Yoda

Imo, I think the business plan is the way to go. And it needs to be in writing and reviewed and reassessed regularly. "Get a plan" will be on my plan when I have a plan. There are so many rabbit holes here in Chiville, it is easy to get distracted from this core need. Thanks for the reminder.

Just a random thought re: manifesting and magic. Lots of folks say that learning M&M are sidelines to real spiritual practice and progress. I would disagree. If you don't have control over your environment, it'll continually freak you out and frustrate you at every turn no matter how much you meditate, pray, etc. and will always be holding you back. By learning M&M you automatically learn that it is the feeling state that is the means and the end and the car, the job, or the lover was just a ritual object for focus.

When you fart in the elevator you have to turn on your blame thrower right then and there. You have to go on the attack.

I'm calling Mother T, Bill, and Michael Jordan narcissists meaning "successful narcissists" whereas most other people haven't learned to be quite as fully self absorbed. I'd classify children and animals in the successful self absorption camp too. One thing to keep in mind when throwing labels around is that it is absolutely impossible to feel what another person is feeling. We are forced to fall back on judging a person's actions based on our particular moral training they we learned when young and that gets reinforced by our particular peer group to crank out the correct label. To some Mother T is the bomb, to others she sucks... Ditto with folks like George Bush, Bill Gates, etc. Judging others based on such a paltry amount of information isn't worth much. Furthermore, it cuts off one's energy if one judges too many things too negatively. My successful narcissist doesn't get derailed judging others, but instead lives in the spirit of loving what it is he or she is living. The simple virtues of the child is where it's at, baby! -Yodsterz

Narcissism is the key to greatness! It's the secret ingredient of anybody who is successful and passionate about something. I always think of Mother Theresa, Bill Gates and Michael Jordan--they are 100% wrapped up in their own thing and don't give a rip about what others think. Mentally, if not physically, they play outside the rules. That's what gives them the power to transcend the ordinary person who is always trying to please their inner mommy and society's panel of educators in the name of morality and thus divide their own energy, reducing their effectiveness and happiness.

"The Mr. Rogers of Yoga." Very fun. Anyone actively following his program?

Deal's off, I'm too outrageous for you, bro!

Sean, If Joey got kicked in the knee, then he had manifested it. Kids and animals understand that the tao works in an appropriate and compassionate manner without exception. It's the moralizing parents that dress down all parties everytime someone was about to learn something constructive about cause and effect, that eventually jams the kid's openness and awareness. Junior knows best. -Yoda

Whenever somebody suggests that one should simply feel good and follow your bliss, inevitably someone counters that concept with the psychopath card. Psychopaths are examples of people who have been taught to ignore their bliss for so long that they've really gotten out of touch with their heart. While they contend that they were having fun killing people, I bet that if you could really feel what they were feeling, it wasn't that much fun after all. Still, anger and agression feels better than victimhood and fear so it really does make Americans feel better to go psychoballistic with our military. Not the highest form of bliss, but it's what's for dinner until we truly get in touch with our feelings to the point that we can see that we create our own reality and don't need to kill others for satisfaction. Do you believe that we are born with the instinct to feel good and is that sufficient guidance? Or do we need ethical education? I think that the whole social/religious idea that we need to "educate" is what inspires children to lose track of their feelings. From this angle, the phrase "ethical training" smells like a bum steer to me. When one sees the link between feelings and manifestations, then one can give the inner and outer laws, jails, and armies a rest.

How about just ethics is just about feeling good and we have a deal.

Sean, Sensitivity to reality=greater bliss, you become more sensitive to re-focus on the positive, on the deeper truth, and be the space, dude. Ethical training??? Did I read that right? Who, what, how on that one? Whose ethics? Ethics is superego city, bro. Good luck on that one! Can't do that. Impossible. The Bodhisattva impulse takes over and you want to transform all pain to wisdom and bliss. It's just natural. Built in. Can't escape it. Wired in all of us, down to a cellular level. -Yoda

I just saw a reference to this site at the HT forum. If you haven't been before, do check it out, it's a total hoot. Gary is a funster fer sure. Check out his chikung online bible. He's not into drugs and alcohol, and is very martial.

