TL;DR: Harness and contain your masculine energy by exercising, taking cold showers, or using one of several breathwork exercises. An adaption of this may work for women.
“Ability to retain and assimilate the vital liquid is a matter of long training. When properly conserved it is transmuted into matchless energy and strength.” – Ghandi [1]
Most people reading this article already know why they should at least try sexual transmutation, but many are still struggling with how. A major reason for this seems to be difficulty avoiding thoughts and impulses related to sex.
Often, this problem can be solved with certain practices that force this energy to move. Examples include focus on creative interests, exercise, cold showers, breathwork, and meditation.
This article will lay out what sexual transmutation methods are, why one would use them, and lists several examples.
What Is A Sexual Transmutation Method?
Some believe the primal driving force within us is sexual in nature – a desire to reproduce.
In our article on how chakras and meridians work, we note that one of the seven chakras is related to sex (the sacral chakra). We also explain that energy from this, or any, chakra can flow to another. Here we introduce the idea that sexual energy may be released from our sacral chakra through ejaculation or orgasm. However, if we release too much, usually through some form of sex addiction, we can deplete our energy reserves and become unmotivated.
People such as those in the NoFap community practice abstaining from ejaculation, porn, and masturbation because they believe it is healthy to learn to control this energy rather than it controlling them. Read more in our articles on NoFap.
A sexual transmutation method transforms sexual motivation or energy into energy of another form to be used in a non-sexual manner.
Methods for sexual transmutation date back thousands of years, and there are many types. Some basic practices are outlined below with step by step instructions. In any case, if you feel like energy is flowing through you rather than getting pent up, it’s probably working.
Why Would I Use These Methods?
These methods are very helpful for anyone who wants to better control their sexual energy, conserve it, and direct it towards certain objectives. This is applicable not only for work or enlightenment purposes, but also for improving your sex life, as well as fostering connection between partners.
For example, if you feel horny and can’t sleep, these activities can help you to release this energy constructively instead of caving to an addiction to masturbation or porn.
Methods and Instructions
All of the below methods are effective, and trying them for yourself may be the best way to determine what works for you. These take a lot of practice, so just like riding a bike, don’t expect to be an expert the first time around. If any one method feels best for you, it probably is.
There are eight methods here, and they are organized in terms of return-on-effort invested.
Note: movement of any kind causes movement of energy in the body, and stagnation of the body causes stagnation of energy in the body.
If you sit all day, this is the first thing to stop doing. Get up at least once per hour for a quick stretch or a walk.
1. Focusing On A Passion Or Goal
Wherever attention is focused, energy accumulates.
This becomes obvious as you practice controlling your attention. Focusing attention on thoughts of relaxation will relax a person, and focusing on anxiety will make a person anxious. This same principle can be applied to any goal.
Sexual energy or horniness that builds up is a form of potential energy. This energy can be concentrated sexually by focusing on sexual thoughts, or it can be transmuted into thoughts about becoming more muscular or more educated if enough will power is exerted. Many very successful people have become successful because of this ability to focus their energy where they know it will benefit them most.
One simple way to transmute sexual energy is to start doing something you find very interesting or fun, and engage fully in it. This may be a life goal you have to become very fit or to make a lot of money, or a hobby/side-project like making music. Focusing on something you desire even more than sex is the method to true sexual transmutation, and all other methods are not necessary if this one is attained, however, this is difficult.
Read our article on achieving goals here, and on building habits to get there here.
2. Exercise
Using your mind to focus on certain thoughts or goals is one way to achieve sexual transmutation, but so is using your body to focus on certain exercises. If you exercise, energy is focused into the muscles and your mind is also focused on the movement if it is difficult. Try running, swimming, weight lifting, recreational sports and other activities.
Take a look through our articles on exercise, including: getting the most out of the gym here, and the best way to achieve you physique goals here.
3. Circular Breathing
This is intended to be used throughout the day, and works well for premature ejaculation.
It’s helpful for overall flow of energy in the body, so is useful for stagnation of energy in any region, not just for the buildup of energy in the pelvis associated with horniness. Many people breathe poorly, and thus restrict energy flow in their bodies.
If you want a short-cut for this, simply breathing deeply using your diaphragm rather than chest throughout the day will be a big help. Counting breaths and relaxing while breathing are helpful. Check out more breathwork techniques in our article here.
