Almost every one of us will have an opportunity to be involved in public speaking in some form at some point in our lives. Therefore when the opportunity comes it helps if you are prepared to do a good job.

Why is public speaking important?

• Increases your own self-confidence. Most people fear public speaking so mastering these skills will be a huge confidence boost for your future challenges e.g. speaking at a wedding, at a work presentation, in front of new friends etc…
• Helps fine-tine your everyday verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
• It’s really a one to one communication. Your one to one skills will also improve.
• Career booster – you will also hear this from most business schools. By being able to share information with others you’re better able to increase the impact of your message and ideas that drive business value. e.g. at team meetings, presentations, one to one manager (see point above) etc…
• Persuade people – you are always selling yourself when you speak to anyone. When we are able to appeal to friends or colleagues as human beings that have emotions, desires and thoughts just like we do we can better get our message across.

The Public Speaking & Presentation Training Group (Bay Area)

2 weeks ago I attended my 1^st MethodSpeaking – Public Speaking & Presentation Training Group ran by Peter Khoury from Ovson Communications in San Francisco. I was introduced to this group by Cesar Teague principal consultant from Next Level Up whom I met at the last PowerTeam event. Thanks Cesar!

This group session was Awesome!

The session starts off with playing the “Zip, Zap, Zop”, an Improv game, to warm up, connect and build a group mind. If you want to know more about this technique visit this Wikipedia article.

Peter follows through with a number of interesting topics related to NLP to eliminate public speaking fears and insights into how we all interpret words differently. The latter is great to see how a single word which has a meaning to you can mean something entirely different to another person. I cover this excercise in detail below.

Words are just tools, give them back. ~ Peter Khoury

During the meet up there is an opportunity to speak in front of the whole group on selected topics or just consciously stream your thoughts to the group. Conscious streaming helps in building new connections in the brain and is encouraged if you find difficulty in talking about a specific topic.

As mentioned above public speaking is really a one to one communication. Therefore connecting (eye to eye) with each person in the group as you speak and looking for acknowledgment (head nod or facial expression of acknowledgement) assures that the listener understands what you are saying and you can move focus to the next listener to gain rapport with them.

Using an oral hook at the beginning of your communication will surprise the audience and make them sit up and take notice. A well-placed joke, anecdote or a provocative one-sentence statement that gets listeners intrigued as you open up communication is all that is required to elicit this behaviour.

Now let’s look at some of the great exercises I learnt at this meet up:

Using NLP to eliminate the fear of public speaking

A lot of the fear in our life is associated to the story we keep telling our self, or have told our self for such a long time that it had become encoded into our subconscious mind.

This may have been due to a bad experience when you were younger or just something someone else (who didn’t know any better) made you believe it.

Fear of public speaking is one of those examples. Great speakers are made, not born. In order to break your fear you must face your fear. Facing your fear is harder done then said, but, there is a great technique which can reduce the sinking (cold feet) feeling you get when asked to speak in public.

The technique is called “Anchoring” derived from NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) by which memory recall, state change or other responses become associated with (anchored to) some stimulus, in such a way that perception of the stimulus (the anchor) leads by reflex to the anchored response occurring.

Basically this helps in changing the feeling you get when fear strikes to something which makes you feel powerful and confident!

Here’s how it works:

1. 1. Close your eyes and think of an amazing time you had when you felt great, full of energy, positive, fearless and in high spirit. Remember how you felt and your body posture. Pay attention to the feeling this memory gives you. It may be a warm feeling or tingling in your head.
2. 2. Open your eyes and touch & hold your left hand index finger’s knuckle with your right hand index finger sending the positive feeling to this stimulus. This “anchors” this positive feeling to this stimulus.
3. 3. Let go of those memories and breathe deeply in and out. To test the anchor touch & hold your left hand index finger’s knuckle with your right hand index finger. Did you feel the same feeling you had in step 1? If not, repeat 1 to 3 points above until you do.
4. 4. Now let’s focus on a negative feeling. Say when you were afraid of a public speaking session. Close your eyes and try to remember the event and the feeling/s inc. body posture. It might have felt like a sinking feeling or cold feet.
5. 5. Open your eyes and touch & hold your left hand middle finger’s knuckle with your right hand middle finger sending the feeling to this stimulus.
6. 6. Let go of those memories and breathe deeply in and out. To test the anchor touch & hold your middle hand index finger’s knuckle with your middle hand index finger. Did you feel the same feeling you had in step 4? If not, repeat 4 to 6 points above until you do.
7. 7. Now the fun part. We will mix the 2 feelings together to reduce the severity of the negative feeling. Touch & hold your middle hand index finger’s knuckle with your middle hand index finger and when the negative feeling sets in touch & hold your left hand index finger’s knuckle with your right hand index finger sending positive feelings. The 2 feelings should mix just like hot and cold water mixes to make it room temperature. You may feel a spinning feeling. This is all good!
8. 8. Practise this a few times and you will be on your way to erasing those negative responses. In no time you will be saying “Hello public speaking!”.

