Spiritual practices: Long-term results and experiences

I’m curious to hear from anyone who’s spent some serious time diving into stuff like meditation, yoga, manifestation techniques, Reiki, or breathwork.

How long did you stick with it?
What kind of results actually showed up?
Are you still doing it?
And do you think beginners get way too obsessed with the technical side of things?

I personally spent about a year messing around with manifestation/transurfing. It helped me stay focused on my goals, which is cool. I haven't had any massive, life-altering breakthroughs like the books promise, but I’m not even mad about it. It’s fine by me.

Honestly, it drives me crazy when people go all-in on something and swear by it before they've seen any actual results—they just swallow the hype without a shred of skepticism. To me, that whole vibe feels a little culty.

transmeditation - for a few years now
yoga - on and off for about 20 years
reiki - maybe a year or two

anything else mentioned, no

I still do yoga (in the broader sense, including various meditative practices and whatnot)

I think they work, but you have to start somewhere, I guess.

Nothing brings miracles overnight. At least, not for most people. You might find some outliers at the extreme edges of the bell curve, but for the majority, all that hype is just beginner's enthusiasm masking reality. There are no magic tricks—just consistent effort for specific (and often modest) results, much like any other field. There isn't some secret technique that’ll turn you into a top-tier scientist, musician, or athlete overnight without years of systematic training and heavy investment, even if you're naturally gifted. Techniques promising miracles are just selling smoke (for a high price) to naive consumers.

I'm with you. I don't buy the idea that some random technique can radically flip your worldview—usually, it takes a massive life crisis to actually change who you are.

I used to do yoga for a while. As far as physical exercise goes, it was great, and I have nothing but good things to say about the workouts themselves. I finally quit because the instructor wouldn't stop lecturing us about the importance of colonics. Like, all the time. It was such a buzzkill because the stretches felt incredible on my spine.

As for Transurfing, I use it however I see fit. I've learned how to tell the difference between a mere wish and actual intention, or between a conditional thought and the future, and I🙂

Personally, I don't really consider myself a "spiritual" person. I practice these techniques mostly just to make my life run smoother. I'm a total hedonist at heart.

That said, I'm dead set against self-deception, losing your individuality, or being manipulated. It feels like people constantly fall for those traps and are too afraid to call them what they actually are.

Giving things some breathing room is actually a solid move.

When I first dove into yoga—though honestly, defining when you "start" is a whole other existential crisis since I spent half my time wondering who I even am or if there's such a thing as a beginning—I eventually just stopped overthinking and started grasping the concepts.

The first thing I realized was that I’m mostly just full of junk. Like, total karmic garbage. Instead of finding this zen light or whatever people talk about, it was more like all this mental trash just kept bubbling up out of me. It got so bad I actually had to scale back my practice just to deal with it.

There was this one time, maybe ten years ago, where I sat down in lotus position. I used to use lotus as a way to feed my ego, you know? Just thinking, *yeah, I can do this, unlike those other guys.* Anyway, I was messing around with some poses while sitting there, more playing around than actual training when I hit this state I call the "lotus experience." It was wild. I felt incredibly peaceful, just genuinely happy to be alive. It felt like being in a deep sleep, but staying totally awake and aware. No mystical nonsense, just this pure sense of being completely fulfilled simply because I existed.

So, naturally, I tried to get back into lotus to chase that feeling again. Big mistake. Total bust. The garbage started pouring out of me all over again, and I ended up with a fever and a killer headache.

I guess that one moment was just a tiny glimpse of what fulfillment feels like. A teaser, basically. Clearly, I’ve still got a mountain of crap to clear out first.

I’m planning to get really serious about meditation—just doing it every day whenever it fits my schedule, though honestly, those few minutes of pure peace and quiet usually hit the spot perfectly 🙂

Long-term, I’ve basically been living by the Law of Attraction. I actually started messing around with this back in elementary school—way before I ever picked up *Transurfing* or any of those other self-help books. I’ve always had this gut feeling that our thoughts and emotions actually shape the world we live in. Even as a little kid, I used to be super careful not to let my imagination run too wild; I made sure to keep everything focused on the positive side of things. Where did that idea come from? Honestly, who knows. Reading books just helped me put some names to what I was already feeling.

