Newsletter #7

My current view of Hoffing

October 06, 2025

My current view of Hoffing

Despite the many benefits I have gained from Hoffing, breathwork, and cold exposure, I have practically stopped doing them. Cold resistance is convenient, especially in winter. Mouth taping is the only thing I still do daily. As mentioned in the previous newsletter, I have a few concerns related to cold exposure. We all know that stress is not good, yet I was stressing my body excessively with frequent and prolonged cold exposures, among other things.

In December 2024, I stopped taking cold showers and cold exposure altogether. Gradually, the breathwork became less frequent; randomly, I still do it sometimes. I stopped taking cold showers because I no longer believe they are healthy. The red skin that followed was similar to the red skin I had at the beginning; something in me had changed. Around the start of the decade, there were only positive mentions of cold exposure. This gradually evolved into a more nuanced view, which I also subscribe to. There are benefits, including adaptation to the cold, muscle recovery (although this seems to reduce muscle growth), and the release of survival hormones, which can leave you feeling happy afterward. The adverse effects that I experienced include stress, shrinkage of specific body parts (which feels and sounds bad), cold hands and feet, and red skin.

For me, the main reason why I stopped doing it was that it felt wrong to stress my body. This change originated from Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy. The therapy has made me more present and aware of what I’m doing. Exposing myself to the cold felt like a form of self-hatred. Self-hatred is not a good thing. Besides cold exposure, it has changed my diet and how I view alcohol, among other things, more on that in a later newsletter. Within two months, my view on cold exposure completely changed.

I have often wondered if cold exposure is beneficial. From December 2023 until March 2024, I abstained from the cold. Mainly because I did not feel any different with warm showers and no winter swims, I restarted cold exposure. During this time, I continued with the breathwork.

Breathwork offers numerous benefits, including reduced stress, increased focus, and improved energy. Writing this down has made me realize that I should integrate some breathwork back into my life. As meditation has replaced breathwork, I stopped doing it. Meditation is a component of IFS therapy. During the meditation, I do IFS work on parts that come up. As I do not practice this daily, I will engage in breathwork on the non-meditation days.

Recommended books on the topic:
The following books had the most impact on me related to Hoffing, in- and exhaling oxygen, and breathwork.

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48890486-breath