Wim Hof, also known as "The Iceman," is a Dutch athlete who is famous for his ability to withstand extreme cold.
His methods include cold exposure, breathing techniques, and meditation. Although he is not a traditional expert, his techniques have sparked scientific interest due to potential health benefits such as reduced inflammation and improved immunity.
He had been known in the Netherlands for much longer, but now Wim Hof is becoming more and more famous in the rest of the world as well. He has his nickname "The Icemen" because he is an ardent supporter of cold therapy. As a very young boy, Wim jumped into frozen ditches in the winter. He enjoyed the low temperatures and claimed that it was very healthy to embrace cold as a friend for life.
Why Wim had started early? Let's explore below
The story of Wim Hof, alias de Icemen, begins before he was born. When his mother, Mrs. Hof, turned out to be pregnant with a child and had to give birth, a son Andre Hof was soon born. At this birth, however, it soon became clear that a second child was hidden in Mrs. Hof's womb. Together with Andre there was another child in the same womb, this was Wim. This second child had to be delivered urgently by caesarean section. The funny fact occurred that Wim's mother at birth said, "Oh, God, if you let this child live, I'll make sure he becomes a missionary." A missionary of which was not entirely clear to everyone at the time, but it was very soon clear that he would become one.
His earliest childhood
Wim was one of nine children in the Hof family. The family lived in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It was a Catholic family, but Wim also liked to immerse himself in other faiths, he was quite spiritual by nature. Buddhism, Shamanism and Sufism attracted Wim from an early age. Wim was "touched" at the age of seventeen when he spontaneously walked into a tightly frozen pond in a low freezing cold. The ice-covered water must have been unbearable to a "normal" person in that freezing cold form. Perhaps this journey would have been fatal for anyone else, but not for Wim Hof. His body did go into complete stress, but the experience was so overwhelming for Wim that he comes back every day to undergo the same action again.
How Wim enjoyed it?
Wim believed that by performing this action, he was getting closer to himself, facing a part of himself that resembles his traumatic birth. He discovers in himself that he can influence his autonomic nervous system.
He gets so excited about this that he comes back to the same spot by the lake every next day and braves the cold. Wim is becoming more and more enthusiastic He is increasingly battling cold and other extremes. At one point, it swims a few dozen meters under the ice at the north pole of our earth and sits naked in a container of ice cubes for more than an hour.
As a nudist on Kilimanjaro?
Wim climbs Kilimanjaro (5892 meters) with only shorts, in the freezing cold he feels completely at home. He continues to explore his limits as a human being. His reputation grows all over the world, his fans call them "The Icemen." Wim becomes an icon in the world of health freaks. He preaches his lifestyle as a health program all over the world. He develops a health therapy that mainly consists of breathing and cold. He decides to train people at their request and goes out into nature with these people. He combines his cold and breathing techniques with a belief that this will help people keep themselves healthier. They would be more able to cope with the flus and colds of this world.
The world-renowned Wim Hof method is born
Wim gets followers all over the world for his method, which he says was originally based on the ancient meditation technique Tummo. According to Wim, this technique allows you to generate heat from your nervous system through your will and breathing. According to Wim, this Buddhist technique involves more oxygen being absorbed into the blood, which can affect the central nervous system. (https://bezielen.nl/hoe-wim-hof-the-iceman-werd/) Wim continued to develop his method and became a true guru for many on our earth, he showed himself at spectacular stunts, this gave him worldwide fame. His message is: "That concentration and breathing can help you live a healthier life both physically and mentally.
Thaw by growing
After his years of crusades, Wim is now starting to get the chance to grow further, but at the same time to reflect on his success, I call it thawing because in my eyes having to convince others every day in your life must have taken a lot of strength. Wim now takes his reward. His book has now been translated into twenty languages, a Hollywood film is being made about him and he is getting a television series on the English broadcaster BBC.
