Living the Wisdom of Yoga in Modern Times

The Road to Hell is Paved with Self Help Books

The road to hell is paved with good intentions many of which came from A New Earth, Abraham Hicks & the Yoga Sutras. They were laid down by well meaning people looking for spiritual & mental growth only to get side tracked by the hard knocks of life.  When it was time to make the hard decisions from a new place of awareness, they faltered. They fell back on old egoic patterns but this time they covered them in flowery words. Bits and pieces of things they picked up on their spiritual journey. The parts that bring true change are buried deep. In order to make decisions from total open awareness, spiritual study & mental preparation  has to be a daily practice

Without daily reinforcement, our old decision making patterns stay dominant. When situations arise that require action, we fall back on them. Fear also keeps us rooted in these old patterns. Many spiritual teachings are so prolific, that to live by them,  would render our current lives  unrecognizable. The person we spent 30, 40, 50 years building would no longer exist.  That is scary. It can seem to be much easier to just dabble in the self help section & use the teachings sparingly, then to radically change who we are and how we think. This is an illusion because the unhappiness or need for change that prompted us to delve into the world of enlightenment in the first place, just comes back putting us on a roller coaster of unfortunate events & we wind up in hell...figuratively. 

Svadyaya, self study, is one of the five Niyamas, observances,  laid out in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. 100% of the crazy events that happen in the yoga world(any world for that matter)  like lying, cheating, philandering, guru worship, mistreatment of teachers and staff,  happen because there is no study of self. Decisions are made based on fear, attachment & instant gratification. It is not that these people don't know there is another way, they just take the easiest path which is usually the same one they came to yoga trying to get away from.

Anyone who is serious about change, has to engage in Svadyaya, self study, daily.

 

Daily Svadyaya, Study & Reminder Practices

The World Wide Spirituality Web -Subscribe to inspirational  blogs ,You Tube channels  Twitter streams etc. Every day, little reminders will be dropped into your e-mail , Google Reader, Facebook page & Twitter Feed that will help keep you on track.

Meditation-meditation helps us to make decisions from a clear place

End of The Day Review-Lay in bed and look at the decisions you made that day. Were they in line with  your deepest desires and the person you really are deep inside?

When Making Decisions, Ask Yourself This Question-

• What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?

 The pure consciousness within you has no fear. The answer to this question is usually the real you talking. This is what you really would do if you lived outside of conditioning and self limitations. You also discover what it is that you are afraid of that is keeping you from making decisions out of awareness.  

This does not mean that you should go full throttle with the answer. If you are not prepared for the result of your actions, you will have disaster. For instance, if you know that you really hate your job and want to leave it but you know that you would be terrified if you did, then you should sit tight because you are not in a place to accept the decision and more internal work is needed.  

Daily Contemplation Practice-Pick a book that brings you inspiration, read a paragraph a two a day and contemplate the words

Surround Yourself With  Like Minded People & Make a Pact With Them to Be Brutally Honest-Many times, it is my husband who lets me know when I have lost my mind. Sometimes when we are in the midst of the storm, it is hard to see events objectively. Like minded friends and family can keep us on track by pointing out our illogical emotional behaviors. I recommend designating a code word or phrase that keeps emotionality out of it.  Eckhart Tolle uses "pain body". In my Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga training, we would say "past" to signify that we were making statements grounded in past events. Agree that when the code word or phrase is given by a friend, that you will immediately step back and reevaluate where your actions are coming from.

When Disturbing Thoughts Pop Up In Your Mind, Ask Yourself:

• Do I really know this to be true?

A few days ago I was reading a Facebook notification that was a bit snarky &  I swore it was about me. There were some key phrases in it that sounded like something I had said a few days previous that the person was privy too. Before my mind went crazy, I stopped and asked myself, Do I really know this to be true? My name wasn't on it. The person didn't inbox me, call me, e-mail me or stop me after class to say it was about it me. It was not a direct quote. The answer was no. I didn't know without a shadow of a doubt that it was about me so I took a few deep breaths & let it go.

You will find that 80% of the thoughts in your mind cannot be proven to be true. You should let those go.

