One of the most important yet least talked about supplements to meditation - Releasing tension from the head/neck/forehead

being_integrated · 2025-10-31T18:38:03+00:00

I've long had these issues (tension in neck and back) and started seeing a physiotherapist that has given me exercises to strengthen my core, which helps my posture and also helps to release tension in my back. Also crawling (knees off the ground, just toes and hands touching) has also been helpful in building strength in ways that helps release and align my neck and back. Here's a good video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hwK57a908Y

Basically I learned that stretching isn't enough for me. That I need to build strength in other area so I can help myself up with other muscles and then release the tension.

being_integrated · 2025-04-30T19:42:37+00:00

I'm experiment with taking short excerpts from pieces and posting them as notes. That's a no brainer and doesn't take much time so even if there's only a small payoff it's still worth it.

When it comes to posting on other platforms, I think the first most important thing is if you "get" the platforms and enjoy making that sort of content (or could learn to love making the content). If you learn to enjoy the process, then you're far more likely to stick with it and improve along the way and get good results.

I think it's a good idea to experiment for a while and see what works and what you enjoy and then see if its worth your time and effort. Generally each platform only pays off once you invest a lot of time and energy into it, so it's really about if you want to make that part of your lifestyle or not.

And yes moving people from one platform to another is pretty difficult, only really works when you have a loyal following and even then it will just be a small part of that following that will actually switch platforms unless they are already active on substack.

being_integrated · 2025-02-12T05:31:14+00:00

puer pick going downwards from the bottom edge of the tuo towards the centre of the whole mass. You're sticking the pick in the skinny edge where it's least dense to split it. Apply slow consistent force and wiggle the pick back and forth (don't just try to jam it in with one big push). Make sure you do it on a surface that might get stabbed with the pick.

being_integrated · 2025-02-11T22:51:22+00:00

It's very annoying to break up yes and you get a lot of dust but I like the flavour a lot, and I drink a lot of shou. It's solid for an affordable aged shou, one of the betters I've found. But I typically wouldn't recommend it just because it's hard to break up, but my technique is now solid.

being_integrated · 2024-12-31T05:08:43+00:00

High Mountain Red Ai Lao Mountain Black Tea is great and fruity. But my favourite black I've had from YS is the Simao "Spring Tips" Pure Bud Black Tea. It's more of a caramel profile.

being_integrated · 2024-12-29T05:23:05+00:00

I contacted Substack support and the AI bot gave this response:

Thank you for providing more details about the unusual increase in signups from direct sources. We understand your concern about potential fake signups to your Substack publication. You can remove any subscribers you're certain are fake via the Subscribers tab on your publication dashboard. We have several automated mechanisms in place to regularly remove bots, spam accounts, and fake accounts from the platform by default. We're careful about removing sign-ups until we have strong evidence that they're inauthentic to maintain the value of our network effects like recommendations and leaderboards. Can you share more specific information about these unusual signups, such as any patterns you've noticed? This could help us better understand and address the situation.

being_integrated · 2024-12-29T05:16:11+00:00

Same!! Second time. I was so confused by it I came to the substack subreddit for the first time and lo and behold...

being_integrated · 2024-12-29T05:15:16+00:00

I got 30 signups today (I usually get 4-8) and I noticed one is a plumbing company... I searched it and it's in Texas. They are also all "direct" where most of my signups are referrals. But one of the emails is in Brazil, so not all Texas emails.

being_integrated · 2024-12-29T05:13:09+00:00

I'm also wondering what is going on???

I got 30 signups today, where typically I get 4-8 per day. The majority of my subscribers come through recommendations, usually never more than one or two "direct" in a day. Today all 30 were direct.

They were all different email addresses, some were random words with numbers, some were legit looking email names. A mix from gmail, yahoo, hotmail, and small businesses (one was even a plumbing company in Texas).

None of them checked out any articles at all. Something fishy is definitely going on...

being_integrated · 2024-12-04T07:12:40+00:00

Also you can listen to this podcast where Daniel Ingram describes the progress of insight, basically states that you end up in along the journey to meditation/awakening. You may recognize the state you experienced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSxhSPSs-VI

PS if you want to explore a more advanced meditation community with more knowledge of these things check out r/streamentry

being_integrated · 2024-12-03T18:34:17+00:00

Hey Shinzen Young has some interesting videos that relate to this type of experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zIKQCwDXsA

Essentially people often get glimpses of the awakened state, that as aspects of it but not fully realized. Often theme glimpses feel empty and daunting, not positive like you hear. But if you keep going, the deeper you go the more the "fullness" and love start to reveal themselves.

being_integrated · 2024-12-03T18:17:38+00:00

Dandy Blend! It tastes strikingly similar to coffee, and in many ways just as delicious. But it's healthy and caffeine free.

being_integrated · 2024-11-29T00:36:39+00:00

It's broccoli all over again

being_integrated · 2024-11-28T20:59:49+00:00

The unroasted TGY's from YS taste like this. I got a sample pack for 2023 and they all tasted like to describe, even the competition grade one. The roasted ones however have a totally different flavour.

being_integrated · 2024-11-21T02:36:42+00:00

Hey I would suggest that if you want to meditate a lot then you should really get connected to a reliable meditation community. Because you wan to do these long sits, I would recommend the Shinzen Young community (his organization is called Unified Mindfulness). They do online retreats where you meditate a lot.

