Vibivub

Hey Guys! I love listening to relaxing music and nature sounds while studying or doing daily chores, it gets me into a relaxed mood and clears my head. However I have always been meditating without any artificial sounds just listening to my surroundings because I though that music or sounds would just be a distraction and not real meditation. But over the past days I've been hearing of people who were able to meditate easier and deeper with specific sounds. I mean it's obvious that Dubstep will probably not help with your mindfulness but subtle music, nature sounds or stuff like binaural beats could have beneficial effects? What is your opinion, do you like to meditate in silence or do some sounds help you in your meditation session?

I've been looking for a good book about health and nutrition for a while now but I got frustrated quickly because I feel like especially in this field there are a lot of low conscious, "get thin quick"-books that don't really teach the fundementals of nutrition and a healthy diet. Do you guys know any books that are not just skimming the surface??

So I finally managed to persuade my Mom that I could do a short 5 day Meditation/Life Purpose Solo Retreat. At first I wanted to book myself an isolated cabin like Leo but since my Mom argued that I am not old enough for that yet (I'm 16) we agreed that I could just lock myself in our House alone for 5 days during summer holiday. I am excited for the challenge but I'm also a bit clueless on what I need to prepare for. Obviously I will remove all electronic devices and other potential distractions as well as stock up on healthy food and remove junk food. But is there anything else that I have to add/remove? Also I am still not sure what I want to be doing in those 5 days. Sure, Meditation, Contemplation and Visualization but are there any specific techniques and exercises for a first time Solo Retreat? Any Advice would be appreciated.

Dreams are so overlooked in our society although they are literally the key to your inner, subconscious, creative self. If you are interested in Dreams I strongly recommend you the Book "Lucid Dreaming, the Gateway to the Inner Self" by Robert Waggoner, who basically dedicated his entire life to exploring the dream world. Waggoner wrote in his book about a dream, where he had an enlightening experience. He described it as completely loosing himself and becoming one with consciousness. I myself never had such an experience yet but I'm sure it is possible to reach Enlightenment through Dream Work, specifically Lucid Dreaming. And I can relate to your tasting Experience. A month ago I had a Lucid Dream where I flew to a Cherry Tree and picked the juiciest Cherry I could find. I still remember that as the best thing I have ever eaten and it wasn't even real! (Well of course nothing is real and everything is a dream but who cares)

@Monkey-man Yes it's your Mind playing tricks on you and that is completely normal. Many people who claim to have been abducted by aliens were actually in sleep paralysis and just imagined the whole thing. But most people fall asleep before Paralysis kicks in, if you experience sleep paralysis regularly that means you are very aware and have a vivid Imagination. You can try going for lucid dreaming with the WILD technique next time you are in experiencing it!

Definitely try to recall your dreams and become lucid in them, especially when they are nightmares! If you start to analyse your nightmares for the meaning you will discover a Truth that has been suppressed in yourself, giving you all these nightmares. If you actually become lucid in one of those nightmares then consciously ask the dream what this means, what you are suppressing and how to get your normal dreams back. And if you struggle recalling your dreams, try some special dreaming herbs. The right ones will help you make your dreams more memorable and vivid

Many experienced lucid dreamers (People who are aware that they are dreaming and can "control" it) report that they could willingly become a light of pure consciousness, a state where the they themselves exist.

Although I would consider Music as art that can help you in many areas of life, you are indeed very addicted to music. As soon as something triggers a strong craving and limits you mentally when you don't have it, it's bad. But Cold Turkey is extremely difficult (except if you have the mind of a buddhist monk) and the most people backslide from Cold Turkey within a few Monks or Weeks. Definitely lower your music consumption by a lot and try maybe 2-3 weeks of no music. But the best thing you can do is... Meditate Meditate daily, don't do any fancy techniques but just sitting there doing nothing, being aware, watching your thoughts, watching your feelings. I can preditc that if you've been trying to fill that hole of emptiness inside you with music all the time, meditating like this will be extremely hard. You just need to stick with it no matter what. And when you feel like you've accepted the hole of emptiness in yourself, then try listening to music again. Mindfully. Or even start learning an Instrument or Dancing. It will give you a new connection to music. Since I started breakdancing 5 years ago I've been listening to every kind music in a new way, more aware and mindful. Don't Hate, Meditate! Good luck!

This is a very basic question but is it fine to do 2 or more Meditation Techniques in one session? I just watched many of Leo's Meditation Video's and tried out the "Do Nothing" and "Mindfulness with Labeling" Technique for some weeks now. Most people say that you should pick only one Technique that you like best and do it everyday to get the specific results. But I want to do both Techniques and maybe concentration practice everyday too. I meditate at least 20min in morning everyday and tried to split up the time: ( 5min Concentration ) 10min Labeling 10min Do Nothing But when I started splitting up the time I noticed that the never got very deep into the flow of the Meditation anymore like I did when I only did one Technique for 20min. So what do you guys think? Is splitting up the time Ok or should I get deep with only 1 Technique? AlternativeIy could just do a 2 day Cycle of One day 20min Labeling and the next day Do Nothing.

Hi, I have been keeping a daily journal for quite a while now and I can also agree on that it is a very powerful habit. I keep my journal on my IPad using the app Grid Diary but you can use whatever you want, I myself prefer to have it digitally. The point of journaling is reviewing your day, noting some progress you made and writing down what you learned from your experiences. The structure of my journal is segmented into 8 Questions What did I do today? (What did I want to do today?) Was I aligned to my purpose today? What did I learn from today? What can I be grateful for today? How did I feel(think) today? What could I have done better? What should I do tomorrow? Anything else? That's how I keep my journal and it really helped me a lot. But I still think there is more to improve, so if anyone has an idea of what could be added let me know

Games like "Inside" and "The Talos Principle" are also very deep and thought provoking. The Talos Principle is a very philosophical game, tackling questions about the self and reality. Inside on the other hand can be interpreted in multiple ways but is in general about mind control and free will. Good luck as a Videogame Designer

If you really can't create a motivational vision for yourself you can try to look at a person you admire. It can be someone who inspires you through his work, way of living, character etc. Maybe he's famous or someone you know personally, it doesn't matter, just investigate in what inspires you about them. You can also try to remember a time when you where motivated, what was there that kept you going, what was there that you don't have now, what was your dream. I think that vision is like Life Purpose, it's discovered, not found. So don't be so harsh to yourself and just start somewhere, you can always change your visions and dreams if they don't apply to you anymore.

14, am I the youngest here?

This site has a lot of information for beginners http://www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com/articles.html. It's not scary if you remember that nothing can harm you in your Dreams, but it is possible that it might be shocking when you first become lucid in a dream. Just remain calm and stay focused.

No Lucid Dreaming does not damage your Meditation in any way. I have been lucid dreaming for a long time now and I would actually say that Lucid Dreaming improved my Meditation skills. Although Lucid Dreaming requires you to often visualize and think in order to get lucid, wich is in fact kind of the opposite of Meditation, it doesn't make you an Overthinker or Daydreamer. I've noticed that Lucid Dreaming made me way more focused and mindful and that I started thinking clearer. There are really no downsides to Lucid Dreaming and I recommend it to everyone who is into self development, becoming a lucid dreamer makes you very mindful, it allows you to communicate with your subconscious mind, you can overcome your fears, practice sports or job interviews and it's all in all quite fun.