What Does the Wim Hof Method Have To Do With Leadership?
Wim Hof Method
What is the Wim Hof Method?
The Wim Hof Method is a natural path to an optimal state of body, mind, and great leadership!
Leader 193 utilizes the Wim Hof Method as a tool to learn and practice leadership.
Good leadership is the lifeblood to any organization, team, or family. Yet practicing leadership, like you would practice anything else you want to get better at, is difficult to do. The challenge is to figure out how to practice leadership without suffering the consequences of the poor leadership decisions and behaviors we are trying to improve on.
The beauty of Leader 193’s process is that each element can be practiced on an individual basis outside of your leadership responsibilities. Cold exposure, breathing, and mindset (the three pillars of the Wim Hof Method explained below) are invaluable tools for practicing the elements of Leader 193’s leadership process in a safe and controlled setting.
For example, Leader 193’s process begins with Emotional Awareness and Recognition. Making this awareness part of your personality takes practice because it is a skill. Here is a guarantee: when you step into an ice bath or cold shower you will have an emotion. When your intention before you step into an ice bath is to recognize your emotions you will have begun making Emotional Awareness and Recognition a habit. The same holds true for the impact of practicing the Wim Hof Method for all of the elements of Leader 193’s process.
What does the Wim Hof Method consist of?
1. Breathing
Designed for all levels of leader in every field of endeavor who want to level up and become the best version of themselves.
2. Cold Exposure
Cold exposure benefits are tremendous, including fat loss, reduced inflammation that helps to fortify the immune system, balanced hormone levels, improved sleep quality, and the production of endorphins – the feel good chemicals in the brain that elevate your mood.
3. Mindset/Focus
The third pillar of the Wim Hof Method is the foundation of the other two: both cold exposure and conscious breathing require patience and dedication. Armed with focus and determination you are ready to explore and eventually master your own body and mind.
One Mind Podcast
Errol appeared on the One Mind Podcast, brought to you by About Meditation, and hosted by Morgan Dix. Morgan is a writer, educator, and co founder of About Meditation who explores the intersection of meditation and culture. Together, Errol and Morgan explored the Wim Hof Method, and discussed it’s impact on overall wellness as well as leadership.
Who is Wim Hof?
Wim Hof
Wim Hof got his nickname “The Iceman” by breaking a number of records related to cold exposure. His feats include climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in shorts, running a half marathon above the Arctic Circle on his bare feet, and standing in a container while covered in ice cubes for more than 112 minutes.
Having embraced the majestic force of nature, Wim resolved to share his discovery with the rest of the world. He is convinced that everyone can tap into this potential without having to invest the same decades worth of study, travel, and daring. And so he developed The Wim Hof Method: a natural path to an optimal state of body and mind.
Request a Wim Hof Fundamentals Workshop
Leader 193 is proud to offer both Fundamentals and Advanced Wim Hof Method workshops.
Experience the Wim Hof Method
Leader 193 offers Wim Hof Fundamentals and Advanced workshops and experiences. Set up a private event or corporate retreat for your organization, teammates, family or friends today. Errol is a Level 2 Certified Wim Hof Method instructor.
Private Events
Leader 193 offers private Wim Hof Method workshops for individuals and groups looking to experience the method and transform themselves. Private events can be held anywhere. Contact Leader 193 to discuss logistics and pricing.
Corporate Retreats
Leader 193 offers Wim Hof Method workshops and retreats for organizations and teams. Retreats can range from one day fundamentals courses to 2-3 day Advanced Wim Hof weekends. Contact Us to discuss logistics and pricing.
Tell Me More About Wim Hof Workshops and Retreats
Fundamentals Workshop
Wim Hof Method Fundamentals Workshops consist of lecture and discussion on the background and theory behind the method, a guided breathing and meditation session, followed by guided cold exposure in the form of an ice bath. Participants will receive personal instruction and feedback throughout the experience and will leave the workshop with the knowledge and skills to incorporate the Wim Hof Method into a daily practice.
Advanced Workshop
Go far beyond the fundamentals of the Wim Hof Method and embark on an Advanced Wim Hof Nature Experience. Attendees will learn advanced Wim Hof techniques followed by a guided breathing session and a Wim Hof style hike and cold exposure in nature. The Advanced Wim Hof workshop will strengthen the mind and deepen the focus. Participants will receive personal instruction and feedback throughout the experience and will leave the workshop with the knowledge and skills to incorporate the Wim Hof Method into a daily practice.
Wim Hof Method Frequently Asked Questions
Check below or visit www.wimhofmethod.com for more information.
The Wim Hof Method can be practiced by every healthy individual. If you are dealing with a serious medical condition, we advise to counsel a healthcare professional before attempting any of the WHM techniques.
We advise against practicing the WHM if you are dealing with any of the following:
• Epilepsy
• High blood pressure (in case of prescription medication)
• Coronary heart disease (e.g. Angina Pectoris; Stable Angina)
• A history of serious health issues like heart failure or stroke
If you suffer from migraines, we urge you to be cautious about taking ice baths.
The effects of the WHM techniques differ from person to person. Everybody’s experience is slightly different, and is partially determined by your goals and expectations. A professional tennis player for example, will likely seek improved athletic performance, whereas someone suffering from rheumatoid arthritis will sooner see benefit from lower inflammatory markers.
Reported general benefits of the Method include: increased energy, improved sleep, reduced stress and anxiety, heightened focus, accelerated recovery, and a general improvement in quality of life.
The potential benefits are numerous and diverse. Ultimately, the only way to find out what the Method does for you is to try it for yourself!
While we believe every activity offered during The Forum is crucial to leadership development, you don’t have to get into the ice bath if you are not comfortable! All activities during The Forum are voluntary and optional.
However, we ask that every participant actively support each of The Forum participants who do engage in the cold exposure.
The breathing techniques can cause lightheadedness and even loss of consciousness. Children often have not matured to the point where they can adequately assess these risks. Moreover, their brains are also physically still developing.
Thus, we advise that children under the age of 16 are supervised by a parent or legal guardian. Please be careful with regard to cold exposure, and build this up gradually.
If you are pregnant, we advise against practicing the Method. We do not know if the increased adrenaline levels associated with the WHM techniques adversely affect the health of the baby. This is of course a tremendously delicate matter, and we want to be as careful as possible.
When the baby is born, you are safe to resume practicing the Method.
The average daily investment is 20 minutes to start your day. During the day focus on deeper more conscious breathing. Once you have unlocked how to do the Wim Hof Method, you can access it indefinitely, and move through the stages at your own pace. The Wim Hof Method does not finish after our courses. The method should be implemented in your life daily to reap the full benefits.
The WHM has shown that we are able to suppress the immune system. Which at first, may not sound as a positive thing.
Actually, it can be very beneficial as in one hand you suppress (downregulate) inflammation and on the other you (upregulate) increase white blood cell. Let us explain:
Our immune system can be roughly categorized into 2 parts. The innate immune system, our first line of defense against bacteria and pathogens. And the adaptive immune system, all the white blood cells necessary in developing immunity against those pathogens. The WHM suppresses the innate immune system and strengthens the adaptive immune system. It suppresses the innate immune system by lowering inflammation (especially un-needed inflammation) and strengthens the adaptive immune system by increasing the number of white blood cells (strengthening immunity). This anti-inflammatory effect of the wim hof method can have plenty of benefits, such as lowering discomfort of symptoms caused by excess inflammation, such as fevers or headaches. “Suppression” sounds like a negative, but in this case can be very positive!
This was all proven in the landmark Radboud study! These effects have been observed and measured in this paper and we encourage you to have a look.
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