Hof was born in Sittard, Limburg, Netherlands as one of nine children, (in order of birth; Rob [1954], John [1955], Marianne [1957], Wim and Andre [1959-identical twins], Ruud [1961], Ed [1962], Marcel [1964], Jacqueline [1967]) Hof has six children…
Hof was born in Sittard, Limburg, Netherlands as one of nine children, (in order of birth; Rob [1954], John [1955], Marianne [1957], Wim and Andre [1959-identical twins], Ruud [1961], Ed [1962], Marcel [1964], Jacqueline [1967]) Hof has six children, four of them with his first wife Marivelle-Maria (Also called "Olaya"), who died by suicide in 1995,[6] a son, born in 2003 to his girlfriend, and a son born in 2017 to his last girlfriend. When he was 17 he felt a sudden urge to jump into the freezing cold water of the Beatrixpark canal. Hof has said that his sadness over the loss of his first wife was formative in leading him to develop techniques to face low temperature environments.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wim_Hof
Wim Hof Method
Wim Hof markets a regimen, the Wim Hof Method (WHM), created alongside his son Enahm Hof. The method involves three "pillars": cold therapy, breathing and meditation. It has similarities to Tibetan Tummo meditation and pranayama, both of which employ breathing techniques.
Breathing
There are many variations of the breathing method. The basic version consists of three phases as follows:
Controlled breathing: The first phase involves 30-40 cycles of breathing. Each cycle goes as follows: take a deep breath in, fully filling the lungs. Breathe out by passively releasing the breath, but not forcefully. Repeat this cycle at a steady pace thirty to forty times. Hof says that this form of hyperventilation may lead to tingling sensations or light-headedness.
Breath retention: After completion of the 30-40 cycles of controlled hyperventilation, take a final deep breath in, and let it out. Do not fully empty the lungs; instead let the air out until you would need to contract your diaphragm to expel more air. Hold the breath until you feel an urge to breathe again (1 to 3 minutes).
Recovery breath: When a strong urge to breathe occurs, take a full deep breath in. Hold the breath for around 15 to 20 seconds and let it go. The body may experience a normal head-rush sensation.
These three phases may be repeated for three or more consecutive rounds.
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Cold showers or winter swims boost the immune system and increase testosterone.
