My Kingdom For A Cigarette

[eyeagainst]

[.broken.]

Just a thought...

 

I have heard that many people who take up qigong end up giving up smoking. Apparently they just lose their taste for it...

 

Yours humbly,

James

[Stigweard]

The Only Way to Stop Smoking Permanently

 

I guarantee you that if you read this book and do exactly as it says you will stop without withdrawal symptoms and never smoke again

[Bum Grasshopper]

I thought about when I really liked to smoke, and when I just did it out of habit. For me it was with my morning coffee, and after a big meal. at such times, I smoked until I was satisfied, not smoking it down to the butt. Soon I was only smoking 2 cigs a day, then 1, then none.

 

Taking a martial arts class also helped me to realize how much better I functioned without smoking.

[Mal]

Taking a martial arts class also helped me to realize how much better I functioned without smoking.

 

 

Yes, I feel you need some tangible evidence that it's actually hurting you to use as motivation to deflect those cravings. For me it was after 3 years when the coughing in the mornings had turned from clear phlegm to darker phlegm

 

Being mindful, exploring why you feel this desire to smoke, all good activities. But don't pay attention to your minds attempts to interrupt you while meditating. Minds are good at finding thoughts that you will attach to, let them pass.

 

Understand you don't want substitutes but if you really really can't do without, just get a vaporiser

[i_am_sam]

The Allan Carr book worked for me (until I started again ).

 

Ironic he died of lung cancer.

 

NRT is bullshit IMHO, as he says for those that it works for you succeed in spite of not because of it.

 

Keep it up eyeagainst and rejoice in the freedom from the slavery that nicotine addiction is.

 

I found I could achieve a much deeper meditation when not smoking, specifically tension in my eyes seemed to disappear. This will be one of the incentives I will remind myself of when I give up again... soon... any day....

now.

 

Advice on how to quit?

 

Don't smoke.

 

(and grapefruit juice)

 

Advice on how to stay quit?

 

er.. yes please. (or, - don't smoke)

 

 

peace

[autopoetic]

Meditation/qigong are powerful tools. The deep desire to quit is the most powerful tool you can have.

 

After that, dealing with cravings is the hard part. What Bum Grasshopper said corresponds well with my experience - smoke only when you feel you need one, never because you're bored or looking to kill time or out of mindlessness. Always smoke mindfully. When you smoke, only smoke - experience it fully. You will find if you do this you'll smoke dramatically less, which will make actually stopping considerably easier.

 

I smoke occasionally now, but not everyday... I was up to a pack a day for a few years, and then quit completely for two years. What did it for me was to learn to reorient myself with respect to the feeling of craving. That craving is precisely the feeling of your brain re-wiring itself to not need cigarettes anymore. The smoking replaces and displaces a variety of chemicals in your brain, which it must learn to produce again when you quit. Pay close attention to the cravings, and invite them in - let that feeling wash over you and do its work. It is a positive thing, the feeling of your body/mind healing itself.

[Bum Grasshopper]

 

Advice on how to quit?

 

Don't smoke.

 

(and grapefruit juice)

 

Advice on how to stay quit?

 

er.. yes please. (or, - don't smoke)

peace

 

Depends on how bad you are physically addicted to nicotine. If such is the case, a weaning process may be needed. If you need the patch or such, you must reduce it's use also.

[Stigweard]

Depends on how bad you are physically addicted to nicotine. If such is the case, a weaning process may be needed. If you need the patch or such, you must reduce it's use also.

 

In my experience (free-breather now for nigh over ten years ... thank god I don't have to do that ever again ) the physical addiction contributes at most only 20% of the problem. 80% or more is a psychological addiction.

 

Undoing the illusion of why you need to smoke is a powerful personal liberation and can provide you with the tools to accomplish so much in your life.

 

Next time you feel you 'need' to light up stop, take a moment to breath deeply and ask yourself: "Why do I need this cigarette?" Acknowledge the mental and emotional response that comes to awareness. Repeat this process 5 times remembering to take a deep breath each time.

 

The reason to do this is to get a clear picture of the conditionings that have led you to the belief that you need to smoke. With mindful awareness of the illusion the illusion disappears on its own.

 

If, after doing this process you still light up do so with complete mindfullness, paying complete attention to how it feels to have the smoke going down your throat and into your lungs. With mindfullness again ask yourself 5 times: "Why do I need this cigarette?" and again pay attention to the response.

