Pranayama – The Imperfect Yogi™

One Month Anniversary of Doing Yoga Tummo Breath and Cold Baths

So today was the 30 day mark practicing Wim Hof’s Yoga Tummo Breath and Cold Water Baths. HURRAY!!! I realized it when I was getting in the cold water tonight. My goal was to stick it out at least 30 days, but I do intend to keep experimenting with the practice.

Surprisingly, it is not particularly easier, but at least I have been sticking it out.

Today I went under the water kind of slowly and could not stop shaking. The shaking does not happen every time. I think it happens mainly on days I am very tired. After I got out of the water my back felt like it was on fire. Now I still feel a bit strange.

Anyway, I made it to the 30 day mark. That was my goal.

Still Practising Yoga Tummo Breath and Ice Baths – Progress is Spectacularly Imperfect

It is getting close to the one month mark of my training with and practice of the Wim Hof yoga/energy/breathing techniques and I am still doing a quite imperfect job of mastering them. So far every day I have done 30 minutes of the yoga breathing, and have immersed my body in cold water.

Today, the cold bath was one of the somewhat slower days. I was feeling tired and a bit under the weather. It seems harder to do the bath those days. The important part is not just powering through, but controlling the breath and body reactions as you move into the cold water. Even at the one month mark my body still has an impulse to want to gasp for air as I hit the water. This tendency increases on days I feel tired. However, the goal is to overcome this, making an automatic, unconscious body function conscious and controllable.

As always, once I get out of the water I feel AMAZING!!! My body is energized. My skin feels like ice, just like a vampire out of the Twilight series. Inside, I feel warm.

The breathing is a struggle still. I do many other yoga breathing (pranayama) practices that are quite comfortable for me. This one might take some time. It is related to the secret Tibetan yoga Tummo breath, but is not the complete process. We were told that with practice the rest will be revealed to us. I know this principle is true and have had it happen in other areas. This one though, is one of my very imperfect areas. The one good thing is, like the slow, ploddy turtle, I doggedly (or down doggedly) stick with the practice every day – imperfect or not.

Training with Wim Hof – How to Become an IceMan – or Woman

This weekend I am training with Wim Hof, the IceMan. Wim Hof’s instruction is meant to help you strengthen your immune system, will power, and ability to connect with spiritual secrets. He has studied the yoga sutras, met the Dali Lama (if I am remembering correctly), and holds numerous world records for submersion in ice water, marathon running in the desert with no shoes or water, and all types of amazing things.

Wim has taken the yoga, physiological, and spiritual secrets he has learned, and made them accessible for the average (imperfect) person. Although there are many benefits from his techniques, his number one goal, per my understanding, is to spread the physical healing benefits to every day people, particularly those who are not able to get medical treatment. He is passionate in his quest to help people overcome the injustices going on in the pharmaceutical and medical industries.

Wim is an approachable, humble, down-to-earth guy. He makes people feel comfortable and accepted. Not only is Wim a great guy, but every other person there in the small group was amazing! Many attendees were healers and all were very spiritual. We even had a genuine Tibetan Monk there! The moment I saw him I knew he was a Monk. Later, when I talked to him I found he grew up in a monastery in Tibet but was no longer an official Monk. Nevertheless, he still carried a positive energy with him that you could feel immediately.

But back to the training – we started with a brief introduction. I was not there on the first day – Friday – so I missed a bit. After an update on Wim and the techniques, one of the hosts played the Didgeridoo while we did toning. Toning is a way of raising vibrations through sound, and using the human voice instrument in particular. We just followed our intuition and started in as soon as we felt comfortable. The sound was beautiful and reminded me of times I have been on pow-wow weekends that were also as harmonious. On the other spectrum, I have been at events where we never seemed to raise the harmony and vibrations.

After maybe 30 – 60 minutes of toning we started in with Wim’s special breathing technique. I was sitting front row, center and watching Wim like an admiring hawk. Whenever he took a breath I took one. Whenever he held a breath I did too. I figured if I tried to mimic him exactly I would have the best chance of getting this breath down properly so I could do it on my own. I think we did the breathing for about an hour.