Nowadays, I can manifest pretty much whatever I want, right when I want it. I’ve even had stuff happen in less than sixty seconds—it's wild. But if I’m being real with you guys, I’ve realized that what we *think* we want isn't always what's actually best for us. So, most of the time, I just use it for the small stuff, and for the big life decisions, I just tell the universe, "Whatever works out best for me and everyone else." It keeps things simple, and I’m happy with how it plays out, because usually, that's exactly how it goes 🙂

I feel kind of naive realizing how many of these "techniques" are basically the same thing once you talk to friends or browse some forums. You've got stuff like *The Secret* or those manifestation guides—they all share the exact same core concept. It feels like they just tweaked the packaging slightly so they don't get sued for copyright infringement.
It's like discovering water is wet.

And then there are the forum comments. Everyone acts like they’ve found the holy grail. They think they’re inches away from greatness, even when they're talking total nonsense. When things don't actually work out, they just vanish into thin air. I saw one guy claim he "manifested" a luxury SUV just because he started seeing that model on the road more often. Pure delusion.

Half these people claim they've reached some higher state of being, but if you read between the lines, the truth is pretty obvious. They're just desperate for love, money, or an escape from their own mental struggles...
And don't even get me started on the "experts" who have been preaching this for twenty years...

Look, I get it. There are plenty of decent people who find actual value in using this stuff to navigate daily life.

Brandon Foster7 said:I’m curious to hear from anyone who’s spent some serious time diving into stuff like meditation, yoga, manifestation techniques, Reiki, or breathwork.

How long did you stick with it?
What kind of results actually showed up?
Are you still doing it?
And do you think beginners get way too obsessed with the technical side of things?

I personally spent about a year messing around with manifestation/transurfing. It helped me stay focused on my goals, which is cool. I haven't had any massive, life-altering breakthroughs like the books promise, but I’m not even mad about it. It’s fine by me.

Honestly, it drives me crazy when people go all-in on something and swear by it before they've seen any actual results—they just swallow the hype without a shred of skepticism. To me, that whole vibe feels a little culty.

I’ve been a follower of the bearded Maharishi Mahesh Yogi since back in 1980.

But honestly, nothing changes—not regardless of how much time passes or how far you travel. 😢😁

I’m still stuck on this point right here:

Benjamin Taylor6 said:I’ve been a follower of the bearded Maharishi Mahesh Yogi since back in 1980.

But honestly, nothing changes—not regardless of how much time passes or how far you travel. 😢😁

I’m still stuck on this point right here:

So, what's actually driving you to do this?
How does it affect your day-to-day?
Do you think life would be different if you'd never gotten into it?

Any advice for someone just starting out?

Brandon Foster7 said:I feel kind of naive realizing how many of these "techniques" are basically the same thing once you talk to friends or browse some forums. You've got stuff like *The Secret* or those manifestation guides—they all share the exact same core concept. It feels like they just tweaked the packaging slightly so they don't get sued for copyright infringement.
It's like discovering water is wet.

And then there are the forum comments. Everyone acts like they’ve found the holy grail. They think they’re inches away from greatness, even when they're talking total nonsense. When things don't actually work out, they just vanish into thin air. I saw one guy claim he "manifested" a luxury SUV just because he started seeing that model on the road more often. Pure delusion.

Half these people claim they've reached some higher state of being, but if you read between the lines, the truth is pretty obvious. They're just desperate for love, money, or an escape from their own mental struggles...
And don't even get me started on the "experts" who have been preaching this for twenty years...

Look, I get it. There are plenty of decent people who find actual value in using this stuff to navigate daily life.

This whole brand of spirituality where we pull material objects out of thin air? That's just magic disguised as something else...

Real spirituality based on actual knowledge takes time. Maybe lifetimes. At least, that's my take. Someone who hasn't meditated for at least two lifetimes is still basically a rookie, let alone some amateur who's been dabbling for maybe forty measly years.

Plus, everything we think we're expecting might just be a total wild goose chase.🤷

Brandon Foster7 said:I’m curious to hear from anyone who’s spent some serious time diving into stuff like meditation, yoga, manifestation techniques, Reiki, or breathwork.

How long did you stick with it?
What kind of results actually showed up?
Are you still doing it?
And do you think beginners get way too obsessed with the technical side of things?

I personally spent about a year messing around with manifestation/transurfing. It helped me stay focused on my goals, which is cool. I haven't had any massive, life-altering breakthroughs like the books promise, but I’m not even mad about it. It’s fine by me.

