Luscha Baumwald: Breathing exercises to reduce Covid damage — extreme athlete Wim Hof (2/2).
RT interviews the Extreme Athlete Wim Hof to get his unique perspective on Breathing.
Sophie Shevardnadze: Let’s talk a bit about your breathing method once again. Is there a danger of asphyxiation during these intense breathing sessions?
Wim Hof: No, there is none; if you go controlled, you follow the app, then you are very able to maintain control. Know that this breathing exercise has shown itself in the university to bring down inflammation, which is a disease… inflammatory markers, which cause inflammation, which is a disease, it brings it down, it makes the immune system work better. It brings the inflammation down and it ignites, activates the specific immune system. That means an injury will be dealt with directly at the beginning instead of that it goes into this system,and the immune system is yet not really awake, then suddenly ‘alarm, alarm!’ — fever, headaches, this and that. It doesn’t need to happen. We are able with these breathing techniques, if you do them controlled, you will have the greatest effectivity. These breathing techniques are powerful. So in any case, when powerful things come, you have to learn to deal with them. But they are of great, great benefit.
SS: Can you show me the simplest breathing exercise with which I can start?
WH: Yes.
SS: Go ahead.
WH: So if you do 10 breaths like this [inhales deeply].
SS: Okay. Through your mouth, so 10 breaths like that.
WH: It can be through the nose or through the mouth, it doesn’t matter: but fully in — letting go. You will be able to… Just try to do it with me. And we will stay for 40 seconds without air in the lungs. Let’s do this. Then a whole set of things happen. I will explain later. But first, we do it. Okay. 10 breaths fully in [inhales deeply]. Let it go [exhales].
[Sophie takes ten deep breaths together with Wim].
After the exhalation stop, close your mouth. No need for breathing now. You’re perfectly okay. What we did is blowing off the carbon dioxide — that’s what makes the body acidic. We made it very alkaline now. That’s why you’re able to stay without breathing. And what happens is that in the primitive part of our brain, the brainstem — you are not breathing — so it says, ‘Oh, she’s not breathing! Oh, danger, danger!’ But there is no danger. But now the adrenal axis… Okay, fully in [Sophie inhales] and hold, squeeze a little bit to your head. Three, two, one, let it go. [Sophie exhales]. Well done, you did about 50 seconds.
