Daredevil, yogi, madman, Iceman – Wim Hof has been called all of these things and more. His eponymous Wim Hof Method boasts thousands of followers worldwide (and the number is growing), and combines breathing techniques, cold exposure and mindset techniques with physical exercise – techniques that the Dutch-born Hof has been developing for the past 30 years.
It may sound simple, but the Wim Hof Method promises profound effects: increased energy, better sleep, heightened focus and determination, improved sports performance, reduced stress levels, greater cold tolerance, faster recovery and enhanced creativity. Cold exposure can offer benefits, such as the build-up of brown fat – which turns food into body heat – as well as reduced inflammation and the production of endorphins.
“The Wim Hof method is simple, effective and accessible,” explains Hof. “It has proven to go to the deepest level of our physiology – to our primordial physiology. From there, one learns to think differently of oneself, and to breathe more into life.”
Hof himself holds 26 world records – he’s climbed Mount Everest in nothing but shorts, run full marathons in the desert with no water, and has been submerged in ice for almost two hours.
“You’re tapping into foundational systems and mechanisms within the body related to alkalinity, adrenaline, cell biology and metabolic processes in the deepest sense,” says Hof. He explains that practising the breathing techniques exercises the cardiovascular system, alkalises the blood and activates the adrenal axis – all of which help reset the body to its natural state.
“The cold trains the vascular system and taps into deeper parts of the brain when done in a mindful, controlled manner, which makes the body’s mechanisms aware of your will,” explains Hof. “A deep sense of control emerges from there.”
Scientists have studied him, and he’s been shown to be able to tap into his autonomous nervous system at will, and with that, to activate his immune system – something they didn’t know was possible. “It’s like finding a ballroom in your own house – unexpected,” says Hof.
In October, Hof spoke at the Global Wellness Summit in Florida, and gave a demonstration of his breathing techniques. He says the demand is there to implement his Method in spas with the right education; already there is a Wim Hof Method Academy, and a growing list of certified instructors worldwide. “We have to come up with the right programme – a professional platform for instructors related to the wellness industry, and make it happen on a much wider scale,” he says. “This would open up a new dimension in the wellness industry, where the spas provide much more than wellness alone, moving into self-awareness and hands-on prevention techniques related to stress and disease.”
And he says therapists are a natural fit for working with the Method. “They have great affinity with people and existing knowledge of the heat and cold,” he says. Additionally, spas often have the facilities already to offer workshops in the Method – cold water experiences and spaces for breathing exercises, such as relaxation lounges. But he’d like to see spas do more with cold therapy.
“We in the wellness industry should create facilities to go into the cold water, with the right knowledge of both how to approach the cold and what the benefits are for the participant,” says Hof. “Wellness is becoming a great way to prevent the consequences of our daily stress and modern lifestyles. Prevention of diseases – both mental and physical – is a great new route to enter on. The Wim Hof Method would be able to create a new dimension in the wellness industry – actually, we are doing it as we speak.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2017 issue 4
Promotional feature: Anne Semonin
Katherine Connolly, newly appointed global
director of retail and spa operations at Anne
Semonin, discusses her plans for the brand
Promotional feature: Thalion
Thalion is the first company to develop highly
specialised mineral therapies for clients, says
training manager Sophie Alemany
Research: Finishing touch
A new study shows that massage can
help muscle re-growth after an injury –
even when applied to the opposite limb
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
Daredevil, yogi, madman, Iceman – Wim Hof has been called all of these things and more. His eponymous Wim Hof Method boasts thousands of followers worldwide (and the number is growing), and combines breathing techniques, cold exposure and mindset techniques with physical exercise – techniques that the Dutch-born Hof has been developing for the past 30 years.
It may sound simple, but the Wim Hof Method promises profound effects: increased energy, better sleep, heightened focus and determination, improved sports performance, reduced stress levels, greater cold tolerance, faster recovery and enhanced creativity. Cold exposure can offer benefits, such as the build-up of brown fat – which turns food into body heat – as well as reduced inflammation and the production of endorphins.
“The Wim Hof method is simple, effective and accessible,” explains Hof. “It has proven to go to the deepest level of our physiology – to our primordial physiology. From there, one learns to think differently of oneself, and to breathe more into life.”
Hof himself holds 26 world records – he’s climbed Mount Everest in nothing but shorts, run full marathons in the desert with no water, and has been submerged in ice for almost two hours.
“You’re tapping into foundational systems and mechanisms within the body related to alkalinity, adrenaline, cell biology and metabolic processes in the deepest sense,” says Hof. He explains that practising the breathing techniques exercises the cardiovascular system, alkalises the blood and activates the adrenal axis – all of which help reset the body to its natural state.
“The cold trains the vascular system and taps into deeper parts of the brain when done in a mindful, controlled manner, which makes the body’s mechanisms aware of your will,” explains Hof. “A deep sense of control emerges from there.”
Scientists have studied him, and he’s been shown to be able to tap into his autonomous nervous system at will, and with that, to activate his immune system – something they didn’t know was possible. “It’s like finding a ballroom in your own house – unexpected,” says Hof.
In October, Hof spoke at the Global Wellness Summit in Florida, and gave a demonstration of his breathing techniques. He says the demand is there to implement his Method in spas with the right education; already there is a Wim Hof Method Academy, and a growing list of certified instructors worldwide. “We have to come up with the right programme – a professional platform for instructors related to the wellness industry, and make it happen on a much wider scale,” he says. “This would open up a new dimension in the wellness industry, where the spas provide much more than wellness alone, moving into self-awareness and hands-on prevention techniques related to stress and disease.”
And he says therapists are a natural fit for working with the Method. “They have great affinity with people and existing knowledge of the heat and cold,” he says. Additionally, spas often have the facilities already to offer workshops in the Method – cold water experiences and spaces for breathing exercises, such as relaxation lounges. But he’d like to see spas do more with cold therapy.
“We in the wellness industry should create facilities to go into the cold water, with the right knowledge of both how to approach the cold and what the benefits are for the participant,” says Hof. “Wellness is becoming a great way to prevent the consequences of our daily stress and modern lifestyles. Prevention of diseases – both mental and physical – is a great new route to enter on. The Wim Hof Method would be able to create a new dimension in the wellness industry – actually, we are doing it as we speak.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2017 issue 4
Promotional feature: Anne Semonin
Katherine Connolly, newly appointed global
director of retail and spa operations at Anne
Semonin, discusses her plans for the brand
Promotional feature: Thalion
Thalion is the first company to develop highly
specialised mineral therapies for clients, says
training manager Sophie Alemany
Research: Finishing touch
A new study shows that massage can
help muscle re-growth after an injury –
even when applied to the opposite limb
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
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An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
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