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2. Meditation: It's Good For You image

2. Meditation: It's Good For You

E2 · Soul Pod: The Podcast
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36 Plays4 months ago

Join us as we discuss how meditation could massively improve our lives... if only we could remember to do it.

We're grateful you're here! If you like what you’re hearing, you can follow us on Instagram: @soulpodthepodcast. You can also email us directly at [email protected].

Hosts: Christina Bell & Molly Wilde

Music: The Confrontation, by Jonathan Boyle, licensed from Premium Beats by Shutterstock

Editing: Molly Wilde

Disclaimer: The purpose of this podcast is for entertainment and enjoyment. We are not professionals in any regard. We do not have professional knowledge, training, or education in physical health, mental health, or spiritual matters. Any suggestions or recommendations made during our episodes should be independently researched by the listener before considering implementation, or better yet, listeners should ignore everything we say. We cannot be held responsible or liable for anything we say, or any actions taken by any persons as a result of listening to our podcast episodes. Stay safe, stay informed, stay smart.

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Transcript

High Energy Day & Canceled Appointments

00:00:22
Speaker
Here we go. Yay. Good afternoon. Good afternoon to you. who it's a beennna It's been a day. Yeah? Is it been a day already? Oh, it's been a day. Oh, boy. Whatever that means. Expand upon that. Oh, just, you know, ah high energy.
00:00:50
Speaker
from the moment I got out of bed. ah You had high energy or there's just been a lot of stuff going on? Like both and neither. Okay, I have no idea what that means. but I don't expect you to. um No, I was just like the moment I got out of bed was just like, I got to do stuff. And then it was just nonstop from there. And so Like, ah it's not that I necessarily have more energy than I ever usually do. But I definitely have just been more hectic, more hectic, but not in like a frantic, like bad mental health space or bad mental like headspace. Gotcha. Just so go in and just sort of like, I would like to be done for the day, but I don't get to do that.
00:01:44
Speaker
Well, it was going to be that kind of day for me as well until um until the appointment appointment got canceled. Yeah, my three o'clock appointment got canceled and I was kind of relieved because I have a lot to do. I'm in you know preparation for my market on Sunday and it's going to be a lot of work for today and tomorrow. So I'm like, okay, well, that helps. no Well, I'm glad that you've got some extra time on your hands.
00:02:12
Speaker
Yeah. That's good. I guess I can just quickly fill in the blank there for people. Oh yeah, yeah, go for it. I'm doing a farmer's market a couple times a month because I started to grow microgreens last fall.

Growing Microgreens for Farmer's Markets

00:02:28
Speaker
And um so just for the summer, I'm doing farmer's markets and trying to get some interest going, some customers and stuff. Yeah. And it seems to be going well.
00:02:40
Speaker
Yeah. I've turned a profit yet, but that's okay. Because sometimes it looks a few months. Yeah. And also, like it's a little hard. like It's one of those things where I would expect you maybe to turn a profit if you were like doing a market every single day.
00:02:55
Speaker
Or every weekend or at least every weekend. Yeah, but yeah, right you've since you've not booked yourself that um heavily Which is honestly probably for the best at least while you're ah shifting into it um Yeah, you know, it's just gonna be what it is. But ultimately like a it's in your it's like enjoyable for you and b It's like a cool, fulfilling like thing to grow things and then have people like buy them and consume them. Yeah. And they actually told me that they really liked them, which is awesome. Yeah. And yeah. So like that even if you don't have a profit, like that in and of itself is like enough for it to be worthwhile. So that's cool. So that's the blink. I'm good now. but I filled it in. Sweet.
00:03:47
Speaker
Yeah, um I was gonna say, like I said, we're not sure yet when, what date these episodes are gonna be released that we're recording right now, but at some point, or at least for the future, I feel like it would be beneficial if you, ah you know, shouted out your own farmer's markets events you're gonna be doing for like upcoming weekends and things. um So that if anybody listening who's in the area where you live or where the markets are,
00:04:17
Speaker
uh might want to hit it up yeah that would be cool that would be very cool yeah but yeah so that's uh that's that's this day so far oh yawning no yawning no yawning no no no no no no yawning i don't i shouldn't have any more caffeine though i don't need more stimulants in my system um but i am gonna drink water because it's good for you and you know what else is good for you but meditation. Oh my goodness. Oh, I'm good. I'm kind of feeling that was coming. It was not a subtle one, that's

