I attended my first Wim Hof Method workshop in the Netherlands in 2022 and discovered the power of conscious breathing and guided sessions for the first time. My only previous knowledge of it was when I watched the Dutchman put himself through what seemed to be unnecessary suffering in a 2016 documentary. The Wim Hof Method workshop was led by an incredible instructor and it was an illuminating experience. However, looking back, I realized I was lacking two things: a deeper understanding of what the method had to offer and my personal meaning behind it. 

It wasn’t until 2023 that I finally began to uncover its significance to me apart from the novelty of taking a cold plunge for a dose of endorphins. It was only then that I began to incorporate it into my daily life. After that, things finally started to come together in a more profound sense. I started to think differently and felt like I was living purposefully, finally experiencing in full the offerings of the method.I had more energy, endurance, and focus throughout the day. I sharpened my sense of grit. I was recovering quicker and sleeping better. Perhaps most importantly, I began to understand myself more. I learned that I had been running from life rather than embracing it, dealing with pain by hiding under self-destructive patterns, and that the lack of the acknowledgment of this was what had been holding me back from moving forward in life for so long. 

Grief, loss, heartbreak—much like the cold—can be great teachers, but only if we learn to pay attention to the lessons being imparted. I find this to be almost impossible without a calm mind, without being able to find comfort in discomfort, peace in the storm. This is where I find my personal meaning behind the method.

With poor nutritional habits, sedentary lifestyles, and unhealthy coping mechanisms among other things, it’s no surprise that toxic stress, sickness, anxiety, burnout, and depression abound. This is the reason I set out to become an instructor, and my mission as one is to share the most important thing I’ve learned and continue to learn since I started: We are way more capable than we think we are. We are able to do and bear far more than we think we can.

Breath is life. It remains with us from birth to death. By changing our breathing, we can change our state of mind, and thus, the state of our body. The cold is a mirror, a reflection of our perceived limitations. A "relentless teacher" that helps us build mental, emotional, and physical resilience. When used in synergy with the right mindset, these age-old natural forces can be powerful instruments used to tap into undiscovered inner strength and will, peeling past years of conditioning, old patterns, and beliefs. 

The body is wise, the soul is wise, Work with your intuition and reconnect with yourself. Breathe deep, harness the gifts of the cold, and discover what has been in you all along. 

I attended my first Wim Hof Method workshop in the Netherlands in 2022 and discovered the power of conscious breathing and guided sessions for the first time. My only previous knowledge of it was when I watched the Dutchman put himself through what seemed to be unnecessary suffering in a 2016 documentary. The Wim Hof Method workshop was led by an incredible instructor and it was an illuminating experience. However, looking back, I realized I was lacking two things: a deeper understanding of what the method had to offer and my personal meaning behind it. 

It wasn’t until 2023 that I finally began to uncover its significance to me apart from the novelty of taking a cold plunge for a dose of e...