Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
reflective
Wim Hof might be oversimplifying stuff by saying that every condition can be improved by using his method but at the beginning and in the end he gives disclaimers and advises consulting your GP before starting practicing.
The three pillars of his method are very simple: breathing, cold water exposure and the power of the mind.
Breathing is the strongest life force. It's been confirmed by multiple studies that stimulating the vagus nerve by belly breathing improves anxiety and depression symptoms overtime.
Cold/contrast showers are stimulating the cardio-vascular system and they have been around for centuries (think Roman baths).
But I think the main takeaway from the book for me is the power of commitment and self-discipline. This third ingredient is essential to reap full benefits of the method. My experience with the method have brought me mental clarity and razor-sharp focus, which if put into good use, can bring loads of joy and fulfilment. Everything that we need is already within us.
The three pillars of his method are very simple: breathing, cold water exposure and the power of the mind.
Breathing is the strongest life force. It's been confirmed by multiple studies that stimulating the vagus nerve by belly breathing improves anxiety and depression symptoms overtime.
Cold/contrast showers are stimulating the cardio-vascular system and they have been around for centuries (think Roman baths).
But I think the main takeaway from the book for me is the power of commitment and self-discipline. This third ingredient is essential to reap full benefits of the method. My experience with the method have brought me mental clarity and razor-sharp focus, which if put into good use, can bring loads of joy and fulfilment. Everything that we need is already within us.
"Doctrines and gurus are for those still battling with the ego, while science -- the truth of things -- has no use for ego. Solid scientific data isn't speculative."
I recently discovered Wim Hof because I had independently made my way to each pillar of his practice individually, over time, completely independently of knowing who he was. I've picked up everything slowly, following medical research to the best of my ability. I've had a deep breathing and meditative practice for the past five years, and recently I've begun doing cold water exposure therapy to reset my system a bit after a year in quarantine. So when you put all of that together, you get Wim.
Wim falls into the larger aesthetic culture of "miracle holistic health cure" snake-oil salesman, but the marked difference is he is consistently proving, or attempting to prove, his claims with actual scientific research published in actual medical journals. I've been actively looking for what angle he may have or people refuting his claims; at most, scientists say that some of the claims can't be proved or disproved, but there definitely is a lot of scientific evidence to a lot of what he says, and where there isn't scientific proof yet, there are mountains of anecdotal evidence in the mean time. I've even seen scientists who say they refute many of the claims but still choose to do the method because of how amazing it makes them feel anecdotally.
This book is a good introduction to Wim's story and philosophy. While there are a lot of really big claims that he makes, and the theory of those medical claims is beyond my pay grade to even analyze theoretically, much of Wim's philosophy is "Hey, this is free. I'm not selling you anything, it's been done for thousands of years. Go try it yourself and see."
While my bullshit meter is constantly whirring to life, I've yet to really find anything that seems to warrant it (except a large portion of his followers making wild claims, but that's not his fault.) And when it comes to mental health, the question really begs asking: if it's physically working or if it's just the placebo effect, is there really a difference?
I recently discovered Wim Hof because I had independently made my way to each pillar of his practice individually, over time, completely independently of knowing who he was. I've picked up everything slowly, following medical research to the best of my ability. I've had a deep breathing and meditative practice for the past five years, and recently I've begun doing cold water exposure therapy to reset my system a bit after a year in quarantine. So when you put all of that together, you get Wim.
Wim falls into the larger aesthetic culture of "miracle holistic health cure" snake-oil salesman, but the marked difference is he is consistently proving, or attempting to prove, his claims with actual scientific research published in actual medical journals. I've been actively looking for what angle he may have or people refuting his claims; at most, scientists say that some of the claims can't be proved or disproved, but there definitely is a lot of scientific evidence to a lot of what he says, and where there isn't scientific proof yet, there are mountains of anecdotal evidence in the mean time. I've even seen scientists who say they refute many of the claims but still choose to do the method because of how amazing it makes them feel anecdotally.
This book is a good introduction to Wim's story and philosophy. While there are a lot of really big claims that he makes, and the theory of those medical claims is beyond my pay grade to even analyze theoretically, much of Wim's philosophy is "Hey, this is free. I'm not selling you anything, it's been done for thousands of years. Go try it yourself and see."
While my bullshit meter is constantly whirring to life, I've yet to really find anything that seems to warrant it (except a large portion of his followers making wild claims, but that's not his fault.) And when it comes to mental health, the question really begs asking: if it's physically working or if it's just the placebo effect, is there really a difference?
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This was such a quick and easy read. I only knew the basic concept of this method before reading and not much of the backstory or benefits. This book gives good insight into all that if you're just starting out. I would probably recommend reading this as an eBook like I did to access the exercises outlined all over the book faster, because I think I'd go a little insane if I had to do this with a physical copy.
The only reason this isn't rated five stars by me is because he repeats himself quite a bit. At times that seems appropriate and at others it's messing with the flow of a chapter.
I also think people that rated this book before me are right when they say taking one of his courses might be quicker and more comprehensive, but I didn't mind this longwinded version of it to be quite honest. I definitely wanna implement the practice into my life, especially the breathing because I have yet to figure out if daily cold showers are doable for me logistically.
I think a great accompanying book for this would be "The Body Keeps The Score" which covers research Wim alludes to in this book when he says negative energy is stored in the nervous system.
The only reason this isn't rated five stars by me is because he repeats himself quite a bit. At times that seems appropriate and at others it's messing with the flow of a chapter.
I also think people that rated this book before me are right when they say taking one of his courses might be quicker and more comprehensive, but I didn't mind this longwinded version of it to be quite honest. I definitely wanna implement the practice into my life, especially the breathing because I have yet to figure out if daily cold showers are doable for me logistically.
I think a great accompanying book for this would be "The Body Keeps The Score" which covers research Wim alludes to in this book when he says negative energy is stored in the nervous system.
He's so full of crap. The breathing technique is real and its effects are real but wims world view is such rubbish and I couldn't bear it.
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
I haven't tried out any of his methods yes but reading this I hope they work aswell as he says, it could change lives, I would recommend this book and hopefully it can change people's lives