Joe's Joint

[Pat (pogo69)]

6 hours ago, Naldaramjo said:

finding time to do some cool new hikes in the nearby national park

Very nice!

[Naldaramjo]

Meditation Report

Soon after completing my meditation retreat, I decided to go "back to basics" and build my concentration with exclusively breath work. I am slowly following along the guidance offered in Jonh Yate's (Culadasa's) The Mind Illuminated.

This book contains a bewildering amount of information, and sometimes, the sheer detail of the instructions provided is overwhelming. However, the "interludes," where, instead of talking about the meditation technique specifically, the author examines different analytical models of mental processes, are fascinating, and, much to my surprise, they have actually facilitated a deepening of my concentration during practice. I'm not sure what the specific reason for this is, but I think it is this: seeing the brain in such a way, it becomes much easier to emotional remove myself from the content of my thoughts. Beyond that, I am not thinking too much about why it helps, but it certainly does. Following the breath is now nearly default, and my sensitivity to mind wandering has increased significantly. It feels good. 🙂

I am still practicing for about 30 minutes per session, 1-2 sessions per day, but I feel like it might be time to deepen my practice further, circumstances permitting. 

Mobility Report

In addition to working on my medial glutes, I have also begun focusing on the muscles of the groin, or rather, the hip flexors, internal rotators (whatever they're called), and anything else. 
As the latter have strengthened, I have noticed the former exercises to feel much freer! It's as if the groin muscles are finally relaxing when I work on the lateral hip muscles, giving me a much greater range of motion. Good news!

All of this does wondering for my sitting, too, because now it is effortless to sit Burmese-style on a light cushion.

If only I'd figured all of this out before enduring the excruciating pain I did during my Vipassana retreat!!

[Kit_L]

On 4/16/2020 at 12:24 PM, Naldaramjo said:

If only I'd figured all of this out before enduring the excruciating pain I did during my Vipassana retreat!!

That's why I made that $2 Vimeo program, How to sit for meditation: everyone who does not have loose piriformis and a few other key muscles will suffer hell just to hold themselves upright against their own resistance (tension, or lack of ROM). And even monks suffer this way, too; many of them have spoken to me about this (all of the local monks attended one of my workshops in Malaysia, at the Abbot's insistence). This is why one of our mantras is no unnecessary tension (another way of saying this is "Remove the restrictions"; when you do, the needed tension decreases).

On retreats I ask people to poke and prod my body when in the Burmese position: literally everything is soft, including back and neck muscles. To be able to do this, you have to be able tp position the pelvis without any effort. Piriformis length is essential here.

[Naldaramjo]

Long time no see, amigos!

I am currently putting together an application package for a massage therapy program offered in my hometown. One of the requirements is a short essay that outlines why I would be a good fit for the program. The essay should include (according to their criteria):

• why I want to practice massage therapy
• what experience I have with massage therapy (this is vague, so I guess either as a student or as a masseur)
• what I have to offer the massage therapy program 

edit 1 - I have updated this essay to reflect suggestions that @Nathan provided me with. Thank you Nathan! 

edit 2 - trimmed the fat

edit 3 - removed essay, as the final draft has been submitted (and approved!). Thank you to anyone who offered feedback/advice.

[Naldaramjo]

Meditation

I am currently reading Seeing That Frees, by Rob Burbea, a book recommended to me a while back by @Nathan. When I first heard of this book and read a bit about it, I found it intimidating; the concepts of both emptiness and dependent arising sound esoteric and abstract. However, that is proving to be anything but the case. The book is eminently practical from the first few pages, and I am frequently seeing myself reflected back at me in the myriad descriptions of dukkha and in the examples used to elaborate on them. 

Movement

I recently completed a 3000 km bike trip around British Columbia and Alberta. Lots of movement there! But not too much mobility work. Now back at home, I am continuing to work with my body, its ranges of motion, and its dysfunctional compensations. Glute inactivity and relative weakness continues to be something I observe, and, while I am much stronger now in that area, I still feel there is room for improvement. My shoulder has not completely healed, but it seems to be, slowly. Patience. 

