“That is the same confidence you will feel when your subconscious comes to your awareness…. You will be drawn in too, because…you cannot miss. There’s only one shot to take. Take it and in doing so discover the purpose of your life. Let the light guide you, and go with confidence.” ~ Wim Hof
By Catherine Austin Fitts
I have several friends and colleagues who have tried to get me to study Wim Hof’s work for several years. This includes Ulrike Granögger, who has attended one of Hof’s workshops and whose advice and counsel is always excellent.
Wim Hof’s nickname is “The Iceman,” as he is known for cold therapy – cold showers and ice baths. As someone who loves bubble baths and Jacuzzis, the thought of taking a nice long freezing shower in the morning was far from appealing.
Nonetheless, I was finally inspired to get Wim Hof’s latest book, The Wim Hof Method: Activate Your Full Human Potential. I confess that this is, in fact, one of the best books I have read about getting and staying well.
Wim Hof recommends things that you can do at home or on the road. Anyone can do them. His techniques involve cold showers, baths, swims, or outdoor exposure as well as breathing exercises and mental visioning. No expenditures required.
Part of the appeal is Wim Hof himself – his journey and authenticity. His excitement to help you get and stay healthy and vital is infectious.
Last Monday, I started with morning breathing exercises followed by a cold shower – an add-on after a regular warm shower. I started at 15 seconds of freezing North Sea cold water and after a week, I am up to 32 seconds. My goal is to get to 2 minutes. Each day I have had approximately 5% to 15% more energy all day than I had in the weeks before – the method has made a real difference.
So, I have just started and have far to go. That said, I already know that this book is going on the 2021 Annual Wrap Up – Best Books for 2022 that we will publish in January. As the traditional medical infrastructure is destroyed by inflation, politics, and tyranny, we need to invest our time and resources in the most economic forms of health and wellness. Now is a good time to discover Wim Hof and his method.
Please note: The book’s FAQs say that the Wim Hof Method is not recommended for people with a variety of conditions, including epilepsy, high blood pressure, heart disease, or a history of serious health issues or migraines. It is also not recommended for pregnant women. If any of that describes you, you may want to read the book and speak with your physician before you consider using the method.
Related Reading:
Special Solari Report: The Wim Hof Interview
Wim Hof (Wikipedia)
Catherine,
I am thrilled to see Wim Hof’s work being promoted on the Solari site. I’ve been practicing the Method for almost three years, and similar to other commenters, I have not been sick once! The practice has further enabled me to cultivate a much deeper connection to my inner-self that has opened the gate to a much better state of mental clarity and resilience. The core components or “sensations” of my practice naturally find their way into my daily life and I am overall a far better person for it.
I can personally confirm that cold showers are more difficult than immersion in a bath/lake/ocean. The spray of the shower mixed with the warmer air prolongs the adjustment period. But adding a cold spray to the end of your hot shower is an important practice to become familiar with your body’s reaction. I’m so happy that you are trying this method for yourself and when you are ready, I highly encourage you to try immersion, preferably somewhere out in nature (the whole experience of being in nature and the cold is profound).
Best wishes.
Yup. Working up to it! I believe you.
Great review Catherine! I’ve been doing Wim Hof’s practices for about 18months now and haven’t been sick once! I’ve converted a large chest freezer into an ice bath & go in this every day – tough at first but you get used to it quickly & is awesome for physical & mental health
I am still just doing showers. Wim told Ullie and me during the interview meeting that he finds showers much harder than ice baths – many others say the same. So I am working up to the!
What is nice about this method is that there is a logic behind it:
“After 40-50sec from holding the breath, your body enters survival mode. It cannot get enough oxygen so something must be wrong. The immune system goes berserk. It kills any foreign invader in the hope that it will solve the problem.”
The fasting works in a similar way. The fasting also allows the cleaning of whole body.
Thank you for this book review! I have watched interviews with WH, done guided breathing and have also done some other breathwork. I can also say, it is a pleasure to learn something that makes your life better. Keep on bringing us the great resources! HUGS!!
In Kundalini yoga, a cold shower is part of the practice. You can cold shower for the first three months of a pregnancy for no more than three minutes. The shower is suppose to help develop a strong, healthy, courageous individual. I did this for the first trimester of my pregnancy. I feel this worked well for my son, he has always been healthy, strong and courageous for the last 20 years. Outside of cold showers during the pregnancy, I have always enjoyed the way they detox my system and energize me. I am looking forward to reading the book as I have watching many videos with Hof in them.
Absolutely fantastic. Thank you, Catherine- you always steer me right. As a Hatha Yoga teacher and Vedic Astrologer for 20+ years, I have had a pretty good amount of exposure to various breathing techniques, and this is hands-down the most powerful & simple I have ever experimented with. Also, as an interesting side-note, the Full Moon of October 20 was in (sidereal) Aries, and specifically the lunar mansion (nakshatra) of “Ashvini”…long story short, the Ashvin Twins in Vedic mythology are symbolized by two horses, and the idea is to yoke them together via the breath. In other words, a main “theme” of this particular cycle is exactly about pranayama (harnessing the breath) and unifying/integrating ourselves with its proper practice. You are, as usual, totally on-point.
Up to 2 mins of cold in the morning shower. LOVE IT!
Yes, I am working on that. Problem is, in Florida, we don’t really get cold water at all! I am envious of the Nordic frigidity… LOL. My plan is to now fill my inflatable baby pool and add ice.
I am so glad you posted this book review!!! Wim Hof is the real deal, his teachings are ancient, accessible to all and have life/body enhancing benefits that cost nothing. Please interview him for health series!!
I have been practicing daily cold showers, ice baths, ice lake dips, breathing techniques, cold exposure for 18+months now. The cold really is your friend and teacher and initiator into the mysteries… a “2 min cold shower a day keeps the doctor away” as wim often has said. These are ancient teachings that are also shared in Kundalini yoga. So simple, very powerful when practiced consistently over time. Here is a link to a great wim hof/russle brand interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPPlicAEFec
God bless.
That is a great interview.
Thank you.
I also recommend wim hof’s methods. I began it on a whim at the beginning of lockdown and now I rely on it as a part of my regular health practice, a daily regimen when I have time. The best intro is in this video by vice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaMjhwFE1Zw. There are also good interviews by “london real” and 3 episodes by joe rogan.
In fact, this free mini-course is all you need to get started, and arguably the most important part of the regimen: https://www.wimhofmethod.com/free-mini-class.
Thanks! Great suggestions.
I have doing the Wim Hof method now for a couple weeks. It has already changed my life. I like to do a five minute cold shower followed by the intermediate breathing exercise. Meditate in the shower and let your body do what it is capable of doing as Wim Hof likes to say.
I have been doing the breathing exercises before the shower. Will try reversing them.
I found another book even more compelling, in support of Wim Hoff, than this book. It is called “What Doesn’t Kill US” by Scott Carney. He thought Wim was a snake oil salesman and set out to prove him wrong, but he could not. Scott does a deep dive on Wims methods and others similar
Carney’s story is described in the book. Sounds fascinating.