Complete Guide to Starting Tummo Breathing

Breathing exercises are ancient practices and have been used by many people not only as a part of their religious activities but also to heal both the mind and the body. In the modern world, more and more people are now turning to these practices and learning different techniques to harness their advantages and countless benefits on physical and mental health.

Tummo breathing, for example, is a breathing exercise that helps relieve stress, enhances blood circulation, and strengthens the immune system. Read on to learn more about the benefits of this practice and explore the techniques to find out if this breathing exercise is the right one for you.

Tummo Breathing Overview

Tummo breathing is a type of deep meditation that offers many benefits. It combines both visualization and breathing into a single practice to help you reach a meditative state. Muscle contraction is also an integral part of this practice to achieve a deep state of relaxation.

Tummo breathing incorporates a variety of fundamental elements, effectively merging physical actions with mental strategies to achieve its desired outcomes.

What sets tummo breathing as a unique technique is its multifaceted nature, as it not only encompasses various elements but also includes the notable ability to increase body temperature, thus contributing to its overall efficacy and distinctiveness.

Where Did Tummo Breathing Originate From?

The origins of tummo breathing date back to when Tibetan Buddhist monks developed the technique, thousands of years ago. The practice has been passed down through the generations and continues to be considered sacred in the modern world.

How to Get Started with Tummo Breathing?

It is essential to know tummo breathing before delving into the practical aspects. To have complete knowledge could help you initiate your journey with this meditation technique.

Apart from getting proper information, it is also important to open yourself to rigorous practice before you can truly master tummo breathing. Remember that monks train for years to perfect their ability to enter a deep state of meditation.

The best way to learn tummo breathing is to be guided by a practitioner who has reached mastery of the breathing exercise. However, a couple of steps that you can do at home can help you get a kickstart.

Begin by finding a comfortable spot to practice meditation. This spot should be free of distractions. Once you find the ideal place, you can follow these instructions to start tummo breathing:

• Sit down and take a position where you will feel most comfortable. Close your eyes and place your hands on your stomach. The goal is to achieve a deep sense of relaxation. This will help you to calm your mind, body, and soul.

• Next is the visualization. Visualize yourself as a hollow balloon and imagine a fire in your stomach, close to your navel. Maintain this visualization throughout the exercise.

• While keeping the visualization in your head, inhale through your nose as you lean backward, expanding your chest and torso. Create a mental picture of a glowing fire, blazing with the oxygen in your breathing.

• Release and exhale with force, pursing your lips and blowing through an imaginary straw. Imagine feeling the heat spreading in your body as you curl up your spine forward.

Perform the sequence five times while maintaining the mental imagery and feeling the heat building. At the end of the fifth in-breath, gently swallow and hold your breath below your diaphragm. Contract your pelvic floor muscles while holding your breath for a few seconds. Finally, relax as you let go of the air inside your lungs.

What are the Benefits of Tummo Breathing?

Like any other breathing exercise, tummo breathing offers a multitude of benefits that can help you improve your health and well-being. Knowing how this breathing practice can bring you optimum health is reason enough to start your journey.

In this section, we’ll look at the main benefits of tummo breathing and how it can make a difference in your life.

• Boosts immunity: Reaching a deep meditative state helps improve the immune system. This increases your body’s defense against invading pathogens and fighting off disease. Researchers have found^[1] that breathing exercises activate the sympathetic nervous system which is vital in a strong immune system for a fast repair and healing process.

• Improves memory and learning: Tummo breathing is more than just your mind. These breathing exercises can improve your mental processes especially when you reach a meditative state. Studies have found^[2] that tummo practice can improve the stimulus-response in your memory and learning faculties.

• Increased alertness: Tummo breathing exercises can also help become more alert. Your ability to stay focused will improve, making it easier to handle challenges and deal with unexpected situations that might occur.

• Faster reaction times: Your reaction times may improve when you engage in regular tummo breathing exercises. This means you’ll be able to respond effectively to things happening around you with greater speed.

• Improved cognitive performance: Your overall cognitive performance and health will also improve with tummo breathing. This means you’ll have an easier time thinking, and recalling memories. This enables you to set your best foot forward with any task that requires a sharp mind.

If you’re doing tummo meditation, it’s important to understand that the benefits may take some time to manifest. It takes a lot of practice to reach the right meditative state. However, persistence is key to harnessing the benefits of this meditative breathing exercise.

Sometimes, it’s hard to get your mind off things, and calming down to meditate can be difficult especially when you have racing thoughts. The simple breath-in-breath-out exercise can help you calm your nerves. Another way is to take supplements that can help you relax and achieve a more stable mental and emotional state.

The Serelax-Advanced Mood Enhancement, for example, contain a selection of highly potent, natural ingredients that can aid you in becoming unruffled. It’s great for reducing the effects of stress and improving calmness, and it may be just what you need to help you meditate properly.

Keeping Safe While Doing Tummo Breathing

While tummo breathing is generally regarded as low-risk, it is prudent to heed a few safety precautions before embarking on these breathing exercises to ensure a safe and fulfilling experience.

If you have an existing chronic condition that affects your breathing and lungs, then you should be careful. It would be a good idea to speak to your doctor about doing tummo breathing. They can help you determine if it’s safe to do so. This is especially important if you have COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) or asthma.

Apart from this, it’s also important to take it slow when you’re just getting started with tummo breathing. It may take a while to learn how to do the breathing exercise properly, so don’t push yourself too hard.

 

Tummo Breathing Versus Wim Hof

When you research tummo breathing, you may come across data comparing it to the Wim Hof method. While these two have things in common, some aspects make one different from the other.

The tummo breathing technique and the Wim Hof method both focus on raising your body’s internal temperature.

However, tummo is generally associated with religion which is not an element present in the teachings of the Wim Hof method.

It’s also important to understand that the Wim Hof method does not include the visualization elements that are part of tummo breathing.

Tummo Breathing FAQs

What is the science of tummo meditation?

The tummo breathing method focuses on activating your body’s “energy centers” and increases your blood circulation, which is thought to contribute to its ability to increase your body temperature.

How can I increase my body temperature by breathing?

Several breathing exercises have shown potential for increasing your body temperature. Of all these practices, tummo breathing is often considered highly effective and comes from ancient times.

Is tummo breathing good for you?

Yes, it’s generally considered beneficial for your body. Tummo breathing may improve alertness, boost your blood circulation, improve your metabolism, and heat you when it’s cold.

Which pranayama cools the body?

The two primary pranayamas linked to cooling the body include sitkari and sheetali.

What is the tummo breathing chakra?

Tummo breathing can potentially control the flow of energy throughout all chakras. However, it’s often associated with the navel chakra^[3].

What is the most effective breathing exercise?

Pursed lip breathing, breath focus techniques, and diaphragmatic breathing are considered highly effective. For benefits that stretch to both physical and mental health, though, tummo breathing also has a lot of potential.

Conclusion

Tummo breathing has a long history and is practiced by monks as a sacred activity. To master this breathing exercise, you will need patience and persistence. Today, it has gained so much popularity not only because of its calming benefits but also because it helps enhance blood flow, alertness, and the immune system. Incorporating this meditative practice into your health regimen, along with the right supplements, will surely bring you much-improved well-being.

References

1] ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4034215/
2] ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612090/
3] ↑ https://tulkulobsang.org/en/teachings/tummo