Ugggh... building and sticking with a practice routine

[sean]

One of the most consistent problems that I've always struggled with is in building a routine. I yearn to master the things I am interested in, yet it seems something keeps tripping me up again and again and again. For a decade now. Wether it be boredom, laziness, distractions, lack of purpose/direction, existential crisis, grass is greener on the other side, genuinely better things actualy coming along, overwhelm from juggling too much, conflicting responsibilities/poor time management, over-rigity, over-passivity, binge drinking, depression, anxiety, women, ADD, drugs, etc, etc, you name it, somehow my routines always get fucked up. I end up feeling like I am starting at square one constantly.

 

Just wondered if anyone else has this problem and how they go about working with it, ie: effective time management, making tough decisions on priorities, saying no to new things even if they seem really appealing at the time (tough), etc. Because the fact is, there are probably a million legitimate "paths" to awakening. Some may arguably be quicker, safer and more "sane" than others. But at some point I think the inner debate needs to die down, or handled in some way and a real committment needs to emerge. Otherwise you'd spend at least a lifetime jumping ship once shit gets a little rough. Agreed? But another equally valid concern is blindly following a dead-end path, or a path that actually creates more ignorance/suffering/darkness than it frees you from.

 

I think what I really struggle with is creating an effective routine that is open to refinement, but isn't so open that it actually becomes inert dabbling. How does one strike this balance between over-strenous, myopic rigidy to a system, and sloppy, smorgasbord new-ageism. Which sort of leads to: How do you learn to better differentiate between the suffering-feedback probably inevitable to a dedication to enlightenment, ie: growing pains, and the suffering-feedback from "going the wrong way" that could be telling you "you're on the wrong path dude".

 

A bit stressed today,

Sean.

[RON JEREMY]

SEAN, YA FEEL LIKE SHIT BECAUSE O DA GODDAMN CHEMTRAILS, NO.CA IS BEIN HAMMERRED.

 

MY RECOMMENDATITON IS, DO YER PRACTICE FIRST THANG IN DA MORNING. FIRST THANGS COME FIRST, SO DO YER MOST IMPORTANT THANG FIRST AS SOON AS YA WAKE UP. DA OTHER POINT IS, CERTAIN PRACTICES SUCH AS TAO SHAGGIN CAN BE DONE WHILE SHAGGIN!!!

AINT THAT VERY COOL???

 

BUT WAIT, THERES MORE: SUCH PRACTICES AS DREAM YOGA CAN BE DONE WHILE ACTUALLY SLEEPIN: NOW THAT'S EXTRATERIFFIC!!!

 

BYE NOW

 

RJ

[MatthewQi]

I was diagnosed with ADD as an adult. Basically what you are describing is the creative personality

 

I practiced the HT stuff hoping to be able to overcome a lot of things (my first priority was dealing with mortality or should I say immortality). Anyway, I became very disciplined (which was good) until it turned into rigidity It was only when after so much trying that I said, one day. I am going to get drunk and relax, I am getting in my own way here. The Tao came to me two days later (of course there were other factors). And it didn't all come at once, there were gradual and then not so gradual steps. And it is never "over" so one can only be where one is (or appears to be).

 

I found Dr. Amen's site on ADD the most helpful of all. He profiles like 6 different types that he has researched through brain imaging. He has an online test that will help you determine which of the different (and they are VERY different) types of ADD you have. It is Amenclinic.com. He has a book, which I am sure you can find in your local library system. Anyway, he gives natural type treatment recommendations along with the meds (I do not take them) and the treatments vary based on the type of ADD one has.

 

I will say that my spiritual growth has helped me tremendously and in general, I have been able to overcome a lot of the issues, spiritually, by establishing my core and ground in the Divine essence and practically by getting smart from stuff like Dr. Amen's.

 

No matter what, we all have bad days, so find that inner smile Becuase we are the Spirit, we are just having individual human experiences...

 

Inner Peace,

 

Matt

[Max]

[sean]

Thanks for the tips guys. I guess in a way I'm glad that it's not just me.

 

Ron, is there anything you believe an individual can do to counteract the effects of all the toxins in our environment, ie: chemtrails? Besides wearing a gas-mask full time. (http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/mcarecords...led-no1_320.asx)

 

Matthew, I strongly identify with descriptions I've read of ADD and was also diagnosed in my late teens. Thanks for the link. I'll check it. I'm realizing I should really address the ADD issues directly instead of hoping it will fix itself as the result of other practices/nutrition/etc.

 

Max, thanks a lot for the insights. As I told you privately, I'm going to give the merit based practices a whirl. And I hope to expand them into this plane as well, since I've been itching to do some volunteer work for the last year. About getting excited and losing jing, I think I do that frequently and not just through ejaculation and alcohol, but also through intemperate moods such as bouts of melancholy, rage, anxiety and even occassional manic-type joy.