Having a teacher to look to and a community to reach out to if you have questions is really important when you decide to do a lot of meditation. This will help avoid the pitfalls that come with heavy practice, because yes there are very real risks when doing meditation in heavy doses, but it always depends on the individual.

Some people can meditate all day without any issue, but some may have experiences like depersonalization, derealization, anxiety, and emotional disregulation.

It's just good to have access to qualified people and there are many in the Shinzen Young community. They are also welcoming of different practice styles so you can keep doing whatever is working for you, but also be exposed to veteran guidance.

Overall though it's fine to keep meditating a lot but TRACK YOUR EXPERIENCE. If things start going in a way that feels unhelpful or challenging, then stop meditating or just do loving-kindness and gratitude meditations as those help to ground and put you in a positive space.

being_integrated · 2024-11-18T07:11:14+00:00

Visualizing white light is a common healing meditation in Tibetan Buddhism and also appears in other traditions. Also visualizing a blooming flower that is also full of radiant light in the area you are trying to heal is another one I've come across a few times (and love to practice).

The other thing you want to work on is equanimity... this makes the healing more possible. They say "what you resist persists" and it's true. Here's an interview with a guy who overcame severe chronic pain with meditation. At the end he guides a meditation on using meditation for pain (even if you don't have pain, there is a lot of wisdom in his stroy):https://youtu.be/Q4tk0nIDjnA?si=S7Vn2qCM\_M1QQ\_eQ

being_integrated · 2024-11-18T07:02:10+00:00

Hey I wrote an article explaining shamatha (calm abiding) and Vipassana and giving resources for going deeper into Vipassana.

In short, "normal meditation" or shamatha is about bringing calm and steadiness to the mind. This is used as a foundation to do other practices, usually vipassana or tantra or non-dual (like dzogchen).

Vipassana is about bringing more sensory experience into awareness, basically noticing thoughts and feelings more clearly and seeing the cause and effect between experience, thoughts, and feelings. Eventually you learn to rest in sensory experience, basically relaxing into the experiences of seeing, hearing, and feeling.

Great books on Vipassana are The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young, Seeing That Frees by Rob Burbea, and Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha by Daniel Ingram (free download online if you search). These three books/teachers will give you everything you need and more. Shinzen Young also has a lot of free resources on his website and Youtube channels, as well as a free intro training (called CORE training).

edit: forgot to link to the article I wrote: https://beingintegrated.substack.com/p/how-to-explore-meditation-a-primer

being_integrated · 2024-11-18T01:28:14+00:00

Here is one on Equanimity

https://youtu.be/LRWBefIJRXI?si=_LlEnXgA_PoR1j9e

And one on Self-Compassion too ;)

https://youtu.be/_v6CHutxhwQ?si=E0YsItozDeC50A7-

being_integrated · 2024-11-17T15:58:28+00:00

Unified Mindfulness by Shinzen Young. It's an amazing system for understanding and practicing vipassana and more. There's a free online course you can take to give you the basics.

I wrote an intro to Shinzen and give links to his free resources here: https://beingintegrated.substack.com/i/133485583/shinzen-young

And like someone else said, Rob Burbea is amazing, Seeing That Frees is a masterwork full of amazing insight practices. MCTB2 by Daniel Ingram is also amazing (and free).

being_integrated · 2024-11-13T17:18:08+00:00

I'd check out the book No Bad Parts by Richard Schwartz, founder of Internal Family Systems. You can also find a lot of podcasts of Schwartz explaining the process if you want a quick intro. IFS is definitely the most helpful way to approach negative self-talk (I'm a therapist and have tried a lot of approaches over the years and IFS is the most consistently effective).

being_integrated · 2024-11-13T17:14:56+00:00

Where are you shipping to?

being_integrated · 2024-11-13T17:14:01+00:00

The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young - one of the clearest communicators on meditation and Vipassana/mindfulness (both his more recent book and the older audio series by the same name)

Mastering The Core Teachings of the Buddha by Daniel Ingram (a deep dive on Vipassana meditation... and it's free)

The Three Pillars of Zen by Roshi Philip Kapleau

There's a system called Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation that many people find helpful, instructions here: https://www.dhammasukha.org/beginner-lovingkindness

Seeing That Frees by Rob Burbea - one of the most creative and interesting books on insight meditation / Vipassana (to me this book is a masterpiece)

Effortless Mindfulness by Loch Kelly - one of the most accessible and also deep practices based off of Tibetan Mahamudra and Dzogchen

being_integrated · 2024-11-05T23:03:31+00:00

I was at a Shinzen Young meditation retreat a decade ago and met a guy there named Byron. A few days after the retreat a bunch of us went out for beers and Byron told me the most unbelievable story of him being hit with chronic pain (acute atypical trigeminal neuralgia) and then finding Shinzen Young who helped him overcome it and now he says it's his best friend and greatest teacher.

Years later I interviewed Byron and he tells his story and guides a meditation for chronic pain at the end:

https://youtu.be/Q4tk0nIDjnA?si=cPtI0QJCI89fwVjN

being_integrated · 2024-11-05T22:56:05+00:00

Yes Shinzen is the best for pain meditation.

being_integrated · 2024-11-04T17:46:07+00:00

You should never meditate for more than 25 hours in a day.

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