Choose the Right Teacher/Pastor/Imam/Guru- I am not saying you need a teacher, but if you want one, pick one that brings your ugly bits to light and forces you to work with them.  They are usually not the most convenient, fun, or exciting choice but they are the one that you need. I recently wrote a post on practicing with Rod Stryker & how he prepared my body for meditation. What I didn't write about was how difficult it was for me to get to that place. It is much easier, convenient, exciting and fun for me to go to a Power class & do a straight physical practice. I also believe in the value of Asana practice for spiritual development but that is another blog post. I would be a lier if I said that, if Rod Stryker would to move to Charlotte, I would only study with him. Lets face it, I love the feeling of just moving my body, loud music and intensity. However, Rod Stryker is what I needed. If he were closer, I  would definitely consider possibly making him my "teacher".

In the west, we use the word teacher really loosely.  Many times, they are just the instructor. They tell us how to do it and keep us safe but they don't really change or effect our daily lives. They are replaceable.   A good teacher, often like a good parent, gives you what you need which is not necessarily what you want. They aid in  self study by using teachings and practices to show you where you need work & what you could become if you applied yourself. They are such a strong part of our daily lives that they are not easily replaceable & their wisdom is invaluable.

Video of the Day: The Top Ten Most Mispronounced Sanskrit words

 

 

 

I Almost Forgot How Yoga Was Supposed to Feel....Thank You Rod Stryker

  Charlotte is the home of "get your ass kicked & handed back to you by your teacher" yoga.  There are a few souls who don't roll that way, but when you mention the big names and the successful studios, their bread and butter is ass kicking.  I enjoy a good ass kicking mysef and I was trained by my mentors to hand them out to my students on a daily basis. 

Before I moved to Charlotte, I was a die hard Ashtangi. Ashtanga allowed me to experience moving meditation & to challenge my body at the same time. I left class feeling rejuvenated and like I could take on the world. Yoga in Atlanta was my first experience with the feeling of getting high off yoga.

I didn't realize that I had totally lost that feeling until I practiced with Rod Stryker this weekend at Yoga One. We did about 2 hours of about 10-15 of the most basic yoga poses known to man...over and over and over and over....2 hours.  There were no standing splits, handstands, or flip dogs. There was no Kanye West, Snow Patrol or even Krishna Das playing over the speakers.  The room was not at a sunny 100 degrees, as a matter of fact, the doors to the studio were open &, gasp, fresh air was blowing in.

I left there feeling so high that I didn't even need my afternoon cup of coffee. I practiced with him at 9 :30AM that morning and the feeling lasted all the way until I went to bed that night. Shoot, I still feel it now just writing this post. I felt burst open. And it wasn't just me, I spoke to one of my fellow yoga teachers later that day who attended and she said she felt the exactly the same way.

Why did it happen? Intelligent Sequencing+focus+pranayama. We literally did pranayama, breath work,  for the full two hour practice. I am not talking about Ujjayi either. I am talking about breath retentions, Kapalabhati, & lengthening of the exhales. We did algebra with our breath. We did two part inhale, two part retention, two part, inhale two part retention to 6 part exhales.  My head is spinning right now thinking about it but he made it so seamless and fluid that when you reached that state of emptiness, stillness and meditation, it was spontaneous and unexpected. It was like driving down a smelly, crowded, grey  interstate and then unexpectedly  passing a field of beautiful yellow wild flowers  that take your breath away.

The poses were just a tricky way of getting to the pranayama. The practice was about riding the breath to full consciousness. I had to focus so intently to do the breathing that I experienced almost two hours(I got distracted during a few points, I won't lie) of no mind. The total relief of it burst forth as euphoria. I didn't know that my thoughts had weighed me down to that extent!

Rod Styker reminded me that yoga was a science. That every pose,breath and technique effects the body & mind in a way that can be scientifically documented.  The yoga is then sequenced to get the desired effect. He explained to us that the Saturday morning practice was not about strengthening, or toning. He was not there to give us our normal kick ass Charlotte variety class.  That it was about placing us in a place where we would be open to a state of meditation & that is exactly what he did.

 The ultimate goal of Yoga is to go beyond our conditioning and self imposed roles and get to the stillness that lies deep within us all.  This is our true nature. To do that, we have to go beyond physicality. Beyond chair pose, the play list, the thermostat, & cool yoga clothes. Instead of using yoga to reinforce our current patterns, we have to go beyond what we think we know & use it to burst through to higher realms of being. 

