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Hey guys, been busy with life and whatnot lately, but figured I would share my latest focus with everyone while I am lurking. Take care of your back. How does this relate to this forum specifically: Meditation is a perfect time to practice sitting up straight with a properly supported spine. Buy a cushion, stretch, etc. and work this into your meditation practice. The same could be said for Yoga. Use it or lose it (are you relying on a back support? Why?) Back pain is very distracting, and monkey mind loves to focus on it! Flexibility, nutrition, and cardiovascular health are more important than strength training; lifting 500 lbs like a robot is useless if you are not functional and capable of supporting an increased muscle mass in a healthy way. This realization is huge. I went back to ignoring this for a while, but it really should be paramount. Some sort of exercise is essential to living a healthy life (and progressing with spirituality work). Inactivity indoors can lead to a host of mental and physical problems that could be avoided with periodic exercise. Contemplate your mind-body connection. Try yoga. I don't know much about this, but I imagine this would strongly support kundalini and chakra work (maybe someone else can chime in on this). This is your spine we're talking about after all. I am an invincible 20-something near his prime here to tell you that you (and your back) are not invincible. I have recently sustained a very minor (but acutely significant) back injury, and this has perked me up to the necessities of taking care of my spine and back. This is something most of us take for granted! No one thinks much about breathing freely though their nose until they're battling a nose-congesting flu. Now imagine the ramifications of not being able to bend over, arch your back, sit for any significant amount of time without pain, reach to grab basic objects, etc. for months at a time (or for life). If you lift weights and your form isn't 90-100% as good as it could possibly be, my belief is that you WILL sustain an injury over time, and this could likely mean a back injury in the case of anyone who is deadlifting, squatting, lifting anything overhead, etc. I just went from deadlifting twice my bodyweight, to struggling with 135 lbs as I try to regain months of progress lost. If you're lifting, you should expect to be in the gym for years. You can either make an investment up front by PERFECTING your form, or sustain small micro traumas over that same amount of time which will eventually lead to an acute (and potentially serious/permanent) injury. We already sustain these traumas throughout the day with poor posture and ergonomics, so poor form under a weighted load only adds to this daily stress that is accumulating. I actually hurt my back playing basketball, although I suspect poor posture related to my job, hyper extending on my deadlifts, and doing a disproportionate amount of abdominal exercises that strained my lower back are what led to the straw that broke the camel's back (mine). If you are reading this, you likely have a forward head tilt (see pic). Looking down at your phone for hours a day contributes to this, as well as many other things. A rounded upper back requires you to tilt your head up/back to look straight ahead. The spine is connected, and every aspect of your back and neck are related in some way. Learn exercises to correct this, and work on your posture. Here's a video from one of my favorite fitness Youtubers on the Face Pull (which is a great exercise to start with): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiRAi2KOfRQ Another common problem is an anterior pelvic tilt (see pic). Basically, if you have either one of these problems, you should be taking steps to correct them. Keeping your body in this position for years will eventually lead to even more problems down the road. I haven't been completely blown away by going to a chiropractor, but this can be something you consider trying if you feel you have significant work to do, or if you need conformation that you might be out of alignment. There are a whole host of other misalignment you could have, even though you feel "fine." Quick laundry list of actionable ways to work on this: Fix your posture. Yeah I know, you can just sit up straighter blah blah blah, it doesn't matter that much, who cares. Wrong. Learn exercises to fix the (mal)position your body is stuck in. Put your ego in check and think objectively about why you workout Why do you want to "get big," "lose weight," "tone up," "lift more," etc? Be honest with yourself. Stop staring down at your phone so long Stop cracking your joints (this does not help anything physiologically, and many chiropractors will argue it hurts you) Adjust your chairs (in your car, at your desk), workspaces, etc. so you can operate in an ideal posture. Do not compromise your posture when you can adjust your environment for the same effect Start a daily stretching routine Use a foam roller Learn proper gym form for every major lift you do in the gym Alright, that's all I've got for now. Personally, I am dropping my weight in the gym and prioritizing flexibility and form. I am working to get over my back injury (which I think is happening slowly but surely). I'm going to a chiropractor, and trying to get my spine aligned as well as I can while I work on fixing my posture and habits. Good luck guys, and I'll try to answer any questions you might have. Take care of your back!

