Please feel free to adjust your set if your transmission is fuzzy.

Lately I have had the opportunity to catch up on a few movies I’ve been waiting to see. In fact, on Boxing day I managed to watch The Golden Compass, National Treasure and No Country For Old Men. Never having watched so many movies in a row, I’ve discovered that six hours of movie watching can play havoc with my eyes as the next day I felt like I had a hangover!

Something else I’ve learned is that my experience of a movie can be affected by my proximity to the screen. When up close to the screen I notice my breathing changes and becomes faster and my posture has to shift to account for the closeness of the image. I also find it hard to track what is going on in the movie as it seems to be coming at me at a rapid pace the whole time and the imagery often blurs due to the speed at which the camera pans. It is as if I am associated into the actual movie and I can’t gauge all the action objectively enough to track certain elements of the plot and all the action in each scene.

On the other hand, when I sit at the back of the cinema, my experience is very different. From this distant dissociated location I can gain a different perspective on what is happening in the scenes and I can see things clearly and with plenty of opportunity to explore the whole panorama in front of me. I also find that I am in a different physical position to the one I naturally adopt in the front of the cinema. My breathing is generally slower and my posture is such that I can comfortably view the screen.

Recently, I hired the action packed 300 on DVD. I initially saw this movie at an I-MAX cinema when it was released. For those of you unfamiliar with I-Max it is a massive screen which absolutely dwarfs a normal cinema screen, I highly recommend having this cinema experience if you haven’t done so already. When I saw 300 at I-Max, I was sitting in the back row, yet despite this position, the size of the screen was so huge it was like being in the front row of a normal cinema. The resultant effect on me was massive! Feeling as if I was immersed in this kind of movie definitely had my adrenaline going and once again, I felt like I had missed some of the more global elements of the movie, hence my desire to watch it on DVD on my much smaller TV screen. The interesting thing about running this exercise with movies you have watched, is that you are presented with an opportunity to pick up on things you may have missed the first time around. Having seen the movie before and therefore knowing what is happening in the center of the action, enables your attention to wander elsewhere within the picture and explore other elements that have been built in by the director to add effect to the scene without losing the plot. I’ve heard that when people have done this, they have discovered things within the movie that shouldn’t be there such as subliminal messages in the clouds of Disney’s The Lion King and a VW Volkswagon driving on the road in a landscape shot in one of The Lord Of the Rings movies.

Here are some other interesting things to explore and watch for: is the camera gradually zooming in, zooming out or staying static, is it clear in the center of the picture with the outside being fuzzy or visa versa? What about the lighting is it bright or dark? Have you ever taken the time to pay attention to what the other actors in the scene are doing including the extras? It is amazing what you begin to notice when you start paying attention beyond what is blatantly obvious.

Just like the cinemas and TV, another place we watch moving and static images is in our mind. For a moment, take the time to think of something you have seen recently, a movie, a person, it could be anything. Was the image moving or still? Was it near or far? Were you seeing it through your eyes as if you were there or from a different position? Was it black and white or colour? What about the contrast, sharp or blurry? Was it bright or dim? Was the focus in the foreground or was it more towards the background? If you have taken the time to do this for yourself, you may have just become aware of some unique elements to your internal imagery. Just like my experience in the cinema, you may wish to play with changing certain elements of the images and notice how your experience of this image might change as well. If an image is close, then make it distant and small. If it is colour then make it black and white, if it is fuzzy then make it clear etc. etc. Just remember, if you don’t like the resultant effect then return the specific quality of the picture you were playing with back to it’s original status.

Notice what you notice and I’d love to hear what your experience is like.

Till next time!

P.M

Happenings

Hi everyone,

Sorry about the extended absence from the blog but life got the better of me.

To recap what has happened since my last blog entry:

1) I travelled to Malaysia to conduct a series of Sports Nutrition and Weight Management training sessions for the GNC staff over there. The training sessions were well received and the staff were enthusiastic and highly interactive.

