thelerner

I remember someone writing to Dr. Andrew Weil about it. He replied, See the photo above to the left, does it look like I know anything about regrowing hair?! I don't think there is any sure thing. I hear Rogaine and the like only work for as long as you keep using them. There can be a mind body link. A famous Aikido instructor in Chicago, Sensei Aikira Tohei, had cancer. He lost his hair due to chemo. It came back dark black. Alas years later so did the cancer, but he left a good looking corpse. Peace Michael

Good question on speed of the orbit. IMHO many people start by linking it to the breath, a bit of butt squeeze to get it on its way, an upward roll of the eye to send it over the edge etc. There is a great guided meditation by Minke DeVos on the MO(part of her Tao Basics CD). It starts out slow, hitting the front and back chakras, then links a 'pearl' to your breath and circles it. Then puts two pearls 'racing each other'. Then multiple pearls like a fast busy freeway. Then it dissolves into flowing stream, you can use to speed the flow if you want, or sit in the Tan Tien and watch it flow by. Ultimately she involves the full Macro cosmic orbit, involving the legs and arms. Peace Michael

I think I've ended up where I wanted to. Beyond the many fears of failure, I wanted the home in the suburbs, the wife, the 2.5 children, monetary success. I am in the exact suburb I longed for as a child. I love my family, love my house. I'm embarassingly happy to be doing mostly nothing; playing house husband. Days of laundry, carting the kids around, grocery shopping. I stare at the over crowded highways and think how lucky I am. After 18 years of daily driving an hour to go 10 or 20 miles, I'm free. To what extent was it luck that put me here? For you people in cyber space, are you where you planned to be? Above or below? Has life taken you in directions you've never dreamed of? I see possiblities of life before me. The simple glory and bliss of future enlightenment, paths w/ the agonies of emptiness and loss. Lately I've pondered a path of returning to the faith my ancestors had, and I've lost or never had. Judiasm, prayers once seen as primitive 'kiss ass' to a Zeus like deity, reclaimed as kotodama, sacred sounds that reverberate through my body and soul. Pointless, picky prayers, 3 or 4 for each meal, dozens each day as a wake up call to the awesomeness of realities totality. PATHES, Pathes pathes. I'm way to in my head. The future rolls on of its own accord. DRINK Drink drink, BREATH, Breath breath. Life creeps on in this petty pace til the last syllable of recorded time. Peas Michael

Hmmn, wishing Tyson well. If I did, it would show I was a better person, but I don't. Pissing away 10's of millions, the rape charge, the bitings, the mao tatoo. He had more chances then he deserved. From caring father figure trainers to hollywood wives. He chose the Don King life and lifestyle. For what its worth he'll probably never miss another meal. Peas Michael

Mathew, did you buy the straight stuff(which I did) or the stuff cut w/ juice? The straight stuff is a hard sell, even to adults, even w/ mixing. The mixed juice is suppose to taste much better. So if you have the straight, keep it for yourself and try the mixed on the kid. Peace Michael That reminds me. My 5 year old had strep(2nd time in 1 month). The Dr. gave him 20 days of Pennicilin. Child refused to drink it(we had had it flavored). Begged and threatened, no luck, he sip and spit it out. Finally, drink it or you'll get a 5 minute time out. He took the 5 minutes. I let him calm down for a few minutes, then, drink it or 10 minute time out. He took the 10 minutes. Let him watch TV for a few minutes, then take it or 20 minute time out. He took 20 minutes, yelling and screaming for most of it (wife couldn't take my gestapo methods and left the house) After the 20 minutes, I let him cool down a little, then told him, its another 20 minutes if you don't take the medicine. He took it and has been taking it w/out fuss twice a day ever since. Seemingly w/ no bad feelings for me. Moral of the story? I don't know. Peas

So Yoda you think he was just "posing" as a psycopath. Hmnnn. Peas Michael

In the morning, I'll wake myself up a little first. Shake my hands, feet. Get out of bed, use the washroom. Then I'll lie back down and listen to one of my guided meditations. I like to put a sobakawa (bean) pillow on my stomach. It makes me more aware of breath. Likewise I'll throw a pillow under my knees, to create more relaxation on my back. I had used an herbal eye pillow then my wife bought me a similar herbal shoulder wrap. I put that over my eyes and it frames my face. It has a nice weight to it, a pleasant mint smell and by wrapping around my face it feels like it concentrates me a bit more. Peace Michael

