The Tummo yoga technique

In a monastery in northern India, Tibetan monks who practice the Tummo yoga technique are able to control their body temperature. According to the testimony of the journalist and Buddhist Alexandra David-Néel, in her book Magic and Mystery in Tibet, Monks who practiced this technique were able to meditate naked in freezing temperatures, while a wet sheet covered their shoulders.

How was it possible that these people did not suffer hypothermia? According to the observation of the author of the book, these monks gave off so much body heat that even the sheet dried out. Let’s see what this surprising technique consists of.

What is the Tummo yoga technique?

Also known as Tumo or Tummó, is an ancient breathing technique originally practiced by Tibetan Buddhist monks. The Spanish translation is “inner fire” and its most obvious manifestation is the ability to raise the body temperature at will.

In a text called The six yogas of Naropa A series of tantric meditation techniques are described that are attributed to the Indian monk and mystic Naropa (1016-1100). Other sources, such as Tibetan Buddhism, contradict this and claim that the Tummo technique is authored by Gautama Buddha, who, in turn, transmitted it to Naropa.

On the other hand, breathing teacher and yoga instructor Gwen Dittmar states that the Tummo technique refers to an ancient tantric meditation that combines a specific breathing pattern with the visualization of a flame rising up the spine.

In addition to raising body temperature, believed to help people manage stress, improve cognition and, in general, facilitates internal transformation towards a kind of inner liberation.

Is this technique supported?

While all of this may sound easy to do, it is not so easy to demonstrate. Although there are certain studies dedicated to understanding how this form of meditation influences the activity of the nervous system, It is not a very extensive investigation, so part of the answers remain hidden from a scientific point of view.

Therefore, if you want to take advantage of the benefits of the Tummo technique because you suffer from or suspect you have a psychological problem, our recommendation will always be that you go to a professional. Meditation, in general, has great health benefits, but it is still just that: a tool.

How to put Tummo breathing into practice?

According to Dittmar, the process is very simple and can be carried out through a series of steps. You have them below:

Sit in a comfortable position and close your eyes. Next, place your hands on your stomach and leave them there throughout the practice.Try to relax your mindallowing thoughts to flow and avoiding getting stuck in one of them. Once your mind has calmed, visualize a fire in your stomach, around your navel. While you do this, imagine that you are a large hollow balloon with a fireball inside and try to maintain this image throughout the exercise.Inhale deeply through your nose, arching your back slightly, and expanding your torso and chest. Imagine that the oxygen you breathe is fueling the fire inside you, helping it grow bigger and hotter.Exhale strongly through your mouth with rounded lips and curling forward slightly., rounding the spine. As you do this, imagine that the flame and its heat are expanding throughout your body.Repeat this breathing pattern five more times and watch the heat begin to build.After the fifth inhalation, swallow gently and feel how the heat supports the inhalation under the diaphragm. In turn, contract the pelvic floor muscles to push your breathing upward. The idea is that the diaphragm pushes the breath downward, while the pelvic floor muscles push it upward.Exhale after holding your breath for as long as possiblerelaxing your muscles at the same time.

By repeating this breath several times, you will begin to notice how your body temperature rises. Besides, By becoming familiar with the practice, you will be able to do it standing or even walking.

Evidence around the technique

Now, it is valid to ask what science says about this meditation technique? Does it really raise body temperature?

Herbert Benson, a professor of medicine at Harvard and president of the Mind/Body Medical Institute in Boston, has studied the Tummo technique for 20 years. To do this, he carried out an amazing experiment where measured the body temperature of three monks who have practiced this technique for more than six years.

The results showed that The monks had the ability to increase the temperature of their fingers, hands and feet up to 8.3 degrees Celsius. Based on these and other findings, Benson believes that this advanced form of Tibetan meditation can help us better treat stress-related diseases and get the mind to control physiological processes that previously seemed impossible to modify.

Therefore, He developed a method called “the relaxation response.” Through it, certain resources are used (repetition of words, phrases, short sentences, sounds, etc.) to achieve a physiological state contrary to stress, freeing our mind from thoughts that are harmful to health.

This method significantly modifies blood pressure levels, cardiac and vascular activity, lung activity, etc. Today, Benson and his medical team They use the relaxation response as a method to treat various pathologies (hypertension, anxiety, depression or insomnia).

Factors involved in the increase in temperature

Another study carried out in 2013 showed which physiological components were involved in this increase in temperature. Comparing brain wave measurements with EEG and body temperature in two different groups (monks trained in the tummo technique and a group of Western people with instructions on how to perform the technique) the following results were obtained:

The breathing technique (executed properly and with practice) is what produces the increase in body temperature. During this breathing, peaks of activity were observed in the alpha, beta and gamma waves. The alpha brain wave correlated directly with the increase in temperature: The greater the activity, the greater the heat generated. The thermogenesis caused by this conscious breathing is not permanent if it is not accompanied by visualization and meditation. The latter is what allows body heat to be maintained for longer.

Last considerations

Since studies on this meditation technique are scarce, it is recommended to use it only by individuals of sound mind and body and who have received some guidance from a trained professional. Contraindications have not been described so far, so accompaniment is an asset for safety and the long-term effects that may appear. And you, what do you think about tummo yoga? Would you practice it?

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