Well, I think that the jnana path is a fancy name for "positive thinking" and it brews itself up fresh as a meditation by-product within any tradition. I think the reason Yogani makes meditation a prereq is that it is easier to meditate and thereby raise the vibration of one's thoughts than it is to straight up change the frequency of one's thoughts by direct willpower. So as long as the particular taoist lineage has got some meditation going on, there will be some positive thinking in there somewhere! As long as it works, who cares whether it's taoist or not, though? The nice thing about taoism is that it's such a vague term, it's easy to use that as your label for your own homebrewed system.

Great sprout experiment!! I'm glad we have a researcher on staff.

I just looked at Sorcerer's Apprentice on amazon. His books were always adventurous and interesting but never very "nice" it looks like his life followed suit.

got to reduce calories to live longer. It's the only way science knows to extend life. Cardio exercise doesn't, btw. Didn't know that Castaneda pierced the veil. Is that 100% confirmed or is that one of his antics?

P- Maybe just beat the crap out of him like Michael's prayer of acceptance. It goes a long ways towards accepting the imperfections of others. Or at least take a 12ga to his ride. Or sue him. N- Buddhism is a rough gig. I hope they are wrong.

For you Nattokinase fans, I just got a great tip from a Nattokinase researcher: Dear Yoda, I am a researcher in bloodflow and nattokinase so I can address most questions that your audience may have. Based on my research of different brands, NSK-SD is the most effective therapeutically and cost effective. Please advise if you you require sourcing for the products. Sincerely, Dr. Ralph E. Holsworth Enjoy!

Cam, Ya aint seen nothing yet! Hajii, Sungazing kicked my ass, but it was a wild ride. There's extremely high alchemy and megastrong voltage which I found enticing, but it turned out to be too much. Being something of a thrill seeker, I'm getting my kicks out of fasting and dual cultivation (as available) at the moment. Hopefully I can keep my shit together this time. I'll sungaze only very occasionally now. Maybe once meditation settles me down a notch, I can get back to it.

I just took one bottle's worth and I noticed a definite niacin-like increase of blood and energy circulation. That was my only experience with it. Fasting actually has a very similar effect but with more of a buzz which I like.

Instead of clubbells, you can get 4-10 lb sledge hammers and cut down the handles to see if you like them. I'd start with a 4lb-er. The best of CST is bodyflow, imo. It ***finally*** enlightened me on the breathing thing, which is ground zero of Scott's philosophy. (good for dual cultivation too ) Please buy your own to support Scott. However, if you are on a budget, my bodyflow and intuflow are on tour. Grand Trinity has them now. Just pm me and I'll tell GT where to send them. Pavel's performance breathing burns through your energy fast. Not good for fighters or yogis, imo. -Yoda

Well I do have a long ways to go on the bodyflow program. When I started I had misplaced my ability to do a deck squat. I could barely do one. That definitely sucked. Now, I'm fine with them and amazingly getting pretty close to having my heels touch the floor in the downward dog. Which is great progress! I asked Scott why he thought that progress was so fast in body flow: http://www.circularstrengthmag.com/forum/v...pic.php?t=10451 Also in the general discussion section, there's a snoop dog translation website that translated Scott's page. Very funny. Maybe we could translate a thread here on taobums?

I don't know. I think Scott uses bodyflow as his introductory flagship. I think it does a better job of teaching breathing and catharting tension.

Michael, Trinity squats are on intuflow which you have, but you got to get your hands on bodyflow. It kicks ass!!! Intuflow is nothing compared to bodyflow. Seriously!! -Kyle (I think I'll start using my name a bit more. I've come too close signing work emails with "Yoda". I'll give the little green fella a well deserved vacation.)

The author of the excellent "Anatomy of Hatha Yoga" suggests that one looks at Alter's Science of Flexibility if one is an anatomy nut. I'm thinking that my next read will be Kurtz's Scientific Stretching. http://www.stadion.com/stretch.html