I am thankful to Rod Stryker for giving me back my yoga high & reminding of what yoga truly is.

The Ups and Downs of a Typical Yoga Practice

As creatures existing on Mother Earth, our lives are governed by natures laws. There is a time and season for everything. The planet cycles through night, day, Summer, Spring, Fall and Winter. The same is true for the rhythms of our bodies and yoga practice.

In order to get the most out of yoga and to truly transform the mind and body, daily practice is recommended. Practicing yoga doesn't just mean doing poses, it can also be meditation, spiritual study, chanting, service to others, or just living according to the 8 limbs as laid out in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

The number one impediment to a daily practice is the refusal to be okay with life's daily ebbs and flows.

It is the idea that in order to practice yoga, a perfect storm of events has to occur.

You have to:

• Feel like practicing
• Have at least 1 hour
• Have no injuries
• Be in a hot room
• Not be in a hot room
• Be in a yoga studio
• Not be tired
• Do the whole series
• Not Be sick
• Have a teacher
• Have a particular teacher present
• Be in a particular class
• Have Music Playing
• Have No Music Playing
• Have complete silence
• Etc

However, just like nature, everything changes and moves. If you plan your yoga practice around things that are not constant, then it will never be consistent and your results will be shaky. Just like taking a shower and brushing your teeth, it has to be a ritual that you do regardless.

When you embark on cultivating a daily practice, you will notice that every day is different. Poses that come easy one day, are difficult the next.  Some days you can meditate, study and live with fierce focus and other days you are totally distracted. Ashtanga Yoga teacher David Swenson often talks about Yoga Fairies.  One day the yoga fairy will tap you on the head and you can put your feet behind your head and the next day they will tap you and you can't.  

This happens because we are holistic beings. Everything in our life and our environment effects us. Their are no singular events. Even though we have daily rituals, no one's life is the same every day. Even concepts that exist in our subconscious mind, effect us.  These little daily shifts also ripple into our practice.  

As long as we except this, we do not suffer. Yoga teaches us to be in the present moment and not let our happiness or focus be swayed by what we see outside of ourselves. Work towards your goals but see everyday with new eyes. Practice Ahimsa, or non-violence, by not forcing your body or mind.  Know that as everything ebbs and flows, your focus and poses will return to you. With steady practice and faith, everything will be revealed and achieved. Accept the ups and downs and do your practice anyway.

 Video Of The Day: How Can I End My Suffering?

 

Russell Simmons Says That His Rules For Getting Super Rich Are Based on Yogic Principals

 

There is a great article on Yahoo Finance today about how Russell Simmons gained his millions through the inner peace he found after 15 years of yoga and meditation. Article is below.  

 

From music to fashion to flim, TV and other businesses, Russell Simmons -- who is worth more than $100 million -- seemingly has the “Midas Touch”. In his new book, Super Rich: A Guide to Having it All, he wants to show you how you too can achieve super richness.

Tech Ticker's Aaron Task recently sat down with the "godfather" of hip-hop after a Jivamukti yoga seminar in midtown Manhattan to glean some of the key principles that have made him a successful entrepreneur and one of the “Top 25 Most Influential People of the Past 25 Years," according to USA Today.

Simmons grew up in a middle-class neighborhood where he has noted, "the only entrepreneurs we knew were the numbers guys and the drug dealers.”

He has come a long way and some would even say he’s become the epitome of the American dream.  

After attending City College in New York, Simmons began his music career in the late 1970s. He started small by managing and producing artists like Run DMC and the Beastie Boys.

In 1984 he partnered with award-winning producer Rick Rubin to create Def Jam Recordings which led to the making of mega-stars Foxy Brown, Ludacris and Jay-Z, just to name a few. He helped take hip-hop mainstream. In 1994, Def Jam was sold to Universal Music Group with afinal price tag of $300 million.

Just like the legendary Midas, Simmons realized the fruits of his golden touch are not all they are cracked up to be. “People I guess pursue money to be happy and money doesn’t really make you happy,” he says. “[Being] happy makes you money though;” in order to find that happiness one must “start from the inside out.”

After many more musical successes, Simmons saw a crossroads between hip-hop and style and in 1992 started a fashion company called Phat Farm. It was hugely popular and made him millions. He went on to add additional brands to the empire including Baby Phat, Run Athletics, Argyleculture and American Classics.