 

The challenge with altering any behaviour is that if it merely arises as a superficial command from the mind and not a powerful directive from the deep subconscious then it isn't a true change (which is why so many people fall back into the habit). You must dig deep, through mindful observation, into the recesses of your emotional and mental 'datafiles'.

 

Another process, with acknowledgements to Anthony Robbins, is to map out the pain/pleasure stimulus of the situation. Get out a pen and piece of paper, do a couple of minutes doing some mindful breathing and answer the following questions:

 

1. What pleasure will I gain from continuing to smoke cigarettes?

 

2. What pain will I experience from continuing to smoke cigarettes?

 

3. What pleasure will I gain from stopping smoking?

 

4. What pain will I experience from stopping smoking?

 

You have to really dig deep and get into the emotions with these questions and don't stop until you have at least 10 answers to each question. The next step is to become totally engaged with the outcome you want (i.e. stopping smoking permanently) and imprint the pleasure you will gain from stopping smoking and the pain you will experience if you continue to smoke into every recess of the mind.

 

Anthony says that people only change when the pain of staying the same is percieved to be greater then the pain of changing.

 

The real secret is self-awareness.

[Birch]

My 2 cts (I'm quit for over a year).

 

Stopping smoking is easy. Dealing with what comes after isn't so easy.

What eventually worked for me was the realization that I could separate desire from action. In other words, a lot of people want to give up craving, when in fact all you have to do is to give up smoking. Crave all you want, let yourself do it. Just don't ever smoke again.

 

Also helps to have back up plans like:

 

- massage

- acupuncture

- people to yell at who won't care

- therapist ;-)

- sport

- whatever floats your boat.

 

Good luck!

 

Kate

[Bum Grasshopper]

In my experience (free-breather now for nigh over ten years ... thank god I don't have to do that ever again ) the physical addiction contributes at most only 20% of the problem. 80% or more is a psychological addiction.

 

Undoing the illusion of why you need to smoke is a powerful personal liberation and can provide you with the tools to accomplish so much in your life.

 

Next time you feel you 'need' to light up stop, take a moment to breath deeply and ask yourself: "Why do I need this cigarette?" Acknowledge the mental and emotional response that comes to awareness. Repeat this process 5 times remembering to take a deep breath each time.

 

The reason to do this is to get a clear picture of the conditionings that have led you to the belief that you need to smoke. With mindful awareness of the illusion the illusion disappears on its own.

 

If, after doing this process you still light up do so with complete mindfullness, paying complete attention to how it feels to have the smoke going down your throat and into your lungs. With mindfullness again ask yourself 5 times: "Why do I need this cigarette?" and again pay attention to the response.

 

The challenge with altering any behaviour is that if it merely arises as a superficial command from the mind and not a powerful directive from the deep subconscious then it isn't a true change (which is why so many people fall back into the habit). You must dig deep, through mindful observation, into the recesses of your emotional and mental 'datafiles'.

 

Another process, with acknowledgements to Anthony Robbins, is to map out the pain/pleasure stimulus of the situation. Get out a pen and piece of paper, do a couple of minutes doing some mindful breathing and answer the following questions:

 

1. What pleasure will I gain from continuing to smoke cigarettes?

 

2. What pain will I experience from continuing to smoke cigarettes?

 

3. What pleasure will I gain from stopping smoking?

 

4. What pain will I experience from stopping smoking?

 

You have to really dig deep and get into the emotions with these questions and don't stop until you have at least 10 answers to each question. The next step is to become totally engaged with the outcome you want (i.e. stopping smoking permanently) and imprint the pleasure you will gain from stopping smoking and the pain you will experience if you continue to smoke into every recess of the mind.

 

Anthony says that people only change when the pain of staying the same is percieved to be greater then the pain of changing.

 

The real secret is self-awareness.

 

 

Precisely. That's how I quit. 98% of the time I NEEDED to smoke. 2% of the time I wanted to smoke.

[eyeagainst]

Well, I was down to a half a pack a day before I decided to do this. My schedule is kinda grueling and I totally know what you mean by "need to smoke" versus "want to smoke." The problem with this is once I promise myself one later if I make it so far, or I cut deals with myself I just end up back at square one.

 

I'm a quiet eccentric IRL... if I started yelling at people they would probably have me put away

 

The main thing I'm noticing now is how tired I am... Is there a way to make up for sleep through meditation? I've been looking into it and a lot of it seems like it could work and then a lot of it seems like that might be b.s.

