Wim Hof Method: The Complete Guide to Breathing, Cold Exposure and Mindset

The Wim Hof Method is a self-training system created by Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof. It combines three pillars: cycles of deep, rapid breathing followed by breath holds, gradual exposure to cold, and commitment, meaning focus and regular practice. Small studies suggest it can change stress hormones and inflammation, but the evidence is limited and safety rules matter.

Mind and body · Helps with: stress, energy, resilience, focus, cold tolerance

Last updated: 23 October 2026

Reading time: about 35 minutes

How we wrote this guide
Every research claim below links to the original study, its DOI or an official page. We separate what the studies actually measured from the marketing claims, and we say clearly where the evidence is thin. We checked every video, podcast, book, course and account link in October 2026. This guide is general information, not medical advice.

⚠️ Safety first: read this before you try the breathing

• Never do the breathing exercises in or near water: not in a bath, shower, pool, hot tub, lake or the sea. Never do them before swimming, diving or going underwater. The breathing can make you faint, and fainting in water can kill. People have drowned this way (Wim Hof Method FAQ; CNA, 2022).
• Never do them while driving, cycling, operating machinery or standing up. Always sit or lie down somewhere safe (official breathing instructions).
• Do not practise if you are pregnant, or if you have epilepsy, heart disease, high blood pressure, Raynaud’s, cold urticaria, kidney failure, or a history of stroke or heart failure, or you have recently had surgery, unless your doctor has said it is safe (Wim Hof Method FAQ).
• Cold water can stop your heart or make you gasp and inhale water. Start with cool showers, never ice-bathe or cold-swim alone, and never combine the breathing with cold water (Tipton et al., 2017).
• If you have any health condition or take regular medication, talk to your doctor first.

Full details are in our safety section.

Quick answer: what is the Wim Hof Method and does it work?

• It has three pillars: a breathing technique (about 30 deep breaths, then a breath hold on empty lungs, repeated for 3–4 rounds), gradual cold exposure, and commitment (Wim Hof Method).
• The best-known study found that 12 trained young men produced far more adrenaline and had fewer flu-like symptoms and less inflammation after an injection of bacterial endotoxin than 12 untrained men (Kox et al., 2014).
• The breathing seems to drive that effect, with cold training adding to it (Zwaag et al., 2022).
• The overall evidence is limited: a 2024 systematic review found only eight trials, mostly small and in young men (Almahayni & Hammond, 2024).
• It is not a proven treatment for any disease, and claims that it “boosts your immune system” go beyond the research.
• The biggest risk is drowning from blacking out after the breathing. Only ever practise sitting or lying down on dry land.

Contents

1. What is the Wim Hof Method?
   • The three pillars
   • How it differs from other breathwork
2. Wim Hof: the man behind the method
3. Safety first: who should not do it
   • Never in water, never while driving
   • Shallow water blackout
   • Reported deaths
   • Medical conditions
   • Cold water shock
4. Pillar 1: the breathing
5. How to do Wim Hof breathing: step by step
6. Pillar 2: cold exposure
   • A safe cold progression
   • Ice baths, cold plunges and open water
7. Pillar 3: commitment and mindset
8. A beginner’s weekly routine
9. What the science says
   • The 2014 endotoxin study
   • Breathing or cold: what drives the effect?
   • Cold-water research
   • Evidence at a glance
10. What’s overstated
11. Official app, courses and instructors
12. Books
13. Watch, listen and follow
14. Frequently asked questions
15. Key takeaways
16. Sources

What Is the Wim Hof Method?

The Wim Hof Method (often shortened to WHM) is a practice developed by Wim Hof, a Dutchman nicknamed “The Iceman” for his feats in extreme cold. It is sold through books, an app, video courses, workshops and a network of certified instructors, and it has become one of the best-known forms of breathwork in the world.

The idea behind it is simple: by deliberately and repeatedly putting your body under short, controlled stress, through intense breathing and brief exposure to cold, you train your nervous system to cope better with stress in general. Hof describes this as getting “stronger, happier and healthier” (Wim Hof Method).

Scientists have taken the method more seriously than most wellness trends, largely because Hof volunteered to be tested. Researchers at Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands, and later other groups, have studied what the breathing and cold actually do to the body. The results are genuinely interesting, but they are also much narrower than the marketing suggests, as you will see in the science section.