 

So I think that for now, as much as it is humbling and even a bit disorienting to say this, I think the direct "mentally guided" alchemical work, at least at the speed that I tried to approach it, is not appropriate for where I am at right now. I think I would like to spend the next year with my focus on:

 

Emptiness Meditation / releasing practice

Vipassana, Sedona Method

Moral/ethical development

Merit and Virtue in practical life, relationships, work, finances, etc.

CST Curriculum

WW, Bodyflow, Effortless Gait running, etc

Proper diet/nutrition

Mostly via Kathleen DeMaisons work w/ some raw principles mixed in.

Jing Gong - learning non-ejaculatory orgasm

Most likely via multiples.com and maybe Dr. Lin's work (which I'm not familiar with yet)

Light Energy Work

As seen fit and to be determined. Ie: I really like playing with some of the HT practices when it spontaneously occurs to me to do so, ie: counterforce breathing, microcosmic orbit, especially the little orbit, etc.

 

Now, how to create a progressive daily routine out of all this and one that I can stick with through thick and thin is the next challenge.

 

:roll:

[RON JEREMY]

I CANT GET TO SEE DA CLIP, WHAT WAS IT ABOUT?

 

LOOK, CHEMTRAILS BE DA *MOST* SERIOUS ISSUE INDA WHOLE WORLD TODAY! THESE BASTARDS BE KILLIN OUT PEOPLE N MANNIPULATIN PEOPLE'S DNA N MINDS! LET'S WAKE UP!!!

TAKE THIS SHIT SERIOUSLY, YA DONT HAVE TO BELIEVE ME BLINDLY JUST DO YER OWN RESEARCH OVER DA NET N INFORM OTHERS THAT "OUR" GOVT IS POISONIN US.

 

MY ADVICE IS, DO *NOT* TAKE PSYCHIATRIC MEDICATION, FUCK EM DA PHARMACEUTICAL BASTARDS BE DA SAME PEOPLE INVOLVED IN DA CHEMTRAIL OPS. ADD IS MOST LIKELY CAUSED BY ELECTROMAGNETIC N CHEMICAL POISONIN O YER BRAIN, SO DETTOX YERSELF N CUT DOWN CELL PHONE USAGE.

 

I RECCOMMEND:

 

1)DO A *LOT* O PRANAYAMA (DEEP BREATHIN) TO WAKE UP, ESPECIALLY WHEN YA NEED TO BE SHARP

2)CIRCULATE DA MICROCCOSMIC *A LOT*

3)HAVE TRIED JUICE FASTIN? IT CLEARS DA MIND, BUT OF COURSE YA CANT FAST FOR EVER, BUT YA CAN DO IT 1-4 TIMES YEARLY FOR 7-10 DAYS EACH TIME FOR MAXIMUM BENNEFIT

4)PLAY MENTAL CHESS: VISUALIZE A CHESS BOARD IN YER MIND N TRY TO PLAY A CHESS GAME AGGAINST YERSELF WHILE REMMEMBERIN DA POSITIONS

 

BYE NOW

 

RJ

[Guest]

[Mitch]

I wrote the above hypnosis piece.

[sean]

Thanks again for the tips Ron. I find Microcosmic Orbit practice does help me a lot. And I've been meaning to start juicing for awhile now. I'm saving up for a Green Star (http://www.rawpaleodiet.org/juicing-basic-1.html)

 

That link was to a Sigur Ros video on you might like that was relevant to my commentary on wearing gas masks. It's the first one on the list here, you can try a different format:

http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/media/dldvideo.html

 

Mitch, thanks for the remind about hypnosis. I've experimented with it over the years with mixed results but I'd like to give it another go. I've been meaning to buy 3D Mind tapes as I've heard tremendous things about it: http://www.essential-skills.com/3dmind.htm

 

Sean.

[Trunk]

somehow my routines always get fucked up

 

I've had (maybe still do) the same problems.

 

I've found that I like cross-training. Its healthier for me, on all levels.

 

Also, I change. I mean, that's the purpose of this stuff, right? Different practices become appropriate as we change. Its just that most of us have no clue as to 'where this is going', so it can be quite frustratingly, repetitively, disorienting... doesn't fit our plans of how we thought we were going to change.

 

A lot of things lead to other things. I was doing my "Fabulous Four" routine for a while (really enjoyed it), got a lot out of it, and then found that i couldn't get the integration to happen really smoothly through my lower tan tien - so i'm re-exploring a whole variety of lower tan tien breathing methods, from a much richer perspective than last time.

 

I figure that if I'm doing something to blend layers and up & down, and I'm headed in the general direction of heaven-body-earth integration and of emptiness, then I don't sweat it. (Though, there are admittedly some things I'd like to have happen faster than they are.) :?

 

Trunk

[sean]

I've found that I like cross-training. Its healthier for me, on all levels.

