Consciously Control Your Immune System with The Wim Hof Method

Wim Hof is a holder of 20 Guinness World Records for withstanding extreme temperatures.

He has climbed Everest and Kilimanjaro in only shorts and shoes, stayed comfortably in ice baths for hours, and run a marathon in the desert with no water.

Wim is able to accomplish these feats with ease through the use of The Wim Hof Method – a breathing technique that allows you to control the autonomous systems of the body.

However, the most earthshaking effect of the Wim Hof method is the ability to consciously control the immune system to fight off any disease.

By becoming more in tune with the body, Wim says you can rid yourself of even the most destructive diseases, including AIDS, Multiple Sclerosis, and cancer.

The Wim Hof Method

The Wim Hof Method is similar to Tummo (inner heat) Meditation and Pranayama (yogic breathing). Yet it is something else entirely. While Wim has studied yoga and meditation for many years, this technique primordially comes from what he terms ‘cold hard nature’. By subjecting himself to the bitter conditions of nature, he learned to withstand the extreme forces of cold, heat and fear.

The first part is a breathing exercise which can be likened to controlled hyperventilation.

The image will consist of rapid breathing that makes one languid, invigorates one, makes one high on oxygen. One mechanism of this practice is the complete oxygenation of your blood and cells.

Get Comfortable and Close Your Eyes

Sit in a meditation posture, whatever is most comfortable for you. Make sure you can expand your lungs freely without feeling any constriction. It is recommended to do this practice right after waking up since your stomach is still empty.

Warm Up

Inhale deeply. Really draw the breath in until you feel a slight pressure from inside your chest on your solar plexus. Hold this for a moment and then exhale completely. Push the air out as much as you can. Hold this for a moment. Repeat this warm up round 15 times.

30 Power Breaths

Imagine you’re blowing up a balloon. Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth in short but powerful bursts. The belly is pulled inward when you are breathing out and is pulled outward when you are breathing in. Keep a steady pace and use your midriff fully. Close your eyes and do this around 30 times or until you feel your body is saturated with oxygen. Symptoms could be light-headedness, tingling sensations in the body, electrical surges of energy.

Scan Your Body

During the 30 power breaths, delve into your body and become aware of it as possible. Trace your awareness up and down your body and use your intuition as to what parts lack energy and what parts are overflowing. Scan for any blockage between the two. Try to send energy/warmth to those blockages. Then release them deeper and deeper. Tremors, traumas and emotional releases can come up. It can be likened to kundalini rising. Feel the whole body fill up with warmth and love.

Feel the negativity burn away.

Often people report swirling colors and other visual imagery during this exercise. Once you encounter them, go into them, embrace them, merge with them. Get to know this inner world and how it correlates to the feeling of tension or blockages in your body.

The Hold

After the the 30 rapid succession of breath cycles, draw the breath in once more and fill the lungs to maximum capacity without using too much force. Then push all of the air out and hold for as long as you can. Draw the chin in a bit so as to prevent air from coming in again.

Really relax and open all energy channels in your body. Notice how all the oxygen is spreading around in your body. Hold the breath until you experience the gasp reflex on the top of your chest.

Recovery Breath

Inhale to full capacity. Feel your chest expanding. Release any tension in the solar plexus. When you are at full capacity, hold the breath once more. Drop the chin to the chest and hold this for around 15 seconds.

Notice that you can direct the energy with your awareness. Use this time to scan the body and see where there is no color, tension or blockages. Feel the edges of this tension, go into it, move the energy towards this black hole. Feel the constrictions burning away, the dark places fill with light. Relax the body deeper as you move further inward, let everything go. Your body knows better than you do. After 15 seconds you have completed the first round.

Start this practice with one or two rounds. Try to do it daily and add two more rounds in a few days. After you feel more comfortable with holding your breath you can start to add exercises and stretches. Work up to a minimum of 15 minutes or 6 rounds with exercises. You can do this practice for how long it pleases you.

If you feel dizziness or pain, get out of the posture and lie on your back. Breathe easily again and stop this practice session.

