All the Wim Hof Methods (breathing, cold exposure and mindset) from his new WHM Book in one complete list

I’ve been doing the Wim Hof breathing method and the Cold Exposure Protocols for several weeks now, and it has changed my life.

I’m fascinated by Wim (a.k.a. the Ice Man) and by his practices. This fascination has brought me to his book, his app and his methods. The article below shares a detailed list of his methods and goes into his new book. I hope you get value out of it and don’t forget to try it out for yourself.

How did the Wim Hof Method Change My Life?

I believe two effects are the direct result of me doing both the Wim Hof breathwork at night and doing the cold exposure in the morning (I end a hot shower with 1-2 minutes of ice-cold water):
1) After the cold shower, I feel instantly energized. Next to the energy boost, I’m way less anxious during the rest of the day. It’s like I’m flushing the fear out of me. I think my body can endure more stress during the day because the cold shower trains me in dealing with acute physical stress. You get less afraid of stress, and you start to learn how to coop with it.
2) The breathing exercise at the end of the day (for four rounds) just blisses me out. I believe it helps me to release a lot of natural DMT. To the point where I feel amazing, centred and very relaxed. For me, it’s like a natural high at the end of the day without the drugs.

All in all, I can say that Wim Hof and his Wim Hof methods (see them all below) have a profound effect on me, and hopefully, it will have an interesting and noteworthy effect on you.

So why share all these Wim Hof Methods from his new book?

Firstly, It’s because the Wim Hof methods had such a large impact on my own life. I care for the methods and the movement. I wanted to share it and spread the Wim Hof gospel.

Secondly, most information on Wim’s methods is scattered around the web. I wanted to create a single list, a central hub for all his methods. Trying and experimenting with his methods becomes easier when you have all the WH protocols in one place. This is my way of collecting and sharing all his tactics for you to utilize and to make your life a little bit better like it has made mine better.

Thirdly, I want to help others with this list of Wim Hof protocols. Hopefully, it can help someone else who’s going through a hard time to get over their own fears and anxieties.

The list is a collection of protocols from his new book: The Wim Hof Method: Activate your full human Potential (use the link to buy the book, it’s Wim’s own link. I don’t make any money from the link.

Finally, I just love Wim. Not only because he’s Dutch, like me, he’s also just such a good soul. His energy is so authentic, and his story is so compelling to me. I’ve watched every video of him on YouTube, and I’ve read his book twice. Wim does good, and he wants very little in return.

Support Wim and his team by downloading his new app (yes, I have a paid subscription myself) or buy his new book for yourself and learn about his life story and how he became the iceman.

My opinions on the New Wim Hof (Ice Man) book

• Wim’s book is fascinating to me because Wim’s story is told in chronological order. Literally from his mystical childbirth to now. Some of his major accomplishments and setbacks are highlighted. It really shows what he has gone through in his life to get where he is today, and I respect that about him.
• Like all the protocols below the book was full of important tips, tricks, insights and protocols that you can apply yourself. Scroll down to see the entire list of all Wim’s methods from the book.
• The book taught me that you should never quit when you believe you’re doing the right thing. When you read the book, you’ll understand that Wim is not a quitter. He had a mission, and he kept his eyes on the prize for many decades. I find it inspiring to see a man continue all those years while being scoffed and called a nutbag. It really does take a crazy guy to start a movement. Wim himself says he’s crazy too, only not really crazy but crazy about life. I really like his mentality. Who doesn’t want to be crazy about life?
• Next to the life’s story of Wim Hof the Ice Man (about 30% of the book’s substance) and the WH Protocols and Methods (also around 30% of the book) the rest of the book is filled with a bunch of hippy stuff. That part of the substance is interesting, but it felt a bit repetitive at some points. Most of the things he says are important and inspiring, but some points are hammered down a little too frequent for my taste.

A few Quotes I loved from the book:

Do you know what a happy person needs? Nothing, since he/she is happy.

Material things are external and have no bearing on the soul. You can only drive one car and occupy one room at a time.

Wim Hof

Before you jump into all of the Wim Hof methods below, I want you to know the following: I do not make any money from this article. All book and app links are copied from Wim’s website. So I’m guessing the kickback (if there is a kickback) goes directly to his own organisation.

The methods below have helped me coop with crippling anxiety, depression and a general lack of energy. I’m thankful for Wim’s perseverance all these years and his mission to spread his methods.

I see this article as my ode to Wim and his work that he has graciously done for us. Thanks, Wim, you’re a Legend. I hope to meet you in person one day!

