The Day Science Changed Its Mind
For decades, scientists believed the autonomic nervous system was completely automatic—beyond our conscious control.
That view began to shift in 1969 when Swami Rama, an Indian yogi, stunned researchers by stopping his heartbeat for 17 seconds and altering the temperature in each of his hands using nothing but focused attention and his breath.
Unfortunately, because these demonstrations were hidden within small spiritual communities in India, most Western scientists didn’t take them seriously. Some even mocked them.
Fast forward a few decades, and along came Wim Hof, a Dutchman who quickly made them rethink their expectations.
He climbed Mount Everest wearing only board shorts. He ran a half marathon barefoot in the Arctic Circle. And he completed a full marathon across the Namib Desert without drinking a drop of water.
When asked how he accomplished these feats, his answer was simple: “Through breathwork, meditation, and visualisation.”
Naturally, scientists were skeptical—so they put him to the test.
In a controlled environment, Wim was fully submerged in an ice bath. Before this moment, it was believed that once a person’s body temperature dropped below 90°F (32°C), recovery was almost impossible. But as the experiment went on, Wim Hof’s temperature dropped to 88°F. He then started using his breath and mental focus to bring it back up to 94°F and this allowed him to stay submerged for 1 hour and 44 minutes.
The researchers couldn’t believe their eyes as their assumptions about human biology were being challenged in real time.
This event earned Wim Hof a Guinness World Record for this troubles but his story didn’t end there.
In a second experiment, Wim was injected with E. coli—a bacterium that typically causes nausea, fever, and illness.
Instead of falling sick, he used the same breathwork and mental techniques as he demonstrated in the ice and walked away squeaky clean.
Researchers were so impressed by what he was able to achieve that they invited a group of volunteers to train with him. After just a few days, those students were also injected with E. coli—and none of them got sick.
This proved something previously thought impossible: that we can use the breath and mental focus to influence the immune system.
In 2019, another study explored whether Wim Hof’s method could help people with spinal arthritis. After just eight weeks of breathwork and cold exposure, participants showed a significant decrease in inflammation which proved that the breath is not just calming—it’s healing.
And, under the right conditions, it can be taught to anyone.
Anyone Can Do It
Like Swami Rama, Wim Hof’s achievements are extraordinary but he claims that “anyone can do it” and he’s being genuine. That’s because he once learned it himself from an ancient Tibetan technique called tummo meditation. Tummo, in Tibetan Buddhism, means inner fire.
And for centuries, monks in freezing Himalayan conditions used this method to stay warm at night. Some monks would even sleep outside, in sub-zero temperatures, without shelter or blankets - and not just survive, but remain comfortable and sleep well.
Studies using MRI machines later showed that these monks could redirect blood flow in the brain, altering body temperature and metabolism through meditation alone.
“In Tibet, temperatures can drop to -17 degrees Celsius, yet the monks slept like babies. Later on, in a magnetic resonance study, they found out that during meditation, the monks had an unusual blood flow in the brain area. They concluded that this allowed the brain to take over body functions like temperature and metabolism.” — Wim Hof
The beauty of breathing exercises like the Wim Hof Method is that anyone can do it. You don’t need to climb Mt. Everest or live in a monastery. You don’t need to plunge yourself into ice baths either. You can focus your attention and practice breathing.
The breath is free, it’s always with you, and it’s one of the most powerful tools you have to calm your mind, improve your health, and regulate your nervous system.
Here’s a simple version of Tummo breathing, made famous by Wim Hof so you can become your own science experiment.
Tummo Breathing
Sit comfortably with a straight spine.
Rub your hands together vigorously until warm.
Place your warm palms over your navel.
Inhale deeply through your nose, pulling your shoulders back and expanding your rib cage.
Exhale loudly through your mouth, bringing your shoulders forward.
Repeat this inhale–exhale pattern for 10 breaths.
On the final inhale, hold your breath for 10 seconds. As you hold, close your eyes and visualise a fire glowing in your belly.
Exhale and return to gentle breathing for 5–10 breaths.
Repeat this cycle 5 times.
On your last round, hold your breath for 30 seconds before slowly exhaling and relaxing fully.
Thanks for reading!
See you next week :)