The Renegade Breathing Mastermind Behind The Crazy Holotropic Breathing Protocol I Do In My Sauna (& Biohacking Breathwork, Best Foods For Breathhold Time, Dangers Of Wim Hof & Much More!).
Boundless Life
Revolutionizing Breath: The Wim Hof Method Explained
This chapter explores an innovative breathing methodology, particularly the Wim Hof method, that challenges traditional views on oxygen intake. It highlights the importance of slow, controlled breathing while critiquing popular breathing techniques and their potential risks. The discussion emphasizes the physiological impact of hyperventilation, advocating for personalized breathwork practices based on individual needs.
BenGreenfieldFitness.com/niraj2
I met my friend Niraj Naik (the same guy who invented the crazy holotropic-style breathwork protocol I do in my sauna) inside a sauna in Estonia, Finland, where he led me and one of my buddies through an "omming" breathwork protocol, and I've been hooked on him as my "go to guy" for breath work ever since.
He joined me first on the podcast "The Renegade Pharmacist: How To Increase The Effects Of Psilocybin, The Secrets Of Colostrum, Fixing Constipation With Breathwork & More" and also invented the breath work routine that I took my boys and I through and detail in the article "How To Blast You (And Your Child's!) Physical, Mental, & Spiritual Resilience Through The Roof With Breathwork". He also recently designed an extraordinary 8 day breath work course called "SOMABreathFit" that my boys and I also just did - a course that combines fitness, sleep protocols, meditation protocols and much more in a simple-to-implement, done-for-you short daily program.
Niraj comes from a background of working long hours for several years as a community pharmacist. Becoming a certified “legal drug dealer” at the ripe age of 24, he got to witness first-hand, many clients going home with shopping bags full of drugs each month, rarely getting better and usually going on to suffer from other diseases.
He also learned of the debilitating side effects of the prescription medications which drove many of the patients to have to take more and more drugs to ease the side effects. Curious to find ways to improve his own health, he attended several health seminars and discovered an in-depth approach on how to reach optimum health and vitality by understanding the true origin of disease and how to prevent it.
After experiencing great benefits with his own health, Niraj was motivated to devise a scheme to see if he could also help his suffering patients. He incorporates a lifestyle plan called his "healthy shopping lists" that includes simple food swaps, tools and websites to support their specific conditions.
Within two weeks he received testimonials from patients who were starting to get better and within a few months some being able to lower their dosages or completely come off their medications. After an arduous battle trying to get his novel approach accepted into the mainstream that resulted in a lot of stress and disillusionment, in 2010 he was diagnosed with a stress-related illness, ulcerative colitis, that left him housebound for over 10 months.
He was told by doctors and nurses there existed no cure and he would need to be on medication for the rest of his life. Like his patients, Niraj suffered from side effects of his medication to the point he felt completely hopeless and even suicidal. He was then left with a choice that would be a major turning point in his life. Test out a new drug or have his colon removed. He decided to choose option 3, a path not yet known by conventional medicine. So began his search to learn from people who had great success with either curing themselves or others from chronic illness.
He learned a combination of natural treatments including Ayurvedic practices and dietary recommendations from Paleo and Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). He studied healing methods through meditation, yoga and mind power techniques like self-hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). He even discovered the powerful techniques of sound and music therapy as tools for reducing stress and promoting self-healing. Niraj finally broke free from the burdens of his illness, without medication. The experience of illness has allowed him to completely re
invent his life and discover a new passion for helping others to do the same. His specialty is helping people recover, prevent or reduce the dependency for longterm medication for the metabolic diseases of diabetes, heart disease and obesity as well as autoimmune disease where stress is an underlining factor in the cause.
Niraj is now a professional musician, holistic health expert and entrepreneur. He runs several successful websites that help others who suffer from stress-related, chronic diseases through his self-composed, captivating meditation music and online courses.
Niraj has composed music for healing centers, spas and therapists worldwide.
During our discussion, you'll discover: -Niraj's personal history and what makes his programs unique...06:50 -What mainstream yoga practices get wrong...21:45 -How CO2 has been thrown under the bus...33:15 -Where Wim Hof gets it wrong...36:10 -Breath work combined w/ hyperbaric treatment?...45:45 -Combining modern science w/ ancient wisdom when it comes to breath work...50:35 -Why humming is an important part of Niraj's training...55:30 -The importance of the control pause tactic...59:55 -What happens at Niraj's live clinics...1:04:05 -How diet affects your breath...1:12:45 -And much more! -Episode Sponsors Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for Niraj or me? Leave your comments at bengreenfieldfitness.com/niraj2 and one of us will reply!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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