Now, as Chairman and CEO of Rush Communications, Simmons' philosophy is spiritual and based on the inner peace he has found from 15 years of practicing yoga and meditation.  So without further ado, here are:Russell Simmons’ Top Principles to Super Richness

#1 Give Your Talents Until They Can’t Live Without It

“Wake up in the morning and find out what you want to give as opposed to what you want to get,” he says. “Through this practice of becoming a good giver you become a good getter.”

Simmons gives examples of many of his former selfless, tireless and upaid interns that went on to greatness, including Sean Combs, Kevin Liles, and Julie Greenwald, recently named COO of Atlantic Records Group.

“Those who focus on being good servants usually attract the most in the end,” he says.

Basically, offer your talents and skills for free and the rewards will find you.

#2 Relentlessly Pursue Your Goals Without Appearing Needy

Simmons’ law of attraction says: “when you chase things, they will always run from you.”

This principle goes hand-in-hand with principle number one by virtue of the more you give, the more good that will just find you.

#3 If You Don’t Love it, Leave it Alone

This is not only the idea that you should do what you love and a wealth of richness will follow, but the idea that you should only do things you are “karmically” comfortable doing.

“People can sell anything,” from bombs to drugs, he says, even though there are very serious ramifications to those actions. “I want to stress that making money just for the sake of getting paid is a pedestrian activity that you can rise above.” 

If you don’t love it, don’t do it.

#4 Let Go of the Results

“You really have no control over the results, you have control over the action," he says. “So make sure you perform your action and your duty well.”

In the accompanying clip, he explains that he has no recollection of his very first paycheck, but says he certainly does remember making his first good record.

“All I could think is ‘when my friends hear this record’ it will make them so happy,” he reminisces. “Do things you love. Do things that you have faith will make other people happy and that will give back what you give them.”

#5 Get Open

“You want to always be open, creative and fluid as possible, and never become rigid, old or tight,” he writes, encouraging readers to let loose and lower your defenses.

And if you're thinking these principles are easy for someone worth millions to say, Aaron asks him about that too in the accompanying clip.

The Joy of Giving

Simmons' list of his successes are deep but the endeavors most important to him may be those that go along with his first principle listed above. The idea of being a “good giver.”

He is known globally for not only his business acumen, but also his commitment to philanthropy. Simmons has devoted an entire division of empire to charity and non-profit work.

Russell Simmons is also the author of New York Times best-seller, “Do You!” 

For the original article, go here.

 

$35 CSN Gift Certificate Giveaway is still on and popping.  Click here for details on how to enter.

6 Steps To Starting a New Yoga Practice or Conquering a New Yoga Pose

Dumb Little Man just wrote a  great blog on6 Steps to Getting Started With Something Totally New and I wanted to give it a yoga twist.

1. It doesn't matter if you know nothing

 Dumb Little Man-This isn't a specific action but a belief to be addressed. It doesn't matter if you know something or nothing. If you have a goal, you set it and you go out there and get it. As simple as that. Knowing nothing should never be a reason for not pursuing a goal, unless you don't even want the goal to begin with. After all, all of us once started from a position of knowing nothing. Think when we were born and we were babies. None of us knew anything then. It was growing up that we acquired the skills and knowledge.

 Wellness From Inside-Yoga is for everyone. It is not necessary to be flexible, strong or coordinated.  All of these traits are developed over time. The only requirement is  the determination to learn.  Everything starts in the mind.  If you start with a positive attitude and embrace the process of learning, you will not be frustrated. Everyone starts somewhere. All those people in class and teachers with incredible stamina and grace started exactly where you are. With practice and patience, you will be there some day too. 

2. Read up about the topic

 Wellness From Inside: Great Sources For Information on Yoga Besides This Blog

• Power Yoga by Beryl Binder Birch(Ashtanga) 
• Light on Yoga by B.K.S Iyengar

• The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Satchidananda

• The Heart of Yoga by TKV Desikachar

• Yoga Journal.com 
• Ashtanga.Info

Workshops and privates are also great ways to learn more about yoga. Workshops usually give more in depth instruction on specific yoga poses and skills.  If you have the money, asking your favorite teacher for a private is also another way to get in depth instruction on specific poses or skills you may have problems with. To find out about workshops, subscribe to the e-newsletters for the studios in your local area. For privates, just talk to the teacher or studio.

