Wim Hof, an athlete from Holland, also known as the "Iceman", holds several Guinness records and is famous for developing the method that bears his name: a combination of exposure to extreme cold with breathing and meditation techniques. Hof himself claims to have "invented nothing". However, the system he offers is patented and has led him to have millions of followers and hundreds of certified disciples who teach the method around the world. Is it a combination of techniques that could indeed improve our quality of life?
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1. Improve the Quality of Life
It is not new that us humans are seeking to push our physical and mental capacities to the limit. For thousands of years, monks, fakirs, soldiers, athletes and circus artists have amazed us with their feats to master body and mind, reaching unsuspected limits for most of us.
Disciplines of this type have gone a long way: we used to look at these people with astonishment and strangeness, and nowadays some of these practices have become a highly profitable business.
For some decades a number of media gurus have appeared to offer methods that promise that anyone who has the will, the commitment (and why not, the money) can achieve these feats through various practices ranging from extreme exercises, legal and illegal drug intakes and guided meditations, to self-flagellation and the ingestion of one’s own urine.
One of today’s gurus is Wim Hof, a sportsman from Holland, nicknamed the “Iceman”. Holder of several Guinness records, Hof is known for having developed the method that bears his name, which combines exposure to extreme cold with breathing and meditation techniques. Hof himself states that he didn’t really invent anything: “I am not a genetic freak. I’m not a guru, and I did not invent these techniques either”. However, the combo he offers is patented and has led him to have millions of followers and hundreds of certified teachers around the world.
From his website, they promise that the method is a gym membership, mindfulness training and health insurance”1 all in one. Faithful followers claim that the method improved their lives in every possible way, while detractors claim that Hof irresponsibly offers cures to various diseases. Also, some people point out that Hof’s exercises can be dangerous, and mention several followers who lost their lives. Is it just another wellness fashion, trying to sell us antique techniques as if they were something else? Is it a pure business, or is it a combination of techniques that can indeed improve our quality of life?
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1 https://www.wimhofmethod.com/
2. Wim Hof: a Missionary
Wim Hof was born on April 20, 1959, in Sittard, Limburg (Netherlands). In his book The Wim Hof Method: Activate Your Full Human Potential
