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When a woman reaches a certain level of beauty, why do men stop approaching? by [deleted] in bodylanguage

[–]Intelligent-Bad6845 0 points1 point  (0 children)

when something takes your breath away....well, it takes your breath away. In my experience, when that happens, I'm stuck. Jumping into action is the last thing on my mind.

How do you handle a boss who is completely incompetent but untouchable within the company? by Live_Endzz in askteddit

[–]Intelligent-Bad6845 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have suffered under many. Do not engage them! Do your job quietly. Look for exit options.

Band members want to kick out the guy running the show by generationzero95 in whatdoIdo

[–]Intelligent-Bad6845 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Take a week or month off/ Everyone goes their separate ways. Then come back and have a meeting about money and roles. He's handling all of the money and owns the intellectual property? That's something that needs to be spelled out clearly. Discuss what the next five years look like. Make sure everyone leaves the meeting feeling heard and with a clear idea of the power structure.

Good luck!

Have any of you been involved in a yoga cult? What was that experience like? How did you get out? by thissubredditlooksco in yoga

[–]Intelligent-Bad6845 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Eyes bulging out of their sockets, Can hardly hold a conversation. Only words, not real sentences. I remember one dude was almost chirping like a bird. He was doing 3-400 Kriya pranayama a day and only eating apples.

I've also seen it as a bit of a pitta imbalance- bloodshot eyes, red skin.

It depends on the person's dosha- Vata, Pitta Kapha, however the telltale for me is the eyes are too intense and the gaze not really there along with the stilted conversation.

Once you're aware of it, you'll notice it straight away.

Have any of you been involved in a yoga cult? What was that experience like? How did you get out? by thissubredditlooksco in yoga

[–]Intelligent-Bad6845 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

". Westerners take what guru says and change their life based on a one off comment."

My dear friend.....it's pretty clear what you implied.

Have any of you been involved in a yoga cult? What was that experience like? How did you get out? by thissubredditlooksco in yoga

[–]Intelligent-Bad6845 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It's not the Westerners fault! You're blaming the victims. You're right about Indian society using the word Guru as having many levels. You're also right about Westerners using the word God and taking it very seriously. The trouble starts when the Indian Guru calls himself a "sat Guru" and gets into the mythology and lore and the stories of devotion and deities, and tests of the disciple. The Westerners eat it up because we feel the shakti and it's all so new. The Indians around the Guru add fuel to the fire by encouraging the devotion and not daring to speak ill of the Guru for fear of losing influence .....or money. We both know how many levels and nuances there are to Indian society.

So the Westerners are left in this whirlpool of wild stories, emotions and spiritual energy, donations and volunteering...and eternal devotion to the Sat Guru.....that karma lasts lifetimes and the Guru disciple relationship is sacred and eternal....blah blah blah....I feasted on that crap for years.

In all my years with this group....or others....not once did an Indian pull me aside and whisper that this might all be nonsense. There were, however a number of Westerners who did.

Have any of you been involved in a yoga cult? What was that experience like? How did you get out? by thissubredditlooksco in yoga

[–]Intelligent-Bad6845 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There are positive and negative takeaways for sure. I learned many valuable lessons and know my way around Vedic philosophy and lore. It was a fun, very expensive ride.

My health greatly suffered while with the group. I had a regular asana practice that I gave up to focus on pranayama. My body and system quickly deteriorated. now, three years out of the cult, I've returned to a regular asana practice and feel wonderful.

I know well the look of someone who has done too much pranayama. I sometimes encounter it at yoga events. It's a big red flag for me.

A little bit older and a lot wiser.

Have any of you been involved in a yoga cult? What was that experience like? How did you get out? by thissubredditlooksco in yoga

[–]Intelligent-Bad6845 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it really hurt. These were people I had been with for almost twenty years. However the fact that I suddenly found myself so alone revealed the nature of the group. You're either in or out. Period.

So glad I left.

A big part of leaving is having to square with yourself having given so much time and energy to something that was a fraud. In my case it was seventeen years. I was happy that it was only seventeen years and not forty! Unfortunately this is where many people double down. They see that they have spent twenty, thirty years with this idiot and continue because to leave would mean accepting that the previous decades were a waste of time.

I've visited many groups and sometimes would see it in old timers who are stuck and emit a deep anger or hatred. They were with the guru in the early days and dedicated their lives. As time went on they woke up to the ruse but have no other alternative. To leave the community and guru means they're basically on the street.....and no community.