3. Create a plan to start off

 Dumb Little Man-After I did the research, I created a plan on how I was going to move forward. 

Wellness From Inside-Figure out what you are trying to accomplish from your yoga practice and plan how you are going to reach it.

Common Yoga Intentions and How To Reach Them

• Lose Weight, Tone Up, Strength. You will need to practice a rigorous form of yoga like Ashtanga or Power Yoga for at least an hour  4-6 days a week. You will will need to slowly build up stamina and endurance so that you can practice with very few breaks. 
• Flexibility. You will need to practice at least 4-6 days a week to keep the muscles from tightening up and reverting back. All physical types of yoga have a flexibility component so the type is not as important. The stamina and endurance is not as big a factor either. As long as the stretch is held for 30 seconds you will get benefit. The length of the class is not a big factor either. Frequency is really the most important component.
• Stress Relief. Practice any type of yoga that floats your boat as many times a week as you need it. It is more important that the practice is internalized to help deal with day to day stressors. 
• Pose Mastery. Rather you are trying to master Ashtanga or a particular movement, you will need to perform it 4-6 days per week.

In order to stick to yoga, it cannot be an accidental event or something that happens "when you get a chance". At the beginning of every week, look at your schedule and plan it out and stick to your goal.

 Dumb Little Man-I found from experience that you should just plan whatever is necessary to move forward. The objective of a plan is to empower you, not to hold you back. Some people let themselves be paralyzed by the whole planning process. They keep planning, and tweaking, and planning, to the point where they never take action at all. That shouldn't be the case! Just plan to the extent where you're comfortable, then get started

4.  Study people who have already made it

Dumb Little Man-There are so many people around the world that there's bound to be someone who's already doing what you want to do. Look out there and identify the people who have already succeeded in this goal. Then, learn from them. Study what they are doing and how they are doing it. Because they've been doing this for longer than you have, there will be something valuable to learn from each and every one of them.

Wellness From Inside-It is important to study from teachers who have similar goals. These teachers take what they learn from their own practices and pass it down to you and they totally understand where you are coming from.  

Attend 1 or 2 classes a week at least one level up from your current practice. While it feels good to be with people in the same level and to share your struggles, they can't help you get to the next level.  They can only tell you about the level they are already on. If you can do all the poses in the classes without a hitch, it may be time to add on a more challenging class or pose. 

Great You Tube Channels For Advancing Your Practice At Any Level

BlahBlahM's

Gold Coast Yoga Centre

Isha Foundation

 

Isha Foundation Old Channel

The Yoga Body Revolution

 

Mooji

 

Dashama

Peace Love Yoga

 

Sadie Nardini

 

Satsang with Mooji

Yoga Mat Fire

 

Yogatic

 

5. Consult people who have achieved the goal

 
Dumb Little Man: If possible, connect with the people in #4. With the internet, it's easy to reach out to such people. Drop them a friendly email to say hi and to express your intentions. If they don't reply, that's okay; if they do, then that's terrific. As a matter of practicality, A-list folks are usually busy and unavailable, so try the B-list or C-list folks, who are very knowledgeable and more approachable. (By A-list, I refer to the best people in their respective fields.) A great way is to arrange for a lunch meet-up (if they live in the same country as you), get to know them better, then treat them to lunch as a thank you. Some of them have services you can sign up for, which is a sure way to get to them. Of course, only engage their services if you find value in them, and not just to get air time.

For myself, I find that doing steps 2-4 are more than sufficient to get me started (step #6). I see step 5 as a bonus step, but not the determining one, since you shouldn't depend on others to help you (after all, they have their own responsibilities and projects). 

Wellness From Inside:  Get the e-mail addresses and  Facebook/ Twitter Id's for your favorite teachers and fellow yoga students and keep in touch.  I have sent e-mails to A-list teachers and gotten responses too. You just never know.

6. Take the first, immediate step
Dumb Little Man-Read all you want and plan all you want, but if you don't take the step, nothing will ever happen. It's only when you take action that your goal will begin manifesting itself.