Don’t forget to mark your calendar; I upload a new Article every Sunday 14:00 Eastern Standard Time. See you there!

WHM Protocol: Cold Exposure for Beginners

Do you want to learn how to expose yourself to the cold gradually? Wim tells us not to overdo it by any means. Be humble and take your time. It’s about steady progression and an idea on the overall benefits. Like I stress in later exercises, there are risks involved. Please consult a doctor before doing any of the exercises that are shown below.

WEEK 1: Thirty seconds of cold water at the end of a warm shower
WEEK 2: One minute of cold water at the end of a warm shower
WEEK 3: A minute and a half of cold water at the end of a warm shower
WEEK 4: Two minutes of cold water at the end of a warm shower Do this gradually and

My advice: Download and use the Wim Hof App and read his book
I used to hate the cold and freezing water and cold showers. So for me, it was quite an achievement that eventually I was able to withstand the cold for multiple minutes at a time.
I did not push it. And I would not recommend you do the same.
I managed to be successful using the Wim Hof App that he has designed. It has many instructions and challenges. I highly recommend the challenges since it will push you to stick with the mindset and the habit. He repeatedly says in his book: most benefits come after 10 days of cold exposure. So stick to the first 10 days, and just like me, you will love the process eventually and keep at it.

The Wim Hof Way to Get Warm

Wim’s words: The following exercise can be done to activate brown fat tissue (or brown adipose tissue — BAT ), capable of energy combustion, and your intercostal muscles. Get warm by following the below steps:

1. Sit down on the floor or a mat.
2. Inhale slowly and deeply five or six times, letting your breath go naturally each time.
3. Inhale fully.
4. Relax to exhale.
5. Inhale fully.
6. Hold your breath, for no more than five seconds.
7. Tense your upper – back muscles and chest while you hold your breath — but don’t tense the head. Keep your jaw relaxed.
8. Let go.

Everybody is different, but you will feel the heat coming from inside your body with some practice. This is what Wim Hof did to maintain his core body temperature during the experiments at Wayne State. Read his new book if you want to learn more about his entire journey and Wayne State’s experience and what came next. I personally loved the book as you’ve read above.

Wim Hof Method Experiment: Ice-Water Bath for Warmer Hands and Feet

Are you someone who suffers from cold hands or feet? If so, try this exercise.

STEP 1: Fill a bucket with one – third ice and two – thirds water.
STEP 2: Redirect your mental focus to your hands ( or feet).
STEP 3: Place your hands or feet into the ice bucket.
STEP 4: Hold your hands or feet in the bucket for two minutes. At some point, they should start to feel warm instead of cold.
STEP 5: Remove your hands or feet from the ice bucket but keep your mental focus on them.
STEP 6: Shake them out several times to encourage the blood flow into your newly awakened extremities.

Your blood vessels constrict in the ice bucket at first. This is a natural protective mechanism. But then they open when your blood reaches 50 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing warm blood to flood into them. You are resetting the physiology in your extremities.
If you typically have cold hands or feet, try doing this exercise daily. Adaptation occurs rather quickly. After a couple of days of this exercise, you will find that your extremities aren’t so cold anymore.

WHM Protocol: Basic Breathing Exercise

BIG Disclaimer:
I’ve personally pushed this exercise too far multiple times because I tried to hold my breath for too long during the breath retention phase. I suffer from a very competitive mindset in which I want to strive for better breath hold retentions every time. This should be avoided. The Wim Hof Breathing method is not a competition. It’s a cleansing habit in which you need to be kind to your body and yourself. It’s normal to hit plateaus during these exercises. The same counts for the cold exposure too. Never push it and never do the below exercise in a lake, pool or bath. And finally, before engaging with this breathing technique, remember to be mindful. Listen to your body and learn from the signals your body and mind send you while doing the exercises.

STEP 1: Sit in a meditation posture, lying down, or whichever way is most comfortable for you, in a quiet and safe environment. Make sure you can expand your lungs freely without feeling any constriction.
STEP 2: Close your eyes and try to clear your mind. Be conscious about your breath and try to connect with it fully. Take thirty to forty deep breaths in through the nose or mouth. Fill up your belly, your chest, all the way up to your head. Don’t force the exhale. Just relax and let the air out. Fully in, letting go.
STEP 3: At the end of the last breath, draw the breath in once more and fill the lungs to maximum capacity without using any force. Then relax to let the air out. Hold the breath until you feel the urge to breathe again. This is called the retention phase.
STEP 4: When you feel the urge to breathe, take one deep breath in and hold it for ten to fifteen seconds. This is called the recovery breath.
STEP 5: Let your breath go and start with a new round. Fully in, letting go.
STEP 6: Repeat the full cycle three to four times. After having completed this breathing exercise, take your time to enjoy the feeling.

