Train Hard (But Smart)

Warfare and rivalry go on as usual, and the front article of any newspaper reports the same events as what can be observed on Monkey Island at any zoo. This monkey tribe is making that tribe bad and another tribe good; Sound familiar? As consciousness evolves within the human, crossing over consciousness level 200, the animal drives begin to conflict with the energy of spiritual power, truth, and love. If you discover that they exemplified resignation and unhappiness instead of getting what they really wanted, it will make it easier for you to be different from them. You can be compassionate and polite toward your real family members, but be downright defiant toward that inner ego voice. It does not really exist, except in your imagination, so you're not going to hurt anybody's feelings. The ego's voice from the past is only a memory. A memory of when you were small and scared and no one was there to help you. The Best Defense is a Good Pencil When the ego first goes on the attack, filling us with fear and self-recriminations, we're usually in no position to rebuff it. As a matter of fact, we often fall so deeply under its spell that all the things we hate and fear begin to look pretty good again. We may not, for the life of us, be able to remember why we wanted to start this whole growth thing anyway. To counteract this you need to have some self-supportive actions written down and readily available, so that you can retrieve that piece of paper at a moment's notice. So, for example, if you are inhaling through your right nostril, then you'll block the left. Then as you exhale, release the left nostril and block the right so all of your air comes out of only one nostril. You'll move back and forth between the two. You only want to do this for about 5-30 minutes in your day, and you can vary how long you're inhaling and exhaling while practicing this. The point is to remain mindful as you breathe, following your pattern of one nostril to inhale, and one to exhale. Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight and your hands resting gently on your lap.

Shape your right hand into the `hand loose' or shaka position, where your thumb and pinky are out, and your other three fingers are curled into your palm. Raise your right hand to your face before your nose. You will use your thumb and pinky to close your nostrils. Completely exhale before using your thumb to close your right nostril. The ego's deception is clever in that it deludes its victim into believing that the perpetrator is out there, whereas actually it is innate to biological survival process and therefore in here. Understanding (cal. It can be viewed as a cute little pet that needs supervision, lest it hurt others or oneself. Eventually, as one becomes aware of its proclivities, one can override them. Rarely do people escape the rationality of the 400s by evolving to the nonlinear domains starting at Love (cal. In the 500s, consciousness is transformed. One is less concerned with the objective world and lives instead from the subjective state of Awareness, having realized that the experience of life derives from within, an inner domain of grace that is not measurable yet profoundly discernible. The persistence of the primitive ego in humans is referred to as the narcissistic core of egotism, which, at calibration levels below 200, indicates the persistence of self-interest, disregard for the rights of others, and seeing others as enemies and competitors rather than as allies. For safety's sake, humans coalesced into groups and discovered the benefit of mutuality and cooperation, which again was a corollary to the animal world of group, pack, and family formation in the mammalian and bird kingdoms. The calibrated consciousness level of humans evolved slowly. A tangible list of ideas gives us other options for feeling better in these weak moments, rather than giving in to the temptation of handing back to the ego every bit of ground we had gained. Jada's Story After one of our sessions, Jada wrote down a list of things she planned to do next time she had a bad moment'' (otherwise known as an ego attack): Stop myself from spiraling downward - reject ego thoughts. Call a friend. Take a bath and listen to music.

Take a walk with the dog. Remember my successes and what I have accomplished. Go to the store. Do something nice for myself. Inhale through your left nostril and then close your left nostril with your pinky. Release your thumb and exhale through your right nostril. Inhale through your right nostril. Close your right nostril with your thumb. Release your pinky and exhale through your left nostril. Keep following the pattern, exhaling and inhaling out of one nostril before switching to the next. While you may look a little strange when doing alternate nostril breathing, ignore the strange glances and focus on its many key benefits. Not only does it change your breathing pattern but it reduces your stress levels and improves your cardiovascular health. This, in turn, improves your vagal tone. It lowers your heart rate, breathing rate, and your blood pressure. At the time of the birth of the Buddha, the collective consciousness calibrated at 90. It then rose to 100 by the time of the birth of Jesus Christ and slowly evolved over the last two millennia to 190, where it stayed for many centuries, until the late 1980s. Then, at about the time of the Harmonic Convergence in the late '80s, it suddenly jumped from 190 to 204-205. This crossover seems to signify the opening up of a new era of human evolution--that is, the emergence of Homo spiritus (see I: Reality and Subjectivity). Approximately 85 percent of the world's population is still below 200 and therefore dominated by animal instincts, motivations, and behaviors (as reflected in the nightly news). These levels below 200 indicate reliance on force, whether emotional, physical, social, or force by whatever expression.

Levels over 200, which progress logarithmically, indicate levels of power. Differences between below 200 and above 200 Of major significance is that the brain's physiology changes dramatically at consciousness level 200, which is the level where the quality of life changes, not only in humankind but also in the animal kingdom, from predatory to benign. This is expressed by the emergence of concern for the welfare, survival, and happiness of others rather than just for the personal self. Jada wrote these down on an index card and kept them handy in a kitchen drawer. It was pretty clear to both of us that she was probably going to be hearing from the ego again and we wanted her to be ready for it. She pulled out her list whenever she needed to. Jada learned to manhandle the ego over the rough spots, and a couple of months later she could say: I'm growing in leaps and bounds; I know that. When I analyze it - all things considered - I've done remarkably well. When I think of how much courage it took to move out of my house - no job, no place to live except at a friends' house, having only my car and my own wits - look how far I've come. It is easy to hear that this is not the ego talking, isn't it? It was Jada's real self again - speaking out, supporting, and strengthening her for whatever she wanted to take on in the future. All of these are crucial benefits to improving your well-being. Ujjayi breathing is the last technique we'll cover in this section. This style of breathing requires you to focus on your body, specifically your throat, and focus on the sound you make. It's often called Darth Vader breathing because if you're doing it right, you'll probably sound like Darth Vader as you exhale. Or if you want a more peaceful analogy, you'll sound like the ocean as you exhale. The Ujjayi breath causes a long, deep exhale that helps you feel relaxed and also activates your vagus nerve.

If you practice yoga, then you can use the Ujjayi breath during your practice. You can also use it when sitting or relaxing as well. Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight and your hands laying gently in your lap. Relax your jaw and mouth, letting your mouth open a little. The benefits of this evolution, caringness and spiritual growth, are clearly shown in the following chart. Above level of consciousness 200, an etheric brain emerges. It is not protoplasmic or anatomical but rather energetic. The etheric brain not only allows more effective processing of stimuli but also registers higher energy frequencies to which protoplasm is unable to respond. This is similar to the physical world, where more delicate instruments are required to discern higher-frequency energy fields beyond the capacity of the senses (the ear cannot hear radio waves themselves). The etheric (energy) brain is capable of nonverbal, nonlinear knowingness. Right-handed people become right-brain dominant, and left-handed people become left-brain dominant. These nondominant brain hemispheres are stimulated by art, music, altruism, and aesthetics. Brain Function and Physiology Below 200 Above 200 Calm the Ego and Find Your Allies Over time you will be able to lessen the ego's impact even further if you see it as a frightened bully, overpowering others in order to hide its own fear. Let your adult self stand up to the ego, telling it there's no longer a need for so much fear and cynicism14. By communicating firmly with this part of yourself, you can help it back off and begin to accept that you can handle things now as an adult. Remind the ego how old you are now and present your adult credentials. Ask it to let the adult part of you take the wheel for a while.