The Three Pillars

The official method rests on three pillars (Wim Hof Method):

1. Breathing. A specific pattern of about 30 deep, rapid breaths, followed by a breath hold after breathing out, then a 15-second recovery breath hold. You repeat this for three or four rounds. This is the part that has the strongest physiological effects, and it carries the most risk.
2. Cold exposure. Gradual, regular exposure to cold, usually starting with cold showers and, for some people, progressing to ice baths or cold-water swimming.
3. Commitment. Hof’s word for mindset: focus, patience, determination and daily practice. In the original research programme, this also included a meditation component.

You don’t have to do all three. Many people use only the breathing, only cold showers, or both on different occasions. What you should never do is combine the breathing with being in water (see safety).

How It Differs From Other Breathwork

Most relaxation breathing, such as slow breathing or “physiological sighs”, aims to calm you down by slowing your breath and lengthening your out-breath. Wim Hof breathing does the opposite at first. It is a form of controlled hyperventilation: you breathe more deeply and quickly than your body needs, which blows off carbon dioxide and briefly makes your blood more alkaline. Then you hold your breath on empty lungs, which lets oxygen levels fall.

This pattern triggers a strong stress response, including a surge of adrenaline, which is why researchers describe it as voluntarily activating the sympathetic (“fight or flight”) nervous system (Kox et al., 2014). Many people say they feel calm, clear and energised afterwards, but in the moment the body is under stress, not at rest.

A 2023 trial comparing several five-minute daily practices found that a version of cyclic hyperventilation with breath holds improved mood, but exhale-focused cyclic sighing did best overall (Balban et al., 2023).

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Wim Hof: The Man Behind the Method

Wim Hof was born on 20 April 1959 in Sittard, in the Dutch province of Limburg, one of nine children. He has described feeling drawn to cold water from his late teens, when he first jumped into a frozen canal in Amsterdam, and he spent years teaching himself to tolerate cold through breathing, meditation and exposure.

His personal life has included real tragedy. His first wife, Olaya, died in 1995 after years of mental illness, leaving him to raise their four children. Hof has spoken publicly about how the grief shaped his search for a way to cope, and his practice grew partly out of that period.

Hof became famous for a series of extreme stunts. According to the official website, these include (Wim Hof Method):

• Swimming 66 metres under ice.
• Running a half marathon barefoot above the Arctic Circle.
• Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro wearing only shorts.
• Standing fully covered in ice for more than 112 minutes.
• Hanging by one finger at an altitude of 2,000 metres.

The official site says he holds 26 world records and has broken a Guinness World Record 18 times. Those totals have been questioned. Investigative journalist Scott Carney, who wrote a bestselling book about Hof, reported that Guinness currently lists Hof for only one record (the fastest barefoot half marathon on ice or snow), and that his famous 2007 attempt to climb Everest in shorts ended well short of the summit (Carney, 2023). Whatever the exact count, his cold tolerance is real enough that scientists have studied it in the lab.

From around 2007, Hof was tested by researchers, first in single case studies of his own body and then in trials where he trained volunteers (Kox et al., 2012; Muzik et al., 2018). The 2014 study in PNAS (see below) turned him from a curiosity into a global wellness figure. Today the method is run commercially by his company, Innerfire, and his son Enahm is its chief executive. Hof also fronted the BBC One series Freeze the Fear with Wim Hof, in which celebrities took on cold challenges.

▶ Medical mystery revealed – Wim Hof – TEDx Talks. Hof’s TEDxBreda talk on the research into his method.

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Safety First: Who Should Not Do the Wim Hof Method

This is the most important section of this guide. The Wim Hof Method is safe enough for most healthy adults if you follow the rules, but its two core techniques both carry real risks, and those risks multiply when people combine them.

Never in or Near Water, Never While Driving

The official instructions are clear: the breathing “can in rare cases lead to loss of consciousness” and is “very dangerous in or near water, or when driving a vehicle”. Always practise sitting or lying down (Wim Hof Method). The official site also says never to practise “in water, in the shower, or while driving” (Wim Hof Method).

That means:

• No breathing in the bath, shower, pool, hot tub, sauna plunge pool, lake or sea.
• No breathing before swimming, diving or putting your head underwater, even in shallow water.
• No breathing during an ice bath or cold plunge. Breathe normally and calmly in cold water (Wim Hof Method FAQ).
• No breathing while driving, cycling, standing or walking, or anywhere a faint could hurt you.
• Children should not practise unsupervised.