Interesting perspective. That you allow yourself to enjoy the very feature of the path that I fight with the most. Opens up some avenues of thought for me. I wonder wether I am getting in my own way with compulsions for a level of certainty, linearity and organization that is unrelated to progress. I'm often amazed when I see someone who I consider to be approaching something in a completely disorganized way make consistent progress and even excel at it. In a way this could be related to what you were saying in a previous post, that some people already have some of the basic wiring, etc. But I also think part of my problem is too much intellectualization, grasping, seriousness, and insistence on planning. It's overcompensation. I'm the type of person that, left to my own devices, will ie: start 15 books at the same time and finish 3 of them. And maybe that's fine. I've gotten in the habit over the years of envying the more ascetic approach of picking the bare essentials and refining them for a lifetime. But if that's not where I am at right now, and forcing the issue is not working for me, it's time to try something else, or at least accept where I am. :?

 

 

Sean.

[Trunk]

the more ascetic approach of picking the bare essentials and refining them for a lifetime. But if that's not where I am at right now, and forcing the issue is not working for me, it's time to try something else, or at least accept where I am.

 

Yup.

Your whole situation and descriptions, well said, describes very well what i've been working with with my configuration.

[Trunk]

[Mitch]

[Trunk]

[Mitch]

[Yoda]

Like Lance Armstrong's training book, or articles about periodizing on dragondoor.com.

 

Powerlifters have a very focused, simple goal but they have to periodize and alternate their training modalities to keep getting results. The tighter they can focus their training, the better. Sometimes they need to work in totally new exercises or to bench with rubber bands, speed bench, slow bench, light days, heavy days, change focus, etc.

 

Lance's book is very good. He has several different training subgoals, like hill climbing, sprinting, endurance, etc. he cycles through them and changes the emphasis to another practice when he reaches a plateau in the target dept every month or two. And shifts to just maintaining what he just developed.

 

I'm questing for focus as well, but I'm fine with jumping around until that fine day--experimentation is a good thing too! It's like what goes on at dragondoor... the beginners are all over the place in their training and the real strength freaks and competitors are extremely focused in their training and modalities, but the beginners make good progress too b/c going from zero training to erratic training is hugely beneficial and there's no need to even be aware of periodization or focus for the first year and you can even coast without with mediocre results for years. But to get serious/competitive that training focus and real passion must be arrived at.

 

-Yoda

[Trunk]

[Mitch]

[BobD]

Related to the original topic, can I ask for advice from people about any of the following:

 

Practices for getting better (deeper, more refreshing) sleep.

 

Practices for needing less sleep.

 

Practices for feeling more lively in the morning?

 

As you can perhaps tell from the theme of these questions I find that the main reson I sometimes(!) don't get round to doing my "daily" practices is that I feel too tired (not in an ME kind of a way, just normal "rather stay in bed for an exra hour" kind of a way).

 

I have started juicing, but sometimes I can't even face that in the morning (which is my preferred time for practice).

 

So I'm after advice as to what I can do to be able to bounce out of bed that extra hour earlier to start the day with a good session of exercises, meditations etc. I always feel better for getting up and doing my practices, but sometimes only several hours into the day. I have tried the NLP approach of reprogramming to look forward to getting up, with some success, but I was wondering if anyone had anything more directly related to the sleep issue.

 

Thanks

[Trunk]

...just normal "rather stay in bed for an exra hour" kind of a way).

For those times that you choose to sleep in, try ankle rotations while lying in bed. Either hang your feet off of the end of the bed, or lie on your stomach and raise your ankles from your knees. The rotations assist in breaking up stagnation, not just ankles but also lower tan tien. Could help you bounce outta the sleeping-in-stage much quicker.

[BobD]

Thanks Trunk

 

I'll give that a go, starting tomorrow. I'm on holiday for a few days, so I can actually have a lie in and do my practices. I will integrate ankle rotations into my pre-getting up routine and see what results I get.

[Trunk]

[el_tortugo]

[sean]

sean, i recently joined the rmax forum and wonder how you are doing with that stuff and what you might recomend to a newbi and any threads here on those topics. it would be great to get the scoop thru you and anyothers here who are involved or have been at some point with what they are doing there...... get it from a taoist perspective......it seems really good and i am suprised to have found that site and to see people so well balanced....

I'd definitely say just pick up the Warrior Wellness DVD no matter what. It's the foundation. From there it depends on your your goals. I would recommend you pick up the Body Flow book next because it contains some of his most revolutionary ideas. After I read Body Flow, a lot of the way I looked at my body, emotions, sports, fitness, etc. really changed pretty radically. From there, if you are drawn to exloring Body Flow more, get the videos and prepare for a learning curve. But it's well worth it. Next is Clubbells ... a great strength training tool and are also just plain fun ... so if the idea of swinging lethal steel bats around to get in shape appeals to you, grab a pair and the DVD. I can't comment on anything else, since that is basically the extent of my experience with his work, and I frankly have no interest in any of the martial arts material at this point in my life.

 

some how sonnon knew i was from here...

Yeah, he's tricky like that.