Honestly, it drives me crazy when people go all-in on something and swear by it before they've seen any actual results—they just swallow the hype without a shred of skepticism. To me, that whole vibe feels a little culty.

Just living life is the ultimate meditation...

mistygull16 said:This whole brand of spirituality where we pull material objects out of thin air? That's just magic disguised as something else...

Real spirituality based on actual knowledge takes time. Maybe lifetimes. At least, that's my take. Someone who hasn't meditated for at least two lifetimes is still basically a rookie, let alone some amateur who's been dabbling for maybe forty measly years.

Plus, everything we think we're expecting might just be a total wild goose chase.🤷

I'm actually a fan of this.

William Roberts3 said:Just living life is the ultimate meditation...

Care to elaborate? I'm just guessing at what you actually meant there.

mistygull16 said:Giving things some breathing room is actually a solid move.

When I first dove into yoga—though honestly, defining when you "start" is a whole other existential crisis since I spent half my time wondering who I even am or if there's such a thing as a beginning—I eventually just stopped overthinking and started grasping the concepts.

The first thing I realized was that I’m mostly just full of junk. Like, total karmic garbage. Instead of finding this zen light or whatever people talk about, it was more like all this mental trash just kept bubbling up out of me. It got so bad I actually had to scale back my practice just to deal with it.

There was this one time, maybe ten years ago, where I sat down in lotus position. I used to use lotus as a way to feed my ego, you know? Just thinking, *yeah, I can do this, unlike those other guys.* Anyway, I was messing around with some poses while sitting there, more playing around than actual training when I hit this state I call the "lotus experience." It was wild. I felt incredibly peaceful, just genuinely happy to be alive. It felt like being in a deep sleep, but staying totally awake and aware. No mystical nonsense, just this pure sense of being completely fulfilled simply because I existed.

So, naturally, I tried to get back into lotus to chase that feeling again. Big mistake. Total bust. The garbage started pouring out of me all over again, and I ended up with a fever and a killer headache.

I guess that one moment was just a tiny glimpse of what fulfillment feels like. A teaser, basically. Clearly, I’ve still got a mountain of crap to clear out first.

Actually, let me add one more thing to that. That state I described? It felt like those first crushes you get in middle school. In lotus, I had this sense that every single part of my body was just... complete.

Some people on these forums talk about how eternity would get boring, no matter how beautiful it is, but I think that’s the wrong idea. Eternity is actually just the state of the present moment. I think people who find eternity boring are just people who are addicted to waiting for the next thing.

The typical "waiting life" is when we're always collecting stuff. What we have never feels like enough; we're always focused on the missing piece of the collection.
Like when a new iPhone drops, and you're already nitpicking what's wrong with it and wondering what the next model will fix. Same old story.

Brandon Foster7 said:Care to elaborate? I'm just guessing at what you actually meant there.

One day... someone enters deep meditation and hits that flow state (which is always shifting!)... suddenly they get this "insight" and start wondering: "Wait, what am I even doing?? The stuff I'm feeling right now is exactly what I feel in my daily life! There’s zero difference between meditating and just living! Something, someone, nobody is meditating and perceiving all these shifting states. But who is actually doing the meditating? Who is perceiving it?"
Who or what is that?
In the end, just like at the start, there's only Life itself, existing without anyone needing to "live" it! Oops, here comes the grand Mind again, starting to get frustrated by everything it just read... 🙂

Who suffers? And why?
The answer lies in this totally mind-bending paradox that NOBODY actually suffers! Suffering just exists on its own. But then, it still feels like SOMEONE is suffering! In that illusion, that game, that dream: a Person, an "I," says "I am suffering, this body with a name has pain and it hurts me so much!" But PAY ATTENTION: That's just a San Francisco dream, a game, an illusion—something that looks real but isn't! That's the Mind talking again... 🙂 🙂 🙂

Suffering definitely exists!
But the difference between suffering itself and saying "I am suffering" is non-existent 🙂 yet totally different!!! 🙂 😉
"One day"... or maybe even right now... "Someone" or "No one" will finally see it. When that happens, that "No one" will probably start laughing from the bottom of their heart, and maybe even cry like never before, experiencing a massive sense of relief and relaxation for the first time—that feeling that everything is just fine...