Next we did playful yoga on the grass. It was so fun and exactly the opposite of the part of the US where I live. Basically, Wim would demonstrate a fun, cool, and/or kooky yoga pose and then ask us to try it too. He would also ask, “Who else has one? Who else has one?” At one point I think we even walked around on all fours like a bear. It was a quite awesome practice and I am using the “fun, playful” theme in all of my yoga classes this week.

After yoga we had a break for lunch, rest, and to change for….YIKES!!!!… ICE WATER SUBMERSION!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn’t sign up for this!!!

Oh, wait. Yes, I did.

When I initially made arrangements to attend I did not know about the ice water part. Sure Wim does that, but advanced yogis do all kinds of things. It does not mean I have to do it at a training. I thought we would be learning easy secret techniques like advanced yogic breathing, metamorphosis, and levitation. Once I found out about the water part I had a private scream inside and then decided to give it my best.

The others had already tried a practice water immersion on Friday. They went into the ocean and did Wim’s breathing technique. Today’s event was taking place in a tub filled with ice and water. I felt particularly alarmed because I could not understand what we were supposed to be doing and what the “trick” was to make the water warm. Each time I would ask someone what we were supposed to do they would tell me something totally different. Most confusing to me was that apparently we were NOT supposed to use the breathing. The whole time we were practising the breathing I thought that is what it was for. Also, so many people had told me they used the breathing when they were in the ocean the day before. Super confusing!! Well, I kept moving to the back of the ice water line, stalling the moment of ice entry, watching each person before me with rapt attention. It sounds like a trivial thing, but I was scared to go in the ice water. You can read about my first “jump” into the ice water and find out about the secret “trick” to ice water submersion in this entry (link will be added momentarily).

Afterwards, we all talked for a while. I think no one wanted to leave the good feeling. Also, we were all hanging on to every last word from Wim – trying to soak in the wisdom. Finally, we went home with plans to return the next day for… PART TWO – UNDER THE ICE WATER FOR A SECOND TIME – The training with Wim Hof, the IceMan, continues…

Everything is Yoga

Everything is everything.

Everything is yoga.

Today I took my imperfect yoga practice off the mat and into my street wardrobe. I went the entire day (unknowingly) wearing sunglasses with a price tag sticker still on the side band AND a little SUV rating sticker on one of the glasses. That’s pretty bad! Or good I guess, depending on how you look at it, lol. Well, what can you do but laugh, right?

Sometimes you will find this same type of imperfection happening in your yoga poses. Whether it is an inability to defy gravity as you float from Adho Mukha Vrksasana (handstand) into Chataranga (the bent armed plank pose), or a tight calf muscle in your Adho Mukha Svanasana (down dog). Whatever the “imperfection” notice it with loving kindness and keep going. Eventually, all of these things will pass. You will be left with what is most important – the love and kindness you have grown on the inside.

EXERCISE:

Sit in a comfortable position for meditation. Take a moment to think of something you did recently that was embarrassing or imperfect. Close your eyes and visualize, imagine, or pretend an image of yourself doing that less than perfect thing just in front of you as if there was a TV screen or hologram a few feet away from you. With each inhale imagine breathing in the pain or embarrassment or hurt from that other you. With each exhale imagine sending back love to that image of yourself. Keep with it. You might start adding a mantra like, “I love you. I love you.” Eventually, imagine any hurt being breathed away and just breathing love and acceptance to yourself. If there is still some hurt or embarrassment left that is OK too, but just keep sending the love.

When you are ready to end your meditation gently blink open your eyes keeping the loving feeling inside. As you go through the rest of your day periodically send that love and acceptance back to yourself with a breath or two.

