What is it to be superhuman if you don’t know how to use your powers?

An introduction for those not already familiar with Wim Hof – also known as ‘The Iceman’ – he is a Dutch daredevil who holds 26 world records, including one for sitting in ice for over 2 hours without his core body temperature dropping. He has pioneered a revolutionary new method through which we can now all consciously control our own immune system via three pillars: breathwork, cold exposure and mindset. Backed by constant and consistent scientific research, the health benefits have huge implications for the future of medicine, self-healing and our wellbeing.

The real lesson of Wim Hof is in the title. As he will tell you, all his incredible, record-breaking abilities are so he can basically tell us one thing: that everyone has the ability to influence their bodies, minds and mental states in ways science thought impossible…..so that we can be much “healthier, stronger and happier” than we currently are. But what does he really mean by that, you might well ask. If you pay attention to the details, beyond the joking around and funny, playful side of his nature on or offline, he’ll tell you in a way that captivates your attention like not many can.

Wim’s message, underneath it all, is love! And knowing him just a little, I can see that it really comes directly from his heart (isn’t this why we like him, because he is so down-to-earth, grounded, and unapologetically real?). Forgive what feels like more name-dropping for a second to let me make the point, but I’ve spent enough time around him as an instructor to know that all he really wants to do is enjoy the simple things in life; a sauna, a beer, a beer in a sauna, a jam on the guitar or drum, quality time with his loved ones…and to talk about his mission to save the world. He is very much a man on a mission, and this last point is why I like him the most.

I don’t really get off on watching him sit in a tub of ice. This is not what makes him superhuman to me.

The value of surrender

As Wim’s method grows, I’m starting to see more and more people refer to cold therapy as ‘the ice bath challenge’.
“Who can survive ten minutes in the ice?” “We can hack our bodies!”, etc.
I get that we are drawn to challenge and survival (not shockingly both very masculine pursuits), and I get the exhilaration of completing this process for the first time as it’s no mean feat. But as we feel the cocktail of hormones that follow, firing around the body, so often begin the celebrations and selfies. I’ve seen it, and while I’m down for having fun in a collective, I think we’re missing something, so in my workshops I try to stress that it’s in the moments directly after the ice bath where the magic really is.

Instead of surviving the experience, I want you to enter the ice in a still, calm state which does not change (or if it does you can – by surrendering – quickly and easily bring it back), and then stay in that state well after you get out. A deep, connected state of absolute peace and presence, where through your breath and mindset you have complete control of – a symbiosis with – your nervous system. After a time, with that level of connection it is possible to know yourself when it is time to get out instead of looking at a watch. When doing its job well, the ego encourages you to gently push past your comfort zone, and the body lets you know to which point you can safely do this, when we listen to it. What a metaphor the above is for how to deal with so many of life’s challenges.
And that’s exactly the point.

Cultivating State

If you want to cultivate clarity, peace of mind, presence and awareness, if you want to lower stress and reactivity, this is one of many great ways in. A place where your thoughts are distant, relegated to a background murmur for a change, your heartbeat and breath slow. It is from here insight and flow occur. It is not about survival, it is a reset for the body and mind and of knowing you can come back to this place of deep connection any time you want, once you know how.

We can all access this calm state, and feel total confidence in our real self. No conceptual bla, no tough talk or affirmations necessary, just the surest knowledge of self because here you are, relaxing in ice cold water. How rare it is to get this vulnerable too, with yourself or in front of other people. The connection it creates automatically as we empathise with those also experiencing this process in their own way. And just watch, no – feel, as your body readapts once you get out. Homeostasis, balance, recovery, integration – it is in these moments where the body learns, adapts….once space is made for it to do this. Ignoring this step is like doing yoga without meditation: completely missing the point and the main benefits. Too strong? Bear with me…

Superpowers are Subtlepowers

Wim can go to this place of inner certainty and peace without the ice, it is a place he can access so well he has 26 world records in various extremes to prove it. But he’ll happily tell you: it’s not about the world records. It’s not about sitting in the ice for two hours. It’s not about climbing Mount Everest in shorts….it’s about climbing the mountain in your mind.
There are many ways up a mountain, but regardless of which way you choose, you may never enjoy reaching the top staring at the summit the whole time, or without knowing why you’re trying in the first place. And once you get there, it’s then that you realise…the view at the top was never the point – a different view was available to you the whole time if you’d only stopped to look while you were enjoying the walk itself.

I’m talking of course about presence. With presence at this depth comes gently, slowly-but-surely, subtle body awareness. This is how I could feel the inflammation at the root of my autoimmune disease had gone. This is how I know at depth what emotions I’m feeling before they build and become harder to work with, and also what other people around me are feeling too. This is how I can tap into ‘that place’ we call the soul, the universe, god, intuition, source, the big mysterious, whatever…and know beyond the ego what is really going on (ok, some days, I’m a fledgling work-in-progress). And I’m not chest-beating here – my point is that if I can learn to do these things, so can you. I say it every day…I’m nothing special.

‘Superhuman’

Spend time with Wim and you see that the world records are just physical manifestations of what his mind is capable of doing, of accessing, and there is actually so much more to him. Imagine knowing that part of you which is screaming out to be heard and expressed, imagine embracing and accepting it…and then living from it. Childlike, playful, authentic, happy. Essentially giving less of a f*** about who likes you and who doesn’t. Like then attracts like. Deep down we all want to operate from this place. This is the reason we are attracted to or triggered by people that can be this way. Superhuman is to then still be able to function in the world, allowing the ego to do its job like a part of you that, when marshalled, is not the enemy at all, but a helpful ally that helps you get all the stuff done that makes up our daily program.

‘Optimising your lifestyle’ seems to be the go-to expression for attempting this process these days. Throw in a few biohacks. Talks on the optimal morning routine. Books on discipline, motivation, and how to ‘do’ these things. We can optimise all we want (and I tried for a while, believe me) but ignoring the root of our desires and authentic expression in our search for an idealised healthy lifestyle will keep us on a merry-go-round of either healing, optimising or self-improvement that will never end. In the end it comes down to doing something that a lot of people find understandably hard:

Getting real with what is, and sitting with it. Meeting resistance and accepting it, moving through it more and more gracefully by letting go. As in the ice, as in yoga, as in life. All the physical or spiritual practices in the world mean very little if we’re unwilling to sit in the space that they set up for us specifically….but we can only do this when we’re ready.

To an end

Being more our authentic selves doesn’t mean we are then sat around meditating in apparent bliss all day (no such thing), and it doesn’t mean stopping doing the optimising stuff either. It means being who we truly are and crucially being seen as that, and also doing things because we enjoy doing them, not just as a means of improvement. Curiosity plus practice breeds awareness and consciousness, and from there inspired action (too long a hashtag, I know).

In short, if we want to be superhuman or more like Wim, perhaps this means being a lot more like ourselves first, and therein lies the journey. Our journey. Who knows where it will lead us, or what we will be capable of.

It’s about taking that first step.

This is what I help people do. Authenticity and connection is what I live for, it’s what I bring out in people. I watch mindsets shift, limiting beliefs dissolve as creators come to life.
If you’re ready (and having read this far should tell you something), you know what to do.
It all starts with a conversation…
Find out more at www.re-align.co

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