Cover Pavel Stuchlik, one of the foremost voices in the field of biohacking
Pavel Stuchlik, one of the foremost voices in the field of biohacking
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Biohacker Pavel Stuchlik’s technique on how to accelerate a month of meditation into two hours
Former pro cyclist Pavel Stuchlik raced worldwide before injuries and illness forced him to leave the competitive scene. His transformative journey after that led him to become a successful franchise owner of a multi-million dollar fitness franchise. And still, he found himself searching for a deeper purpose. Driven by his own pursuit, he delved into holistic wellness and biohacking, gaining certifications and experience all over the world.
The seasoned biohacker made a trip to Kuala Lumpur to give a preview of the next biohacker centre he is involved in—the soon-to-be-launched, 30,000 square feet Amani Biohacking CEO Club (Amani) in the heart of Bangsar. In a preview of what Amani has to offer, a “core system reset” workshop was held for a few invited guests to experience a series of biohacking techniques guided by Stuchlik.
In the transformative system he designed, dance becomes an integral part of the experience, merging with breathing and audio stimuli to form a powerful biohacking combination for accelerated results comparable to a month of meditation. His mission: to spread awareness and empower more people with this knowledge.
Read more: Stressed out? Here’s how a silent retreat can boost your mental clarity
Above Stuchlik during a race
Stuchlik during a race
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You have dancing as an element in the workshop. Why is this important within the system reset?
System reset is a set of tools, and each tool has massive benefits. That’s biohacking. Biohacking is just a label or tool. Maybe nowadays we’re using it, but that’s going to change 100 years from now. Music is so beneficial: it’s our emotions, uplifting energy, or just our nervous system. It can bring us from fight-or-flight to a calm state of being.
Then we’ve got breath work: without breath, we’re dead. You can’t go without breathing for more than three minutes. Without technique, you’re not going to last long. Breathing is the number one tool that anybody needs. It’s with you all the time. When we learn how to control our breath, we use an advantage. It has quantified benefits. I don’t have to talk about meditation because that’s been around forever, and the studies have all of the proof. When we look at our system reset studies, we take all of the elements that we’re talking about and group them into what they can do in an accelerated form.
That’s why two hours of that system takes you a month of meditation to achieve so much upside.
Above Stuchlik conducting his workshop
Stuchlik conducting his workshop
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Does this mean two hours of system reset is equivalent to a month of meditation?
We do five to 10-day retreats (as well), and that is when we really dive in deep, and it’s not just full breath (work), it’s all that we talked about, but we break it down so people can actually digest, it to heart. We use the two hours (from the core system reset workshop) to plant the seeds, and then we use the longer ones for those who are ready to learn more.
Why do you ask people to hold the hands of the person next to them in the workshop? Why is that important?
Electricity—we’re electric beings. We have plus minus currents that go through us. And we can use that in a huge acceleration and benefit. Most people nowadays don’t touch this. There’s a missing link with the physical connection. Science says that if you hug somebody, within two minutes, you produce a massive dose of oxytocin, which is the feeling of belonging, happiness, and joy. What that does is it actually helps us accelerate whatever we’re working through.
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Above Sound healing, meditation, and breathwork at Biohacking experience organised by Amani Wellness last year
Sound healing, meditation, and breathwork at Biohacking experience organised by Amani Wellness last year
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What is the breathing technique you use for core system reset? Is it just the Wim Hof Method or a combination of breathing techniques?
It was a combination: the subtle breaths (and) the 4-7-8 (breathe in for four counts, hold for seven counts and breathe out for eight counts), which is a great anxiety hack. We did the double exhale, for example: inhale for two, exhale for four; inhale for four, exhale for eight. It depends on your capacity. We also did box breathing, which is 4-4-4-4 (breathing in for four counts, holding for four counts, breathing out for four counts and holding for four counts). And all three of them are amazing at reversing the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and bringing it into the parasympathetic nervous system, from the fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest (condition).
These are the subtle ones that we can do throughout the day—they’re easy. Then there are the deep ones, which can trigger a huge amount of response. And think about it this way, our mitochondria, the cells in our body, need oxygen to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate: energy-carrying molecule found in the cells of all living things). Without oxygen, we might be tired, we might not sleep well.
“If you hug somebody, within two minutes, you produce a massive dose of oxytocin”
Above Stuchlik believes in the benefit of music and its ability to bring us from fight-or-flight state to a calm state of being
Stuchlik believes in the benefit of music and its ability to bring us from fight-or-flight state to a calm state of being
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These are such great hacks or techniques.
My mission is to give these tools out. When they leave, they have this toolbox—(a) set of tools that actually work that [is backed by] science. They can do and apply whenever they feel anxious. They do certain breaths whenever they feel like they need to connect and go deeper. But that’s what’s so beautiful about this is that you learn it once you practice it on your own.
I love that the 4-7-8 can really bring anxiety levels down.
It’s anxiety hack 101… it’s the one tool that people [use to] master breath [work]. There is a great book called Breath: The New Science Of A Lost Art by James Nester. That’s a really good one for people to start their breathing journey. A lot of the techniques I’m talking about he discusses in there.
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Above Stuchlik during one of his workshops
Stuchlik during one of his workshops
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There are some critics out there that do argue that some biohacking practices lack scientific evidence. What’s your comment on this?
It’s so subjective. A lot of science is industry-funded. With biohackers, we don’t look at industry-funded science. We look at independent and blindsided science, where the person who comes in has no idea what’s going to happen, and neither does the scientist.
The best biohacks are free. What’s really important to notice is that you don’t need any of these crazy things. If you look at the sun, light specifically, it’s something that [is already there when] we were born. If you look straight into the sun, it actually powers up your mitochondria because the inside of your retina contains the most mitochondria for your brain. It helps your circadian rhythm to function properly.
Credits
Images: Pavel Stuchlik
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Lynette loves travelling and dancing to Latin music almost as much as she enjoys period films and pastry desserts. She is constantly in search of the perfect nude lipstick and finds her best ideas through walks in nature.
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As the Editor-in-Chief of Tatler Malaysia, Lynette leads the content teams for print, digital and social media platforms of the brand. She has over 20 years experience in media, having been editorial director and editor-in-chief for lifestyle titles such as Cleo, ELLE, Esquire, Men’s Health, and Women’s Health.
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