@Nahm Yes, no problem! I'm glad to hear you've found something sustainable for you that works. Muscle imbalances are sneaky like that. I want to look into something like acupuncture for my back pain. I'm just curious about it more than anything else. I know the steroid injections do wonders for some people. @Serotoninluv I've found myself getting the most benefit out of simple poses like child's pose etc. even though I wouldn't consider the stretching I do "yoga." I've always wanted to learn a formal yoga discipline, so maybe I will take steps towards that in the future. Kriya was not really the practice I had in mind when I dipped my toes into that one.

@Gabriel Antonio That's so true, and many people don't realize that. The endorphin release (and vitamin D boost) from habitual (outdoor) exercise naturally combats depression for a lot of people. I do find swimming especially calming, my form is just terrible and I'm gassed after a couple laps. Best of luck with your path, swimming is great for the joints. @pluto Yes, I definitely took it for granted for too long

I remember the first time I tripped was the first time that I had this notion of "being a slave to my body." It was the first time I experienced existing beyond my body, and I developed this misguided sense that I existed somewhere inside of it. This was a very profound distinction for me (realizing that I wasnt the body), but it wasnt until more contemplation that I refined my worldview and notion of self. At the time, I was coming off of a cold, and contemplated the autonomous nervous system (my nose producing tons of mucous, having to use tissues, etc.) when *I* wasnt the one deciding to do it all. It was as if the body decided it was going to do all of these things to survive, and I had no choice in the matter. Of course this provided some utility to me, but I felt very negatively about having to eat, drink, sleep, etc. "against my will" just to continue experiencing life. It sounds like maybe your friend hasn't completely accepted her relationship with her body, and could be trying to escape some other aspects of reality with her significant meditation sessions. It's a bit bewildering to me, but I figured I'd share my own experiences in regards to her discomfort. Maybe contemplating all of the things our bodies do to allow us to stay in the "wellspring" would change her perspective? Breathing, heart beat, etc. all happen "against our will." In fact, I think she will find that everything does if she contemplates it enough with an open mind.

Sup guys, this is my first post in a while, but I figured I would reach out for suggestions. I briefly hit a busy patch in my life that kind of threw off any sort of spiritual practice routine I had going on, and now I just feel pretty disinterested towards the whole thing. I think I still understand and experience the magnitude of Being on a semi-regular basis, I'm just not really interested in seeking anything deeper like I used to be. I guess in a way I am just kind of content with the way things are right now (and have always been I guess). I've just lost the feeling that I ought to be searching for anything, and my intuition tells me that it's because I might have gradually realized that there is nothing to seek. Any suggestions on how to light that fire again? Some videos and books kind of get me interested again briefly, but I'm finding that 80%+ of theory type stuff tends to be repetitive and boring for me now. I know there is more "progress" to be made, realizations and insights to be had, and mental chatter to be silenced, but I just can't seem to hop back on the wagon. I guess I just feel kind of exhausted with the whole thing right now.

Mesmerizing description. Might have to give this a try sometime.

Probably a case of different names and explanations for the same experience.

From an egoic perspective, you could consider it the ultimate defense mechanism. Life is so far outside the bounds of what you have decided is acceptable, that you feel you simply cannot continue on that way anymore. Some event, feelings, circumstances, etc. shape the way you see the world so strongly, and they probably go against the principles of your false self. If you go on long enough ignoring that voice, the narrative will probably change. The ego is what is causing you the "pain" mentioned previously. Interesting to tie together.

Just wanted to chime in and point out that 10 miles @ 50 mph is roughly a 20 minute drive, which is inconvenient, but fairly reasonable. Sticking to a full body routine would mean you only need to be in the gym a few times a week. Compound exercises such as bench press, overhead press, squat, and dead lift should be your priorities to build a base of strength, and then you can worry about size. The only way you will gain any weight is if you eat a lot of food.

