Arnold666

Name Concentration, One-Pointedness, Focus Purpose/Effects One of the hallmarks of modern life is the proliferation of distractions. As media become more pervasive, and media connections more ubiquitous, time away from distractions becomes ever harder to find. Previously, people were content to sit in restaurants, or stand in line, without a television screen to stare at. Now these have become standard. The result of all this, and many other causes, is that people find it increasingly difficult to focus their minds. Concentration is a necessary human skill. It makes proper thinking possible, increases intelligence, and allows a person to calm down and achieve their goals more effectively. A concentrated mind is like a laser beam, able to use all its powers in a single direction to great effect. Concentration is critical to many human endeavors. Being able to listen to another person, for example, in a compassionate and connected manner requires being able to shut out distractions. The experience of making love can be greatly enhanced when one is not, for example, thinking about other things. Concentration allows a person to stop being a "reaction machine" or "robot," simply responding to stimuli, and instead to become more thoughtful, self-directed, and confident. Method Summary Think about one thing. Every time you get distracted, return to that one thing. Long Version Find an object on which to concentrate. This can be a physical object, like a pebble or a feather. Or it can be a mental object like a particular idea. It could even be, say, your homework. Cut off any sources of distraction. These include, but are not limited to, telephones, emails, computers, music, television, and so forth. Turn all of these off during your concentration practice. Begin your period of concentration by mentally reminding yourself what you are concentrating on. Now begin to concentrate. If your concentration object is an external object, this may mean looking at it. If it is a mental object, then think about it. If it is your homework, then do it now. Each time your mind (or eyes) wander from your concentration object, bring it back to the object. It is important to do this very gently and without judgment. Repeat this process of coming back to the concentration object for as long as you wish, or until your homework is done. History Cultures worldwide have developed concentration practices for both spiritual and practical reasons. Concentration is called dharana in Hinduism, and samadhi or shamatha in Buddhism. It is considered to be a key skill for meditation. Cautions Concentration can at first seem to trigger a lot of anxiety. This is, however, not the fault of the concentration practice. Rather, it happens because many people use distraction to avoid feeling emotions. Then when the distractions are removed, a tremendous amount of ambient, unprocessed emotions (i.e. emotions you are feeling but were unaware of feeling) are present. So it is not the practice of concentration that is causing anxiety, but instead it is the habit of distracting ourselves from our emotions. This may be the root cause of much inability to focus and concentrate. If that is the case, try meditating on emotions (insert link). Notes Concentration is an interesting thing. It is a very general ability. That means developing concentration in one area will help you concentrate in ALL areas. So, for example, if you learn to concentrate on a particular idea, it not only helps you think about that idea (which would be very limited), but actually helps you to concentrate on anything, which is very generally useful for everything! It's like lifting weights. It doesn't just make you strong for lifting weights, but strong for anything else you want to do! Concentration and meditation are not the same thing, although they are related. Meditation (usually) requires concentration, but also requires relaxation or equanimity.