With repeated practice, this protocol becomes more and more like a meditation. And that’s also how I view it. I do the Wim Hof basis breathing method 2 times a day for 4 rounds. I feel almost high at the end of the exercise.

Bonus Wim Hof Breathing Technique:
Once you have a little experience with the basic breathing exercise, try this additional technique:
In round 2, step 4, try “ squeezing ” the breath to your head when you take your recovery breath. You do this by tensing your pelvic floor and directing that sense of tension to the core of your body and up to your head while keeping the rest of your body relaxed. You should feel a sense of pressure in your head. Then relax everything when you exhale.

WHM Protocol for Altitude Headaches

BIG Disclaimer:
I personally never used this exercise myself, so I don’t know the effectiveness. Also, before using such a method, I would always ask the advice of a medical professional. This counts for every exercise in this full list of Wim Hof Protocols and breathing and cold exposure methods.

Wim’s words: Headaches are the first sign of altitude sickness; a headache indicates that the brain is being deprived of oxygen. This exercise fuels your brain with oxygen again and should bring instant relief.

1. Slow down your pace.
2. Breathe in fully and relax to exhale ten times.
3. Stand still or sit. Make sure you are in a secure position.
4. Breathe in fully, hold your breath for five seconds, and try squeezing or redirecting the breath to your head.
5. Let go.
6. Repeat these steps until you sense that the headache has disappeared.

Breathing Exercise While Walking at High Altitude

1. Consciously breathe more than you feel you need to.
2. Focus on your breath. Feel yourself breathing as you move.
3. Synchronize your breath and your pace so you can get into a cadence. Find your own rhythm without forcing it.

Resting Breathing Exercise to Adjust to an Altitude Greater Than Thirteen Thousand Feet

Wim’s words: This exercise can help you forestall the potentially dangerous symptoms caused by a low oxygen level in your body that you may encounter if climbing or visiting somewhere where the altitude exceeds thirteen thousand feet.

Please do not rely on this exercise to prevent altitude sickness symptoms without proper supervision or experience. The best way to safely learn it is to participate in one of our expeditions. It is helpful to use a saturation meter to measure your blood oxygen level when doing this.
1. Wake up four to four – and – a – half hours after you went to sleep.
2. Do the Basic Breathing Exercise until your saturation meter reads a minimum of 95 to 100 per cent saturation.
3. Practice the breathing exercises for at least a half-hour.
4. Go back to sleep.

Again, since I’m not into mountaineering and climbing, I personally have not experienced the benefits of the above method while being in high altitudes. Please consult a doctor before you use this method.

WHM Protocol: Basic Mindset Exercise

Wim’s words: The greatest accomplishment you can achieve is a stillness of the mind. It is only when your mind is still that you can go from external to internal programming. This stillness aligns your feelings with your innermost being, reflecting the true self in a direct mirror in the absence of thoughts. This is how I set all of my records, and you can do it too. Follow the steps below to set your intention and to build a strong mindset:

1. First, take a step away from all distractions and find a comfortable place to sit down.
2. Then begin to follow the breath. Deeply in, letting go. Deeply in, letting go. Peacefully following the breath. Deeply in, letting go. Deeply in, letting go.
3. A sense of calm will begin to settle over you, and it is in this moment that you can set your mind.
4. Begin to scan your body while visualizing what it is you are going to do.
(at this step your programming your mindset. Perhaps you want to stay longer in the cold shower or achieve a new personal record for push-ups. Maybe you want to hold a particularly challenging yoga pose or take a long bike ride than you ever have before.)
5. Now is the time to scan your body and set your intention. Take your time with it. Tell your body what you expect it to do.
6. Scan yourself again for how you feel. You will be able to detect any misalignment of your intention and your body’s feeling.
7. Remain calm, keep breathing, and wait for the moment in which there is a sense of trust, of centred energy, of alignment. Give power to that feeling with your breath and then go and do what you intend to do.

WHM Meditation

Wims words: The origins of meditation date back to 5000 – 3500 BCE, yet it’s constantly evolving. When you do the conscious breathing protocol (see the WHM Protocol: Basic Breathing Exercise earlier), you are already doing a form of meditation, training your mind and connecting with your innermost depths.

