Tummo – Tibetan yoga of internal heat. Tummo: Tibetan yoga of inner fire

At the YogArt festival, which took place on December 16 in St. Petersburg, there was a lot interesting practices, one of which is Tummo, Tibetan yoga of inner fire. I would like to tell you about it in more detail.

A full room gathered for the lesson, which is not surprising, because the practice is very relevant for our northern latitudes. It's minus fifteen outside, and everyone wants to stay warm. Rinad Minvaleev, Ph.D., talks about how to increase your heat production (heat production in the body). biological sciences, author scientific publications and the leader of expeditions, widely known in narrow circles for drying wet sheets with his body in the cold.

“One of the results of pranayama,” says Rinad, “increased heat production, was described in the sacred treatise Dheranda Samhita, which states that next to the yogi’s home there should be a pool for cooling from regular overheating.”

Rinad invites us to do pranayama to feel the effect of Tummo on ourselves. This pranayama involves holding your breath while controlling your pulse: inhale completely for 10 beats, hold your breath for 40 beats, and exhale for 20 beats. “You’re about to catch that heat. Then ask me to open the windows,” Rinad promises. - This pranayama is very easy to remember. When I first started practicing yoga, we only had samizdat leaflets available. And these pieces of paper contained small masterpieces of methodological descriptions of yoga. One of these masterpieces is clear instructions on what to do so as not to have to spend a long time memorizing Sanskrit terms. This kind of pranayama is called “one hundred and forty-second,” that is, the ratio of inhalation, retention and exhalation is 1-4-2.”

We did “one hundred and forty-two” a couple of times and, indeed, it became a little warmer.

“Did you feel the heat?” asks Rinad, “The heat is still weak, but if you extend this delay, for example, 12-48-24, then you will feel such a heat that may require heat removal, otherwise you can get a heat stroke. To overcome this heatstroke, you need some other conditions.”

Rinad talked about how the conditions for such practices could arise.

When Muslims came to India, the first thing they did was try to limit all more or less developed religious denominations. It was quite difficult to limit Hinduism, because then it was necessary to eliminate most of the population of India, but persecution began against Buddhists, who were not yet so numerous. Buddhists left Indian territory and went to the Himalayas. This is how Buddhism actually penetrated into Tibet.

“The tapas obtained during pranayama,” says Rinad, “quickly evolved into what is called “ Tibetan yoga Tummo." This yoga could not have arisen out of nowhere. It was brought by Hindu Buddhists, who took some practice and discovered that it works very well in the mountains. Moreover, it works best in the mountains, we tested this on expeditions.”

What happens when you hold your breath? Rinad talked about this too. When you hold your breath while inhaling, it accumulates in the blood carbon dioxide, which dilates the peripheral vessels, and warm blood is sent to this periphery.

“We are told that we warm ourselves with our muscles, but this is not so,” says Rinad, “after all, our muscles are not in the center of the body, but on the outside. The muscles, as soon as they heat up, give off all the heat to the outside. One of the fundamental laws of natural science, the Second Law of Thermodynamics sets the direction of heat movement: heat always moves from hot to cold, so all the heat that muscles produce actually goes out.”

“Now it’s definitely time to open the windows,” Rinad suggests again, “because we’ll do one more practice, and you’ll immediately understand how it warms you up.” We were asked to do Surya Namaskar, and not a simple one, but in the Tapas mode: according to Rinad, this mode means maximum heat production, which occurs under hypoxic conditions.

We do Surya Namaskar with holding the breath while exhaling in all lower positions (after bending, starting with chaturanga). The purpose of Surya Namaskar is to worship the Sun, to include the Sun within oneself, which means activity, efficiency and, of course, warmth. And, indeed, after a couple of circles of such Surya it becomes very warm. In addition to holding the breath, according to Rinad, in the practice of Surya Namaskar it is very important to pay attention to the deflection between the shoulder blades, which includes the sympathetic-adrenal system, or, in more understandable language for yogis, the Pingala channel.

