Standing the ice with our minds | Wim Hof | TEDxYouth@Maastricht

Wim Hof discusses our natural ability to connect mind and body in order to influence our immune and hormonal system from within. With a simple breathing technique and focus, we are able to regain our intrinsic happy, strong and healthy nature by reactivating the mind-body connection that we have lost. "We are all able to do this," he said, "that's great news!"

Wim Hof is a Dutch world record holder, more commonly known as the Iceman, due to his unique ability to withstand extreme cold. He is best known for his twenty world records, including the longest ice bath, staying immersed in ice for over 1 hour and 13 minutes. He describes his ability as being able to “turn his own body's thermostat up” with the power of his mind. Some of his other impressive feats are climbing to 7.3 km altitude at Mount Everest wearing nothing but shorts, a full marathon above the polar circle in Finland in shorts, and a marathon through the Namib desert without water. It has been scientifically proven that Wim is able to directly influence his autonomic nervous and immune system. Wim Hof is a fervent advocate of his discovery of brain-body connection through breathing techniques and focus, in order to fight against physical and psychological diseases in the world and recover our true strong, happy and healthy intrinsic nature.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

Look at this little film,
three and a half minutes.

(Music)

(Video) Narrator (Dutch):
Wim Hof, the iceman.

This is how we know him,

a man who can withstand
extreme cold for hours.

Journalist (English): 8 o'clock now,
on Friday morning January 25th, 2008,

a chilly morning
for most folks on the plaza ...

Narrator (Dutch): A man who can climb
Mt. Everest just in shorts.

A man who ran
half a marathon in Lapland,

barefoot and in shorts
at -30 degrees celsius.

A man who swam large distances
under the ice, from hole to hole.

He does the impossible.

Journalist: Wim Hof knows
how to deal with extreme cold,

and says he knows how to control
his innate immune response.

According to scientists, it's impossible.

For over a year,
the St. Radboud Research Center

conducted experiments on the iceman.

Is he really a medical mystery?

The results, according to the scientists,
are remarkable.

Narrator: Something remarkable
is going on with Wim Hof.

It seems as though he's able to influence
the response of his immune system.

Doctor: To make it
scientifically fallible,

Wim should train a group of ten
to practice his techniques,

and have another group of ten
not trained by him,

to see if we can
reproduce those differences.

Narrator : 12 young and healthy volunteers

have been trained by him
for four days in Poland,

for a crash course
in what Wim mastered years ago:

withstand the cold and meditate.

(Video) Wim Hof: If you learn
some techniques I learned in the cold

and apply my breathing technique,
you can go deep into your nervous system;

not just a little deep
but down to the autonomic level.

Narrator: And then, the research.

Just as with Wim in 2011, the volunteers
were injected with a dead bacteria

while applying
the techniques taught by him.

A normal human being would get very sick
for about three hours.

Doctor: Here comes the endotoxin.
10 for the worst state, zero for the best.

Patient: Zero.

Narrator: And then, the control group:
volunteers not trained by Wim.

Results: the guys were
very sick, even shivering.

All the blood samples of the 12 volunteers
and the control group

have been tested in laboratory setting.

The results are very, very remarkable.

Doctor: Our most important conclusion
is that we're able to say,

for the first time in history,
very clearly and without doubt,

that a human being is able to influence
his autonomic nervous system,

something that was scientifically
not considered possible.

Wim Hof: It is you, who can do this.
You, you and you. Everybody.

If you can control
the stress hormone level in your body

and bring it back to its natural state,

you feel more energetic
but also more complete yourself,

a deeper level of self-awareness.

We can do much more than we thought
would ever be possible.

(On stage) Wim Hof (English):
Alright. There he is!

(Applause) (Cheers)

Thank you.

I heard great speakers,
just now, before me,

and it's all coming from the heart.

We are able to make mistakes.

Of course we believe
that living from the heart

is the only way
in which there is no border.

There is no border in feeling,
in sensation, in what we want.

And to come on this planet Earth -

beautiful planet by the way! -

I had my... What?