Shallow Water Blackout: Why It Kills

Your urge to breathe is triggered mainly by rising carbon dioxide, not by falling oxygen. Hyperventilating blows off carbon dioxide, so you can hold your breath much longer before you feel the urge to breathe. Meanwhile, oxygen keeps falling. You can black out without any warning.

Doctors have understood this mechanism since the 1960s (Craig, 1961). On land, a blackout usually means a brief faint and you start breathing again automatically. In water, that automatic breath pulls water into your lungs.

A review of drownings in New York State found 16 cases linked to “dangerous underwater breath-holding behaviours”. All four of the people who died had deliberately hyperventilated, and all were advanced or expert swimmers aged 17 to 22 (CDC, 2015). Being fit and a strong swimmer does not protect you.

Reported Deaths and Injuries

There have been deaths linked to people doing Wim Hof-style breathing in water:

• In Singapore, a coroner found that a 29-year-old man who had downloaded the Wim Hof app a week earlier drowned after doing the breathing underwater in a condominium pool, and “very likely suffered from shallow water blackout”. The app had shown him a warning not to practise in or near water (CNA, 2022).
• Scott Carney, who once promoted the method, has compiled reports of drownings and cold-water deaths among people who practised it. His tally stood at 21 deaths and 18 injuries in January 2024. These are his compiled reports, not official findings, and not every case proves the method caused the death (Carney, 2023).

The official organisation says it warns clearly against practising in water. Critics argue that images of Hof breathing and then swimming under ice send a mixed message. Either way, the lesson is the same: the breathing and the water must never meet.

Medical Conditions and Contraindications

The official FAQ advises against practising the method, or says you should get medical advice first, if you have (Wim Hof Method FAQ):

• Coronary heart disease, including angina
• A history of serious health problems such as heart failure or stroke
• High blood pressure, if you take prescription medication for it
• Epilepsy
• Raynaud’s syndrome
• Cold urticaria (an allergy-like reaction to cold)
• Kidney failure
• Recent surgery
• Pregnancy: the official advice is not to practise while pregnant

It also advises caution with ice baths if you get migraines. Beyond that list, use extra caution and speak to your doctor first if you have:

• Any heart rhythm problem, or a family history of sudden cardiac death
• Diabetes, especially if you take insulin
• Asthma or another lung condition
• A history of fainting, panic attacks or anxiety disorders
• Eating disorders, or very low body weight (you lose heat faster)
• Mental health conditions, especially if you are in a crisis

Raynaud’s deserves a special mention. In Raynaud’s, fingers and toes change colour and go numb in the cold, and deliberate cold exposure can trigger attacks (NHS).

See a doctor before you start if any of these apply, if you take regular medication, or if you are unsure. Stop straight away and seek medical help if you get chest pain, a racing or irregular heartbeat, severe breathlessness, confusion or fainting.

Cold Water Shock and the Heart

Cold carries its own dangers. Suddenly entering cold water (below about 15°C) triggers cold water shock: an involuntary gasp, rapid uncontrolled breathing, and a sharp rise in heart rate and blood pressure. This can lead to inhaling water or, in some people, a heart attack, even in the young and fit (RNLI).

Physiologists also describe “autonomic conflict”, in which the cold shock response and the diving response fire at the same time and can trigger dangerous heart rhythms, especially when people hold their breath as they go under (Shattock & Tipton, 2012). This is another reason never to hold your breath when entering cold water.

▶ Professor Mike Tipton on Cold Water Shock – Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK). One of the world’s leading cold-water physiologists explains what happens in the first minute.

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Pillar 1: Wim Hof Breathing

The breathing is the heart of the method and the part with the strongest measurable effects. Here’s what happens in your body during a round:

• During the 30 breaths, you breathe out more carbon dioxide than usual. Your blood becomes more alkaline (respiratory alkalosis). That’s why you may feel tingling in your hands, face or feet, light-headedness, or ringing in your ears.
• During the breath hold, oxygen levels fall. In one study, finger oxygen saturation dropped to about 60% by the end of the holds, far below the normal 95–100% (Citherlet et al., 2021).
• Your body releases adrenaline. In the 2014 trial, trained participants’ adrenaline levels rose sharply while they did the breathing (Kox et al., 2014).
• Some people get muscle cramping or stiffness, often in the hands (tetany). This comes from the change in blood chemistry and passes when normal breathing resumes (Wim Hof Method FAQ).