Reserve at least 5 minutes after this practice to relax and scan the body.

Summary

30 times balloon blowing
Breathe in fully
Breath out fully and hold until gasp reflex
Inhale fully and hold for 10-15 seconds.
Repeat until finished
Take 5 minutes to relax and scan your body

Bonus Power-ups

Add push-ups or yoga poses during the time you are holding your breath until you wait for the gasp reflex. Notice that you are stronger without air than you would normally be if you could breathe!
Charge the energy up the spine by holding moola banda, contract the rectum & sex organ and pull the navel inward towards the spine.
Stand up in squat position and do the balloon breath. Try to breathe away the burn. (get seated again the moment you continue the cycle, you don’t want to be standing and faint) See if you can get the energy overtake the pain. Don’t give up easily and see how far you can go if you have the willpower!

Cold Exposure

After the body scan of the previous exercise you are ready let your body embrace the cold. It is very important to try to relax as much as you can, really be with the cold, only then can your body process the signals and start thermogenesis.

As Wim says, “The cold is your warm friend!”

Cold Showers

If you are new to cold exposure, start with cold showers. Begin with your feet and then follow with your legs, your stomach, shoulders, neck and back and finally your head. An initial shock, shivering and hyperventilation is normal. Try to remain calm and breathe easily. Close your eyes and really try to embrace the cold.

If you feel any strong physical uncomfortableness, like heavy shivering, numbness or pain, get your body warm again as soon as possible.

Once you are out of the shower, take a moment to do another slow body scan before you dry yourself.
Cold exposure works like weight lifting, you get stronger over time. There are little muscles around your veins that contract when they get into contact with the cold. After some time (only 1-2 weeks according to Wim) these become stronger, making your veins healthier and reducing the force that your heart has to use to pump blood around your body.

You can increase exposure over time. At one point the cold will feel just as comfortable as wearing your favorite pajamas and you can skip the warm shower completely. Notice how you feel amazing after a cold shower and sluggish after a warm one.

Ice Baths

After a few weeks of cold showers you can up the ante to an ice bath. Get 2-3 bags of ice at your local convenience store and put them in a half-full bath tub. Wait until around two thirds is melted or that the water has reached your designated temperature (10 / 12 °C (50 / 59 °F)). You can throw in a couple of handfuls of salt to speed up this process.

As with the cold showers, try to relax as much as you can. Start out with around 10 minutes and increase exposure over time. If you feel uncomfortable or in doubt, get out. After this exercise make sure you do another body scan.

It is normal to feel extra cold after a small period of time after the ice bath. This is called the after-drop. Take a hot glass of raw coca and keep your blood flowing by talking a walk.

You’ll feel amazing after!

These exercises are extremely powerful when done consistently and with intent. Try them and out and report your findings in the comments below!

Remember, the cold is your warm friend.

> Consciously Control Your Immune System | High Existence

Jul 29, 2014Jun 17, 2016

The Most Astounding Fact in the Universe – Neil deGrasse Tyson (Video)

Neil deGrasse Tyson was asked:

What is the most astounding fact you can share with us about the Universe?

The Most Astounding Fact Transcript

The most astounding fact is the knowledge that the atoms that comprise life on Earth the atoms that make up the human body are traceable to the crucibles that cooked light elements into heavy elements in their core under extreme temperatures and pressures.

These stars, the high mass ones among them went unstable in their later years they collapsed and then exploded scattering their enriched guts across the galaxy guts made of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and all the fundamental ingredients of life itself. These ingredients become part of gas cloud that condense, collapse, form the next generation of solar systems stars with orbiting planets, and those planets now have the ingredients for life itself.

So that when I look up at the night sky and I know that yes, we are part of this universe, we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts is that the Universe is in us. When I reflect on that fact, I look up – many people feel small because they’re small and the Universe is big – but I feel big, because my atoms came from those stars. There’s a level of connectivity.