Name Common Errors in Thinking Purpose/Effects When we are feeling down, it can be helpful to remember that bad moods often trigger errors in our thinking that make our thoughts overly negative and inaccurate. Learning these common errors in thinking can help us recognize when our thoughts are untrue. It also encourages us not to automatically believe our thoughts. When we are in a low mood, we can identify which errors in thinking are present and then more effectively challenge our thoughts. Method Summary Below is a list of common errors in thinking and some examples. After familiarizing yourself with these errors, practice recognizing them in your thoughts. Long Version Common Errors in Thinking: All-or-nothing thinking Viewing things in black or white. If something is not perfect, we think of it as a failure or waste of time. EXAMPLE: If someone misses one problem on a test, he or she equates that with failing. Mental filter Picking out and dwelling on a single negative event or aspect and focusing solely on it, while ignoring the whole picture. Applying a mental filter is similar to “tunnel vision,” where someone only focuses on and sees the negative parts of a situation. EXAMPLE: If someone receives feedback about his or her work that is very positive, except for one criticism, he or she only focuses on the critical remark. Discounting the positive Rejecting all positive aspects of an experience and generating reasons why they don’t count or are not important. EXAMPLE: “I got just lucky,” or “Anyone could have done what I did.” Emotional reasoning Thinking that because a certain feeling is present, it must be true and a direct reflection of reality, regardless of any contrary evidence. EXAMPLE: Someone may tell himself or herself that because their situation feels hopeless, it really must be hopeless. Or, if someone feels very anxious and scared about something, it is proof that he or she is in danger. Overgeneralization Overgeneralization is the process of taking one negative outcome or event and applying it to all areas of one’s life. It often involves phrases such as, “This (negative event) always happens to me,” or “I’ll never feel better.” EXAMPLE: If a man asks a woman out on a date and she declines, he may think to himself, “This always happens when I try to find a girlfriend. I’ll always be alone and never find someone.” Jumping to conclusions This includes Mind Reading and Fortune Telling. Mind reading happens when we attribute intentions, attitudes, beliefs, or other mental activity to another person and simply assume that these are the case. EXAMPLE Assume that someone is thinking negative thoughts about you. Fortune telling involves predicting that the outcome will be negative. EXAMPLE: “I know that you won’t like what I am about to say, but __________ .” Personalization and blame Personalization occurs when someone thinks they are solely responsible for the outcome of an event and ignores other contributing factors. The opposite of personalization is blame. This happens when someone holds another person fully responsible for something without examining his or her own impact. Labeling Labeling is applying a fixed, broad label to oneself or others that then shapes our experience and view of reality. EXAMPLE: “I’m worthless,” or “He is a selfish person.” Denial of Change Denial of change occurs when we become upset, indignant, or deny the reality that our lives are in a constant state of flux, and that situations and people are also constantly changing. EXAMPLE: Becoming very upset when our bodies age and we can no longer do all of the activities we once did. History The theory behind common errors in thinking (or cognitive distortions) was first developed by psychologist Aaron Beck, and then further popularized by others, including Dr. David Burns in his book The Feeling Good Handbook. Most of the errors in thinking presented in this method come from Dr. Burns’ book. Cautions It is important to note that EVERYONE has these errors in their thinking. Please be careful to not judge or beat up on yourself when you notice your thoughts contain some of these errors. Becoming aware of these negative thinking patterns can provide an opportunity to identify times when we are not thinking accurately, and then compassionately notice and correct them.

Name Clarifying Emotions Purpose/Effects Many people find it hard to know what they are feeling. This practice is a simple, effective way to learn to know which emotions you are experiencing. Because the technique encourages you to notice the body sensations associated with the emotion, it will build up a deep familiarity with your emotional states. Method Summary Scan your body and label and emotions that you notice. Long Version Settle into a comfortable meditation posture. Breathing normally, bring your attention to your emotions. Notice if you are feeling any emotions, no matter how faintly. Once you detect an emotion, see if you can label which emotion it is. Here is a short, partial list of some of the possibilities: Joy Anger Interest Fear Sadness Love Shame Embarrassment Pride Guilt Try to stay simple and basic with these emotional labels. It is OK to guess, if you are not sure which exact emotion you are feeling. Once you feel you know which emotion you are feeling, label it mentally. Keep making the label every 5 seconds or so, and then feeling the emotion in your body. So for example, if you are feeling sadness, you would label it like this “Sadness… Sadness… Sadness” in a gentle, matter-of-fact way every few seconds. With each label, you feel with your body the sensations of that emotion. If you notice more than one emotion happening at the same time, you can either just focus on one, or you can “stack” the labels. So for example, if you were feeling both joy and love, you could label them as “Joy and Love.” And so on. Continue labeling the emotions for as long as you wish. History Meditating on emotions is a traditional part of Vipassana practice in Buddhism. It is, for example, one of the four main techniques covered in the Vissudhimagga (The Path to Purity), an important Buddhist text. The version presented here is a summary of a practice given by American Buddhist teacher Shinzen Young. Notes Do not get caught up in every nuance of differences in labeling the emotions. For example, in common English, there is a big difference between anxiety and terror. However, for the purposes of this exercise, they are both simply labeled as “Fear.” The point of the practice is not to get perfectly accurate labels, but rather to get a handle on what emotions are currently occurring for you, and how they express in the body. This practice should be repeated daily for at least 10 minutes over the course of at least a month to really gain the benefit.