[Mal]

Is there a way to make up for sleep through meditation? I've been looking into it and a lot of it seems like it could work and then a lot of it seems like that might be b.s.

 

If you are tired sleep is the best answer sorry. But I find if I do a lot of meditation (more than 30 min a day) I seem to need one less sleep cycle (90 min for me) Time spent doing Tai Chi is often touted as being better than time spent sleeping. YMMV.

[hagar]

If you are tired sleep is the best answer sorry. But I find if I do a lot of meditation (more than 30 min a day) I seem to need one less sleep cycle (90 min for me) Time spent doing Tai Chi is often touted as being better than time spent sleeping. YMMV.

 

I started using "snus" (tobacco under the lip) after I'd been practicing qigong for 8 years.

 

Actually, many of my latent addictions (video games, caffine, nicotine, internet) flamed up after some years of practice.

 

Also, I felt I really enjoyed it. Really basking in the high of a good strong Snus, sitting on a log in the woods with my thermos of incredibly sour filter coffee, looking at the branches and grass. Maybe farting abit.

 

h

Edited September 17, 2008 by hagar

[三江源]

 

sometimes life is just so perfect, isnt it.

[hagar]

[三江源]

[hagar]

 

To be really honest, I have directly opposite reactions towards the SC (spiritually correct) behaviour (no smoking, stimulants, alchohol, etc) after some years of practice. This came evident on some weeklong retreats.

 

When everybody else was sipping their herbal tea (this was in Henley, England) me and my instructor was lurking around town to find a decent pub, or at dinner time finding the best steak, the most tasty red wine, and, lets face it, the best place to party, and eventually get picked up, turn someone down, and head home.

 

It all ended with stumbling into the tent late at night, or even in the wee hours of the morning a little tipsy, and starting the first session of the day with a hangover, as we were standing in squat-position.

 

Needless to say, we kept a low profile, yet Norwegians do have a bad rep at the retreats in England.

 

h

[Jakara]

Take a look at this for a reason to quit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7M45-cnXq8 that guy's arteries are happening to you right now if you smoke, its not just a theory, its really happening inside you now. It almost made me gag.

 

I quit a long time ago by removing myself from any situation that I would normally smoke in, then there is no que or prompt that triggers your brain's memory of requiring to smoke. I also had a bag of sweets/candy or something equivalent to eat whenever I wanted to smoke. Just eat one, then forget about the urge and trick your brain into thinking about something else entirely.

 

If you're tired, they say every 1 hour of sleep before midnignt is worth 2 hours of sleep after midnight, so going to bed earlier and getting up earlier will help, as will fresh air and excercise. Qi-gong and meditation are beneficial regardless, so I would refrain from associating either practice with trying to quit smoking, or chances are one will remind you of the other.

[三江源]

To be really honest, I have directly opposite reactions towards the SC (spiritually correct) behaviour (no smoking, stimulants, alchohol, etc) after some years of practice. This came evident on some weeklong retreats.

 

When everybody else was sipping their herbal tea (this was in Henley, England) me and my instructor was lurking around town to find a decent pub, or at dinner time finding the best steak, the most tasty red wine, and, lets face it, the best place to party, and eventually get picked up, turn someone down, and head home.

 

It all ended with stumbling into the tent late at night, or even in the wee hours of the morning a little tipsy, and starting the first session of the day with a hangover, as we were standing in squat-position.

 

Needless to say, we kept a low profile, yet Norwegians do have a bad rep at the retreats in England.

 

h

 

this seems to me to be all in accord with the tao. I bet I would have been down the pub before you.

Embrace life, not just herbal tea, innit.

[Ian]

[rain]

Whenever you really want to smoke, isolate the physical feeling of the craving. Then "contain" that feeling by feeling your whole body around it, including the bits that feel ok, or even good. Keep containing. Don't let the craving sensation rise up and make you think. It will burn off. Contain lightly. Don't fight. Relax and let tensions drop to your belly. etc etc.

 

 

thats it.

nice Ian.

[eyeagainst]

So it is day three and I am feeling a lot better actually. I mean i still want to smoke but I don't think I physically NEED it anymore

[Stigweard]

So it is day three and I am feeling a lot better actually. I mean i still want to smoke but I don't think I physically NEED it anymore

 

 

Just say to yourself time and again, "Thank God I never have to do that again!!"

 

Keep it up you are doing well.