It is enough to do one such Surya Namaskar with a delay to get the same heat that occurs during prolonged physical exercise. This observation became the basis of Tummo yoga. “You don’t have to be hardened at all to do these practices in the cold,” says Rinad. - These methods of warming up are inherent in each of us already in the very phenomenon of warm-bloodedness. If we believe the theory of evolution, then we can assume that man lost his coat due to his ability to increase his heat production.”

According to Rinad, “one hundred and forty-second” pranayama and Surya Namaskar are enough to increase your heat production, but if you add nauli to this, the result will be even better. It is best to perform these practices in the cold: on the balcony, in the yard or in the country.

Text: Masha Pisarevich

Tibetan yoga is one of the most diverse and amazing mystical systems in the world, and it especially highlights the specific practice of controlling internal fire, called tummo. It allows you to withstand the harsh cold of the Himalayas without harm to your health and radically transform your body and spirit.

What is tummo

In short, the practice of tummo is a specific method of Tibetan yoga, which allows the adept to learn to generate such powerful internal heat (fire) that it allows him to not freeze even in severe frost.

Tummo found its greatest popularity and development as a method in the school of Tibetan yoga of the Kagyu-pa line. But it also occurs in others Tibetan traditions, particularly in Tantric Buddhism

Tummo is one of the six yogas of Naropa, the great Tibetan yogi.

The practice of generating internal heat is one of the most archaic mystical techniques, rooted in shamanism, since the ability to generate internal heat in many cultures is considered a unique superpower of shamans and confirmation of their status as masters.

Mechanism for generating internal fire

How is a yogi able to generate so much heat? This is achieved due to the fact that the yogi, with the help unique techniques learns to work with the subtle energies of his body, trying to raise vital energy (known in India as kundalini (“snake power”)) up the spinal column. To achieve this result, he diligently practices special breathing exercises and masters the skills of deep concentration on the energy centers of the body - the chakras.

When kundalini energy awakens and begins to rise up along the spine, it “warms up” the body, transferring the entire physiology to a completely different, more efficient level of functioning.

The first stage of tummo training

The first stage of learning the practice of tummo is that the yogi learns to make do with a minimum amount of clothing and simply hardens the body in simple ways- rubs it with snow and douses it cold water in order to increase the physiological level of resistance low temperatures. As a result, the yogi not only becomes stronger, but also increases his energy level, which helps to reveal previously dormant abilities.

Increased heat

Also, to enhance internal heat, yoga must be followed. sexual abstinence. But this is not just a refusal intimacy in all its manifestations, but a whole arsenal of various exercises for the transformation of sexual energy. To do this, the yogi again uses various breathing exercises, visualizations, elements of internal alchemy, with the help of which he purifies sexual energy from the gross material form, and lifts its subtle substrate upward along the spine, passing it through the chakras.

Asceticism

Usually a yogi who wants to practice tummo retires to some cave or remote place, where he intensively performs all the necessary stages of practice. A teacher visits him from time to time to guide him along the way.

Basic test in tummo practice

When a yogi reaches perfection in his studies, and the guru sees that he is ready, a special exam is held for him. To do this, on one of the frosty, windy nights, the student is brought to the shore of a lake or river. The yogi undresses and sits on the ground in the lotus position (padmasana).

The teacher soaks the sheets in ice water and wraps them around the yogi, whose task is not only to not freeze or get sick with the help of his internal heat, but also to dry the sheet with the help of his heat in the cold frosty wind!

In this case, the sheets are dried not once, but several times; as soon as one sheet is dry, the second is immediately wetted. This test lasts all night until dawn.

Sometimes such a test is arranged for several students at once, and then the winner of the test is the one who dried the most sheets on himself.

If the yogi has dried at least three sheets, then he is considered a master of tummo and now has the right to wear one single white cotton shirt or robe in any weather. Now he will be called Turnip, which means "Man dressed in cotton cloth."

Advanced test in tummo practice

For particularly advanced yogis, a more difficult test is provided. They are wrapped not in one, but in several wet, icy sheets at once! And with the help of their internal heat they dry them all up!!!