Light-headedness and tingling are normal. Fainting, chest pain, a pounding heart or confusion are not: stop and breathe normally.

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How to Do Wim Hof Breathing: Step by Step

These steps follow the official instructions, with extra safety notes. Read the safety section first. A full session of three to four rounds takes about 15–20 minutes.

1. Check that it’s safe for you. Make sure none of the medical conditions in our safety section apply, or that your doctor has said it’s fine. Never practise in or near water, in the bath or shower, or while driving.
2. Choose your time. Practise on an empty stomach, ideally soon after waking or before a meal. Set aside 15–20 minutes when you won’t be disturbed.
3. Sit or lie down somewhere safe. Lie on a bed, sofa or mat, or sit on the floor, where you can’t fall or hit anything if you feel faint. Loosen tight clothing.
4. Take 30 deep breaths. Breathe in fully through your nose or mouth, letting your belly then chest rise, and let the breath go without forcing it out. Keep a steady, strong rhythm, like waves. You may feel tingling or light-headedness; that’s expected.
5. Breathe out and hold. After the last breath, breathe in once more, let it go, and hold your breath with your lungs mostly empty. Relax and don’t watch the clock too closely.
6. Hold until you feel the urge to breathe. Stay relaxed. Most beginners hold for 30 seconds to a minute and a half. There’s no need to push, and it isn’t a competition.
7. Take a recovery breath. Breathe in fully and hold for about 15 seconds, then breathe out. That completes one round.
8. Repeat for three or four rounds. Start the next round of 30 breaths straight away. Beginners can start with fewer breaths or rounds.
9. Finish with normal breathing. After the last round, lie still and breathe normally for a few minutes. Notice how you feel before you get up, and stand up slowly.
10. Build the habit gently. Practise daily or a few times a week, ideally with the free official app or a guided video. Never compete with yourself or others on breath-hold times.

▶ Guided Wim Hof Method Breathing – Wim Hof. The official guided session. Follow along only sitting or lying down, on dry land.

Tips for Beginners

• Follow a guided video or the app for your first few weeks so you don’t have to count.
• Don’t chase long holds. Breath-hold time isn’t a measure of health, and chasing it is how people get into trouble.
• Breathe with ease, not force. Some people overdo the breaths and get uncomfortable cramping. Ease off if that happens.
• Expect variation. Hold times change from day to day with sleep, food and stress.
• Keep a short log of how you feel before and after. That tells you more than your hold times.

Common Mistakes

• Practising in the bath, the shower or a pool.
• Doing the breathing straight before a cold plunge or swim.
• Practising standing up, or getting up too fast afterwards.
• Doing it after a big meal.
• Pushing through chest pain, palpitations or confusion.

▶ Wim Hof Method Guided Breathing for Beginners (3 Rounds Slow Pace) – Wim Hof. A slower official session that suits beginners.

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Pillar 2: Cold Exposure

Cold exposure is the most visible part of the method: the ice baths and frozen lakes. For most people, though, it starts with a cold shower.

Short exposure to cold triggers a burst of noradrenaline and adrenaline, a rise in heart rate and breathing, and constriction of blood vessels in the skin. With repeated exposure, people get used to it: the gasp and the racing heart become smaller. This “habituation” is well documented and is one of the main reasons cold-water experts advise building up gradually (Tipton et al., 2017).

A Safe Cold Exposure Progression

There’s no single official schedule. This gradual plan is based on the official advice to build up slowly and on general cold-water safety guidance. Move to the next stage only when the current one feels manageable.

Tips for every stage:

• Breathe slowly and calmly in the cold. Focus on long, relaxed out-breaths. Don’t do Wim Hof breathing in the shower or bath.
• Longer and colder isn’t better. Benefits in studies come from brief exposures. One study of experienced Scandinavian winter swimmers is the source of the popular “11 minutes a week” figure, spread over several short sessions (Søberg et al., 2021).
• Warm up naturally afterwards with gentle movement and dry, warm clothes.
• Stop if you feel numbness that doesn’t pass, confusion or chest pain, or if your skin turns white or blue.

▶ Using Deliberate Cold Exposure for Health and Performance – Huberman Lab. A long, research-focused episode on cold exposure protocols, including a safety warning at the start.

