How To Become A Cheap Date

How To Become A Cheap Date In 10,000 Easy Steps

I have been doing yoga since I was ten years old and I have been meditating for the last 20 years and I think it is working.

I find myself being happy most of the time. More interestingly, to me at least, is how little it takes to make me happy. Or perhaps, another way to describe it is, I derive extreme happiness from the most simple and ordinary things.

I remember that persimon tasted very good and it made me very happy when I ate it. But the colors and shapes in the photo still make me happy whenever I see it.

I am not sure of what the exact process is to this happiness, but I think it is the daily letting go of tension through meditation and yoga that eventually leaves one open to the endless beauty and infinite creative magic of life.

So that is how I have become a cheap date. Don't get me wrong, I don't live in a cave. I enjoy food and wine and movies and many other things, but I can do without them also. It is very liberating.

I guess all that stuff that all the yogis said is true. Cool!

Here's a little exercise for opening the heart.

Find a quiet place and a comfortable position to be in for a while and turn off your cell phone. Relax your body and close your eyes. Take a breath in through the nose, swallow, hold the breath in the heart for a few moments and let it out through the mouth. Repeat the breath a few times if you want.

Now think of all the things that you are grateful for in your life. Go through your list and as you think of each thing, visualize it in your mind and notice how it makes you feel in your heart. Take a breath and let that feeling expand in your heart. Smile softly to yourself and let the energy of gratitude start to spread. Keep breathing and visualizing and when you feel a vibrant cocoon of energy around your body, relax and let it absorb. Notice how you feel. Give thanks and repeat it regularly. You will get better at it the more often you do it. Have fun.

Peace,

James

Creative People

Creative People

I have this fetish (fetish-something worshiped for its supposed magical powers or because it is considered to be inhabited by a spirit). I love to observe how human creativity manifests in it's infinite variations. I learn so much from creative people. I have devoted my life to studying techniques that enhance that creative flow.

I also love the internet and computer technologies that allow us to manifest and communicate our creativity. My life BC and BI (Before Computers, Before Internet) seems so distant.

I have friends with kids that have no concept of pre-computer / pre-internet times. Most of these kids have never heard of the Dewey Decimal System and they rarely visit libraries, but they are amazing with computers and gaming.

Information is so easy to access now. I use the internet every day to learn new things. It is such a blessing. It has turned me into an eternal student.

I love ancient technology as well. For me it is important to have a balance of ancient and modern technologies. I have practiced meditation and yoga every day for the last 25 years. I can't live without it.

I see many similarities between human beings and computers / internet. The brain is like a CPU, the nervous system is like our personal intranet and our senses / creative expression are like the internet. When a human beings function optimally, I call them High Tech Human Beings.

We store data in the mind, we send internal messages via the nervous system and we gather information, communicate and express creativity through the sense mechanisms.

The ancient technologies of yoga and meditation keep the body / mind, brain / nervous system and senses / creative vehicles running optimally.

When the mind is quiet, creativity starts to flow. People often experience an increase in productive thoughts and then perhaps bursts of creativity as they are drifting off to sleep or slowly waking up in the morning. The brain is shifting from beta (wakefulness) to alpha (relaxation) and then to theta (deeper relaxation) in this process. Delta is deep sleep.

I keep a notepad and a special pen (with a small light at the tip, keeps me from having to turn on the lights) by my bed so I can capture these constructive thoughts and creativity before I drop into sleep. Don't get too excited if you use this technique, so you don't interrupt your sleep process. I can often get the next day's to-do list quickly and precisely in these few peaceful moments. It helps if you are not exhausted so you don't just drop into unconsciousness.

A medium depth meditation (alpha state) or relaxation session (alpha or theta) can accomplish the same thing. I find alpha is good for constructive thoughts and theta is good for creative breakthroughs.

Here are some simple techniques to enhance access to your creativity.

At work - you can take just a minute to practice what I call the "Clearing Breath". It is similar to a sigh, which is a type of organic clearing breath. Relax you jaw and shoulders and inhale through the nose, swallow, hold the breath for a second and exhale through the mouth. Repeat this process for a minute or so and then get back to work so you don't get fired. You can do this as often as you want throughout the day.

At home after work - lay on your back, close your eyes, take a few clearing breaths and start to relax your body one section at a time. Start at the feet, then lower legs, knees, thighs, hips, belly, low back, torso, chest, shoulders, arms, hands, neck, throat, jaw, facial muscles, forehead, eyes (let them fall back into the sockets), tongue (let it fall back into the throat). Let the breath flow organically. Let go of any tension from the day flow out of you on the exhale. Let fresh energy replace the tension on the inhale. Relax the mind and let go. Then open to your creative flow.

If you are consistent with these exercises, they will get easier and more powerful. This constructive rest can boost your immune system, possibly reduce your sleep requirements and increase your creativity.

I find that High Tech Human Beings are tremendously creative.

Thus, my fetish. I love to watch this magical show of inner beauty / inner gifts and creativity manifesting in endless variations through all my human friends. Keep it up. Peace, James