The principle of meditation is to follow something that does not excite the thinking brain. We take something straightforward and follow it until deep peace comes over us. Here is one way to get acquainted with this peace.

1. Sit down in a safe, comfortable place and clear your mind.
2. Start connecting to your breath. Let yourself breathe naturally.
3. Start counting your breaths. Each inhale and exhale is one count.
4. Count your breaths up to seven, and then from seven back to one.
5. If you find yourself suddenly thinking about your daily life and your to-do list, return to counting the breaths.

After a while of practice, you will eventually find yourself able to just count the breaths, up to seven and back down again for multiple rounds on end. The blood flow will go into the deeper areas of your brain, awakening feeling, not thoughts. Let the feeling become stronger. Follow the feeling and go as deep as you want. As you go along, the counting will fade away, like a song fading out. Follow the feeling and go deep into yourself, deep into peace.

WHM Protocol: Power Breathing for Endurance

Wim’s words: This exercise adapts the Basic Breathing Exercise (see above) to enhance athletic performance. You can delay the deprivation of oxygen in the muscle tissue, thereby postponing the point of lactic acidification, which leads to fatigue and failure. The breathing exercise causes a release of adrenaline and glucose that your body can absorb immediately and achieve better performance.

Before you begin an endurance exercise, such as long-distance running or cycling, do three to four rounds of power breathing:
1. Breathe in deeply and relax to let your breath go sixty times.
2. On the last breath, inhale fully and then hold the breath for at least fifteen seconds ( or as long as feels comfortable ), squeeze your entire body toward the head by tensing your pelvic floor and allowing that pressurized feeling to move up your spine to the top of your head.
3. Relax to let your breath go and start a new round.
4. Start each new round with your regular WHM breathing rhythm and then increase your breathing speed and intensity as the round proceeds. This increase is what makes this power breathing.
5. Wait a couple of minutes to ground yourself again and then begin your endurance exercise.
6. Breathe more than you feel is necessary and stay aware of your breath during the endurance exercise.

Wim Hof Method Experiment: WHM to Improve Athletic Performance

To demonstrate the power of the breathing technique, let’s do some push-ups.

1. First, do as many push-ups as you can to set a baseline. Most of us can only do ten or twenty before becoming seriously fatigued.
2. Now do a single round of the Basic Breathing Exercise (see above), exhale fully, and try the push-ups again during the retention phase, with your breath held out on the exhale.
3. If you feel you can, keep doing the push-ups after you breathe in for the recovery breath. You may be surprised to learn that suddenly you can do twice, three times, or four times as many as you did before.

I found this exercise (next to my long breath retentions results of more than 2 minutes) to be extremely eye-opening. I was able to do 20 pushups before the exercise, and then when I did one round of basic breathing, I was able to do 42 pushups during the retention and the recovery breath. It was just remarkable. I would highly recommend this exercise to just open your eyes of what breath and oxygen or lack of oxygen does on a chemical level to your body.

WHM Protocol: Ice Baths and Cold Plunges

Wim’s words: Getting into the cold in nature — there is nothing like it. And taking an ice bath is an amazing way to show yourself what you are capable of. To befriend the cold at home or in the wild, follow these steps:

1. First, find someone to share this experience with you. Ice baths and cold plunges are safer and more fun with friends.
2. Prepare yourself by doing one or two rounds of the basic breathing exercise (see above) as you visualize the cold water. How will it make you feel? Imagine how you will enter the water, be it a bathtub or a lake, and how you will feel when you do it. Assume a can-do mindset.
3. Confidently enter the water while taking deep, calm breaths. Focus on your breath. Embrace the cold; let it take you to the depths of yourself.
Do NOT/NEVER perform the WHM basic breathing technique while in a bath. Instead, do long, conscious, exhalations to bring your breath into a controlled, steady rhythm. Take deep breaths through the nose and try to relax. Try letting out a long “ Hummmmm ” on the exhale.
4. Keep your focus on your breath and your being as you exit the water. Warm-up by doing the horse stance exercise while maintaining your inner attention.

The cold is our warm friend, our mirror, and our teacher. It can also be dangerous. When you extend exposure to the cold by going into an ice bath or open body of water, it is an intense experience. If you want to try an ice bath or a cold plunge, make sure you are safe and smart about it. Please visit www.wimhofmethod.com to sign up for one of our courses or workshops for thorough training in safe cold exposure.