Thanks for the comments. Hassidics can really party. I remember going to a Hassidic wedding. Lots of wild pranks. Setting there hats on fire and dancing in a circle(fire was safely contained somehow). Draining a bottle of Jack Daniels in one long gulp(also faked). But the joyous dancing and high spirits were certainly authentic, as was the prayer and joyous singing during there prayers. MATISYAHU is the first Hassidic Reggae singer I've heard of. I'll have to give him a listen. I've read and been impressed w/ Aryeh Kaplans work for a long time. He was such a great mystic, writer, scientist. Yet he died very young, in his mid 50's I believe. It reminds me that you can't be all in your mind or spirit. You have to take your body w/ you to whatever heights you plan to reach. I think bliss is beyond feeling good and general happiness about ones situation. Matter of fact I think the very attachment to things and the happiness they give you can be detrimental. Not that they can't be appreiciated, and pleasure amplified by bliss, but linking them to current happiness is not the path to bliss. I think its a mind/body thing, mostly mind. Its reality has to be beyond current circumstances. Its cycle of accepting the present moment, clearing the mind, feeling the love the universe. Feeling the Love of the Universe is hard, too touchy feely. Other then air, food, warmth clothing family and friends, what has it done for me lately? Eh, stuff to do Peace Michael

Hey Sean, Just a thanks, undoubtedly echoed by many, for the unseen work, and current and future headaches that come w/ being our webmaster . Peace Michael

Why I bet the Marathon monks could run down those apache and Taruma's and club'em to death w/ there sacred running sticks. RJ, I bought that Trigger Point book a couple of months ago(at your reccomendation). As I said, I have a lot of books. Super distance running. I think Dillard has an answer w/ his training based on keeping a very slow heart rate. And I think Chi Running offers a superior style of running. I myself, tested out as very poor at the start of the year as far as endurance was concerned. A month and half ago I was rated NA on a 12 minute treadmill run I had to take before I started bootcamp. (.88 miles in 12 minute, heart rate 189) I take NA to mean of the thousand people they measure to get a percentile range, I was ranked 1001, thus Not Available was my percentile score. Not to show I am too pathetic, I was ranked 80% in pushups. My measly 27 sit ups ranked me in the 40% percentile. After 7 weeks of boot camp I'm doing nearly 50 pushups at a time and 70 or 80 sit ups. Likewise my endurance measured by a treadmill is has gone from very poor to a hair above average in 40-50 year old range(I'm 40). Thus average for the 30 - 40 year olds. Speaking of Guiness, I'm currently imbibing a shot or two of dry rum w/ several frozen black cherries and a drop of two of vanilla and squees of lemon. Tasty, but empty calories. As a famous drinking philosopher once said, 'Yes alchohol kills off brain cells, But it kills off the slow, weaker ones, leaving the mind quicker and more agile for their loss.' Peas Michael

For RJ, that was just 2 or 3 paragraphs in the book, relating an incidental matter that gave her an enlightenment. I started reading the book at end chapters. How to stuff. It struck me as very Dr. Lin like. Referring to each other as Shakti and Shiva. A high level of respect and communication, even to a point of almost formality. Lin like stuff was the way to hold the ..say balls. a listening hand, watching for minutae on the orgasmic scale. Techniques of inner and outer prostate message, mixing prostate orgasm w/ penile. Likewise messages for clitoris and G-spot,, combining them, keeping an open reverential line of communication going. Most often sexual stuff is more unselfish hands on giver to receiver. One person exclusively giving pleasure and watching closely. Which is close to my current philosophy. Stuff like making a mystical circle for a bed. Creating an 'altar' w/ incense, crystals, statues. Treating each other as sexual deities. (Osho, often quoted in the book also recommends this). I haven't finished the whole book, but the first part is about magic in a 'manipulating reality' Aleister Crowley sense. Linking wishes/wants to symbols and using sexual orgasmic focus to make them a reality. A haven't really given the field of magic much study. I've always felt it to be grasping for 'powers'. A self sabotaging route. She seems to be into creating signs, linking desires and will to orgasmic energy!? Powerful stuff? Maybe, win or lose you get a good roll in the hay. I've only read the beginning and end. Its opened up some interesting lines of thought for me. Peace Michael