Therapy

CoAT Method

I was fortunate on my bike trip to meet Marjorie Haynes, a registered massage therapist and founder of the CoAT Method of fascial manipulation. This technique is difficult to explain, but, from what I have learned, it deals directly with the fascia, and it treats the entire fascial network as interconnected and interdependent to a degree that I'd not seen previously. Thus, a fascial restriction in the shoulder might not release completely if there is a network of imbalanced fascial tension connected to that shoulder. This imbalance could be localized, or it could be spread throughout the body. A CoAT practitioner would look at the fascia in other parts of the body -- in the opposite leg's quadriceps, for example -- to see if there was any pulling, and address that first.  

Here is a direct quote from her website:
 

Quote

Applied Tensegrity (AT) is the concept of integration to the highest degree. 

The word “Tensegrity” was originally a term coined in the engineering of suspension bridges as a way to define distribution of force through structure. When a part of a suspension bridge is weak or compromised, the entire structure responds to balance out the problem. The power of a suspension bridge is in the ability to move or adapt under stress load changes. The same can be said for the human body. 

Understanding body adaptation patterns to stress changes are primary to the application of massage therapy. In a Tensegrity or suspension structure, an isolated problem or event does not exist. There is only the response of the whole. 

The depth of the concept of AT can have vast applications from engineering a bridge to an understanding of the fascial system of the human body to philosophical and spiritual debates. All are based on this understanding: “in a dynamic system of movement, the part moves the whole and the whole moves the part…and the circle is unbroken.”

In the introduction to AT within the context of Massage Therapy, three main areas will be examined: one is the fascial system affected by the integrity of blood flow in the capillary system; the second is an integration of treatment modalities that gain momentum within an AT model; and the third is advanced palpation techniques to sense and treat tensegrity foci of tension that affect the entire body. 

Beginning my RMT Program

In January, I will begin training to become a registered massage therapist. It's a 20 month intensive (and expensive!) program. I am a bit intimidated, but I am also invigorated to be stepping "into the unknown" and into a career that intimately involves me with holistic health. 

 

[Naldaramjo]

I have found a meditation centre in Victoria that is doing in-person sits! I'm not sure how jarring it'll be to step into a "curriculum" part way, but I'm sure there will be something I can learn, and it will be great to connect with some of the local meditating community. 

Recently, I have been finding inspiration in ballet rehearsal videos, and I've been able to activate new muscles and encourage greater relaxation through the plié movement. My shoulder continues to slowly heal (dear god it's slow), and, at the moment, my back is mildly tweaked. 

But it is all getting better, and, more importantly, so is my relationship with it.  

[Naldaramjo]

I have signed up to be a server at a Vipassana 10 day meditation retreat beginning at the end of November! It's in Merritt, BC, about 360km from my home. I'm thinking of biking there!

Edited November 5, 2020 by Naldaramjo
plan cancelled...Vipassana meditation centres are strict!

[Naldaramjo]

In my last post, I mentioned that I'd applied successfully to serve at a Vipassana meditation retreat. The acceptance email I received, however, turned out to have been sent prematurely. The reason that my application was declined was because, since my own Vipassana meditation retreat in January, I had practiced various other forms of meditation. I'd gotten the impression in the past that Vipassana meditation centres are pretty strict, but I didn't realize that this strictness extended to one's practice away from the centre.

As well, I have been looking for a meditation community in Victoria, and I have now tried two different places. The second place was a Shambala meditation centre, based on a Tibetan tradition. The technique I worked with there was essentially samadhi, in both sitting and walking postures. After the sit, I talked with my teacher about how I liked to experiment with different meditation styles, using what works and not using what doesn't. He mentioned that, at some point, he said to me that, were I to continue coming to the Shambala centre, it would be counterproductive to continue practicing other forms of meditation. 

