Taijibum Posted February 20, 2015 Report Share Posted February 20, 2015 Started a thread in the Druids last challenge and then went back to the Monks. Not sure why since I barely posted in other peoples threads. So here I am in the Druids again.... My challenge:1- Morning ritual- wake before 7am, meditate 40 minutes, therapy light 30 minutes, breakfast2- Tai Chi form 3 times spread out in the day.3- Water Bending. Yup, you heard me. This: Back in the day I learned the first stages of samadhi by watching water falling. Watching water flow stops the internal dialogue and allows your mind to work more efficiently. So I just ordered this and as soon as I get it I will add this to my schedule. 5-20 minutes a day of whats called in Taoism, "Stopping the Water". You gaze at the water and you dont trance out or bliss out. You stay very aware of your surroundings like you are staring at prey without becoming prey yourself. What happens is it feels like time slows and you get a cool visual effect because you are not using your secondary visual cortex anymore. You are using both sides of your brain. Its hard to explain, but it is step one of samadhi or union. Step one is stopping the water, step two is feeling the water flow over you and the third is becoming one with the water. Its not mysticism but a brain biology thing. It sure seems all magical and mystical though. 3 Quote We do not rise to the level of our expectations in a fight. We fall to the level of our training. Link to comment
Phayze Posted February 20, 2015 Report Share Posted February 20, 2015 Subbed, because WATER BENDING! 2 Quote Level 0 Air Nomad Assassin STR: 0 STA: 0 DEX: 0 CON: 0 WIS: 0 CHA: 0 Current Challenge: [Url= http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/80570-phayze-accepts-an-apprenticeship-as-an-airbender-respawn/]Apprentice Airbender![/url] Check Out My LEGO Stuff on Flickr! "The next golden age of human achievement begins here and now" -Neil Degrasse Tyson, Cosmos Link to comment
Chanda Posted February 20, 2015 Report Share Posted February 20, 2015 Welcome back to the Druids. Very interesting stuff about the water... never heard about it, but its something I might look into in the future. I did Tai Chi Yang style long form for many years. Stopped when I got pregnant with my first daughter and never restarted... but its something I will do again. Maybe in Autumn. Anyway its nice to have a Tai Chi practitioner around. 1 Quote Lusitanian Druid, Level 9STR: 13 | DEX: 15 | STA: 17 | CON: 22 | WIS: 25 | CHA: 25“We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.†- AristotleCurrent Challenge: Living the Good Life II Past: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th Goal: 1001 Steps on the Road to a Home -> 18/348 in 2015 5.27%5.27% Goal: loose 9KG in 2015 -> 1.5KG lost 16.67%16.67% Link to comment
Nusuth Posted February 21, 2015 Report Share Posted February 21, 2015 Quite interesting the water exercise. I wonder if it's one of the reason why people are drawn to fountains & sea's to chill out. 1 Quote Nusuth Revamped Current Challenge You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf Jon Kabat-Zinn A quitter never wins and a winner never quits. Napoleon Hill Link to comment
Dantilla Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 Very interesting about the water...and I guess explains why I like water features so much! I'd be interested in learning more. 1 Quote DantillaLevel 3? Bard/Assasssin,Needs to update her skillsSTR 5 | STA 2 | DEX 1 | CON 5 | WIS 7 | CHA 6Trained Skills:Perform: 1Climb: 2Current Challenge Link to comment
Taijibum Posted February 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 I got the fountain today, just in time to start my challenge. If you scroll up you can see the fountain without a background. Can't really judge the size, can you?This thing is small. Shorter than a small Diet Pepsi bottle. It is well made and stuff.... but tiny. I can't use this. I can't even see the water dripping. Quote We do not rise to the level of our expectations in a fight. We fall to the level of our training. Link to comment
Nusuth Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 yes, a bit small .. If it's the movement that counts, what about a lava lamp ? they have them in big shapes. 1 Quote Nusuth Revamped Current Challenge You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf Jon Kabat-Zinn A quitter never wins and a winner never quits. Napoleon Hill Link to comment
Phayze Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 Bummer. >< That's the one lousy thing about shopping online, I guess. Plan b? 1 Quote Level 0 Air Nomad Assassin STR: 0 STA: 0 DEX: 0 CON: 0 WIS: 0 CHA: 0 Current Challenge: [Url= http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/80570-phayze-accepts-an-apprenticeship-as-an-airbender-respawn/]Apprentice Airbender![/url] Check Out My LEGO Stuff on Flickr! "The next golden age of human achievement begins here and now" -Neil Degrasse Tyson, Cosmos Link to comment
Taijibum Posted February 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 So, I did this. I smashed off two of the little buckets with a hammer to make the water flow further. I did my gazing at it for 5 minutes just to do it and see. It sorta works. I didn't stop the water, but staring at the water wiggling made the cord look like it was wiggling too. That was weird. Quote We do not rise to the level of our expectations in a fight. We fall to the level of our training. Link to comment