How we interpret words differently

The aim here is to understand that what you say may mean something entirely different to the listener then to you. Communication is expressing ideas and if the other party has a different view (image in their head) of the words you use you may not get your message across.

To realise how we interpret words differently, make sure you do this excercise with a partner.

In the middle of a blank page write the word “Dancing”. Now draw rays coming out of this word. At the end of each ray write down what the word “Dancing” means to you. Make sure your partner does this same exercise. When you both are finished compare notes. You will be amazed at the difference.

Practise makes perfect

If you already know about developing new habits then you understand that practise makes perfect. Every new habit requires energy and effort to learn. Perfection comes from practise & preparation. Therefore I strongly encourage you to attend public speaking events in order to grow your public speaking skills while gaining constructive feedback from people other than your friends or family.

If you want to attend the meet up I did (do) register here:
http://www.meetup.com/The-Public-Speaking-Presentation-Skills-Boot-Camp-Group/

There is also Toastmasters International which helps people become more competent and comfortable in front of an audience. Toastmers has 12,500 clubs in 106 countries. Visit their website here and find your nearest group:
http://www.toastmasters.org/

More to come!

I’m going to be attending more public speaking events in the coming months and will blog about the learning’s here – so stay tuned. Plenty to learn and experience.

Ernest

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It’s no secret, we all want a super memory. We want to remember more of the good stuff, the stuff that is useful and makes us more productive in reaching our goals / success. The old approach of memorizing / cramming isn’t fun. No one likes revisiting the same text over and over until we get it right. So I set out to find the best way one can do this and found a number of methods which have had positive results on me.

LinkedIn feedback
Along the way I also did a small survey on LinkedIn (click here to see it) to gain an insight into what other business professionals have been practicing when it comes to hacking their mind in order to “accelerate the learning process”. The results were interesting and in line with some of my findings.

Here are my 6 simple steps for accelerated learning and retaining more of what you learn.
Don’t forget, there is no magic to accelerated learning. It is as Jim Rohn has shared with us – “a few simple disciplines, practiced every day”… after a while this will become a habit.

1. Be in the “Right state of mind”

• If you aren’t then do something to alter your state like taking a shower, walk in the park, meditate etc.
• Being in the right state is key to an open mind which is willing to learn and take in new knowledge.
• Click here to read a post I did a few weeks back on “how to meditate” to help you get into the right state of mind.

2. Relax and visualize your goal/success

• Relax your jaw & neck, move head side to side and breath through your belly. Click here to read about breathing and it’s wonders to your health.
• Your physiological state is just as important as your mental. What good is learning when you are not physically comfortable.
• Visualize what you want to achieve out of this task. It’s no use doing something without an expected outcome.
• Writing down your goals also helps cement your plan of action and results you seek.

3. Explore the subject

• There is a difference between “knowing” and “understanding” the subject.
• Play & explore the subject so you “understand it”.
• Use a Mind map to break down the content into a visual format your mind understands.
• Write notes in your own words. Do not copy what is said or written word by word. You need to let your brain process the information and then note it down in the way you understand.

4. Review

• After each study interval session review your notes.
• This generates a 400% increase in retention.
• Try to limit to 40 min intervals to study.
• Between each session do something to raise your energy levels. Jump up and down for a minute or 2 or dance to some revitalizing music etc… This wakes you up (increases your heart rate), moves your lymphatic system and helps stretch your muscles & joints.

5. Demonstrate to self that you have learnt something

• Test your self & use your new skills.
• Share your learnings with friends & family and discuss at a social event your new found knowledge.
• Talking about what you have learnt cements your new found knowledge even further into your long term memory.

6. Reflect on how well you learnt & give yourself feedback

• Ask: “How it’s going & how it could go better.”
• Always strive for better… because you can. Never settle for just good!

Most of all, Enjoy every step of the way!