Name Autogenic training, Autogenics Purpose/Effects Autogenic training teaches the body to respond to visualizations or verbal commands that lead it to relax. This relaxation promotes stress relief. It can be used either in or after stressful situations for immediate relief, or be part of a self-care regimen to avoid the ramifications of chronic stress. The six different exercises, when mastered, have measurable effects on the body and mind, helping with anxiety, chronic pain, insomnia, asthma, gastrointestinal problems, ulcers, and high blood pressure. Method Summary Learn to relax and calm your muscles, heart, breath, stomach, and head. Long Version Autogenic training takes about three months to learn because of the extreme discipline required for the technique to be effective. DO NOT try to skip ahead to the end; you’ll only cheat yourself. Start alone in a quiet place. Wear comfortable, loose clothing. You may want to begin by lying on the floor for the first session. Warm up with a breathing exercise, exhaling for twice as many counts as you inhale. Start by inhaling for one count and exhaling for two, then inhaling for two and exhaling for four, all the way up to inhaling for six and exhaling for twelve. Then reverse, going back down until you once again come to one count in, two counts out. Heaviness practice: Begin with your right arm if you are right-handed, your left arm if you are left-handed. Breath deeply and evenly and repeat the following formula silently to yourself: My right arm is getting limp and heavy. (6-8x) My right arm is getting heavier and heavier. (6-8x) My right arm is completely heavy. (6-8x) I feel supremely calm. (1x) Do this two or three times a day for three days. Then, two or three times a day for the next three days, begin with the warm-up breathing exercise and repeat the same formula as above but this time with your left arm (or your right if you are left-handed). Repeat this the next three day cycle but with both arms. The next three, your right leg (left if you’re left-handed), then your left leg (right if you’re left-handed), then both legs, and the final set of three days, both your arms and your legs. This will end up being 2-3 exercises a day for three days, with seven exercises in all, meaning 21 days will have passed by the end of the heaviness practice. At the end of this practice period, the final routine you learned (both arms and legs) will be what you use from now on. Warmth practice: Start with the same warm-up breathing exercise and then do the both-arms-and-legs heaviness routine. This will relax your muscles. Next, you will breathe deeply and evenly and repeat the following formula silently to yourself (again, begin with your left arm if you are left-handed): My right arm is getting limp and warm. (6-8x) My right arm is getting warmer and warmer. (6-8x) My right arm is completely warm. (6-8x) I feel supremely calm. (1x) The warmth practice cycle will follow the model of the heaviness practice cycle, going through the limbs in the same way on the same schedule of 21 days. Remember always to begin with the warm-up breathing exercise and then the final iteration of the heaviness routine. The final warmth practice, you will say: Both my arms and my legs are getting limp and heavy and warm. (6-8x) Both my arms and my legs are getting heavier and warmer. (6-8x) Both my arms and my legs are completely heavy and warm. (6-8x) I feel supremely calm. (1x) This routine will be what you use from now on, fusing both the heaviness and warmth practices. Do the breathing exercises and then this final heavy/warm routine two or three times a day for a week. Calm heart practice: Start with the warm-up breathing exercise. Next, with deep and even breaths repeat the following formula silently to yourself: Both my arms and my legs are getting limp and heavy and warm. (1-2x) Both my arms and my legs are getting heavier and warmer. (1-2x) Both my arms and my legs are completely heavy and warm. (1-2x) I feel supremely calm. (1x) My chest feels warm and pleasant. (6-8x) My heartbeat is calm and steady. (6-8x) I feel supremely calm. (1x) Practice this routine two or three times a day for two weeks. After this, you will have achieved a calm heart and will be able to drop the line “My chest is warm and pleasant,” as you will see in the next exercise. Breathing practice: Start with the warm-up breathing exercise. Next, with deep and even breaths repeat the following formula silently to yourself: Both my arms and my legs are getting limp and heavy and warm. (1-2x) Both my arms and my legs are getting heavier and warmer. (1-2x) Both my arms and my legs are completely heavy and warm. (1-2x) I feel supremely calm. (1x) My heartbeat is calm and steady. (1-2x) I feel supremely calm. (1x) My breathing is supremely calm. (6-8x) I feel supremely calm. (1x) Practice this routine two or three times a day for two weeks. By this time, you will probably notice real results, but stick with the training through the final two exercises. Warm stomach practice: Start with the warm-up breathing exercise. Next, with deep and even breaths repeat the following formula silently to yourself: Both my arms and my legs are getting limp and heavy and warm. (1-2x) Both my arms and my legs are getting heavier and warmer. (1-2x) Both my arms and my legs are completely heavy and warm. (1-2x) I feel supremely calm. (1x) My heartbeat is calm and steady. (1-2x) I feel supremely calm. (1x) My breathing is supremely calm. (1-2x) I feel supremely calm. (1x) My stomach is getting soft and warm. (6-8x) I feel supremely calm. (1x) Practice this routine two or three times a day for two weeks. Cool forehead practice: Start with the warm-up breathing exercise. Next, with deep and even breaths repeat the following formula silently to yourself: Both my arms and my legs are getting limp and heavy and warm. (1-2x) Both my arms and my legs are getting heavier and warmer. (1-2x) Both my arms and my legs are completely heavy and warm. (1-2x) I feel supremely calm. (1x) My heartbeat is calm and steady. (1-2x) I feel supremely calm. (1x) My breathing is supremely calm. (1-2x) I feel supremely calm. (1x) My stomach is getting soft and warm. (1-2x) I feel supremely calm. (1x) My forehead is cool. (6-8x) I feel supremely calm. (1x) Practice this routine two or three times a day for two weeks. Final formula: At this point, three months later, you should be adept at AT. The final formula will be a condensed version of the one you learned. You should continue to do it at least once a day, if not more, for optimum results. The final formula is as follows: My arms and my legs are heavy and warm. (1-2x) My heartbeat and breathing are calm and steady. (1-2x) My stomach is soft and warm. (1-2x) My forehead is cool. (1-2x) I feel supremely calm. (1-2x) History Autosuggestion and self-hypnosis techniques have been a part of the self-help movement since its inception through people like Émile Coué. German psychologist Johannes Schultz worked with self-hypnosis techniques in the 1920s and 1930s, and began developing the concept of autogenic training, publishing his first book on AT in 1932. Since then, psychologists have thoroughly tested the technique and established it as one of the most powerful relaxation skills available. Cautions Because AT can affect blood pressure, consult with a doctor before doing AT if you have a serious illness like diabetes or heart disease, and do not attempt to use it to regulate severe mental illness. If you have problems with learning AT on your own but are still interested in its possible benefits, consider seeking out a certified AT instructor who can help you. Notes Autogenic training is similar to Progressive Relaxation in many ways; some people suggest learning PR first and then moving to autogenics.

