ROTTERDAM, Netherlands — The sun beams down on a warm Dutch spring morning, and the Iceman’s students look wary as they watch him dump bag after bag of ice into the tub of water where they will soon be taking a dip. The plan is to try to overcome the normal human reaction to immersion in freezing slush: gasping for air, shivering uncontrollably and getting back out again as quickly as possible.
Instead, under the direction of “Iceman” Wim Hof, the group of athletes is going to stay in the water for minutes, practicing his meditation techniques, seeking possible performance or health benefits.
Hof, 52, earned his nickname from feats such as remaining in a tank of ice in Hong Kong for almost two hours; swimming half the length of a football field under a sheet of ice in the Arctic; and making the Guinness record book for running a half-marathon barefoot in Finnish snow in deep subzero conditions.
Hof tells his students that meditation in the cold strengthens mind and body. Some scientists also say ice-bath treatments might have circulatory benefits for athletes or help them recover quicker after training, although this remains controversial.
Hof said he can endure cold so well because he has learned to activate parts of his mind beyond the reach of most people’s conscious control and crank up what he calls his “inner thermostat.”
