Winter Meditations

Winter Meditations

Native Americans used to call winter "the quiet time" because it was a time to reflect and work on more thoughtful pursuits.  During the winter there would be less travel and more time spent alone in solitude which allowed for a more peaceful retrospect for the previous seasons and a thoughtful plan to be created for the seasons to come.  In the modern world we still find winter as a time to hibernate a bit.  Winter is usually when we go out less and spend more time at home and, for some, in solitude.  Solitude is a way of being alone without being lonely and can lead you to become more self-aware. 

If you look at winter as an opportunity to for reflection then it will be an enjoyable time - a subtle time of rest, peace, inner focus, stillness, and reflection.  Meditating on these values will provide you the ability to actually beat the cold too.  Sounds crazy right?  Well think of the monks who live in the Himalayas and how they can meditate while sitting in the cold winds of their environment.  They never appear to be cold and actually are healthier and regulate their body temperatures.   They use a meditation practice called Tummo Meditation which is also known as inner heat meditation.  I have always been fascinated by this method and have tried to acquire the technique in my meditations recently since the winters seem to be getting worse.  I have this theory that the Tummo meditation will ultimately present itself as either a saving grace or a path to a past life remembrance.  

The goal of the Tummo meditation is to control your bodily processes through meditation and is often demonstrated by withstanding freezing conditions.  Scientists have often been fascinated by this meditation method and have studied it to see if someone can really control their core body temperature.  It has been scientifically proven that they can consciously increase their core body temperature up by 1.3 degrees Celsius. The scientists have found that they are able to achieve this feat by mental concentration and somatic muscle control. The monks practice for decades different breathing , visualizations, and meditation techniques. One type of breathing technique that helps them withstand the cold is called Vase breathing. It involves breathing into the abdomen and then not releasing all of the air from the belly before taking another breath. After taking in a deep breath the monks hold the breath in and contract both abdominal and pelvic muscles. This isometric contraction of the abdominal region makes the stomach look round resembling the base of a vase. Just imagine when you expand your belly when you inhale and that is what vase breathing looks like.

The second part of Tummo mediation is visualization and concentration. A certain type of visualization involves focusing on a mental image of flames along the spinal cord. They concentrate on imagining the inner heat that their body is creating. The effects of visualization can be detected using EEG.  The EEG data showed that during visualization there is a dominance of Alpha wave production.The scientists have hypothesized that this increase in alpha production inhibits their ability to perceive cold.  This is done to reach a deeper state of meditation and the monks are improving their ability to inwardly concentrate and focus.

Although I am not able to sit in a robe outside in freezing weather and meditate, I have mastered the ability to stand outside and withstand the cold a bit longer than I used to.  Last night I was able to be outside in 9 degree weather wearing a light jacket, hat and light gloves for over two hours without feeling cold.  I was helping a few elderly neighbors move their vehicles for the snow plows and even did some light shoveling but mostly I spent time just standing and watching the snow fall quietly.  I found it peaceful.  One of the maintenance guys came by and asked me why I wasn't cold and I told him I was concentrating on my breathing and meditating.  Of course he looked at me funny and laughed but I really didn't care.  And I am aware that I wasn't really performing the Tummo meditation but I achieved my purpose for now.  My goal is to one day be able to master Tummo meditation and until then I will continue to work on it.