I am sure the similarities between these two experiences are apparent. My question is: what do you guys think? Does dabbling interfere with spiritual growth? Does this depend more on what one defines growth to be? Are there forms of meditation that could actively work against samadhi, for example? Against insight? 

[Pat (pogo69)]

10 hours ago, Naldaramjo said:

My question is: what do you guys think? Does dabbling interfere with spiritual growth? Does this depend more on what one defines growth to be? Are there forms of meditation that could actively work against samadhi, for example? Against insight?

I think that, as with most things, it depends.

Caveat: My comments are from the perspective of the practise of life in general, given my dearth of experience with meditation.

Q. Does dabbling interfere with spiritual growth?

A. Possibly, but not necessarily.  If it means a lack of commitment to the primary practice, or causes the filling on one's mind and/or body with more noise than information; then yes, it probably will interfere with (any kind of) growth.  But that certainly does not imply that it must be so.

Q. Does this depend more on what one defines growth to be?

A. In so much as everything depends on how you define the parameters; yes.

Q. Are there forms of meditation that could actively work against samadhi, for example? Against insight?

A. No idea.  But it seems to me that if a practice cannot withstand any level of interference from another, then it is not very robust.

[Nathan]

The Goenka centers are notoriously strict about limiting one's practice to a single method. This is pretty much the absolute extreme of a wide spectrum. At the other end might be something like adamantly secular psychonauts, using any method as long as they feel it serves their goal. Shambhala is a lineage tradition, so it only makes sense that they would want you to practice the method of the lineage in order to be able to give you proper guidance. The same general principle holds true when practicing with a non-lineage teacher or group. Using the same (or at least a similar) methodology establishes a common ground, allowing the teacher to provide better guidance and allowing the members to relate to each other. Some teachers or groups might have experience with and be comfortable with a wider range of methodologies, of course, but there will be a primary methodology in most cases.

Imagine walking into a "Yoga for Flexibility" class and asking for help with CARs, PAILs, and RAILs. If you happen to get lucky and the teacher has trained in the FRC system, they might be able to help, but you're more likely to just get a confused look. And even if the teacher can help, the rest of the class is using a different system and catering specifically to you is going to use precious class time for something that the rest of the class will likely benefit very little from. You're much better off finding an FRC teacher or class, or making the decision to devote your time in the class to the method being taught and seeing what it can do for you.

Just like the yoga and FRC classes will both be working toward improved flexibility despite being different methods, most meditation traditions/groups will be working toward similar outcomes (or moving in a similar direction, at least). Experimenting to find out what works for you is very important (and what works for you now might not work for you later), but there is a lot to be said for settling on a method and putting the work in. "I like to dabble and use what works for me" can very easily become an obstacle to actually going deeply into any practice and can become a kind of self-identification/self-view, which is exactly what most practices are trying to move away from.

Personally, I would say choose a community/teacher that resonates with you. All good methods will lead to a similar place. If you're determined to practice Zen and choose a Zen community despite disliking the teacher, atmosphere, members, etc., you're not likely to get far. On the contrary, if you find a teacher/community that really resonates with you despite belonging to a different tradition, you're likely to benefit greatly from setting aside your preferences (for the time being) and seeing where it takes you. And aside from Goenka or some kind of cult, no community is going to ostracize you for experimenting a bit on your own time at home. Most good teachers will be happy to answer questions about other traditions too, if they can.

Just FYI, Shambhala has been the center of a lot of controversy in recent years. I wouldn't judge your local center based on that alone, but you might want to look into it before committing to the tradition.

[Naldaramjo]

On 11/11/2020 at 8:41 PM, Pat (pogo69) said:

…

Q. Are there forms of meditation that could actively work against samadhi, for example? Against insight?

A. No idea.  But it seems to me that if a practice cannot withstand any level of interference from another, then it is not very robust.