Challenge for Tummo Masters

If the yogi has passed all these tests, then he is given an exam for mastery. To do this, the yogi sits on the top of a mountain or plateau, covered as much as possible with snow, and begins the practice of tummo. Success in his studies is judged by how much snow he can melt around him!

© Alexey Korneev

The training begins with breathing movements and at the same time with a moral and psychological attitude. Together with the exhaled air, the practitioner expels pride, anger, hatred, greed, laziness and stupidity. When you inhale, you “draw in”, absorb into yourself the images of saints, the spirit of Buddha, the five wisdoms - everything that exists in the world that is noble, sublime and pure. The following exercises - the Tumo generation itself - consist of 10 parts, or stages, following one after another without interruption. Breathing is calm, rhythmic, preferably continuous repetition of mantras that support the spirit.

Main condition- complete concentration on the vision of fire and the associated sensations of warmth, exclusion of all other thoughts or mental images.

1. The image of the “central vein” is created and contemplated in the imagination. It is filled with flames rising through it. When you breathe, a stream of air passes through the flame. This “vein” is the thickness of a hair, the thinnest thread...
2. The "vein" expands to the thickness of the little finger...
3. The thickness of the “vein” reaches the thickness of an arm...
4. The “vein” fills the entire body and now looks like a pipe containing a stove firebox...
5. The feeling of the boundaries of the body disappears... The enormously swollen “vein-” now contains the entire Universe, and the practitioner falls into a state of ecstasy: he feels as if he is turning into a raging flame of a fiery ocean, blown by the wind...

   Beginners, who do not yet have a strong skill in long-term meditation, go through these five stages faster than older students. The more experienced, immersed in contemplation, linger on each of them for a much longer time. But in any case, in order to reach the fifth stage, even a beginning student usually needs at least an hour. Then the same subjective images alternate in reverse order:

6. The firestorm subsides, the fiery waves gradually subside and calm down, the flaming ocean decreases and, finally, is completely absorbed by the body...
7. "Vena" does not exceed the thickness of an arm...
8. The "vein" tapers to the thickness of the little finger...
9. "Vena" is now no thicker than a hair...
10. "Vienna" disappears; the vision of fire, other forms and images disappear. In the same way, the idea of ​​any objects is dissipated. Consciousness drowns in the “Great Nothing”, dissolves in it, plunges into the “Great Emptiness”, where the duality of the perceiving subject and the perceived object no longer exists.

The duration of trance during Tumo meditation is determined by the degree of mental and spiritual development student. This sequence of exercises, including five last stages or without them, can be repeated several times a day, but the main training is in the morning.

Effect of Tumo practice:

Adherents of the Tumo generation system walk in the mountains of Tibet in any frost in thin cotton clothes. However, this exercise is useful not only for survival in cold conditions. Thanks to his practice, the ability for long-term meditation and the ability to control the psyche and mind develop.

Notes to Tumo meditation:

1. Despite the fact that the exercise is intended to develop cold resistance, it should still be learned and trained in a warm room (!).
2. The location of the "central vein" is not precisely specified. Therefore, we can offer two options for performing the very first stages of meditation: the first is arbitrary localization of the “vein” in the region of the longitudinal axis of symmetry of the body, the second is if we take the spinal canal as the line of the “vein”. The latter method will then correspond to the classical ideas of yoga about astral channels (nadis), where all concentration occurs on Sushumna (the corresponding medula spinalis of the gross material body).. One way or another, the process of generating Tumo is undoubtedly associated with the activation of the power of Kundalini: upon awakening, Kundalini rises up the Sushumna, and it then becomes like “tongues” of rising flame.
3. Although in the mountains of Tibet the duration of meditation is at least one hour, as just indicated above, beginners in European conditions should start with 10-15 minutes. In many ways, the duration of the exercise is determined by the ability to sit in a meditative position for a long time.
4. This exercise must (!) be performed in a sitting position with a straight spine. Then the risk of various kinds of undesirable consequences is practically minimal.
5. One should discard not only extraneous thoughts, but also various side visions that may suddenly appear in the middle of meditation if they are not related to the main theme - the Tumo fire.
6. Coming out of meditation, like entering it, should also be done gradually and slowly; therefore, the range of requirements for choosing the time for classes increases: no one should invade your room and distract you “halfway”. The best remedy to gradually complete the lesson, repeat the performance of mantras, for example AUM or OM-MANI-PADME-HUM.
7. Under no circumstances should you practice the exercise in a polluted atmosphere near industrial plants or strong sources of magnetic fields. The best place for classes - in some clean and beautiful corner of nature.

