So, I just finished day-two of a 30-day Wim Hof self-experiment I’m doing with a good friend of mine, ice-marathon runner Simon Scotting, and I’m already noticing some very interesting results from this practice:

Most notably, while I’m doing the actual breathing techniques, I’m entering into an altered state of consciousness, in which my mind is exceptionally clear. I seem to have access to the thoughts of my higher self. I’m also feeling more rested, more relaxed, and more focused during the day. I haven’t even been doing the suggested meditation exercises, and I’m definitely more present in general.

The next stage of this process is to adapt this practice to my own way of life — to apply them to my own core disciplines. Wim Hof recommends doing push-ups and some stretching, and notes that athletic performance can be greatly increased through this practice. But what about doing yoga practice, or training for martial arts? What about experimenting with Chen Taiji, Zhan Zhuang and Qigong? Bodyweight fitness and calisthenics? Acrobatics?

Wim Hof has been utilizing his breathing techniques to increase his performance for cold-exposure and mountaineering, but the implications are massive for anyone interested in mental or physical performance of any kind.

Now, I know that free-divers like Kimi Werner have intense breathing practices that they do in order to do their magic, but perhaps Tum-mo/Wim Hof would have something to contribute. If you don’t know about Kimi Werner, she’s incredible:

In any case, my mind is all lit up with possibility and fire, and I’m excited to see how these practices merge with the unique impulses and drives that are emerging in my own life. This 30-day experiment has coincided with a number of fortuitous circumstances in my life, most notably moving back to the Bay Area, resuming my Taiji teaching schedule, and committing to a new and more integral path of creative and professional work.

For starters, I’m taking this as an opportunity to start writing more. And to start publishing what I write. I think I’ve felt limited in the past in that I’ve been afraid to put anything out there because I wasn’t ready to open up and really take the risks of being seen, being visible. I’m ready to enter into an era of sharing more ideas from a place of deeper integrity and deeper transparency.

Blogging is not book-writing, so I’m going to allow myself to be relaxed about it. Why not? Honestly it’s more exhausting doing or not-doing things because of what others might or might not think of me. You’ve got to start somewhere and there’s never been a better place than right here, or a better time than right now. So here I go.