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Ernest

This is your mind – the monkey mind

Monkey Mind

I’m sure we can all relate to this. You lay down in bed wanting to relax / sleep but you mind is so busy you can’t stop thinking about a hundred things at the same time. An hour passes by and you still can’t sleep. Living in a busy world has its toll on our mental state. This toll is what the Monk’s call “The monkey mind”.

How to still your mind – Meditate

The single most effective way to still your mind (rid the monkey mind) is Meditation. Of course you can disconnect from society and go on a holiday but this doesn’t teach you how to manage the monkey mind rather temporarily escape from it.

Meditation is a great way to relieve anxiety, manage stress, and focus your mind.

There are many sites describing different methods (some overcomplicated) on how to meditate. The complexities scare the masses and they try to deal with it another way. The truth is that it’s very simple. Forget about those 300 page books and just do this:

	1. Find a quiet place away from all distractions. 2. Get into a Lotus sitting position. As shown to the picture to the left. This is the statue in Bangalore depicting Shiva meditating in a Lotus position. 3. Close your eyes and start “deep breathing“. In through your nose and out through your mouth. It dosent matter to what count you do it as long as you are breathing properly – using your diaphragm. If you aren’t not sure how to breath deeply read my post on breathing here.
4. Focus on each breath. Imagine the air coming in as pure white energy which gives you life. Imagine the exhaled air as black posison leaving your body. Did you know that the respiratory system is actually responsible of getting rid of 70% of the body’s waste.
5. Keep on doing this over and over. Your monkey mind will soon cease the wilderness and come to a standstill. When you reach this stop, you will experience “inner peace”. A feeling that cannot be explained, only felt and experienced. Enjoy this state for you have found yourself.

At first, start with a 15 minute meditation session and increase this up to an hour or more only when you are comfortable meditating for longer periods of time.

Why this works?

In a previous post I said “conscious mind creates the belief and the subconscious mind then executes the belief”. If your concious mind is too busy with thoughts rushing in and out on s daily basis then how are you to send a consistent message to your subconscious mind on where you want to be in life and / or the level of success you are pursuing. Simple answer is you cannot. Your brain will filter all the noise and miss the key points.

Stilling your mind is the key here. So that you can conciously make clear and concise decisions and to tell your subconscious what you really want out of life.

Extra benefits – Bigger Brain!

The experts at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) have found that meditation helps build a bigger brain. Click here to read the article on this scientific finding. They used high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the brains of people who meditate and people who don’t and found that certain brain areas – specifically “the hippocampus and areas within the orbito-frontal cortex, the thalamus and the inferior temporal gyrus” – were significantly larger in people who meditate.

“We know that people who consistently meditate have a singular ability to cultivate positive emotions, retain emotional stability and engage in mindful behavior,” said Eileen Luders, lead author and a postdoctoral research fellow at the UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging. “The observed differences in brain anatomy might give us a clue why meditators have these exceptional abilities.”

Because these areas of the brain are closely linked to emotion, Luders said, “these might be the neuronal underpinnings that give meditators’ the outstanding ability to regulate their emotions and allow for well-adjusted responses to whatever life throws their way.”

This alone is a good reason to meditate. Gain a competitive edge today! … for free.

Let’s speed this up – how to make it work quicker

If you are impatient, like me, then you may be asking “Ernest, how do I speed this meditation process up?”. I too had this question and finally found the answer – Isolation Tank. After 20-40 minutes of floating in an Isolation Tank your conscious mind will come to a stand still and you will get to see and hear your subconscious mind. What does this all mean? – I explain in detail this natural wonder here:

• Floatation (isolation) Tank – fringe science?
• Floatation (isolation) Tank – indepth and upclose

There are also other methods like using the Silva Method to help with switching mental states. I will cover this in future posts and share with you free special audio to get you started instantly.

Here are other audio resources I use to get the extra edge

The Secret Universal Mind Meditation - This one is great to fall asleep to. As you sleep your subconscious mind will absord the positive messages. This is my favorite.

Brainwave Meditation – The easiest way to meditate during the day.

Awakening Kundalini – Kundalini is the name for the extraordinary powerhouse of cosmic energy that resides within you.

Until then, silence your monkey mind and enjoy the inner peace.

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Ernest

“Anything you do with repetition and emotion will become your reality. If you’re not satisfied with your current experience, examine your habits.” says Dr. Andrew Weil.

The Research that it takes 21 days (3 weeks) to form a habit has been around for some time now and is widely accepted part of self-help programs. Some have challenged this quick habit change, bringing to light valid points on variation among people. No doubt not everyone’s mental states are the same and it’s also unlikely everyone will follow a strict routine to change their habit thus smearing the “21 days” goal. This is why I call this the “21 day challenge” because I believe that with repetition, emotion, focus, and a plan (goals & review) one can achieve a habit change in 21 days.