Ice Baths, Cold Plunges and Open Water

If you progress to ice baths or outdoor swimming, the risks go up and so must your precautions:

• Never go in alone. Have someone with you who’s watching and can help you out.
• Never do the breathing exercise before or during immersion. Breathe calmly and normally.
• Enter slowly. Don’t jump or dive in, and keep your head above water. Give the initial gasp time to pass.
• Keep it short. A few minutes is plenty. Hypothermia can creep up quietly.
• Know about “afterdrop”. Your core temperature can keep falling for a while after you get out. Get dry and dressed quickly, have a warm drink, and avoid a scalding hot shower straight away.
• In open water, check conditions, swim with others at a supervised spot, wear a brightly coloured hat and consider a tow float. If you get into trouble, the RNLI’s advice is to float to live until the cold shock passes.
• Avoid alcohol before or after cold exposure.

▶ Float to Live – RNLI. The RNLI’s life-saving advice if you fall into cold water unexpectedly.

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Pillar 3: Commitment and Mindset

The third pillar is the least defined and the hardest to study. Hof calls it commitment: the focus and determination to practise regularly and to stay calm while your body is under stress.

In practice, mindset in the Wim Hof Method means:

• Consistency over intensity. A few minutes of daily practice matters more than occasional heroic ice baths.
• Staying calm under stress. In cold water, you practise noticing the urge to panic and choosing slow, steady breathing instead. Many people find this the most transferable skill.
• Attention and visualisation. The original training programme included a meditation component and visualisation (Kox et al., 2014). Hof’s earlier case study tested a concentration and meditation technique (Kox et al., 2012).
• Self-belief. Hof talks about “mind over matter”. A brain imaging study found that when Hof used his technique in the cold, areas involved in pain and stress control, such as the periaqueductal grey, became more active, which the authors called “brain over body”. But that study tested one man (Muzik et al., 2018).

A healthy mindset also means knowing your limits. Commitment isn’t about ignoring warning signs, and it never means pushing through pain, numbness or faintness.

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A Beginner’s Weekly Routine

Here’s a simple, cautious way to start. Adjust it to your health and schedule.

Keep breathing and cold sessions separate. For example, do the breathing in the bedroom after waking, then shower later. Never do the breathing in the shower.

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What the Science Says

The Wim Hof Method has more research behind it than most wellness practices, which is to its credit. But the studies are small, often in healthy young men, hard to blind, and many involve the same research group. Here’s an honest summary.

The 2014 Endotoxin Study (Kox et al.)

The landmark study was published in PNAS in 2014 by Matthijs Kox, Peter Pickkers and colleagues at Radboud University Medical Center (Kox et al., 2014).

• What they did: 24 healthy young men were randomly assigned. Twelve trained with Hof for 10 days in meditation, breathing (cyclic hyperventilation with breath holds) and cold exposure, including immersion in ice-cold water and hiking bare-chested in the snow. Twelve had no training. All 24 were then injected with E. coli endotoxin, a harmless bacterial fragment that triggers a short-lived flu-like inflammatory reaction.
• What they found: while doing the breathing, the trained group had much higher adrenaline levels. They produced more of the anti-inflammatory signal IL-10, less of the pro-inflammatory signals TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8, and they reported fewer flu-like symptoms.
• Why it mattered: it was the first good evidence that people could voluntarily influence their sympathetic nervous system and innate immune response, which were thought to be beyond conscious control.
• The limits: the sample was small (24 men), there was no placebo or alternative training group, participants knew which group they were in, and the effect was measured over a few hours in a lab, not as protection against real infections.

This study came after a single-person experiment in which Hof himself showed a weaker inflammatory response to endotoxin than typical volunteers (Kox et al., 2012).

▶ TEDxAmsterdam – Wim Hof – 11/30/10 – TEDx Talks. An early talk from Hof, recorded before the main trials were published.

Breathing or Cold: What Drives the Effect?

A follow-up study tried to unpick the ingredients (Zwaag et al., 2022). First, 40 healthy men were trained in breathing exercises by either Hof or an independent trainer. The adrenaline effect was the same whoever trained them, which suggests the technique works without Hof’s personal charisma.

Next, 48 men were randomly assigned to cold training, breathing training, both, or neither, then given endotoxin:

• Cold exposure alone did not significantly change the inflammatory response.
• The breathing exercise significantly reduced inflammation, with more anti-inflammatory and fewer pro-inflammatory signals.
• Combining cold training with breathing produced the strongest effect.

