Would you like to feel the inner fire that gently warms you and protects you from the cold? Try tummo meditation to purify body and soul and burn negative energies. The stimulating Tummo method originally comes from Tibet and is already one of the advanced meditation techniques. Here we explain what Tummo Meditation is all about and how you can ignite your inner fire even as a beginner.
What is the Tummo Meditation?
Tummo Meditation is a tantric meditation technique. The word “tummo” comes from Tibetan and means “inner fire.” As the name suggests, the meditation aims to generate heat through specific breathing and visualization techniques to raise one’s body temperature. This may sound a bit unusual initially, but Tummo Meditation has a long tradition that proves its effectiveness.
Can Tummo Raise Body Temperature?
Tummo is a traditional Tibetan technique and was first written down in the 11th century. The scientists were able to prove that specific meditation techniques can raise one’s body temperature. For example, the practitioners even measured an increase in temperature of up to 8°C in their fingers.
Perhaps you have also heard of the so-called “ice man” Wim Hof. The Dutchman got the nickname because he has already set several world records for endurance in cold temperatures. For example, he managed to hold out for 73 minutes in an ice bath and climbed Mount Everest up to 7,400 meters wearing only shorts. He was so successful in all this because he developed his version of Tummo Meditation.
So you see what is possible through meditation and mental power. With a little practice, Tummo Meditation has been proven to enable you to influence the temperature in your body. But how does it work exactly?
Vase Breathing and Visualizations: How Tummo Works
We all possess an inner fire, but unfortunately, we often do not use it.
In Tummo Meditation, the purpose is to ignite a fire. This happens through two concrete aspects: on the one hand, through the so-called vase breathing and concentrated visualization.
Vase breathing is a conscious breathing technique in which the breath is bundled and held at the navel chakra like in a vase. The navel is the starting point for the inner fire, which is now ignited by the vase breathing’s resulting energy. Through this, warm light shines through your whole body and creates comforting warmth.
Through visualization, this warmth can be intensified and kept longer. For this purpose, you can imagine everything that has to do with heat.
Think of burning flames crawling up your spine. However, it is enough to concentrate only on a specific part of your body to keep the fire there. You can also bundle negative thoughts that are to be transported to the outside and thereby burned.
All this sounds quite challenging at first, and in fact, Tummo Meditation is not suitable for everyone as it requires a certain amount of experience in meditation. Therefore, Tummo Meditation cannot be practiced by everyone immediately.
For Whom Is the Tummo Meditation Technique Suitable?
Experts advise beginners not to go straight out into the cold and try Tummo Meditation. This meditation technique requires specific meditative skills and spiritual knowledge and is too risky for the untrained. Those who meditate unprepared in the cold risk hypothermia.
Extensive training and specific guidance by a trainer are necessary to practice this meditation effectively. Therefore Tummo is especially suitable for advanced students who want to expand their knowledge.
If you would still like to try Tummo but have little experience with meditation, you don’t have to despair now. Here we give you a small guide for a simple exercise, with which you can also try Tummo meditation as a beginner without significant risks. You do not have to spend much time! Just follow the instructions, and you can start.
Learn Tummo Meditation: Instructions for Beginners
Here you will find a step-by-step guide to help you learn to use your inner fire, even as a meditation novice. But please remember that the Tummo method is one of the most challenging meditation techniques. You will probably not become a master overnight, but that is quite normal. With a little patience and perseverance, it is not that difficult to see the first results. So it’s best to start practicing right away!
1. Sit Down Comfortably
The Tummo Meditation requires some concentration and is, therefore, best done in a sitting position. So first, sit upright and comfortable, preferably in a lotus or cross-legged seat, and close your eyes.
2. Imagine Channels That Run Through Your Body
Now imagine that an approximately 1 cm thick channel reaches from your perineum to your head through serving bodies. Also, imagine two side channels that run to the left and right of it. All these channels are entirely hollow as if they were empty pipes.
3. Your Body Is Empty
Imagine that your whole body is also empty and hollow. Where else your organs and inner life are, now there is nothing. Concentrate on this space within you. You can even imagine it as an empty balloon.
4. Imagine a Ball of Light
Take a deep breath and feel how your breathing energy flows through the two side channels and reconnects in the central channel near your navel. Now imagine a small but hot ball of light that is located exactly where your breath is focused. Your breath ignites this fireball and makes it extremely hot.
5. Enlarge the Ball
Concentrate on enriching the ball with more and more energy. For example, you can tense your pelvic floor to hold the fireball. The flames will become bigger and hotter. Observe how your body warms up gently. Now hold your breath on this ball for about 5-15 seconds.
6. Release the Energy
Then let go of all the breath and energy that you have collected from the fireball. Feel it roaring through your channels and bursting all blockages. The fire purifies your chakras and your whole body. All negative thoughts are burned away by the fire. All that remains is pleasant heat that you can consciously feel and direct to those parts of your body that need healing.
7. Repeat the Exercise a Few Times
Initially, you should practice the exercise for only about 2-6 minutes. If you are more familiar with the method, you are welcome to meditate longer. The more often you practice this meditation, the more adept you will become in warming up your body. To make the exercise more difficult, you can try to hold your breath over a more extended period slowly.
If you want to go a step further, you can also put on some wet clothes and try to warm your body in them. But please make sure that you do not do the meditation in a cold environment without guidance! The more experienced you become with Tummo meditation, the more you will notice how your body and mind will benefit and be healed.
Gentle Healing Through Tummo Meditation
Why do people voluntarily expose themselves to cold temperatures to meditate there? Well, tummo meditation has several health benefits. Probably the most obvious one is that the body learns to warm itself and so you can cope better in cold environments. The fire makes you more powerful and robust. This increases metabolism and helps the body to defend itself against cold and infectious diseases effectively.
Tummo Meditation also has positive effects on the ability to concentrate. Because attention, imagination, and conscious breathing are all trained in one exercise, it improves concentration and memory. You become calmer and more relaxed, and at the same time, your mind is sharpened.
But also your mind and psyche benefit from Tummo Meditation. When the heat flows through your body while meditating, adrenalin, and happiness hormones are produced. Also, the fire burns up downright negative emotions, thoughts, and beliefs. Your mind becomes empty again and recovers. Your soul and your body experience a pleasant cleansing through Tummo Meditation.
So if you already have advanced spiritual and meditative knowledge, Tummo Meditation is just the right thing for you to develop your spiritual abilities further. But even as a beginner, you can feel your inner fire moving and spreading with our practice. If you ignite these fires more often, you will notice how more vital and healthier you become. So let’s go!
Satvik Living 