Do this

Devote 30 minutes a day to the formation of your new habit, and do this faithfully for 21 days. By the end of your 21 day challenge, it should actually be harder not to engage in the new behavior than it would be to continue doing it.

Where it all began

The 21-day concept was first introduced by Dr. Maxwell Maltz, in a book titled, Psycho-Cybernetics, A New Way to Get More Living Out of Life. Dr Maxwell Maltz, noticed that it took 21 days for amputees to cease feeling phantom sensations in the amputated limb. From further observations he found it took 21 days to create a new habit.

The science behind this goes like this;

“Brain circuits take engrams (memory traces), and produce neuroconnections and neuropathways only if they are bombarded for 21 days in a row. This means that our brain does not accept “new” data for a change of habit unless it is repeated each day for 21 days (without missing a day).” – Psycho-Cybernetics, A New Way to Get More Living Out of Life

Without missing a day? Yes. Because your conscious mind creates the belief and the subconscious mind then executes the belief – it is important to keep on “fueling that fire” until it is self sustaining.

Why this Knowledge is so Powerful?

We all want to change something about our self to some degree. Whether it is to give up or change something in our life we are always striving to reach that next level. What I am suggesting here is that all you have to do is give it 21 days (3 weeks) of 100% effort and it will become a new habit.

For example:

• Reduce your consumption of sugar for 21 days. You will be amazed what this will do to your taste buds and figure! Sugar, especially high fructose sugar is a major player in the increase of diabetes in our population. High fructose sugar is in most produce – see the label on your drink.
• Meditate for 21 days. Who says you can’t still your monkey mind and bring inner peace. The wonders of meditation are immense in eliminating stress & anxiety, giving you the power of clear focus & better decision making et al.
• Get up before 6am every day. This will give you plenty more hours in a day to enjoy with your family / loved ones and / or work on that business idea. Here are a number of steps I take to help me sleep less and have more energy.
• Eat greens (salads) for lunch for 21 days and feel better, stronger and fitter!

The list is endless. Find something needing change in your life and apply the 21 day challenge today.

Sustaining Motivation

This is the hardest part of any change. How to sustain motivation to continue throughout the 21 days. Here are some great points to keep you moving.

1.    Daily Review your list of reasons for quitting or changing.
2.    Create mental pictures of yourself as having already succeeded with your habit change.
3.    Make affirmations, positive self-statements about your habit change. For example, “I am filled with so much health and vitality now that I exercise four times a week.”
4.    Reward yourself. Make up a list of self-rewards. Reward yourself verbally.
5.    Remember to take one day at a time. If you do backslide, don’t label yourself as having failed. Get out your list or reasons for quitting or changing and begin again.

So, what is your 21 day challenge?

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Floatation; there’s no doubt that this amazing therapy works – as a therapeutic, educational and entertainment tool it has powerful effects on a number of levels, including the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. But the question is why? Reading Michael Hutchinson’s book The Book of Floating: Exploring the Private Sea (Consciousness Classics); Michael does a great job in exploring some of these questions in a number of distinct, though interrelated explanations.

In case you missed my previous posts on floating, I recommend you visit them 1st:

• Floatation (isolation) Tank – fringe science?
• Floatation (isolation) Tank – indepth and upclose

Among the most important explanations are as follows:

1. The Antigravity Explanation

The buoyancy afforded by the dense Epsom salt solution eliminates the body’s specific gravity, bringing the floater close to an experience of total weightlessness. Gravity, which has been estimated to occupy 90 percent of all central nervous system activity, is probably the single largest cause of human health problems – the bad backs, sagging abdomens, aching feet, painful joints, and muscular tension that result from our unique but unnatural upright posture. This theory asserts that, by freeing our brain and skeletal system from gravity, floating liberates vast amounts of energies and large areas of the brain to deal with matter of mind, spirit, and enhanced awareness of internal states.

