Natasha Tori Maru

Sounds hella Warhol-esc - I'M IN. What is hiding in what we consider 'the mundane?' A study in under-stimulating the population

@Leo Gura I'm deliberately attempting to explore this hypnagogic state at this time. I was just trying to be helpful with a technique. The stone holding thing worked for me even when not trying to enter the hypnagogic state ☹️

This. I don't think he recognises anything beyond self.

After a lot of practice the sleepiness goes. Most of the time now I enter a hypnagogic state rather than sleep. I call the sleep drifting 'clicking out'. So my method to 'click in' was to hold a huge mineral (paperweight, rock, anything heavy really. I just like this chunky Tibetan quartz I was gifted) in both hands, with a ceramic plate on my lap. As soon as I seriously click-out I drop the weight and the sound forces the click-in. It takes some getting used to due to a bit of muscle soreness, but it trained me out of slipping into sleep states.

I never meant to imply my motivations were totally selfless. More so that, there is alternate meaning in my work, so my stressors are different. At the end of the day, if the business isn't doing well, I sacrifice my pay so others can remain employed (which has happened when times were trying). For some perspective, I have worked jobs with very high pay. I have had the experience you describe regarding intermittent reward. I attend to my duties to attempt to influence a positive result, without any feelings towards the action itself. This makes it -feel- rather selfless. I don't dislike any task. But in the end, it is simply survival. Perhaps my lack of focus on wealth is simply Maslow's hierarchy of needs; already satisfied that one! Every single situation in life, for myself, is as you describe. A study of deception. Passion. Mystery. Dynamics. Most of the time my role is to manipulate others to perform a task to mutual benefit. I leverage emotion. I am a master manipulator, so never trust me. Sly

I am not the sort to be impacted by that personally - I have enough wealth now I do get adrenaline spikes from my work - and huge rushes. But only when significant meaning is involved. Because I only work in commercial medical and science fields, my adrenaline response is massive when we approach handover and my own fuckup is stopping patients getting back into an area for critical care. Or anyones fuckup, really. But I only get the stress response from the PM side of the business. The ONLY reason I work in this field is to give back to society by providing skill to expand our medical infrastructure. I will say the quality of construction work in this field is required to be top notch. Also, I am a part owner, which complicates things further. More responsibility. But means I do see huge bonuses. It feels nice but I don't ultimately care like I do for my work and how it gives back to the world.

Appreciate the breakdown! So, this mentally induced stress response from a thinking standpoint - I do experience the enhanced focus, adrenalin and dopamine from the event IE I have several contractors to coordinate, I am waiting on a callback from one that relies on a delivery I have booked. One is waiting on information from the architect before I can schedule. Here, I am experiencing many unknown variables (architect response, delivery confirmation, scheduling with the hope contractors aren't booked) and slight stress at having no action steps but to wait. Then immediate action and accurate planning is needed as soon as I have more information. In the above example - after the event I am drained. There is a perceived focus backlash regardless of the outcome being good / dopamine was released. Counter this to the response being linked to a difficult operation (requiring creative problem solving) - this time planning out the recladding of a window that requires fabrication in 2 parts. How I choose to perform this operation will win a $4mill tender on a job. I have to minimize time, cost and ensure standards are met. I could fabricate the steel netting and frame offsite and crane it in - requiring expensive crane hire and coordination. I could have the frame and netting tray trucked in and welded onsite - this might blow out costs as there would be additional labour in lieu of the crane. Additionally I would require a scissor lift here. This also relies on timing of contractors. If the whole piece is made offsite - the eyelets for the netting can be welded, stopping water ingress. If we install onsite - they will need to be bolted in which will mean we will need flashing due to water ingress. Many ways to skin a cat etc But here, there is a solution somewhere that will minimise time & cost. In the example above there are creative solutions I have to walk through considering all the constraints. This is combined with the stress of a hard deadline for quote submission. In this last scenario - the right solution - the AH-HA - is such a kick! The best times I have are when I come up with a strategy to do something in a way never done before that optimizes all of the above. I don't feel as much cognitive stress and focus backlash after. For this reason I love doing the project planning and tendering. The project management? Not so much Maybe this is similar to reacting vs responding. I can imagine Nilsi is finding creative solutions with negotiating contracts (this is also part of my job - negotiating with state and federal governments for our construction head contracts) that work to the mutual benefit of both parties. The only difference is, I have done it so much now I don't have much of a response adrenaline wise. But I still find both of the above processes totally different to the cognitive benefits of physical limit training !

Ah right - cheers This, to me, is intimating adrenaline/stress/dopamine outclasses the physical/motor method for cognitive enhancement. Thanks for the clarification !

@Nilsi Do you perform this sort of training? I am assuming you do. I do also (probably have 17 years of fitness behind me) . And I work a job that requires the sort of high stakes negotiations and resultant tangible outcomes. Yes, millions of dollars. You describe what I would call an adrenalin rush and huge dopamine spike - very different to the long term effects of interval training: ie increased BDNF levels, better baseline attention, stronger stress resilience and adaptive hormesis. I find sprinting experienced as a sharp wave that clears the mind. I really think @Carl-Richard is onto something with greater depth of benefit. And I don't think you can give a fair comparison in this way.

@James123 It's just a reframe. Alternate way to view, enhance & deepen understanding. Some frames assist with grounding in reality, in the present. The body.

Avante guard modelling and selling some art. I'm super choosy with the photographer's I work with, and I won't just commission for anyone. So as much as it is a way to make cash on the side, I don't feel any pressing need to make more or push Art in that way. Its a great way to meet people of all facets of society, as almost everyone appreciates art in some way.