Text: Natalia Nizhegorodtseva.
Photo: Flickr.com, BRP.

European travelers describe with delight how the rite of passage is performed. On a cold Tibetan night, students go to a frozen river. A sheet is lowered into the hole and wrapped around the yogi. Its task is to dry the fabric with heat own body. The minimum quantity for assigning a category is three sheets. And here is the result: experienced yogis only need one layer of fabric for clothing, and not Gore-Tex!

This technique is called “tummo”. Of course, scientists could not ignore such unusual abilities. The experiments lasted a long time, and some of the most extreme experiments, of course, were carried out by Soviet specialists. However, which is also not surprising, most of the results were kept secret. As a result of the study, the function of the lungs in regulating the human body temperature was discovered. It turns out that the lungs can generate enormous amounts of energy by breaking down fats. (For especially inquisitive readers, I recommend the materials of Karl Trinchen, Rinad Minvaleev, Anatoly Ivanov and Alexey Vasiliev.) In short and practically, the point is that the human body is designed in such a wonderful way that carbon dioxide in the blood dilates blood vessels and capillaries, and in response When oxygen in the blood decreases, the process of heat formation starts. By the way, the feeling of warmth when physical activity occurs not simply due to muscle movement itself, but from a lack of oxygen. Yogis also achieve results through breathing exercises combined with a general lack of oxygen in the mountains. Deep intensive breathing with a delay at the exit is the basis of the technique. You can try doing some exercises while holding your breath to further increase hypoxia. Of course, it’s better to practice in advance, ideally in the mountains, where oxygen is already depleted. Naturally, for yogis, tummo is a spiritual practice in which physical warming can be considered beneficial side effect.

It's fair to say that Russian fans healthy image life is also not cut out for life. This method is popular with them. We count to seven, inhaling air through our nose, then hold our breath, count to four, exhale through our mouth, also counting to seven. When exhaling, fold your lips into a tube; the hole should be small, as when whistling. To enhance the effect, as you inhale, slightly tense the muscles, and as you exhale, relax them.
There is another way to warm up, repeatedly described by various esoteric practitioners - just breathe right nostril, which will also increase performance.

Relieving fatigue

And this technique will help you relieve fatigue. It will come in handy on a hike, at competitions, and in general for any difficulties. It is known as “Energetic Self-Massage”. Execution time is one minute exactly. True, you will need access to your head, arms and legs, you will have to remove your helmet and boots, and it’s better to do it indoors or in a shelter.

1. Rub your palms vigorously for 5 seconds.
2. Rub your cheeks with your fingers - 5 seconds.
3. With relaxed fingers we tap on the top of the head - 5 seconds.
4. Using the fist of your left hand, intensively rub your shoulder and forearm right hand- 8 seconds.
5. Using the fist of your right hand, intensively rub the shoulder and forearm of your left hand - 8 seconds.
6. Gently press four times on the thyroid gland (this is below the Adam's apple) with the thumb and index finger of your right hand.
7. Alternately press on one side and then the other on the pulsating areas of the carotid artery in the neck, counting to five.
8. We feel the depression at the base of the skull with our thumb, press, count to three, release. Do this three times.
9. Grab the Achilles tendon tightly with your thumb and index finger, press and release. Repeat 3 times on each leg.
10. Vigorously rub the insteps of both legs with the comb of your fist, or if it is not very convenient, then with your heel.

Snowmobiler's Breakfast

If you have to spend the whole day on severe frost, try to slightly “warm up” the body in advance. This is easy to do, even if you live in spartan conditions and rely on the usual breakfast buckwheat and tea. You just need to add spices.

