My Review of The Wim Hof Method

9 min readFeb 25, 2020

If you’re looking to plan a retreat and want a life-changing experience, I’ve written this Wim Hof Method Review just for you.

All too often, we get hit up by coaches and facilitators who are simply regurgitating something they’ve been trained on, but don’t truly have evidence supporting their claims and their teachings sound a lot more like preachings.

That’s why I felt it was important to share this with you — so you get a testimonial from a fellow entrepreneur who wants to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is life transforming.

What is the Wim Hof Method?

Wim Hof holds 26 Guinness world records. They include running a marathon on Mount Everest in shorts and spending two hours in an ice bath.

In essence, Wim Hof is superhuman.

But most don’t know that Wim Hof’s incredible strength came from deep depression.

After his wife committed suicide, Wim Hof would go swimming in ice-cold rivers to feel more alive. He was swimming for so long that local news crews were giving him press. People started challenging him to more intense cold, which evolved his practice to what it is today — the Wim Hof Method.

The pillars that make up the Wim Hof Method are:

Breathing Techniques: Breathing during meditation increases oxygen levels for more energy.
Cold Therapy: Exposing yourself to cold builds up immunity while decreasing inflammation.
Commitment: Practicing controlled breathing and cold therapy creates immense mental fortitude.

The science behind the Wim Hof Method helps you:

Boost your immune system
Improve your mental health
Relieve your stress
Increase your energy
Improve your sleep
Heighten your concentration

These effects can benefit anybody. But as entrepreneurs, I know you need ways to stay healthy, keep stress low, and maximize your energy. That way you can build better businesses and battle burnout at the same time.

I decided to try the Wim Hof Method for myself and organized a retreat for my EO forum in Mexico. The experience was so mind-blowing that I knew I had to vouch for it in this review and inspire you to try it too.

My Experience Hiring a Private Wim Hof Method Instructor

I wanted to create a unique in-person experience for my EO forum retreat. One where everyone could improve their lives with a curriculum backed by science.

When I decided on the Wim Hof Method, I opted to hire a private instructor for a more immersive experience. Before I hired, I did lots of research digging deep into their backstory, which lead me to Dr. Ariadna Uriarte. As a doctor of neuropsychology and cognitive therapy, and part-time Wim Hof instructor, Ariadna’s immense credibility made her a perfect fit for my group. Plus, her scientific understanding would explain the benefits of Wim Hof in a practical, research-oriented way.

My tips for hiring a Wim Hof Method instructor overseas:

Establish the rate in their local currency
Be prepared to wire money
Use WhatsApp to communicate
Set up private quarters for the instructor to maintain your group’s dynamic

My Experience With A Private Wim Hof Method Instructor

The Presentation

Ariadna took us through a compelling presentation that explained, in depth, what I’ve been talking about here. Like who was Wim Hof? What were his accomplishments? What’s the method? And what are the benefits? Since Ariadna is a doctor, she went deep into the science of what was happening in your body during the breathing and cold exposure including the autonomous nervous system and immune system. Once she answered all our questions, we were ready to immerse ourselves in the experience.

My tip for the presentation: Get a large screen TV so that it’s easy for everyone to look at it.

Warm-Up Exercise

We started off with an exercise that showed us the power of our minds. I’m not going to give away the details, but trust me. Ariadna gave everyone an “aha” moment where we all realized that a lot of our mental power is still untapped, that with the correct intention and focus, we can connect with levels of profound potential and accomplish more than we know. The exercise intrigued and hooked us into the rest of the method.

Breathing Exercises

Next, Ariadna put us in a circle and taught us tummo breathing exercises. As everyone was lying down, Ariadna would facilitate the inhales and exhales, guiding us into a deep meditative state with music. The breathing exercises were unlike anything I’ve experienced before in my meditation practice.

It was amazing to see how much longer everyone was able to hold their breath and effectively increase the oxygen levels inside our body to almost 100% saturation.

And the meditation… ahh, it was beautiful.

I was surprised at how quickly I was able to get into a deep meditative state and the colors and vibes were out of this world. I came to find out I wasn’t the only one who felt this way. As we went around in a circle to share how we felt, everyone experienced a deep meditative state.

This blew me away because it was like discovering a shortcut to get deeper into meditation simply through breathing.

If we had to stop there, I’m sure everybody would have been perfectly happy and content to do so.

