What works best for you?

So here I am this afternoon, writing today’s email yesterday. Amazin’ huh? Organised.

I’ve moved through coffee time earlier this morning and am now into tea time - sipping a nice cuppa Yorkshire tea - with a view for my sofa where we are going to embark on a little Ascension meditation after I whip this email up for you.

I sit on a cushion on the floor and write with my laptop on the coffee table. I love that. Means I get to look out the window at everyone walking by. It means I have to be neat, because it’s our living room and the fiancee said I could be here as long as I vanished my stuff at relaxation time.

She is the boss, and I respect that, because when she is happy, I am happy.

My little office works most of all because I have a radiator at my back to lean and be warm against. I like that most of all.

It wouldn’t work for everyone, but I don’t expect it to, it works for me.

What works for you?

When I first learnt Ascension I was eager to be told what to do. What the perfect way of Ascending was, how should I sit, what I should eat, should I have these magic meditation beads, how about this blanket, should I wake and do it at 4am, would it be best if I woke for the sacred time to meditate, an hour and a half before dawn … ?

So many questions simply because I genuinely was excited to know, and I wanted to do my best, and ultimately “get it right”.

I was a bit put out when the Ishaya simply said: “What works for you?”

I didn’t want to know what worked for me, I wanted to know the correct method of gaining inner and outer peace in the shortest possible amount of time.

Yet everywhere I went in the Ishaya world most questions had the answer, “what works for you?”

And so now I am a teacher myself, I realise the beauty of that.

What works for you?

The best way to practice meditation is the way that works best for you. Because then you’re actually more likely to do it.

If that’s at 5am then wonderful. If that’s 10 minutes in your car at lunch, perfect. If that is sitting in lotus position on the floor, excellent. If it is on your comfy sofa with your blanky, then well done.

What if you couldn’t do it wrong, only simpler, gentler?

What would you do then?

What if the only way of doing it wrong was not to do it?

What would you do then?

You owe it to yourself to work out what works best for you. Feel free to explore, to try, but stick with what works. You also don’t want to be a butterfly, flitting from one practice to another. Little is gained that way.

Keep it simple. The truth has to be simple, otherwise it wouldn’t be the truth.

If you fancy, come and learn to Ascend. You won’t know what simple is until you do.

15-17 April - Richmond, North Yorkshire

Some seriously simple, yet strangely powerful techniques, that give you the ability to choose. Stuck in a thought? Choose an Ascension technique, go beyond it. Simple - it brings you to a state of calm, clarity and contentment - so you can do the things you love even better.

Email me for details.

Until then! Enjoy every minute.

- Arjuna

The little old lady who gave me a “word or two of advice” on how to meditate proper

Just the other day I was giving a talk on meditation, and having a jolly time of it.

A lady, who did have quite a severe countenance (who had confided in me earlier that she was practicing the meditation technique of another tradition), piped up, exclaiming:

“WHY are you slouching?”

I was tickled by this comment, a memory floated through my brain of being a school lad and having if not similar comments, similar attitudes be directed at me.

I attempted to sit up but for this lady, nothing less than ram rod straight would do.

I think I let her down that day both in my general disinterest in sitting “correctly” as any “meditator” worth their “salt” would do, but taking her very seriously at all.

Never mind.

The thing I want to pass on to you is that meditation gets taken very seriously. However, as I have learnt, an unhappy path does not have a happy ending.

It cannot.

I wanted peace and laughter and rest, not more harshness. Hence why I didn’t sign up for her brand of enlightened torture.

I have tried sitting on the floor with a super straight spine and the fact of the matter is that I was more grateful to finish my session and be able to move than I was for any noticeable benefit in maintaining such an awesome posture.

So I’m a ball of jelly, perhaps. and yes, slouching isn’t so nice for the spine, but I am sure there is a happy medium in there somewhere.

Didn’t big Buddha say something very wise about taking the middle path? Just like Goldilocks - not too hot, not too cold, not too harsh, not too sloth-esque.

Be comfortable when you sit!

If you’re not comfortable you’re not going to come back time and time again.

If you don’t come back to meditation time and time again, you’re not going to discover how peace is a choice away, or how the only limits to your life are the ones cycling around in the back of your sub-conscious. In other words, you’re not going to live as the best version of yourself.

… and you, you of all people, deserve that.

Keep it easy, it has to be easy, and relaxing, and in that way it will be rewarding and quickly so.

OK?

If you’re interested in joining me for a weekend course on Ascension meditation, book yourself a place on 15-17 April - Richmond, North Yorkshire.

If you’re tired of doing it “hard style”, or trying to do it on your own, if you’re not sure what to do, if you want more from your meditation - come.

I’ll give you everything you need - super simple yet powerful techniques to rise beyond any limitations. And comfortable chairs. And a nice cup of coffee should you want one.

Hit reply and I’ll send you the details.

Keep it easy! Have more fun for less effort.

- Arjuna

The cool name for my friend's business - and what it means for you

My friend has just started a dog training business. Guess what it’s called?

That’s right:

“Sit Happens.”

Isn’t that cool? Well I thought it was just perfect.

Your dog is a lot like your mind.

Your dog doesn’t get to be perfectly behaved by mistake. Neither does your mind.

But you train it - you consistently point it in the right direction, bring it back, bring it back, and sit indeed does happen.