Just started reading Margo Anand's Art of Sexual Magic. She tells the story of participating in a Psychological study. 7 days blindfolded w/ ear plugs on. Just water and one pound of grapes to eat all day. She reports powerful enlightenment experience. I bet you have to be very together mentally and spiritually to go through it. I can see people headed to heaven to exteneded hell. The Sexual Magic book is very interesting, I"ll give a book report on it when I'm done. Peace Michael

Serious runners know the Tarahuma Indian runners are wimps. For dedicated long distance runners we should turn to Japan! Namely the Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei. (actual book by John Stevens, google it) They run the equivalent of 3 marathons a day for 3 years, round and round there sacred mountain. Afterwards comes the death fast. I forget the length, I think its 7 days, no food, Water or Sleep. Its shortened from the 'old' days because they were losing too many monks. The monastery is still around and they do draw amateurs who try to follow for as long as possible. Peace Michael I've been pretty out of shape. I joined a boot camp last April. Its helped me lose a few pounds and get a bit more wind back. Its just one hour 4 days a week. Mostly callistenics w/ little rest and a bit of brutality mixed in, ie things like, you will keep this 5 pound weight resting on your raised feet until your partner runs 4 laps. Then you run 4 laps as they have their feet raised 6 inches w/ 5 pound weight, this goes on 3 cycles no rest. On the third he surprises you by expanding it to sprint 5 laps. After having one pair of shoes for 2 years, I bought Nike's Barefoot sneakers. They're nice, just spandex on top and a light weight heel.

Beware running advice from a non runner - such as myself. I have two non traditional running books. Chi Running by Danny Dreyer, a relatively new book. Dreyer is an ultra marathoner who has studied running through the eyes, advice and training of Tai Chi masters. Body, Mind & Sport by John Douillard is a triathlete looking at running and sports through the eyes of Ayurvedic Physicians. Both say the average American is doing something very wrong. Chi Running find the solution in better posture. His running posture has a tilt starting at the ankle not the waist. To get a feeling for it stand a foot and a half from a wall, keep your body straight and lean so your head is against the wall. Your feet 'catch' you instead of acting partly as brakes as in traditional running. Your feet do a small roundish march, never getting much in front of the body. Two practices from the book are 1. Jog in place for 15 seconds. next just raise your feet up and down. Raising your feet is much easier isn't it? You're also landing flat not with your heel, which he feels is safer. To get a feeling for the small rounded marching you imagine you have a pole sticking out from your ankles. You have to step over it. Other things, keep a cadence of 80 to 90 steps a minutes, expand your length to go faster. Posture and relaxation first, then distance, speed work comes last. Body, Mind and Sport wants to turn you into the Ultimate Athlete. He pretty guarantees you will get drastically WORSE for the first few months of training. Why because its based on a simple premise. Go as far and as fast as you can while keeping your heart beat at 50% of its max and using slow breaths through the nose. Most athletes find themselves going way over there 50% max heart beat in the few minutes of a run. Many are absolutely pavlovian in the way there heart rates jump the moment they start. Using Doullard's method requires a heart rate monitor and the acceptance of going back to squaire one. But after a few months the magic (so he says happens), effortlessness. Running becomes a high, your body is never building up oxygen or lactic acid debts. There is no grind just effortlessness. Being from an Indian heritage he is a great believer in doing the sun salutation before any exercise. Dreyer is a big believer in 'draining' the legs after a run to make them fresh again. You lie down by a wall, bent at the waist w/ your feet resting up against it. Message from the calves to the thighs, 'wringing' out the stale blood. Relax in that position for about 3 minutes. He claims this will give you fresh legs much sooner. Doullard is a great believer in long slow, 'Darth Vader' breaths. Dreyer says don't be afraid of letting the breath get heavy, its natural. Both books are very good. Chi Running is more running based, Body Mind Sport has a long description of body types so chapter 2-12 are optional. I told Yoda I'd mail him the Chi Running book, then got into re-reading it, then couldn't find it. How many books do I have? Too many. Yoda I have both books & will send them to you. Both should resonate well w/ your bare foot style. I recommend anyone into running to look into them. Against wifes wishes went to the huge tented Brandeis book fair. Only got 6 books. Top book so far, Margot Anand's Sexual Magic, an interesting combintation of being very explicit(in a Dr. Lin way) while bringing a sacred element to sexual affairs. Peace Michael Michael

