The Iceman Cometh or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the cold

My recap of the Wim Hof Winter Expedition Poland 2020 Week 1

I kicked off my big 2020 adventure in early January with something weird and challenging: five days of cold exposure training with living legend, Wim Hof (aka The Iceman).

I was one of 100 participants at the Wim Hof Winter Expedition 2020 (Week 1) in Przesieka, Poland. That means five days of breathing exercises, ice baths, cold hikes, meditation, exploration and general nuttyness. According to the website the workshop is “the ultimate Wim Hof Method experience.”

It certainly lived up to the hype. This post is a big recap of my unforgettable experience. Let’s begin with some background.

I first learned about Wim a couple years ago when he was interviewed on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast (episode #712 and episode #865). My brother also endorsed The Iceman. That was all I needed to dig in.

I liked three things about the Wim Hof Method (WHM) right off the bat:

It’s pretty weird,
No purchase necessary to follow the general protocol, and
It doesn’t conflict with my other health and fitness pursuits.

In August 2018 I dipped my toe in the WHM water and started a daily regimen of breathing exercises and cold showers. I’ve generally kept that habit ever since. The first benefit I noticed was that I stopped getting sick.

Granted, I only used to get sick twice a year, when the seasons changed in Phoenix. Still, since following a DIY WHM protocol of daily breathing exercises and cold showers, I breezed through those seasonal transitions without skipping a beat.

Side note: Full disclosure, I was recently sick for about a week, but I chalk that up to air quality and all the traveling I’ve been doing.

Fast forward to summer 2019. I stumbled across the WHM Travels & Expeditions offerings, and the Winter Expedition seemed like the obvious choice for maximum discomfort: swimming and hiking in winter in Poland.

In addition, I wanted to step my WHM game up by improving my breathing technique and practicing ice baths, which I had not done prior to this trip. I didn’t think too much about it and signed up in May to make sure I had a spot.

At that time I was planning for it to be just a weird vacation that would be tough to explain to friends and colleagues. As it turned out, this winter expedition served as the launching pad for my big break and big adventure, which you can read about in my article, With best wishes to SRP.

The Wim Hof Winter Expedition was an amazing experience that I enjoyed and learned from on many levels. This post is designed to help the experience stay with me, and share what I learned so others might benefit.

As such, I broke this piece out into four sections (clicking each of the links below will jump to that section):

First, a broad recap of our activities during the five-day workshop. This should give anyone considering a future Wim Hof expedition a general idea of what they might be getting into, with the caveat that the “no-program program” may vary from year to year, week to week, and even group to group.

Second, a rundown of five core concepts: 1) normal breathing, 2) power breathing, 3) brown-fat activation, 4) cold exposure, and 5) daily routine. I lay out a basic foundation of the techniques we practiced for those following at home or looking to get started.

Third, action items, takeaways and lessons learned. These are the aha moments I am bringing back with me. I hope they give you some ideas to step your WHM game up too.

Fourth, a deep dive into some deep thoughts and personal reflections from the experience. Sharing them here helps me organize them, for clarity and stickiness, for future reference. I’d be thrilled if you found them — any one of them — interesting and thought provoking.

OK, let’s dive in! Take a deep breath: Fully in!…Let it go…

Recap of the no-program program

The workshop was structured around a “no-program program” philosophy, which I interpret as follows: the organizers have a general idea of the activities to be completed over the five-day workshop, but the timing, and order, for when those activities are completed is very fluid. In addition, the flexible agenda allows for new activities to be added and plans to change — ahem — on a Wim.

They split the total pool of 100 attendees into four groups. Each group of roughly 25 was led by two certified Wim Hof Method Instructors. I was placed in Group 2, led by Joren de Bruin and Kym Burls.

Let me take a minute here to sing the praises of Joren and Kym.

Since the majority of our time was spent with our groups, the instructors had a big — for me the biggest — impact on the experience. Joren and Kym were organized, knowledgeable, considerate and inspiring. They did a great job of setting the right context for our group to come together, grow and stay on the same page throughout the adventure.

I particularly appreciated their holistic approach to the Wim Hof Method: while they taught techniques and concepts, they focused much more on the bigger picture. Essentially, it’s less about raging in the icy creeks, taking shirtless selfies on a snowy mountain, or maxing out how long you can hold your breath. Instead, it’s about your personal connection, goals and the impact you’re looking to have or get from the experience. Why are you doing all this crazy stuff to begin with? It should be less about crossing items off bucket lists, and more about becoming a healthier, happier and stronger person.