How To:
- Breathe in and imagine the air moving down the front of your body reaching all the way down your torso, abdomen and pelvis including the scrotum.
- Slowly breathe out as you imagine this air carrying energy back up your spine to the crown of your head.
- Repeat this as often as needed in a smooth cycle. Try starting with counts of 10 in and 10 out. Notice the cycle down your front and up your back and be present.
- (Optional) Try this during sex to feel the energy flow, and it should help you gain control over your orgasm with practice.
Click here for a more thorough description. [3]
4. Cold Showers
Cold showers provide immediate and fool-proof relief.
Furthermore, there are several health benefits of cold exposure, which we detail in our article here and they help many people on NoFap with the discipline and self control needed to succeed with semen retention – see our article on what NoFap is here. [5][6].
They are very effective for refocusing energy in the present moment and stopping sex-related overthinking.
How To:
- Turn your shower as cold as possible, and stand in it for at least 1 minute, working up to a couple minutes per day. The best time of day appears to be just before bed, or first thing in the morning. Try cold plunges in a pool, lake, or ocean as well.
Note: it may not be best to have a cold shower within an hour of resistance training, as it may blunt the natural inflammatory response required for proper repair of muscles and other tissues.
Read more in our article on do cold showers increase testosterone?
5. Alternate Nostril Breathing
The idea of this exercise is that the right and left nostril correspond to the right and left sides of the brain.
Breath is believed to strongly influence flow of energy in energy pathways called meridians (also known as “nadis”), and by alternating which nostril you breathe through, you cause energy to flow through two different main meridians. This allows energy that may have been stagnant in the pelvis to be pushed around to the entire body. [8][9].
How To:
- Sit comfortably, and close one nostril with your hand
- Breathe in slowly and deeply through the open nostril
- Breathe out normally through the same nostril
- Open your nostril
- Close the other nostril and repeat
- Do this for about 5 minutes, or longer if it feels good
- Root Lock Method
The root lock method is designed to contain energy and allow it to flow in the body. [11]
The root lock method is from a type of yoga called Kundalini, which is a Sanskrit word meaning “coiled snake”, referring to divine energy that lies at the base of the spine.
This energy is often dormant, as in it doesn’t usually flow through the body in large amounts, but can be “awakened” (hence “kundalini awakening”) through practice [12].
This process of a kundalini awakening is analogous to the sexual transmutation we talk about on our site. Kundalini yoga is a very deep practice with many movements, poses, breathwork and other techniques.
How To:
- Contract the rectum and anal sphincter drawing the muscles in and up, as you would if you were trying to hold in a poop (related to root chakra)
- At the same time, contract the pelvic floor muscle, as in a kegel exercise, or the same muscle you use to stop peeing (related to sacral chakra)
- While holding the first two, pull your naval inwards and upwards like a stomach vacuum (related to solar chakra)
- Now that you understand the three components, you can simply do all three at once and hold it for 10 seconds to start, working up as you feel comfortable. Do not overstrain yourself.
Practicing holding these three muscles together to develop flow of energy through these chakras. Explore more Kundalini [14].
- Zhan Zhuang
Zhan Zhuang is a standing meditation from Qi Gong for containing energy in the belly and lower body to enhance energy, mental clarity, and strength. Qi Gong is described as dynamic meditation and incorporates body posture, breathing, and awareness. There are many techniques within Qi Gong, so we’ll just review Zhan Zhuang here.
How To:
- Stand with feet facing ahead at a comfortable width. Plant feet firmly on the ground. Slightly bend the knees
- Extend spine and neck straight while trying to remain relaxed such that you feel like your head is floating
- Relax the shoulders, slightly curve shoulders and upper back forward as if hugging a large ball, but don’t over-arch your back. Find a comfortable position.
- Relax the body and mind even while holding this posture. You will feel strained at some point, but hold this relaxed posture even while you feel it is difficult.
This will be physically challenging to hold at first, but practice relaxing while holding this posture. The key to this is to practice holding your body this way while being able to do so almost effortlessly.
7. Ejaculating Up the Spine
It’s not what it sounds like.
This technique is used during sex and teaches you to circulates sexual energy while using it to bond with your partner better, last longer, enjoy sex more, and for the health benefits.