Talking About Commitment

The next pillar is about commitment and this is the one topic that was taught through theory and then applied in the next phase of cold therapy. Focusing on commitment was a great reminder on the power of mind over matter.

In the process of talking about commitment, I realized how ‘soft’ I had become. I believe there is so much untapped potential in my mind but I wasn’t pushing myself to tap into that potential so deeply.

The missing element: commitment.

I liken it very much to Kobe Bryant’s ‘Mamba Mentality’ which was his way of creating an intense level of dedication and commitment to a craft, project, or purpose.

Cold Therapy

With our minds wide open and ready for commitment, we went into the final phase — the ice bath. We prepped our bodies for the cold with various exercises and breathwork. We also learned a specific breathing technique for when we were in the ice bath.

Our goal was to immerse ourselves in the ice bath for three minutes.

When it was my turn, I thought I would hit the water and be okay with the cold for a while and then after a minute, the commitment would need to kick in.

I started out by holding Ariadna’s hands and listening to her soft voice inspire confidence in me. Let me just pause and tell you how powerful it is to have someone believe in you and guide you. I’m so grateful that my role in life is to do this for others but it felt amazing to have someone leading me and to surrender to the unknown.

My friend Chrissy, caught the moment on video:

You can see her hand moving back and forth to help me breathe deeply, but what you don’t see or hear is what was going through my mind.

Remember when I thought I’d be able to handle a minute before the monkey brain kicked in?

I was wrong.

It was just a matter of seconds and my mind started freaking the fuck out.

Oh my god my hands are freezing, get me out of here, there’s no way I’m going to make it three minutes. The whole group has done it and you’re going to be the only one who can’t.

That’s when my commitment kicked in.

No way man, you committed to this and you’re sticking. You can do it. It’s just cold and eventually, I’ll calm down. Hang in there, you got this. You know what’s happening. Get your body to calm down by taking deep breaths. Come on, let’s fucking do this.

And then all of a sudden, the calm hit me. I could feel my shoulders drop and my breathing settle in. I kept my eyes closed the entire time, like in meditation, and my mind eventually quieted.

The next thing I heard was Ariadna’s voice saying, “It’s time. Do you want to stay longer?”

I nodded, closed my eyes, and stayed there for perhaps another minute or two.

When I got out, I felt calm… but powerful.

It’s a lot like how I talk about being totally at peace and highly ambitious. This was just another proof that living with both is not only possible, it’s serene.

The Takeaways From My Review of the Wim Hof Method

My group and I had a wonderful experience and it was worth every dime to hire a private instructor for our retreat. I highly recommend trying the Wim Hof method because I’m confident it will change your life.

You’ll Bond With Your Group

After the retreat, our group’s text thread, Marco Polos, and phone calls were non-stop. The conversations about our experiences, breathing & meditation, and practices are rich with laughter and support. We’ve come together as close friends and have even included Ariadna into our inner circle.

You’ll Boost Your Health

We’ve all implemented the breathing techniques and cold showers and some of us (myself included) are doing ice baths once a week at home too!

I’m shocked at how quickly we’ve seen health benefits. My entire family was sick for a week and I’m usually one to fall sick quickly. I didn’t catch any of it and the same thing happened to another member of our group.

One person from the group also shared that they’ve been getting chronic cold sores since they were a teenager and the meds usually take a week to kick in so they don’t spread. In 72 hours, the cold sore was gone. Not really sure what else to chalk it up to but these are our testimonials.

We’re healthier because of the Wim Hof Method and we know it.

You’ll Realize You Have Immense Strength

The incredible amount of pride that came with connecting to a strong part of myself was immensely rewarding. I’ve never thought I was weak, but I found out that I have more strength than I ever felt before.

We realized we all have tremendous amounts of strength for our work, families, and life. We can all reach success when we tap into our intense concentration and tenacity. Even if it’s buried under our self-doubt and limiting beliefs.

You’ll Feel Deeply Connected with the Universe

To see all the minor miracles occur during and after our retreat make me feel a deep connection with the Universe. Our soul is the seat of our strength, wisdom, confidence, and more importantly, our influence. When we connect with our god-self, we have unlimited potential to create the miracles we dream for ourselves.

If you’re interested in hiring a Wim Hof instructor, I would highly recommend Ariadna (website | Instagram | Facebook). I guarantee you’ll walk away with the growth, knowledge, and inspiration to take on your next challenge with full-force.