As someone who has been spazzing out on bucket list goals since 2013, that last point really hit home.

Joren and Kym, along with our great Group 2, made the experience for me, and I appreciate all their hard work, commitment and friendship.

The following outline offers a big-picture run-down of how the Wim Hof Winter Expedition 2020 Poland (Week 1, Group 2) experience played out for me.

Note: I probably mixed up some of the timing of the meals, but I wanted to keep them in there just to give you a general idea of the time of day in which each activity took place.

Also of note, as you’ll see below, the days were really comprised of just a handful of components: 1) breathing exercises, 2) cold exposure, 3) meals, and 4) random stuff.

Day 1

Breathing exercise
Breakfast
Jump in icy creek
Lunch
Wim Hof lecture
Dinner
Wim Hof rave
Night ice creek dip (three minutes)

Day 2

Breathing exercise
Breakfast
Short hike up (fully clothed) past the Podgorna Waterfall for a quick meditation
On the way down, ice dip in the pond above Podgorna Waterfall (three minutes)
Lunch
Breathing exercise led by Wim Hof (felt like 20 minutes, turns out it was over an hour)
Dinner
Jam session with guitars, drums, didgeridoo

Day 3

Jump in icy creek
Breakfast (light)
Breathing exercise
Lunch
Short hike (fully clothed) to icy creek
Ice creek dip hands and feet (hands first for three minutes, then feet for three minutes, then hands again for three minutes)
Short walk (shirtless) up to Wim Hof’s house nearby
Brown-fat activation breathing
Then ice dips at your own pace in the ice bath in Wim’s backyard (I took two dips going back and forth from ice bath to sauna)
Dinner
Group dream-sharing activity led by Wim Hof
My duffel bag finally arrived. The airline had lost it. It held the majority of the stuff I packed for my Euro-trip, including hiking boots, shorts, and gloves. Until then I’d been doing everything in Converse All Stars, jeans, sweatshirt, jacket, beanie, the same pair of socks, and a pair of borrowed shorts for the ice dips. Not having all that stuff wasn’t the end of the world, but it was still such a relief to have the bag arrive just in time for the big hike on Day 4.

Day 4

Breathing exercise (led by all instructors, each took turns, must have gone eight rounds)
Breakfast (light)
Big hike (silent hike for Group 2; wearing: warm socks, hiking boots and shorts; in backpack: gloves, beanie, sweater, jacket, water, almonds and protein bar; the weather was warmer than usual and it ended up being sunny, yet still pretty windy and cold; also, we didn’t end up hiking the famed Mount Śnieżka; instead we hiked a mountain nearby, close to the Karkonosze National Park; it took us about two hours get to the top and an hour to get back down)
Dinner

Day 5

Breakfast
Meditation
Silent group hike up to the Podgorna Waterfall for our last ice dip
Lunch
Q&A session with instructors
Group sauna session with Wim Hof
Breathing session led by Wim Hof
Dinner

Core concepts

Here are the five basic ideas and techniques that I think encapsulate the practice. Keep in mind this is my perspective. Others may vary.

Don’t stress about following a rigid formula or program.

There’s not a one-size-fits-all way to go about practicing any of this stuff. Everybody has unique intentions, needs and responses. Find what works for you through trial and error, and keep exploring new methods. Listen to your body and go with the flow.

For example, many of our group breathing exercises featured a mix of normal breathing and power breathing during the same session. In the words of Wim Hof, “Whatever works, man.”

Normal breathing exercise

Fully in, deep, relaxed, wave-like inhale through belly, then chest, then head. The large majority of the inhale should be done with the belly. The chest and head are just tacked on at the end. Don’t tense up your shoulders and neck.
Let it go with a short exhale that gets you back to equilibrium, like you’re softly blowing out a candle.
Do 30 to 40 reps of Fully in, Let it go.
After the last exhale calmly hold your breath as long as you can. Don’t force it. This part is called Retention.
When you’re ready, take one big deep inhale and hold it for 10 to 15 seconds.
Then let all out through a nice long exhale.
That’s one round. Do four rounds — or as many as you like — every day, lying down, on an empty stomach. First thing in the morning, after some light stretching, is a great time.