So the breathing appears to be the active ingredient for this particular effect, with cold training enhancing it.

Inflammatory and Autoimmune Conditions

Because the method dampened inflammation in the lab, researchers have tested it in people with inflammatory diseases. In a small proof-of-concept trial, 24 people with axial spondyloarthritis (a type of inflammatory arthritis of the spine) did an eight-week programme of breathing, cold and meditation on top of their usual care. Some inflammation markers and disease activity scores improved, with no difference in side effects between groups (Buijze et al., 2019). It was open-label and very small, so it shows the idea is worth testing, not that the method treats arthritis.

Exercise Performance

Athletes sometimes use Wim Hof breathing before training. A study of 15 amateur runners found that a single session before repeated sprints caused large physiological changes, but did not improve or worsen sprint performance (Citherlet et al., 2021). The 2024 systematic review also found mixed results for exercise (Almahayni & Hammond, 2024).

Breathwork and Mental Health

Wider research on breathwork is encouraging. A meta-analysis of 12 randomised trials with 785 adults found that breathwork reduced self-reported stress by a small-to-moderate amount compared with controls, with similar effects on anxiety and low mood (Fincham et al., 2023). But those trials covered many different breathing styles, most of them slow and calming, not Wim Hof breathing specifically. In a head-to-head trial of five-minute daily practices, exhale-focused cyclic sighing produced the biggest improvements, ahead of cyclic hyperventilation with retention (Balban et al., 2023).

What Cold-Water Research Shows

• Cold showers and sick days: in a Dutch trial of 3,018 people, those who ended their daily shower with 30, 60 or 90 seconds of cold water reported 29% fewer sickness absence days from work. However, the number of days they were actually ill did not fall. The authors suggested people may have felt more able to work while unwell (Buijze et al., 2016).
• Mood: a brain imaging study found that five minutes in cold water made people feel more active, alert and attentive, and less distressed. Changes in brain network connections matched those feelings (Yankouskaya et al., 2023). A single case report described a woman with depression who was able to come off medication after taking up open-water swimming (van Tulleken et al., 2018), but one case can’t establish a treatment.
• Overall health effects: a 2025 meta-analysis of 11 studies found time-dependent effects of cold-water immersion on stress, inflammation, sleep quality and quality of life, but said the evidence was limited by few trials and small samples (Cain et al., 2025). An earlier review of 104 studies concluded the health effects of cold-water immersion “will continue to be a subject of debate” (Espeland et al., 2022).
• Benefits versus risks: cold-water expert Mike Tipton and colleagues concluded that many claimed benefits are plausible but unproven, while the hazards, especially cold shock and drowning, are well established (Tipton et al., 2017).

Evidence at a Glance

The 2024 systematic review sums it up: findings on inflammation are “promising”, but the studies are few and small and need replicating (Almahayni & Hammond, 2024).

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What’s Overstated: Claims to Treat With Caution

Hof is an enthusiastic, charismatic communicator, and the method’s popularity has outrun the evidence. Be careful with these common claims:

• “It boosts your immune system.” The studies showed a dampened inflammatory response to an injected bacterial fragment over a few hours. That isn’t the same as a stronger immune system, and nobody has shown that the method prevents colds, flu or other infections.
• “It cures autoimmune disease, depression or cancer.” There’s no good evidence for any cure. One small arthritis trial was promising, and that’s all. Never stop prescribed treatment in favour of the method.
• “You can control your immune system at will.” The method influences the stress response, which in turn affects inflammation. It isn’t a switch for immunity.
• “It burns fat through brown fat.” Cold activates brown fat and raises energy use a little, but there’s no good evidence that cold showers or the method cause meaningful weight loss.
• “Hof’s records prove the method works for everyone.” Hof’s own abilities don’t tell us what ordinary practitioners will get. Some of his claimed records have also been disputed (Carney, 2023).
• “The breathing floods your body with oxygen.” In fact, it lowers carbon dioxide, and during the hold oxygen levels drop well below normal (Citherlet et al., 2021).
• Testimonials. Personal stories on websites and social media can be inspiring, but they can’t show what caused an improvement.

None of this means the method is worthless. Many people find it energising and calming, and it may help with stress. The honest position is “interesting, promising in places, and oversold”.

