|
|
 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Razza
7 Posts |
 Posted - May 25 2008 : 10:43:06 PM
|
Hey guys, I'm a frequent lurker of these forums, and this morning after meditation I felt so refreshed and centered it was amazing. During my rest period, I thought a lot about my life and my daily habits, the differences between short term pleasure and long term persistence, and thought about what direction I'm taking my life in.
I first fell in love with the idea of progression when I discovered the band Tool. Although 'progressive' music has little correlation with what I will be talking about next, it is truly the source of what came to be my love for things that build.. expand.. grow.
In high school I isolated myself. I had a lot of anxiety issues, depression, victim-like thought patterns. I was overweight, pimply, lazy, needy, dissatisfied with myself. Because of my own insecurities, I held myself back from the beautiful things in life. I spent time playing video games and pretended to be fufilled when deep down my core was begging me for real life experience. To reach out of my comfort zone. To expand.
A major source of my depression came from my acne. Like most people, I thought it was a lot worse than it truly was. I was my own harshest critic. I tried practically every topical treatment, I tried mega dosing on vitamins, I tried every herb and oil you can imagine. After a couple years of experimenting, I found my solution--diet. I started eating clean. And I mean EXTREMELY clean.
No gluten. No dairy. No refined sugars. Balanced omega 3-6's. Heavy antioxidants. Multigreen superfood mixes. Low GI meals. All organic/free range meats.
HARD CORE.
I didn't see results fast. And it was hard. But I persisted. It took a long time.. too long, but through the process, I learned a lot about myself and about change.
Change TAKES time. You can't just wake up the next day and be SOMEONE ELSE. Change naturally happens on a long time line, and it's the dedication to right action that fuels the change. I learned a lot about our society and how it advocates instantaneous magic-pill solutions. I learned that real change happens inside.
Ever since I have been addicted to "progressive" aspects of my life. Once I got a taste of the fulfillment I get from observing improvements in myself, when I observe progressive learning, I could never go back to being stagnant.
When reading Yogani's lessons, I resonated so much with his stressing of persistence in the daily practice. Planting seeds, watching them grow, and in the end enjoying the fruit. That is what I am dedicating my life to now.
I am meditating twice a day to eventually become one with my true nature.
I am eating clean daily lifting my ass off in the gym every other day to slowly sculpt my body into my ideal self.
I am practicing guitar at least 2 hours a day to eventually become a lead guitarist.
I am reading great books every day to gain insights in human nature and expand my knowledge.
I am pushing my comfort zones socially every day and am approaching hot girls that I am attracted to daily to eventually be competent and strong enough to lead a fulfilling and intimate relationship.
Every day I am burnt out. I don't feel like anything special is happening... but as weeks go by, I swear on my own life I am seeing all sorts of unexpected changes. I feel more centered. People are all the sudden positively reacting to me. Girls are checking me out everywhere (my favorite change). My friends are treating me with more respect. I feel like I have gone down the 'rabbit' hole and theres no going back. This is what life is about.
I am glad to be a part of this community, because I believe meditation is ultimately the most rewarding progressive hobby one can have... and I can't wait to reap the benefits of it. I'm about 2 weeks in, and thanks to this lifestyle that I have committed to living, theres absolutely no chance this isn't going to happen for me. It's just a matter of time. And persistence.
If you can get anything out of my ramblings today, take it to heart that consistency is key in every endeavor, and that although we don't notice big changes in ourselves on a day-to-day basis, what you put in will eventually be rewarded. And the day you realize that in the deepest of your soul, theres no way you will regret the work you put in.
-Ryan |
|
|
LittleTurtle
USA
342 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2008 : 12:41:19 AM
|
| Ryan, what a great post. I enjoyed reading it and could really feel your sense of growth and positive expectation. Thanks for posting your thoughts. |
 |
|
|
Sparkle
Ireland
1457 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2008 : 04:43:19 AM
|
Hi Ryan
Welcome to the forum
Great and inspiring post thank you!
As you say consistancy is the key and even through the tough and apparently stagnant times the message is to keep going - then, as you say, when looked at over a period one can see the changes in one's daily life.