2. The Brain Wave Explanation

Several studies at Texas A&M and the University of Colorado have shown that floating increases production of theta waves in the brain. Theta waves are associated with vivid memories, free association, sudden insights, creative inspiration, feeling of serenity and oneness with the universe. It is a mysterious, elusive state, potentially highly productive and enlightening; but experimenters have had a difficult time studying it, and it is hard to maintain, since people tend to fall asleep once they begin to generate theta waves. A study of Zen monks conducted by Akira Kazamatsu and Tomio Hirai, in which the monks’ brain–waves were charted as they entered the meditative states, indicated that the four meditative plateaux (from alpha to the more sublime theta) “were parallel to the disciples’ mental states, and their years spent in Zen training.” Those monks with over twenty years of meditative experience generated the greatest amount of theta. As few of us have the ability to spend 20 years studying meditation to achieve this sublime state it is useful to know that people who float regularly quickly enter the theta state while remaining awake, consciously aware of all the vivid imagery and creative thoughts that pass through their minds, and after getting out of the floatation environment, they continue to generate larger amounts of creativity–promoting theta waves for up to three weeks.

3. The Left/Right Brain Explanation

The two hemispheres or the neocortex operate in fundamentally different modes. The left hemisphere excels at detail, processing information that is small–scale, requiring fine resolution: it operates analytically, by splitting or dissection. The right hemisphere, on the other hand, is good at putting all the pieces together. It operates by pattern recognition – visually, intuitively, rapidly absorbing large scale information. Just as in the sunshine of a bright day it is impossible to see the stars, so are the subtle contents of the right hemisphere usually drowned out by the noisy chattering of the dominant verbal/analytical left brain, whose qualities are the more cultivated and valued in our culture. But recent research indicates that floating increases right–brain (or minor hemisphere) function. Floating turns off the external stimuli, plunges us into literal and figurative darkness – then suddenly the entire universe of stars and galaxies is spread out before our eyes. Or as brain researcher Dr. Thomas Budzynski of the University of Colorado put it, “In a floatation environment, the right hemisphere comes out and says, ’Whoopee”.

4. The Three Brain Explanation

In a series of studies Paul MacLean, chief brain researcher at the National Institute for Mental Health (US), has produced convincing evidence that the human brain has three separate physiological layers, each corresponding to an evolutionary stage. In this “Triune Brain Theory,” the oldest layer is called the reptile brain, and it controls basic self–preservative, reproductive and life sustaining functions. Sitting atop the reptile brain is the limbic system, dubbed the visceral brain, because it generates all our emotions. The most recent part of the brain to develop is the neocortex, seat of our abstract, cognitive functions; memory, intellect, language, and consciousness. Unfortunately, there is insufficient communication and coordination between the neocortex and the two older levels. This results in a chronic dissociation between the higher and lower brains which we experience in the form of conflicting drives – unconscious and conscious, savage and civilised, lusty and loving, ritualistic and symbolicThere are times when the levels do act in harmony, as in peak experiences when body and mind unite in exhilarating moments of vitality, when our actions come effortlessly, spontaneously. Now there is evidence that suggests that, due to heightened internal awareness and decreased physical arousal, floating increases the vertical organisation of the brain, enhancing communication and harmony between the separate levels. Floating, it has been hypothesised, can provide us with peak experiences almost at will.

5. The Neurochemical Explanation

Neuroscientists have recently discovered the brain is an endocrine organ that secretes numerous neurochemicals which influence our behavior. Our brains secrete hormones that make us happy, anxious, depressed, shy, sleepy, sexy. Each of us creates different amounts of these various neurochemicals, and those who create, for example, more endorphins – natural opiates – experience more pleasure as a result of a given experience than those who create fewer endorphins. Tests indicate that floating increases the secretion of endorphins at the same time as it reduces the levels of a number of stress–related neurochemicals, such as adrenaline, nordpinephrine, ACTH, and cortisol – substances that can cause tension, anxiety, irritability, and are related to ailments such as heart disease, hypertension and high levels of cholesterol. One other neurochemical theory is the “return of the womb” explanation. Since pregnant women produce up to eight times the normal endorphin levels, the foetus experiences true prenatal bliss. When a floater is suspended in the dense, warm solution, enclosed in darkness, body pulsing rhythmically and brain pumping out endorphins, it’s possible that subconscious memories are stirred and profoundly deep associations called up. It is no coincidence that at least one commercial float centre is named “The Womb Room.”

6. The Biofeedback Explanation

Because of biofeedback research (including Johns Hopkin’s researcher John Basmajian’s conclusive study of subjects consciously firing off single motor–unit neurons), we now know that humans can learn to exercise conscious control over virtually every cell in their bodies. Processes long thought to be involuntary, such as the rhythm and amplitude of our brain waves, healing, blood pressure, the rate or force of heart contractions, respiratory rate, smooth–muscle tension, and the secretion of hormones and neurotransmitters are now thought to be controllable. The way biofeedback machines work is by enhancing concentration. By focusing on a single, subtle change in the body, which is being amplified by the machine, we are able to shut off our awareness of the external environment. This shutting–off of external stimuli is exactly what the floatation environment does best – almost as if in an “organic” biofeedback machine, in the float room every physical sensation is magnified, and because there is no possibility of outside distraction, we are able to relax deeply and focus at will upon any part or system of the body.

