Babaji sat motionless for 45 days. One of the great advantage to this mastery is that it allows time to slip away unnoticed. For example, using an ancient yoga/meditation technique known as g Tum-mo, Tibetan monks have demonstrated to scientists their ability to raise their own body temperature and hold it high enough that they are able to dry out wet cold sheets wrapped around their body, even in a chilly room. Where most people would start shivering, these monks actually began to emit steam as their bodies dried out one wet cold sheet after another. Other monks have demonstrated the ability to change the temperatures of different areas of their skin.

Somewhat more sinister examples of mind over body exist too. For example, in traditional Australian aboriginal culture and in cultures that believe in Voodoo, being ‘cursed’ often causes a person’s health to deteriorate to the point where they truly die. It seems that it is their belief in the power of the curse that causes it.