That’s really what you want in life, you want to feel connected, you want to feel relevant you want to feel like a participant in the goings on of activities and events around you That’s precisely what we are, just by being alive… – Neil deGrasse Tyson

Jul 24, 2014Jan 24, 2018

Your Brain on Porn: How Porn Consumption Changes Your Brain Structure and Functional Connectivity (Study)

This is the first brain-scan study published on porn users, and it was published in one of the most prestigious medical journals, JAMA Psychiatry. Researchers found several brain changes, and those changes correlated with how much porn was consumed. The subjects were moderate porn users, not classified as addicted.

Your Brain on Porn

The more porn the subjects used, the less gray matter in the striatum. The striatum is a complex set of structures. It includes the reward center (ventral striatum) and the dorsal striatum, which also goes by several names. Less gray matter means fewer nerve connections (dendrites and axon terminals) in reward-related areas. Put simply, less gray matter in the striatum mean less reward activity, and a decline in dopamine signaling (desensitization).

That could mean that regular consumption of pornography more or less wears out your reward system. – Simone Kühn, Lead Author

A second finding…

The connection between the striatum and prefrontal cortex worsened with increased porn watching. This may indicate hypofrontality (a weakening of the impulse control circuits).

A third finding…

The more porn used the less reward activation when viewing sexual images. A possible explanation is that heavy users need more stimulation, confirming desensitization.

We assume that subjects with a high porn consumption need increasing stimulation to receive the same amount of reward. Existing psychological, scientific literature suggests consumers of porn will seek material with novel and more extreme sex games. That would fit perfectly the hypothesis that their reward systems need growing stimulation. – Simone Kühn

The above findings dismantle the two primary arguments put forth by porn addiction naysayers:

That porn addiction is a sign of high sexual desire. Reality: The heaviest porn users had less response to sexual images, exhibiting less “sexual desire.

That compulsive porn use is driven by habituation, or becoming easily bored. Reality: Habituation is a temporary effect that doesn’t involve measurable shrinkage of actual brain structures.

Keep in mind that the results of this study are consistent with over 60 recent brain studies done on internet and video game addicts by addiction neuroscience experts. In these studies, the results demonstrate profound brain changes from over consumption of internet stimuli.

Porn On The Brain – Channel 4 Documentary

Jul 23, 2014Jun 17, 2016

Psilocybin and The Psychedelic Experience Creates a Prolonged Positive Outlook on Life (Study)

The human mind expands with the number of new experiences that are encountered. Psilocybin research points to the possibility that these experiences open up realms of consciousness that are otherwise untapped during normal cognitive functioning. Your brain and body remember these states of being resulting in a positive shift towards one’s outlook on life.

After psilocybin injections, the 15 participants were found to have increased brain function in areas associated with emotion and memory. The effect was strikingly similar to a brain in dream sleep.
– Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, a post-doctoral researcher in neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London and co-author of the study

These hyper emotional states are also seen during dream states. By experiencing these senses in your waking life through magic mushrooms you expand your perception and view reality more like a dream long after the initial trip. This helps relieve stress and has shown to lead to a positive outlook on life.

Our firm sense of self—the habits and experiences that we find integral to our personality—is quieted by these trips. Carhart-Harris believes that the drugs may unlock emotion while “basically killing the ego,” allowing users to be less narrow-minded and let go of negative outlooks.

Based on these findings, shrooms may take you on a trip to a happier and more positively charged outlook of reality.

> Psychedelic Mushrooms Put Your Mind in a “Waking Dream”, Study Finds | Washington Post

Jul 22, 2014Jun 17, 2016

Metaphysical Aspects of the 5 Platonic Solids

Platonic Solids are the basic building blocks of all life, the language of creation used and described in many religions and cultures for thousands of years.

Each of the Platonic Solids and their associated elements, chakras and energies, are aligned to be used in natural healing, metaphysical studies and spiritual endeavours.

You can work with each shape individually or as a collective to tap into their universal power.

