Wim Hof Style Breathing
Energy · Advanced · 15 rounds
30 deep breaths followed by a retention. Energising and resilient.
30 full inhales with relaxed exhales, then exhale fully and hold as long as comfortable. Inhale, hold 15s, release. Raises adrenaline, alkalinity and stress resilience. Never practice in water or while driving.
How to practice
- Full Inhale for 2 seconds (nose or mouth)
- Release for 2 seconds (through the mouth)
Benefits
- Stress resilience
- Cold tolerance
- Anti-inflammatory effects
- Sharper alertness
When to practice
Morning, on empty stomach. 3 rounds. Skip if pregnant or with heart conditions.
About Wim Hof Style Breathing
Thirty or so fast breaths followed by a retention on empty, repeated in rounds. The controlled trial that made the method's name (Kox et al., PNAS, 2014) tested the breathing together with cold exposure and meditation training, and found an attenuated inflammatory response to an endotoxin challenge — the breathing was one component of a package, which is worth knowing before attributing everything to the pattern alone.
Best for: Experienced practitioners, lying down, away from water, never while driving, and not during pregnancy or with a heart condition or epilepsy.
Why it works
Heart rate is not steady within a breath — it rises on the inhale and falls on the exhale, an effect called respiratory sinus arrhythmia. Weighting the breath towards the out-breath (2s out against 2s in) spends more of each cycle in the falling half, which is why a long exhale is the most reliable lever anyone has for bringing heart rate down on purpose. At roughly 15 breaths a minute this is slow enough for that effect to be worth having without being so slow that holding the pace becomes the effort.
What to expect
The first two or three rounds usually feel like the exhale runs out early. That settles as the breath finds the pace — resist the urge to force the last second of air out, and let the out-breath finish rather than pushing it. A full session as timed here runs 60s.
Common mistakes
- Practising standing up, in water, or while driving. Never in water, in the bath, or while driving - the retention can cause fainting. Sit or lie down every time, and stop at the first sign of dizziness rather than pushing through it.
How it compares
Lion's Breath is inhale-weighted — 4s in against 3s out, against symmetrical — 2s in, 2s out here. Lion's Breath is rated beginner where this one is advanced. Read about Lion's Breath.
Questions
- How long should I practise Wim Hof Style Breathing for?
- A session as timed here is 15 rounds and runs 60s, at roughly 15 breaths a minute. Morning, on empty stomach. 3 rounds. Skip if pregnant or with heart conditions.
- What is the Wim Hof Style Breathing pattern?
- full inhale for 2 seconds, release for 2 seconds — written as 2-2 — repeated 15 times.
- What is the most common mistake with Wim Hof Style Breathing?
- Doing it in or near water, or standing. The retention phase can cause fainting without warning. Every year this produces drownings in people who were confident it would not happen to them.
- Is Wim Hof Style Breathing safe for everyone?
- No. It is not suitable for pregnancy, high blood pressure, heart conditions, epilepsy. Never in water, in the bath, or while driving - the retention can cause fainting. This is general information, not medical advice — check with a clinician if you are unsure whether it suits you.
Safety
Not suitable for: Pregnancy, High blood pressure, Heart conditions, Epilepsy.
Never in water, in the bath, or while driving - the retention can cause fainting.
This is general information, not medical advice. Check with a clinician if you are pregnant, managing a health condition, or unsure whether a practice suits you.