Warming spices include pepper (chili, black, white), cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. An excellent option is nuts: almonds, pistachios, cashews, Walnut- and dried fruits, for example, raisins. Complete your breakfast with a tablespoon of honey and a pinch of black pepper. Such “doping” is allowed for use and will not take up space in your luggage.
When getting ready, you can ask your beloved wife to prepare ginger tea in a thermos. To do this, you need to pour one teaspoon of dry ginger into two glasses of water, boil for twenty minutes, strain and add sugar or honey.

Lifehack for touchscreens

Strictly speaking, the last experiment does not relate to “survival”, it is simply some kind of addition to a pleasant life in the world of gadgets. Most touchscreens are designed to interact with conductive surfaces, so using them in winter is a little difficult. Already on sale special gloves. Their work is based on the fact that a small amount of conductive threads is woven into the wool. The assortment is wide, but rather reflects the need of female students for variety. But, knowing the principle, you can independently upgrade anything - from high-tech branded ski gloves to hand-made mittens from your beloved grandmother. You will need a small amount of conductive thread. I bought metallic embroidery thread at a sewing store. Works! I recommend!

Yoga Tummo increases resistance to cold, effectively warms the body in the cold, and lowers cholesterol levels. This is a difficult practice, but having mastered it, a person feels bliss from life.

This teaching refers to the ancient Tibetan practice of changing body temperature. It is called the yoga of inner fire. Tummo yoga is part of the Buddhist tradition of the Six Yogas from Naropa (a famous monk and teacher of Buddhism). The great Milarepa (a Buddhist teacher who achieved Enlightenment) also practiced it. A snowfall blocked the entrance to his cave and Milarepa began to undertake the teachings of tummo. So he was able to live without food, in the cold, until spring.

Not everyone is able to spend the winter in a cold cave, in light clothing, and even at an altitude of 4 thousand meters. But thanks to the ability to awaken inner warmth, called “tummo,” this is possible. The term “tummo” is not used in everyday life. It has a mystical quality. From the sources of the secret teachings, it means “light flame.” Its sound warms the airy primordial fluid and forces its invisible energy to rise along extremely thin ducts through veins, arteries, and nerve endings to the top of the head. Yogis enjoy a state that is stronger than carnal pleasures.

Many followers this teaching much attention is paid to its physiological aspect and practically does not reveal the spiritual side, which is important in yoga.

Physiological side

When practicing tummo, the temperature in the upper part of the body increases. When the weather is frosty, the sheets on practitioners' bodies are wet.

Studies of the “tummo” phenomenon on scientific level carried out in 1981 under the leadership of Harvard University professor Gerber Benson. For the experiment, they took three Tibetan monks practicing the Six Yogas with the tummo phenomenon. They had their skin temperature measured on various parts of the body. As a result, scientists came to the conclusion that Tibetans can increase the temperature on their fingers and toes by at least 8.3 C°

IN modern world the tummo effect is interpreted as thermoregulation of the human body’s heat through heating the blood and lungs special exercises for breathing.

But it should be noted that studies with monks using tummo at a scientific level have no longer been conducted.

Spiritual side

Tummo yoga is a preparatory stage for the next tantric practice “Six Yogas”. As a result, a person reaches the highest state of Buddhism - Enlightenment. The purpose of the Six Yogas of Naropa teaching is to control the energy flows of the body and maintain clarity of consciousness at the moment of death.

Types of tummo

Tibetan yogis know several types of tummo:

1. Esoteric tummo manifests itself spontaneously, in a state of ecstasy. This allows the yogi to feel normal in extreme conditions.
2. Mystical tummo does not belong to the word “heat”. But it allows the practitioner to feel bliss from practice, from the existing world.

How the training works

They teach the art of tummo - lamas. They keep their methods secret, explaining that information from books or hearsay will not bring results. To master the practice, only the guidance of an experienced mentor is important. To achieve a positive result, special preparation with the following conditions is important:

• Ability to perform different exercises breath.
• Strongly concentrate thoughts, going into a trance, which leads to objectivity of images.
• Receive the tummo initiation from the lama.