Kuala Lumpur is a busy, crowded noisy city with roads that seem to wind away rather than towards your chosen destination. The food is great and very cheap and there is plenty of shopping to be done, although I didn’t find the shopping any cheaper than Australia to be honest. Overall, a week in Kuala Lumpur was more than enough for me and I was happy to be heading home by the time I left.

2) Completed a 4 day course in Training Design conducted by The Organisational Development Group and led by Roger Deaner. This training was very interesting, extremely educational and highly valuable. It incorporated elements of NLP, Spiral Dynamics Integral, the Satir categories and the 4MAT model of training. This training was a pre-requisite for my NLP Trainers Training which followed the week after.

3) Completed my NLP Trainer’s Training classroom hours. This was also conducted under the masterful direction of Roger Deaner under the Leadervision banner with his co-trainer Elise Barratt-Hassett, chief trainer Sean Healy, and my mentor James Tsakalos assisting the training process. Roger is intending on retiring and this was to be his last Trainer’s Training. Next to my NLP Prac and Master Prac training with James Tsakalos, this was one of the most profound and challenging courses I have ever participated in. It literally was a path of initiation that I will never forget. The rigour and discipline Roger demands from his NLP trainer candidates and mentor trainers is exceptionally high. I am very fortunate to have had the bar set so high by a group of remarkably talented and gifted NLP trainers.

To all my fellow classmates, I congratulate you on your acomplishment of gaining your interim NLP Trainers Certification and I look forward to hearing about your successes when we next catch up.

To my fellow bloggers and subscribers, watch this space. Now that I have a bit more time on my hands I will make an effort to upload more content.

Cheers,

Paul

T-R-A-N-C-ZZZZZZZZZZ – E

I’d like to tell you some secrets about trance but if I do it may alter your current perceptions.

Many years ago before I started studying Hypnosis and NLP I had a vague idea of what trance was. Apart from what I had seen in the media and in person of the mysterious and charismatic stage Hypnotists, I really had very little conscious understanding of what trance was and what it would feel like.

I had previously dabbled with self hypnosis tapes on astral projection and enhancing psychic abilities but at the time I really didn’t feel like I got much out of these. I remember lying on my bed as a teenager with the earphones over my ears, cuing the tape recorder and begining to relax as I listened to the gentle sounds of Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major with the rich deep voice of the narrator talking over it. I would listen for a while with my eyes closed, seeing internal images projected on to the backs of my eyelids as I followed the directions, simultaneously noticing how my breathing gradually slowed down as it became deeper, more rhythmical and automatic. Before I knew it, in what seemed like only a few short minutes, I would wake up, not quite sure how long I had been asleep for or how long ago the tape had stopped. In fact, when I woke up, I wasn’t even certain why I had regained consciousness or what prompted me to open my eyes? Now, at the time, I thought I had simply fallen asleep and not gained any benefit from the tapes. But that was because at that time I was unaware of the secrets of trance.

When I think back to all my school reports in primary school, there were consistent comments that were made by my teachers. Paul does not concentrate in class. Paul daydreams in class. Paul is highly imaginative but does not pay attention in class. I remember those days well, almost as if they were yesterday. I can picture myself sitting at my miniature desk, wearing my little grey shorts and short sleeved blue school shirt, my grey socks with yellow, blue and black bands at the top of them pulled up just below my knees and my black shoes highly polished so they had a slight reflection in them. I would be listening to the teacher drone on about a topic that really didn’t interest me all that much and I would find myself looking out through the classroom window at the beautiful deep blue sky, entranced by the big white puffy marshmallow clouds that seemed to have a life of their own. I am not sure if you noticed this as a child, but what I found fascinating about the clouds was their ability to take on many different shapes and characters. Some looked like people’s faces, others like animals and some like magical creatures. I’m sure you catch my drift. When looking at those far off clouds, I was able to listen differently to what the teachers were saying. It wasn’t the case that I didn’t hear them, it was simply that I was taking the information in differently to the other children. I didn’t have to use my eyes to listen, just like I didn’t have to use my conscious attention to retain the information. You see, one of the sad things about teachers and the schooling system is that they do not understand the secrets of trance.

