New Explorations

I've been sick most of the week with the flu, which gave me lots of time alone, at home, and with my computer (which I consider a valuable tool for exploration).  I came up with a few new things I intend to explore over the next few weeks.

Fasting
     Fasting came to mind as a result of wondering how long I could go without eating because of the flu. What do you know, I still can't comfortably keep down solid food and it's been five days.  Online research (I'm not going to share my sources, but let you find your own if you so choose) showed me that there are many benefits to it, hence why fasting has been widely practiced by so many cultures. Obviously for the sake of getting over the flu, I didn't think that this week was a good time to start learning how to fast, but it is on my soon to-do list.

Holotropic Breathing
     I'm still painting a clear picture of this for myself, but it came up in a book I bought the other day (the online appendage is here) The book calls 5 short, harsh breaths followed by a long deep breath, repeated 24+ times "Meth Breath" because they thought it gave similar results to methamphetamine. I tried it, but only felt dizzy. So I looked into the sources behind the book to understand where the idea came from. There are many healing organizations that use this as a 'rebirthing' technique (not that I quite enjoy the whole concept of reliving my birth...) and hold workshops and retreats and I might like to try one, just to see what it's all about.

Hypnagogia

     Is going to be my introduction to learning how to dream lucidly.  Thomas Edison used this technique to think through problems in an altered state of consciousness. He would sit in a chair, holding a bottle in his hand, and think about the problem while he drifted off to sleep. When he actually fell asleep, the bottle would fall and he would wake and contemplate his unconscious thoughts on the problem.

Lucid Dreaming
     I've had the same few elements and people occur in my dreams for the last week, that the vague memory of my dreams when I awoke propelled me to learn more about dream control or at least how to hang onto the thoughts of a dream once I awake.
     I'm going to try hypnagogia (another suggested technique is to sleep on your back with an arm raised in the air which will fall when you sleep) for a week or so and see if I can actually recall my thoughts. More on that as I progress.

Fruitariansim
     I love fruit. My ill body has been craving mangoes for some strange and un-seasonal reason. All the talk of fasting and juice and health led me to exploring the concepts behind this. Though I don't think that I will feel the same on an entirely fruit diet, I am willing to try it for a few days (with oatmeal and applesauce for breakfast... this is a lovely staple I am not willing to budge on.) and see how it makes me feel.
     I really like this site. They seem like sweet people (no pun intended with the fruit) and they have lots of good ideas for integrating more fruit into a normal diet.

I've also spent some time re-reading Dr. Colin Campbell's The China Study, my vegetarian bible. I suggest it to anyone who is concerned about or interested in improving their health or nutrition.