Posts by rowdygardener80

fadedlynx61 said:Thanks to everyone for the replies—honestly, you all might be onto something here... maybe I really am an indigo child, because everything just seems to line up so perfectly...
silvermason2, I sent you a DM, but would you also be interested if someone took a look at your tarot cards?

Just drop the New Age nonsense and the unprovable stuff. Stick to reality and leave the tarot cards behind.
Maybe you just have ADHD. Everything has a cause and an effect, even this whole thing you're describing.

fadedlynx61 said:Hi there—please feel free to delete this if it’s against the rules, but I wanted to reach out. I'm 15 years old, and lately, I've been struggling with stuttering, a real lack of self-confidence, and some pretty rough sleep issues... plus, I tend to be way too withdrawn.
Since yesterday morning, I've had this bizarre sensation—almost like I'm in a coma or just completely disconnected from reality. It’s like nothing feels real, even though I know it is; it's such an unsettling feeling. When I first woke up, I actually thought I was in a coma! It's just a deeply uncomfortable state of being. If anyone here understands what might be going on, could you please let me know?

Stick to whole foods, fruits, and veggies. Once you get some energy back, start doing physical work or try running and swimming—it helps ground you back in reality. Most importantly, shift your mindset; changing how you see things changes your entire outlook.
As for the stuttering, that usually crops up during periods of intense stress. You can look into seeing a doctor about it.

Hey everyone, has anyone here dealt with an unknown condition and managed to fix their posture through specific exercises?
I'm dealing with some mild scoliosis and pretty significant unknown.
Could someone drop a link or just explain which exercises actually work, and honestly, is it even possible to fully correct this!?

placidwolf27 said:What kind of environment? What "East"?

Look, just take fifteen minutes, sit facing a wall, pick a spot on that wall, stare at it, breathe deeply and steadily, and let your thoughts drift by without grabbing onto them or overanalyzing—there, you’re meditating.

It isn't quantum physics; you don't need some mystical Eastern landscape or special conditions... all you really need is ten to fifteen minutes of relative peace and quiet.

Of course, any DIY methods might be a bit flawed—there are always a hundred little tricks someone needs to explain to you, plus a mountain of techniques promising one effect or another. People have been doing this since the dawn of time, so they likely know a thing or two about it... but at its core, meditation boils down to focus, awareness, and quieting the intellect. You're essentially putting your brain in neutral and calmly observing the results.

In that state, strange things can happen—which is interesting, because frankly, nobody truly understands what's actually occurring in those moments. But most likely, absolutely nothing will happen, even after a long time... it takes a while to see any effect worth mentioning, which is usually just reduced stress and generally calmer nerves. And that's plenty—I mean, what exactly are you expecting? A divine revelation?

And you can observe your thoughts without meditating. You can observe your emotions, or you can observe your digestive system if that's your idea of fun...

If you're afraid that becoming aware of your own internal moments will suddenly make you lose your mind, then you have much bigger problems than meditation.

To me, that sounds like concentration, not meditation.
I'm worried about falling into a trance😲 and tapping into some other hemisphere of the brain or whatever.
It's all well and good discovering your inner self, but most of the time, you just end up a bit of a loner.
I just want to have some fun; my past attempts at meditation didn't really yield much. 🙂
I just wanted to learn Transcendental Meditation so I could feel sharper and study better. 🤷
I'm asking about conditions because I don't have an experienced teacher to guide me, and I'm interested in chakra work alongside meditation. 😁

I just don't want to end up doing anything weird.

bluemason3 said:Initial initiation involves receiving a seed mantra. It’s originally tied to specific religious principles, though they tend to steer clear of that. For instance, the Aing mantra is linked to goddesses like Saraswati.

In later stages of initiation, the mantra expands—it might become something like Om Aing Namaha, though I can't be certain since my memory is a bit fuzzy on the details.
It follows the standard Hindu mantra structure: "Om" serves as the most universal opening, while "namaha" is an expression of respect or, more accurately, a gesture of bowing to a deity.

Over the years, mantras can actually change.

The selection is based on your birth date.

Alongside this foundational mantra, there's a "siddhi program" based on... well, let's call it the "original" application of Patanjali's yoga sutras and some flying techniques.

The organization itself has certain cult-like qualities. They try to present everything through a scientific lens—which often involves some rigged studies—while downplaying the religious elements that clearly carry significant weight beneath the surface. At its core, it's definitely a religious group.

For example, meditation is initiated through a traditional mantra-diksha ritual. Teachers usually give some vague explanation, claiming it's just a private matter between them and their guru, but in reality, it functions much like a baptism for the person receiving the mantra.