(tl;dr in bold) Hey all, hope you've been doing well. Lately I've been a little off track with my consciousness work, and I feel like I need to find a way to look at things from a new perspective, and somehow integrate a physical component. I've been meaning to learn yoga forever now, and making excuses for why I haven't for just as long. I've seen Leo's video(s) mentioning Kriya, and I also own his book list. I can't remember, but he was very opinionated about which books and teachers were legit, and which weren't. Can someone remind me what those were, or point me in the right direction to find that out again? I wouln't mind the input from those that have researched it themselves either. My main gripe with kriya from a distance is that it seems very woo woo. I still don't quite understand all this business about chakras etc. and it is a little offputting without a direct experience of things. Reading about it seems like a second language, and archaic text doesn't really seem like the ideal way to spice things up. Can someone briefly explain the principles or basics of kriya yoga (perhaps in comparison to westernized versions of yoga), and maybe share their experiences with it? Is this just another way to add a layer of concept to reality, or is there something else there? Thanks

Anyone have any good channels to check out for pickup or dating advice? I like the psychological and evolutionary side of things, if there's anyone out there that incorporates the underlying reasoning in their advice. Thanks!

Yesterday I had my strongest trip yet. I solo dosed 200 ug of LSD at home, and boy was this one taxing (and incredible, as always). I was dealing with pretty uncomfortable stomach aches/pains this time that I don't normally experience, and found myself with a headache as I was coming down. Several hours after the peak I realized I was probably significantly dehydrated from one of the supplements I was taking, and water seemed to help a lot. This trip was unusual because it came on really quickly, and only lasted about 5-6 hours before I was done with 85-90% of the effects. I hope what I had is really LSD, but the source should be reliable, and it turned out okay in the end. Below are a list of events I took note of during the afterglow of this trip. They are somewhat in chronological order, but not perfect (insights are bolded): To take the tabs or not (12:15): So I had come to terms with tripping on this particular day, but then thought I was going to have to reschedule on the morning of. I wasted time all morning, talked myself into why it would be okay or even better to do it another time, and then went full circle and convinced myself to do it once I realized I would be able to. My morning was more rushed than I would have wanted it to be, and there were a couple unknowns that afternoon/night that made me a little apprehensive at first, but I went ahead with the trip anyways. I had this really cool moment where I had the blotters in my hand and my mind was racing about whether I should cut one in half, or whether I was sure I wanted to do it, but I finally just put them on my tongue and realized there was no turning back. I remembered back to slowly wading into the pool as a kid trying to avoid being uncomfortable (and various similar experiences), but this time I was just going to jump straight in to the deep end. Taking risks and getting out of your comfort zone is what makes life interesting. Later on in the trip I had this really crazy experience, as if the entire first few hours of my trip was contained within the confines of the 2x4 strip of blotter that I had consumed. Like a full blown Horton Hears a Who type thing. I wish I could remember the details better, because it was really trippy. I thought back to how mundane my day would have been if I didn't make that singular decision to take the LSD. I pondered about how caught up I was on dosage, and knew there were no numbers to quantify the experience I was having. Who took the acid?: I remember thinking, who took the acid anyways? It wasn't my acid to take. The acid just acided! This made total sense to me, and my sense of self was completely dissolved. There was no comprehending what had changed or was no longer there, the experience was just blissfully whole. It wasn't even non-dual, because there was no dual to not be. It was crazy. Primal state with food: I got a little irresponsible and started making a mess in the kitchen with the food. I started to cut this big loaf of french bread that I bought, but got irritated with the knife and just tore a piece off and started eating it. I had pre-sliced an avocado and just started grinding salt and pepper over it and onto the counter top and floor. I went to get a butter spread for the bread, and just pulled some out with my finger before taking bites of the bread. I sank my teeth into the avocado a few times before finally getting a spoon to get the rest out. I threw the rest of the hunk of bread at my wall lol. Not really sure why now... Societal norms just went right out the window. Chaos took over and I struggled to make things seem orderly again. I spent a lot of time trying to get the bread back in the bag and laughing as I cut off a straight piece so it would fit in the portion I didn't tear open and look normal. I had this weird thought about how I had swept up before hand so the total mess was less now than when I started or that my roommate was also me and that it was already messy or something... Idk how