7. The Homeostasis Explanation

The human body has an exquisitely sensitive self–monitoring and self–regulating system that is constantly working to maintain the body in homeostasis – an optimal state of balance, harmony, equilibrium and stability. Considered in these terms, we can define stress as a disruption of our internal equilibrium, a disturbance of our natural homeostasis. Research now indicates that many of floating’s most powerful effects come from its tendency to return the body to a state of homeostasis. When we view the mind and body as a single system, it becomes clear that external stimuli are constantly militating against the system’s equilibrium, every noise, every degree of temperature above or below the body’s optimal level, every encounter with other people, everything we see and feel can disrupt our homeostasis. But when we enter the float room, we abruptly stop making constant adjustments to outer stimuli. Since there are no external threats, no pressures to adapt to outside events, the system can devote all its energies to restoring itself. The normal state, of course, is health, vigour, enthusiasm, and immense pleasure in being alive.

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Today I came across videos & pictures I took at the 4 day weekend at Anthony Robbin’s UPW (Unleash the Power Within) back in September 2008.

The song played in this video “Life will never be the same, Life is changing by Haddaway” is well engraved into my subconscious. And it hammers home a message and gets the heart pumping!
All this from using NLP techniques; an amazing set of tools which we can all learn very easily and apply to make good changes in our life.

Anthony Robbins UPW – Life is changing

Here is the full track of this amazing song.

Haddaway – Life

Here are the lyrics:

Life Life will never be
Life life will never be the same

Time is gettin’ cold what is going on
What is on your mind are your feelings gone

Need to see it clear where do we go
why are you doing things all the things you do yeah
yeah

Life will never be the same life is changin’ yeah yeah
life will never be the same life is changin’

Everybody needs somebody to love to love

Solo yeah
yeah oh oh

In the name of love you should draw the line
got to feel secure
that you’re still mine yeah
yeah

Life will never be the same life is changin’ yeah yeah
life will never be the same life is changin’

Everybody needs somebody to love to love

Solo yeah
yeah oh oh …

Life will never be the same Life is changin’

Solo oh oh yeah
yeah oh oh yeah
yeah
oh oh yeah yeah

Life will never be the same life is changin’ yeah
yeah
life will never be the same life is changin’

Life Life will never be
Life Life will never be the same

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Do you find it hard to get up each morning? Need a boost of caffeine to start your day? Or a shower to wake you up? Maybe it’s one of those days you got up on the wrong side of the bed… Well it doesn’t have to be that hard to start each morning.

The technique – it’s too simple

The following is a simple NLP associative technique which I have been using successfuly to bring a burst of energy to my morning.

As soon as you wake up in the morning, SPRING out of bed and jump up and down for 2 minutes moving your hands up and down.

What is this doing

You are associating your waking state (when you wake up) with a burst of energy (springing out of bed and increasing your heart rate through jumping). Furthermore, the jumping also helps move your lymphic system. Your lymphic system doesnt have a pump (like your heart for your blood) so the only way to move the toxins out of your body is by moving. Sleeping is a very immobile event and it builds up toxins in your body that need to be flushed out each morning. Which is also the reason why exercise in the morning does wonders for your day.

How long should I do this for

Do this for 2 weeks straight and you will notice a change. Everyday you wake up you will be alert and full of energy. Just like magic, the biggest magic tricks are the simplest to execute.

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Enjoy!

Welcome back for more juice on Flotation Tanks. If you have not read my previous post “Floatation (isolation) Tank – fringe science?” then I highly recommend you go there first and read the introduction to understand what they are, the benefits of the experience and see some screenshots of tanks I’ve been in, in Sydney (Australia) and San Francisco (USA).