Hexahedron (Cube)

♦ Earth Element
♦ Root Chakra
♦ Sits flat and firm, is solid and sturdy
♦ Key Function: Grounding
♦ Reconnects energy to earth and nature
♦ Regaining refocus
♦ Removing tension and easing physical stresses
♦ Great for work, in car, children and pets.

Icosahedron

♦ Water Element

♦ Sacral Chakra

♦ Key Function: Transformation

♦ Helps one go with the movement, flow and changes of life effortlessly

♦ Teaches us to ‘go with the flow’

♦ Enhances the creative thought process and freedom of emotional expression

♦ Unblocks and removes emotional stressors that block creative energies

♦ Connected to sexuality, fertility and reproduction.

Tetrahedron

♦ Fire Element

♦ Solar Plexus

♦ Key Function: Manifestation

♦ 3^rd Dimension

♦ Sits flat no matter which side, perfect symbol for balance and stability

♦ Balance between the physical and spiritual

♦ Supports personal power and acceptance

♦ Creates change.

Octahedron

♦ Air Element

♦ Heart

♦ 4^th Dimension

♦ Key Function: Integration

♦ Cultivates acceptance, forgiveness, love and compassion for self and others

♦ Its mirroring or self-reflecting shape moves us to a higher vibration of reflection, compassion and healing – As Above, So Below.

Dodecahedron

♦ Ether Element

♦ Third Eye, Crown and Higher (8^th and above) Chakras

♦ Key Function: Ascension and mystery

♦ Represents divine creation associated with the Universe

♦ Holds a very high but gentle energy so helps cultivate a higher vibration in meditation

♦ An expression of life & consciousness beyond physical vibrations of the body

♦ Connect to Higher Self or Source energy.

> Platonic Solid | Absolute Empowerment

Jul 17, 2014Jun 17, 2016

Consciousness Is Linked to a Trigger Deep Inside the Brain (Study)

For more than a century, scientists have been trying to figure out exactly what consciousness really is, how it works and where it comes from. And while many questions remain to be answered, it appears some researchers have now discovered what they call an “on/off switch” for human consciousness.

A group of scientists at George Washington University say they were able to switch off a woman’s consciousness by electrically stimulating a single area of the brain.

The study published in the Journal of Epilepsy & Behavior, Aug 2014 claims the scientists discovered the “switch” on accident while working to pinpoint the cause of the patient’s seizures.

New Scientist reports the research group was targeting the claustrum, “a thin, sheet-like structure that lies hidden deep inside the brain”, with electrodes.

Gizmodo explains that’s when the women unexpectedly lost consciousness:

Unlike a seizure, where a person’s activity immediately stops, the patient seemed to ‘slow down,’ speaking more quietly and moving more slowly until she was silent and still, unresponsive to voice or visual stimulation.

Once the electrical stimulation was turned off, she regained full consciousness but with no memory of what just happened.

This study is incredibly intriguing but it is one brick in a large edifice of consciousness that we’re trying to build … Ultimately, if we know how consciousness is created and which parts of the brain are involved then we can understand who has it and who doesn’t. – prominent American neuroscientist Cristof Koch – Huffington Post

While the presence of this on/off switch has only been recorded in one patient, this discovery has potential to help people with epilepsy or who are in a semiconscious state.

> Scientists Find ‘On/Off Switch’ For Human Consciousness | Newsy

Jul 16, 2014Jun 17, 2016

Weaving a Home: Collapsible Woven Refugee Shelters

Human life throughout history has developed in alternating waves of migration and settlement. Navigating this duality between exploration and settlement, movement and stillness is a fundamental essence of what it means to be human.

In the aftermath of global wars and natural disasters, the world has witnessed the displacement of millions of people across continents. Refugees seeking shelter from disasters carry from their homes what they can and resettle in unknown lands, often starting with nothing but a tent to call home.

Designed by Abeer Seikaly, “Weaving a home” reexamines the traditional architectural concept of refugee shelters by creating a technical, structural fabric that expands to enclose and contracts for mobility while providing the comforts of contemporary life (heat, running water, electricity, storage, etc.)

Design is supposed to give form to a gap in people’s needs.