Name Art therapy Purpose/Effects Immersing into the art process allows us to enter a meditative state where relaxation and unconscious expression can thrive. Whether the artwork is a light-hearted reflection or a deep focused exploration, the benefits can be significant. Releasing emotions and thoughts through a creative force can relieve stress; encourage problem solving; and heighten our senses; though it can also bring up some rough memories. Art is a safe, controlled way to manage our life experiences, which we may not get to do in other ways. Method Summary Select an art form and use it to express yourself however you see fit. Keep in mind that your primary intention should be for exploration and experimentation free from a sense of what it “should” look like. A lot of our anxiety about expressing ourselves has to do with this desire for approval that may go back as far as wondering why our parents never put our artwork on the fridge door. Try to separate how you think of the art in museums versus the art we create every day in order to express ourselves. Follow your own intuition about how to proceed, when to add to your work and when to stop. Also, try to avoid overanalyzing the meaning of your work if it feels forced, inorganic, or if it’s causing you more stress than before you began. This may be an opportunity to seek guidance from a professional, though sometimes the art doesn’t “have” to have a meaning. Long Version Do something you like. If you find painting appealing, you can explore with various colors or applications of paints to your canvas. If you are a very tactile person, you may enjoy working with clay in order to express your emotions. Scrapbooking and collage can be an effective way to enhance or deepen a connection to a memory, since you can use universal materials such as magazines to make a personal creation. Think about colors. What colors make you think about yourself and your life? Which colors reflect your moods and your emotions? You could use a body outline and depict feelings and sensations abstractly. Think about shapes and objects. Does a certain image stick in your head; for example, do you feel like part of a broken circle of trust, or perhaps do you find the light of a candle in the dark inspiring? Use these images to express your feelings through your art; they can be as abstract or as concrete as you like. Often the symbols in our dreams can be rich fodder for our creative impulses. Try a random scribble for a few seconds and see if any images develop for you. History Art has long been a form of expression to validate existence and make sense of the world. Every generation in every culture offers clues into how art is crucial to document, communicate, and make sense of shared values, experiences, and norms. To go the extra mile, art making is the lynchpin process in a particular field of mental health. Art Therapy is a world recognized profession that developed and flourished in both Europe and the United States during the early and mid 1900s. Many artists recognized the value in the creative process and began volunteering and working in hospitals to encourage patients to be active participants in their own treatment. Art Therapy has gained exponential recognition worldwide as being a holistic and alternative treatment in light of global tragedies, such as Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Haiti, and with our returning veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Cautions Remember, art making isn't about being the next Da Vinci or Picasso. The point is to express yourself; worrying about your skills will only hold you back. Also, if you feel you need additional guidance in overcoming life struggles, it is important to seek professional assistance that best fits your needs.