Taijibum Posted February 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Gunna have to change some things. That water bending has gone bust. I can replace that with a dream diary, since I need to work on my lucid dreaming. Inspired by this guy Because I wanna fly over mountains and hills... Nagual Darin Hamel? Oh, thats my real name. To continue my rambling theme, it seems that its the mass market paperbacks that influenced my life the most. First it was the Journey to Ixtlan, then the Simonomicon, The Cloud of Unknowing came next and finally The Essence of Tai Chi. Weird, makes me want to write one. I have also been collecting those books again. I haven't read Carlos Castaneda in over 20 years and I am going through his books again. The first two are all about drugs and I never really got into those. The rest are amazing. Spring break here and I have a week off. Such a good time to start a new habit. The dream diary seems the way to go. Last night I intended to try to lucid dream by repeating over and over to look at my hands. I was also remembering earlier in the day that when I was really good at lucid dreaming I was always wearing the same clothes, blue jeans and a jean jacket. Last night in my dream, I found a jean jacket I used to own. I am taking that as a good sign. If I had put it on, I am sure I would have begun to lucid dream. There is always tonight. Man, when is this therapy light going to turn off? I have it set for 30 minutes, but this morning Instead of surfing the web, I am vomiting in my thread here. Oh, well. I also need more coffee. Actually I want more of the creamer and the coffee is just a bonus. Quote We do not rise to the level of our expectations in a fight. We fall to the level of our training. Link to comment
Taijibum Posted February 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 I havent lucid dreamed yet, but I have been keeping track of my dreams in my journal. Quote We do not rise to the level of our expectations in a fight. We fall to the level of our training. Link to comment
Taijibum Posted February 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2015 Lucid dreamed last night! This is my meditation and now dream journal. Quote We do not rise to the level of our expectations in a fight. We fall to the level of our training. Link to comment
Nusuth Posted February 26, 2015 Report Share Posted February 26, 2015 Gunna have to change some things. That water bending has gone bust. I can replace that with a dream diary, since I need to work on my lucid dreaming. ooh, I was mildly interested by the water samadhi exercise ; but i'm sooooo subbed for the lucid dreaming ^^. I dabbled in it around my twenties. but then the drugs took over :s and I forgot about it. Still, the exercises left me with a .. decent .. dream-memory.Even now, 15y further I got a notebook & pen in my sleeping room, i just don't bother anymore to put it 'ready to use' aside my bed/pillow. I'm so amazed by the clearness of your writing in your journal. You use a light-source to write ? I was allways too scared to not being able to fall a sleep again , so I scrabbled blind on the paper. Anyways, looking forward to your travels and .. leeching on your experience ^^ 1 Quote Nusuth Revamped Current Challenge You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf Jon Kabat-Zinn A quitter never wins and a winner never quits. Napoleon Hill Link to comment
Phayze Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 Oh cool! Congrats on the lucidity! ^^I started trying to lucid dream last challenge, but I still haven't cracked it. I'm using regular reality checks and intention-setting during my meditation, but it doesn't seem to be enough.How did you learn to do it? Any books or sites you'd recommend to a noob? 1 Quote Level 0 Air Nomad Assassin STR: 0 STA: 0 DEX: 0 CON: 0 WIS: 0 CHA: 0 Current Challenge: [Url= http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/80570-phayze-accepts-an-apprenticeship-as-an-airbender-respawn/]Apprentice Airbender![/url] Check Out My LEGO Stuff on Flickr! "The next golden age of human achievement begins here and now" -Neil Degrasse Tyson, Cosmos Link to comment
Taijibum Posted February 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 ooh, I was mildly interested by the water samadhi exercise ; but i'm sooooo subbed for the lucid dreaming ^^. I dabbled in it around my twenties. but then the drugs took over :s and I forgot about it. Still, the exercises left me with a .. decent .. dream-memory.Even now, 15y further I got a notebook & pen in my sleeping room, i just don't bother anymore to put it 'ready to use' aside my bed/pillow. I'm so amazed by the clearness of your writing in your journal. You use a light-source to write ? I was allways too scared to not being able to fall a sleep again , so I scrabbled blind on the paper. Anyways, looking forward to your travels and .. leeching on your experience ^^OMG! I have done the sloppy "in the dark" writing too. You wake up and can't read it. Sucks. I did this in the morning though. I didn't wake up after the dream. Also according to some research that I just read, you are more likely to lucid dream after waking up in the middle of the night to do something, to the order of 30-50 times more likely I think. Maybe thats why monastics wake up for prayer at midnight and then go back to sleep? Hmmmm....... Oh cool! Congrats on the lucidity! ^^I started trying to lucid dream last challenge, but I still haven't cracked it. I'm using regular reality checks and intention-setting during my meditation, but it doesn't seem to be enough.How did you learn to do it? Any books or sites you'd recommend to a noob?I learned to do it by reading Carlos Castaneda in High School and using the technique of looking at my hands. You have to keep reminding yourself to look at your hands in your dreams and eventually it happens and you realize you're dreaming. I used to look at my hands during the day too, to reinforce it. I haven't read any modern books on it, but the old Carlos Castaneda books "Journey to Ixtlan" and the "Art of Dreaming" are where most of the modern lucid dream books come from. Quote We do not rise to the level of our expectations in a fight. We fall to the level of our training. Link to comment
