When entrepreneur, corporate leadership expert and business owner Ronen Aires hit major burnout several years ago — landing in a physical slump after numerous setbacks coupled with debilitating exhaustion — he was prompted to find a new path.
He reached out to his mentor, clinical psychologist and business coach Merle Friedman, whose advice set him on an intense trajectory that is today seen in the rise of the biohacking movement.
Aires has initiated a transformational programme named “Off the Reservation — making sense of the nonsense”, offering a range of strategies designed to challenge the stresses of overwork and poor lifestyle in a world where pills are seen as the answer to every ailment.
The idea was born of his own collapse after years of working as an energised entrepreneur, thriving in chaos as a visionary and creative. It all became too much when he received bad news at a conference, lost a third of his business and soon after experienced another blow, leading to a split with his business partner.
“It was the last straw that put me on the canvas, as I realised I was a prisoner of my own creation and stuck in a hole. For the first time I hit quit. I couldn’t get out of bed, and all I could think was ‘I’m done’,” Aires told TimesLIVE Premium, explaining what led him to biohacking — a revolutionary approach to health and wellness that's catching on in South Africa.
Biohacking is the practice of employing methods drawn from fields such as biology, genetics, neuroscience and nutrition to enhance physical or mental performance, wean off pharmaceuticals, improve overall health and wellbeing, or achieve a specific health outcome.
The pandemic is over, but we are experiencing the long tail now. Anxiety, depression, despair everywhere.
— Ronen Aires, entrepreneur
Friedman encouraged Aires to read Stealing Fire by Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal — an exploration of altered states of consciousness and their impact on creativity, performance and wellbeing. Some synchronicitous events led Aires to sign up for training in the field with the authors.
“It was a time of learning how neuroscience, pharmacology and technology all intersect and impact on human performance and how to get your body and brain to find your mind.”
Aires worked with Navy SEALs on a fast-track crash course he describes as “40 lifetimes of therapy crammed into 40 hours” that turned out to be “my pre-pandemic readiness training” before Covid-19 hit.
In that time of isolation and linking with others he began to work a remote apprenticeship, discovering that extreme methods were necessary for extreme results. A world of heat, cold, breathwork and meditation opened.
“It’s all the things you need to regulate your nervous system, to improve your metabolism, to heal and lower your stress levels.”
Aires, who has a cold-water immersion tank and sauna at home, is an ardent practitioner of what he preaches, regularly plunging into 6°C water and sitting in 80°C heat.
“The pandemic is over, but we are experiencing the long tail now. Anxiety, depression, despair everywhere. Suicide rates are up and there’s a mental health epidemic as people are spinning out, not sure if this is the world they want to live in,” he said.
A lack of control over the outside world is driving the biohacking movement as people increasingly seek ways to gain control by regulating their internal systems through natural means.
In a programme of “stacking up a pile of things for ultimate returns”, Aires recommends breathwork, movement, a good diet and alternating exposures to hot and cold.
Cold immersions — he recommends alternating between icy water, cold showers or standing in freezing winter air — in short bursts of at least 11 minutes a week in 15°C or colder. And on the flip side — 57 minutes a week in sessions of a few minutes at a time in a sauna.
Another biohacking convert is transformation consultant Charles Weyer, who describes the strategies as “do-it-yourself biology” and offers guidance in the field. “I have been flooded by people wanting to come off their meds.”
Silence, darkness, medicinal mushrooms, fasting protocols, meditation, controlled diets, sensory deprivation and hypnotherapy are among the other strategies he found to be effective.
“A sensory deprivation flotation tank is where you go to unplug from all stimulation and the constant bombardment of social media,” he said, referring to dark tanks of body temperature, Epsom salts-infused water to make it buoyant where participants float with their senses shut off.
“It’s a short-lived experience, so there’s no massive or long benefit,” he said.
Buddhist in nature, vipassana is a 10-day residential retreat involving a vow of silence as participants spend the time observing the deep interconnection between mind and body.
Chrisi van Loon of the Buddhist Retreat Centre in Ixopo in KwaZulu-Natal said they offer retreats on mindfulness and meditation, silent retreats, breathwork and yoga.
While they have been operating as a sanctuary for 44 years, their popularity saw former president Nelson Mandela grant them Natural Heritage status and more recently, CNN naming them as one of the top 10 retreat centres in the world.
Jai Jai Webb, founder and host of Darkness Retreat Africa, offers stays ranging from two hours to 21 days at specially created rooms in Johannesburg. The retreat is a solo journey in total darkness and silence.
“Our bodies don't rest and recover properly and we are deprived of natural darkness. Joburg is so light that we have lost our stars and there's light and noise around us all the time.”
A darkness retreat, she said, involved the participant familiarising themselves with a room with a bed, en suite bathroom and basic kitchenette where they stay in complete darkness. There is a two-way hatch in the door where food, messages and special requests are handled and communication is through an intercom.
“Participants are informed of everything up front so there are no surprises, the doors are never locked and the lights always work, so a person can exit the process at any time,” Webb said.
The benefits of time in complete darkness and silence, she said, were complete rest, a sense of rejuvenation and revelation through the deep connection that takes place within the self.
“As I always like to describe it, my people walk out on an absolute high. They’re bouncing in delight like a six-year-old on sugar.”
Mervyn Croft, founder and resident teacher at the Emoyeni Retreat Centre in the Magaliesburg , said they are a nonprofit establishment offering a range of stays and retreats for people looking “to feel safe and grounded in the midst of turbulent life that leaves you tired, depressed and disenchanted”.
Set in nature, Emoyeni can take up to 17 guests, has no TV or technology, is alcohol-free and vegetarian.
“We’re not for everyone, but we do offer people a safe space to start and deepen their journeys as they step off the treadmill for a while to question the meaning and purpose of everything,” Croft said.
While they offer various yoga, silence, play and meditation retreats, visitors are also invited to design their own stays, with meditation, walking, yoga, silent play and contemplation times all possible.
“It’s about taking time to stop the endless chasing of rainbows to look at the things that erode and sabotage your wellbeing while enjoying a bit of kindness and nurturing. That’s what we’re about and what we provide the framework for.”
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