Becoming a Wim Hof Instructor

Becoming a Wim Hof Instructor is hard, it takes commitment, belief and courage to follow through with every part of the journey. The method is not something you just do, it becomes who you are, but lets take a step back a minute.

If you are on social media, you may have noticed the ads that come up for becoming a coach of some sort. From life coach, to fitness coach, to yoga instructor. These professions are important, yet I frequently come across companies offering these to people for $7 or to qualify in just 3 hours online. I cannot honestly believe that you can learn all that you need to know, in a way that allows you to help your clients in such a short period of time for whatever the price.

The health and wellness industry is enormous and I understand that not everyone can afford to invest in real, good quality programs that provide a substantial syllabus and an onsite assessment to ensure that their brand, their process, their message is spread with integrity, passion and safety…. But that is what I did.

The Wim Hof Method Instructor Academy is not a $7 course, nor is it a short one. When this method helped me so much in ways I hoped it would, but also in ways that took me totally by surprise, my drive to help others find this method and introduce into their lives, was imprinted on my soul.

Signing Up To The Academy

I signed up to the Academy in September 2021 to become a future instructor and the syllabus was released on 30^th June. I followed this syllabus, completed a workbook to track my journey, ran test workshops, recorded practice videos and continued to dive into my own Wim Hof Method practice in preparation for my assessment.

I studied for 7 whole months.

I absorbed every detail of breathing protocols, mechanics, benefits and physiological changes that this method brings to the body.

I threw myself into the benefits of the cold exposure, the contraindications, the safety, the protocols and of course in developing my practice so I understood what it would feel like if things go wrong.

I looked at mindset, how positivity can affect outcomes, how using parts of our brain can actually build them like muscles and by not using them can cause them to deteriorate, how to build new habits, how committing to the breathwork and cold exposure can influence your mood.

I read numerous medical white papers on studies conducted by a variety of institutes on the method, or parts of it, I understood how each of the parts could affect the human body, help support people suffering from a plethora of illnesses.

I am still learning and new studies are being conducted all the time.

I learnt some simple stretches, how they affect proprioception, balance, blood flow and flexibility.

I joined numerous study calls with other future instructors and went down many rabbit holes digging deeper into the physiology and science.

All this while working a demanding job, renovating two houses, looking after 3 dogs, a huge vegetable garden, undertaking a new fitness regime and general life things like shopping, cooking and cleaning… who am I kidding I don’t clean that’s Dan’s job 😊

Shifting Mindset?

I also learnt a lot about myself during this journey. I am such a driven person. If I set my mind to something, I will achieve it, no matter how hard and how long I have to work to get there, but I sometimes forget how that affects those around me.

I needed to say ‘No’ occasionally instead of trying to be all things to everyone and that meant missing out on some events and connections I would have loved to be part of.

I needed to learn to respond, not react to situations and try to see things from other people’s perspective. When you have your sights on a goal, this is a hard lesson to learn, to step back, allow life to happen without you being in control of every single aspect of it.

The most important thing I learnt for my personal sanity though was how to shift my focus. Focusing on the end goal can sometimes become overwhelming as it never seems to get any closer. You’ve probably heard the saying, “Life is a journey, not a destination” and I discovered that it is so so true if you find joy in the process rather than focusing on the end goal, it removes a great deal of stress.

Learning to enjoy learning new, interesting facts about hormesis, the cori and krebbs cycle, the lymphatic system and hypoxia to name just a few, meant that sitting down to study each day was exciting rather than a chore – a simple shift in mindset.

Learning to enjoy the view while running rather than focusing on the fact that I wasn’t going much quicker than Dan’s walking pace, meant I went out 3 times a week and did this with a smile.

Learning to focus on the message you’re providing on videos, rather than how you look or that weird voice that you are surprised actually belongs to you, is a game changer.

I worked so hard mentally and physically to enable me to be able to share this method with the world.

Hitting Spain Hard

I finally relaxed as I set off on my journey to Spain and as I hit Barcelona, I felt like I’d been hit by a train. I couldn’t eat and went early to bed. I couldn’t breathe, I felt like someone was sitting on my chest. I considered calling the Academy and rescheduling my assessment, I thought I was going home.

I messaged my main study partner, Deki. His response: “You will not go home Missy! This is your time.”

That simple message of positivity, confidence and friendship, shifted my focus once again and the next morning I went to the pharmacy, got a COVID test and a shed load of meds. I am not one to take medication, but this was not the time to be picky.  The test was negative and the decision was made that this indeed “was my time.”

The assessment in the Pyrenes was intense to say the least, but I found the cold exposure exercises well within my abilities and I certainly proved to myself that all the work I did in advance was worthwhile when tackling the written exam and questions throughout the week and it paid off big time.

All this I was well prepared for.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the emotional journey.

Emotional Release

It is difficult to explain to someone that wasn’t there, but I came across a Mel Robbins quote the other day about the meaning of life being love.

“To give and receive as much love as we possibly can.”

If you’d have said this to me a couple of years ago, I’d have thought you were delusional or weird at best.

In Morillo I experienced love, connection, emotion and self-belief like never before.

It is like someone poked their fingers through the tightly wrapped protective shield I’d built around myself and then proceeded to tear holes in it.

On return home, progressively more and more of the Jane I’ve lived with, for way longer than I choose to admit, began to emerge.

All my barriers have come down, what you see is what you get…they say that true love starts with yourself, but my story surrounding this is way too big to include here, so keep an eye out for my next blog: “The Power of Self-Love: Building Stronger Connections” where I reveal things about myself like never before.

So, if you want to become a Wim Hof Instructor, do it because you believe in what the method can do for mental and physical health. Do it because you want to help people take control of their own health. Do it because it has had a profound affect on your own life and you want to share this with the world.

It is the most amazing journey, it is life-changing and empowering, so whatever your reason, just do it, tell the world and know that you will never regret one moment of it.

Next: You Never Forget Your First – Holding my first event as a certified Wim Hof Instructor.