The Official Science Thread

Originally Posted by cowmoo32

I got the kindle version of the book JonJon keeps recommending and I'll be honest, it's pretty great. I've been doing it for ~a week now and I don't see myself stopping. I've always had a problem shutting my brain off at night and it has done wonders in that department, not to mention the sensations you feel in your body are just downright fun to experience.

Which one is that? I got this:

Mindfulness in Plain English: Revised and Expanded Edition

Originally Posted by cowmoo32

I got the kindle version of the book JonJon keeps recommending and I'll be honest, it's pretty great. I've been doing it for ~a week now and I don't see myself stopping. I've always had a problem shutting my brain off at night and it has done wonders in that department, not to mention the sensations you feel in your body are just downright fun to experience.

I think the best way to explain the feelings to someone is "Magic". The first time you feel it (even in the root or first chakra) you almost scare yourself, but it makes you want to go further. In over 10 years, I've only reached the 5th chakra in solid, focused meditations. I started to get mentally exhausted and physically ill, so I stopped for a couple years. I'm just starting to get back into it. Unfortunately, you can't rush back into it, and it's NOT "like riding a bike".

This stuff really isn't stuff to mess with. If you do it wrong and don't follow the precautions, you can hurt yourself.
A lot of people focus and only meditate on the 2nd chakra (google it and you'll see why). It is harmful to skip the 1st and even more so to hover on the 2nd, but DAMN it is amazing.

I'm convinced we know nothing about out bodies/souls/energy. After learning Kundalini, I really don't doubt anything is possible anymore.

Originally Posted by 'busa

Which one is that? I got this:

Mindfulness in Plain English: Revised and Expanded Edition

Kundalini Awakening: A Gentle Guide to Chakra Activation and Spiritual Growth

http://www.amazon.com/Kundalini-Awak.../dp/0553353306

EXCELLENT beginners book. I've read probably over 50 books on this topic. The one above is "basic" but the best I've ever read as far as a starting point. How I got introduced to the subject.

Originally Posted by JonJon

I think the best way to explain the feelings to someone is "Magic". The first time you feel it (even in the root or first chakra) you almost scare yourself, but it makes you want to go further. In over 10 years, I've only reached the 5th chakra in solid, focused meditations. I started to get mentally exhausted and physically ill, so I stopped for a couple years. I'm just starting to get back into it. Unfortunately, you can't rush back into it, and it's NOT "like riding a bike".

This stuff really isn't stuff to mess with. If you do it wrong and don't follow the precautions, you can hurt yourself.
A lot of people focus and only meditate on the 2nd chakra (google it and you'll see why). It is harmful to skip the 1st and even more so to hover on the 2nd, but DAMN it is amazing.

I'm not sure if I've 'activated' anything, but I just get a tingly whole body feeling where I'm (for lack of a better word) aware of my entire body and my mind is completely devoid of any conscious thought. It's different, to say the least. I'm only about 1/3 of the way through the book though, so I still have more to learn.

I'm convinced we know nothing about out bodies/souls/energy. After learning Kundalini, I really don't doubt anything is possible anymore.

I'm hopeful that quantum mechanics and research on neural networks will start to shed some light on consciousness, souls, etc in the coming years. If fundamental particles can exist at two places at once, and we're composed of fundamental particles, then who's to say our consciousness can't exist elsewhere outside of the body? It's a leap, for sure, but quantum mechanics is some strange stuff.

Originally Posted by cowmoo32

I'm not sure if I've 'activated' anything, but I just get a tingly whole body feeling where I'm (for lack of a better word) aware of my entire body and my mind is completely devoid of any conscious thought. It's different, to say the least. I'm only about 1/3 of the way through the book though, so I still have more to learn.
.

You'll know it when you get there. From what you posted, you're well on your way. When you can focus and get to a point that you described and hold it, you're "at the door", next step is to walk in. The feelings get more and more intense. One important note, when they do start to get more powerful DONT try and focus on it and "try" to force it, that will work against you. Just keep be relaxed, loose and make no effort. That's the trick

Each chakra has it's own power, feelings and experience. One is: You whole body will feel like it turns to cement and "falls" out from under you, then you float away.

People that read this are probably like "WTF, you're nuts...", I did too. Once you experience it, you'll never be the same.

Maybe its magic or spiritual or just tricking chemicals in your body to work different.... I dunno, but its real.

Originally Posted by mashalah20

also

This makes me want to switch my major to business...

Originally Posted by JonJon

One is: You whole body will feel like it turns to cement and "falls" out from under you, then you float away.

People that read this are probably like "WTF, you're nuts...", I did too. Once you experience it, you'll never be the same.

That actually happened, minus the floating part, the first time I tried meditating before I started reading; it was really cool.

just tricking chemicals in your body to work different.... I dunno, but its real.

I'm pretty sure that's what's going on. Our brains get in the way of experiencing a lot of what our body has to offer. Honestly the only times I've experienced pure unadulterated focus were the times I've been on a track or when I took a timed test.