When I was a teenager I was national level swimmer, I used to spend anywhere up to 22 hours a week training in the pool. I was a versatile swimmer and used to swim all strokes over all distances from the 50m sprints right through to the 1500m freestyle. I had a penchant for the long distance events more so than the shorter events. I found that as the distance got longer I was able to find a unique cadence with my stroke and breathing that enabled me to slip into the groove as I stared at the long thin black line on the bottom of the pool. Inside my head I would be singing my favourite song and listening to the music in stereo with the sounds of my breathing and stroke serving as the percussion instruments to my inner concert. Can you imagine how liberating and freeing it is to be capable of completely immersing yourself in your own little world even when engaged in a repetitive activity? Your mind becoming dissociated from any discomfort the body might be feeling. If so, then you can appreciate a little of what endurance athletes experience on a regular basis in their sports. Little did I realise at that time, that I was harnessing one of the powerful secrets of trance.

What are the secrets of trance?

Well, may I ask you what it was like for you to identify with and relate to the concept of listening to music, falling asleep and eventually waking up not knowing why you woke up or how long you had been asleep for? Did you happen to see the clouds or even a little boy sitting at his desk in his school uniform looking out the window? Did you reminisce about being a kid and creating pictures and images in the clouds or zoning out when someone was droning on in the background? What about being completely absorbed in your own little world singing your favourite song and paying minimal attention to your body or what was going on around you? Did any of those words spark some vague memory for you of an experience you once may have had and brought them back to life once more?

What about your experience right now as you read these letters on the screen and use your brain to make sense out of the words at the expense of paying attention to all the environmental sounds, sights and bodily sensations you may have been hearing, seeing and feeling during this period of time?

One of the secrets of trance is that you are already in one!

How you directionalize your mind determines what exists within your trance.

Use this information wisely and you can begin to create the life you want.

P.M

Compound Interest

I was contemplating today, as I am prone to do on occasion, about a pattern that is consistently repeated in a book that I am working my way through. The author of the book is reported to be a highly influential hypnotist and an online marketing genius, he has written numerous books and currently appears in a recently released pseudo documentary on manifestation. His use of this particular pattern is interesting as it is used for his own self promotion and the promotion of a particular reputation, not to mention the advertising of his video, his books, his courses and his protégés, who it would seem, are applying this pattern successfully as well. This author applies this approach extremely well, as he is seemingly successful at what he does and he does appear to have a high profile, even if he has cunningly crafted this profile and reputation himself.

I have also used the same pattern as this author, although my general use of it has been for the promotion of my client’s health and wellbeing. I have also utilized it as a means to promote and enhance my client’s mindsets around success and motivation as it is an exceptional tool. You may not believe me when I tell you, but I am currently using it, right now, that’s right, at this very moment, it is present in this post and I am using it currently. Believe me or not. It is right here, before your very eyes. As I mentioned, it is a very effective technique. In fact it is so powerful, so pervasive and so widely used that it is employed by numerous companies to influence you everyday. It is done to such an extent that you may be completely unconscious of it. I mean, how conscious or unconscious were you of how it was being employed up until I told you it was being applied in this post?

Are you conscious of what this pattern is yet? Have you managed to figure it out?

I’ll give you another opportunity to ping the pattern by making it more obvious. Here is an example of how advertising companies use this technique to influence you. This might help you pick the pattern.

1^st advert – Brand X was rated by 75% of respondents as being the preferred brand of soft drink in a blind taste test when compared with Brand Z.

2^nd advert – 3 out of 4 people prefer the taste of Brand X over Brand Z.

3^rd Advert – Brand X the taste most people prefer.

4^th Advert – Brand X voted number 1 in taste.

5^th Advert – Nothing compares to the taste of Brand X.

