This document is a knowledge compendium from the WHM Facebook group. It is a work in progress and is open to suggestions for improvements.
Breathing Exercise - Hyperventilation
Used to induce temporary blood alkalosis to delay the breathing reflex in preparation of the Breath Retention.
How to perform the breathing exercise properly:
Actively inhale fully to maximise internal lung surface area
From the diaphragm
Into the chest
Finally the clavicle
Attention at the heart area can help
Laying on your back can make it easier to get into the right feeling
Passively exhale to neutral atmosphere
Do not push the air out
Do not actively hold back on the exhale
Let the air flow out by relaxing the torso and diaphragm
The more relaxed the more effective the exhale
The exhale should sound pushed but not feel pushed
Maintain a consistent rhythm on the inhale to exhale ratio
Breathing should be smooth and circular
Do not stop and start
No jagged portions at the ends
The number of breaths required prior to retention varies with individual physiology; 30 is a common benchmark, but it is best to do as many as are required to feel light or tingly in the head and body.
Breathing Exercise - Breath Retention
Used to induce the primary stress response (adrenaline).
How to perform the retention exercise properly:
Allow the air to exit your lungs to meet neutral atmosphere pressure
Do not forcefully exhale
Retent from breathing
Bring attention to the body Scan internally to gain a sense of depth
Focus on the tight areas or areas of pain and allow the oxygen and energy sensations to enter the area
Identify and release any remaining muscle tension throughout the body
Avoid self analytical thoughts
Retention times are longest when you are in the flow
After 90 - 120 seconds adrenaline is released in the relaxed state
Fight/flight response is triggered by low O2 levels, this stimulates the hypothalamus
Breathing reflex is triggered by elevated CO2 levels
The precise durations and mechanics of the adrenaline response are anecdotal
Finish your retention when your diaphragm starts to move (breathing reflex)
Too eek out a longer retention, start by tensing the muscles in your toes up through your body and eventually to your head, imagine you are squeezing every last bit of oxygen in your system up to your head. When you relax imagine the oxygen flooding back into your system. From the “what does not kill you” book.
Deeply breathe in and hold it for 15 seconds or more as you see fit
Push ups
Used to harness body awareness, reset nervous system and reduce inflammation.
How to perform the pushups exercise properly:
Begin with empty lungs to reset nervous system
Begin with full lungs to fight inflammation
While performing the push ups focus on the body
Direct your awareness to the areas which tire
Try not to compromise the form just to reach higher numbers of push ups.
Quality over quantity! With proper form the number of repetitions will initially be less, but this way you ensure that you don’t train yourself to move in a way that is bad for your body
Brown Fat Activation Technique
Used to help stimulate the pineal, but also to develop brown fat, and to assist the flow of blood to the extremities during cold exposure.
How to perform the Brown Fat Activation Technique properly:
The goal is to force oxygenated blood into the brain and areas that brown fat normally develops by applying internal pressure to move the blood and squeezing those areas. You are simultaneously targeting internal blood pressure in the head, while squeezing the chest and neck as brown fat storing regions.
Begin by taking a full breath
Close off the throat, similar to the Valsalva manoeuvre, increasing tone on the vagus nerve in the throat area.
Less emphasis on the ear popping and equalization
Apply internal pressure using your abdomen chest and shoulders, as if to expel the trapped air and simultaneously push blood up your body
Keep the spine straight and compress it
When performed correctly you will experience warm blood flow up the chest, neck, head and face.
External muscle tension in the chest, shoulders and neck stimulates the brown fat areas.
Squeeze the head as you feel the blood reach the upper neck and ears.
Perform a mental squeeze of the brain to target the pineal.
Allow the pressure to subside, when you feel it return down your neck, exhale
Pineal Gland Stimulation - DMT Production
Used to help see the stroboscopic lights and experience profound effects. CAUTION: You may pass out when using this technique, lay down on a soft surface.
Perform the standard breathing and retention exercises
Take a full breath after retention and hold it
Force oxygenated blood into the brain.
See the brown fat technique
For this exercise it is more focused on the brain than the brown fat areas
Relax and allow blood to return to the body
Exhale and repeat steps 3 and 4 as suitable
Repeat steps 1 to 5 for as many rounds as desired
Getting the full profound effects may take up to an hour
Extreme cold exposure
Used to stimulate glands in the brain and get the vascular system open.
Mentally prepare the adrenaline response
As if you are about to lift a heavy weight or perform some extreme feat
Enter the cold
Remain relaxed and do not tense as this will constrict blood flow
Ability to remain relaxed in stressful situations indicates good conditioning
To gradually improve your performance, seek the highest degree of cold exposure that you can handle while keeping a relaxed state throughout the body
Perform the brown fat activation technique
6 or 7 normal breaths
Force blood into the brain
Feel the blood being forced to the extremities
Once you get out the water, focus on what is happening inside your body. Being comfortable while feeling cold and (slowly) warming up is just as essential as being comfortable while enduring the cold.
Official scientific background:
Kox et al., 2012. The Influence of Concentration/Meditation on Autonomic Nervous System Activity and the Innate Immune Response: A Case Study. http://www.innerfire.nl/files/artikel-onderzoek-pickkers-amerikaans-blad.pdf
Kox et al., 2014. Voluntary activation of the sympathetic nervous system and attenuation of the innate immune response in humans. http://www.pnas.org/content/111/20/7379
Buijze & Hopman, 2014. Controlled Hyperventilation After Training May Accelerate
Altitude Acclimatization. http://www.wemjournal.org/article/S1080-6032(14)00116-1/pdf
Buijze et al. 2016. The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0161749