Breathing and Cold Showers
So, a few weeks back, I started the Wim Hot Method. You might have heard of him, but if you haven’t, some call him The Ice Man because he can stay in freezing cold temperatures for long periods in just a pair of shorts.
Wim has developed a method of breathing exercises and cold exposure through cold showers. Every day you stay in the shower for 5 seconds longer than the previous day. It’s all oddly easy.
I started by turning the temp of my shower water down a little after my regular daily shower, but I could only go freezing or stay in it for a short time. So I changed my approach. I would just start in the cold. My shower goes from 1 to 10. 1 is just cold water, and 10 is just hot water. I started at 4.5 and, over a few days, took it down to 4. I stayed there for a few days and then took it down to 3.5.
Today I stayed there for 4 minutes. Standing in my shower with freezing water engulfing my body, turning to ensure every inch was hit, every time a new part got the water, I was struck by the cold and reacted accordingly. It wasn’t until the third minute that It started to feel comfortable, and I thought I would be able to last a lot longer, but just before the fourth minute, I began to shiver, and no matter what I did, in this case breathing profoundly and a controlled, trying to stop the shiver. It wasn’t like it was out of control or anything; it was a slight shiver. This tells me to keep the temp at 3.5 for now. Stepping out, I felt excellent and warm.
Of course, I start the WHM every morning with breathing, 40 deep breaths in and relax, don’t force the air out, and on the last one, you settle and then hold. You’ve just let most of the air out of your lungs, and now you’re holding your breath. I usually get to about 1 minute 30. then you take a deep breath in and hold that for 15 seconds. They start again. I do it 3 or 4 times.
Today’s first retention was 2 minutes. I felt my arms, from my shoulders to my fingertips, tingle. Like when you catch your funny bone. I just let it be, and it subsided. The second retention lasted for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Nothing weird happened, just a slight tingle in my fingers and toes, which is normal. In my third retention, 3 minutes, I felt the tingle again; this time, it wasn’t just my arms; it was my back, my spine, and the back of my neck. The fourth and final retention lasted 3 minutes and 3 seconds. And at the end, my head was tingling and my back and shoulders. When I took in that first breath (the one you hold for 15 sec), The tingle seemed to move; first, It was all over my head and my shoulders and upper back; it all moved to the base of my neck so it was just there, and then it moved down my spine to my lower back. I sat briefly and tried to figure out what I had just felt. I have no idea. All I know is that I felt amazing, like my brain lit up, dare I say it like my brain fully turned on. Then I heard white noise, I thought it was my phone or coming from outside, but no, It was inside my head.
I’ve been doing the Wim Hot Method for nearly 2 weeks, and today I felt like I transcended myself. And right now, several hours later, I feel fucking fantastic.