Consistency means you can use your own mind for good, and not let the “mad man who lives upstairs” go wild and create havoc.

Like a well trained pooch, your mind can be your best friend, and not a cause for embarrassment or regret or angst.

Getting stuck in the darker, more negative regions of your untrained mind is an unpleasant place to be. I know all about that.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

It doesn’t have to be “normal” to have a even a slightly average outlook on life.

You don’t need to settle for less.

The key is in practice - in consistency, and that’s what is missing for so many people. They try and give up, after a session or a day or a week or something.

Don’t you think having a perfectly behaved mind is worth some kind of investment in time and money?

I think once you learn how to train your mind you would agree.

It doesn’t have to be hard work. I tried a few meditation techniques before I settled on one. Some of them were hard work indeed. Some of them required me to give up too much.

All I wanted was to live my life as best I could, and I wanted a tool that would support that.

The only thing I wanted to give up was limitation.

If you are the same - and I suggest you are since you are reading this - and you want more from life, come and learn Ascension meditation with me 15-17 April (we begin 7pm on the Friday so you can make it after work)

It’s in Richmond, North Yorkshire, in a beautiful comfortable location. No sitting on the floor - comfy chairs for us.

If you want a place, email me and I’ll book you in.

If you don’t, no problem - just keep bringing that dog back to where you want it to be - gently is the key.

Have a great day, if you need anything, just ask.

- Arjuna

Tips on being the best from gentleman spy training school

I’m away on holiday with the family, and it’s persisting down, as in raining. So we’re sitting around the table, drinking coffee and telling stories. It’s wonderful to take the time to sit and chat with them all.

Last night we watched “Kingsman” - if you haven’t seen it, an excellent film.

Colin Firth trains up a young fellow from the streets to be a gentleman spy, teaching him the ways of the world.

There’s a beautiful quote from Ernest Hemingway:

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self.”

I’ve met a few people whose only aim in life is to better than someone else, and all of them I found to be arrogant. I’ve attempted to leave their presence as soon as humanly possible.

Fortunately they have been in the minority.

I have met many more people who are of the category of true nobility in that they are genuinely interested in constantly improving themselves.

All of them have been humble and caring people, a fascinating thing to me that the more you focus on yourself in the sense of wanting to be become a better person, the more you care about others.

I’ve seen over the years that the fastest growth is nothing that can be forced. It comes most quickly and gracefully through greater awareness. Awareness tells you everything you need to know about the things that get in the way of being truly noble.

Other people can guide you and help give advice, but ultimately no one can tell you. You need to see - become aware - and choose for yourself.

That’s where the beauty of Ascension meditation comes in. It uncovers habitual beliefs and reactions so gracefully so it’s obvious where you can just let go and make another choice.

It gives you the headspace to make different choices so simply.

It gives you the awareness to be a gentleman, or a lady, of the highest order without you having to conform to any ideas of what you “should” be doing.

If I could go back into the past and give myself any advice, it would be learn to Ascend sooner.

I stalled and postponed for quite some time, and yet when I finally learned I was kicking myself. So simple, so powerful, so … gentlemanly

Join me for a course here in Richmond, 15-17 April. Day or retreat, up to you.

Email me and let me know. You won’t regret it. Life is too short not to.

Keep the Peace!

- Arjuna

How a thought can change the world

I saw a very cool TED talk the other day about love and connection.

But before I tell you all about it - one of things that I’ve learnt from my practice of Ascension is that my attitude and thoughts affect what happens to me, even down to what other people say to me and treat me.

Isn’t that interesting?

The outside world depends on my relationship to it - what I think and believe about it.

When I was depressed and insular, the world left me alone. I thought no one cared, and low and behold, no one cared.

My practice of Ascension meditation meant that I was able to shake off the lows quicker, or operate despite them. It meant that increasingly I saw the world as a much friendlier, optimistic place. And for real - I met more and more happy and friendly people, a lot more. It was like the sun came out.

The world isn’t an external thing at all, it very much is dependent on how I approach it.

I think it was the writer Anais Nin who said “we do not see the world as it is, we see it as we are”.

Explained in this TED talk was the very same thing:

The one thing that keeps everyone away from love and connection is the fear of not being worthy of love and connection.

Read that again.

For a richer experience of life, it is only your inner judgement that needs to change. If anything, the only thing you need fear is fear itself.

The people that feel the most love and connection in their lives only have it because they believe that they are worthy of it - that there is nothing “wrong” with them or that nothing needs to change for them to be loved.

As well as “worthiness”, there is a sense of okay-ness or contentment with who they are, as they are, in all their “imperfections”.

These people are able to let go of who they think they should be in order to be who they are.

And in that dynamic of being worthy now, not later when they become a “better” person - whatever that is - the outside world responds; in this case, with love and connection.

This game of life is played on an inner court. Your attitudes change the nature of your interactions and your reality.

Isn’t that cool?

It’s so nice to hear researchers are catching up.

Link to video is here if you want to see it. It’s 20 minutes long, but well worth it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvmsMzlF7o

If you want that, if you want to have more connection, more meaning in your life, however you live, then know that it’s all about your attitude.

Change your attitude, change your life.

Change the inner reactions, every one responds differently to you.

I love that because the one thing you can change is yourself.

