Comments | pi_guy: Update and chemistry and health question

pi_guy

Update and chemistry and health question

Mar 25, 2008 08:39

I've been very good about not checking email and getting on bad websites or listening to distracting podcasts. All this thinking has left me with a few thoughts and things to note:

I am now taking my health very seriously. I have been getting up in the mornings and going running. Lately I've been doing about 3.5 miles (thank you google map ( Read more... )

Comments 8

go you! ext_91506 March 25 2008, 20:51:11 UTC

Any particular brand of meditation? I've been sitting with some Soto Zen people lately. Do like it. Makes me feel a little bit calmer, able to just get on with things.

The whole idea of self-actualisation sounds a little scary to me :-) But that's because I got a view of it from a sci-fi book that made it sound so.

Re: go you! pi_guy March 29 2008, 01:58:54 UTC

I've been playing with several types of meditation. From active visualizations, to complete focus on one thought or idea, to mantras, to completely going blank. It seems to me there are two main ideas with meditation: 1. thinking - getting in your mind as that objective third party that I'm finding is so often mentioned in the iterature about personal development; and 2. focusing - Being then able to have that mental voice focusing on one thing single minded. Once you can do 1. and 2. it seems that the next step is to then be able to access that intuition stage of your mind where the more abstract, non-linear, creative part of your mind resides ( ... )

Re: go you! ext_91506 March 30 2008, 08:53:37 UTC

Hmm... the Zen people have a much more minimalistic version of it. They tend to say that you shouldn't think of zazen (the meditation) as trying to achieve anything. No goals, no special states of mind. Just being fully engaged with the present moment. "Meditating as if your hair was on fire." So, it's pretty unguided with no instructions to focus on anything. Oh they do offer occasional advice, things you could be paying attention to (that tingle in your arm? your hands? definitely your posture), but no more. One notion they quickly disabused me of was that it had anything to do with "stopping thought". You don't stop thought, they say (you should never try to do that anyway), but just be aware of it. One of the teachers gave the image of clouds in the sky. The point isn't to get rid of the clouds, but to avoid being in the cloud ( ... )

Re: go you! ext_91506 March 30 2008, 08:56:13 UTC

By the way, you might also like Balthasar Gracian's "Art of Worldly Wisdom" http://www.balthasargracian.com

I've been following its RSS feed. A snippet a day.

sybilhawthorne March 25 2008, 21:30:39 UTC

My mom no longer eats starches and proteins together, and likes the way it makes her feel. I haven't really tried it yet, because I love starches too much.

mmmm starches pi_guy March 29 2008, 02:08:40 UTC

Well that's an easy fix, eat starches with veggies. :)

I've been staggering it throughout the day. In the morning it's usually starches and fruit. Then some kind of protein and veggies at lunch. Then dinner with veggies and starches.

I've been trying not to eat past 7pm too (since I try to go to bed at 9 or 10 that's not too bad).

I hope your mom is doing well!

rainwalk March 25 2008, 22:58:53 UTC

i wish i could meditate every day. one of those things i have to make time for.

meditation pi_guy March 29 2008, 02:05:37 UTC

My trick recently is to wake up at least an hour earlier than normal for exercise and meditation. The early morning is really peaceful for that kind of thing and it really starts my day off with a clear head.

I know what you mean though, I intended to meditate for years before I actually got around to doing it.