Let’s delve inside – how to temporarily turn off your 3 senses

• The tank is not airtight – it is designed to let air in via the roof.
• It’s pitch black inside. Used to disassociate your visual senses from the environment.
• The tank environment is humid – 37° celcius (99° Fahrenheit) – your body’s temperature. Helps with disassociating your kinestatic senses from the environment.
• Around 10 inches of water in the tank with 800 lbs. of Epsom Salt dissolved in it. When you lie back you will float like a cork. Your ears will be under water. All places I’ve been to provide you earplugs. Use them to cut out all remnants of noise. That’s how your auditory senses are disassociated from the environment.
• Keep the salt out of your eyes. Once inside do not rub your eyes or touch your face – the salt is very strong and even a small drop will sting. Make sure you have a towel near the tank to dry your hands before touching your face / eyes. The same goes for any cuts you have on your body. Make sure you cover them up with Vaseline or similar to stop the salt from entering the wound.
• At the beginning of each float set an intention for what you would like to accomplish during your float. Then enjoy the float – the rest of the journey your mind will take you through.

What to expect during a float

The following is based on my experience. Each experience varies but they all share similar stories.

1. First 20 minutes is calming down your mind and relaxing your body. First timers will find it strange to let go at first because being buoyant is a strange feeling and letting go of tension without touching anything in the tank is even stranger – yes you do float in the tank without touching the bottom or the side walls. When the tension pain is gone that’s when you have fully let go (especially neck muscles).
2. Concentrate on your breathing – in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try this approach, 4 seconds in, hold for another 4 seconds and 2 seconds out (I will cover breathing techniques in a future post and why doing it correctly is super important). Also try to resist moving or scratching an itch. During the start of a meditation session when your senses are slowly being turned off, your brain will send signals to your body to try to awaken them – this will come through as an itch or a muscle twitch. Resist it for couple of minutes and it will pass. Concentrating on your breathing will also help you with the fight against the “monkey mind”. The monkey mind are random distracting thoughts which rush in and out of your mind.
3. After 20 (or so) minutes have passed you will find yourself in an open minded state. Your mind should feel clear & open, your body free of tension. This is the relaxed state. Your mind will be in a frequency state called Alpha. A state which you can also use for accelerated learning.
4. After another 20 minutes (40 minutes into the float) you will enter Theta state. You will be conscious in this state and know when it comes. In this state your subconscious mind awakens and your concious mind will experience auditory and visual hallucinations. You will feel as though you have separated from your physical body and are pure energy, a part of something  greater. Monks practice years to reach Theta in a concious state. Do not resist. Do not get frightened. This state gives you access to insights, bursts of creative ideas – a key state for “reality creation” through vivid imagery.
5. After 1 hour of floating, soft music will start playing inside the tank. This is your queue that the journey for now has came to an end and it’s time to go back to the reality we call society.

With time you will want to float for longer and longer. I have floated for 2 hours before and even though it may sound like a long time there is no sense of time during a good float. John C. Lilly was known to float for up to 6 hours and trained himself to reach such high states that his experiences are what some people would call out of this world.

I would love to hear your experience in the tank. Please use the comments section below to share your journey in the tank.

Common questions & answers

1. Q: Will I drown if I fall asleep in the tank?
   A: No. You are always buoyant, floating on top of the water like a cort. Same as the dead seas. If you did roll over, the strong Epsom Salt in the water would instantly wake you up.
2. Q: I have a fear of being alone in the dark, drowning, not having enough air, claustrophobia, and others…
   A: For some the first time might be a bit overwhelming. You can go in and out of the tank as you please. You can use the tank with the door completely open, you can keep it partially open, or you can close it. There is no particular way to use the tank that is more correct than another. Any way you use it, that is comfortable for you, is correct. But once you relax and let go you will experience peace and tranquility and want to come back for more.
3. Q: I did what you said to do and nothing happened. What gives.
   A: Practice makes perfect. Like anything in life you need to immerse yourself in it and embrace the offering. I recommend you give it a go at least 3 times and each time be open and willing to let go.

Joe Rogan on Floatation Tank

I learnt that your mind is quick at picking up patterns, retaining them and reshaping your conscious thinking processes. It doesn’t take years to change. It can be done in minutes. Like the majority of the population you may have certain traits of compulsive behavior or a pattern which you wish you could change. This might be a fear of public speaking, a sinking feeling you may get from an unpleasant thought etc…

Here is a technique I use to re-associate negative thoughts and connect with positive ones.

Goal: Break an old automatic pattern / habit / thought and replace it with one that is more resourceful.

Steps:

#1. Recognise the automatic reaction.

• In 3rd person, observe the feelings, images, sounds and thoughts you have during this reaction.
• Feel the anger / fear, recall the negative thoughts or fear of other people’s reaction to you e.g. people laughing at you.

#2. Determine the trigger of the negative image.

