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There are many ways to boosts the body’s immune system. Certainly, proper nutrition and regular physical exercise are among the important things to consider.
Diet plays a significant role in health and wellness. In fact, eating the right foods is helpful in boosting the body’s immune system, weight loss and of course, achieving better health, in general.
Other known activities to boosts immunity are fasting and walking. Of course, avoiding diet high in sugar is just as helpful. But what about breathing, does it really help in boosting the body’s immunity and keep the body healthy?
Breathing for Health
When we were infants, or during childhood days, we are very good at belly breathing. It means breathing in while expanding the belly and breathing out emptying the lungs.
However, as we grow older, perhaps, due to stressful situations we are starting to experience, instead of deep breathing naturally, we shifted to shallow breathing.
Shallow breathing, unfortunately, is an anxious way of breathing while deep breathing through the belly is a relaxing breathe.
Health and wellness coaches teach their students deep breathing as a way to relax. Relaxing is another thing we forgot as we become adults. Hence, getting into a relaxed state more often is crucial for health and wellness.
Wim Hof’s Breathing Method is Backed by Science
Wim Hof is known as the “ICEMAN”. He climbed snowy mountains, swim under the ice and crosses scorching desert only with his short. He is the first world record holder for swimming under the ice with no protection except with his shorts.
He is able to do this because of his breathing technique. Health experts are interested in his technique. So, they subject Wim Hof to a clinical study. He was even subjected to a study in which the researchers injected a bacteria into his body and nothing happened.
It just proves that Wim Hof’s method truly works and it is simple. A breathing technique that can be done anywhere a few times a day. Even doing it once a day particularly in the morning can make it easy to enter into a meditative state.
In other words, Wim Hof’s breathing method or technique provides an overall body experience that unites the mind and body.
In another study(full details in pdf format) Wim Hof demonstrated that it is possible to influence mind and body connection with his method. He said in an interview that during this clinical study, he has not able to focus as the brain scan machine makes noises.
Hence, he was not able to get himself into a deep meditative state when the researchers asked him to meditate. However, when he incorporates sound to induce focus, he was able to get into a meditative state with amazing results on demonstrating mind and body connection.
How To Perform The Wim Hof Breathing Technique?
If you Google “Wim Hof method”, you’ll end up with him demonstrating how to perform his breathing technique. Even in Youtube and Facebook, you’ll be able to obtain his method for free.
Although, he offers advanced courses in his website and tour around the world about his techniques, he teaches basic breathing technique and make it available for free.
However, don’t underestimate the free Wim Hof method as it is powerful and effective as long as you do it as instructed, and do it consistently.
Here is Wim Hof demonstrating the Wim Hof Method breathing technique.
For more free videos of Wim Hof, visit his YouTube channel.
Use Your Smartphone Performing Wim Hof Method
You may be reading this article on your smartphone or tablet. Why not install additional app on your phone that can help your journey towards achieving better health?
Wim Hof has an app that is available for both Android and Apple users. The app is fun to use plus it has a journal feature in which you can track your progress.
While the app offers additional advanced exercises, the free ones are already providing great value when done consistently. It is fun and great app. You will also meet Wim Hof in the app demonstrating how to do the exercises like Wim Hof breathing method.
Of course, there are additional exercises and challenges that you can engage on.
Final Thoughts
The Wim Hof method is simple. However, some people may find it intense, but it’s intense in a positive way. You can feel tingling in your fingertips and throughout the body.
In the process, you feel and sense unusual things in your body. It is because the breathing technique, according to Wim Hof, shuts off the frontal cortex.
Naturally, it means when you do the breathing technique, your thoughts from the outer world stop to some degree and shifts your focus inward. It is this reason you will be able to observe your body in the process.
The method is also suitable for relieving stress and anxiety. Anyone familiar with the typical breathing technique, which calming, may find the Wim Hof Method more intense but with better results.
Moreover, this breathing technique is also a helpful way of calming the vagus nerve. Some people even take the Wim Hof Method to the next level as a way to experience a release in DMT, in the pineal gland, a psychedelic experience similar to having an ayahuasca session in the Amazon jungle.
Start doing the Wim Hof Method, right now, and see how it feels. Do it every morning to set your day right. It is a useful meditation tool, too. If you use the app, you will find other amazing exercises along with the breathing technique, including push up and some yoga poses.
Lastly, the breathing technique also has positive benefits on our DNA. Watch the interview excerpt below;
The full interview is available at Brian Rose website, LondonReal.tv.