So, in a nutshell, that's TM.🙂

The basic technique itself consists of a relaxed, effortless repetition of the mantra. The goal isn't concentration, but rather relaxation and reaching a state of free-flowing thought—a state that feels a little too inflated, if you ask me. The siddhi program then uses specific terms from the yoga sutras to describe certain powers, likely in the original language (I'd need to double-check that part). Personally, I find the explanation centered on suggestibility much more plausible, similar to this: http://www.suggestibility.org/

Thanks for the posts and the breakdown. Honestly, my take is that it's best to just do nothing.
We don't have the right environment here like they do in the East, and that's that.
I suspect anyone who starts meditating will just end up losing their grip on reality or something similar.😍

Best, ☕

redcrane22 said:Personally, I think it’s total bullshit

After spending quite a long time diving deep into yoga and meditation, I’ve finally realized that it just doesn't sit right with me
Don't get me wrong—the physical exercises are fantastic—but once we hit that meditation phase? I'm completely checked out

I started overthinking everything—analyzing every little statement, my own thoughts, myself
Some people really thrive on that kind of depth, but for me, it’s just not working at all

If I kept dedicating myself to analyzing every single "why" and "how" behind every little thing, I'd probably end up in a psychiatric ward

Sometimes, honestly, it’s better to just stay on the surface😁

I'm in the same boat. I won't be doing it anymore unless you have a truly elite teacher, and unfortunately, we don't really have those here in the States.

The idea is to observe thoughts as they pass without getting caught up in them.

I'm actually interested in Transcendental Meditation specifically because of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmLkhAybbdY

Can anyone walk me through her full process? Has anyone actually practiced this and found it helpful?

It seems pretty pointless to meditate if it just makes you lose your mind.🙂

bluemason3 said:It’s impossible to say what works best for everyone. Even when you account for all those individual quirks.
Take the Ayurvedic perspective, for example. If someone is a pure Kapha type—meaning they tend toward inertia and emotional heaviness—devotional practices might come naturally. They might lean toward focusing on a deity, prayers, or mantras with clear meanings (sort of like how some Americans approach Christian worship). But then you have people who recommend the exact opposite to create balance. For them, a technical yogic approach might be better to spark movement and break through that natural lethargy, or perhaps self-observation practices like Vipassana to help manage those heavy emotions.

On the flip side, you have Vata types—people prone to constant change and a quick intellect that jumps from interest to interest. On one hand, they might gravitate toward an intellectualized approach, but because of that, a devotional practice could actually serve as a great stabilizer. Physically, though, yoga might be most beneficial for them, specifically the physical aspects, to counter a "dry" constitution that can lead to joint issues.

Of course, in the real world, people aren't just one single type, and that’s just one way of looking at things anyway. There are plenty of other factors at play.

It’s a bit like arguing over which sport is the best. There isn't one right answer. 🤷
It really depends on your goals first, and then your temperament, abilities, and predispositions. Even then, there are many different paths you could choose.

Personally, I'm not a fan of treating meditation as a standalone "cure" stripped away from the philosophical or religious foundations it grew from. Once you settle on a certain spiritual inclination, the practice should naturally align with your own interests and choices.
If someone is seeking a practice purely for pragmatic reasons, I think relaxation exercises, Autogenic Training, or even hypnosis are more logical than pulling random techniques or mantras out of their original context and throwing them at someone... especially when we don't even know why we're doing them. 🤷

For instance, the day before yesterday, I was helping a lady with her yoga routine, and she mentioned she wanted to meditate. Okay, but what? Why? How? She didn't know; she just felt like it. 🤷
What are you supposed to recommend when the person doesn't even know what they want? They heard something exists, it sounds cool, so they want to give it a shot... that kind of logic. 😁 It's like walking into a restaurant and saying you want to eat. You don't know what to order, and you aren't even particularly hungry, but you heard that's what people do in restaurants. 😁
Fine, you can put something together, but I'm not a fan of that guesswork approach, nor am I a fan of dumping all the responsibility for the choice onto someone else.

What does schizophrenia have to do with observing thoughts?
When I meditate, I just try to observe my thoughts, and after a while, they pass.
Now I'm worried about whether that's good or bad, or if I could develop something like schizophrenia or whatever else Adrian mentions.

What’s your take on this? I hear some meditation teachers saying you should observe your thoughts, while others swear by the exact opposite.
For instance, Osho claims in one of his books that watching everything from a distance—basically living in a state of Tantra—is the ultimate peak of enlightenment. On the other hand, I read on Adrian Kezel's page that focusing too much on observing your thoughts can actually lead to schizophrenia.
What do you guys think?

I keep running into this issue where I suddenly get hit with this message:

rowdygardener80, you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons: Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation.

I already verified my email at the start... but then after about a month of being quiet, I'm locked out from commenting or starting any new threads.

Sorry if this has been asked before, just looking for a quick fix on how to deal with this.

Thanks 🙂