Wisdom tells me I am nothing.
Love tells me I am everything.
Between the two my life flows.
Nisargadatta Maharaj

Monkeys Gone Wild – How to Tame the Beasts of the Mind

I just finished the most monkeyest-mindiest meditation ever. “Monkey mind” is a term used to describe a restless mind that is jumping from one thought to another, just like a hyper-active monkey swinging from tree to tree.

Today 100 or more monkeys swung by and tried to hang out in my meditation. They were trying to help, telling me things like 1) what I need to do today, 2) what I need to do this month, 3) things that happened in the past, and even 4) the horrible, gruesome news story my co-worker told me today and that I wished she had not. All of this and more.

Sometimes meditations are like this. At other times, there are no monkeys and sitting for 30 minutes feels like 3.

Weirdly, after all of the monkeys, I felt calm afterwards and still have this good, tingly-brain feeling. I can’t get over the number though. I’ve never seen that many before – definitely a Monkey Extravaganza!

EXERCISE – COUNTING BREATH:

If you are doing a meditation and having a Monkey Extravaganza try adding a counting breath. There are lots of counting related meditations, but this one is easy, forgiving, and soothing.

Sit down in your desired meditation position. Close your eyes and start taking some deep breaths. Add a steady count with your inhale and exhale. In other words, as you breathe in count, “One, two, three, four…” Exhale and count, “One, two, three, four…” Try to keep the inhale and exhale even so they both last the same amount of time and extend with the count. You don’t have to count to 4. You can pick any number that works for you – 5, 8, any number you can match with your breath.

Keep the count going during your entire meditation. When you are finished, gently blink open your eyes and keep the relaxed feeling with you as you go about your day.

General Benefits of the Yoga Asanas – Back Bends

Back bends are energizing and open the heart/emotions. They stimulate the chakras – heart chakra in particular. They help the lungs and breathing because of the expanded chest space. They stretch and strengthen the spine and abdomen muscles. Some also stretch the pelvic region, increasing blood flow and health to the gonads and entire pelvic region. Some stretch the neck, which helps the thyroid. Blood flow is increased to the thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenals. Blood circulation in the spine is increased. The spine becomes more elastic. Back pain and spinal injuries such as lumbago, sciatica, and slipped or prolapsed discs can be relieved and healed.* A healthy spine helps create a healthy nervous system. Healthy nerves lead to a sound mind and body.

Examples of backbends include:

Bujangasana/Cobra
Shalabasana/Locust
Setu Bandha/Bridge
Urdhva Dhanurasana/Chakrasana/Wheel
Ustrasana/Camel

EXERCISE:

Described below is a gentle, restorative back bend exercise to do after a stressful day at work, if you are feeling worn down, if your heart is achy and in need of nurturing, and/or if you have just been going, going, going all day and need a pick me up.

Find a bolster or fold up some blankets to make a prop that is about 5 – 8″ high, about 10″ wide and about 30″ long. Postion your legs in any comfortable way, either straight out and maybe with a pillow under the knees, or with feet together, knees bent, and a pillow under each thigh. Move the prop about a hands width away from your tail bone. Lay back resting your middle and upper back and head on the prop. If you want a more intensive back bend turn the prop sideways and lie back so your rear, shoulder, and head rest on the floor while your middle back is arched and supported on the prop.

Place arms out to the sides with palms face up. Close your eyes and take some deep breaths.

Start to pretend you are breathing the breath into your chest area, circulating it around in there, and breathing it out through the chest area. If any emotions come up, just notice and breath into them with loving kindness. After 5 – 20 minutes roll to the right off your props, gently press up to a seated position, softly blink open your eyes. Notice how you feel now, compared to when you started.

*By the way, here and throughout the site, when I mention healing benefits of yoga I am sharing the beliefs of this tradition, unless otherwise stated. I am not a doctor. Be sure to see a doctor where appropriate for any physical or psychological conditions. You can ask your doctor about yoga, breathing, meditation, etc. and get his or her approval on anything you are adding to your treatment. As a free human being, we all have the right to investigate and follow our own paths, and that includes sharing ancient traditions and ancient healing practises.