Cultivating Receptivity to the Flow

Prelude

Ever been so damn tired of being called too sensitive? If yes well then this course should be an exploration in familiar territories! Although I do hope also to show you several things that are not just too much of what you already know but rather novel, useful, and insightful information that can be applied and will show benefits today(or tomorrow) in your life.

So what exactly is receptivity?

To me it’s a kind of deep listening, both internally and externally that allows for something miraculous to unfold. Be that an insight about a past pattern, or a plan for the future. Receptivity is a skill that you develop. One key way is through listening to people and letting them finish their sentences and then counting a definite pause before you jump in or ask a question for clarification. It is a cosmic pause in the core of you, to be absolutely still and present to the fullest degree that you are capable. This naturally takes delicate care and attention to cultivate skillfully. Challenging as it might be, it is certainly doable. And with the steps outlined below you should be well on your way to cultivating receptivity to the flow!

Cannabis

So yes cannabis is an easy go to, but there’s a reason musicians love it because it truly helps in a profound way to open them up to their inner receptivity to the flow of the creative space. The specifics here matter so, for me I like to geek out about what cannabis I am getting because it really does make a profound difference when you start paying attention to how you feel based on specific strains. For me I need a certain indica to really help me calm down and become deeply receptive, and capable of flow. Ultimately you need to create a dynamic relationship with cannabis to find if it can help you. Remember finding the right strain and optimal amount of inhaling will be like riding a bike, you can't expect to succeed perfectly on your first try, but if you keep practicing you can develop a way that you enjoy to use cannabis as a tool to facilitate flow. So for the practicals on this step, check out leafly.com where you can search for a strain based on specific desired states such as ‘happy’ or ‘euphoric’ or avoid specific negatives like ‘dry mouth’ or ‘paranoid’. This helps you actually get data and tweak your strain choice so you can find what’s optimal instead of just getting the “it’s good stuff, better than last time”, or “oh yea, it’s fire” response from your ‘friend’ who gets it for you. Yeah we’ve all been there and were tired of that lame line. What we need is descriptive details from a database, which is now available on places like leafly.com so sincerely check that out.

If you’re curious or need a place to start,

Two of my absolute favorites are Strawberry Cheesecake, and Death Star, both indicas, Pineapple Express for a hybrid, and if I'm giving a sativa recommendation it's probably Jack Herer.

Not only is strain important but It's specifically important to match it with a movement activity and empowering music to initiate the best flow for me. So to fully set the scene for you, I’ll carry my vape on a sunset walk so I am already in a beautiful environment to help facilitate optimal flow, all I have to do is add cannabis. But it's not exactly that simple, or rather it's easy but requires thorough explanation.

Detailed specifics are:

Power up and prime my vape by taking a small draw and exhaling so I can see the vapor flowing. The second play by play is:

Press and hold power and take a small 1 full second button press-inhale,

Release button then a 1 second inhale to pull it deep into my lungs,

followed by a 1 second hold and then finally exhaling. This process gets me to a place where I am consistently comfortably high and able to enjoy my walk and music to maximum satisfaction.

What’s all this crazy second by second description for? Well if you do not develop a detailed ritual like this sooner or later you’re going to get in a sticky situation where you’re way too high to tie your shoes… or the opposite spectrum where you can’t feel it working its magic and you’re bummed about it. It’s a ritual that takes practice, be gentle, be sure to give it time, and delicate attention to develop.

Meditation

This is really covered in the Cultivating Linguistic Intent Guide for the specifics but any practice here will prime the mind to calm down by observing the breath and breathing consciously with some kind of counting system be it box breathing or something similar.

Ice Baths

If you haven’t heard of Wim Hof and his technique by now, you must be locked inside an ice cube or your house during a worldwide pandemic. But really it’s everywhere and by now this is so common and lots of science has been conducted about how the cold is beneficial for so much, not limited to increased circulation and vascularity, energy production, and flow state triggers from the dopamine release, after all it is doing something quite challenging. As you enter the frigid water, From inside the bodily perspective once you get over and surrender to the shock of it, it simply feels incredibly calming, like the whole body is quieted into a peaceful slumber. Adding it to your morning routine, it’s like a true full body meditation and has immense benefits for getting the nervous system activated for the day to come. It does sound like a ridiculous way to start the day to someone who hasn’t tried it, but it is simply obvious once you really try it and get into the flow of it. It makes you so consciously present and aware of your body and able to think effectively.

