Wim Hof explains how cold exposure led him to develop a breathing technique that counters cellular stress. His method has been validated by research showing measurable effects on the nervous system and hormonal pathways. He emphasizes feeling the breath rather than overthinking it.
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Hi guys, welcome to the Wim Hof Method breathing techniques questions and answers. It's coming. Here it is. How did I discover that this breathing exercise worked? It's about nature. The, the nature of the breath is to go deeply within and make the change necessary to defy the impact of stressful situations. Whatever the stress is. Could be mental stress, emotional stress, thermal stress, bacterial stress. Any stress in the end is cell biological stress. And for that we need to breathe deep. To connect, to change the chemistry and to favor it to neurologically make the right decisions inside. The first time I went into the cold, I found out that I had to breathe deep. Is it me or was it done by the force? It was the nature of the cold. My teacher who taught me without words, breathe deep. And then I took my awareness, took it into my awareness. Breathe deep and you will be able to oppose the stress of the cold. And it worked. And with that, I learned how to deal with stress in general. Because in the end, stress, cold, heat, bacterial, mental, it's all cell biological stress. Cold is my teacher, and she taught me well. Mother Nature is always there. Amazing. What is the deeper entity within breathing? I call it the soul. The first thing you do when you come into this world is the breath. What is the soul doing when you go into the world? It's the breath. And it stays accompanying you during all your life. The last thing you know when you exit out of this world is the breath. Then you go with your soul. The soul is eternal. The breath is temporary in this world. It's the carrier of our soul. They are friends. They are there. So find your soul, find the breath. Through the breath you will find your soul. It's always there. Can you see that? Can you feel it? There is peace, there is happiness, there's all the good qualities, there is the health and the strength, there is the life force itself. It's the soul. It comes in with the breath. That's the first moment. And the last moment, it goes. It's amazing how consciousness is being able to manifest itself through the life, through the breath, into the soul. And when it's done, it's done. When the flower has flowered, when your soul has been gotten into your perception through the breath, then you're done. Then the purpose of your life is there, and your soul knows exactly what to do. Always follow your soul. It's following happiness, strength, and health. They asked me, 'Wim, what is enlightenment?' I never asked this, but, 'What is enlightenment? And please say it in one sentence.' I said, 'Okay, here it comes. Be happy, strong, and healthy. The rest is bullshit.' Be the soul. Feel the soul. Heal the world. Heal yourself. And you will be with the soul. Love. Why is this breathing technique the best? I would say— why? Because I went through science. I went there where there is no speculation. I did not only feel it, I felt it so strong inside. I wanted validation because I was talking to people. This breathing technique really works. Yeah, but I'm breathing already all day. No, I'm doing Buteyko and nitro oxide meditation. I do pranayama, I do qi. What? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I mean, this shit really works. I go into the freezing cold. And that is because I learned how to deal with the stress in the depth of my physiology and my mind. Nobody understands, so I went through the science and show what no breathing technique ever did before. Taking on a bacteria, showing the autonomic nervous system, endocrine system, the hormonal system, and now it's there. Why it is the best? Breathing technique because I didn't make so. It was the science who pointed out this works. And for those who want to keep on talking about breathing techniques and they say, 'You have to do this, but you have to do this.' I say, 'Okay, where is your feeling? What do you feel or what do you think?' It's two different things. This is about feeling. Feeling is understanding, and we got it scientifically backed up. So shut up your mind. Feel. Thanks, guys, for all the questions. If you still have questions, please go to the frequently asked questions page and try to find the answers over there. If they are not over there, then get them in the comments below. I'm always willing to answer. I love it. I enjoy it. So please come up with your questions. Thank you.