Breathing for Mood Regulation

Wim’s words: This exercise uses and trains neurostimulation brain control to help alleviate moodiness or depression. Supplying oxygen to the brain improves a person’s well – being. We have seen in fMRI that the whole brain dances when subjects do the breathing exercises. You can do this exercise whenever you feel like it, but it can be a potent exercise to try when you’re feeling melancholy, moody, or depressed. Do not force it — feel it!

1. Sit or lie down in a safe, comfortable place.
2. Feel and try to relax every part of your body. Observe and be aware of what you are feeling, seeing, and hearing, without judgment. Just be present.
3. Take twenty deep breaths. Fully in and letting go.
4. On the last breath, breathe in deeply, hold it, press your chin toward your chest, tense your pelvic floor, and direct that tension up your core toward your head.
5. If you are experiencing any physical discomfort, focus your attention there and observe—tense the muscles in that area. Hold the breath for a maximum of ten seconds.
6. Release the breath and all tension.
7. Repeat two or three times or until you feel better.

Interoception with the Breath

Wim’s words: How would you like to train your sense of interoception and sharpen your interoceptive focus? If you are already practising the Basic Breathing Exercise (see above), you are on your way. This visualization will take you to the next level.

1. Sit or lie down in a safe, comfortable space and close your eyes.
2. Breathe normally, but focus on your breathing. Fully in and letting go.
3. Now consciously take a deep breath in through the nose, and exhale through the mouth. Do not force it.
4. Visualize your lungs, and consciously feel the oxygen entering your lungs. Interoception is now beginning.
5. Take some more deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Nice and easy.
6. After a few more breaths, visualize the exchange of gases in your body. Visualize the oxygen going from the lungs, through the capillaries and into the blood, and visualize carbon dioxide’s excretion upon exhalation.
7. If you notice that your mind has started to wander, simply reset your focus to your breath. Over time, you will learn to become more mindful and gain more control over your mind and be less consumed by your thoughts.
8. Practice this exercise for several minutes.

Interoception of the Heartbeat

Wim’s words: In this exercise, we will forge a conscious connection with the heart and circulatory system. Because the heartbeat is involuntary, few of us pay much attention to it or to the circulatory system it serves. But if we channel our interoceptive focus to it, we can decrease our heart rate during times of stress, which reduces that stress and improves the absorption of oxygen and nutrients within our cells.
Here’s how:

1. Sit or lie down in a safe, comfortable space.
2. Relax.
3. Feel and visualize your heartbeat.
4. Connect with your heartbeat and try to synchronize your breath with it so that you can feel it everywhere.
5. Now visualize your circulatory system. Visualize that with every inhalation, oxygen-rich blood is flowing from your lungs to your heart, to every part in your body, through a network of blood vessels that could wrap around the earth two and a half times. Imagine how your blood provides oxygen and nutrients to organs and muscles and transports waste products ( like carbon dioxide ) to your liver, kidneys, and lungs.
6. Reconnect with your heartbeat and try to synchronize your breath with it again.
7. Make a journey through your body and try to feel the heartbeat in different parts of it. If you focus on your hand, feel the heartbeat there, and if you focus on your feet, feel the blood flow from your ankles to your toes. This is connecting your mind and your body. This is the interoceptive focus. A couple of minutes per day is enough to help you deepen this connection and reap the benefits of it.

Wim Hof Method Experiment: Breathing for Stress Control

Wim’s words: Stress is the killer in our Western society — all that thinking, going into overdrive, making deadlines. They really are deadlines! Stress deregulates our system.

How stressed are you?
You can tell if you are stressed by counting how many times you breathe in a minute. Try it now with a timer. If you’re breathing between fifteen to twenty times a minute, you are stressed. What I do for stress is one minute of humming and breathing. This always works for me. It taps into your parasympathetic nervous system — where the peace is inside — and calms down your hectic sympathetic nervous system. And it’s like a massage for your spine from within — all the way up to your brain stem and the centre of your head. It brings you directly inside your body.

1. Set a timer for one minute.
2. Settle yourself somewhere comfortable.
3. Breathe in deeply.
4. Breathe out with a sound like “Hum,” “Ah,” or “Om.” Make whatever sounds make you happy.
5. When you run out of air, breathe in deeply and let it out with another “Hum.”
6. Continue until the timer stops. How many times did you breathe in a minute of humming? Maybe four, five, six times? Nice.

My final thoughts on The Wim Hof Method and How I advise you to proceed from here

As you see above, his methods are simple. It’s basically three pillars like he says in the book: Cold, Breath and mindset. When you master the three, you’ll have a good life. Wim’s methods helped me see that I had a great life and they fill probably affect me for a long time in the future.

Remember Breathe Motherfucker!

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