Designed to help us reconnect with ourselves and nature, the Wim Hof Method combines cold therapy, breathing and commitment to help deliver health benefits including heightened focus and increased energy levels – and there’s a new chance to join in with sessions in Gloucestershire.
Created by the Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof, who became best known for running a half marathon above the Arctic Circle barefoot and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in shorts, it is described as a way to ‘realise your full potential’.
Wannabe cold-water plungers can embark on the experience with Gloucestershire’s own Tribal Breath, which regularly hosts sessions in Miserden, Stroud and Cheltenham, with beginners starting with breathing sessions before braving the cold therapy element itself.
According to Tribal Breath, students will learn the importance of breathing for increasing energy levels, the use of cold therapy for balancing hormones and the importance of commitment and patience – essential for mastering the process.
The method is said to have grown in popularity due to the resulting health benefits, with a 2018 study showing it was able to activate regions of the brain responsible for pain suppression, suggesting the process could be used as an endogenous painkiller.
The practice has also been featured on television programmes including Freeze the Fear with Wim Hof on BBC One, where celebrity guests are trained by Wim Hof to complete a number of challenges in sub-zero temperatures.
For more information, contact Tribal Breath on 07917 822780.
