Great job completing your Fundamentals workshop for the Wim Hof Method! Hope you're feeling awesome and enjoying that wave of relaxation and relief after a great workout for your respiratory and circulatory systems.
Here's a recap on what we went through:
Breathwork - Getting comfortable, able to expand lungs freely without constriction. It is recommended to do this before eating or right after you wake up.
30 deep breaths in short powerful bursts at a steady pace using your midriff fully. You could experience some light-headedness or tingling sensations in the body.
After 30 breaths, draw the breath in once more, filling to max capacity, then let the air out and hold as long as you can without force until you experience the gasp reflex.
Recovery breath with one full inhale, holding for about 15 seconds.
This is one round, you can repeat 3/4 times. Take your time to enjoy the feelings afterward, similar to a meditation session.
Once you feel good, you can start with cold exposure.
Cold Exposure - It is very important to try to relax as much as you can and be with the cold. As Wim says, "The cold is your warm friend!"
Always begin with your feet and then higher towards the rest of your body. An initial shock will come, and you could experience shivering and gasp reflexes kicking in, which is normal. Try to remain calm and breathe easily. Close your eyes and really try to embrace the cold.
Cold exposure works like weight lifting, you get stronger over time as little muscles around your veins contract with cold exposure, strengthening in just 1-2 weeks to become healthier and reducing the force your heart requires to pump blood around the body.
Afterwards, do some basic exercises to improve blood flow. This could be the horse stance, yoga stretches, or if you can, try some balancing poses.