6^th Advert – Taste is all that matters. Brand X, Oompalumpa land’s favourite soft drink.

Are you starting to get the message now?

What you are seeing is compound suggestion in action. It starts off with an initial suggestion that is promoted and subsequently accepted as a fact. Then, a follow up suggestion applying elements of the first suggestion are offered. This secondary suggestion is related to the initial suggestion and applies the assumption that the original statement is factual. Each subsequent suggestion continues to build on the last and increases the scope of the suggestion, all the time operating on the assumption that the first suggestion is an incontrovertible fact.

Let me put it this way, if I was an author of a book on “ABC” technique or promoted myself as an online marketing guru and I repeatedly told you in numerous ways through my material that I am an expert, that I was the inventor of “ABC” technique or “XYZ” approach to marketing. Guess what’s going to happen? With repeated exposure to my material, you are going to accept it as a fact, and before you know it you will be telling people about my reputation and expertise. You will gladly tell others that I am the father of “ABC” technique and “XYZ” approach to online marketing because there is plenty of “factual evidence” to support my assertions. In the process of promoting me as this expert/guru you’ll be helping me to manifest this reputation and will be providing further social proof to others that my reputation is warranted.

Effective use of compound suggestions contribute to compound interest.

Wikipedia defines compound interest as the following:

“Compound interest is the concept of adding accumulated interest back to the principal, so that interest is earned on interest from that moment on. The act of declaring interest to be principal is called compounding (i.e interest is compounded)”

Let’s be clear, banks aren’t the only ones that use compound interest. Some of the most widely promoted “experts” also use it to increase their reputations and their bank accounts.

P.M

The Eye Of The Leopard

Some of you who have visited my website previously, may have realized that I have changed the look and layout of the blog. Having taken some inspiration from Hawk’s website, and having spent a lot of time fine tuning, I am finally satisfied with the look of the page. What I really love about this template is the ability to customize the header, which leads me to the name of this post.

I guess if you are familiar with the Rocky movies you would probably be doing a double take at the headline and thinking, “that doesn’t sound right! Isn’t the phrase the Eye of the Tiger”? Well, yes it is but it didn’t fit my requirements, so I adapted it to my own use in order to write this post. Now, there is a very good reason why I am using a Leopard as my header. And there is also very good reason why this big cat is at the top of my list when it comes to animals that have behaviour traits that I admire and aspire to incorporating into my way of being.

You see it all goes back to my first trip to South Africa with my wife (who at that stage was my girlfriend of 12 months). We were there to visit her family for the first time. To say that the trip was a rough one emotionally would be an understatement! There were all sorts of interpersonal dynamics and new and previously unresolved family issues that I needed to adapt to and navigate just to survive my trip and keep my relationship intact. It was during this trip that I took inspiration from the Leopard and adopted it as a sort of totem animal.

In Africa they have what is known as the Big 5. These are the 5 biggest killers of humans in the African wild. They consist of the Lion, Rhino, Elephant, Buffalo and Leopard, although the Mosquito and Hippo deserve honorary placement in the list. When you go on a game drive through an African wildlife park, the Big 5 are the animals that you really want to see and you’re very lucky if you see 2-3 of them during a game drive, if you happen to be lucky enough to see any at all!

Now before you go off on a tangent and start thinking that I wanted to take out my future in laws like a wild Leopard, allow me to elaborate on why the Leopard is so inspirational to me. Due to the increasing urban sprawl that is occurring in Africa, many native animals are struggling to survive in the face of competition with humans. Not so the Leopard, which displays an amazing capacity for adaptability and is thriving!

Here is a run down on the Leopard’s adaptability from:

http://www.freewebs.com/killerpredators/leopards.htm

Distribution of the leopard reflects the diverse adaptability of the group, extending throughout the African continent and much of southeast Asia, including the Arabian peninsula and Indonesian islands. It is at home in woodlands, lowland forests and mountain heights, savannas, and even dry steppe habitats. The leopard’s remarkable adaptability to different environments is an indication that it is basically an unspecialized animal, favoring forest and forest boundary habitats where it can utilize trees for protection and observation platforms.