Power breathing exercise

This is a faster and more intense exercise than the normal breathing outlined above.
Do 50 to 70 reps of Fully in, Let it go at twice (or three times?) the normal pace.
After the last inhale hold it — while squeezing your whole body, particularly your gut, glutes and head — for 20 to 30 seconds.
Repeat to your heart’s content or ad nauseum.
They suggested doing this approach for when you’re down, sick, or not well. I suppose it helps, in the figurative sense of the words of Wim Hof, to “Get the shit out!”

Brown-fat activation breathing exercise

This is another fast and intense method, though much shorter in duration than power breathing. It’s supposed to send a warming energy through your whole body once you’re done. Everybody reacts differently, and it can take a lot of practice to get there.
Sitting down on the floor cross-legged, hold your hands out in front of you, near your belly button, with your palms up — almost like you’re carrying a big load of pine cones.
Take a deep, fast, intense inhale while raising your hands up to your nose — like you’re lifting up the pine cones to smell them.
Then exhale through your mouth, with similar depth, speed and intensity as the inhale. While you’re exhaling, flip your hands over and bring them back down to your belly button — like you’re dumping out the pine cones and pressing the air down.
Do eight reps of inhale, exhale.
On the last inhale, hold it and squeeze for 10 to 20 seconds.
When you release and let it all out you may notice a nice warming energy coursing through your body. We practiced this sitting on the ground immediately after taking an ice bath. It’s one way to warm up after the cold exposure.

Cold exposure

Think about cold exposure as comprised of three chapters:

Chapter 1, Before: Set your intention for what you want to get from this cold experience. What are you trying to release? How do you want it to go? Where is there tension? Why are you doing this?
Chapter 2, During: Focus on your intention and try not to get distracted. Breathe deeply in through your nose and extend the exhale slowly and calmly out through your mouth. Embrace and enjoy the cold. Smile. Send positive warm energy toward your intention. Don’t force it or feel pressured to stay in for a certain amount of time.
Chapter 3, After: Get out slowly when you’re ready. This part is all about staying centered and not shivering while your body warms back up. Stay focused on your intention. Don’t let your mind wander or rush it to be over yet. Close it out by breathing and doing air squats or tai chi like side-to-side movements. Keep moving and keep breathing. Again, don’t rush to be done with it — calmly let the warmth come back to your body slowly. In my opinion, this is the most important chapter, and the one I need to work on the most.

Daily routine

With the understanding that there’s no precise formula or program to follow, your general daily routine should include normal breathing exercises, followed by cold exposure. If it’s not practicable to take an ice bath every day, then take a cold shower every day, and jump in an icy body of water whenever you can.

Action items, takeaways, lessons learned

Here are some aha moments from the workshop that I aim to incorporate into my practice and life. Listed in no particular order.

Focus on intention, not retention. Stop timing how long you can hold your breath.

Before the workshop I would time myself during the retention part of normal breathing exercises (outlined in the Core concepts section above) every day. I would feel better about myself on the days I held my breath for longer, and worse about myself on days when I came up short. During the workshop, on the other hand, I didn’t time myself once. This made a huge difference. Without a timer running I found myself much more purposeful and meditative during the breathing exercises. Rather than distractedly thinking about some arbitrary time goal, I was better able to connect with my mind, body, breath and intention. It’s not a competition, and it’s not about the numbers. Setting out your intentions is the key to maintaining your practice. Take it as deep as you want, just take it somewhere.

Always practice breathing exercises in a safe place, lying or sitting down.

Don’t do breathing exercises in the pool or an ice bath. Practice on the floor or on your bed so that if you end up passing out you won’t get hurt or worse.

Update: A month after posting this article I acted like an idiot, broke this rule and passed out while doing breathing exercises standing up on the front porch. Read about that stupid, embarrassing experience in Collapse in the cold.

Pack like the airline will lose your checked bag.

When packing for a big trip, imagine the following scenario: upon arrival at your destination you will be told that you won’t see your checked bag for a few days. With this in mind, pack the stuff that you would really want to have for those first few days in your carry on.

Your body needs your calm focused mind, especially when it’s stressed in the cold.

I get distracted very easily. Someone walks by, I overhear a conversation, memories and songs crop up — my mind wanders. When this happens during cold exposure exercises, especially immediately afterwards (see Chapter 3 in the Core concepts section above), I lose my composure and start shivering uncontrollably. The remedy is to stay focused on intention and breath, despite the distractions. Your body needs you. Stay inside. Stay focused. Lead with your breath.

Account for jet lag.