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Official App, Courses and Instructors

If you want to learn from the source, the official options are below. Prices and content change, so check the official site before paying. We don’t receive anything for these recommendations.

• Wim Hof Method app: the official app, with a guided breathing timer and cold-exposure tracking. Free to download on iPhone and Android, with paid content inside.
• Free Master Class: a free introductory video class from the official site.
• Fundamentals video course: a paid online course teaching the basics through short instructional videos.
• Classic 10-Week video course: the longer, more in-depth official course.
• Certified instructors: the official directory of certified Wim Hof Method instructors, plus workshops and activities and Wim Hof Method Centers. Learning in person from a certified instructor is the safest way to try ice baths.
• Experience Wim Hof: events and retreats with Hof himself.
• Instructor training (Academy): the official route to becoming a certified instructor.

Be wary of unofficial “Wim Hof” courses from people who aren’t listed in the official directory.

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Books

• The Wim Hof Method: Activate Your Potential, Transcend Your Limits by Wim Hof (2020; UK edition: Rider). Hof’s own guide to the method, his life story and the science as he sees it.
• What Doesn’t Kill Us by Scott Carney (2017). An investigative journalist’s account of training with Hof and testing the method. Carney has since become a prominent critic of the method’s safety record.
• The Way of the Iceman by Koen de Jong with Wim Hof (2017). A Dutch journalist’s year following Hof and trying the method.
• Becoming the Iceman by Wim Hof and Justin Rosales (2011). An early book on Hof’s story and approach.
• Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor (2020). A bestselling look at breathing in general, including a chapter on Tummo and Wim Hof-style breathing.
• Winter Swimming by Susanna Søberg (2022). A cold-exposure researcher’s practical guide to the science of cold and heat.

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Watch, Listen and Follow

Our pick of official, expert and critical sources. We checked every link when writing this guide (October 2026). Remember that some of these creators sell courses or products.

Videos

• Guided Wim Hof Method Breathing – Wim Hof (official). The classic guided session.
• Wim Hof Method Guided Breathing for Beginners (3 Rounds Slow Pace) – Wim Hof (official).
• Wim Hof breathing tutorial by Wim Hof – Wim Hof (official). Hof explains the technique.
• Breathe With Me: Guided Wim Hof Breathing for World Meditation Day – Wim Hof (official).
• The Superhuman World of Wim Hof: The Iceman – VICE. A 40-minute documentary following Hof’s training.
• Medical mystery revealed – Wim Hof at TEDxBreda.
• Standing the ice with our minds – Wim Hof at TEDxYouth@Maastricht.
• TEDxAmsterdam – Wim Hof – TEDx Talks (2010).
• Using Deliberate Cold Exposure for Health and Performance – Huberman Lab.
• Professor Mike Tipton on Cold Water Shock – RLSS UK.
• How to deal with Cold Water Shock with Professor Mike Tipton – Royal Yachting Association.
• Float to Live – RNLI.
• Top tips for cold water dips – RNLI.

Podcasts

• The Wim Hof Podcast – Wim Hof’s own podcast of conversations.
• #102: “The Iceman,” Wim Hof – The Tim Ferriss Show.
• Wim Hof on Waking Up to Your True Potential (#127) – Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee.
• Wim Hof interview – The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett (2024). A long interview; bear our overstated claims section in mind.
• Using Deliberate Cold Exposure for Health and Performance – Huberman Lab.
• Prof Mike Tipton: Cold water swimming: benefits and dangers – Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me This?
• Cold Shower – Just One Thing with Michael Mosley (BBC). A short, balanced episode.

Accounts to Follow

• Wim Hof – official: website · Instagram · X · YouTube · Facebook
• Prof Mike Tipton – cold-water physiologist at the University of Portsmouth’s Extreme Environments Laboratory: X
• RNLI – the UK and Ireland’s lifeboat charity, with essential cold-water safety advice: cold water shock · YouTube
• Royal Life Saving Society UK – drowning prevention charity: website · YouTube
• Andrew Huberman – Stanford neuroscientist and podcaster who covers cold exposure: website · X · YouTube
• James Nestor – author of Breath: website · Instagram · X
• Scott Carney – journalist, author of What Doesn’t Kill Us and a leading critic of the method’s safety: website

We don’t receive anything for these recommendations.

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Frequently Asked Questions About the Wim Hof Method

What is the Wim Hof Method in simple terms?

