Voluntary hypoxia for self-repair: the Coomaraswamy method
A practitioner claims that voluntary hypoxia activates the cardiac plexus and the neuroimmune network to trigger self-repair. How much truth is there to it?
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Voluntary hypoxia: the self-repair switch according to a Vedanta philosopher
A Catholic practitioner holds his breath for up to two and a half minutes upon waking. It is not esoteric yoga, he insists. It is voluntary hypoxia, and according to a little book from the youth of philosopher Ananda Coomaraswamy, it activates the deep cardiac plexus and the neuroimmune network of the mediastinum, triggering the body's self-repair. Does current science back this claim?
The technique: slow breathing and emptying the lungs
The method described is simple on paper: upon waking, fifteen very slow nasal breaths, exhaling and inhaling. At the end, exhale completely and hold the breath with empty lungs for as long as possible. Repeat three or four rounds. On an empty stomach, the practitioner claims, you can reach two and a half minutes or more. He says he has kept up the practice for years and rules out any esoteric interest.
What does science say?
Controlled hypoxia is studied in contexts such as altitude training or freediving. However, the claim of activating a specific "deep cardiac plexus" and "neuroimmune network" as a self-repair switch has no support in the peer-reviewed literature. The reference to Coomaraswamy, a metaphysician specializing in symbolism, adds a philosophical aura but no empirical data. A skeptical participant jokes that "holding your breath to make the little blood vessels grow" is nothing new and recommends anaerobic exercise instead.
The source: a Tantric text and a forgotten philosopher
The discussion is based on "The Serpent Power" by Arthur Avalon (pseudonym of Sir John Woodroffe), a friend of Coomaraswamy. The book, available on Archive.org, explores kundalini and Tantric techniques. Coomaraswamy, known for his work on art and symbolism, hardly wrote about breathing techniques; this little youthful booklet is almost a secret among scholars. For its defenders it is a gem; for skeptics, a museum piece with no clinical application.
With no studies supporting the link between the deep cardiac plexus and self-repair via hypoxia, the method remains in the realm of metaphysics and oral tradition. Anyone who wants to try it should know that two minutes without air is not for everyone.
Related debates in the forum
A Catholic practitioner holds his breath for up to two and a half minutes upon waking. It is not esoteric yoga, he insists. It is voluntary hypoxia, and according to a little book from the youth of philosopher Ananda Coomaraswamy, it activates the deep cardiac plexus and the neuroimmune network of the mediastinum, triggering the body's self-repair. Does current science back this claim?
The technique: slow breathing and emptying the lungs
The method described is simple on paper: upon waking, fifteen very slow nasal breaths, exhaling and inhaling. At the end, exhale completely and hold the breath with empty lungs for as long as possible. Repeat three or four rounds. On an empty stomach, the practitioner claims, you can reach two and a half minutes or more. He says he has kept up the practice for years and rules out any esoteric interest.
What does science say?
Controlled hypoxia is studied in contexts such as altitude training or freediving. However, the claim of activating a specific "deep cardiac plexus" and "neuroimmune network" as a self-repair switch has no support in the peer-reviewed literature. The reference to Coomaraswamy, a metaphysician specializing in symbolism, adds a philosophical aura but no empirical data. A skeptical participant jokes that "holding your breath to make the little blood vessels grow" is nothing new and recommends anaerobic exercise instead.
The source: a Tantric text and a forgotten philosopher
The discussion is based on "The Serpent Power" by Arthur Avalon (pseudonym of Sir John Woodroffe), a friend of Coomaraswamy. The book, available on Archive.org, explores kundalini and Tantric techniques. Coomaraswamy, known for his work on art and symbolism, hardly wrote about breathing techniques; this little youthful booklet is almost a secret among scholars. For its defenders it is a gem; for skeptics, a museum piece with no clinical application.
With no studies supporting the link between the deep cardiac plexus and self-repair via hypoxia, the method remains in the realm of metaphysics and oral tradition. Anyone who wants to try it should know that two minutes without air is not for everyone.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (28 replies).
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