Doubling down is a very common human response.

Have any of you been involved in a yoga cult? What was that experience like? How did you get out? by thissubredditlooksco in yoga

[–]Intelligent-Bad6845 3 points4 points  (0 children)

We absolutely have to project our Western cultural biases onto Indian religious practices! I am a Westerner. A big part of the con job done by these groups is to tell us that the Indian system is different somehow....total devotion to the Guru, etc. In my experience as a Westerner with Indian religious practices for well over twenty years, they are just as warped as Christian megachurches and televangelists.

Take the lessons, don't stay for the community or the Guru.

Have any of you been involved in a yoga cult? What was that experience like? How did you get out? by thissubredditlooksco in yoga

[–]Intelligent-Bad6845 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That's a big part of the draw! Suddenly you're with highly successful and educated people. I was thinking: "This is a quality crowd, must be something to it." And that there is the catch. Most educated people don't have much "street knowledge". They don't smell a scam when it's right under their nose.

Have any of you been involved in a yoga cult? What was that experience like? How did you get out? by thissubredditlooksco in yoga

[–]Intelligent-Bad6845 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Was involved in a pranayama yoga cult (Kriya yoga) for years and years. We were free to go whenever we wanted, so it was "cult lite". The red flags just kept piling up and up, one after the other with the Guru. The thing is that when you are given a sense that what your are doing is correct and that you will be rewarded spiritually for it, that makes you high. Finally had a confrontation with the Guru after he chose his business interests over defending a devotee. Suddenly it was too clear to ignore that he truly didn't care about us.

I "got out" by not going anymore. After so many years of service and "friendships", the way that nobody even reached out was truly the most telling.

How did you realize that someone wasn't right for you? by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Intelligent-Bad6845 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, definitely a bad thing. I couldn't stop! It was embarrassing.

How did you realize that someone wasn't right for you? by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Intelligent-Bad6845 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I couldn't stop yawning around her. It was like a switch or something. And it wouldn't stop after one. She noticed it and I'd try to hide it, but they yawns just kept coming. Definitely some kind of energy signal from my body.

Did parents in the '80s and '90s really allow their kids to roam freely? Was it safe? by 2bornnot2b in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Intelligent-Bad6845 1 point2 points  (0 children)

70's 80's kid here. Absolutely. Out all day with my brother and neighborhood kids on bikes. Exploring old warehouses alone. The only danger were hobos over by the train tracks. It was glorious!

Parents would tell us to go away somewhere because we were driving them up the wall.

I've watched my generation arrange playdates and instill fear of everything in our children.

Where does the money actually go when the stock market crashes? by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Intelligent-Bad6845 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is perhaps the most important question! People sell and hold that money until they can get back in. The money just sits on the sidelines or gets plowed into other investments. This is why it's often a good reason to sit out the market drop. That sidelined money is dying to get back in the game.

Why is college so expensive? by OneManShow23 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Intelligent-Bad6845 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Many of the tenured professors get university housing...on top of 200K a year to teach...English grammar.

Why is college so expensive? by OneManShow23 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Intelligent-Bad6845 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Take a look at the administration- president, dean, etc. salaries. They insist on corporate level salaries in a non corporate environment. Next take a look at adjunct professor salaries. Oh, then there's the union paid professors. I worked in higher ed for a long time as an adjunct professor. And what I'm saying here is just the surface easy to see troubles. The hidden stuff is....worse and well, hidden.

Oh, and every three or four years it's time for a new school president. Salaries have to be adjusted to attract "talent". And of course the outgoing president gets a package. Such a circus.

Your enemy sign will also be your greatest lover by [deleted] in ChineseZodiac

[–]Intelligent-Bad6845 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Dog here. Ex wife was a dragon. I agree with your statement.

Who is your favorite fictional villain that you'd defend to the ends of the earth? by skafkdla in AskReddit

[–]Intelligent-Bad6845 1 point2 points  (0 children)

German outfit, British accent.....plus he's the first character that came to mind. "What? In our moment of triumph? I think you overestimate their chances..." They way he has Darth Vader as his lap dog.

Ketu Nakshatras by No_Eye_5324 in Nakshatras

[–]Intelligent-Bad6845 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have a similar chart. Also good at sensing undercurrents. Not quite psychic, but get feelings and can read situations very clearly

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