I didn’t give myself any time to adapt to the new time zone. Since I flew in all the way from Arizona, I was sleep deprived and suffering from jet lag during most of the workshop. I still had a great experience, but I’m sure I would have responded better and gotten even more out of it if I had been getting enough sleep. If I were to do this again, I’d try to book a flight to arrive a few days before Day 1 to allow my sleep schedule to catch up.

Don’t depend on the prize at the end for motivation.

The hot chocolate up on the icy summit. The most delicious beer and burger back at the trailhead shack. The Ironman tat you have sketched out for the back of your calf. All the likes you’ll get on that finish line photo. The satisfaction of checking off another goal from your bucket list. I get all that. The problem, however, with that line of motivation is that sometimes you reach the summit and they’re out of hot chocolate. You will not be a happy camper, and an otherwise great day will be tarnished by a minor hiccup. Protect yourself from this pitfall by using the journey itself as motivation. That way, no matter what happens at the end, you’ve already won. Setting goals is fine — great even! — just don’t lose sight of the moment, your intention or the bigger picture.

Silent hikes.

For our big ice hike on Day 4, our group (Group 2) committed to making it a silent, meditative experience. This was a great call. You’re able to focus on your breath, connect with nature, and bond with your fellow hikers without saying a word. Sometimes words, like numbers, get in the way. Sometimes taking photos becomes a distraction. Silent hikes are a nice way to drop in, tune out and let it all come together.

Push yourself and others.

Towards the end of Day 1 I was feeling exhausted, jet lagged and ready for bed. Then, after dinner, our instructors tossed out the option to take a night dip in the ice creek. Most of the people in our group raised their hands and said they were in. I didn’t. I was so over it! My head was already in bed, and the last thing I wanted to do was go for a cold plunge that night. On the other hand, I also didn’t want to miss out on a cool experience with the group. Peer pressure is powerful, even if it’s all in your head. As we were heading back to our rooms to get dressed for the ice dip, one of the instructors — after noticing I wasn’t particularly eager for this excursion — told me something simple like, “You should do it,” and suggested I at least come along and see how I feel when we get to the river. And I was like, “Yeah, I should do it. I’ll do it.” So I bit the bullet, went along and ended up going in the icy water with our group for three minutes. It was awesome, and I’m so glad the group (indirectly) and the instructor (directly) gave me those nudges to go for it. There are two key points here: 1) believe in yourself and know when to go with the flow; and 2) when you see others wavering, see if you can give them some simple and friendly words of encouragement — without getting all dramatic — to help them get over the hump.

And now deep thoughts

While the list directly above was more tactical, the insights below are more abstract. This list is a mix of personal reflections, insights and connections I drew from various aspects of the Wim Hof Winter Expedition experience. They’re listed here in no particular order for you to keep, toss, chew on, or build on, as you like.

Note: The first one happens to be my favorite. If you only read one item in this section, read this one!

Each ice bath is the first ice bath.

Wim Hof has taken thousands of ice baths in his life, and he says each one is the first one. I love this perspective and want to explore a few more angles:

First, I see three dimensions of variability at play that support Wim’s view: 1) the physical environment will be different every time, even if it’s just to the slightest degree, say influenced by dark matter; 2) your body will be different every time depending on behavioral changes in areas like diet, stress, or how much sleep you got the night before; and 3) your mentality will be different every time because you’re bringing a new compilation of experiences, memories, intentions and baggage with you — including your most recent ice bath experience, which you didn’t have in your head beforehand — into that next ice bath each time.

Second, this is all to say that you should not expect, or strive, to get to a point where you can coast through an ice bath on autopilot. I imagine they get less intimidating with practice, but probably remain just as intense, powerful and challenging.

Third, this concept applies to other areas of life, especially the ones that seem routine or daunting. Each daily morning breathing exercise. Each cold shower. Each project. Each presentation. Each hike. Each race. Each trip. Each person. Each conversation. Each one is distinct. Each one is a new opportunity. Each one is the first one.

Furthermore, I see a striking similarity between cold exposure and writing. They’re both daunting to think about beforehand; exciting, intense and challenging in process; and rewarding afterwards.

Therefore, I now think of each blog post as my first blog post; each article its own unique experience. Each piece will take me somewhere I didn’t expect to go. All I have to do is set my intention, jump in and stay focused.

Embrace the elements, obstacles and distractions as new friends who can help you.