This lightweight, mobile, structural fabric could potentially close the gap between need and desire as people metaphorically weave their lives back together, physically weaving their built environment into a place both new and familiar, transient and rooted, private and connected.

Structural Fabric Weaves Refugee Shelters into Communities

In this space, the refugees find a place to pause from their turbulent worlds, a place to weave the tapestry of their new lives.

They weave their shelter into a home.

> Structural Fabric Weaves Tent Shelters into Communities | Abeer Seikaly

Jul 14, 2014Jun 17, 2016

Ayahuasca Visions: Shamanic Psychedelic Visionary Art, Nisvan Gallery

It can be tough to take the psychedelic plunge and still remember to bring a bit of that often indescribable essence back with you, to the real world. Fortunately, Nisvan’s ability to recall his Ayahuasca visions is in full display.

Enjoy Nisvan’s incredible visionary art inspired by his psychedelic shamanic ayahuasca ceremonies.

Nisvan’s Ayahuasca Visions

Inner vision

Letting go of physical restrictions, shifting into a multi-layered consciousness of sound/light vibrations.

El Rey Leon

Power animal, giving strength and protection on the inner levels.

Flight of the Eagle

Travelling with lightspeed to the outer realms.

We are star-princes

Two elders appear, offering healing to the soul.

Spectral bat-insect

Trying to hide in the folds of my memory.

Galactic knights assembling

Entering the inner-space dome

Palace of light

Dark Chrissalis bird of habit disintegrated at the treshold of the palace of light.

Healing Buddhas

Appearing in caleidoscopic mandala vision, beaming their love directly from the source

Harmony

Sky Prince

Having awareness of heavenly constellations.

Ancestors: the Chief

Cosmic man

Beyond the body, resonating with the stars.

Golden Birdman

Not of this world

> Shamanic Psychedelic Art | Ultra Feel

Jul 3, 2014Jun 17, 2016

10 Ways to Raise Your Vibration and Appreciate Life

All your thoughts and feelings are energy, and energy is vibration. Learn to raise your vibration and watch your life change dramatically.

Find Something Beautiful and Appreciate It

Beauty is all around us, from the morning dew to the evening stars and everything in between. Many go through life not noticing all the beautiful things that are around them, and yes it’s everywhere, so appreciate it when you do.

Whether it’s the scent of a flower or the way rain ripples in puddles of water, appreciate the beauty life has to offer.

Make a List of All You are Grateful For

Making a gratitude list shifts your vibrations from focusing on what you do not have to what is already abundant in your life.

There is more to be grateful for than you can imagine.

Meditate

Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes and breath in and out. Too often we rush through our days with a scattered brain leaving us in a state of anxiety and stress.

Meditation helps to calm your spirit down and put you in a peaceful state of mind. 10 minutes of meditation a day can change your life forever.

Giving to someone else shifts your thinking from “I don’t have enough, to I have more than enough to give to others.” Abundance is a high vibration.

Stop Complaining and Gossiping

Complaining and Gossip puts you in a very low vibration. Ask yourself “Are the things you are talking about bringing you more of what you want?” if not stop complaining, and start finding ways to rejoice.

Move, Exercise, Get Active

Vibration requires movement, the more you move the better your vibrations move. So Get Active! Dance!

The happier you feel, the more you will draw happy experiences to yourself because you are operating at a different frequency.

You are not a victim to circumstance, past, family upbringing, trauma, or anything else. You can change your life in an instant.

In many wisdom traditions this is called “total responsibility.” No one is responsible for how you feel right now, but you. It isn’t a curse. It’s a blessing because it gives you your power back.

Just sit and try to make your breath longer, fuller, and more relaxed. It has a direct effect on your nervous system and helps to calm you down. A calm vibration is a high vibration.

Fear holds us back from being in a state of love and happiness, and facing those fears opens you up to a greater world of possibilities. Fear of Heights? Go skydiving. Scared of public speaking, say a poem at an open mic.

You’ll begin to realize your fear was worse then the actual problem, and a sense of relief will wash over you.

