Breath and cold exposure meet at a simple point: the body learns through direct experience. When the breath steadies under pressure, the mind receives a different message. When cold becomes measured rather than chaotic, resilience becomes trainable.
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he scaled Everest in a pair of shorts and ran a marathon across the Namibian desert without a single drop of water it's incredible and they are just two of the incredible 21 World Records the extreme athlete wim HOF has completed but what's behind the secret of this almost superhuman ability well we're about to find out as he joins us now live from Amsterdam good morning we running I can't tell you how big of fans we both are I listen to your podcast with Russell Brand and was absolutely fascinated and I was actually sitting in the sunshine on a Sun Lounger doing the breathing exercises so there this is quite a revelation so explain the fact that we can and you can scientifically say we can have the power over our own minds our own brains exactly it is all evidence-based so there is no speculation about it I always go to universities to find proof to be experimented so there we are and it shows in brain scans if we do breathing exercises specific breathing exercises I developed in nature coming to universities making me able to tap into areas of the brain sort of impossible and now it is scientifically
impossible and now it is scientifically proven that we are able to tap in consciously inside of our own brain that is the seat of the mind much further much deeper much more powerful and that relates to the mood how to regulate our mood say depression feeling bad emotions we are always overwhelmed by those things because we cannot control a control at will dos tr s practice like depression emotional and all these things we cannot and now we found a way to access into the deepest part of the brain showing in science how breathing exercises how by by believing seeing investing you yourself hey I I can rule to become happy and strong and healthy and that is all in the brain people the people get and it is and it's almost too incredible for people to understand because you think you look at what you've done you know the part of the scientific evidence was you injected with e. coli bacteria which through your breathing techniques you managed to not get any impact of that that the world records you know the running through the Namibia desert
running through the Namibia desert without any water and scaling Mount Everest there in shorts and flip-flops and not having any impact foreign that people think there's no way from just breathing that that compute be purely it but you're saying it is that simple yes and I I showed that in a scientific comparative study where I trade 12 people to do the same in four days and they were able to receive an injection of E coli bacteria which normally creates inflammation like for rotavirus like viruses and bacteria create inflammation and we had no way to control that and now we have shown in studies in the blood how to be ejected and then mentally by the mind and breathing together twelve people hundred percent all they were able to dampen the inflammation totally down not feeling any fever no headaches no agony no uncontrolled shivering which is normal normally happening experiment it's the endo toxemia experiment so with with the cold and we stress here that that you do this under
stress here that that you do this under supervision you'll drown mice's it seems very extreme but this is breathing and extreme cold and if there was a thing you were part of the Eurovision Song Contest entry there we weren't you were on the video and and you are in your running through the trees about to jump into the lake the frozen lake so where does the cold come into it the cold is there is a guru is a great way to train our cardiovascular system we live in too much luxury we live always in our clothes we do not stimulate the biggest organ of ours which is the skin through the skin the cold is training a hundred thousand vascular channels inside millions of little muscles if they are being stimulated through cold showers you don't necessarily need to go into freezing cold but take a cold shower okay I always say a cold shower a day keeps the doctor away it is due to its the best vascular fitness training you can do for you so women you can have a warm shower have a wash wash your hair do whatever and then at the last sort of what a minute is that enough can you just crank it on to the cold and then just go right brace yourself do this a
just go right brace yourself do this a minute and a half that is all it takes that is the vascular fitness that is what the world needs boom fainting along along with that and the breathing you see talking about the breathing we don't have the frozen lake here unfortunately because I'd certainly ask Holly to get into what about the beat explain what we need to do with our breathing we can do one a round of a breathing and then people will feel completely different and they will be astonished about their capability all of the spectators right now if they dissipate let's do it together yes okay let's go down be relaxed in your seat here we go we take a breath Julian like and let it go Julio let it go it is simple and very strong Julio let it go become a little loose in the body keep on going oh yeah letting go Fuli letting go 24
oh yeah letting go Fuli letting go 24 more oh yeah letting go whatever you feel different breathe into it don't worry your mind is with the breath Julio let it go becoming lightheaded tingling it's all over keep on going you mind is with he bright Rui let it go very simple very strong evidence based Julio let it go your mind is with the breath nothing more it's no hypnosis this is physiology in the deepest using the chemistry of the breath let it go time Oh Julio let it go Willian let it go seven ball Julio let it go fool let it go whatever you feel different let it go it's alright four ball Julio let it go put it let it
four ball Julio let it go put it let it go two more fool yeah let it go foolish let it go here comes the last one who lead when you let go after the exhalation you stop stop the breathing close your mouth just watch witness II we have blowing of the carbon dioxide witness relax the body is very alkaline there is no need for breathing you are a little bit high that's what I always say get high on your own supply relax still no need for breathing without air in the lungs here the magic of the biochemistry is happening this is activating now the immune system this is boosting the immune system right now keep on going 20 seconds more and all are able without force to stay without air in the lungs it is very stressful for the biochemistry in the body yet you feel okay five four three
body yet you feel okay five four three two one Julio all the bright happy the inhalation and squeeze it a little to your hat three two one and let it go that is one route no matter your age of the people they can be eighty years they still fight my oldest le right years oh it feels good nice that does feel really good how long do you hold it is absolutely and how long can you hold your breath for it is not about the length of the breath but I can do five minutes six minutes seven minutes you know it's incredible what people can do who never did this three minutes easy um women listen we're gonna have to stop it there you you are incredible you really aren't just in that small moment there I can absolutely bill the benefits of it you've got a new book in October there is a book currently out a moment I know you've got an app as well it's more of a memoir but it's got obviously all the details and explanation of the method there thank you for joining us this morning is sharing that with us I loved it yeah we're big fans wim thank you very much indeed oh thank you and give
very much indeed oh thank you and give the power to the people thank you he's got a great voice as well I was there I was so like there see you're getting better at that stuff by the way yeah listen if it comes the head I am right it might be worthwhile also if you were entranced by win which we are have a listen to Russell Brown's podcast whim is a guest on they scroll back a little bit and find it but but it's it's fascinating they had a lot more time as well there we go they go
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Wellness Guru Wim Hof Leads Phillip & Holly in Breathing Masterclass | This Morning offers a useful lens on how modern recovery is changing: less performance theatre, more deliberate practice. The details vary, but the principle is steady. The body adapts when the signal is clear and the dose is respectful.
13 minute conversation 3 core levers: breath, temperature, attention 1 repeatable practice: return to equilibrium
Breathing is automatic, but it is also accessible. That makes it a rare bridge between conscious attention and the nervous system. A slower, fuller breath can shift the body away from alarm and toward control.
Cold water reveals the stress response without disguise. The first reaction is often sharp: a gasp, a tightened chest, a quick urge to escape. The practice begins when awareness stays present inside that reaction.
The most useful protocols are repeatable. Short, deliberate exposure builds trust. The body learns that intensity can be met, held, and released.
Mental clarity is not only a thought exercise. It is often the result of physiology changing state. Breath, temperature, and attention give the mind a steadier foundation.
The pause is part of the performance. A measured stressor only serves you when recovery is built into the design.
Keep the first dose modest enough that your breath remains controlled.
Pair intensity with recovery. Heat, cold, and stillness all have a role.
Track how you feel afterward, not only what you endured during the session.