Name Affirmations, autosuggestion Purpose/Effects Affirmations help us to develop a positive mindset and thus break down the barriers that negative thinking puts up in our day-to-day lives. Positive affirmations remind us of the joy of life and affect our subconscious mind in order to grow our capacity to create our own successes and mold our own reality. Method Summary Create a positive statement addressing a desire for change and repeat it daily. Long Version Begin by making a list of the areas of your life in need of improvement; nearly any arena can be positively affected by the use of affirmations, but for demonstrative purposes, we will create affirmations for anxiety and stress reduction. Now create a list of positive statements that reflect this goal: “I am intelligent” instead of “I’m not dumb.” The statements should be in the present tense; remember, you are trying to change your present situation, not the future. In our example, it is better to say “I am a calm person, free from worry” than “I will be a calm person, free from worry.” You can choose to speak your affirmations. Repeat them throughout the day until they begin to take hold…and continue after that! Like an antibiotic, you shouldn’t stop at the first sign of improvement. Some people choose to speak their affirmations in the mirror while looking themselves in the eye because it magnifies the importance of the message. You can even sing your affirmations! Just be sure to say them like you really believe them. You can choose to write down your affirmations. You can write them over and over to imprint them on your mind, or you can write them on a card which you take out and look at throughout the day. This video has some helpful basic affirmations to get you started: History Affirmations have a long history in the self-help movement, originating in the work of French psychotherapist Émile Coué. His affirmation "Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better" repeated at the beginning and ending of each day was intended to change the unconscious thought of his patients. This method of autosuggestion was credited with curing a bevy of mental, emotional, and even physical problems. Napoleon Hill's famous book Think and Grow Rich also relies on autosuggestion, as does contemporary thinking on the Law of Attraction. Cautions Though affirmations are quite powerful, do not be tempted to use them as the only form of therapy for severe emotional or mental issues. An injured brain will have a hard time curing itself. Notes Affirmations are a crucial part of Self-Hypnosis. If you want to supercharge your affirmations, try using them alongside a hypnosis technique. External Links Hypnosis Downloads: Over 500 MP3s for self-hypnosis http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com/