Thank you for your thoughts. Your last answer is interesting - does robustness disqualify specificity with respect to a meditation practice? And, given that you mentioned that you are primarily drawing from life experience, do you think this holds true in life? For example, would long distance running not be robust, since other forms of exercises would ultimately lower one's running potential (at the upper limits of ability)? It seems that, in order to pursue any single thing to an exceptional level requires sacrifices along the way. I just wonder if different styles of meditation also require similar commitment.

On 11/12/2020 at 10:14 PM, Nathan said:

…

 Thanks for your thoughts, Nathan. I appreciate what you are saying with respect to having common ground with one's teacher during meditative discourse. I have only visited a couple meditation centres so far, and I haven't found a teacher with whom I resonate, but I can see the value in consistently sticking to a single practice. 

The guy who taught me during my visit to the Shambhala centre mentioned the controversy. Quite the scandal, IIRC!

[Kit_L]

On 11/13/2020 at 5:14 PM, Nathan said:

"I like to dabble and use what works for me" can very easily become an obstacle to actually going deeply into any practice and can become a kind of self-identification/self-view, which is exactly what most practices are trying to move away from.

In one of the schools I worked with, doing this was labelled "futzing" and was strongly discouraged. "Dabbling" is what dilettantes do; and as Nathan says, it can become just another place for the ego to stick, and then 'contrasting and comparing' is not far away! Avoid this, is my suggestion. Far better is to find a real teacher, a heart-centred one if you are lucky, and work with that person.

IMHO, it doesn't matter too much which practice you start with – what really matters is your consistency of practice and your determination to achieve a particular state. The intention, or sankalpa, as this is called in Sanskrit, is absolutely critical – in another article I mentioned that there is a school of Buddhism which is devoted to material success. What do you want?

For me, my intention was to achieve the experience of serenity in the body. There were many reasons for that, for me, but these are not relevant to you. I developed a deep relaxation habit first and then I was made aware that I had been developing and practising a Samatha-style meditation in so doing and then I got specific instructions on that from a number of teachers. The insights came – and that is where the Satipatthana Sutta is so instructive: without going into all the detail, it describes the four different kinds of meditators and notes that insights will come whether you follow the insight (Vipassana) path or the samatha path, or a combination. But, in the Buddhist traditions (and there are many within that description) one or other of these two paths is recommended. Yoga has a plethora of others. Again, what do you want?

The reason that insights come no matter which path you follow is that in time the experience of disconnection from the thought stream is guaranteed, providing you sit still for long enough. And if you find yourself obsessively thinking, which is most beginning meditator's experience, simply gently remind yourself to bring your attention back to your meditation object, most typically breathing (but in fact can be any physical sensation), as long as you keep returning to it – you are reminding yourself to be present in this process (and strengthening that resolve in the process, developing Dhāraṇā, or concentration, in the process. And that is the other reason why a physical sensation is usually recommended as a meditation object – because sensations in the body only occur in the ephemeral present. If you are really experiencing them (not thinking about experiencing them) then you are present.

11 hours ago, Naldaramjo said:

For example, would long distance running not be robust, since other forms of exercises would ultimately lower one's running potential (at the upper limits of ability)? It seems that, in order to pursue any single thing to an exceptional level requires sacrifices along the way. I just wonder if different styles of meditation also require similar commitment.

IMHO, this is not a useful comparison. Even in exercise forms, at some point specialisation will be necessary if you want to get past a certain point, to another. Again, it all depends on what you want. It's true that you will never be a world class weightlifter and a world class marathoner at the same time – but what does this really tell us about the individual practices? Not too much, it seems to me, so not useful. WRT meditation, starting and continuing are far more important than the type or style you are doing, right now. The need to specialise for an esoteric purpose is a long way away at this point, and thinking about these kinds of things at the stage you are at is not helpful, I feel. Start, and continue. I have a set of beginner's instructions in an audio file, if that would be helpful.