It’s a practice created by Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof that combines a powerful breathing exercise, gradual exposure to cold, and commitment or mindset. The aim is to train your body to handle stress better. Small studies show real effects on adrenaline and inflammation, but the wider claims are unproven.

Is the Wim Hof Method safe?

It’s reasonably safe for most healthy adults who follow the rules: only do the breathing sitting or lying down on dry land, never in or near water or while driving, and build up cold exposure slowly with someone nearby. People have drowned doing the breathing in water. If you’re pregnant or have heart problems, high blood pressure, epilepsy or Raynaud’s, see a doctor first.

Why can’t you do Wim Hof breathing in water?

Fast, deep breathing lowers carbon dioxide, which delays your urge to breathe. You can run low on oxygen and black out without warning. In water, that blackout can lead to drowning within minutes. This is called shallow water blackout, and it has killed strong, fit swimmers.

How do you do Wim Hof breathing?

Sit or lie down somewhere safe on an empty stomach. Take about 30 deep breaths, breathe out and hold your breath until you need to breathe, then take a deep recovery breath and hold it for 15 seconds. That’s one round. Do three or four rounds, then breathe normally for a few minutes before getting up.

Is the tingling and light-headedness normal?

Yes. Tingling, light-headedness and sometimes cramping in the hands are common. They’re caused by the drop in carbon dioxide in your blood and pass when you breathe normally. Chest pain, a pounding or irregular heartbeat, confusion or fainting aren’t normal: stop and seek medical advice.

How long should I take cold showers for?

Start with 15–30 seconds of cool water at the end of a warm shower and build up over several weeks to one or two minutes. Longer isn’t necessarily better. Studies have used 30 to 90 seconds of cold at the end of a shower.

Does the Wim Hof Method boost the immune system?

Not in the way it’s often claimed. Studies found it dampened the short-term inflammatory response to an injected bacterial fragment in healthy young men. That’s different from fighting infections better, and no study has shown that the method prevents colds or flu.

Can the Wim Hof Method help anxiety or depression?

Some people find it calming and energising, and breathwork in general reduces stress a little in trials. But there’s no good evidence that the Wim Hof Method treats anxiety disorders or depression. Hyperventilation can also trigger panic in some people. Don’t use it in place of professional care.

Can I do the Wim Hof Method if I’m pregnant?

The official advice is not to practise the method while pregnant. The breath holds lower your oxygen levels, and cold shock raises your heart rate and blood pressure. Talk to your midwife or doctor.

Who should not do the Wim Hof Method?

According to the official guidance, people who are pregnant or who have epilepsy, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure treated with medication, Raynaud’s, cold urticaria, kidney failure, a history of stroke or heart failure, or who have recently had surgery. Anyone with a heart condition or other serious health problem should ask their doctor first.

Do I need an instructor?

No. Many people learn the breathing from the free official app or guided videos. For ice baths or cold-water swimming, learning with a certified instructor from the official directory or a supervised group is much safer than going alone.

How long does it take to see results?

Many people notice feeling more alert or calmer after a single breathing session. In the main study, volunteers trained intensively for about 10 days. There’s no reliable evidence on long-term benefits, so judge it by how you feel and stay within safe limits.

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Key Takeaways

• The Wim Hof Method combines breathing, cold exposure and commitment, developed by Dutch athlete Wim Hof.
• The breathing is controlled hyperventilation with breath holds. It triggers an adrenaline surge, tingling and light-headedness.
• Safety comes first: never do the breathing in or near water, in the bath or shower, while driving or standing. People have drowned.
• See a doctor first if you’re pregnant or have heart disease, high blood pressure, epilepsy, Raynaud’s or another serious condition.
• Build cold exposure slowly, never ice-bathe alone, and never combine the breathing with cold water.
• The 2014 Kox study is real and important, but small. It showed reduced inflammation and more adrenaline in trained men exposed to endotoxin.
• The breathing appears to be the key ingredient for that effect, with cold adding to it.
• Claims about immunity, cures and fat loss are overstated. The overall evidence is promising in places but limited.

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Explore More on Self Help Supermarket

• Wim Hof Method: the official site, including the Iceman’s method for health and resilience
• Visualisation: the complete guide to mental rehearsal
• Havening: the complete guide
• EFT tapping
• The Silva Method
• Sound healing
• NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming)
• Browse all techniques

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Sources

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