Don't worry about getting it right. As long as you do something, you're making more progress than doing nothing. Even if you do it "wrongly", you still get to learn from the experience, so it's still a gain. For the goal you want to achieve, think about what's the immediate thing you can do that will move yourself forward. Do it. Then, repeat the process. If you keep doing this, you're going to be closer to the goal than before. It's a matter of time before you're living and breathing it. 

A Chant For September 11: Ashtanga Closing Mantra Text & Video

The story goes that Pattabhi Jois was in New York when the towers fell and that he added this closing chant in response to the events.

Choosing the Positive

 

What is it about a negative thought that draws us to it like a magnet? Out of 24 hours of totally awesome events, it is the one negative thing that we dwell on.   Choosing the lighter side and seeing the positive has to be a lifestyle choice. We have to consciously come up with a game plan to redirect our focus. While it is good to seek understanding of our challenges and find solutions to them, we have to know when to drop it and move on. Constant mental "instant replay" keeps you in a bad mood and the negative energy draws other similar unwanted experiences. 

When To Say When

• You keep repeating the same story with no new insights and you actually feel worse after each telling
• You start making stuff up.  The main reason I am against the death penalty is because, unless you were there, there is really no 100% method of knowing what happened. Video, pictures and forensic evidence can be planted and doctored. There is no way for you to know what anyone else is thinking. You are just guessing. The guesses are based on circumstantial evidence that can turn out to be totally erroneous. If you can't ask and get a straight answer, just drop it.
• You don't have the ability to change the situation.  If you know that you are not going to be leaving the situation anytime soon, complaining doesn't help. You have to figure out how to feel good about it.
• It becomes an obsession
• It negatively impacts everything else you do that day

How To Let It Go

• Focus on the Positive
• Journal.  The journal can be used many different ways. You can make a list of all the positives in your life to visually see how they outrank the negative. Start with simple things that you take for granted like the sun shining or the ability to write. You can quickly fill up a few pages. Sometimes it helps to just write it out. Just write and write until everything is out. Once you close the book, let that be the end of it.
• Meditate. There are many meditation techniques for ridding the mind of negative thoughts.  You can focus on something like a breath technique, a candle flame etc.Sometimes I find it helpful to sit until my mind lets it go. No matter how long that takes. Just letting the thought burn out until nothing is left but silence. It is kind of like when parents take their kids to the park to burn out their energy before bed. The benefit of this method is that the energy is self contained. So instead of continuing your day and contaminating all your other activities with that energy, you burn it out.
• Focus on Another Positive Activity.  When I worked a particularly stressful job, I used to go do aerobics right afterwards and it was like a mental reset for me. Worked every time. Many people argue that this is "numbing yourself out" but it is better to end the cache of negative energy which in turn brings on negative events. Our thoughts are broadcasting just as strong as any radio station. Like attracts Like. Nothing good will happen until the thoughts are eradicated.
• Music. Music is proven to change and enhance moods. 
• Mantra. Repeat a positive phrase, quote or verse or chant until you feel better. Have you ever tried whistling and thinking at the same time? Kind of hard.

Most Importantly, It is a choice and it is something that doesn't happen spontaneously.

 You have to actively work on it. 

Choose to see the positive.

Oprah's Interview With Spritual Teacher Thich Nhat Hanh

I absolutely loved this interview. Everything he said was so amazing. Oprah did a great job introducing him.

He's been a Buddhist monk for more than 60 years, as well as a teacher, writer, and vocal opponent of war—a stance that left him exiled from his native Vietnam for four decades. Now the man Martin Luther King Jr. called "an apostle of peace and nonviolence" reflects on the beauty of the present moment, being grateful for every breath, and the freedom and happiness to be found in a simple cup of tea.

The interview is below.

http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Oprah-Talks-to-Thich-Nhat-Hanh/2

Hinduism: Extreme Pilgramage-A Catholic Vicar's Journey Into Yoga

This is a great video about a catholic holy man who feel's that his faith is becoming too conceptual and lacking in spiritual passion. He travels to India to learn about yoga and hinduism with the hopes of understanding how to bring back the heart of spirituality.

I learned so much from this video and I found it fascinating.

 

 

The "I AM" Practice

 

I absolutely do this and it truly works. There is something about saying "I am" without adding any definitions that feels so spacious and free. It is a great tool when you want to quiet the mind.