If you want the simplest way to reset all judgements and fear, then come and learn Ascension with me. 15-17 April - come as a day student, or there is a retreat option as well.

Email me if you want a seat - don’t delay! Life is too short to live it half-arsed.

Take it easy out there, and have some fun too, okay?

- Arjuna

What do you notice about yourself most of all?

I saw a statistic the other day, and it referred to an estimate by someone who is a big boss in the mind-field (just a little pun) of brains and thinking and “consciousness”.

Consciousness is a big word that I don’t really get, I prefer to use the word “awareness”.

Awareness is what you notice.

You can notice anything. These words. The background around these words. The space around the background. Sound. The feel of your body as it presses into whatever is pressing into the earth.

Noticing. What you notice grows in significance.

Most of the time all people notice is their thoughts. Every now and then there is a widening of that, a broadening of attention, but humans spend a lot of time in their heads.

There was a famous philosopher, Descartes. He has a famous phrase: “I think, therefore I am”.

Although that’s about all I know about the man, I never met him, and maybe he was mistranslated, but I would say he’s wrong.

You are aware, therefore you are, you exist. Thoughts are neither here nor there to the fact of your existence.

If you can be aware of your thoughts, perhaps you aren’t them? Perhaps you are that which is aware, which notices?

Hmmmm… muy interesante, no?

Anyway, the statistic said that people are generally only aware of 10% of their thoughts. The rest are at a subconscious or unconscious level.

That means if you are a normal human, 90% of what you think sneaks through, under the radar. You are not aware of it.

If you aren’t aware of it, you have no choice.

Do you see?

If you have no choice, it becomes the truth. It changes your reality.

This is important - the mind isn’t as logical and friendly as you would like to think it is.

It says some random stuff, depending on your mood, and in unawareness it affects you. If you’ve ever struggled with say, depression, like I have, you’ll know that black dog your mind turns into.

But if you are aware of it - it doesn’t need to be the “truth”.

Your thoughts can be optional. If you notice them they can be like a conversation you hear on a train, or in an elevator - perhaps interesting, but ultimately separate from you.

The moral of the story is become aware. Notice what your thoughts are saying to you.

Spend time every day closing your eyes and coming to a greater state of awareness.

You can just count your thoughts if you like - what a wonderful little tool to create a little bit of space between you and it.

If you know Ascension meditation, introduce your techniques from there and reap the benefits of greater awareness.

In awareness you have choice. In awareness you can be free from the negativity of your own mind.

Well worth being.

Go well.

- Arjuna

PS. Ascension meditation course is go - 15-17 April (Richmond, North Yorkshire - begins 7pm on the Friday). £200 for the whole superb, repeatable for free forever, weekend.

Let me know if you want in. Be quick about it though, you don’t want to miss out.

The shortest email I have written

Someone pointed out to me that my emails are getting longer and longer.

(You see, if you are reading this on my blog - these go out in the form of emails to my list quite regularly. Want a part of that? - sign up above, or here:)

www.arjunaishaya.com/discovermeditationandmindset

That someone was the fiancee, she who doesn’t really like reading emails so I’m not sure she’s the ideal audience for them, but anyway.

A side story: early in our relationship, when I was wooing her, I tried wooing by email and text message. She wasn’t really playing. And they say it is men that have a hard time communicating to the woman’s satisfaction. Not in my world.

But since the fiancee mentioned it, this one will be short, and concise.

In these emails, I do try and be concise. I also try and be interesting at least, and informative somehow. I figure you deserve that much.

I like my email inbox to contain nothing but fluffy nuggets of joy, inspiration and useful information. And some days I get that when I open it up.

Since I want that, that’s what I try and give to you.

But if you really don’t like them, if they are long and rambling to your dissatisfaction, please unsubscribe. The button is just here at the bottom, always.

Life is too short to be annoyed when an email shows up in your inbox, don’t you think? Especially one that you signed up for, and clicked a confirmation link for, and have a solution to.

I’ll leave you with a question:

What is one thing you will stop doing today that will make your life better in some way?

How will you “detox” one part of your day to give you a little more “ahhhhh” within it?

Cut away the unnecessary and you will find the crucial vitality you want, and deserve.

Over and out.

- Arjuna “Senor Concise”

People are strange

Loved that song “People are Strange” when I was a wee fellow.

Picked it up via The Lost Boys soundtrack. Remember that film?

My favourite film for a long time. I tried to get my hair just like Kiefer Sutherland’s. Didn’t work, think I was probably starting to go bald very early on. Anyway, I do digress, you’re not here to hear about my dubious cultural tastes …

When I look around and study our fellow humans, we do some strange things.

One of the strangest is when someone comes to me and says they need help with being more focussed, or not worrying, or sleeping better, or being more calmer, or whatever …

(There are so many problems that can be solved by training your mind, by learning how to use it properly it’s hard to pick one)

It’s a real problem for them, it’s really affecting their life …

Had an email this morning just like this, which mabee explains why it is forefront of my attention.

And they are there when I talk (or write), asking questions, interacting, findings out more.

When it comes the moment to jump in to learn Ascension meditation?

— “Sounds good but I don’t have enough time to practice” —

I’ve heard it a lot and it still makes me almost slap my forehead in disbelief (not very hard though, I’m not much of a masochist).

Maybe “not having time” is code for they don’t like me and are finding a nice way to remove themselves from my surroundings, which is fine.