Agree w/ Falk, people w/ mullets find speculation and report it as solid fact. In fact I think its no exageration to say All mullet people stretch the truth. Down w/ the mullets. or am I being to mulletant? Peas Michael Its always either the dawn of the NEW AGE or the Apocalypse.

Two things. Decades ago one of my neighbors, died from going from a hot sauna to a cold pool, heart attack. 3 years I went to an old fashion European/German spa and they had a hot tub right next to a deep frigid one. You went from one to the other. I did, very invigorating. It takes your breath away and gets the heart pounding. The Ki Society in St. Louis has New Years Misogi. Two days of heavy duty Aikido practice and meditation (including very old warrior Chanting), then a dip in a nearby river. This is in the first weekend of the New Year. The first time I did it we had to knock ice away from the side of the moving river(6 or 7 degrees). Then we strip off our gi's. Walk calmly into the water. Hold onto to smaller members so they don't wash away. Dunk a few times, Kiaie a few times. Walk out, get dressed w/ numb hands and walk a mile or so to the B&B for lunch. Very invigorating. It really brings on an altered state. Its a 6 or 7 hour drive to St. Louis from Chicago. On the way back. My posture and attention are perfect. No radio, no mind clatter no impatience or extraneous thoughts. Just fully on. Peace Michael

Trying the Noni experimentally, On day 3 I'm still pretty acidic. I'm trying to hit it on several levels w/ licorice pills, Keifir yogurt and smaller meals & Noni. Peace Michael

Many happy Peas Michael

One of the wonder cures claimed for Noni is for frequent heartburn. Two years ago I graduated from frequent tums to Prilosec/Nexium which I've been taking daily. I've stopped taking the Prilosec. This is the end of day two. Yesterday went pretty well, today is o.k. I took one tums, even now my stomach feels acidic. I'll down some Kefir yogurt and have two Licorice tablets. Maybe my system needs time to find its equilibrium. Peace Michael As a dealer, what do you think about the Pure Noni vs. the Premixed w/ Juice. When I take an Ounce and mix it w/ some water and juice don't I end up w/ more Nonites then someone taking the mix and isn't that better?

In Ki-Aikido, there is the Long breathing technique. You sit w/ the group in formal seiza. The leader claps, everybody breaths out -for a long time- about 25 to 30 seconds. As you breath out the body shifts slightly forward and you vocalize a long Haaahhhh. Then another clap - and you breath in through the nose - for about 25 or so seconds. Slightly moving your body up. The full breath cycle is close to a minute. With an audible Hhaaaahhh sound on exhaling. It took me months to get. Peace Michael