All you really need to get started is a large bag of ice and a tub, and oh course don't forget your courage. Albeit quite challenging at first, it gets easier to continue each day once you see how it benefits your mood and sense of wellbeing.

As for other things that help, it’s good to get a thermometer to measure water temperature to get a sense of how cold the water actually is. It definitely is way more challenging to get in 40 degree (Farenheit) water than if you only get enough ice the first time to bring it down to 50 or so.

As you get more bold and adventurous, you can try to get it down to 32 degrees so that it will start to freeze all over, but alas the science nerd will not be satisfied here because no ice crystals form. In my experience it simply cannot be pushed down below 34 (okay maybe 33) because the outside is always warming and the ice is always melting some. But really this doesn't matter because it’s so damn cold and your skin feels like it's on fire if ice is directly touching it so suffice it to say that 34 with unmelted ice is a monumental challenge that even the toughest will feel after a few minutes. Which brings up the final point, the value of getting a timer so you can record your progress each time and note it down so you can create a game of it so it’s not just ice cold drudgery…

And if you want help with creating one that’s sophisticated and does the work of maintaining temperature, and cleaning for you, reach out at HolisticHealthEngineer.com

Happy ice bathing!

BrainTap - Theta Wave Entrainment

Basically this device is a way to practice theta brainwave states everyday with the assistance of a piece of technology. It becomes quite clear how well it is working when you use it every day for around 30 min, I prefer in the morning. Like everything this is a skill that needs to be developed to get true benefit from it so be patient enough to try it several times with different tracks to find one or the few that really get you into a space of receptivity.

Theta is the “conscious creator” so we certainly could use a training session in that everyday to keep it empowered so that it is alive and aware in the everyday so that it truly is useful as a state of mind to see the world as you go about your day. Conscious creator is the whole aspect of why meditation is useful, it is training this also but with this device it is on another level. Basically it doesn't feel forced in the sense of “I wish I could truly get to a state of equanimity more quickly when I meditate.” This assists you so that it is basically guaranteed after 30 minutes or so because it is entraining your nervous system into that brainwave pattern with the frequency of the lights and so this is a more direct path into that state of mind, rather than just relying on your willpower to push through into that space by yourself. It truly is miraculous and it makes meditating on your own better as well because you learn the skill of dropping into that state of mind better. So yes, you certainly can live without it but it certainly helps in ways that are hard to fully describe because it becomes your new normal. You’re just able to rely on your ability to think and imagine in new and profound ways.

Detox - Foot Detox Ionization Bath aka “Bubble Machine”

This is really powerful to help one get into a restful state before sleep. One can feel the calm throughout the body but especially in the feet after having this done, Termed “cloud feet” this practice is a must a couple times a week to shed the body of excess toxins and energetic buildup from stray emfs accumulated throughout the week. Basically the story behind this one is ions and how they help the body rid itself of excess toxins. By giving the body an abundance of free ions it can use them to help eliminate toxins within the body. This is essentially what antioxidants do, by donating an electron to chemical reactions within the body they help eliminate free radical buildup and help you to feel more balanced and vibrant.

They’re on Amazon but I have one from better health company here which seems to be pretty good as I have ordered a lot of their arrays for the current machine I have.

But yeah don't freak out if the water turns brown. It’s not you lol… yeah it’s really just rust from the plates, it’s a byproduct and is necessary for creating the ions!

It’s easy to be skeptical of these machines because certain reviews will say that “water turned brown without my feet in it.” Yes obviously this will happen with the electrolysis of the metal plates in water with an electric current. This is like saying my shovel turned brown/rust colored when I left it outside in the rain.

Really you’re going to have to just try it. Nothing quells the skeptic like felt results in the body, once that’s felt then it’s easy to say this works. And finally, if somehow it still doesn't work it can be returned within 30 days based on Amazon’s return policy.

Final Thoughts

Think of these five tools as each a finger of your hand of receptivity. Once each is functioning properly they produce the ability to quite dexterous with your receptivity and create a beautiful experience in your everyday as you move through the world with a profound sense of connectedness to the five senses and the integrating function of your consciousness, creating a symphony of enjoyment as your face the challenges of your life to create the more beautiful world you know in your heart is possible.