But I’ve talked to so many people, and the trouble with everything, they say, is “there isn’t enough time”.

Curious - humans are constantly delaying - “I’ll do it later”, as if they had all the time in the world, and then there is the problem of not enough time.

The problem of struggling against a mind that won’t be still, won’t stop worrying, or doubting, or stressing about every single thing … and then there is the problem of time.

Here is the thing:

You don’t have time not to practice.

There is nothing in the world that will help you without you putting a modicum of time and effort into it.

But closing your eyes every day and doing your Ascension meditation gives you more time.

It stretches the mindspace - time continuum. I just made up that term, but I’m serious: it gives you the ability to transcend the very thing that takes all your time away!

(that’s your mind, btw)

You need to do the work. If you want different fruit, you need to plant different trees.

Otherwise you just get the same old, same old.

And if you’re happy with living a life of less than optimal, of dealing with stress and struggle and self-sabotaging your happiness and goals on a daily basis then that is fine with me.

Just be honest with yourself. If you are happy with that, be happy with it.

Keep a track of what you say you want, and what you’re actually prepared to do about it.

That in itself may just fundamentally change how you live life.

But if it’s enough of a problem, then devote the time and effort to learn how to move beyond the problem.

You never will regret it.

Boom. Life is too short to live with a problem that can be solved.

Solution:

Course here, my place (big house), 15-17 April. Richmond, North Yorkshire (may involve some simple travel)

Only 12 mind space explorers at one time, £200 for the whole shebang. Bargain, price will go up for the next course.

If you are at all interested - email me, and I will put you on the list so you know first when registrations are open.

Wunderbar!

Have a great day. As always, let me know if I can help.

- Arjuna

When living a normal life means dealing with mental obesity

Don’t you ever wonder why you can’t just switch your mind off?

Don’t you ever wonder why you succumb to worry or stress or struggle?

Don’t you ever wonder why life isn’t a cool, happy, content adventure all the time?

See I used wonder all the time why I couldn’t be present and happy all day, day in, day out.

What was going on? What was I doing that meant my mind went mental?

What was I doing when everything was easy? How could I have that more?

I think for some people they just consider these ups and downs normal.

BUT sometimes - don’t you ever consider that normal just isn’t normal??

What if there was so much more to be had than “normal”?

I get so passionate about this I want to shout it from the rooftops.

There is so much more to be had. Don’t settle for less!!

What humans consider normal is just mental obesity.

Fat, lazy, channel surfing, couch potato minds.

The mind, and how you use it, is at the core of everything you do. It effects everything.

If the average human exercised their mind just a little bit it would be a lot more friendlier, a lot more stable, a lot more able to deal with the challenges of life.

It would start to become a ally, not a hinderance. A source of peace, not a source of angst and drama.

And when I say exercise, I don’t mean hard work.

Meditation and mindset if probably more about having a simple tool, and consistency.

The hardest thing you will find about my method is finding the time to sit down every day and close your eyes in a comfy chair (hint - not really that hard).

I want to share with you a bit of an email I got from Bernard a few days ago …

—————-

“I’ve gotten more peace. More laughter. More joy. Relationships that are more real, more honest, more open. The ability to be fully present with my partner and kids, which was something I’d craved but didn’t know how to do - I’d spent a long time in my head. A more creative, authentic life.”

—————-

Isn’t that cool? I love hearing from people who’ve learnt to Ascend. All of them, all of them, if they follow the instructions find a quality of life well beyond what they used to consider “normal”.

If you want more than normal - if you want an end to mental obesity - find a way to learn. Scroll down to the PS for details of a course here.

If you’re happy with the status quo, then just do nothing and get the same old, same old normal lardy brain.

If you already know how to Ascend - let this be a reminder to prioritise your practice. Make use of the community around you too - you know how great it is to plug in, however you can, in person or in the Facebook group, on Insight Timer … however, do it.

Excellent! So, here I raise my coffee to a live lived in pursuit of the not-normal.

Have a great day, and keep your Peace. It’s one of the most precious things you have.

- Arjuna

PS.

The course here in Richmond, North Yorkshire is 15-17 April (we begin 7pm on the Friday).

I’m giving you guys advance warning so you can get yourself together. Let me know if you are interested in a place by emailing me, before I open up registrations.

We can only take 12 you see - otherwise I start to “lose” people, I can’t make sure you’re getting the attention you need.

Distance isn’t a deal - we had a girl come from Sweden for the last course. Close to train lines. You can stay at the center too - plenty of bedrooms.

The price is £200. A bargain when you consider it covers the weekend, repeating for FREE anywhere in the world, and a lifetime of follow up and support. You have a question 12 years from now? No worries - you can tap into the Ascension community of teachers and practitioners and get the help you need.

Let me know if you are interested.

Where are you racing off to next?

I was in the store yesterday, and as often times happens, a rather large queue formed. The three tills were down to one, the lady on the till was new, you know the story.

It had been a while since I’ve experienced this, but I could feel the people in the queue almost shaking with impatience, with that “hurry up, right now, get out of my way” kind of deal.

You know that I’m sure…

I live in a smallish country town, in the more relaxed north of England so the people aren’t that stressed. But yet there was a definite need for speed about them. A definite push to be somewhere else.

If you read yesterday’s email - you might say a definite non-acceptance of that fact that they aren't in control of the queue.