Originally Posted by cowmoo32

I'm not sure if I've 'activated' anything, but I just get a tingly whole body feeling where I'm (for lack of a better word) aware of my entire body and my mind is completely devoid of any conscious thought. It's different, to say the least. I'm only about 1/3 of the way through the book though, so I still have more to learn.

What benefits would you say you've had? I'm asking you and not JonJon, because you're newer to it and the initial effects of it are still fresh on you.

Originally Posted by cowmoo32

Honestly the only times I've experienced pure unadulterated focus were the times I've been on a track or when I took a timed test.

And adderall.

Originally Posted by 'busa

What benefits would you say you've had? I'm asking you and not JonJon, because you're newer to it and the initial effects of it are still fresh on you.

No clue if it's just coincidence or not, but the knee that I had surgery on a few months ago has loosened up in the past week. I can bend it more than I've been able to in months prior. Like I said before, I've always had trouble turning my head off at night so I'll do it for 20-30 minutes right before I get in bed and I've been falling asleep in 10 minutes or less lately. If nothing else ever comes of it, being able to fall asleep that fast is WELL worth it for me.

And adderall.

Ehh, maybe in the beginning but I was on it every day for over a year and tolerance is a b!tch. Now if I take it I feel more neurotic than anything. I do like the speedy feeling though...


Nothing to see here, just 2 galaxies mid-fight. I can't imagine what the night sky looks like from a planet in there.

Originally Posted by cowmoo32

No clue if it's just coincidence or not, but the knee that I had surgery on a few months ago has loosened up in the past week. I can bend it more than I've been able to in months prior. Like I said before, I've always had trouble turning my head off at night so I'll do it for 20-30 minutes right before I get in bed and I've been falling asleep in 10 minutes or less lately. If nothing else ever comes of it, being able to fall asleep that fast is WELL worth it for me.

Interesting. How much time would you say you've invested in it?

Originally Posted by cowmoo32

Ehh, maybe in the beginning but I was on it every day for over a year and tolerance is a b!tch. Now if I take it I feel more neurotic than anything. I do like the speedy feeling though...

I only took it twice. When I watched "Limitless", it reminded me of the feeling.

Originally Posted by cowmoo32

Nothing to see here, just 2 galaxies mid-fight. I can't imagine what the night sky looks like from a planet in there.

Originally Posted by 'busa

Interesting. How much time would you say you've invested in it?

Just practicing at night...average of 15 minutes a night (I was only going ~10 minutes in the beginning) for 2 weeks, no weekends. So ~2.5 hours. I've probably spent another couple hours reading to book too.

Originally Posted by Yosha452

I currently work in a research lab working with Secreted Amyloid Precursor Protein (sAPP***945 and I found out that this protein may have to do with autism and Alzheimer's disease! Very interesting stuff if you are in the field.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21731612

We have shown previously that in a subset of patients with severe autism and aggression, plasma levels of the secreted amyloid-***946; (A***946 precursor protein-alpha form (sAPP***945 were significantly elevated relative to controls and patients with mild-to-moderate autism.

Very cool. Good paper.

You get to do a lot of ELISA I bet!

Originally Posted by JonJon

This stuff really isn't stuff to mess with. If you do it wrong and don't follow the precautions, you can hurt yourself.

lol...

Graphene and water apparently make the most badass form of electric storage we've ever seen
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-07-...y-storage.html

A combination of two ordinary materials - graphite and water - could produce energy storage systems that perform on par with lithium ion batteries, but recharge in a matter of seconds and have an almost indefinite lifespan.

southern lights, viewed from the ISS

If I do one thing before I die, I'll make it into orbit. [rooting for private space flight]

edit: Another shot


So I was reading earlier about this probe we sent out 4 years ago to the asteroid belt so it could study an asteroid. It's taken it 4 years to get 117 million miles. I did the math and that's only 10 light minutes.
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/20...id-dawn-orbit/

Originally Posted by cowmoo32

I was just reading over this article that points to varying conditions both prior to and immediately after birth as possible links to autism. I think the fact is that there isn't one single cause, but rather a constellation of things that manifest as autism.

Same with everything else in biology (and also why I dislike most biology labs), that's why systems biology is so cool. It's still (IMO) in its infancy.

http://www.systemsbiology.org/Intro_to_Systems_Biology

Originally Posted by cowmoo32

Nothing to see here, just 2 galaxies mid-fight. I can't imagine what the night sky looks like from a planet in there.

Nice.

I've always wondered it would look like to see the stars from the Moon or the Space Shuttle without any light pollution or interference from the clouds, water vapor and other sources that impair our vision.

And I wonder what it would be like to be on Mars and see all those Moons rotating by and if Jupiter and Saturn appear much larger in the night sky than it does here on Earth.

I love space stuff.....

Originally Posted by cowmoo32

So I was reading earlier about this probe we sent out 4 years ago to the asteroid belt so it could study an asteroid. It's taken it 4 years to get 117 million miles. I did the math and that's only 10 light minutes.
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/20...id-dawn-orbit/

I think it would be cool to parachute a live action camera onto a planet or even IO ( isn't that the moon from Jupiter that has active volcanoes?) and watch the action live...

Our science is great!

Good Science Channel shows on tonight starting at 8.