D
uring what feels like the height of the American popular trend
of hot yoga, Wim Hof is an ambassador of the Cold. Before
you think this is just the next trend, Wim Hof is a modern
master with a compelling story. He’s a world record holder
(26 records as of this writing)) for cold exposure and he may well be the
planet’s most famous breathworker. When it comes to his method if Wim
Hof is nothing else—he is convincing. And, he is willing to lead by example.
Some of Wim’s recent notoriety came via a 39-minute VICE docu-
mentary (Inside The Super Human World Of The Iceman) that first aired
in 2015. As of October 2017, the film has clocked 2.6 million views on
YouTube. It opens with a mind-numbing view of Wim swimming under
the ice. It goes on to feature a skeptical VICE reporter who travels to
Amsterdam to study The Wim Hof Method with the man himself. The
three pillars of the training system are breathing, meditation, and cold
exposure. With boundless energy, Wim guides people through a specific
breathing technique taught in synergy with the experience of gradual cold
exposure via cold showering and eventually ice baths. Spoiler alert: by the
end, the reporter is convinced that the method works.
Wim is emphatic that anything he can do (which includes climbing
Mt Kilimanjaro and 22,000 feet of Mt Everest in shorts) is also available
to anyone and he can teach it. He is more than simply a manifestation
of contagious enthusiasm. Wim’s confidence is accompanied by the key
distinction of how Wim Hof operates in the world. He insists on scientific
monitoring, documentation, reporting, and publication of his methods.
These studies report benefits that include reduction of inflammation, im-
proved ability to control the immune system, increased metabolic effi-
ciency, and a number of other indicators of health and well-being.
In addition to that VICE documentary, Wim has appeared on a num-
ber of podcasts with devoted listeners: The Joe Rogan Experience, the
Tim Ferriss Show, Lewis Howes’ School of Greatness, and Dave Asprey’s
Bulletproof Radio. Big wave surfer Laird Hamilton utilizes and passion-
ately testifies to the efficacy of the method. Wim has taught onstage at
Tony Robbins’ Unleash the Power Within live events. When Wim speaks,
he is highly self-aware and uses his sharp comedic intellect and Dutch ac-
cent to great effect of expression.
After devouring all this media, I felt compelled to meet him. I wanted
to look him in the eye and find out if he is the real deal—or if his charisma
is just the business of show. A year in the making, I had the opportunity
to sit with him on the eve of Memorial Day weekend. After our conversa-
tion, he was en route to an undisclosed location in the Hawaiian Islands
The maverick yogi is
teaching the world to breathe -
one ice bath at a time
by Shiva BaumWIM HOF
IS LIVING
THE ICEMAN’S
DHARMA