It was even worse when I lived in the south and would host meditation courses. People would come direct from London, it was a simple 1.5 hour drive.

Most of them would show up literally at a million miles an hour, a real sense of “go, go, go!!” They would come in like little spinning tops, seemingly unable to take anything in, just looking for the next thing, the next goal, the next appointment, the next thing to race towards, even when that was dinner.

That there is a big problem for just about all of humanity.

That race to do and achieve, to tick things off the list, to move to the next thing. It’s there in the sense of making sure you do all the things you want to do in the day. But more importantly, it’s there in the sense of striving to become, to be different, to get somewhere within yourself.

That this moment, and who you are in this moment, is not enough.

Achieving goals is a wonderful, fulfilling thing, but it needs to be equally balanced with a deep sense of living now.

A sense of being present and fully alive to this moment despite your to do list and where you need to be in 10 minutes time.

A taking back control of your own happiness and not putting it in achieving and getting somewhere, but making it an internal choice, an internal decision to simply be content no matter what.

An exercising of the choice to stop and smell the roses alongside the highway of life.

So where ever you may be when you read this, stop the race to become and achieve, stop struggling and striving, just for a few moments. Give yourself to now, bring yourself back to your body.

If you have them, use an Ascension Attitude. Pay attention and allow your awareness to fill up, and just be here for a moment. Slow down.

Make that your base, your foundation and go from there.

Good job! Have the best of days.

Keep the Peace,

- Arjuna

PS. Finally I have dates for the Bright Path Ishayas’ Ascension meditation course. Hurrah!

You are formally invited to the weekend course here in Richmond, North Yorkshire (a very relaxed and pretty town - just don’t join a queue)

Dates are the 16 and 17 April. We begin on the Friday (15th at 7pm).

There are some beds available if you want to stay and make it into a “mini-retreat” and are okay with cats.

Anyhow - more details are coming, just set aside the date.

How to be wildly happy - the fail-proof solution to all stress and struggle

The single greatest thing you can do to create happiness in your life - and by happiness I mean for you to put the word that describes your mood when everything is just peachy. It could be content, or fulfilled, or satisfied, or at peace, or anything like that. It is your life so I don’t want to put words into your head…

When I saw this in action in myself I finally saw why I got upset and stressed and struggled. It really wasn’t about the situation, but all about my reaction to the situation.

Every single time.

The single greatest thing you can do to create more happiness, instantly, is work out which things you need to totally accept and which things you can do something about.

You could sum it up by asking yourself: “Right now, what can I do?”

All stress is underlined by the feeling of being out of control. It is caused by the focus on the things that you can’t control that brings you to a place of upset.

You focus so intently on what you want to be different you totally forget everything in your life that is good, and you are in control of.

You spend forever trying to tackle the problem that all your mental and emotional capacity is taken up by the problem. You can’t do anything but focus on the problem. You get more and more wound up. More and more upset.

That’s where acceptance comes in.

In the small things that could annoy you, just being able to shrug your shoulders is such a strength.

In the huge things that might derail someone, just being able to see it clearly - at arm’s length as it were - you give yourself the headspace to do what can do and let go of everything else. Acceptance gives you peace in all trying times.

Acceptance isn’t about not being emotional or not caring or not being concerned, it is simply a clarity to see what you can and can’t do.

Acceptance is shifting your focus from what you can’t do to what you can do. And sometimes what you can do is nothing at all.

Stress is all caused from a lack of acceptance. More accurately, all unhappiness is fighting, actively resisting, that which in this moment in time is a reality.

See what you can change and what, for this moment at least, you simply must accept.

It makes all of life so simple.

Give it a try - see if you can find the acceptance point in all difficulties. Don’t give up, just see clearly what you can and can’t do right now. Maybe it’ll be different soon…

Have a great, happy day. Make the most of it!

A little bit funny story about time flying and regret

The other day I was telling someone how old I was and then the fiancee (still love using that word - so fancy pants) told me I was wrong.

That came as a considerable shock. I am not often wrong, but she proved her case with the clever (and I'm not entirely sure, honest) use of "mathematics" (whatever that is).

How did that happen? I’ve gotten to the age where I have forgotten how old I am.

Just crept up on me I guess.

I was so busy doing stuff, time just passed. My age just passed.

Funny thing time. We think we have so much of it.

Good example - I used to love to kayak on the river. It was everything to me. It was all I talked about, all I thought about. Actually, all I dreamed about too.

I finally joined the local club and got a little practice session in at the pool.

It’s been 10 years.

Something that was once so crucial to my being, and I left it so long.

Obviously I’d moved on, had different priorities so it wasn’t at the very top of my list, but I always intended on joining a club and meeting some people and doing some sooner rather than later.

The mistake with time that I made - and so many people make - is that they will get to it “later”.

The mistake is you think there will be a magic time where you have all this “free time” to do all those things you were going to do “later”.

You think you have will have time. But you don’t.

You just do ... "stuff". Time fills itself.

The sad bit? The things that would really enhance your life? These are the things that are usually pushed aside for something else, to do “later”.

Your inner commitments are reflected in what you actually do. Take a look - it’s a little shocking - but what you are actually committed to is a lot times different from what you say you are committed to.

The upshot of this is a kick in the backside, of the good variety.