Nusuth Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 hmmmz... Liberator had an exercise of a Mindfullnes-guru to bring attention to the hands for 30sec then take a deep breath and move on.If I combine the two that makes : bring the focus to the hands for 30sec, look at them , deep breath and move on. With now double-motivation I shoould be able to do this fairly often during the day .. Quote Nusuth Revamped Current Challenge You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf Jon Kabat-Zinn A quitter never wins and a winner never quits. Napoleon Hill Link to comment
Phayze Posted March 5, 2015 Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 Interesting! I'll have to look this guy up. Thanks! ^^Any more lucid adventures? Quote Level 0 Air Nomad Assassin STR: 0 STA: 0 DEX: 0 CON: 0 WIS: 0 CHA: 0 Current Challenge: [Url= http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/80570-phayze-accepts-an-apprenticeship-as-an-airbender-respawn/]Apprentice Airbender![/url] Check Out My LEGO Stuff on Flickr! "The next golden age of human achievement begins here and now" -Neil Degrasse Tyson, Cosmos Link to comment
Taijibum Posted March 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 I had a lucid dream last night! I am researching the whole Tibetan Dream Yoga thing right now and learning so much. I did a ton of dream work from 1988-1999 and kept a diary then too. I'll upload good info when I get it. This is a great video on Lucid Dreaming! Quote We do not rise to the level of our expectations in a fight. We fall to the level of our training. Link to comment
Taijibum Posted March 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 I've kept my journal perfectly every day since I started. Last night I tried something different and after the first 4-5 hours sleep I woke up to get a glass of water and then went back to bed, but tried to stay conscious as I fell back to sleep. It sorta worked and I kept having these false awakenings where I would remember snippets of my dream and wake up to write them down but my bedside light wouldn't turn on. Then I'd get up and walk around a bit and saw things moved around and though my house was haunted. I did this 2 or three times and the last time I went downstairs and fully realized I was dreaming. I stayed calm so I would wake up, but my only plan was to get lucid. I thought about flying but everyone does that. I had a lot of dream remembrance last night. Quote We do not rise to the level of our expectations in a fight. We fall to the level of our training. Link to comment
Taijibum Posted March 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 Gunna be honest. I got so wrapped up in recording my dreams and thinking about that, I forgot about the Tai Chi. Started that today. Quote We do not rise to the level of our expectations in a fight. We fall to the level of our training. Link to comment
Taijibum Posted March 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 I'm back doing the Tai Chi. It looks like I only forgot to do it for 2 weeks so thats not tooooooooo bad. I've done it 3 times a day since I remembered that I forgot. Today I did 20 minutes and Monday I might increase it. Quote We do not rise to the level of our expectations in a fight. We fall to the level of our training. Link to comment
Taijibum Posted March 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 My sister does Tai Chi too. I talked her into trying it back in 1993. I think she might be better than me now. She is ranked semi-high in the Yang Family Style. We are going to start practicing push hands together and on April 18th I think I will be attending my first Push Hands tournament. I think I have the type of personality that needs to "achieve" in order to be motivated to practice. I took the Enneagram test and came out as "Achiever". Maybe thats why I love to run, because you can test your ability level in a race and compete which is really fun. Quote We do not rise to the level of our expectations in a fight. We fall to the level of our training. Link to comment
Taijibum Posted March 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 Did Tai Chi push hands twice so far with my sister. She is pretty good and knows a lot. We are practicing the push, ward off, press, roll back sequence. It feels good to be learning Tai Chi again. Also next spring I will have 116 credits. I need to squeeze out 4 more so I can graduate next spring. Quote We do not rise to the level of our expectations in a fight. We fall to the level of our training. Link to comment
Taijibum Posted March 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2015 Scheduled the last 4 credits, so I should graduate next spring. That just means I need to get serious about graduate school. I really want Claremont University in California, but that will cost $200,000 out of my pocket. Imagine having a quarter million dollars debt.... I listened to "Mastery" by Robert Greene this week. I listened to it once before and read the book and I get something new every time. Especially now that I am in college. Quote We do not rise to the level of our expectations in a fight. We fall to the level of our training. Link to comment
Taijibum Posted April 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2015 Ran 6 miles today. The trails were gorgeous, but I think the hills get higher somehow every year... Quote We do not rise to the level of our expectations in a fight. We fall to the level of our training. Link to comment
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