Howling wind, icy rain, rocks in your shoes, missing gear, changes in plans, Ford Mustangs and leaf blowers revving their engines: these are all examples of things that can rattle you. Learning how to handle these annoyances is like learning how to handle the cold. If you tense up and fight it you’ll suffer. If you breathe, stay focused and embrace it like a supportive friend, the cold will help make you stronger. So, treat all those distractions as opportunities to turn something negative into a positive — a new positive element that makes you stronger.

This applies to everything except the obnoxious, hazardous Ford Mustangs and leaf blowers. Don’t breathe those in. Those gotta go.

The vitality of art

The workshop emphasized expression, vulnerability and sharing as a key part of connecting with others and connecting with yourself. For example, we shared stories of why we were there, any issues we’re working through, and feedback on the various workshop activities. To me most of this was pretty straightforward. However, looking back, it hit home for me that art is really the ultimate manifestation of this kind of expression and vulnerability. We didn’t talk much — or even at all — about art in our group conversations, but I think it can play an incredibly powerful role in these kinds of experiences. Words, numbers, thoughts, judgments, feedback, jokes: they can get in the way. Art is a way — maybe the way — to get to the core. Nothing all that profound here, but it’s a nice reminder for me and worth reiterating.

The power of narrative or: Multinarrative Linear Regression Modeling

As with so many areas in life, narrative played an impactful role in this workshop.

In one sense — an admittedly cynical one at that, but with a happy ending! — the workshop creates a storyline that compels you to feel something powerful and weave in your own narrative in a coherent way. For example, if Wim proclaims that he’s created a vortex through the group breathing exercise — that he can feel the energy and connection in the room — then as a participant it’s natural for me to look for that energy myself and find evidence from my own experience that confirms his claim. Even if there was actually no vortex, Wim can’t say, “Sorry, guys. I looked for it but it’s just not there this time.” Rather, he’s going to stick to the vortex narrative, because…

If that narrative compels you to create a positive change in yourself, and you feel that you’ve grown healthier, stronger or happier from believing that you were part of this amazing vortex, then it’s a useful, effective and worthwhile narrative to cling to. In this sense it doesn’t matter whether or not there was in fact a Wim Hof vortex. What matters is that the Wim Hof vortex potential was created, and by believing you were part of that vortex, you’re realizing the benefits nonetheless.

On the other hand, if believing in that vortex somehow has a negative impact on you, then you should reject that narrative.

This presents an example of Mythology mobility, which I define as: the ability to jump back and forth between inspiring story and scientific reality when it serves you best.

The idea is that mythology mobility is a skill you can build by finding new connections in your storyline, and exploring how they might fit with the various narratives being thrown at you.

Now, to bring it back to the workshop, these exercises (vortexes, breathing, meditation, shared vulnerability, etc.) are teaching you new ways to look at your own narrative. In other words, they’re connecting the dots of your past in a new web, in a new light, so that you can find new meanings and insights. With each exercise you’re exploring a new arrangement, a new formula to be tested, a new weighting of the variables.

Keep the variables and narrative arrangements that are positive. Toss the ones that stress you out.

Vital moments to drop in

We are assaulted all day everyday with stuff from the outside world: books, news, music, conversations, advertisements, Ford Mustangs, leaf blowers, sugar, propaganda, societal expectations, to name a few. Some are toxic, some are useful. But they’re all competing, in one form or another, with the inside world: your mind, your values and the stories you tell yourself.

It’s far too easy to fall into the trap of only living in that outside world: constant consumption, instant gratification, busy busy, never a dull, still or silent moment. I’m as guilty of this as anyone.

The remedy is to figure out how to navigate and balance both worlds, because you need them both to survive.

And I like to think of this as building little pockets within your day (like mini-retreats) to drop in and spend some time in your inside world. Meditation is one (obvious) way to do that.

After this workshop, I view morning breathing exercises and ice baths as two more ways to drop in. Treasure these opportunities, look forward to them, and prioritize them.

Recurring theme for me: gratitude.

Throughout the workshop I kept coming back to feeling lucky to have so many great people, experiences and opportunities in my life. To be sure, we all battle demons, and we all suffer. I feel fortunate to have signed up for the workshop in decent shape with a mind for continuous learning, improvement and exploration. The useful narrative for me here is that I want to get myself as strong, healthy and centered as possible so that I can be there for others when they need help. If you’re not in a good place, it’s tough to help others get to a good place.

Thanks to everyone who made the Wim Hof Winter Expedition 2020 Poland such a great experience.