longrhythm

Basically, it warms and relaxes the body/mind. Some people would do good to drink a bit to heat & loosen things up. Too bad most people don't study the experience, the way perceptive shifts and end up using alcohol as a gateway to this state rather than a key to open a new aspect of being. The key is unnecessary once the lock is opened. Awesome point. I've always kind of looked at it this way. And in that way alcohol can be a crutch. And crutches are good, as long as you get off of them. I relate to you this way- If I unlock a new door, but I haven't gone through it yet, and I'm really comfortable in the room I've been in, then I'll need the key for a while. I need to keep going through that door over and over and coming back to the room I've been in, back to what's familiar, until going through that door becomes familiar. Once that happens. Maybe I'll feel okay about leaving the door unlocked, tossing the key, and then next comes getting comfortable with the new room. No need to aim for instantaneous adjustment, gradual is cool too. So my vote- hooray for crutches!

I'm absolutely a proponent of the sexual healing angle. And from a personal standpoint I totally agree with your venting negative emotion just in the way you did. I do that til it feels good. I'm a last word kind of guy. Way to go KK

Two words dude- REVERSE COWGIRL Seriously though, exercise and eating properly are huge. The better your circulation the better your blood pressure regulation etc etc. Lots of the sexual yogic and taoist practices I've worked with are aimed at taking blood AWAY from, to manage ejaculation and move orgasm upwards, so if you're not already exploding its definately overkill. In my beginning days I could easily go overboard with it and have to start over, so give it time and learn to measure. On a less spiritually approved note- I find it's helpful to always have triggers that pull in either direction, like one that can make me soft in a minute and one that can make me explode in a minute. That way I can use those points of focus to take me in whichever direction I need to go to maintain balance and stay right there in the middle.

"Maybe I m here to find out what keeps you doing what you do?" As I alluded to in my first, more aggressive response- being under immediate attack is the best way to turn up the voltage through your nerves, and the most immediate test of your ability to control your focus, attention, intention, parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. When I first started fighting, a few wrong moves had me totally confused. There aren't many circumstances that will so clearly illustrate to you if you're aware of what's happening with each part of your body as this. As my practice deepens, my composure deepens. The experiential evidence is too tangible to write off as magic. I've grown in a way that's beyond technical development, in a way that boils down to being able to control my heartrate, breathing, attention, posture, fine and gross motor skills in high stress situations that without my ongoing practice would otherwise take me out of my own body. Question for you That Guy- whats the most stressful situation you could find yourself in? Public speaking, physical confrontation, anything that a mere anticipation of it gets your heart pounding and makes you clumsy? Those are the moments that smooth out from a solid practice. It's not magic, but it is. My two cents for you

Here's the real question- if your time is too valuable to waste on cultivation or meditation, if it's better spent "out there doing something real", then why spend time on an internet forum trying to convince people that you know how they should spend their time? And all else aside- qi prana chakra meditate any nonsense you might wanna identify- do you think humility is real? Cause if you do, you need to find some dude. Telling someone else how to spend their personal time is ARROGANT. Take a look at the chip on your shoulder that's driven you to waste your time on a fruitless assault through a cowards means on peoples MEDITATION PRACTICE. You don't even have the balls to pick on a SPIRITUAL TYPE in person?? Let me tell you this- as a boxer who has used meditation to great effect to cool my nerves and triple my peak performance capacity in the ring, if you don't believe meditation is real, give me your address. I'll bring the gear. And when the bell rings, see if you can control your heart rate while I'm smiling inside and out and smacking the shit out of you at the same time. Punk ass.

Very cool observation. I'm gonna play with that today.

KK I admire your courage- something to consider while you are working with your liver at the forefront- it controls the spleen. Personally I have struggled all my life with anger- and realizing it was controlling pensiveness was a huge shift in perspective. In my life now anger is an indicator that I have not honestly expressed myself, it is an attempt on my bodys part to emotionally compensate for a failure to act, to outwardly express what I need to. Also- I personally believe constantly changing social situations are part of energy work- I want my energy to flow within and without, not to live in an emotional vacuum. Maybe you relate or maybe you don't but I offer it just in case. All the best.