Probation

Adepts undergo a long probationary period, which helps determine how hardy the student is and what his health is. The practice of tummo is contraindicated for people with weak lungs.

During probationary period there may be different tasks. So, the lama ordered one of his students to swim in an icy mountain stream. It was not allowed to dry off or get dressed, or to meditate all night without moving.

When joining this teaching, a person does not wear warm clothes and do not be near fire.

After training with a mentor, the student goes to a deserted, elevated place. In Tibet, an elevated place is a place located at an altitude of at least 4000 m.

Experts in the teachings of tummo are called “resps”. They wear cotton clothes and insist that training in obtaining tummo takes place only on fresh air and in a deserted place. In the air of any room or settlement Various odors and smoke may be felt, which can be harmful to health. Also, occult influences negatively affect the achievements of students.

Having found a deserted place, the adept has no right to meet with anyone other than his own rep.

Periodically, the teacher visits his student, inquiring about his results. During the guru's secluded hours, the disciple may also visit him. Training begins long before dawn.

Practical tasks

Regardless of the weather, he leaves the cave without clothes or in light clothing. Beginners are allowed to sit on the board, more experienced adepts - on the ground, and the most advanced sit on the snow and ice. Exercise on an empty stomach; you are not allowed to drink any drinks.

Yogis and practitioners are sitting in a meditation pose:

• Legs crossed.
• Palms on knees, bending the middle and ring phalanges, extend the rest.

First, do breathing exercises:

1. While exhaling, imagine how pride, hatred, anger, laziness, etc. are expelled.
2. Inhaling - attract the blessing of the saints, the spirit of Buddha, everything noble and lofty.

Having done the breathing practice, concentrate, do not be distracted by problems, thoughts, go deeper into contemplation and calmness. Imagine a golden lotus in the navel area. In the middle of the flower, in the form of the sun, the syllable “ram” shines, above that is “ma”, from which the goddess Dorji Naljroma arises.

The described syllables have a mystical meaning. They are called "seeds". They are not considered as letters, but as living entities.

“Ram” is the word-germ (seed of fire).

The articulation of such words for Hindus is enormous importance. From their point of view, the creative power of a word depends on the pronunciation of sounds.

But according to theory, it is important to use an individual image of the word. Since “ram” is the germ of fire, experienced magician, using the individuality of the image of a given syllable, is able to create a fiery flame without fuel.

The imaginary image of the goddess Dorji Naljroma must be identified with the syllable “ma”. Then look closely at the letter “a” (navel), the letter “ha” (top of the head). The breaths are slow and deep, as if a fire is fanning, decaying under the ashes.

The flame is in the letter "a" like a small ball. With each inhalation, you feel like a stream of air penetrates the stomach, descends to the navel and fans the fire. Each full breath ends with a breath hold. The pause gradually increases, but everything happens in a certain rhythm. With the help of concentration of thought, control the occurrence of the flame.

The flame rises through a vein of the “mind”, as thick as a hair, running through the center of the body.

Attention is completely focused on the fire and the perception of heat.

Tummo according to the Naropa method

The great teacher Buddha Naropa describes three tummo yoga exercises. They are performed in one position - squatting, legs crossed, hands joined:

• Gastric rotation from side to side (three times in each direction).
• Vigorous stomach beating.
• Rocking and shaking like a horse with a temper, jump a little, leaving your legs crossed.

1. Each exercise is repeated three times. When finishing the complex, jump higher (naljorpa).
2. It gets hot after gymnastics. The training is similar to hatha yoga.
3. After this, imagine the sun on each palm, under each foot, under the navel.
4. The friction of the suns occurs on the palms and under the feet, forming fire.
5. The tongues of fire become higher and higher and reach the sun under the navel.
6. The flame from the flash fills His flash fills the whole body.
7. When you exhale, you feel as if the whole planet is on fire.

Nowadays, tummo yoga is isolated as a kind of tantric movement.

Having mastered the practice of the Six Yogas with the tummo phenomenon, the yogi can control the flow of energy.

This is necessary not only for personal liberation, but with the goal of achieving Buddhahood for the benefit of all life on Earth. But it is the chosen people who achieve this.