I have trained with him for 7 days. The WHM only works for me when I am alone and do not have a casual conversation or when I am in a group all focused on beating the cold. It turns out that you cannot control your breath when you talk!
The extra freedom in not wearing a coat or worrying about the weather increased my happiness a bit. I live in Amsterdam, so the weather can be meh, but not anymore! :D
Reading the article I notice it says that you release opioids. I figured something like this was happening because the WHM is my go to 'drug' for DnB parties.
Funny, I'm going in the opposite direction. For a long time I omitted hats, gloves, and insulation for my legs on cold days, wearing mostly just a big jacket.
I eventually figured out it was silently making me miserable, as my core temperature would slowly drop as I lose heat from my legs & head, and my glycogen stores deplete.
I could slowly & silently endure subzero temperatures, for many hours or even days. Or I could take the time to remember to put on long johns, and be warm and happy.
I can also handle cold by will power but doing this saps my energy. I think the point of the Wim Hof method is you don't have to tough out anything or endure the cold. You should embrace the cold.
What kind of practice do you do? I did an afternoon seminar with him and there the breathing exercises had great effect and the ice batch was no problem. Now that I am practicing home I am having trouble getting the same effect from the breathing. I also did cold showers over the summer but now that it's colder it's getting really hard. I just don't seem to get used to it.
I was in an experiment with him for the Radboud University back then. It was kind of like a swim or die moment, almost literally since we had to swim in ice water. The first two days swimming in ice water were not pleasant. The 4th day we were walking on a mountain with -7 degrees celsius, only shoes and shorts.
For me, I got the idea of the breathing on day 2 and really integrated it on day 3 and day 4. I think what also really helped is being in a group who's commited for more than one day. If you happen to live in The Netherlands, I would be willing to train with you for 2 days. I haven't done it seriously for a long time (other than DnB parties, don't ask).
Edit: oh wait, it was 4 days (can't edit my parent comment). Memory got the better of me, it was like 5 years ago or something (or 4 or 6, definitely not 8).
Are you saying the effects lasted without practicing?
Also, how did you do with cold before the training? My preferred temperature is 30C or more. Below I feel cold. Makes me wonder if some people have more talent/predisposition for the method than others.
The extra freedom in not wearing a coat or worrying about the weather increased my happiness a bit. I live in Amsterdam, so the weather can be meh, but not anymore! :D
Reading the article I notice it says that you release opioids. I figured something like this was happening because the WHM is my go to 'drug' for DnB parties.