 

The leopard’s lifestyle is a direct reflection of its environment, where it hunts a wide variety of prey species, being truly opportunistic in their feeding habits. Leopards catch and feed on everything from insects and rodents up to large ungulates such as giraffe and buffalo calves which may weigh in excess of 200 pounds. In areas where scavengers such as lions and hyenas are a threat, often stealing the prey, the leopard’s remarkable strength and agility allow it to climb trees in search of a resting place, vantage lookout, or a place to store and protect dead prey animals.

As you can see, the Leopard demonstrates a significant degree of behavioural flexibilty and adapts to it’s environment. Animals and people to a significant degree that lack adaptibility are usually overwhelmed by unfavourable circumstances and fail to survive.

During my NLP training, it was demonstrated to and impressed upon me, that behavioural flexibilty is an important skill to become proficient in. In order to be highly influential and effective with a broad range of people in all types of environments (personal, professional, or spiritual), being fixed and rigid in one’s beliefs, behaviours and attitudes can be extremely detrimental.

I believe the first law of Cybernetics also known as the Law of Requisite Variety or Ashby’s Law sums the Leopard up nicely:

The part of the system with the most (behavioural) flexibilty has the greatest control over the system.

For those of you who are in to the martial arts, I believe this is something the old masters were well aware of. Being “ONE” with the environment requires a significant degree of behavioural flexibilty as circumstances may change dramatically. Some of these masters were said to have ended a fight before it came to physical blows. Could it be that if one adapts quickly enough to the environment, there is nothing to be in conflict with?

One last take home thought. The next time you find yourself in a particular situation where you hear yourself saying “I can’t or won’t do X. That’s just not me, that’s not the way I do things.” STOP and think to yourself, “How can I become the type of person who could do X? What sort of things can I incorporate into my approach that will enable me to adapt?”

You are a human BEING not a human BEEN. What you did in the past is in the past, how you choose to adapt to your present circumstances right now is a way of BEING.

 

P.M

 

Pattern Detection a natural function of the human mind.

One of the first things I was trained in when I commenced my NLP training was pattern detection.

The stros of tinghs we wree thgaut to tcrak for wree Pettrans in bhavuior, Pettrans in brtheanig, Prettans in eye moevmntes, lnagauge Pettrans etc.

It’s iseretntnig how esay it can be to lraen teshe tinhgs wehn you let yuor mnid tkae in the wlohe pciurte whtih ltitle aniaylss. Ferogt waht it is yuor cnosicuos mnid tiknhs it kowns and aollw yuor nrataul pettran dcteoitn to wrok its mgaic.

Tatht’s rhigt, jsut lkie taht.

Easy isn’t it?

Speaking of tracking for things that are not blatantly obvious. Can you find the subtly hidden geometric shape in the Fedex logo?

P.M

Damanhur – A place where legend and mysticism still exist.

 

In 2005 my wife and I travelled to Italy for our Honeymoon. Italy is a beautiful country littered with the remnants of the Roman Empire and castles from the Middle Ages. It has beautiful coastlines, picture postcard countrysides, famous towns and cities bursting at the seams with rich histories and buildings boasting exquisite architecture that house priceless artworks. Yet, despite all these treasures the KEY reason for us choosing Italy as the destination for our 5 week backpacking honeymoon was Damanhur.

I had heard of Damanhur from a work associate who had travelled to Italy to celebrate a Winter Solctice at Damanhur back in 2002. After hearing her detailed account of Damanhur I made a vow to myself that if I was to ever visit that side of the world ( I live in Australia) I would make an effort to go to Damanhur.

Now, if you have never heard of Damanhur till now, that’s OK. I must admit, I had never heard of it either until my work associate mentioned it to me. It is quite hard to define what Damanhur is. It is an Eco village, a federation, a spiritual university, a healing centre, a scientific research facility, a centre for fine arts plus much, much more.