First KK- I want to share something that you've inspired in me. My first response to your situation was just that- to your situation. I engaged my own emotional response to your circumstance and shared it, as well as how I would proceed to handle that emotional response, were I in your shoes. That is what it is, but obviously some part of me relates enough to your situation to HAVE that emotional response. So what I'm seeing now that I'm past the emotion, is that you are calmly examining in detail your own responses to a VERY emotionally challenging situation, and really genuinely embracing the oppotunity to learn about yourself. It's on a scale most people don't ever even acknowledge... I know I almost missed it, and I hang out here so... So here's what you've inspired in me- I've worked with the healing sounds before- and to get to the associated emotions I would kind of loosely move between visualizing a texture to that emotion, some intangible blah, and searching for a memory of that emotion, a picture or story that might elicit. What I was missing was the tangibility. I tweaked it today inspired by your current mission. For each emotion I worked with, I made a statement, in the first person, that exemplifies my experience of that emotion as it relates to my current circumstance. I'm using my ex right now because it's fresh and important to me- so for example in the kidneys- to find fear- "I'll never land such a hot girl again who's ALSO so domestic. There could only have been one of those." And to find gentleness- "Who I was at the time was what attracted her to me, I'm already that, and continuing to become more of it. There's nothing to find, and nothing to do, as I become more of myself more like her will continue to be drawn to me." This made it IMMEDIATE- the emotions now have context, relevance. My monkey mind is engaged IN PARALLEL to the textural tactile bodily sensations that accompany them and the witness is organizing the whole thing. It's a pretty phenomenal breakthrough for me, and I'd like to thank you for your courage in your circumstance, and your willingness to share it, as you were a huge catalyst for this. Freeform- once again this is GOLDEN- That anticipatory excitement - that's a great sign. In me I find there a self-conscious, shyness type of feeling, when I can stay with it and bathe it with uncontrived awareness it flowers into 'attractiveness' - not that you'll think you're attractive, but you'll notice a difference in how you present yourself outwardly (in me it's as if I have no idea what I will do or say next, I just watch myself do or say it) and you may notice a very interesting change in people's reactions to you - particularly your children - pay attention to them, show them that vulnerable, anticipatory side of you. They'll see a new level of presence in their dad... they may run away I've experienced this before but it has remained elusive, and you have now given me a much clearer map to finding it. Yet again, this must go in my personal practice journal. Thank you all for making this kind of growth and sharing possible. What a great place this is.

Best answer yet.

The spinal cord is composed of an anterior and posterior horn, or front and back channels. Nerve roots exit the spaces between discs on either side, and comprise of a fusion of the front and back channel at each root before traveling out to the areas of the body innervated by that level of the spine. The anterior horn handles motor nerves. Commands from the brain travel down the front to execute movement in the parts of the body to be moved. The posterior horn handles sensory nerves. Data from the various parts of the body travel up the back into the brain to communicate state of being. Ancient taoists knew this experientially, modern science defines it however it does. Pretty cool. Also cool. The yin channel travels down the front, this is the pathway by which the body receives the spirit. The end result is manifestation of yang energy- motor control, movement of the body, outward projection. Yang travels through the yin channel. Yang within the yin. The yang channel travels up the back, this is the pathway by which the body speaks to the brain. The end result is manifestation of yin energy- inner sensuality, regulation of bodily substance, inward balance and harmonization. Yin travels through the yang channel. Yin within the yang. Science can be fun.

KK is spot on about not really trying. Visualization is good as training wheels but your goal is to get off them. The thing that works for me, knowing the layout of the spinal cord, is to realize that by sending intent to any level of your spine, you automatically create a circuit. That is to say, if you just "think" about bending at the waist, without doing it, you're engaging your motor nerves at the waist, sending signal down the front channel. By keeping your attention there, sensory info comes up the back by itself, completing a circuit. The best tools I've found are maintaining focus at various points along the circuit, various levels at the spine, for long periods of time. Entire meditation sessions on one point in the spine are INCREDIBLY HELPFUL. And narrowing the visualizing to stay within the spinal column was a breakthrough for me. Trunk has some good info on http://www.alchemicaltaoism.com that changed the way I thought of it- the spinal column is actually several inches in from the back. And as always experiment and find what works for you, because we're all coming from a slightly different disposition. Best.

