What is Tummo?

Having recevied a couple of questions we thought it might be a good idea to do a small summary of the very basic stuff in case some people find it useful.

First of all, just so you keep it in mind: we may be wrong. Also, we don’t claim to be teachers. We’re in fact beginner practitioners, and all we want to put forth is an innitiative for open discussion abut these techniques, as well as our own findings over time. We are not suggesting you should do anything we do.

• What is Tummo?

Tummo is a technique, or a set of techniques, that we would put under the “Energy Work” section. That means that with Tummo you awaken and manipulate the ‘energetic’ or etheric body that so many cultures talk about.

• Background Theory

The theory says that, as well as the gross body (bones, flesh, blood …) we possess a subtle body (or vajra body). This sublte body is basically made of channels, chakras, winds, and drops.

The three main channels. The central channel with the two side channels.

Channels are the pipes for winds, the life energy that makes everything function. There are thousands of channels in total, but the most important channels for our practise are three: the central channel, which is just in front of the spine, and the two side channels, which go at each side of the central channel (see image). Each of the side channels come from each nostril, go up to the head, and arch satraigh down, meeting with the central channel just below the navel chakra.

Chakras, or wheels, are important centers of the central channel, you can read all about them online. Finally, drops are the blissfull liquid-energy that we are trying to melt so it spreads all over the channells.  There are two types, white drops and red drops, which mainly reside in the crown chakra and the navel chakra respectively. These drops are what some people call Kundalini.

• What do you do with all this?

The basic idea is that through some exercises you manage to absorve all winds into the central channel. This activates the ‘inner fire’ which at some point melts the white drop at the crown chakra. This white essence drips down the central channel producing The Four Joys as it passess through the crown chakra, throat chakra, heart chakra and navel chakra (one joy per chakra). Each of the joys, or blisses, has its characteristics, but the one we really care about is the bliss of the navel chakra, which with itself brings a knowledge of Emptiness.

That ‘inner heat’ that we just mentioned also implies bolidy heat. At first it can be quite abrupt, and can even be a little nasty. But then it becomes a nice warmth.

Hopefully we won’t spend much time discussing dogma or theory in the future. Only enough to practice well. Our main concern here is the practice. You can of course find plenty of theory in many websites and books. Here are some nice books:

-The Bliss of Inner Fire  by Lama Thubten Yeshe

-The Practice of the Six Yogas of Naropa by Glenn H. Mullin (he translates a bunch of articles written by lamas long ago).

-The Six Yogas of Naropa: Tsongkhapa’s Commentary  by Glenn H. Mullin (translation).

-Clear Light of Bliss by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

This is all for now. Hopefully it was useful for some. In the next post we’ll discuss the preliminary parctices one is meant to do for Tummo.