Waves

This intention is all you need. The ideas you came up with also will help to build that reservoir of relaxation (I would add Qigong). Then it just comes down to actually being in the body, noticing and accepting whatever is present. Once a particular tension (or voice) is seen and allowed to be here, it will eventually melt. Your job is to bring your attention to the body as regularly as possible with a soft and gentle touch, and without being so militant about it it feels like a chore, or a 'should'. Then you can carry this beingness (or the reflex to come back to beingness) into situations where you tense up and slowly develop ease by shedding all those reactions and sinking more and more into the body. Spaciousness and ease are the result of relaxing into tension.

@Leo Gura From what you've shared and by looking at what you've been able to create so far, you seem to naturally have exceptional amounts of creative/sexual energy. For a lot of us: we nut = we tired

@caesar13 Stagnation means simply that energy flow is obstructed (many possible causes, including emotional turmoil/stress). This creates all sorts of problems because life energy is meant to flow for health. I'm only starting to explore this field of energy work, so really experiment with yourself, i.e. see what happens if you don't do PMO for a week or two. Energy will build up indeed. Really be present with your strong desire or whatever comes up, because it is guaranteed things will come up, and they might not be pleasant. If you want to look into this, I really recommend reading this blog: https://www.awakenedintent.com/blog/sexual-energy-and-semen-retention-for-men, and don't be put off by 'semen retention'. It goes much deeper than that.

There is an exercise I recently heard from Erick Godsey (pod https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cultivating-your-life-force/id1455569633?i=1000588300770 @53:50), but haven't tried it yet. Not sure it's what you're looking for, I'll just leave it here: Basically, it's about writing down stories in your past in which you felt shame. Write a bullet list of stories, then choose one to go deep into and write that story out. At the end, apologize to those involved for what you've done, apologize to your younger self for what you've done to yourself, and make sure you accept your own apology. You want to feel the energy that was stuck with that shame free up.

Your protein intake seems to be dangerously low, and fat too tbh. But this falling asleep doesn't depend only on what you eat. How are your energy levels during the day? I would start by including or putting more on your plate a variety of these things, adapted to how much you usually eat (not to have radical shifts in your diet): eggs, lentils (lentil soups/dahls are great during winter), nuts and seeds, beans, organic soy products, lean meat (if you eat any), greek yogurt.

There could be a correlation. If you look through the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine, your essence of life (jing) is stored in the kidneys, and with excessive ejaculation, you're depleting that. If kidneys are depleted or there is stagnation of energy in the area, there is likely going to be lower back pain. See if this could be the case, especially if you commonly feel tired, and experiment for yourself.

There is a lot that could be said here. To keep it simple: Get in touch with your body. Feel into various parts of your body, especially your pelvis and genitals. It is essential that you reconnect to that part of you. That's where your power, your desire, your expression reside. The way you feel about your penis is the way that you feel about yourself. Yes, it would be 'healthier' to masturbate without porn. It is fair to assume you'll feel more attracted to actual women, and they will feel your energy more. And when you beat your willie make it an act of pleasuring yourself based on sensations in your body, not stimulations coming from the mind. Make it about connecting with yourself. Be present with it. You could benefit from doing shadow work and self-esteem work. And - you guessed it - developing an intimate relationship with sensations in your body is the foundation. Go be around girls and talk to them. Feel the nice sensations that bubble up in your pelvis when you see a cutie, then go talk to her with a smile.

@The0Self Great, thank you for sharing your findings I've also been waking up at the same time every day lately and I'm starting to notice a difference, but since it's rather early (8am), and since I need 9h, it does get in the way of other plans, such as going out late. I'm using this period to regenerate anyways, so it's good for now. Good luck with the blue light haha

@The0Self Have you found any strategies to maintain a (healthy) regular sleep schedule (e.g. waking up at 8am) while going out on the weekends (and assuming one is training somewhat hard and wants to avoid hurting recovery too much)? For example, If you got home at 3am, would you still wake up at 8am or try to get at least 7.5h? I realize it's a matter of compromize and goals, and that if you'd be optimizing for training recovery you wouldn't want to stay out late, but I'm curious what your experience is.

@King Merk I see, good stuff. I also remember another good rule of thumb to have your knees lower than your hips, so that your hip flexors aren't compromised that much, which is taken care of with a yoga cushion. I should get one of these with an external monitor (and a yoga cushion as you mentioned), so I'm looking right in front of me instead of a bit down, which keeps me more alert.

@King Merk Sitting on the floor is awesome, although I find it uncomfortable to work on a laptop because I still find myself rounding my shoulders anyways (and straining my neck forward). Have you found a solution in this sense?

@The0Self Do you still manage to fuel your weightlifting training with a reduced eating window? Whenever I tried IF I was struggling to eat more than twice, and the fact that I was eating mostly plant-based probably didn't help with reaching at least 100g of protein.

Alright, I'll go first: Practicing the Power of Now - You know who In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan (understanding the food system) The Align Method - Aaron Alexander (align and harmonize mind and body with simple practices and lifestyle changes) The Art of Extraordinary Confidence - Dr. Aziz Gazipura

Imagine this + Mdma ?

I know similar posts have been created in the past about this topic, but I thought of doing an updated version. I have several Audible credits to spend so that I can interrupt the subscription (already paused it), which I have been running for too long. I’m looking for quality audiobooks, preferably not too complex and long or heavily spiritual/metaphysical, that flow nicely, and that aren’t filled with exercises. I’m happy to check out books unrelated to self-help, unless you have some really good ones that aren’t on Leo’s booklist. My current interests involve embodiment, emotional mastery, health, being a creator, building the foundations of an amazing life, art, history, etc. but feel free to share whatever you have found interesting.