Oh, in the red spot. Okay.

(Laughter)

Yes.

You know, the only goal
on this planet, this beautiful planet,

actually, is to become spiritually aware

and to have a feeling
like a plant, like a flower.

She grows into a stem, then leaves.

It takes sunshine, rain,
and all the elements,

and in the interaction
it becomes a natural flower.

We are like that.

Our spirit wants to evolve, grow,
become strong and expand,

and become happy, therein.

There's only happiness in living

from this belief, feeling,

within the depth of our being.

And that made me search

for what was not in the books,

it did not tell me, "This is luck,"

"This is absolute health,"

"This is the way to live."

It was always so far from me.

So I began, beyond my fears,
beyond my way of thinking, the rules,

and all the things which had set in
because of school, systems and hierarchy,

I began to look for something
deeper within myself.

Therefore,

I went into nature.

I went back to nature, mother Nature.

I had followed many esoteric disciplines,

but from books.

With the existent disciplines

I could not really make this contact
deeply within myself.

Therefore, finally, I got attracted
by freezing cold water.

Intuitively, I felt it was attracting me.

It wanted me to go in it. I went in.

I only took one minute inside,

but I felt a tremendous recognition
of the depth of my physiology,

and I knew from the inside: this is it.

This is what I was looking for.

Maybe you think: "Freezing water?
Are you looking for freezing water?"

(Laughter)

"It's f*cking cold!
No, I'm not going to do that."

But we have such
internal powers within us.

We are mammals,

and we have these mechanisms,
developed over millions of years.

Since we became humans,
we're making everything comfortable,

putting clothes on,
making rules to Nature,

actually inflicting a damage to Nature.

The Amazon is in danger

because it is not able
to absorb so much CO2 anymore

in the last 30 years.

What are we doing ?

I tried to go into the depth of myself
and look for answers.

I found it in cold water.

It brought me back

because cold water really is merciless,

but it is righteous.

And it brought me
into an absolute certainty,

within myself, beyond my thoughts,

into this primordial
very good, very strong feeling,

and it united all
the mechanisms within myself,

making me able to stay, for example,
in shorts, in freezing temperatures,

all night long, just sitting,

using breathing.

The breath is able to get
into the depth of our physiology,

far more than we thought before.

And because of our way
of behaving with clothes,

we are not living in interaction
with Nature anymore.

So cold does not affect us,
and heat does not affect us

because we are all, all the time,
able to control the environment.

But we are not able to control
the mechanisms within.

Now, you saw this little film,

which showed I trained people
within four days, to be able,

without experience in the cold,
just in four days,

to go in shorts
at -10 degrees Celsius,

and then for hours climb up
a mountain to go to the summit.

And there, it was -27.

It was all in a research program.

The doctors who were accompanying us
were completely dressed

with scarves, head-covers,
and thick coats.

They were suffering from cold.

And these guys in shorts
were dancing the Harlem Shake

on the top of the mountain.
(Laughter)

Then I knew, these guys, in four days,

will be able to control
their autonomic nervous system,

related to the immune system,

making them able to withstand
an injection of the E. coli bacteria -

which normally creates
uncontrollable shivering,

headaches, all over miserable feeling,

no good -

they were able to control that
within 15 minutes.

And you know why?

Because they not only danced
the Harlem Shake,

they awakened these internal mechanisms

from which we became alienated
because of our comfort -

the so-called comfort -

and controlling Nature,

without being able
to control the nature within.

They showed this,

and they passed their fears to do this.

They felt: "Hey guys, this is a team.

We are going to tackle the biggest war

with the biggest amount
of casualties ever,

which is the war of the bacteria,
the vaccine and the virus.

Are we able to do that?

I feel we are able to do this,
but we have to do this together."

And yes, in four days, just four days,

they were able to go in shorts,
at -10 to -27 on top,

and do the Harlem Shake.

But at the same time,

they were able to reawaken
these internal powers,

which gives them access
to the control of their immune system,

their autonomic nervous system,
their hormonal system.