The thing that I was most interested in seeing at Damanhur were their Temples To Mankind, which are built into the side of a mountain under the ground. These Temples were built by the Damanhurians themselves with their own hands. It is important to highlight for you that the originators of the Temple Project had no formal architectural, building or artistic training they were purely self taught and operated with the following pressuposition. If it is possible in the world then it is possible for us. It was after seeing the pictures of their accomplishments in the form of the Temples of Mankind that were the main motivating reason for us to visit Damanhur and Italy. The temples literally have to be seen to be believed and photos do not do justice to the beauty, size and scope of their work! I would not hesitate to say that they are truly one of the 7 wonders of the modern world and living proof as to how strong spiritual convictions, a common vision and co-operation can literally move mountains and accomplish the seemingly impossible. It is also a testament to the Damanhurian’s courage, fortitude and practical approach to spirituality that their work has been acknowledged as being an Italian national treasure by the Italian government. This is no mean feat considering that this vast physical and spiritual project has gained such prestigious acknowledgement in a country that is the seat of power for the Catholic Church.

Frankly, I don’t think that I could write anything in my blog that would do Damanhur, it’s People and the Temples To Mankind justice. Therefore, I sincerely urge you to visit the following links and spend the time to marvel at their accomplishments. If like me, you feel the overwhelming urge to visit this remarkable place for your SELF then I whole heartedly recommend that you do. It is a once in a lifetime experience and one that will most likely become a pilgrimage for people interested in spirituality, metaphysics, sustainable living fine art and architecture.

Here is the link to Damanhur’s Homepage – http://www.damanhur.info/en/html/home.asp

Here is the link to the Multimedia presentation of the Temples Of Mankind -

http://www.damanhur.org/temple/

Here is a link to an article written by Ross Robinson of What is Enlightenment Magazine on his experience of Damanhur.

http://www.wie.org/j36/damanhur.asp?ecp=WIEN-0704

P.S: The Damanhurians also own two records in the Guinness Book Of World Records. The own the largest stain glass window (found in the hall of mirrors in the temple) and the World’s largest underground temple.

Ciao for now!

P.M

Bodybuilding as a spiritual endeavour.

Today as I was doing my 30 minutes of High Intensity Interval Training on the elliptical trainer; it occurred to me that the practice of Bodybuilding, is an amazing spiritual and transpersonal practice.

Currently, I am in the process of doing a body recomposition. For the uninitiated, this is where you train and eat in such a way that you preserve hard earned lean muscle mass whilst stripping away fat. This differs from “dieting for fat loss” where a person is likely to lose both muscle and fat in order to get leaner. “Body recomping” as it is known is a tricky business as it requires a delicate balancing act nutritionally and attention to detail on the training front. Too many calories and fat loss stops, too few calories and precious muscle is subsequently lost. Too much cardio and weight training will result in lean muscle being cannabilized; while not enough physical stimulation will result in minimal results with negligible fat loss and muscle gain.

So, what does Bodybuilding and more specifically my body recomposition have to do with spirituality you may be asking? If you have never been involved in the practice of bodybuilding or have only had exposure to the sport via the media; then you may be forgiven for thinking that bodybuilding is the domain of narcissistic individuals who are constantly primping and preening themselves in front of a mirror. That bodybuilding as a sport is the glorification of the ego at the expense of the spiritual self as there is no deep and meaningful philosophy associated with it. If you happen to think this way, then I would agree with you; that is, if you were to only look at the practice on a purely superficial level.

Without pointing to any particular spiritual or esoteric practice, let me highlight generally how valued spiritual practices and concepts link with the process of Bodybuilding.

MINDFULNESS
Bodybuilding requires mindfulness. One must be mindful about the foods they eat and how this will affect their mind and body. A bodybuilder will generally eat 5-6 times a day and each meal requires attention to detail in respect to the ratio of Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats contained in that meal. Meal planning is crucial to ensuring that one stays on the path to their goals, whether that be fat loss or muscle gain. Each meal that has been prepared has been prepared in a mindful way with it’s resultant effects on the body taken into account prior to eating it. Even the process of shopping for the ingredients to be used in the meals is done mindfully with the original purpose for buying and eating these foods kept firmly in mind.