Have a Meaningful Conversation with a Friend.

Rather than gossip or complaining, talk about your ideas.

What do you have planned for yourself? What do you think is the nature of reality? Are we spiritual beings having a human experience?

Talking about these things with someone helps to raise both your vibrations by thinking big. If you don’t have someone to talk to, there’s a community of higher-minded individuals right here.

> Raise that Vibration | Spirit Science and Metaphysics

Jul 1, 2014Jun 17, 2016

Mr. Olympia Comes Out of the Psychedelic Closet, Talks DMT, Ayahuasca & Unity Consciousness(Video)

Dorian Yates, a six time Mr. Olympia just came out of the psychedelic closet and what he has to say about his psychedelic experiences is worth sharing.

What we need is a massive coming out of people who have done psychedelics and accomplished a lot. – Rick Doblin, Founder of MAPS

Dorian Yates Comes Out of the Psychedelic Closet, Talks Ayahuasca and Smoking DMT

One of the most important issues we strive for is our collective freedom of consciousness, we dearly need a psychedelic renaissance.

This is only to come about if we reach a level of social acceptance where reason thwarts taboo. Therefore, it is imperative that more and more people like Dorian step up — we may find our consciousness revolution materialize faster than expected.

The educational value of entheogens and psychedelics may be their capacity to reliably evoke experiences of wonder and awe, to stimulate transcendental or mystical experiences, and to catalyze a sense of life meaning or purpose. – Kenneth W. Tupper, Ph.D.

Jun 30, 2014Jun 17, 2016

The Effects Of Negative Emotions On Our Health

Humans experience an array of emotions, from joy and severe depression and everything in between. Each one of these emotions create a distinct feeling in the body.

That’s why Power Poses can be such a great way to influence your brain’s release of chemicals.

That raises the question, what happens when we have negative thoughts consistently?

Positive or Negative Emotions, it’s All Perspective

Imagine yourself driving down the street when suddenly you are cut off, what happens next? Do you react in anger? Or do you simply apply the brake slightly and move on with your day.

The same experience can yield two very different results based on how we define our experience.

Tune Your Perception

With that in mind, we realize that positive or negative emotions are only defined as such by us.

This reminds me of a wonderful Zen Parable:

The Zen master Hakuin was praised by his neighbors as one living a pure life.

A beautiful Japanese girl whose parents owned a food store lived near him. Suddenly, without any warning, her parents discovered she was with child.

This made her parents very angry. She would not confess who the man was, but after much harassment at last named Hakuin.

In great anger the parents went to the master. “Is that so?” was all he would say.

After the child was born it was brought to Hakuin. By this time he had lost his reputation, which did not trouble him, but he took very good care of the child. He obtained milk from his neighbors and everything else the little one needed.

A year later the girl-mother could stand it no longer. She told her parents the truth – that the real father of the child was a young man who worked in the fishmarket.

The mother and father of the girl at once went to Hakuin to ask his forgiveness, to apologize at length, and to get the child back again.

Hakuin was willing. In yielding the child, all he said was: “Is that so?”

The Mind Body Connection

The unseen connection between your mind and body is very powerful and the effects your mind can have on your physical body are profound.

Our emotions and experiences are essentially energy and they can be stored in the cellular memory of our bodies. Have you ever experienced something in your life that left an emotional mark or pain in a certain area of your body? It is likely you have residual energy stuck in that area of your body that you have yet to acknowledge.

It’s all a learning and growing process that we don’t have to judge nor fear. Positive or negative thoughts, the choice is yours!

> Emotion Effects on our Health | Collective Evolution

Jun 29, 2014Jun 17, 2016

Imagine You’re a Baby Again – Alan Watts Animation (Video)

An enlightening discussion accompanied by a beautiful musical score (Ravi Shankar) and superb animation.

This Alan Watts animation challenges us to imagine the world through our nascent consciousness again.

What is it like to be a baby again, to be completely new to this world? Just how different would the world appear compared to our adult eyes?