If you are like me, you have so many things you want to do. So many goals and things.

But to make sure you do them, you have to actively prioritise them.

Actively remind yourself, and take the steps to make sure those things happen. Do them now, or make a date to start, and a plan.

And do it!

Otherwise you’ll be sitting here 10 years on going, “holy cow! Where did the time go?”

You don’t want to get to “later” and regret not doing it sooner. Make your actions match your true priorities.

How about today?

Do it now. Do it now. Do it now.

My totalitarian dictator of a swim coach

When I was young I was a swimmer. I spent a lot of time in the pool, doing laps, working on techniques, getting fitter, stronger, better.

All that mileage was just to get better at being more fish like. Perhaps, if you excuse the pun, more e-fish-ent …

Some days I felt great, some days I felt awful.

Sometimes I didn’t want to get out of bed. Sometimes I didn’t want to get wet, again.

But it was simply a case of applying what my coach said to the best of my ability, consistently.

My coach was a bit like a happy totalitarian dictator. You just submitted to the whim of his regime, completely.

You showed up and did the work the best you could, day in, day out.

That is the athlete’s life.

But the truth is anything you want to get better at is exactly the same.

Any skill requires nothing but practice. You practice, you do it every day, bingo, you get good.

It’s just about doing it again and again and again, no matter how you feel or what you think.

What ever you do - what ever you want to get better at - you need to ignore the doubts.

Don’t let those little doubts of “I'm not good” turn into beliefs that “you can never do it” because that means you stop doing it.

You put your doubts completely to one side - in fact bypass any limitation at all - by specifically engaging a system, a method of practice.

So instead of listening - and stopping - you just do - and you become great.

Now, being the best possible version of yourself involves the skill of mastering your mind.

In other words, get better at the inner game and the outer game shifts accordingly, and instantaneously.

The practice is to be completely present, aware and alive to this exact moment in time. Actually it involves not so much being present, but noticing your own Presence, beyond thought, beyond the body, beyond time.

(bit mystical that)

The system, or the method of practice, is to do that repeatedly. Constantly make the choice, return, no matter what the thoughts say, because they say all sorts of things. All you have to do is not listen.

Return. And once again, return.

What you want will become a habit if you engage this simple system.

If you need a tool to help, and I did, learn to Ascend. Think of it like a completely non-harmful performance enhancing drug for your practice.

Just makes the practice of return so much more simple and effortless.

Be smart, be smarter than Lance Armstrong and his buddies - next course here in Richmond is early April, either of the first two weeks, having a moment getting things scheduled at the venue  that I want.

It’s not so far to the train lines, you can stay if you like, there are B&Bs as well.

SImple, and easy, and totally performance enhancing.

I’ll let you know.

Thanks for reading, and have yourself a superb day.

How to get away from the drunk guy at the bar

Sometimes I see my own mind as that drunk guy at the bar who wants to engage you in conversation. Very opinionated, a bit intense, judgemental, but underneath it all just lonely and needing someone to talk to.

And talk to you he will do. “You and me, buddy, together we’ll … blah blah blah … “

You look for the exit, someone to save you, some other conversation to be had … and nope, everyone has vanished so you’re left politely nodding, focussing on the carpet, hoping and praying for a chance to get away.

The mind is an excellent tool and a terrible drunk.

You need to consider that what your own mind says isn’t that rational, all of the time.

If you watch it for a while I think you might agree.

Yet you constantly let it in, you give it an opening.  You refer to it all the time: “what do you say, drunk guy at the bar?”

It’s one of the few things you can absolutely change in this world - your relationship with your mind.

Treat it as an option, not the truth, just an opinion.

Be aware of your mind’s addiction. Don’t let it ceaselessly ramble on and on.

Now, you don’t need to force it to stop. No force is required.

Just simply become more aware of what is happening. In that awareness, in noticing the mind but not giving any energy to it, it creates a sense of space.

If you can be aware of your mind it means you are not it.

This space means the option to listen or not is easier, more obvious, ok?

But it is something you have to practice. It is an addiction, something you need to wean your mind off.

Well worth it though. You know those times when your mind is sober - sharp, intuitive, clear, calm.

Living with a mind like that is worth everything. The relief from the constant chatter alone is one thing.

So practice. Learn to meditate. Even better, learn the simplest and most effective method of meditation I think the world has ever seen (personal opinion, of course).

Come over and learn the Bright Path Ishayas’ Ascension. Next course here in the North East - where you can come stay and make a little retreat of it - is early April, so you have plenty of time to organise yourself.

It’s worth its weight in gold. If it had a weight.

Go well - stay away from the sauce.

Lessons on being present from a half-mad genius

The film “Fight Club” was one of my favourite films for a long long time.

It’s about a couple of guys who essentially are tired of self-medicating and self-sedating with shopping, possessions, alcohol, drugs.

Tired of chasing the empty dreams of Western culture, they instead insist on finding their authentic way of being in order to squeeze the most out of life, in order to be fully and completely alive.

Well that’s my take on it. I’m no film critic.

I loved the film when I saw it in my early twenties, it was just the thing that spoke my language, spoke to me of wanting to grab life absolutely by the bells without compromise..

And it was half mad too. That always helps.

Whether you see the film or not is up to you, the point I want to make is that the author of the book is a genius.

I came across some of his quotes recently and was blown away.