Obviously I am dickless. So many grains of salt must be added: Is it possible nofap is more about identifying when you are simply pleasure seeking in a hedonistic, hollow manner? And when you are truly relieving a serious level of pent up sexual energy/frustration? Like when you do your first 5 day fast and you really feel true hunger and low energy. First time I did that, really taught me how often I am rewarding and pleasure seeking with food. My mate, who can hands free orgasm with no release during meditation, reported learning that technique gave him a lot of clarity there. Became obvious when he was bored or looking for stimulation, and when he was genuinely feeling non-functional due to his dick being the rudder.

I'm with you here 🙃 Even when someone presents as normal through a curated online persona, or professional persona.... I know behind the scenes. There's some oddness lurking. The question for me is, can *I* accept their flavour of weird! Red flags come up for me if I suspect the propensity for their strangeness is likely to infect/taint the rest of their work

I have trouble with Bryan. Some things good ... But then he does some things clearly for vanity. Then there is the 'Dont Die' religion cult stuff he is pushing. 'My competitor is Jesus' (He said that lol) I feel like his previous hardcore Mormon upbringing is reflected in this 'Dont Die' stuff. So in my little brain I see some good stuff, then I question his intentions due to all the additional WEIRD (Jesus comment, hair dye [aesthetics only??], new religion). Plus all the weird summits he has and hug dance parties. He's just an odd unit hard to swallow 😜

Just the best way to try to answer OPs question. Dropping it all is the way to being.

I do agree with you here. He has sort of anesthetized himself from life. Lifespan vs Healthspan. I get it - he is pursuing his meaning so the discipline isn't an issue. But I feel like there are hardcore emotional issues and distancing. He seems present, but not intimate. Feel being the operative word I use there >.>

A doodle while I waited for steel deliveries

For this one - the goal isn't formlessness per se. I view it as 'self-lessness'. Erase the self. Being is the goal. Your self is defined by all these ideas, concepts, attachments. Those have to go. And for them to fuck off you have to realise you are doing it. Having the idea. Having the concept. Having the attachments. That is all something you are doing - and you do have the ability to stop. Realising you are doing it is the hardest bit - but when you do... BANG Lift off the layer of self - behind? Pure being. That's where you want to be Just being, in the moment. Engaged with your body. Sink in. The body is the key because if you expand consciousness from there you merge with reality. And when that happens you realise you are nothing but consciousness. You are connected to, can influence, can guide, can change, all. Consciousness. The question of why did God choose this? You chose this. And the reason why? You are experiencing the reason right now. You are semi-stuck. Immobilised. In this grey soup of boredom. Nothing has joy, no excitement. If you knew everything, every outcome... everyone's thoughts... imagine the horror of that. No surpize. No awe. No truth to seek. No mystery. The burden of all knowing. Just the endless planes of existence you know better than the shape of your hand. God is your mirror.

Definitely recall that - I think there were some biomarkers that indicate steroid use after that period. He never released them and wasn't able to answer/gave a non-answer to questions in interviews. If I can find it after work I'll link the interview! Overall he looks better on higher calories - but he looks his age. Probably prior damage, as it is my understanding he lived quite the unhealthy lifestyle prior to blueprint. I am more interested in his quality of life stuff over longevity

I think around his use of steroids. He refused to release some biomarkers indicating exogenous steroid use. I think he eventually came clean about it after. Genuinely struggling to remember - I could be wrong!

I know I fall outside this category - but to me it shows an inability to conduct themselves. It communicates they are incapable of being effective in the world without force. Stoic leverage is what I look for. Sign of immaturity that most women are attracted to anger - but I see your point confirmed frequently

Agree 100%

I notice this about him. He also hasn't been fully transparent about some parts of his protocol. Additionally - his big experiment is n=1, so I take it with caution. His stuff about the basics is solid.

YAS QUEEN <3 I'm not happy unless I'm a mess with tears and snot running down my face

I have been through it. And not just once. I think this could be why my words are hitting? I went through a period of realising that the thoughts about where to go, how to apply myself, what to do - they were concepts. Beliefs. Stories about the future. I realised the future is a belief, a concept. It's not real. I cannot touch it. Same with the past. It's not real, it isn't in existence. Past/future - concepts/beliefs. You have to realise you are the one doing that. You are creating these concepts & beliefs. You do it because you were trained too from a small child. Once you know this, you let the concepts go. They don't serve you at all. At all The table I sit at right now, the light from the computer entering my retinas, the fucking dropsaw out the front. That is real. Only this is happening. Because I have no idea what the future actually IS (ie it's not the reality I exist in in this present moment) - all I can do is perform some tasks now to try to influence what might happen in that 'concept'. I feel I am hopeless communicating this. But in essence - we know nothing true about the past or future. The only thing true is now, which is why you jump into the present with movement and catalyse a potential. I had to fundamentally realise I actually know nothing at all. Mystery and awe then enters reality. Consciousness naturally expands. And in such a way, that you realise its expansion is growing to encapsulate more than your little meat sac. It is growing and merging with things around you - and your ability to influence those things becomes a reality because your consciousness now encapsulates that. And it keeps going and going. And it never ends. But the first step is to begin to move and sink into the physical aspects of reality. Pure execution and less thinking did this for me. My dog, my running practice. Hiking in ice and rain. Cold showers. Engaging in movement appears to change my state, and while you contemplate that you know nothing - no future, no past - that's the spot. That's when you hit truth. And it acts to motivate you to go further. Because you realise what you found shows you that you know nothing - and now you want to dig at that shit HARD and see what else there is to see