Wim Hof Method - Breathing technique and cold shower

Does anyone know and practice the Wim Hof Method? Since one month I do it as my morning routine right after waking up. I started with one round of breathing one month ago and added one round every week, and will stay with four rounds now. Likewise I increased the duration of the cold shower to 2,5 minutes. It proves to be vigorous and helps incredibly to stay calm and focused during the day.

Wim Hof - known as the Iceman - holds several world records related to almost supernatural endurance in the cold and in high altitude. His claim is that his method improves the neurochemical processes in order to reduce stress and go deep into the brain to make full use of formerly subconscious parts of it. Hyperventilation increases the alkalinity of the blood which makes you more relaxed, he calls it a physical state of meditation. The daily cold shower trains the cardiovascular system and strenghtens the immune system.

I find this method to be a great complement for a NoFap endeavor. What do you think? Any experiences?

Here Wim Hof explains how the breathing technique works:

 

I've been doing cold showers for years - which means that I showered with warm water, lathered myself etc and then turned the shower suddenly cold for a short while (maybe 20-40 seconds?), then switched back to hot water and warmed up shortly before finishing the shower. In the beginning that felt shocking, but I got used to it. I think that preexperience helped.

During my Nofap streak at the end of last year I kind of regulized this regime with a meditation app that is preset to ring a bell every minute. I turned the water cold during the 6th minute (between the 5th and 6th gong) and finished after 7 minutes (I used to like looong hot showers). After half a year, I've built this up as a strong habit now.

I discovered the Wim Hof Method in March as a 30-day-challenge-course included in my meditation app and have run this challenge, which was to gradually expand the cold shower by 5 seconds each day (it started with 5 seconds, but as I was already used to 1 minute, I stepped in to the progression on the 13th day) up to 30 x 5 = 150 seconds (=2,5 minutes). This is how Wim Hof recommends to do it. He also takes a warm shower before the cold (I don't know his opinion on ending with a warm shower again). If you subscribe to his free 3-day-tutorial at the end of the video I posted above you'll receive a video in which he demonstrates how he does the cold shower (starting to move gently into it with the arms and legs first, then the back and shoulders and finally the front). He insists not to do it by force, but to prepare your mind to welcome the cold. For me this works, my breath and heartrate hardly change anymore when I start the cold shower and I don't 'suffer' that much but more and more find it to be pleasurable. And the feeling afterwards is gold.

This is how I do it, but you also mentioned willpower. I think you may 'bypass' a blockade of your willpower by consequently and gradually building up a strong routine (from a very easy and low starting point) which eventually becomes natural to you, as I described above. I've read it takes about 3 weeks to establish a new habit. But also your attitude is key when it comes to willpower. Imprint yourself with the advantages (immune system, vitality, cardiovascular strength, calmness), make sure you know what you're doing this for, relish the feeling you get from it and become 'addicted' to it... make the 'gain' bigger than the 'cost'.

 

As I said, I used to switch to cold all of the sudden, too (and liked that thrill somehow). Then I reported how Wim Hof is showing it in his 2nd tutorial video. I think his argument was that this was unnecessary cardiovascular stress and bravado, and that's why he recommends to enter the cold shower tentatively (but with a well-prepared mind - 'the cold is my warm friend' being his 'mantra').

So you perform that Osho meditation in the cold shower (or in preparation)? And you stay 3-4 min in it?