If you google “chuck palahniuk quotes” you’ll see what I mean.

Well, it may be personal opinion … up to you to take it or leave it.

One quote I saw from the film is the following:

“This is your life, and it’s ending one minute at a time” - Tyler Durden

And I get it … go now, do it now, don’t wait until conditions are perfect. You can always adjust and fine tune later.

Good advice actually for me who is weaning myself off my addiction to perfection so I actually do something.

Perfection can freeze you in such a noble way: “it’s not right so I can’t send it off now” …

… and so years later I’m still doing the same thing.

Or, I can’t decide on what will be the best decision, and so no decision gets made … Years later …

I don’t know if you know that, but I do well. Nice to see because in awareness I can make adjustments for it.

So - your life, and it’s ending one minute at a time.

True, but equally true is that this is your life and it’s beginning one minute at a time.

You can begin again in each and every moment.

In fact you do - nothing of your past can touch you here, now. Its all gone. All your memories, all the stuff that happened because you were there and you lived through it?

It is now just a thought.

A firing of neurons, a connection of brain tissue, a muscle memory.

No matter if you thought you were awesome or horrible in the past, you get to start again. It doesn’t matter if you were a saint or a sinner, you get to go again.

Good news!

I leave you with the man himself:

“Your past is just a story. And once you realise this it has no power over you”

- Chuck Palahniuk

Keep the peace!

• Arjuna

p.s. if you want to know how to live this as a reality, you really need to learn to Ascend. Simple, does it for you.

When there is no way in the world you could be positive

I’ll put my hand up and say that I am guilty of telling people to choose to be more positive.

I say guilty, but I’m not sorry -  your choice to see things in a more positive light changes many things, not least your enjoyment of life.

I know the more you are positive the more life tends to be seen in a better light, i.e. your filters get polished and life just seems … easier, less of a slog.

You’re happier for no reason, just because you are alive.

Also, saw a study that said feeling grateful means your body almost doubles certain aspects of your immune system, means you have a higher oxygen uptake in your cells, creates better coherence of your heart rhythms.

Pretty cool huh?

What’s cooler is that you body doesn’t know the difference between spontaneous gratitude and mechanically “choosing” to be grateful.

You do it - you just are grateful by sitting down and doing one of them gratitude lists, and even though it may feel a bit fake, your body sits up and takes notice.

So you can fake it until you make it, until it becomes a reality.

But!

I do understand that life isn’t always fluffy rainbows and blessings and unicorns.

I know that sometimes life isn’t that cool and you’re trying hard to be positive and you just can’t do it.

No worries.

The pressure of not being positive is worse than not being positive is itself.

Do you see?

Nothing is a problem unless you make it a problem.

If you can’t be positive, if you can’t see the glass as half full, just settle for being present.

Just be okay with not being okay.

Accept, and in that acceptance, be okay with what is - even if that isn’t that good.

Don’t give up on living, just take a load of pressure off trying to be different.

That there is your choice, the choice to accept and be okay with feeling rubbish.

In a sense, you come to a place of being content … that’s not quite right as I write it, I can’t find the exact word but it’s “contentment-like” …

You come to a place where you can just be here.

The more you are here, the less you listen to the inner troll.

The less you go into the future.

The less you rehash the past.

And most importantly, the more patient you are, and understanding too, when you do those “whatever you do don’t do these things” things.

It’s not going to last forever.

Let it be there, just don’t wallow in any of it. Don’t wholesale dive in, gentle awareness and presence is enough - it’s always enough - until it changes.

Go well, keep the peace however that looks.

Beware the inner troll

You know the troll that lives in your own head? Far worse than the ones on the internet. Or the ones that live under bridges.

It is so easy to fall into harsh self-criticism. Don’t do it. The more you listen, the more it talks.

You think it’s useful feedback, but it really isn’t. It’s just self-abuse.

The times when I’ve been feeling really bad about myself have all been when I’ve done something that hasn't met my standards. I know I let myself down and perhaps hurt someone else.

That sucks, right?

It is such a cliche, but everyone does the best they can at the time with what they know.

I certainly hope that’s true, at least I hope it’s true for me.

Whether it’s true or not, I see “doing the best you can” is a means of accepting what happened, accepting so you can move on. Of not listening to the troll. The troll does not accept.

After acceptance what you need to do is make sure you don’t keep making the same mistakes.

You learn from that, if you want - get five minutes, sit (when you’re in a clear and objective space) and write all the lessons down, and then hit the reset button. Clear the plate and go again:

“What can I do now?”

One of the biggest mistakes you will ever make is listening to the troll. It is one that humans as a whole do a lot, and repeatedly do.

It’s nasty and de-motivating. It will keep you in the past forever recycling mistakes (actual and totally imagined ones). It will create all kinds of dramatic futures. It will stop you learning and getting on with making fresh choices.

You gotta stay present and away from your troll. Don’t let it get a grip on you.

The inner game is you versus your troll. He may win a point here and there, but don’t let him win the match.

Game on!

The one vital - yet simple - key to perfect meditations

I saw a funny guided meditation this morning, and it reminded me of something extremely valuable.

It’s called, and I apologise in advance for the profanity, “F**k It” meditation.

I only write about it, not because I rejoice in crassness, but it serves a valuable teaching purpose.

Or something like that.

But anyhow… what a wonderful attitude.

