Follow @Erowid on Instagram!
Aya Without Ayahuasca
Breathwork in Hot and Cold Water
Citation:   psiphi. "Aya Without Ayahuasca: An Experience with Breathwork in Hot and Cold Water (exp91238)". Erowid.org. Aug 20, 2017. erowid.org/exp/91238

 
BODY WEIGHT: 160 lb
I am a seasoned psychonaut, having taken numerous psychedelic voyages over the last 20 years, using a variety of both natural and chemical derived substances. I took my first journey to the Amazon in 2001 to participate in a 10-day Ayahuasca intensive. I've returned to Peru 3 times since then and participated in month-long retreats with a ayahuascero who has been practicing the art for over 40 years.

I've also been a life long practitioner of yoga, having first learned when I was 16, as well as spending time in an Ashram outside of Benares, where I studied with some of the great Swamis of the Kriya and Tantra traditions.

It is my belief that the doors opened by entheogens can also be opened without the aid of such substances. This is the claim made by yogis and with some limited success I have achieved, and even sustain to some extent, some very exalted states using various yoga techniques. But alas, nothing ever matched the power of a full-dose entheogen. That all changed abruptly last week during my trip to a hot springs for a mastery intensive in the art of Vivation breathwork.

I heard some amazing things from friends who had learned this type of breathwork meditation whose focus is on deep healing of core emotional issues. Only one of them however had taken the mastery training which included using Vivation in extreme hot and cold water. She claimed she has repeatable ego loss experiences during the hot and cold cycle and stressed that without Vivation it didn't happen. She said that Vivation allowed her to fully surrender, embrace and integrate the intense aspects of the experience, and it is that integration that takes her to these extremely heavenly states consistently. I had to try it.

So I signed up and took the mastery training, which included three full days of mastering the tool itself in a calm and relaxed setting before we went to the hot springs. He said it was important to be confident and skilled in efficiently integrating whatever material came up before embarking on more intense adventures. I agreed!

So on the fourth day we journey to a local hot springs which has both a hot and cold bath right next to each other. The temperatures were about 108 in the hot, and 65 in the cold. I began doing the Vivation process, which included circular breathing, relaxation, paying attention to the strongest feeling in the body, and enjoying it as much as I can. After a few minutes the hot water become suffocating, as the breath brought out all sorts of intense emotional activations. My coach said that this is almost always emotional at first and to keep 'viving' through the feelings. Sure enough, those feelings integrated and I felt fine. I kept doing this until my whole body was orgasmic and vibrating. The surge of energy in my body was incredible. I then slowly got out of the hot water and went over the cold water bath. As I got in, my coach took my rubber body and held it up very gently so I could float on my back in the cold water. And then BAM! What happened next can only be described as utterly intense and magical beyond words.

I could feel my spirit soaring to incredible heights of ecstasy and wonder. I forgot who I was entirely as I journeyed into the multidimensional wonderland of pure heavenly bliss. Along with this I could feel my ego's pain and hanging on to old attachments and longings, as my spirit continued to soar. I kept breathing into this very intense feeling (very important!), and then felt literally life-long karmas and holding patterns dissolve into pure joy and freedom. To say it felt fantastic would be an understatement. I could still feel a part of my not wanting to let go, not wanting to die, but then a huge wave of relief hit me and all of that holding, hanging went away completely as I floated freely, upwardly, ever higher into heavenly bliss that I have never, ever experienced on any psychedelic. Wow!

I had no idea how long I had been gone, but slowly I could feel the cold water again, and my breathwork coach gently guided my back. He had me slowly stand and allow this energy to become grounded in my being. Wow, again! I could feel all of this energy become grounded in my body, right here and now. I opened my eyes and felt as though I were God trying on a human form for fun. I got out of the cold water and walked onto the deck and felt freer than I had every felt - the freedom of motion and levity while grounded felt fantastic!

I am writing this report two weeks after this experience, and I still feel as if I have healed deeper than I ever thought possible. This experience is truly miraculous and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for life long healing and change. What's so awesome about it is this - I now know how to do this for myself. I don't need any drug to get there - it can be done here and now by anyone who wants to learn how.

Exp Year: 2011ExpID: 91238
Gender: Male 
Age at time of experience: 39
Published: Aug 20, 2017Views: 1,669
[ View PDF (to print) ] [ View LaTeX (for geeks) ] [ Swap Dark/Light ]
Breathing (470) : Small Group (2-9) (17), Glowing Experiences (4)

COPYRIGHTS: All reports copyright Erowid.
No AI Training use allowed without written permission.
TERMS OF USE: By accessing this page, you agree not to download, analyze, distill, reuse, digest, or feed into any AI-type system the report data without first contacting Erowid Center and receiving written permission.

Experience Reports are the writings and opinions of the authors who submit them. Some of the activities described are dangerous and/or illegal and none are recommended by Erowid Center.


Experience Vaults Index Full List of Substances Search Submit Report User Settings About Main Psychoactive Vaults