When training, being present in the moment and being mindful about what one is doing turns weight lifting into a dynamic meditative practice. Focusing on the muscle as it contracts and relaxes creates a powerful mind-body link with the part(s) being exercised. The mind’s focus is squarely in the NOW. Engaging in aerobic training provides time for internal reflection and contemplation for anywhere up to an hour. And provided that the activity is physically repetitive and boring enough for the conscious mind, it may encourage a deeply meditative state, similar to one that can be achieved in static meditative poses.

DISCIPLINE
Bodybuilding requires supreme amounts of personal discipline. It requires discipline over one’s desires for immediate gratification and short term rewards by staying true to one’s training and nutritional goals even in the face of temptation. It requires discipline to stay on a path to achieving a level of physical and mental wellbeing that the majority of people do not understand or attempt to follow. It demands discipline over the mind and body as one continually faces pain and fatigue at each training session in an attempt to surpass a previous best or break a previous limitation.

BALANCE – The Middle Path
Bodybuilding requires balance internally and externally. The concept of Balance could also be called the Middle Path. Extremism in any area regardless of whether it is training or nutrition may result in catastrophic results. Too much intense physical training will result in the body being damaged and broken down, possibly beyond repair. Paying too much attention to specific body parts at the expense of others will result in an unbalanced looking physique that may cause patterns of dysfunction in movement, physical structure and alignment and also impair muscle co-ordination. Too little physical training yields poor or even non existent results. Extreme dieting may cause short and long term health issues, whereas too little attention to nutrition may also cause long term health issues. Achieving a balance with time so that one can pursue their bodybuilding and fitness aspirations; yet still effectively manage the expectations of family, friends and career is critical to maintaining longevity and consistency with bodybuilding.

 

ALCHEMY
Bodybuilding is an alchemical practice. Transmuting a body and mind that started in a base state and converting it through the process and rigors of bodybuilding into something with multifaceted value is the goal of Bodybuilding. A quote from Wikipedia on Alchemy states that “Thus, both the transmutation of common metals into gold and the universal panacea symbolized evolution from an imperfect, diseased, corruptible and ephemeral state towards a perfect, healthy, incorruptible and everlasting state.” Attaining and maintaining long term health through the consistent practice of Bodybuilding is a means to achieving a perfect, healthy, incorruptible and everlasting state of health and mental wellbeing. Treating the body as a temple for the Spirit and engaging in physically supportive healthy endeavors provides the Spirit with a house that is well maintained and useful for it’s needs.

MIND OVER MATTER
Bodybuilding is the constant practice of applying the principle of mind over matter. Each time a weight is lifted, the mind must move it first. Each physical action that is conducted must occur as a thought before it translates into physical action. Lifting any weight, regardless of how big or small requires a process of mental conceptualization and co-ordination that is often overlooked in the process of lifting. This is one of the most remarkable elements to the practice of Bodybuilding and in my opinion to life itself. Regardless of what we intend on doing in 3 dimensional space, our minds must go there first. This may be a conscious process or it may be completely unconscious. If you were to pick up a pen right now, take the time to consciously think about all the things your mind and body has to do in order to complete this simple task. Now, apply this same process of thinking to an exercise like a squat or deadlift and repeat it hundreds of times with a large volume of dense heavy weight that is constantly shifting and moving as you lift it. Our minds are amazing and progress in lifting heavier weights is more often a mentally adaptive process than a physically adaptive one, that is if the body is already conditioned to the task. Commonly, it is the case that a lifter will accidentally pick up a heavier weight than they intended and complete their training sets with it. Only realizing after the fact that they have just lifted more than they consciously thought they could. Mind moves matter and this concept is clearly demonstrated through the practice of Bodybuilding.

