self analytical thoughts a. Retention times are longest when you are in the flow After 90 - 120 seconds adrenaline is released in the relaxed state a. Fight/flight response is triggered by low O2 levels, this stimulates the hypothalamus b. Breathing reflex is triggered by elevated CO2 levels c. The precise durations and mechanics of the adrenaline response are anecdotal Finish your retention when your diaphragm starts to move (breathing reflex) a. Too eek out a longer retention, start by tensing the muscles in your toes up through your body and eventually to your head, imagine you are squeezing every last bit of oxygen in your system up to your head. When you relax imagine the oxygen flooding back into your system. From the “what does not kill you” book. Deeply breathe in and hold it for 15 seconds or more as you see fit

Push ups Used to harness body awareness, reset nervous system and reduce inflammation. How to perform the pushups exercise properly: 1. Begin with empty lungs to reset nervous system 2. Begin with full lungs to fight inflammation 3. While performing the push ups focus on the body a. Direct your awareness to the areas which tire b. Try not to compromise the form just to reach higher numbers of push ups. Quality over quantity! With proper form the number of repetitions will initially be less, but this way you ensure that you don’t train yourself to move in a way that is bad for your body Brown Fat Activation Technique Used to help stimulate the pineal, but also to develop brown fat, and to assist the flow of blood to the extremities during cold exposure. How to perform the Brown Fat Activation Technique properly: The goal is to force oxygenated blood into the brain and areas that brown fat normally develops by applying internal pressure to move the blood and squeezing those areas. You are simultaneously targeting internal blood pressure in the head, while squeezing the chest and neck as brown fat storing regions.

1. Begin by taking a full breath 2. Close off the throat, similar to the Valsalva manoeuvre, increasing tone on the vagus nerve in the throat area. a. Less emphasis on the ear popping and equalization 3. Apply internal pressure using your abdomen chest and shoulders, as if to expel the trapped air and simultaneously push blood up your body 4. Keep the spine straight and compress it 5. When performed correctly you will experience warm blood flow up the chest, neck, head and face. 6. External muscle tension in the chest, shoulders and neck stimulates the brown fat areas. 7. Squeeze the head as you feel the blood reach the upper neck and ears. 8. Perform a mental squeeze of the brain to target the pineal. 9. Allow the pressure to subside, when you feel it return down your neck, exhale

Pineal Gland Stimulation - DMT Production Used to help see the stroboscopic lights and experience profound effects. CAUTION: You may pass out when using this technique, lay down on a soft surface. 1. Perform the standard breathing and retention exercises 2. Take a full breath after retention and hold it 3. Force oxygenated blood into the brain. a. See the brown fat technique b. For this exercise it is more focused on the brain than the brown fat areas 4. Relax and allow blood to return to the body 5. Exhale and repeat steps 3 and 4 as suitable 6. Repeat steps 1 to 5 for as many rounds as desired a. Getting the full profound effects may take up to an hour Extreme cold exposure Used to stimulate glands in the brain and get the vascular system open. 1. Mentally prepare the adrenaline response a. As if you are about to lift a heavy weight or perform some extreme feat 2. Enter the cold a. Remain relaxed and do not tense as this will constrict blood flow b. Ability to remain relaxed in stressful situations indicates good conditioning

c. To gradually improve your performance, seek the highest degree of cold exposure that you can handle while keeping a relaxed state throughout the body 3. Perform the brown fat activation technique a. 6 or 7 normal breaths b. Force blood into the brain c. Feel the blood being forced to the extremities 4. Once you get out the water, focus on what is happening inside your body. Being comfortable while feeling cold and (slowly) warming up is just as essential as being comfortable while enduring the cold.

Official scientific background: 1. Kox et al., 2012. The Influence of Concentration/Meditation on Autonomic Nervous System Activity and the Innate Immune Response: A Case Study. http://www.innerfire.nl/files/artikel-onderzoek-pickkers-amerikaans-blad.pdf 2. Kox et al., 2014. Voluntary activation of the sympathetic nervous system and attenuation of the innate immune response in humans. http://www.pnas.org/content/111/20/7379 3. Buijze & Hopman, 2014. Controlled Hyperventilation After Training May Accelerate  Altitude Acclimatization. http://www.wemjournal.org/article/S1080-6032(14)00116-1/pdf 4. Buijze et al. 2016. The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial. 5. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0161749