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I could easily handle 60 seconds, but a minute and a half? But I learned from the method that anybody can achieve the goal - all you have to do is breathe through it. I discovered that it was crucial for me to start my day with the practice If I waited to do it, my stress levels were higher and harder to navigate by midday. I could feel the anxiety that had flooded my mind for months starting to melt away. Only seconds into my cold showers, my body was warming itself thanks to my breath. But I found myself able to hold my breath longer.
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This felt overwhelming, and I wasn’t sure if I could do it. The second five days doubled the cold water exposure to 60 seconds. I found myself able to stay more focused at work than I had been in weeks, maybe months, and I started to feel like myself again. Toward the end of the week, I was able to easily do it. But the breathing techniques taught me to focus on the breath. After the breathing exercises, I showered and added 30 seconds of freezing cold water to the end of each shower. I started my days with 15 to 20 minutes of Hof’s guided breathing technique: three rounds of 30 deep breaths followed by holding my breath as long as I could. Thus, began my four-week journey with Wim Hof. I casually tried one of the breathing exercises, and I was instantly hooked. It outlines three main tools for achieving a healthier, happier life: the breath, the cold and the mind.
#Activate microsoft project 2016 full
I dove into research and got my hands on the Dutch extreme athlete’s book, The Wim Hof Method: Activate Your Full Human Potential. I remembered watching Goop’s series, The Goop Lab on Netflix, and revisited the episode about the Wim Hof Method. As someone who pre-pandemic never experienced this level of anxiety, I knew I needed to find a solution. After having my first panic attack, I realized I wasn’t utilizing my breath as much as I should be. So how could someone possibly be bad at breathing? Well, I recently discovered I’m not so great at it. Breathing is a simple task, right? It’s so basic we don’t even realize it’s happening.
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