And what do we suffer in this world from?

From depression, cancer,
all kinds of autoimmune diseases,

and of having no control within:

powerlessness.

And I say, now, surely after this research,
it's opening up, little by little.

We published in the best
of medical magazines in the world

that we are able to go deeper within,

and therefore change our way of thinking:

happiness, health and strength
are makeable for us all.

Every individual, going by science
and showing just by measurements -

a control group and a group
that was instructed,

enabling them in just a couple of days

because they were motivated
and took it on -

can see that the things
that I learned in the heart of Nature,

not in the books,

has altered them
in the depth of themselves.

In just four days...

In just four days, we showed
scientifically by measurement

that everybody actually
is able to control much more within,

that they are able to go back
to the natural state

wherein we are able to control
our hormonal system,

which is connected to the nice hormones
which make us happy,

and the strong hormones
which make us strong.

They saw in the hospital
people lying in bed,

doing certain breathing
exercises and focus.

They saw them creating,

generating more adrenaline
in a tranquil, controlled way,

than somebody in fear for the first time
going into a bungee jump

- blood results comparison.

That's control.

And of course a bacteria,
at that point, has no chance.

And that's the immune system.

What do we have in this world?

A whole lot of diseases,

a whole lot of powerlessness
against disease,

against depression and all that.

And why?

Because we lost track of what Nature is,
within us and in interaction.

So in the future, we have to
take away all these borders,

this way of thinking,
this too much comfort,

and thinking that we are able
to control Nature,

because Nature within
should be happiness, strength and health.

We took this pursuit on,
and we have no fear.

We believe in this.

We dare and do, all the time,

things unbelievable by scientists,
and physiologists are telling us,

"This is irresponsible
what you're going to do.

With 26 people, in three days, in shorts,
climbing Kilimanjaro?

That's not possible,

especially with people who have
no mountain area experience,

and have cancer, a heart condition,
Crohn's disease, MS, asthma,

and all kinds of different diseases."

I told them, "Are you motivated?

Now we are able to climb
Mt. Kilimanjaro in three days,

which is irresponsible,
looking at it physiologically.

But I feel we are able to do this."
So we took it on.

And all these physiologists told us,

"You can't do this.

Because the physiological limits
of the human body

are scientifically stated

as not enabling you
to climb in three days,

especially in shorts, up Mt. Kilimanjaro."

We didn't do it in three days.
We did it in two days.

Now, I do not hear of them any more.

And all these guys -
65 years, the oldest one -

he did it too, in two days.

Last January, we repeated it,

and we took off 16 hours
from this [total] of 46 hours.

We did it in 31 hours, 25 minutes.

I'm trying to astound, every time,

showing that the power
within every human body,

every person in the world,

is able to do a whole lot more,

to become happy by his or her control,

every individual in the world.

We showed that the autonomic
nervous system is no longer autonomic.

The books are changed in the universities
in the U.S. right now, because of us:

the first group in the world to show

that the autonomic nervous system
in relationship with the immune system,

that was supposedly uncontrollable
is 100% controllable.

All the 12 participants in this research
showed direct control within 15 minutes,

and the bacteria had no chance.

That means: control
of the hormonal system.

The hormonal system consists
of hormones, and we have a brain.

Once this internal natural power

and the connection between
the hormonal system and the brain

is reestablished by going into Nature,

and being able to do the Harlem Shake

on the top of the mountain at -27.

Anybody can do this.

I train people regardless [of age].

I am going to do the next climb

with a person who will be 77
at that point.

He is motivated.

And he will be able to make a record time
up the Kilimanjaro, like all.

The thing I want to state is: it is time

to make possible

in the consciousness of people

that we are people who want to become -

that the goal of people
is to become happy, strong and healthy.

We showed by figures and measurements

that we are able to control things
much deeper within our systems.

We're alienated from our systems,

so we lost control
over the hormonal system,

thus depression and all kinds of diseases.

We are victims of that.
That's a lottery.

