Frequently Asked Questions

While the activities & sessions can be practiced by every healthy individual and are suitable for everyone 18 years and over, out of precaution, we advise against practicing during pregnancy (or if you’re looking to conceive), or if you are epileptic. People with cardiovascular issues, or any other serious health conditions (e.g. high blood pressure, COPD, stroke) or those with Raynaud's disease (Type 2) or cold urticaria should always get in touch with the instructor and consult a medical professional before attending. If you have specific questions relating to your condition, please contact me before making your booking. This was Emily’s experience: "Kym was incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about every aspect of the course including catering to people with different abilities. I have some chronic medical conditions and he made sure everything was safe and comfortable for me to participate as well as giving me additional information to help with moving forward."

Yes, I offer private coaching and workshops. Private workshops Alongside public workshops, I also teach private Wim Hof Method workshops for those looking for individualised attention or for those looking to adapt the Method to a specific health need or performance goal. Book private workshop Private breathing coaching This 60/90 minute session can be tailored to areas you’d like to focus on including; helping to improve asthma, sleeping better and calming the mind. I can also work with you to develop a training plan to improve your athletic performance. Or we can take a deeper dive into the Wim Hof Method breathing. It’s up to you! Learn more

If you’re looking for 1:1 breathwork coaching you can learn more about what I offer here - Breathing Coaching Ready to book? Schedule an appointment

Yes. While the Private Wim Hof Method and Breathing Coaching activities are designed for 1:1, you can add extra people for both. If you have 4+ people interested, please contact me. Add extra people

Yes. Gift vouchers are available for Group and Private Wim Hof Method events. Unfortunately I do not offer vouchers for breathing coaching sessions at this stage. Important note: please enter the voucher recipients name in the 'Add note' field and your name & email when checking out. Buy gift voucher

While I'm not able to offer a blanket concession discount for people on Centrelink or pension, at select workshops I'm able to offer significantly discounted ticket prices. If you find yourself in a difficult situation financially, I'll do my best to accommodate you or direct you to where/how you can best learn yourself. Speak with me to see how I might be able to help.

The Wim Hof Method can be practiced by every healthy individual and workshops are suitable for everyone 18 years and over, regardless of your current level of fitness or confidence. This was Emily’s experience: "Kym was incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about every aspect of the course including catering to people with different abilities. I have some chronic medical conditions and he made sure everything was safe and comfortable for me to participate as well as giving me additional information to help with moving forward." Out of precaution, we advise against practicing during pregnancy (or if you’re looking to conceive), or if you are epileptic. People with cardiovascular issues, or any other serious health conditions (e.g. high blood pressure, COPD, stroke) or those with Raynaud's disease (Type 2) or cold urticaria should always get in touch with the instructor and consult a medical professional before starting the Wim Hof Method. If you suffer from migraines, be cautious when it comes to taking ice baths (and other cold exposure). If you have specific questions relating to your condition, please contact me beforehand.

The Wim Hof Method breathing techniques can cause lightheadedness and even loss of consciousness. Children often have not matured to the point where they understand their body well enough to adequately assess these risks. Additionally, their lungs and brains are still developing. Therefore, we advise that children under the age of 18 are supervised by a parent or legal guardian. Please be careful with regard to cold exposure, and build this up gradually. I have a limit of 18 years and above at all my public workshops, but I am happy to discuss, on a case-by-case basis, teaching those under 18 at private workshops under supervision of a parent or legal guardian. I do not teach children under the age of 13. However, there are so many other breathing techniques that can be taught to children. Please contact me to organise a modified breathwork session suitable for kids to teenagers.

Our lives and our lifestyle, our poor (breathing) habits condition us and this takes time to clear out blockages (and trash that’s built up in our bodies) and relearn new behaviours. Along the way the body can protest, and it’s common for people to feel a little worse after 3 weeks, and to potentially get sick/flu at week 5-6. Keep at it, but if you feel unwell, drop the cold exposure until you’re better.

Cold exposure training is a form of hormetic stress - a small, measured dose of stress on the body - but, it is still stress… and so is having a cold/flu. There’s no point adding to that stress, instead encourage your body to direct it’s healing energy into getting better and pick up your cold training when you’re better. I would recommend keeping up your breathing practice, but listen to your body - go light if you need to.

“Belly, chest, head” is a common guidance given during the breathing technique. Personally, I recommend people engage their primary breathing muscles - “belly, ribcage, chest” - and leave the head out of it. “Squeeze to the head” is often a cue given during the recovery breath (after the breath hold). Personally, I recommend people avoid pressurising their head or bringing any tension to their neck/face/head at all. The entire Wim Hof Method breathing technique should be done without force. Too many people, especially when they are new, lack the breathing awareness and control required to avoid this when trying to follow the instruction “squeeze to the head”. Instead, I recommend people create intrathoracic pressure (positive pressure in their abdomen and chest) on the recovery breath. Being able to successfully (and safely) “squeeze to the head” is an advanced technique and is something I cover at an Advanced workshop.

