Wim Hof's Yoga Manuscript & Meaning Behind It

Look at my hair...

It was still there.

In 1988,

As a result of a lot of practice

And trying to get into the depth of what yoga really is all about...

Because there wasn’t a lot information about yoga back then.

In those times it was intriguing.

because we had no idea what was coming out of the east.

For us it was mysterious.

Something unknown.

But we were also opening up.

Maybe because of The Beatles.

I wanted to find my deeper self coming into full bloom.

I think that’s a birthright for everybody but...

It’s not a fact.

It’s not real in this society.

So I had to dive deep into yoga.

Into the scriptures,

Because yoga to me,

was the best non dogmatic technique written from thousands of years ago

And I had to update it.

I had to find a way to fully undertand the real depth

because the... (Hindu terms)

And all that was like Latin or Gibberish to me.

In Amsterdam I thought myself to read and write Sanskrit.

And to get into the scriptures and to get a full understanding of the Hinduistic culture,

which is very much related to yoga.

In 1972, when I was 12,

I was very interested in psychology, Hinduism, Buddhism, music, scriptures, readings etc.

And yoga into those times was something unknown.

That was 'strange'.

"Don’t do it. It’s wrong."

"The man is strange, doing strange things.

But I was already into that stuff.

So I had to find...

I went through this matter of these old scriptures, the Upanishads,

The Bhagavad Gita, the Veda's

All that,

Through Sanskrit...

with the help of an Indian teacher.

A priest.

He thought me.

Yes.

I was the only western guy there in the Mandir, in the school.

Of course I was a stranger in this time.

In those times I was a stranger.

And then I found techniques that I CAN understand,

With my western mind,

That I CAN practice which caused instant elevation of my being.

Where it came from...

I had no idea so I began somewhere.

It says here 'Yoga'

’Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodha'

"Silencing the modifications of the brain."

The thoughts,

going down.

And how do you do that?

Yeah through yoga.

I made some nice little drawings.

This was in 1988

In 1988 I wrote this book,

With the little means I had.

I had very little money.

With an old typewriter.

Tick... Tick..

That was my technique.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

And so there you have it.

And drawing some pictures.

Nice.

Like me meditating and going into the tree.

Being one with the tree.

And the tree sees you.

And I see the tree and I’m 'one'

You know fantasy.

And sitting in the 'Padmasana'

The 'Lotus.'

Just put a bit of stress on your knees.

It’s sort of a drawing book.

Because I had no real photos

At a certain moment I knew somebody who had a photo-camera.

And he would make pictures,

of all the Asana’s and such.

Many types of yoga are mentioned.

Kundaline yoga.

Hatha yoga.

Going on...

Trying to explain it all.

And when I wrote the book.

As conclusion.

‘This is this and this is that.'

I was still into this psychic...

...feeling locked up into modern society...

I tried to make an attempt.

To find myself.

The deeper self.

That was quite difficult in those days.

But I had my discipline.

I went into the cold water.

I had developed my own kind of yoga.

Instinctively and intuitively.

I could not understand what this was all about.

This was a different culture.

Coming from thousands of years ago.

It appealed to me...

but really understanding...

I did not.

It was too esoteric and too far away.

Oh here look!

This was an exercise

'Eka Hasta Sarira Utthana Asana.

This exercise wasn’t mentioned...

in any book about Hatha yoga (at the time).

I just invented it.

But because I knew my Sanskrit...

That’s why I called it...

'Eka Hasta'

Which means ‘One limb'

'Eka Hasta Sarira'

'Sarira' means 'body'

'Utana' means 'lifting up'

'Asana.'

'Eka hasta Sarira Uthana asana'

I call it the ‘One arm bandit’ now.

Look it me flying.

It’s all there... Body awareness.

Fully present.

I tell you.

This was one of my exercises.

And of course (name of pose)

'The Tree' (upside)

This pose I could do in many variations.

I could also stand on one hand.

It’s a nice exercise.

Just standing on your hands.

The handstand.

Oh here, look at this!

The Durvasana.

'Durva'...

He was a man, a wizard.

But he was always angry.

He was always angry.

He was known for his anger.

So they made an exercise that would control his head.

Because the anger goes through the head.

You become red.

And if you put your leg in the back of your head,

You bring down the anger.

That’s 'Durvasana'.

Yeah man.

Look at my hair.

It was still there.

It’s funny.

And here’s (name of pose)

It’s like a nice little spread.

I call it the sandwich spread exercise.

But then the 'Hanumanasana'

Which is like this...

It’s good for blood in the loins.

It’s nice.

I call it...

The 'get your balls on the ground' exercise.

Hey…

It’s a free translation you know?

No disrespect.

No disrespect.

Just twist our feet.

Just twist your feet and ankles,

and do something with your body.

Feel proud to do it.

And more of those exercises.

These are all 'Asanas'.

And 'Asana' means 'seats'

'Asana' literally means 'Seat'

The 'seat of the soul.'

It needs to be good.

That’s our medium, our body and our vessel.

The vessel of the soul is the seat.

So it needs to well taken care of.

And Hatha yoga actually means 'body awereness to prevent from disease'.

And here I got into...

When you get into Pranayama (Breathwork)

And that was in 1988

When you get into Pranayama and explain it.

Pranayama is not just a little breathing exercise or something.

But it takes you into the mind.

And this illustrates it.

To make it big.

You know?

And then we get into the Sanskrit.

And of course...

Oh I think it was him.

He’s a little bit grown up but he’s still my baby.

When you were young you scribbled all over my book.

He scribbled all over it.

That’s what the new generations does.

The don’t give a F… U…. C....K...

about what daddy is working on.

'But it is my book…’

‘You can’t do that.'

But it stayed.

And now I am proud.

I remember a beating.

Don’t say that!

We are into yoga man!

We are into peace...

Love and all...

We can’t talk about...

That was not the truth by the way.

No there was no beating. Come on...

Ok.

So I made this book.

I made this book...

And that was beautiful.

In 1988.

Now you can use it as..

Yes.

Exactly.

You can use it for your ass.

That's what you said.

As toilet paper.

Yes!

It’s a little bit sturdy and hard.

As toiletpaper...

But…

It shows that...

To learn things you sometimes have to take on things you won’t use later in life.

It’s preliminary stages.

In which I found out that...

Knowing this is what I should not know.

Or what I should leave.

And that’s what I did.

I know my shit.

But then I left it.

Yeah… Alright.

I’m going to the toilet.

I'll tell you man…

You will not have a good time.

Thanks man...