Here is one piece I surfed to from an above mentioned site, BEGINS "So...how did you learn to do it?" "I didn't learn. It just happened to me. You and D---- gave it to me by...by transmission, i guess. Remember back in the seventies when you all came to visit and we were driving along the cliffs above Lake Austin? Well, we were in the car...and we were rounding a curve... and i asked how you could learn to do that and D---- said, 'Just relax your abdominal muscles, breathe slowly, and stay conscious.' "It was like...a blinding flash of light. Like Zen satori. The moment he said it, i knew what he meant. I...I felt it...inside myself...like something turning. I knew exactly what he meant. And i could hardly wait to get back home and try it with A---." Why did i tell such a long, personal story to answer this question? Well, if hearing those simple instructions worked for my friend, maybe they will work for you. THE REALITY BEHIND THE REVELATION When i showed the above piece to Barry, he had the following commentary to add: The incident cat describes is true but maybe not as mystical as it sounds. What happened is that I suddenly saw how what [her lover] said connected with things I already understood. As part of fitness training, I had lifted weights and done some yoga-style stretching. In the process I had learned a bit about how breathing worked to manage the tension and relaxation of muscles. The build-up to orgasm involves a progressive increase in muscular tension. I realized that if I was more aware of where I was tensing, I could relax those muscles and maybe slow the process. I noticed that along with my abdomen, my lower back and thighs would tense up as I approched orgasm. During sex I practiced relaxing those areas while holding on to the sensation I call the glow. One part of learning to relax was to keep breathing slowly and deeply, not holding my breath when orgasmic tension would start to build. I found that I could difuse the tension by taking shallower in-breaths and deeper out-breaths. One woman teased me about "blowing out birthday candles one by one." Sometimes the moment that control turned out to be the most important for me was when I first entered my partner, especially if I was nervous or the whole thing was just too exciting. At those times, in addition to simple relaxation and breathing, I found that by wiggling my fingers or toes for a moment I could cue myself to loosen up if I was getting too tightly wound. From the standpoint of maintaining control for an extended period, I think some positions are better than others. A position that has partners lying on their sides may work better than the so-called missionary or man-on-top position, since supporting your body push-up style makes it harder to stay loose. Woman-on-top gives you, the man, a good opportunity to stay loose, while your partner may enjoy the chance to be more active. Another big help in maintaining relaxation is communication with your partner. Even with someone you don't know well, a few words about what you're trying to do gets you both on the same page. Likewise she may have some things she wants you to know. Two brief stories illustrate how all this applies in real life: At one time I was involved with a modest woman who often took a long time to come. She said that she liked sex, but for her it usually wasn't about orgasms. When we were able to take it slow, I could sometimes enjoy a couple of small peaks along the way, building the glow and backing off, as we worked our way to a big peak together. In another stage of my life, I met a woman who was very comfortable with her body and was open about sex in general. We were able to talk about various sexual issues. For example, she had worked to control the contraction of her vaginal muscles and before long she took an interest in controlling her own orgasm response too. During sex we tried to maintain eye contact and we would signal as we got near our peaks. Sometimes we'd build and drop back together. Sometimes she'd go to orgasm while I'd hang back, and then we'd build again and both go over the edge. There is no one right way to develop ejaculatory control, but by experimenting with a combination of relaxing key muscles, breathing, using certain positions, and maintaining communication, you can develop a style that works for you. So there is one man's story -- and i thank him very much for taking the time to tell it. "RELAX, JUST RELAX" ==end of quote Seemed pretty interesting to me. Peace Michael

I think we're both using the same Tahiatian Noni brand. At Whole Foods I had a choice of the 'mixed w/ juice' mostly grape, and the organic 100% Noni. I chose the 100%. As my wife said, "If this stuff was old and stale could you tell?" No not the taste. Likewise if it was mixed w/ goose shit. But w/ a bit of water and juice its not half bad. Peace Michael

I've drank worse but not by much Peace Michael p.s. I see you're online at 12 pm

At your recommendation I just bought some organic Tahaitian Noni $32. Wow is it bitter. Angustura has nothing on it. Ofcourse in a sugar coated world maybe bitter is exactly what we need. Took an ounce or so tonite. Tomorrow I'll probably water it down somewhat. I bought the 100% pure stull, not the mixed w/ grape juice. Peace Michael

I've spent hours making love, but usually only half an hour or less in actual coitous(to be honest 5 to 15 minutes usually). I don't particularly think the penis is the ideal tool for getting woman to orgasm. There's thrusting techniques and changes in rhythm, but its still lacks the sensitivity and flexibility for bringing out the best in female orgasm IMHO. By the time I 'insert' my lover/wife is usually at or near orgasm. An exception being when I do yin/yan technique like 'Praying monk holds butterfly'. Where you shift from usual missionary w/ man on top to seiza kneeling position(helps to have sobakawa pillow strategically placed). I find it the ideal position for long term coitous. The penile position is more stimulating for woman then the man, and the man has the ideal position for massaging the womans clitorous w/ his wet thumbs. Peace Michael