TL;DR The breathing technique increases nerve cell activity which can cause muscles to contract spontaneously, most noticeably in the hands and feet. During the breathing exercises you may experience involuntary muscle contraction (or tingling sensation) in your hands or feet, known as ‘tetany’. Intensified breathing causes a decrease in CO2 within the blood (respiratory alkalosis), starting a cascade of ionization changes and leading to increased nerve cell sensitivity. These cells then require less excitation to cause a muscle response, to the point where the muscles can contract spontaneously. The effects are typically expressed most distinctly in the hands and feet, but can extend across the entire body. Barring any pre-existing medical conditions, this phenomenon is entirely harmless, and the effects dissipate within minutes following the breathing session. Over time it may no longer occur at all. Note: If your whole body is seizing up (not just hands and feet), significantly decrease your breathing intensity and the length of your breath holds. If it continues to occur, please contact Kym to discuss ways to adjust your technique, as repeatedly doing this is not healthy If the sensation is painful, please consult a medical professional

TL;DR No it’s not, but it’s also not the objective (or healthy) to repeatedly have either happen. Decrease your breathing intensity and focus on a slower inhale. Lightheadedness The breathing exercise causes a decrease in CO2 within the blood (respiratory alkalosis), which can cause a rapid shift in blood pressure (an increase or decrease depending what part of the technique you’re in). For some people, the change in blood pressure during the breathing phase causes them to feel lightheaded. In this case, the recommendation is to decrease your breathing intensity and focus on a slower inhale followed by slowing your exhale down. If the lightheadedness persists, stop and speak with a medical professional. Fainting By lowering your CO2 levels during the breathing, you’re able to extend the length of time you can hold your breath. Ordinarily, a rise in CO2 during a breath hold would trigger you to take a breath, however, there may be instances when your blood oxygen levels become too low before this has occurred, causing you to faint. This is why we recommend you practice the Wim Hof Method breathing technique in a safe location; on a flat, stable surface, with plenty of space around you. You should not practice in or near water, while sitting or standing, or while undertaking any activity where fainting or loss of consciousness could be dangerous.

It’s important to distinguish between short term, ‘ear ringing’ and the more long term, tinnitus, which has a number of different causes (the mechanism of which is still debated). People seem to fall into one of three categories when it comes to ear ringing sensations; No ringing sensations (vast majority of people) Short period of ringing sensations, which generally goes away after 5-30 minutes Long period of ringing sensations afterward, which may become more intense with continued practice and take longer to disappear (very small minority of people) There are potentially several physiological reasons that trigger the ringing sensation (again, there’s no scientific consensus here); Temporary blood pressure increase within the inner ear Temporary decrease in oxygen saturation (hypoxia) within the cochlear Increase neural activity in the auditory brainstem, causing auditory nerve cells to become over-excited An underlying condition that is triggered or exacerbated by the breathing technique (potentially by one of the above reasons) From my experience, there appear to potentially be several technique related triggers; New to the Wim Hof Method and new to breathwork in general (within the first few months) Breathing too intensely, leading to very low oxygen saturation during the breath hold Pressurisation of the head (mainly during the recovery breath) creating a significant increase in cranial blood pressure (this is why I do not recommend people “squeeze to the head” - see separate FAQ) Comment from the official Wim Hof Method website: “In the vast majority of cases, the ringing disappears with repeated breathing practice. If you find that, after several weeks, the noise persists or intensifies, some underlying physiological condition may be at play, and we recommend you consult a medical professional.”

There’s a lot of content out there on Wim (8 million results), so it can be confusing to know where to begin. Here are my 5 tips to help you get started with the Wim Hof Method.

Research published in 2022 by the Radboud University in the Netherlands investigated this exact thing. Unsurprisingly, the combination of the breathing technique and cold exposure showed the most robust and significant effects on positively attenuating the immune system. However, there were also positive outcomes for those practicing only the breathing or only cold training. Read the full published paper

There are plenty of reasons to come along to a workshop even if you’ve completed a course, or been practicing for some time, with many participants echoing Marianne’s - “The experience was significantly better than what I had managed by myself at home.” Discover the Benefits of a Wim Hof Method Workshop.

Factors like the type, temperature and time play a role in providing benefits of cold exposure, but they’re not the most important. Read my article The 4 T’s of Cold Exposure for a breakdown on each, and discover what is actually more important.

Having a chest freezer cold plunge at home offers many benefits from convenience to the ability to adjust the temperature. Read my tips to building a chest freezer cold plunge for a breakdown of my chest freezer ice bath setup.