Ice cubes, yoga, body temperature

On a warm spring morning, the sun shone on the streets of the Netherlands, and the "ice man" was busy pouring bags after bags of ice into the pool. The students who were about to soak in the pool later were filled with unspeakable worry. "Iceman"'s plan is to have students spend a few minutes in ice water and practice the techniques he taught to overcome the cold through meditation.

The 52-year-old Hoff won the title of "Iceman" because he spent nearly 2 hours in an ice filled pool in Hong Kong, swam half a football field in the Arctic ice floe, and set a world record for running a marathon barefoot in Finland where snow was floating below zero. He once challenged to climb Mount Everest wearing only shorts and sandals, but failed at 7400 meters due to frostbite. In 2009, he switched to climbing Mount Gilimajaro and successfully challenged in the same outfit.

Hoff told students that cold weather meditation can strengthen the body and mind. Some scientists also said that soaking in ice water may be beneficial to athletes 'circulatory system, otherwise it can help them recover more quickly after training, but many people doubt this.

If you don't wear enough clothes and stay in cold weather, most people will soon start to lose temperature. If their body temperature drops below 32 degrees Celsius, they will die soon. Hoff said he is so resistant to cold because he knows how to activate an "internal thermostat system" that most people cannot control with their consciousness. In 2008, he spent 71 minutes in a box filled with ice on the streets of New York, setting a record at the time.

Hoff explained that what he was doing was like some kind of internal dialogue, allowing his body and heart to send signals to each other. If he felt cold during the performance, he would silently guide the warmth to specific parts."No teacher ever taught me, and I have not been trained." Hoff said that his method has three key points: controlling breathing, focusing on the signals coming from the body, and most importantly, opening up your mind.

Cohen, director of neurosurgery at Brooklyn Medical Center, said he was not surprised that Hoff could control his body temperature. Monk learning Tummo in Xizang can also show similar abilities."From a certain perspective, this makes perfect sense."

Professor Pixar of the University of Nijmegen said that the reason why Hoff is so resistant to cold should be that cortisol, the so-called "stress hormone", rises sharply, suppressing the immune system. Hoff seems to deliberately affect the system that should have automatic regulation."If you fight with someone on the street, your heartbeat will automatically accelerate, and you can't make your heart accelerate, but Hoff can use meditation to make the cortisol rise." (Editor in charge: Chen Shaopeng)