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Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

outsideonline.com

161–170 of 199 posts

Re: Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

#161

When a friend first told me about taking cold showers everyday, I thought he was incredibly motivated and a little crazy. Then when I finally decided to look into it and did the breathing technique, I realized I might be able to take a cold shower. Now I've been taking 1-2min cold showers (after my regular hot shower), every day for the last 4 months. It gives me a huge boost of energy, way better than coffee. Also,…

I take cold showers. They do virtually nothing for me except if I am extremely sleepy. "make a continuous effort to face the uncomfortable" That's not the Buddhist teaching. The Buddhist teaching is apathy to everything via lack of desire. "but with the goal of reaching full detachment (Nirvana). You can also do both together." The stated goal of Buddhism is lack of desire. The stated goal of modern meditation is a r…

> That's not the Buddhist teaching. The Buddhist teaching is apathy to everything via lack of desire.

First, Buddhism is a term that includes a huge range of religions and practices derived from Buddha's teachings.

Second, I don't know what form of Buddhism you are talking about, but Buddha certainly didn't teach apathy, in fact one of the biggest emphasis in his teaching was compassion, which is pretty much the opposite of apathy.

One of the problems, at least in English, in understanding Buddha's teachings, is translation. The words he originally used to describe what he felt and what to do about it, have no direct translation into English.

In my case, before reading a book about Buddha's teaching, I understood the goal of Buddhism as the "cessation of suffering". But while reading the book and doing some meditation, I've come to understand it in slightly different terms that I can't fully describe with words because it's a range of feelings and reactions within me (body and mind) that now I interpret as the stated "suffering", even though it is not really suffering.

> Meditation is magic to HN.

I can't speak for HN. Personally, meditation has helped me calm down and be aware of my mood changes. It took me years to take up the practice, trying different things on and off.

Also, be aware that "meditation" is a bit like saying "exercise", there are thousands of different ways of doing it. Some you might like, other you might totally hate.

If you really want to know, I encourage you to dig deeper, there's a lot to discover.

Re: Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

#162
post #77
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find the sugar argument to be a strawman. Maybe ignorance/functional illiteracy of knowing how to read a nutritional label is a slightly more sound argument. Food deserts are a legitimate issue too. However, simply not caring is quite prevalent.

It can be hard to avoid though especially in the US. I was amazed at the difficulty there of just getting a loaf of bread without sugar mixed in. In Europe they don't usually have sugar.

The sugar in American bread is ostensibly to allow yeast to ferment quicker than they would on flour alone, to impart bread-y flavors, not for sweetness. This shortens processing time.

Re: Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

#163
post #113
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you wrote 'way better than coffee', I had to think of my favourite morning routine: getting up and going straight to work on my bicycle. In winter this gives me a sort of freshness shock that may be similar to the cold shower. There's nothing quite like it in terms of waking up: indeed it's better than coffee.

Thing with commuting by bicycle is weather and sweat. I don't wanna be sweaty when I arrive, nor have my clothes all wet. That being said an optional walk (instead of say a bus) of 10-25 min is my preference. Sitting, especially when its humid (summer, rainy/snowy), makes me tired.

On hot days when I’m going to sweat, I would just bring a change of clothes.

Re: Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

#164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The stated goal of Buddhism is lack of desire. No, actually not as that is totally and utterly physically and mentally impossible. Your body and your mind are _made_ to desire and act, there is no sense in denying this and Buddha sure as hell did not. What you're looking for is lack of attachment . Desire is no problem, it's the attachment to it (and it's the same with everything). The belief in an I that is doing…

The Buddha taught that the root of all suffering is desire, tanhā. This comes in three forms, which he described as the Three Roots of Evil, or the Three Fires, or the Three Poisons. https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/beliefs/fo... This is the first random "source" I pulled up, every other will say the same.

Correct, but the solution he taught was not cessation of desire but detachment from that desire.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/harris/bl141.htm...

Re: Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

#165

This source is a lifestyle rag for people who hike, camp, etc. They're recently posted some super unscientific stuff about not wearing sunblock so you get all your Vitamin D.

One thing I don’t understand is why do people who spend more time to outdoors have lower rates of malignant melanoma?

Also, why haven’t malignant melanoma rates gone down as sunscreen adoption has increased?

Not taking a particular stance, just asking questions.

Re: Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

#166
post #36

For those interested in going deeper into the incredible world of breathing techniques I recommend "Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art" [0]. Part personal account, part research summary, the book covers a lot of the world's ancient breathing traditions (including Wim Hof and his antecedents), as well as what modern science has to say about them. As with many other aspects of holistic health, it's incredible how We…

> exercise your jaw. This can help build wider mouths I have bruxism. My doctor told me specifically to not chew excessively. Also, despite the bruxism over a period of >20 years, I don't have a wide mouth :(

Chewing hard stuff will make your jaw muscles stronger, but the reason you most likely have bruxism is due to a habit of chewing and its an automated reflex. Do you chew gum?

Re: Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

#167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Buddha taught that the root of all suffering is desire, tanhā. This comes in three forms, which he described as the Three Roots of Evil, or the Three Fires, or the Three Poisons. https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/beliefs/fo... This is the first random "source" I pulled up, every other will say the same.

Correct, but the solution he taught was not cessation of desire but detachment from that desire. https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/harris/bl141.htm...

>not cessation of desire but detachment from that desire.

Yes, and Krishna says basically the same to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita:

Abhyaasa and vairaagya - practice and dispassion (same as detachment):

https://www.google.com/search?q=abhyasa+vairagya+bhagavad+gi...

https://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/chapter/6/verse/35

Re: Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

#168
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Also, I recently read a translation and comment of the first speech by Buddha after enlightment. It's enlight en ment. Interesting; got a link?

The first sermon is said to be recorded by the dhammacakkappavattana sutta. Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu's translations of the pāli Canon are usually sensible: https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN/SN56_11.html or Bhikkhu Bodhi: https://www.budsas.org/ebud/ebsut001.htm There are also translations around that come via the Chinese cannon instead. The suttas are probably very hard to understand without background knowledge or com…

Thanks.

Re: Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

#169

Ah Wim Hof, reminds me of my friend that had to fight crippling depression.(and still is fighting) He found out about the cold shower, breathing technique from Win Hof, and started practicing it. What worked better than cold shower was Ice bath in the frozen lake. I were very skeptical at the practice first but oh boy, the sudden freezing shock really do wake some survival instinct inside you out, and your mind becom…

Ice lake bath + sauna is almost better than any drug.

Re: Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

#170
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Also, I recently read a translation and comment of the first speech by Buddha after enlightment. It's enlight en ment. Interesting; got a link?

Thank you for the correction. Here's an amazon link to the book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/159030764X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_btf...

Thanks.
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