I justified it, but it just felt nice to not care about cleanliness or order for a moment. Laughing hysterically: I found myself laughing hysterically several times throughout the trip. Mostly at realizations I knew I would never be able to describe to other people, but also realizations I would forget myself when this was all over! I think that was the punchline. The cat was in on the joke too lol. I remembered thinking about describing certain things throughout my trip, and realizing I need to simply live life instead of trying to describe it to other people all the time... Over text message, on the internet, etc. Which brings me to my next point. No one to share with, futility of posting: During my "non-dual" state, I realized how unnecessary it was to share, discuss, or post any of this. I truly felt like anyone I would have shared this with would already somehow know the information. I had this thought about wanting to share with my Dad... I kind of lost where my thinking went with this one, but it really freaked me out too. We were pretty much the same person in a way. Same with someone else I was thinking about, and judgements that came up about them. They were my actions to deal with because I was making them. Very weird, hard to explain. I remember having this trippy reemergence of ego at one point, and what I can best describe as a voice saying something along the lines of "this is yours to deal with now" lol. As if it were my ego's responsibility to live on knowing what I know now. Profound emotional experience****: This was by far the most profound experience of my trip. I had never really experienced this before on any other trip I've had in the past, and this had to have occurred during the peak. I experienced what I can best describe as an unihibited flow of love. I remember trying to articulate this after the fact and not liking any particular descriptor such as "love," but I think it fits conceptually. I don't remember what came before it or after it. This was around the time of the laughing fits. My body became ethereal, it's like the emotional experience just disintegrated everything around me and flowed through my body. and I remember finally wiping my hand across my face to see if I was crying, and it was wet with tears. I might have been crying from laughter, I'm not sure. So often we think ourselves into crying, but there was no thinking at all involved in this, the tears just happened. I wasn't my body in this moment. I was it, and experiencing it. I was myself; purely and perfectly. The ego wanted to say yes this is ME as I was recalling this experience, but there is absolutely no denying this falsehood. This song came on during the comedown, and it best describes this insight: Love is paradise. Love is everything. Cologne (abbreviated): I got two new colognes for Christmas. I didn't even realize, but one was from my Dad, and one was basically from my newish step-dad. I sprayed my Dad's on me. It was kind of an odd experience, but got me thinking about how I preferenced one over the other, and they sort of represented those two men out of nowhere. One bottle was white and one was black lol. Profound empathy/self deception (abbreviated): I was going to keep the fact that I tripped to myself once people got home, so I thought about how I was having this incredible experience and had to put on an act like nothing happened. Before the trip was even complete I realized I was already putting on an act to deceive myself. Not sure which empathy experience I had now. Cat connection, birds outside: I forgot the cat existed until right after the peak of my trip, so he kinda freaked me out for a second, but then we really started to bond and I felt like I understood him so well during this time. We anthropomorphize animals so often, but this lil guy was just doing his thing. There was no judgement from him, and he was being so cute. I remember thinking "he gets it" whenever I would have a realization. I sat outside for a moment and there were a ton of birds chirping outside, like dozens. He always whines to go outside, and when I saw them flying overhead and chattering as vividly as I did, I understood why a little better. He was looking out in the window while I sat there. Shower/bathroom insecurities (abbreviated): This one was kinda cool. I took a shower towards the end of my trip. Realized some of my insecurities. It felt like a VR human washing simulator when I started using the lufa lol. That's all I have the motivation/time to type up for now. I'm feeling incredibly sore/gloomy today, so I'm just going to relax and try to integrate a little bit. If you've never tripped before, I highly recommend it. Thanks for reading.

I'm still working on this as well. Very systematic and thorough. I feel like it's less useful now that I've had certain breakthroughs, but he still gives great examples and brings up things that would have slipped past my awareness.

You don't have to do everything mentioned in a stage to enter that stage (and eventually transcend it). One can have habits at any stage, even if they are explicitly mentioned as being common in one part of the spiral. Think of embodying "stoner culture" more than the habit itself as something that is indicative of stage green, and maybe that will help reframe it for you. Flower power and the hippie movement, not necessarily the consumption of a psychedelic substance. Leo uses and promotes psychedelics, but I doubt he is stuck in stage green at this point.