[Naldaramjo]

On 11/28/2020 at 9:07 PM, Kit_L said:

In one of the schools I worked with...

Hi @Kit_L, just wanted to say thank you for your input. You (and others) have given me a lot to mull over. I appreciate you taking the time to give me such a thoughtful response. I have taken a break from meditation for now, because when I asked myself "why am I meditating?" or "what am I hoping to accomplish with meditation?" I came up blank or overwhelmed. I think I've complicated things quite a bit by reading as much about meditation as I have. That's not to say that the literature hasn't been edifying. It's just that, at this point, I think focus would be far more productive than "dabbling." But...what do I focus on? We'll see.
 

[Nathan]

6 hours ago, Naldaramjo said:

I have taken a break from meditation for now

I will start by saying this is totally fine. Sometimes a break is what is needed. Formal, seated or lying meditation is also not the only valid application of mindfulness, wisdom, etc. in one's life, so taking a break doesn't necessarily mean not practicing.

6 hours ago, Naldaramjo said:

"what am I hoping to accomplish with meditation?"

That said, if you can just sit without hoping to accomplish anything, then you're 95% of the way there  I will suggest that you already know (far more than) enough. Pick a very basic practice that you've done which resonated with you - breath counting, breath awareness, lying relaxation, just sitting (shikantaza), whatever. Keep it simple, and just do it without expecting anything. Just a daily habit, like brushing your teeth. Consider it mind hygiene.

But again, you may need a break before you can do this. Only you will know that. No problem either way.

Happy New Year 

[Kit_L]

14 hours ago, Nathan said:

Consider it mind hygiene.

As good a reason as possible (see how the mind got in there? Sneaky little bugger). The world of thinking and the world of doing are worlds apart. 

Happy New Year! My favourite Yoda quote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ4yd2W50No

[Naldaramjo]

Thanks to both of you. Happy New Year as well! Mind Hygiene...I like that. Cuts through all of the intellectualizing. I sat once since I read your post. Just 10 peaceful minutes on my cushion. 

What does that Yoda quote mean to you, @Kit_L? I like it, but I do wonder if I am missing something in its apparent profundity. 

[Kit_L]

The 'try' space is where the mind stops us from doing. 

So, sit. Rinse, and repeat. That's all.

I know these are minimal instructions, but that is the point. If you want to read thousands of words which end up instructing you to do only this, then read here:

https://zenstudiespodcast.com/shikantaza/

The time spent reading all this, though, would be better spent sitting, with no plan at all. And, of course, the reason the mind rebels against these non-instructions is that it believes it will be lost, abandoned, in the process. And, in fact, that is the goal—but don't tell the mind that! Hahahaha!

[Naldaramjo]

Second semester of RMT training began this week! Excited to begin practicing with the public. 

Mobility

I recall @Kit saying in either a very old post or in one of his YT videos that the quadriceps play a significant role in overall body tension. These past weeks, I have been experiencing that first hand. I have finally decided to give my thighs some focused attention with a foam roller. Well, not exactly a foam roller, because I have found those to be too unstable. So, I have been using the flat surface of the end of a hexagonal dumbbell. It has been some of the most intense myofascial work I have ever done to myself, but it's hard to overstate how significantly it has changed how the muscles of my hips and legs have responded. 

Glute contractions feel more complete, and I also feel less resistance during glute bridges. Glute stretches actually feel like glute stretches!

Internal and external rotation feel more normal.

There is less of a pinching sensation in my hips whenever I go into hip abduction.

My TFLs have finally begun to soften. 

The fronts of my thighs are now soft enough for me to nearly 100% in child's pose, something that has not been possible for as long as I have been trying.

Overall, really happy with these changes! 

~

I recall posting a photo of my squat ages ago, and funnily enough, I still have not "mastered the squat," but I am closer than ever before, and, more importantly to me, I don't feel as though the positions I am getting into require as much effort to hold. Eventually, I will upload a new photo, but not yet!

