Last year I read a book about Wim Hof, the crazy dutch extreme athlete who jumps into freezing lakes and climbs Mt Everest in his underwear. He has set multiple Guinness World Records and inspired millions around the world to take control of their lives and their bodies. At the core of his method is breathwork, which involves hyperventilating and then holding his breath for extended periods. I honestly have a hard time understanding him when Wim Hof speaks, but Scott Carney’s book about the Wim Hof Method clearly explained the science of how it benefits the body.
I’ve been experimenting with cold showers and ice baths, and we’re installing a cold plunge in our new home in LA. It took a bit longer for the breathing exercises to stick for me, but I had a eureka moment when in one of my breath holds I heard that Bethel Song…
More than the air I breathe
More than the song I sing
More than anything
I need you more
For a split second as I was gasping for my next breath, I meditated on the fact that I need God more than air, and then his presence just melted all over me in that moment. At our church, we fast for the first 21 days of the year to create space for God to come and hang out. Most of us fast from food. Some of us fast from social media. The hardest thing for me to give up is work, so sometimes I fast from work. We all fast from slightly different things, but we pretty much all have the same experience of God’s presence, his power and his peace.
But if we can fast from food, why can’t we fast from air? A meditation routine can get stale, but an intimate love relationship with a living God never will because his mercies are new every morning. His love is infinite, and so are the ways in which we can experience that love.
If you haven’t tried fasting from air, I’d highly recommend it. Just make sure you don’t do it while driving or swimming!