onlyindreams

Times, Places, and Conditions in which Meditation is Impossible: 1. At, or immediately after, meals. 2. In places of pleasure. 3. In crowded places. 4. While walking rapidly. 5. While lying in bed in the morning. 6. While smoking. 7. While lying on a couch or bed for physical or mental relaxation. Times, Places and Conditions in which Meditation is Difficult: 1. At night. 2. In a luxuriously furnished room. 3. While sitting on a soft, yielding seat. 4. While wearing gay clothing. 5. When in company. 6. When the body is weary. 7. If the body is given too much food. Times, Places, and Conditions in which it is Best to Meditate: 1. Very early in the morning. 2. Immediately before meals. 3. In solitude. 4. In the open air or in a plainly furnished room. 5. While sitting on a hard seat. 6. When the body is strong and vigorous. 7. When the body is modestly and plainly clothed. It will be seen by the foregoing instructions that ease, luxury, and indulgence (which induce reverie) render meditation difficult, and when strongly pronounced make it impossible; while strenuousness, discipline, and self-denial (which dispel reverie), make meditation comparatively easy. The body, too, should be neither overfed nor starved; neither in rags nor flauntingly clothed. It should not be tired, but should be at its highest point of energy and strength, as the holding of the mind to a concentrated train of subtle and lofty thought requires a high degree of both physical and mental energy.

Good morning, Encephalon. I am very much interested. I look forward to hearing from you soon. - Jake

that having been said, a consistent practice of standing meditation (focusing on dropping all tension down to your heels, breathing deeply, slowly, and most importantly gently through the nostrils), sitting meditation (straight but relaxed back, focusing on being centered, grounded, and present), and alternate nostril breathing (again, slowly, deeply, and gently - imagine there is a feather in front of your nostrils and you are not trying to disturb it) will bring you this balance the KEY to LIFE is the BREATH.

Thank you.

Read every word; glad to hear about your conscious dietary habits. The sun exposure may DRAMATICALLY improve your acne. I had some severe severe acne - went to a music festival and was subject to the Tennessee sun for three days. On the second day, my acne healed up so much it was ridiculous. Of course, too much may inflame the affected areas too much. But atleast an hour a day of direct sunlight will benefit your body in myriad ways. Synthetic supplements derived from chemicals mixed around in test tubes is hardly what the body needs, but I stand by my belief that in certain circumstances, they are potent and effective. Some supplements/companies are higher quality than others. I recommend these two: http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-L-OptiZinc-30-mg-100-Capsules/738?at=0 http://www.iherb.com/Life-Extension-OptiZinc-Superior-High-Potency-Zinc-30-mg-90-Veggie-Caps/7011?at=0 Your body is unbalanced. Zinc deficiency is a definite cause of the severity of your acne. and keep this in mind: Eat more red meat and organ meats. I consider the two as superfoods for men. Soaked almonds (minimum 8 hours in pure water) Raw cacao and organic, free range eggs are also your best bets to increase your body's stores of zinc. Hemp and chia seeds are also good supplementary sources of zinc. Don't ejaculate as much either. Let your body's store of hormones and neurotransmitters build up so that the body can divert energy from metabolism of seminal fluid and sperm to healing and cellular regeneration. Also, all healing occurs at the cell membrane - and that process is governed in part by fats consumed in one's diet. So keep your consumption of healthy, pure fats high to facilitate healthy hormonal production and to maintain cellular integrity at the membrane and reduce your consumption of trans-fats and all fried foods (unless it has been fried in coconut oil or ghee/lard - all other vegetable oils worth cooking with turn rancid when heated)

Awesome. My style of training. Here's a group of men whose precepts I resonate with: http://www.gymjones.com/knowledge.php

Regulate the weights you will train with by yourself. Don't rely on another man's numbers and abstract thoughts as much. [Though I will say this again to pound it into your head: short, austere, hard workouts are the way to go.] Just keep consistently adding weight to the bar on any exercise you devote yourself to doing. Answer this question [you don't have to share the answer with us]: Why are you lifting? What is your ultimate goal? your desired outcome? Be as brutally honest with yourself here. Once you have grasped an answer that's yours and yours alone, you will then have a goal to work towards. Design everything you do when you train (as well as during your daily life) to bring you closer to that goal. If you can retain that singular focus of your desired outcome, you will achieve it - no matter what it is.