Mindfulness

Meditation has taken a back seat these days. However, I have been so busy with things that deeply interest me that it hasn't seemed to matter as much. That is, until it has. I try and bring noting into daily life when I can, and I can feel that there is still good work to be done on the cushion. 

 

[Kit_L]

@Naldaramjo: thank you SO much for reporting this—and can you please remind us of just how long this has taken? I was having a conversation with a female student the other day, and her reported that she has been doing the program for three months, but she hasn't noticed any real change yet! I reminded her that we suggest a 6 to 12 months timeline when thinking about flexibility improvements because in our experience it takes at least this long. In my own case it took about seven years before my body started to relax properly, but because it was so tight it provided a perfect experimental vehicle for learning what really is operating behind the scenes in this subtle process. Thanks for writing!

[Naldaramjo]

Hey, @Kit_L, you're very welcome. It's sure been a process. If I were to use the first post of this thread as a starting point, it's taken me about 3 years. I think, however, that I became interested in Stretch Therapy before ever joining and posting in the forums. When I decided to become more dedicated, I am not sure.

I have found the progress to be intermittent. Sometimes, I  made great strides in mobility, and other times, I felt stuck in a rut and mystified as to why. Each time I had a breakthrough, it was such a revelation. It was as if I was experience certain movements for the first time.  

Other significant changes have been attitude related. My RMT program has helped a lot with that, both directly by constantly reminding me how miraculous even a dysfunctional is on so many levels, and indirectly, by not giving me enough time to worry. haha

The biggest thing I have learned recently is that, if muscles are strong, tight, and yet stretching them is simply going nowhere, it might be connective tissue that deserves some attention. 

[Naldaramjo]

Partner stretching is alive and well at the West Coast College of Massage!😁

[Kit_L]

And she's inked. Three thumbs up, from me!

Next time, suggest to her to think about pulling the top of her head towards the top of her feet, along her body. That will pull that curvature out of her lower back, at least to some extent. Thanks for posting!

[Naldaramjo]

On 10/3/2021 at 2:17 AM, Kit_L said:

And she's inked. Three thumbs up, from me!

Next time, suggest to her to think about pulling the top of her head towards the top of her feet, along her body. That will pull that curvature out of her lower back, at least to some extent. Thanks for posting!

It's hard to tell from this angle, but her back is as flat as can be. She is incredibly flexible, and her form is impeccable, no doubt owing to her circus-type work in the past. I'll pass on the cue, though, because I've been surprised time and again about how significant intention is to the sensation I experience during a stretch.

[Naldaramjo]

Not workout related per se:

Anyone on here struggled with anxiety? Have you found relief and equanimity through meditation? If you know of some resources available online, please share them with me. Here, on by a DM, if you like. 

[Kit_L]

On 10/30/2022 at 8:47 AM, Naldaramjo said:

Have you found relief and equanimity through meditation?

Yes, definitely. Start here: https://stretchtherapy.net/relaxation-wiki/

Learning how to relax, not as a concept but as a fully lived experience will relegate anxiety to the past. It is not possible to feel anxious and be deeply relaxed at the same time. Meditation is usually directed (vipassana, samatha, many other kinds; by "directed" I mean that there is a purpose and a method), but in my experience, anyone can benefit from experiencing the deeply relaxed state immediately, and itself is a preparation for deeper forms of meditation. Actually, relaxation is a form of meditation itself and is the key to equanimity. We get too caught up in the conceptual perspectives that the mind creates around anything. My suggestion is to bypass that process completely, and simply let your body (inside as well as the muscles and soft tissue) relax, and then let it relax more. Experience what happens in the mind as you do this. Repeat; relaxation is simply a new habit and it can be learned.

As well, on the same page I linked to above, you will find instructions for beginners, and hundreds of guided lying relaxation recordings, many made in monasteries in Asia where I was co-presenting meditation retreats, some more than a month in duration. It works; you just need to do it.