This idea points out how the energy that is wasted by ejaculating can instead be allowed to rise up through the spine and circulate back through the body allowing you to use this energy. This practice has similarities to Karezza.
How To:
- First, build up strength in the pelvic floor muscles by contracting the pelvic floor (kegal), and anal sphincter. Do this multiple times per day until you can hold it for at least a minute
- During sex when you would normally orgasm, instead feel the energy build up and contract as in step 1 while breathing and imagining that energy moving up through the spine instead of out through the genitals in an orgasm. Notice your connection to your partner.
- Repeat this during sex as many times as required according to your comfort.
Click here for a more thorough description [16].
8. The Cold Rising
The Cold Rising is a simple, yogic Taoist practice to bring stagnant energy from your genitals upwards.
How To:
- Hold your testicles in one hand and wait until you feel sexual energy build
- Inhale as you contract the muscles around your genitals and anus. Imagine you are taking this energy away from your genitals and are storing it in your perineum (the place between your anus and scrotum)
- Continue this until you feel energy build in the perineum
- Now that you have moved energy from the genitals to perineum, imagine pulling the energy up the spine to the crown of your head as you continue breathing in and out
- Repeat this as you feel necessary
Click here for a more thorough description.
My Personal Experience
I have a few years experience with semen retention and have tried the above sexual transmutation methods to various degrees.
I got into these methods because I realized that just semen retention and “holding in” of energy was not enough. This energy also has to be used, or directed somewhere. I found that I didn’t have a problem with semen retention, but I did have a problem once this energy built up.
These practices have helped me greatly with this in my personal and sex life. So far, the most effective methods for me are listed as methods 1-3. Truly achieving great success with sexual transmutation, in my experience and readings, can only be attained when a passion greater than your desire for sex has been developed, whether it be developing a new skill, finding a good partner, working on yourself etc.
I also find heavy compound weight lifting like deadlifts very helpful, as well as mentally stimulating conversations.
Summary
This article covers several techniques to help sublimate sexual energy. It is helpful especially for those practicing semen retention like those on NoFap, as well as those who want to prevent premature ejaculation, improve sex, free themselves from sexual frustration, and refocus their energy to achieve more.
Try these techniques the next time you find yourself inconveniently horny.
Click the button below to read the next article in our series on Sex.
References
[1] https://www.commentarymagazine.com/articles/the-gandhi-nobody-knows/
[2] https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UtZhC9RdaV8/maxresdefault.jpg
[3] https://deida.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/BK00906-interior-pages-46.pdf
[4] https://www.wimhofmethod.com/benefits-of-cold-showers
[5] https://forum.nofap.com/index.php?threads/cold-showers-are-the-bomb.33956/
[6] https://www.reddit.com/r/NoFap/comments/29dtzm/why_cold_showers_are_essential_to_succeed_with/
[7] https://ashtangayogagirl.com/alternate-nostril-breathing-nadi-shuddhi
[8] https://chopra.com/articles/nadi-shodhana-how-to-practice-alternate-nostril-breathing
[9] https://www.chakras.net/yoga-principles/nadis
[10] https://i0.wp.com/images-prod.healthline.com/hlcmsresource/images/topic_centers/chakras/7-chakras-header.png?w=1155
[11] https://www.kundaliniyoga.org/lesson_8
[12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kundalini
[13] https://body-bar.ru/upload/iblock/8e5/8e57e8e87317e3e0d7836df558e825de.jpg
[14] https://www.kundaliniyoga.org/Fundamentals
[15] https://scottjeffrey.com/zhan-zhuang/
[16] https://deida.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/BK00906-interior-pages-46.pdf
[17] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HtXXhKBoEI
[18] https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi0.wp.com%2Fscottbarrykaufman.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F10%2F13-passion-shutterstock.jpg%3Ffit%3D800%252C400%26ssl%3D1&f=1&nofb=1
[19] https://www.mentaldaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/429809287.jpg
[20] https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.energeticsinstitute.com.au%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F06%2Fbreathwork-e1560829309616.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
[21] https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fultimateforceschallenge.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F07%2FTake-Cold-Showers-for-a-Week.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
[22] https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-ilTroUhi5ck%2FUDP2iSeT8AI%2FAAAAAAAABMQ%2F_C6l8JRsby8%2Fs1600%2FYin-Yang.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