Cheers
Louis |
|
|
|
clk1710
92 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2008 : 12:58:44 PM
|
| Thanks Ryan, I just read your posting. i haven't been on the forum in a while and it was great to read those words of wisdom as i continue to persist in my daily habit of twice daily meditation and doing alot of the things you speak about. sometimes i get impatient and want fast results but i need to continue to remember that its about the long term. sometimes i have those moments of real serenity and then sometimes not. i think meditation begins the internal unraveling process- awakening to our life and to our patterns of behavior, that are often based upon generations of fixed ways of being that we naturally reproduce. i believe through the process of meditating we begin to bring unconscious thoughts/emotions into our conscious mind to then be dealt with. thanks for your posting Ryan! |
Edited by - clk1710 on May 26 2008 1:12:46 PM |
|
|
|
Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2008 : 2:50:59 PM
|
great post Ryan, thk you for sharing your inspiring experiences and by the way i adore tool and specially the song 4 c (free yourself, from yourself) :).
Namaste my brother and i can relate to one sweet thing that's happening with me too concerning the increasing number of ladies checking me out hehehee.
Take care
Ananda |
|
|
|
Wilder
12 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2008 : 3:11:32 PM
|
Results from meditation may not be so direct and obvious. For me, though there have been no lights or fireworks, I have seen the wonderful role of "instant karma" in my daily life. Whatever mistakes I do, they come back to me in exactly equal measure. No matter how much I try to escape, I will be punished. This is a wonderful result I have seen in my daily life thanks to meditation.
Also I started coming across good books (loving what is by katie, deepak chopra's books, web readings) as and when I needed them in dealing through my relations and day2day problems. Those books show me the "right action" and I feel I am slowly improving in understanding people and my relations in life.
- Wilder |
|
|
|
Razza
7 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2008 : 02:35:06 AM
|
Thanks for such open appreciation. This is the first forum that I feel truly welcome in. I'm not surprised :)
-Ryan |
Edited by - Razza on May 27 2008 03:20:17 AM |
|
|
|
Divineis
Canada
420 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2008 : 04:31:49 AM
|
Razza, I swear, you're me except I have a bit more lazyness in the picture and I play more piano than guitar. aaaand, no gym, but I did do push-ups the other day haha, I gotta train myself for some piano (i'm not even kidding haha, I have this song to learn of literally 17 mins of quick and constant 2 handed leaps).
Awesome post though, I really enjoyed reading and getting my own insights from it. Thank you for sharing. |
|
|
|
neerja1
India
22 Posts |
Posted - May 28 2008 : 04:43:30 AM
|
Hi Razza,
That was a wonderful post..Thanks for sharing. I truly enjoyed going through it. Many of us here had been living our lives in coccoons of our own making..thanks to Yogani and the AYP group here, we are slowly coming out and are turning into beautiful butterflies of different hues and shades :-)
Neerja |
|
|
|
mikkiji
USA
219 Posts |
Posted - May 28 2008 : 10:00:34 AM
|
Ryan--
Kudos and congrats on taking charge of your life and realizing what it can be and where it can go, at such a young age! Obviously, your experiences have resonated with and inspired others here. You speak about CHANGE. Yes, self-initiated change often does take time--and your patience will grow as you exercise it. Our task in this life is to realize and live our true inner nature--the divine aspect of life--and to be in harmony with Nature. You have entered on this path now, and it is an endlessly fascinating, fulfilling and frustrating lifestyle. But always remember these important things: keep an open mind, a gentle heart and be tolerant of others, Take care of the Earth--it is our home. Change sometimes comes when you are not looking for it. Accept unasked-for changes rather than resisting them. Have faith in your path, but not pride for your decision to follow it. Believe in yourself and trust others. Love deeply, smile often and be as mindfully silent as often as you can. Life unfolds in surprising and unanticipated ways--never stop being grateful for this life you live.
Jai Guru Dev,
Michael |
|
|
|
Razza
7 Posts |
Posted - Jul 31 2008 : 03:37:08 AM
|
quote:
Originally posted by mikkiji
But always remember these important things: keep an open mind, a gentle heart and be tolerant of others, Take care of the Earth--it is our home. Change sometimes comes when you are not looking for it. Accept unasked-for changes rather than resisting them. Have faith in your path, but not pride for your decision to follow it. Believe in yourself and trust others. Love deeply, smile often and be as mindfully silent as often as you can. Life unfolds in surprising and unanticipated ways--never stop being grateful for this life you live.
Jai Guru Dev,
Michael
Mike, thank you so much. I don't know why, but these words have stuck with me since I read them. It's helped me stay humble. I've been noticing a weird paradox in my life--the more self-disciplined I become in my personal philosophy, the more free I am from judging others--less conceited, more compassionate.
Thanks again dude I love you.
-Ryan |
Edited by - Razza on Jul 31 2008 04:30:59 AM |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| AYP Public Forum |
© Contributing Authors (opinions and advice belong to the respective authors) |
|
|
|
|
The beauty of progression.
