EFreethought

Thanks for the advice. Recently I started meditating in horse stance. It's pretty shallow, but I am not flexible enough to go too much lower. I have worked up to 28 minutes. One down side is that the muscles on the inside of my thighs are getting bigger. I already had big legs, so honestly it can sometimes make getting into and out of my car a bit uncomfortable. I hope I never need to fly on a plane again.

What are some of these effects?

Does anyone use any timer or timer app when meditating? Why or why not? I have used a timer app on my phone for a few years. Here is the one I use: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.multiordinal.mhp&hl=en_US&gl=US I know a lot of people love the Insight Timer app, but I do not want to have to log in to the app each time I use it, and I do not want to save logins on my phone. I do not use my phone to manage money or buy things; I only use it as a phone, a camera and a timer. With the winter storms here in TX, the power has gone out a few times. I meditated without the app a few days ago (since I did not want to use up my battery), and honestly I am not sure how long I went. I think it was about 20 minutes, but it could have been as little as 10, and as much as 30.

Thanks for the info.

OT: I came across a YouTube channel where some of the videos are of the host mocking videos pushing these alpha-male warrior boot camps. I think when I do my business I will start grunting and yelling loudly to keep pushing, help me get in touch with my warrior spirit.

I have always been a heavy milk drinker. In college I would sometimes drink a gallon a day when I was working out a lot. A lot of people thought I ate a lot of meat. I have tried these milks based on nuts (almond, I think walnut, maybe another), and to me they taste like the nuts in liquid form. I could never finish a carton. I was able to drink some vanilla-flavored oat milk, but then I read the label and it said there was a lot of sugar, so I went back to dairy. If other people like the other kind of milks, good for them. My brother and sister are both lactose intolerant.

Frankly, if the whores look like her, sign me up.

Then why not just keep meditating and figure out for yourselves how to advance? I think in "The Magus of Java" the author said that is what the MoPai school did for a few centuries. I know DIY is frowned upon here at The Dao Bums, but as many have pointed out: A lot of knowledge has been lost, particularly in the past couple of centuries. DIY is how the masters originally did it.

If you do not mind my asking: What other systems have you looked at?

You did give me a new catchphrase, so I guess I can let this one go.

Got to start somewhere.

Per wikipedia, "amrita" means immortality. Is that what you guys mean by it? And when you say "gross": as in disgusting, or easy to detect/not subtle?

This is my new catchphrase.

Because it had a lot of pent up energy.

Where in Texas are you these days? I am in Austin.

There was a post on a site called Hacker News about "Prairie Madness". It can be so silent that some people go nuts. One interesting thing is in the comments, there were people who grew up in one of three natural environments: near an ocean, near mountains, or on the plains. When they went from one to the other, they couldn't handle it. Some people were so used to having the mountains in the background that moving somewhere flat unnerved them. For some, moving from one coast of the US to the other was a huge adjustment. People just get used to a large body of water being in a particular direction. So I guess everyone's definition of "nature" is different. As for myself: I have been in or near big cities my whole life. Two trees closer than ten feet looks like nature to me.

If you don't mind me asking: What is your main practice these days? I remember you posting about various mantras and their effects on you.

I do FP along w/the DVD.

Any chance you could share?

What I did is I figured out how much pressure I need to exhale for 10 seconds. Then when I get to those parts, I pause the video, and breath and count out the proper number of seconds. Then I resume and get into the proper pose. I pause the video since he does not hold for 10 seconds.

Isn't this true of a lot of Daoist texts? (serious question, I mean "daoist texts in a general sense, not a reference to the user with a similar name)

At the risk of derailing this thread: What are the signs of an awakened master?

Not to sound like a jerk, but I hate it when someone on a forum introduces a term, and then when someone asks them what it is, the first person says: Google it. No. You brought it up. You explain it and tell us why we should care.

I know this is a controversial topic. And I have some strong opinions on semen retention. But I think I will keep them to myself.

One thing I thought was odd while reading "The Magus of Java" is that while Mopai has 72 levels, John Chang was one of the most advanced masters, yet I think the book said he was on level 4. I guess they get a lot easier and go by more quickly as you advance. But you know what the kids today say: Mopai, mo problems.