Maybe yes, maybe no; we don't know.

But we do know now
that by going into Nature,

interacting the right way,

we are able to deepen
our control and power within,

in just a couple of days
because it is already there,

made by millions
of years of trial and error.

It is still there, and it is time
to get back into control,

to become happy - hormonal system -

to become strong - hormonal system -

and to become healthy - immune system.

We showed it all.

I don't know why it is sort of blocked.

It is going so slow.

The books are changing, right now,

in the universities
of biology and medical sciences.

I do not know why they didn't take down
what we showed as a first group

about the autonomic nervous system
in relationship with the immune system.

That's great news because it is important
for every person in this world,

in a very short time, to be able
to go deeper within our power.

And it's for free.

I think it's time for the world,

which is able to make
such beautiful technology

like iPhones and all that,

to learn to guarantee happiness,
strength, and health,

for God's sake.

And all these systems,

we are running after these systems,

while these systems
actually should serve us, humans,

to become happy, strong, and healthy.

We showed that we are able to do this.

Why does it go so slow? I do not know.

You are a young audience.

I want to give you this message:

"Hey, guys.

We are able to do so much more
in just a short period of time

by awakening internal powers.

It is unbelievable
what you experience then,

and what you are able to do."

Yes, that's a sort of message, a mission.

And I'm not afraid
to make mistakes at it, right?

I believe it is time for everybody

to take back the right
to become happy, strong, and healthy.

From there, a happy,
strong, and healthy person

is able to learn just like that flower,

to learn to expand in his mind,

to co-create with the world,

and that's the purpose of life,

instead of living in fears and "yakkings"

and all these limiting
forces all the time,

taking your thoughts all the way
up there - da, da, da, da! -

but not inside here,

where we can experience
this happiness, strength, and health.

But we are able to do this.

We have shown this right now,

and I'm showing it all the time
with a whole bunch of people,

regardless of age, and even of disease,

to be able to go
beyond physiological borders,

every time.

And what's the clue?

I'm trying to get through to you.

What am I talking about?
What is my message?

Because I have no program in my head.

I do not know.

This is about life.

Life is something to be,
you know, worth living.

The girl who was talking here,
very brave girl, talking.

It's sort of that.

Because we all live in this society.

One is happy and one unhappy.

One is fitting in the system,

and the other one is not fitting in
and he is excluded.

No!

There should be a system
or a way of living for everybody

to be able to become happy,
strong and healthy.

No borders, no limits,
they are all within.

And the freedom felt like a child
who has no borders yet

because she is taken care of
by love and attention.

We all, while becoming adults, say,

"This mind still wants to be this child"

because life, planet Earth -
all of creation is a wonder.

It is so miraculous
that we can't understand,

but we can experience.

And that experience of expanding
your consciousness is so great.

If it is withheld

because we have to live in this system

and make the system work
instead of our happiness,

then the mind is not able to expand

and to go freely like this flower.

A flower is very vulnerable.
Our mind is very vulnerable.

It just wants to bloom and to flower,

and that's the most beautiful thing
we could do to each other

because if we radiate
the right energy from within us -

we are healthy, strong and happy -

we love the next person.

Because we radiate this energy.

We are energy.

And if this energy goes freely again,

it is because we cherish
our internal mechanisms

in the way mother Nature told us.

But because of this alienation,

we have too much in the head,
in the brain, in this system,

and we are all connected to this system,

but the deeper part
of the brain is neglected.

The child got neglected.
The wonder got neglected.

We need pills to become lean
or to expand consciousness a bit.

And it should not be necessary

because we have a beautiful pineal gland,

which is actually calcified

because of too much
brain activity on the surface.

It makes us distant
from direct interaction,

but we showed that adrenaline,
the fight or flight hormone,

can be generated in just 20 minutes

to a level more than -

Oh yes, hello!
I have to finish, I think.

(Laughter)

So, last thing.

We are able to do a whole lot more
than we think or thought,

even beyond what is scientifically stated.

Just go for that!

(Applause) (Cheers)