Resilience Training, Nervous System Mastery & Inner Fire—My 4:03 Breakthrough
Clear, Calm & Activated Energy
This past weekend, I hit a new PR: a 4:03 breath hold practicing the Wim Hof Method.
This is a meaningful milestone, I’ve been working on this for a long time now. Yes, I know, spiritual practices aren’t meant to be competitive.
But damn, this one felt good. Been flirting with the 4:00 mark for sometime now and it was probably 2022 when I crossed the 3-min threshold.
I practice this active form of meditation every morning and compete against myself. It’s been a lifeline—and a way to supercharge energy, clarity, and inner fire.
Alongside HRV, breath-hold time has become a real-time window into my nervous system health. I don’t cling to the numbers—no session is wasted—but I track patterns over time
Top 5 Wim Hof Benefits (Science-Backed):
Nervous System Regulation:
Boosts vagal tone + HRV (Heart Rate Variability) → greater calm, faster recovery, more presence under pressure.Reduced Inflammation & Pain:
Shown to decrease pro-inflammatory cytokines—Wim Hof-trained subjects resisted endotoxins in clinical trials.Mental Clarity + Focus:
Deep breathwork shifts brainwaves into alpha/theta states—linked to meditative stillness, clarity, and flow.Resilience Under Stress:
Activates controlled stress response (cold + breath hold) → builds stronger stress tolerance + emotional resilience.Boosted Energy + Libido:
Mitochondrial boost + increased adrenaline → more drive, better blood flow, enhanced sexual performance + vitality.
Want to start? I’ve got a few guided breathing scripts I’m happy to share:
Wim Hof Method (WHF) Guided 3 Rounds; WHM Guided 4 Rounds; WHM App
But remember—it's not about the psychedelics or microdosing. It’s about using the plasticity to do hard things like this powerful breathing practice, sitting in meditation, journaling/processing our emotions/traumas, moving our bodies, etc. This is how we create the aligned behavior change we are calling in.
Just say no to BS Inc. Say yes to a life of clear, calm, activated energy—let’s go!
Do you have a breathing practice—are you a Hoffer (Affectionate term for one who practices the Wim Hof Method :)? Do you do box breathing? Or NSDR?
Share below—let’s build a new normal where connecting to our breath is a basic self-care practice.
When we consciously breathe, we ground into the present moment—where all the magic lives.
When I started back in 2016, I was barely holding for 1:15. I’ve rebuilt my lungs and cardiovascular health. One breath at a time. Next milestone? 4:30 then, 5:00 minutes, the journey never stops.
Love & peace,
Matt
++Safety note: Never force your breath hold. When your body says breathe, breathe. And never practice breath holds in or near water++