How wonderful if you applied that attitude to your own meditation practice…

What if you just stopped doing, trying, scrambling, for anything?

That’s the whole purpose of meditation - to give yourself a moment to do nothing.

Nothing at all.

How often do you do nothing?

That’s right - not enough.

But it’s easy to bring a “get there faster” achievement mentality to meditation.

I know that, having a background in sports, there is a certain amount of “just do it… yesterday” attitude around.

“If I was doing it right there wouldn’t be all these thoughts”

“If I was doing it right there I wouldn’t get distracted”

“If I was doing it right, a lotus would grow as my seat, and celestial beings would come and massage my shoulders”…

So meditation is the opposite of that.

It is giving up the right.

It is giving up the wrong.

It is indeed saying “F**k It” to everything.

It is doing nothing, but doing nothing with a purpose.

That purpose is in this moment to just gently notice everything.

You see when you give up, you stop focussing on the thing you think “should” be happening, and just let everything happen.

When you let everything be there, you notice more.

You widen your focus. You allow everything to come and go.

You get perspective.

Your body rests. Your mind rests deeper than ever before (even if you don’t realise this is happening)

You don’t cling to the one thing, you let everything.

You become the ocean.

(that’s spiritual talk that is)

So when you sit down and close your eyes today - stop achieving, searching, hunting.

Do nothing. Even say “F**k It” if it helps.

You may believe you can’t meditate, or that it’s difficult. But everyone can do nothing. Everyone can give up trying.

Close your eyes, and simply notice what there is to notice.

If you know the Ascension techniques, wait, just notice - what’s the hurry, huh? and then introduce one. See what happens.

You have it good - they do everything for you,

They “disapparate" (told you I was reading Harry Potter) the clinging to an outcome, they guide you to the truth of the matter.

Whatever you do, just do nothing.

And reap the rewards.

What if stress, struggle and compromise was optional?

Whatever you do, however you live, what if it is possible to be completely and constantly free of doubt, worry, fear, self-sabotage and compromise?

You never have to struggle again.

Wouldn’t that be nice?

Someone wise once said that in life “pain is inevitable, suffering is optional”.

Honestly - Things can happen that you would rather not, but they don’t have to affect your peace.

They don’t have to stop you being calm, clear and content.

When you know this, all stress becomes an option.

You may not know how to live this way, but simply hold it as a possibility - what if you were able to live this way?

Holding it as just a possibility is the greatest beginning.

Then…

Have a look at yourself first - “what choices am I making that mean I get stressed?”

“Do I want to be stressed”?

“What choices can I make that will create a different result?”

It’s easy to point the finger and find the source of stress and struggle outside of yourself, but you can be sure you have also made choices that bring you to this point.

If you want a fast path, assume that stress isn’t about the outside at all.

It is totally about your perception of events.

You are in control of your own perception and judgement.

That you can change.

Change your perception, change the fixed nature of your future plans, change your insistence that other people change… all this means you don’t get stressed.

Don’t lose your peace.

You can learn to be totally present, accepting of what is.

In that stress becomes an option.

Why not? Why not explore that? Wouldn’t it be worth being stress, struggle and compromise free?

I say it is.

Keep on truckin’ - keep on moving in that direction and you’ll get there.

Powerful motivation can come from regret

One of the most powerful realisations for me in my life was that the things I considered important, such as peace, love, not compromising, being honest, being true…

I wasn’t prioritising them.

It was like someone gave me a big slap simply because I referred to these things a lot, and yet I wasn’t putting my money where my mouth was. I wasn’t walking my talk.

I know when clarity comes, sometimes it comes with a bit of discomfort. Like a tweak of regret, or even anger towards the source, something like that.

Do you know that feeling?

But it can be good - you can use it as motivation not to compromise, to actually prioritise, to keep going.

A guy called Pat Flynn wrote about this recently. I don’t usually quote people, but it was perfect for what I was writing about this morning so I stole it:

“True motivation comes from knowing you can do better than you are, now. It's actually a little painful, like this slight twinge in the back of your neck or spleen, and it moves around. But it's there. And I think it might also called regret. You don't want that.

Motivation is all but a hedge against regret I think. It is knowing how immense you are, and believing in it, and doing something--almost, literally, anything--to prove it.”

For me motivation came just like that - in the form of wanting to avoid regret. The last thing I wanted to do was feel any regret, ever, and that really got me going.

Now I know regret it also a habit, it is a pattern of thinking that many of us have.

It isn’t useful to entertain, but it can be useful as a kick up the bum to put those important things first.

Avoid suffering, and prioritise the important things.

Simply because it’s important.

And since I am a Bright Path Ishaya meditation teacher - here is my blatant pitch:

Learn and practice Ascension.

It is the one thing that makes it easier to avoid all suffering.

It is the one thing that makes it simple to prioritise the important things.

If you keep doing the same things you’re going to get the same results. Just so you know.

Whatever you do though, enjoy yourself, ok?

Keep the peace!

Arjuna

I have courses coming up you really want to be on:

• Stroud, Gloucestershire 29-31 Jan
• Scarborough 12-14 Feb

and a mini-retreat one here in Richmond, North Yorkshire coming up in March (meaning you can come and stay with the family in home comfort, totally awesome)

Let you know dates asap.

But for everywhere else: go here and you won’t regret it.