Agreed with everyone else. 100 if you want a more mild intro. It doesn't have to be "recreational" unless you decide to partake in recreational activities while you're tripping. 150 would also be manageable, but more difficult to handle. If you consider yourself an anxious person, I would try to take it easy at first.

Yes, that makes perfect sense, thank you I just teared up remembering it again. I feel a lot better after getting out of the house and doing something active today. It was a great experience, and I'm excited for the growth that will follow.

@Wisebaxter Yeah, I'm physically and mentally exhausted. I think I tensed up a lot this trip (physically). Squeezing my pillows and blankets and such. I'm sure there will be a lot of ego backlash in the next couple of days. When I get the mental fortitude, I'll try and keep it at bay. Maybe do some meditation or inquiry when I get back from the gym later. From my experience, it's about the 150-200ug mark that you start to get the ego death type experiences. Tripping multiple times also allows you to fixate on aspects other than the "whoa, stuff is moving" part of things. This trip seemed way too long lol, that's kind of the nice thing about mushrooms. 6 hours isn't even that long for LSD, it's just the subtle stimulation you get for the following 6 that makes it excessive (depending on the trip, and especially solo tripping).

@Wisebaxter Thanks buddy, I need to sift through your trip report a little better once I get the time. I think I'll definitely be able to integrate some of it. I feel like with every trip I go a little deeper, and then I probably hold onto maybe 10-15% of the lessons/realizations in a profound way. This trip was pretty heavy on the non-dual. I'm not sure it wasn't there in the other trips, I just probably wasn't as aware of it. All I know is that I am HUMBLE today. My goodness, it's amazing how trivial some things are. It's my roommates cat, so at first I got nervous I left something out that he could get into haha. I'm not sure it would have made any difference if he were "mine" or not though. The idea of ownership kind of goes out the window in that state. He went from a lion to a kitten to a creepy lil creature whenever he would stretch. His eyes were amazing too. The thing about ego death that I didn't realize is that once it's "dead" you can't even really conceptualize what it was like when it was "alive," so it's a real mind fuck. Typical lines of thought just don't make sense anymore, and then you kinda realize. But thanks man, I'm just gonna go relax and maybe workout. Not sure why I feel down tbh.

Talk me off the cliff. I'm going to trip this week and I can't decide on an amount. I can do any amount within reason. I will be tripping at home alone. Dont currently have any benzos. My bodyweight is light/light-moderate for my height. I have tripped probably 5 times before, all low-moderate amounts. 2g dried shrooms, a tab and a half of LSD, etc. I am much deeper down the non-duality rabbit hole now, so I thought it would be nice to trip again and see where things go. I tried to get a little brave and make tea with 3.5g shroomies last time, but didnt fully extract them on accident, and ended up underwhelmed. How much LSD would you recommend for this time around? I would like it to be one of my most powerful experiences so far, but I dont wanna end up calling the cops or something because I took a ten strip alone lol

I'd say stage orange: Obsessed with being #1: Fucking the hottest or the most women; not being satisfied with a single partner Gaming the system Personal freedom, independence Money, sex, luxury, sexiness, coolness etc.

My plan was to do two tabs, assuming that would be 150-200ug

@MrEgoless cool, glad I could share a different perspective keep a balanced diet and stay active, and I'm sure you'll be fine. I wouldnt sweat the synthetic vs natural distinction much.

Yeah, I remember watching this and being underwhelmed. I actually havent finished it yet. You can tell this guy is truly a math/physics genius, but his explanation behind the biological component that cannot be explained by the theorem he mentioned (microtubules?) is either grossly oversimplified for explanation's sake, or simply just hand-wavy. I think it might be a little of both, otherwise I'm curious to know the details. I know more about biology than the average person too though, so I'm not sure. There was nothing deep about this talk on the level of consciousness as we know it...unfortunately. Except maybe that it can't be explained by an algorithm.

I love Alan Watts. His words are so eloquent. I used to listen to his lectures and read his books, and occasionally I would understand what he meant. Once you actually get to a point where you've experienced what hes trying to explain, you only appreciate the way he presents things that much more. It's like he takes the shortest route to the truth in the most beautiful way.