Tsalung

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Tsalung are special yogic exercises called tsa lung, used in the Bon tradition and in four main Tibetan Buddhist schools. They are part of a sacred inner map (yantra) used in a yoga called yantra yoga. Tsa lung are also used in completion stage practices. They help a practitioner drop dualistic thinking and rest in non‑dual awareness (rigpa).

There are three levels: external, internal, and secret. Each level has five exercises tied to the five elements.

In the subtle body system, energetic maps include channels (nadi/rtsa), winds (vayu/rlung), drops (bindu/thig le), and chakras (wheels). These energies are viewed as supports for consciousness and are accessed through practices like pranayama (breath control) to produce bliss, which is used to help realize ultimate reality.

In completion stage practices of deity yoga, the same energetic map is used to generate the great bliss needed for enlightenment.

One common method is tummo, or inner heat. This practice uses visualization of heat at the chakra below the navel and breath control (breath retention). The inner heat rises up the central channel and melts the white vital essence (bindu) at the head. The bindu then drips down the channel, filling the body with bliss. Inner heat is the foundation for other completion yogas, such as yogic union (karmamudrā), luminosity (clear light) yoga, illusory body yoga, dream yoga, bardo yoga, and phowa.

These practices may be combined with physical exercises called trul khor. Luminosity or clear light refers to the radiant mind—the primordial, pure ground. It can be accessed through meditation, inner heat practices, moments of great bliss, sleep, and the dying process. Practitioners train to access this luminous mind through various methods, which can give signs such as mirages, smoke, or flickering lights.