ChimpBrain

Does anyone know of specific YouTube channels or websites that offer guided yoga videos that are geared toward spirituality rather than flat abs and tight glutes? I watched "Awake" last night, the documentary about Yogananda, and I'm super motivated to try some of this stuff. Also plan to read the autobiography of a Yogi as soon as I finish my current book. Thanks

I use them sometimes too, mainly the ones by Cory Allen. I can't always find silence where I live and have to use headphones with binaural beats, nature sounds, tibetan singing bowls, etc, to drown out the background noise. But I do enjoy silence when it's available.

Like @Siim Land said, this is so subjective that a specific answer doesn't really exist. Like him, I prefer to skip breakfast altogether and use an Intermittent fasting style eating routine. For one thing it's easier with less time spent cooking, cleaning and eating. And for another, the morning hours are my most productive time of the day and eating anything substantial in the morning makes me feel groggy, less focused, etc. If you're set on eating breakfast, my main recommendation would be to keep it carb free. Something like a few eggs cooked in coconut oil, a protein shake and mixed nuts, etc. Basically protein and fat, no carbs. Eating carbs causes the release of serotonin which causes a calming effect. Not ideal for breakfast! Carbs are best eaten before bed to aid in restful sleep.

Thanks, I love that guy!

The next time he loses his temper, look him directly in the eye and ask him if he needs a hug, and mean it. That last part is important. If you can't genuinely care about why/how he's found himself in the state that he's in and want to help him out of it, don't try to fake it. You might be surprised at how easily you could make yours and your whole family's lives much less stressful with a simple act of genuine love and compassion.

He's strong DESPITE that diet, not because of it. He probably has a excellent control over his mind, and a lot of strength is mental. Intermittent fasting is really popular right now. I've tried it for 6 months or so at a time on several occasions. IMO it's great for leaning out, not great for building muscle. It does have a lot of other health benefit though as you mentioned.

There's a good series of speeches about it by Don Beck on audible.

Gym, yoga, hiking, camping, fishing, mt biking, rock climbing. Anything that gets you into nature.

I would attend something like that. It sounds like it could be really beneficial. I've taken both mushrooms and LSD at regular concerts and frankly haven't enjoyed it much. MDMA at concerts has been fantastic for me though. Setting really does make all the difference with mushrooms and LSD. Would you like to share the name of these events with us? I'd like to do some Googling on it

I'm about 3/4 of the way through the book Nonzero. I think you might enjoy it. It makes a very convincing case for our constant upward evolution as a species. Well, until we have a mass extinction event and the reset button gets hit anyway. Then we start the whole thing all over again.

I would never speak in absolutes but I think for most of us average folks it makes a huge difference. Just imagine your environment, the people you come into contact with on any given day, and the general "vibe" or "collective consciousness" of somewhere like Boulder or San Francisco compared to a town of 300 in rural Kansas or west Virginia. To take it a step further, imagine trying to self actualize while living in Monrovia where poverty, crime, disease and death are the norm. I'm using an extreme example to illustrate my point, obviously. Being surrounded by happy, health conscious, goal orientated, truth seeking individuals will have a net positive effect on your progress IMHO. I should add that I have some first hand experience with this after recently moving from a small town in rural Oklahoma.

That's awesome man! My 4yr old meditates with me nightly, as much as a 4yr old can anyway, but to randomly see a kid meditating in public is definitely outside of the norm, especially for my area. Thanks for sharing! That's really encouraging!

I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Uncontrollable laughter accompanied by uncontrollable tears. I've had this happen maybe 4-6 times now in my 8 months or so of meditation experience. No rhyme or reason to when it will happen really, it just does. I'm not interested in labeling this experience, but I am interested in knowing if anyone has a coherent thought on the cause behind such an experience. Is this a momentary connection with "the source"? Is this just what happens when you get into a deep meditative state so that it sort of kicks you out of that state intentionally to protect the ego? The first time it happened I thought I'd just mindfucked myself into the experience by hearing Leo mention being brought to tears during meditation. But now it's happened several times, and often when I least expected it, so I don't think that's the case. Thoughts? Thanks, and much love to everyone

I wish I could garner something useful from this but I can't. Seems to just be Eckhart being amused by someone in the crowd having a laughing spell. If you were able to get some useful info from it please feel free to break it down for me. I tried to not resist it so it that it wouldn't stop happening, but it only lasted a minute or 2 before thoughts took over and shut it off. You're right, it does feel like I've "opened a gate". I hope the more times I pass through it the easier access will become

I've definitely had what you're talking about with little realizations about everything being bullshit lol, but that usually results in a grin or a chuckle at most. A sort of "wow how could I have not realized this until now" type thing that seems humorous in the moment. This is a different experience than that altogether though. There is no realization involved that I can put my finger on. It just feels like being overwhelmed with emotion. I should clarify that the tears are not sad tears but more like the type of tears one might shed when seeing their newborn baby or something. Tears of pure joy. Thanks for your input man. I can't say I've had any experience where I just cried to release bad feelings but frankly it seems like something I could benefit from.

In nature is my favorite place to meditate. There's nothing that takes me "into the zone" like 5 layers of nature sounds - frogs, crickets, birds, wind, etc. Just because zen monks meditate facing a wall doesn't mean you should too. Where did the Buddha do his meditating? Under a tree

If you can afford to, get both the audio version and the paper version of a book. Set the audio to play at 1.5 to 2x regular speed (depending on the narrator's natural reading speed and clarity) and follow along with the paper book at the same time.

I recommend Guns Germs and Steel no matter where you're from. The subtitle to Lies My Teacher Told Me is "everything your American history teacher got wrong", so it's obviously geared toward people who were taught American history growing up. The version of history we're taught in an average public school here is extremely biased, as I think it probably is in public schools in a lot of countries. But if you grew up in Oman you'd get more from a book designed to deprogram some of the nonsensical things you were likely taught in your countries specific preferred version of history.

Guns, Germs and Steel. And if you're from the US, Lies My Teacher Told Me.

Cannabis use is actually pretty common amongst ultra-endurance athletes and has been proven to have benefits in this particular realm of exercise. I've tried it for bodybuilding purposes and don't care for it personally. It reduces my level of aggression.

I agree. I've been saying throughout this thread that I fall into the "this is definitely something to worry about" camp. I didn't post it as truth with a capital T. It was just a brand new video from a reputable guy addressing the topic of the thread. Can't watch your video right this second but will tomorrow!

@Michael569 Rubbish. You shouldn't speak in such absolutes. My daily workout is the highlight of my day! There's nothing I enjoy more than pushing myself to the limits of my physical and mental abilities. Even a "bad" workout where you go into it tired and you're not in the zone like usual leaves me feeling better afterward. To the OP, find a specific routine that suits you. Preferably one designed by someone you admire and respect, and who has a physique you desire. Research the hell out of it. Watch videos or read articles by the creator about why it's so great. Having this person in the back of your mind as your coach pushing you can make a ton of difference. If you're well off financially consider hiring an online coach to write a program/diet if you think that'd help keep you motivated.

I've messed around with it but can never make it past my immediate family and close friends, and frankly even that is difficult for me to stay focused on. Once I try to move onto someone of more distant relation or someone who I actively dislike I lose it quick. I don't doubt it's value, I think I just suck at it lol

Brand new Big Think video today by Steven Pinker on why AI is probably not the threat it's been portrayed as.