• In 1st person, ask yourself “what occurs before this negative state begins”.
• Understand your physiology so that you know your trigger point better.

#3. Create & Place the replacement.

• Create a positive “replacement” image which will get you out of this negative state. This is typically the opposite to your negative image.
• Put the replacement image into the corner of the negative image. Like a small picture (replacement image) within a large picture (negative image).

#4. Swish the two images.

• Visualise the replacement image zooming in and engulfing the shrinking negative image. The negative image will disappear.
• Make a sound or imagine a whoosh sound as the images switch places.

#5. Repeat.

• Clear your mind by thinking of your favourite color or place.
• Repeat steps 3 to 5 seven (x7) times.
• You know you are on the right track when the negative image has a problem maintaining state in your mind. ie. the positive image automatically pops into your mind when the trigger is activated.

#6. Test.

• Trigger the negative image & engage it to see what automatic image pops into your mind.
• If it’s the positive replacement image then you are on the right track.

Source: Richard Bandler (father of NLP), John Grinder and The Big Book Of NLP Techniques: 200+ Patterns & Strategies of Neuro Linguistic Programming

Recommended reading:

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I’m sure you’ve wondered why sometimes we come across people we click with instantly and sometimes we struggle with others. Even after using common topics of interest like talking about them / their interests, their family, news et al, there is still something not sticking. You may walk away thinking it wasnt meant to be or that geez that person was hard to communicate to. But what if it didn’t have to be like that and you can change it. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to “click” with everyone – of course it would! This is where understanding each others primary human mode of communication helps. Let’s dig into this further.

Nicholas Boothman, an NLP practisioner and ex-photographer shares the following in his book: How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less

“There are three primary modes that people use to process thoughts (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic — both emotions and physical feelings), and remembered and imagined versions of each one. Understanding individuals primary mode can help you build rapport and connect with them.”

Understanding these primary modes and how to apply them is the secret recipe here.

So what does this all mean, an example

Let’s assume I’m a sales person going to sell you a car. After finding out what your primary mode is, I would use one of the following sales techniques to sell you the car.

a. Primary Visual: “seeing and reading” - I will say, imagine the look on people’s face as they see you driving in this red sporty car on a beautiful sunny day. Is this something you see yourself driving in?

b. Primary Auditory: “listening and speaking” - I will say, hear the growl of this V8 twin turbo engine as your plant your foot down. It’s pure horsepower. Throw your favorite track of Mozart or Guns’n'Roses on and it’s music to your ears. How does that sound?

c. Primary Kinestatic: “touching and doing” - I will say, imagine yourself strapped in pure comfort into those body hugging Recaro bucket seats in this A class safety approved sports car – you know you are safe. You are bound to have a fun and an amazing time. How does that feel?

Did you notice the use of cue words specific to each primary mode? This doesn’t just apply to sales people. Each day when you speak to people you are always selling yourself, your ideas and stories through your communication.

If you are still skeptical, I’m sure you have heard stories of couples miscommunicating. It probably played out like this: wife to husband: “your not listening to me”, husband to wife: “I am, but you’re not seeing what I mean”. Right there; lay’s the key to that form of miscommunication. The wife is auditory and the husband visual. Of course the wife cannot see his point because she needs to hear it.

Understanding the person’s preference – how to use this knowledge

The “clues” to understanding a person’s preference mode are tied in eye movements and choices of words.

a. Eye movements

This applies for right handed individuals. For left handed the sides are switched.

• Visual individual will always look up / up and to the side as they process information. They are also the fast talkers because visual thoughts are a lot quicker to put into words.
• Auditory individual will move their eyes from ear to ear (left to right / right to left) as they need to hear what they are saying. This group are moderate speed talkers.
• Kinestatic individual will look down and to the right as they need to “feel” what they are saying. Typically these people will be slow talkers because to feel and speak is a longer process. Don’t get confused with people looking down and to the left – this is common when people are having internal chatter like reciting a preplanned script e.g. actors or during an interview – all types exhibit this behavior.

b. Choice of words
Listen to the following used in one’s conversation and use the same choice of words to respond.

Visual

Auditory

Kinesthetic

Don’t assume

Just like being right handed one can also be a mix of both sides. Do not make quick assumptions about a persons mode. A person can be a mix of modes like primary visual and secondary auditory, and so on. Understanding this will help you use the right choice of words in your communication at the right time and in no time you will be in a position able to hold a conversation with anyone and build rapport quickly.

Enjoy your new found knowledge and share your experience below in the comments section.

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