Name Activating the Parasympathetic Wing of Your Nervous System Purpose/Effects These exercises stimulate the part of your nervous system that creates positive feeling, thus reducing stress, enhancing positive emotion, and strengthening the body's defenses. This part, the parasympathetic wing, evolved along with the sympathetic wing (the part that responds to threats and excitement) to relax you once anxiety-inducing situations have passed. By purposefully activating the parasympathetic wing of your nervous system (or PNS), you can take advantage of its natural cool-down effects and stop the cycle of chronic stress. Method Summary Eight different methods activate the PNS, increasing relaxation and providing a number of benefits. Long Version Exercise #1: Take deep breaths. When inhaling, completely fill the lungs, hold for a second, and then exhale slowly. Try doing this for a whole minute. This relaxed method of breathing expand the branches in your airways called bronchioles, activating the PNS that controls them, causing them (and the rest of the body and mind) to relax. Exercise #2: Relax your body. You can use progressive relaxation techniques or a basic relaxation meditation. You could do a comfortable yoga stretch or just close your eyes and imagine yourself in a comfortable setting, whether its a favorite armchair or a sunny beach. The parasympathetic nervous system causes you to relax, but by “actively” relaxing, you activate it, causing you to relax even more. Call it a non-vicious circle. Exercise #3: Breathe so that your inhalation and exhalation last the same amount of time; for example, you might count slowly to five for each. While doing this, imagine this breath coming in and out of your heart center in your chest, radiating love, gratitude, and peace. Integrate this positive emotion into your own brain. This exercise is called “increasing heart rate variability”; it increases and harmonizing the variation in heart beats, activating the PNS to enhance physical and mental well-being. Exercise #4: Become mindful of physical sensation. Listen to your body and feel with clarity and relaxed concentration–to your breath, to the feeling of your chest or your feet or your tongue in your mouth. By becoming mindful of the body, you are also activating the PNS. Exercise #5: Yawning activates the PNS. Scientists are not sure why. Exercise #6: Meditation also activates the PNS by pulling the attention away from stress and threats. Meditating even for a small amount every day is one of the most powerful ways to work with your PNS. Learn more about meditation by reading What Is Meditation? Exercise #7: Focus on the positive. Positive feelings like gratitude, lovingkindness, contentment, and tranquility arouse the PNS. It’s sometimes hard to make yourself think positive on demand. Some techniques for arousing positive emotion include Community Service / Charity, Gratitude Practice, and Lovingkindness. You can also try Taking In the Good and the Three Good Things Exercise. Exercise #8: It may seem silly, but fiddling with your upper lip has been shown in anecdotal evidence to increase PNS activity. If nothing else, it sure is fun. History The parasympathetic wing of the nervous system has been with us long before we were even human; it's a crucial part of every animal's brain. However, it wasn't until very recently with modern advances in neuroimaging that we could see how the PNS works for us. Notes If the parasympathetic system goes into overdrive, the individual may freeze up completely, unable to act at all. As in all things, care must be taken to balance neurological responses. Remember that stress and anxiety are natural and important.

Name Acting with Intention Purpose/Effects Setting an intention before beginning a task or activity can help guide your actions so that they are in line with your values. Doing this can support personal growth and positively influence your actions, work, and relationships. Method Summary: Before your start an activity, set an intention for what you would like to embody and cultivate. Carry your intention with you throughout the day and change it as necessary. Long Version Before beginning a task or activity, ask yourself what you wish to embody or cultivate during your work. You can set an intention for any activity, such as meditating, going to a meeting, having dinner with your family, or having a conversation with a coworker. Intentions can include practicing more self-compassion, deep listening, gratitude, and cultivating supportive relationships. When setting your intention, try to clarify what is most needed in that moment. Try to mindfully carry this intention with you as you proceed, checking in periodically to re-align yourself if you forget. At the end of the day reflect on whether you remembered your intention(s) and how often you followed them. Look for specific instances and congratulate yourself for any times, however few or brief, that you embodied your intention and then congratulate yourself! Optional: In addition to specific intentions for a certain activity, you can also set a more general intention for your day when you wake up each morning. History Setting an intention for your day or before an activity is a common practice in various cultures. In the Buddhist tradition, Right Intention is the second teaching in the Noble Eightfold Path. It includes committing oneself to personal growth and ethical behavior, resisting unhealthy desire, and not causing harm to oneself or others. Cautions Be careful not to confuse intentions with goals. Goals occur in the future, while intentions can be embodied in each moment. Also, remember that acting according to your intentions takes time and practice. Please be kind to yourself if you do not remember your intentions. It is common for people to forget their intention shortly after forming it, and even remembering it once throughout the day is worthy of celebration.

@John Lula thanks myman

@John Lula I understand. So it's more like a developing the subtle body thing?