Edward, It doesn't matter what program you do. What exercises you pick [squats, deadlifts, shoulder press, pullups]. What routine you settle on. [5x5, 5/3/1, 12/9/6/3, 10x10, etc.] As long as you keep your routine consistent and you increase the weight that you lift over time. 2.5 pounds x 3 workouts a week x 10 weeks = a 75lb increase in weight that you are able to lift and an increase in strength and body mass and physique that reflects that progress. Keep your workouts short, to the point, and hard / uncomfortable. But remember that it's important that you balance all this working out with 'working in' - relaxing, resting, sleeping, meditating/breathwork. 1/4 hard effort, 1/4 diet, 1/4 rest and sleep, 1/4 consistency, dedication and daily affirmation Don't waste a single minute or a single dollar on buying supplements/powders/pills. 95% of them are bunk and you are not close to the level where stringent supplementation may benefit your training.

EASY! Clean up your diet. You are what you eat. You eat junk food, you will look like junk. Humans' bodies handle stress and disease in different ways and in your body, it is clearly through inflammation that manifests itself in the skin. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Drink more water. Get atleast 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night. Get as MUCH sunlight as possible on your skin. (I have a good feeling based on personal experience dealing with severe acne that the lack of sunlight and vitamin D is the real reason you have such serious persistent acne) That is foundational health advice. Now to repair your body from the inside out: Take 30-50mg of Zinc, (opti-zinc is the best formulation, zinc combined with an amino acid for superior absorption) Find a clean, pure source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega 3s) such as krill oil, fish oil, chia seeds, hemp and flax seed and oil Thoroughly clean out your body by taking chlorella and/or spirulina powder. To heal acne pustules and scars, just dab some shea butter or coconut oil on the area. I've used almost everything out there and not only is natural > synthetic, shea butter and coconut oil > anything else that you could put on your skin for the purpose of healing its membranes and/or reducing swelling, redness, and allowing the pus to drain naturally. DO NOT wash with soaps and the myriad synthetic facial cleaners that are available today. They will strip your skin which is already sensitive and in dire need of relief of the oils that will help maintain its integrity. Wash your face with only COLD water and a washcloth That's it! The problem took a LONG time to develop and to take root. Do NOT expect instant healing. Be patient but persistent. Focus only on the desired outcome and it will happen.

Quoted for re-emphasis. Beautiful post. I will be saving excerpts of it for future reading and inspiration.

Follow through on your inner, true, heart desire to build your body up (muscles, bones, nerves, and glands) and to better yourself. To set challenging goals and expectations for yourself and fulfill them and in doing so, be graced with a sense of satisfaction and joy that only comes with the accomplishment of a task, done to the best of your capacity. A man has an inborn desire to better himself, to prove one's worth by reaching objectives and overcoming obstacles. Don't sacrifice this opportunity to grow because of an abstract fear or a weak spirit. Find it within yourself to fulfill this inner desire. Growth comes through adversity, difficulties, and suffering. A half hearted effort nets NOTHING in satisfaction. Remember that when you are training, when that thought of 'it's too hard' 'i'm tired' arises in your mind. One day, several months or several years down the line, you will look back and connect all the dots and realize that following through on your desire to strengthen your body, your mind, and your spirit by pitting it against iron and gravity will have all been worth it. A strong body thinks strong thoughts. A man who is strong is far more effective and potent than that same man if he were a weakling - whether in aspiring to spiritual ideals, loving a woman with all that you've got, to achieving something truly remarkable and contributing something worthy to the world, to raising and protecting your family and loved ones, to taking care of business and earning your bread by the sweat of your brow. You may have to reorganize your life and eliminate unnecessary obligations and entities from your life. So be it. Focus only on the desired outcome and you WILL achieve it. I'll leave you with this. Why do I lift? To feel some thing, to feel intensely alive. To strain against something that will not back down to me. To know I gave it my all. To become that which I am working with (steel and iron). - O Sensei Morihei Ueshiba

those true seekers and practitioners do not repress, they simply focus, direct, and sublimate

This may change everything: Anytime you are on your computer, be STANDING. Never sit down. No matter how good you think your posture may be, it does not compare to the natural optimized flow of energy that standing facilitates

Quoted for emphasis. Posts like this one are why I frequent this forum.