BTW Freeform- AWESOME. "And there's a surprising gift within anger - within the energy behind anger there is a kind of 'motivational' feeling - like a motivation based on the generosity of your spirit... another thing is that when you hide your anger, to others it feels like there is a part of you missing - they can't put their finger on it, but there is something missing... if you're able to be centred in a way that presents both your dark and your light side, you will notice a whole new level of attraction from others, including your wife." This is something that I used to know intuitively, and only recently happened to rediscover by chance. After experiencing it I was able to see it as a pattern across all my role models. A man without his flow of anger is castrated- and a time bomb. It's like they say "It's ALWAYS the quiet ones." Being able to live comfortably with your anger in each moment is incredibly empowering. And on that note, a thought about the possibility of pursuing the ability to live with every negative emotion in each moment. I have some things to consider... to the personal practice journal! Thanks dude.

I definately feel a need to chime in here, so I will. Take it for what it's worth, cause it's how I feel and that may or may not apply to you at all. "She already seems liberated in that sense, she used to be quite possessive towards me in the past." From what you said she's the one who wants somebody else. You don't seem too interested in that. Of course she's liberated in that sense. There's no real threat of you cashing in on the "openness" of your relationship. "WAIT A MINUTE.. I SHOULD try to find myself a perfect sexual partner.. To give compersion to my wife too! " This is the closest thing I've heard you say in this thread to something that I can relate to KK. If you're going to let her sleep around, you HAVE to keep it even. For your own sanity and for her own attraction. Put yourself in her shoes. If you were with a girl that said you could sleep with someone else, knowing you had someone else in mind, and you knew she had no motives to do the same herself, how would you feel? I'm all for spiritual development, cultivating internal discipline, and being capable to handle internal state independent of external circumstances WHICH CANNOT BE CONTROLLED. But remember that part of being spiritual means dissolving our boundaries from our surroundings, and that our external circumstances in a sense ARE our internal states. If development is about balance, it can't just be about controlling internal state all the time, sometimes it's about changing external circumstances, too. I really admire your intentions for your childrens sake. I am a product of a hateful divorce and it's taken alot of healing to get me to even see the implications it's had on my life. You are a very loving father. I will say for your sake- spiritual advancement doesn't have to mean you're at peace while you're taking a beating (like meditating while being eaten by a bear- perfect- LOL)- it can mean that you have the clarity under stress to make all the right moves at all the right times to win the fight with minimum exertion and come out on top. Compassion is wonderful, and I believe it is most genuine when given from a place of strength. Ascend and as you ascend so should your standards for the way other people treat you. I admire your intentions and wish you all the best. My heart goes out to you.

Sereneblue I can't focus anymore with your new avatar- you're adorable

I will say this- I have found that my spiritual practice was the only thing that could help me address this: "(To them it's just a Mind over Matter thing, overly yang attitude. If the body does not comply, their logic says the problem is the technique. Actually it's the way it's applied - that's the problem)". The way I apply a technique, the how, the grace, the overarching texture of the moment, it's only been available to me during times of great spiritual growth. Learning the body has given me a loose map, but the spiritual clarity is what allows me to travel the actual terrain, appreciating the difference.

I thought it was funny AND relevant...

Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!

Hey. My experience with the Iron Shirt stuff is that it's excellent for cultivation, not so much for harmonization. In other words, especially if you couple this with semen retention, it will get your orbit flowing (over time I found it personally more effective to aim deeper than indicated to the extent that I contact the spinal cord). However, although this will have a huge impact on "how much", it won't really touch "how much of what". Couple it with some form of meditation (Chia doesn't offer meditation no matter what he says, it's really all energy work) and things can change dramatically. All in all EXTREMELY effective. Be careful.

Really beautiful imagery.

Awesome! I'm really excited to read it.

Hey Pie Guy, are you getting one of these? I'd really like to order one, (been saving for an eeg), but they're so new and streamlined that I'd love to hear from someone who's used one. Anybody with one on the way I'd love an update when it gets there. Thanks. Brian

Since we're essentially millions upon millions of cells communicating with one another through the nervous system to maintain a stable organization, could it be safe to say that emotions are experienced in communication between cells? In that any emotion we feel outwardly is actually, literally, felt for ourselves. Hate starts as one cell hating another just as love starts as one cell loving another. It feels good to me. Brian

Well I gotta say- alchemist or not your words carry wisdom, and I've enjoyed reading them. Thanks!

So you're mostly heart and lung, huh? What do you think of the Taoist take on emotional distribution among the vitals?

Cool subject. Are we living organisms? If yes, then yes to the Tao. If you're talking about the all encompassing whole, then absolutely. An organism is just that, a cooperative effort on the part of many smaller living organisms. So if we're living organisms, all part of some bigger cooperative effort, then it would make sense that we're just cells in a body. That's my answer, just for fun. Brian