@JohnnyBravo sorry but I just can't believe such things. Dodge bullets? I'm way too unenlightened for that.

Hmm. Let me reformulate. How would you account for this for a stage orange rational, unconscious fighter, highly non enlighten, superiority complex just beneath my level of awareness and perception frail mind ? I swear, i don't wanna be a smartass. I'm just curious.

@Nahm What is it here that I'm missing ? where should i put it because clearly the rules of lets say a MMA fight cannot be applied here. So how can i get an understanding of this ? I'm asking purely out of curiosity, please don't project things on me, the fact that i use "profane" words is not a sign of arrogance but a comes from a tongue and cheek, lighthearted fun place .

@Nahm What ? No and that wasn't the point.

I just finished The Passion of the Western Mind Book by Richard Tarnas and with this book i will educate my children. This was fucking awesome. Dude is yellow, maybe more. I just started listening to some of his interviews.

I would not say put 'attention on nothingness' rather 'a rest in nothingness' or even better description of experience is 'rest as nothingness.'

I'm doing the wim Hoff every day for the last 2 and a half years. I for the last year I didn't have a warm shower. I I used to be sick at least 4 times a year, now there is none of that. Every morning I wake up with my girlfriend, we do 40-50 breaths for 3 or 4 times, cold shower, meditation and off to work. I even do it before every meditation, cuz it brings me into the first or second jhana and the mental clarity just boost my meditation sometimes up to 40%. I have tried DMT a few times and I must say in the weekend when I have the time I sometimes do it for an hour, hour an half, maybe two hours and the body awerness and emptiness is just like on DMT. The plus is that I'm high on my own supply all day, and if I build up, say if I do the second day again a half an hour I'm on the peak again, and if I keep on every day doing 30 to 40 minutes of breathing, after a few days you will fall into emptiness with out effort. Not only fall in emptiness, more like you will be pusshed into it. I also meditate at least for 2 hours a day so that helps too. Plus I have never feld good in my body till now, it's so good to be in my skin, it's so comfortable like I'm in my most coziest clothes ever. And my subtile body man, because of the ice bath I can become awere of every tiny millimeters everywhere on my body, I do not exagerate. And I feel so strong I swear in my lucid dreams I'm a God now. Like my subtile body is like a superheros body. I can go on for so long about the benefits. For me the wim Hoff, Holotropic breathing and meditation gave me the best boosts for awerness.

First tiny steps into turquoise? what do you guys think. (please watch some of his videos and after that judge so you don't have the knee jerk reaction that he is talking about Christianity and Jesus so he is instantly blue.)

@asgard94 Ego got scared. Read more.

Got a new trick up the sleeves: 1) Set timer 40 min. 2)Sit down and do a focus meditation for 20 minutes. Focus like a motherfucker, every time you get lost in thoughts only by a tiny nano second you get right back on the breath. Push, stretch and force your concentration. Like a muscle, you are working out here, you badass Mr. Mind Olympia ! 3) After 20 min, you build up that focus, now you put your sharp ass focus on Being, or I AM ness. You focus on the I AM ness like your life depends on it. Now every time you get lost in thoughts only by a tiny nano second you get right back on the I AM NESS ! You do this for 20 minutes. 4) After this you get ya ass up, but mindful on the I AM ness. You move around, you see things hear things smell things taste things, but now, every time you get lost in experience only by a tiny nano second you ask yourself: What's not changing ? or What hasn't changed ? and get right back on the I AM ness. You take a shit, get lost in thoughts ask What hasn't changed ? Get right back on the I AM ness. You eat and I AM NESS, got lost in thoughts ask, Ok, what's not changing ? I AM NESS. And try to keep it, or more exactly try to Be more and more. Simple. Kinda real time neti neti. Have fun ! P.s. What hasn't changed since you started reading this ?

Jesus man. I sometimes I take a shit and scroll around the forum. Dude, ain't you guys got shit to do? So many people just yappin and fappin and procrastinating around. This isn't it guys. The ego is lying to itself that this is all meaningful and must clarify further more, truly a marvelous and ingenious force. But you must see that for MOST people here the forum is a just distraction from doing the work.