CONCLUSION
So what does this post have to do with my body recomposition? Not much really, as I mentioned, I was on the elliptical trainer doing my 30 minutes of High Intensity Interval Training and I was contemplating about how Bodybuilding is a spiritual endeavor. Then I thought I might share this insight with you.

“You are a spiritual being having a physical experience; not a physical being having a spiritual experience.”

Quoted by my Sifu Francis Wood Founder of Mae Paem Tao.

Do you think that’s air you’re breathing now?

If you have seen the Matrix, then you may or may not recognize this statement made by Morpheus to Neo during the scene when he was teaching him in the virtual dojo on board the ship The Nebuchadnezzer.

The full quote is “Do you believe that my being stronger or faster has anything to do with my muscles in this place? You think that’s air you’re breathing now?

Since I have recently uploaded the two part article on Master the Mind – Self Hypnosis for Martial Artists, I would encourage you to read the article (if you haven’t done so already or even if you have ) with the above quote firmly in mind.

Generally the biggest obstacle to achieving success in life are the frames of thoughts and presuppositions we cling on to. Having fixed ideas about “how things work” and the “way things are” can often manifest less than ideal outcomes. Sometimes, a simple shift in perspective is often enough for us to grease the wheels of progress and move out of a stuck state into new and uncharted territory.

Personally, I love the way the Matrix used the Dojo sparring session scene as a metaphor for encouraging us to consider changing the way we go about interacting with the environment we find ourselves immersed in. Morpheus’ (the latin name for the God of Dreams) practical education of Neo a Neophyte to the “rules” of the Matrix is highly apt. Morpheus’ gentle and not so gentle method of getting Neo to question his own presuppositions about how “things” work by giving him plenty of sensory based feedback is a practical and pragmatic technique for transformation. Neo’s SELF discovery of a new (Neo is also latin for New) way of being, required him to go inwards away from the “logical and analytical” left brain and into the realms of his right brain to find the answer.

In this highly material left brain dominant society it is something to ponder, hey?

Your mind and your body are indivisable parts of the same system.

 

 

 

My Favourite Supplement For Optimal Performance.

In all my years in the supplement industry I have seen lots of supplements come and go. Plenty of supplements have arrived with much trumpeting and advertising hype at the start and died a slow agonizing death with barely a sound, as the next big thing comes along.

However, my favourite supplement has experienced a slow burn which is gradually fanning into a blaze of epic proportions. It has been in the supplement industry for the past few years but only now is it gaining attention. I will go on the record and predict that this supplement will become one of the few supplements that goes on to become one of the foundation or staple supplements for any sports person engaged in any type of aerobic or anaerobic sport.

Before I tell you what this supplement is, let me tell you all about it’s benefits.

Here are the reasons why I love this supplement and use it religiously.

1. Enables fast twitch (type II) muscle fibres to increase performance by up to 15%, resulting in improved endurance, increased strength, faster recovery and improved aerobic and anaerobic function.
2. Buffers the acidic H+ ions from lactic acid.
3. Increases a naturally occuring anti-oxidant that pools in fast twitch muscle fibres.
4. Improves the contractile properties of fast twitch muscle fibres.
5. Assists with the efficient production of Nitric Oxide.
   
6. May have protective benefits for the eyes and has potential anti-aging properties.
   
7. Is supported by an increasing body of scientific studies conducted in humans by reputable researchers with no financial investment in the ingredient.
   
8. It is safe and free from negative side effects.
9. It can be used by Bodybuilders, Strength and Power Athletes, Martial Artists, Cyclists, Runners, Swimmers, Tri-Athletes, Football Players in short anyone who is involved in sports requiring the types of attributes mentioned in point 2.
10. Lastly, it is cheap and highly affordable!

So, by now you are probably screaming at me “What is this awesome supplement!?“

The answer is: BETA ALANINE and for further information (with plenty of scientific references for those of you who want it), I urge you to visit Beta Alanine – the facts for further information.