The Weekly Universe
Volume #47
“We have proof that HEAT STRESS can reverse the brain's natural decline after 30.
A 20-year Finnish study found that 20-minutes in the sauna activates BDNF, the "neurogenesis protein" that grows new brain cells, strengthens memory, and cuts dementia risk by 66%.”
“Chase Hughes drops the wildest self-improvement hack:
Become so self-forgiving it’s almost delusional.
“Most people look back with regret and shame… Get so forgiving of everything you’ve ever done that it’s like delusional to the point where it’s just crazy.
You get to a point where everything is fine and it’s just hilarious.
If you do that, your ability to stay in the present and not get stuck in the past will 10x overnight.”
Radical self-forgiveness as the fastest path to actually enjoying the moment.”
“There's NO GREATER WAY to start your day than by syncing your mind + breath
I've spent 18 years practicing "mindfulness of breathing"
The premise is incredibly simple
(But the results are literally mind-altering)
> You gently focus on your breath
> You recognize when you're lost in thought
> You relax to "unhook" attention from thought
(Your attention feeds w/e it's placed upon - place it upon anxious thoughts and it will nourish anxiety
Place it on grateful thoughts and it will create a state of gratitude)
> You return to the breath
> You repeat until the end of the session
No woo-woo nonsense
Just a simple mechanism repeated until you develop some level of skill with it
(It just so happens to be a fundamental skill that changes EVERYTHING else in your life)
People will sit down & try this..
Realize they can't focus for more than 2-seconds without getting lost in thought
And state confidently "Nah man, meditation doesn't work for me"
Because they're not in a state of inner silence & transcendent bliss
That's like walking into a gym - doing 1 set of bicep curls
Not being jacked out of your mind at the end of the set
And declaring that weight lifting is B.S
You have to give yourself a chance to develop this as a skill
You'll learn more about yourself & the inner workings of your mind from doing this for 20-mins a day than decades of therapy
You'll come face to face with WHY you feel so stuck & dissatisfied in your life
Because inevitably...
You'll have to face just wild & out of control your mind & attention are
How small, mean-minded & judgmental your nasty little ego can be
(Everyone's is - It's ok - It's completely innocent really - but it can be a right ol' cunt at times)
And the truth is most people never get below the surface level of their mind
They stay stuck in their conditioning & programming
"Leigh, How do I know what's programming?"
It's simple:
Every time a thought barges in on your peace unrequested - That's programming
AKA...99% of your thoughts are programming
"Fuck"
Yea - It's a lot
But I can tell you from personal experience...
As someone who used to fall asleep while meditating...
Wake up in a puddle of drool
Get up in a rage and punch a hole through my bedroom door
(Sorry Mum)
That it's all worth it
Because you'll gain so much strength, power, wisdom and peace from going through this process
And when you can have your ATTENTION + BREATH merged for 60% of your sit?
You'll start to experience new states that feel supernatural on & off the cushion
Not because you're seeing spirits floating around or farting magic dust out your arse chakra
But because of the depths of peace & intimacy you feel with the present moment
> The wind moving through the trees
> The feeling of the sun on your skin
> The warmth of holding a loved one close without your mind whirring away in the background constantly
The "mundane" comes bursts into life and become spectacular
Everything feels fresh, new & vibrantly alive...
And before you know it...
All that self-obsession that previously dominated your experience?
Has dissolved away...
Instead… you find yourself fascinated & engaged with the present moment + LIFE
You live from a new level of self trust & easy confidence
You move in a way that's connected to your body, the present moment & life
An intelligence far greater than that of your thinking mind that can only think within the narrow confines of it's fear-based conditioning
You realize all of the thinking, worrying, planning, plotting isn't just unnecessary...
But was the think cutting you off from accessing the wholeness, peace and bliss that's already here & now
It's extremely painful to live a life inconstant chase of the above "out there"
It is your moral imperative if you're reading this to do everything you can to upgrade your Inner OS
And to live your life from a beautiful state
There truly is no higher work to be done
And it all begins with learning to relax out of overthinking & return to the breath”
That’s all for this week :)