Buy book Holotropic Breathwork from Stanislav Grof

Three years ago man, i was a mess. I grew up with assholes, drug addicted alcoholic friends and that's exactly what i have ended up. Anyway, not to bore you with all the details, Fast forward a year, move away from that cancer city and i say no more. Stop smoking stop drinkin( hardest thing i ever done cuz i'll be drinking since 14) start working out, listening to Leo, with my then orange kinda way of looking at life and doing all good. Started seriously working on my music career. Loving everything Leo is teaching me until we get to enlightenment. What the fuck is that ? spiri shit, new age shit, i hate that shit, i'm atheist what the fuck leo and all that jazz. Lucky or unlucky for me, listening to the neti neti episode, i'm walking with my dog, earbuds going, fine, i won't change this stupid episode about "enlightenment" dunno what the fuck is this, and i don't care. hippie religious shit. Fast forward, who I am what i am ? and than puff. I died. I'm dead. In fact. I never lived. I'm nowhere to be found and in the same time i am everything. I'm nothing and everything. My internal voice just goes somehow to the periphery of my mind in that second like billions of insights explode in my mind. The line from the bible comes in mind. I'm the alpha and the omega and things like oooh this is what they are talking about, this is there big God who they don't even know it is. OMG god exists ? and its me ? its this ? its all of this. and all thata jazz bla bla bla, ya'll know how it goes on with this stuff. I just have a mystical expirience that i shit my pants i fall on my knees start to yelling " Vai de pula mea !" Which means in romanian something like " Oh my fucking dick" Anyway. Fast forward 2 years later: I wake up in the morning and 1)I go for a run, come back take a cold shower 2)Do the wim hoff method, streching yoga, meditate for 25,drink that leo's smoothie take leo's suppliments and run to work. 3) i have a cool ass job so i listen for like 5-6 hours a day to audiobooks. Everything about enlightenment, philosophy and leo's books 4)Come home, take a 20 minute nap, 2-3 times a week take an ice bath, focus meditation for 25 than vocalise for 1 hour. 5)Once a week do the shamanic breath, if not go do some breath work and mindfulness meditation for 45 minutes. Eat leo's soup and commute, fuck my girlfriend, eat with her ( while maybe watch Jordan Peterson cuz she digs him and i also learn something cuz i'm obssesed) 6)Than read maybe a half hour, or do some new technique, exercise that i just learn today from some book or somthing that i already knew 7) Go for a night time vipassana meditation for 30 min , hit the bed an repeat. That's what i do 5 times a week, maybe saturday i go a little harder, do on hour of wim hof, or shamanic breathing, do like 4 hours of meditation or somthing, than at night i go out and get fucked up like crazy. And that what i did last saturday and Jesus, Something happened on sunday. I was so hung over that i think i had like a nervous breakdown or somthing. Like nothing bad happened, but i don't know, all my conceptions and like my mind, started like a train that hits a wall or going of the rails like crashing in somthing and just ..just crash. My mind broke down, but i was fine, like the watcher, pure awareness but it was super disorientating and the ground , or at least my minds ground has fallen away and its just, wierd. SO I didn't really wrote in this forum cause it seemed like a waste of time, i could have worked and meditated while typing away my precious minutes but i think i'm gonna have a break this week. I will be meditating for an hour a day and doing my vocalisation and nothing else ! No more reading no more learning no more grasping understanding and bla bla. Do nothing. And yeah this will be my journal. Or not, maybe i will get my energy back and with that my obsession too and i will have no time for this.

Jonathan Pageau, Aubrey Marcus

So i been reading Erich Neumann Origins and history of consciousness cause I heard it's a good way to enter Jungs work. I red a few of his works here and there in the past but now i wanna get seriously in it and i want to ask, especially Leo Gura, Do you think he was enlightened ? Seems to me that his work is about how to get enlightened but in the most geeky, scientifically way, but in the end, he comes across like a mystic. What do you guys think about it. And Leo, if you agree do you think there is some value in his work and maybe make a video about him/his works. ? By the way, Leo, change my life. That fucking neti neti, man. I died two years ago. I saw the tail of the ox. Now i have no way of going back into ignorance, i have to see it all, have to know what is on the end of this rabbit hole.