Meditation & Personal Experiences

00:04:58
Speaker
for sure.
00:04:58
Speaker
um ah Yeah, no we ah thought that we might talk about meditation today. um A, because it's somewhat of a straightforward topic, somewhat of a I don't know, an easy one to talk about, and especially because, like, even if it's not, like, a huge amount of experience, we do have experience with it, both of us. And so, you know, it would be good, we think, to get a little into the groove with something lighter and easier, but also still meaningful to get our topics and episodes underway, as it were.
00:05:42
Speaker
So I was just going to say um the term experience, having experience with it. In my case, we can use that word very loosely.
00:05:55
Speaker
Experience, I feel, is a broad term by its own nature and its own definition anyway, because experience means so many things in so many different contexts.
00:06:07
Speaker
so Yeah. Do you want to talk about the experiences that you do have ah with meditation or have had? Sure. Cool. Take it away. um So I'll just start with with today, as a matter of fact. um Did a five-minute meditation before we started. And I actually I'll preempt it with, I've just recently come to realize that I have restless leg syndrome because I've heard that term a lot, right? And I never really thought about it and knew what it was. But then I started to think about
00:06:43
Speaker
me specifically and things that I would be doing and not thinking about. And I'm like constantly moving my legs. I'm constantly shaking my leg, bouncing my knee, or wiggling my legs around, or like it hit my you know like I'm in bed and I'm constantly moving my feet and or just like whatever. So like right now I am because I'm in a very uncomfortable chair, unfortunately.
00:07:09
Speaker
um And it's like killing my sciatica. That moon that actually started, my sciatica started flaring up at training earlier at my job. And it's kind of carried on through the day and I'm like, okay, that's great. But anyways, so when I was meditating a few minutes ago, before well, a few minutes before we started,
00:07:30
Speaker
I was trying to repeat a mantra in my head because I know that mantras can help you focus on meditation a little bit easier. So I was just saying over and over again, quiet feet, quiet hands, quiet mind, and I just kept saying it over and over again.
00:07:47
Speaker
yeah And I was doing my best to keep my feet still. And it was hard because I kept lifting up my one big toe. like every few Every few seconds, I'd lift it up and put it back down, lift it up, put it back down. I don't know if it's a self-soothing thing or if it's just an ADHD thing or a combo. I have no idea. I do know that it's common with anxiety.
00:08:10
Speaker
and i And you had mentioned you were feeling a lot of anxiety earlier. So yeah I wonder if that's probably like flaring it up right now. That could be, but definitely have the freaking sciatica going on right now. My whole right leg is like hurting into my foot. so I'm so sorry. That's so fun. I think what I'm going to do is get a nice chair cushion, like ah you know whatever, like a lumbar support or some kind of, I don't know, the kind that has the tailbone cut out of it and put it on this chair.
00:08:45
Speaker
so anyhow So that was my little mantra and I was trying to quiet my mind and just repeating those things, repeat you know, over and over again repeatedly. And it it seemed to help because literally the five minutes went and by so fast or maybe it was four or four and a half minutes, whatever, but it went by so fast. It was like, I felt like it was just a minute and it was like over with already. I was like, whoa, well, that kind of worked, I guess. Looks good.
00:09:14
Speaker
So, do and prior to today, i I mean, it probably could count on all my fingers and toes how many times I have meditated and ah or attempted to, you know, which we'll get into that what that means. um But sometimes I've used guided meditations on YouTube. Sometimes I have just tried to sit quietly in my car or wherever I am and do it. And another time or two, I have used my mala beads.
00:09:47
Speaker
and And I you know like how many oh my gosh I can't remember how many beads are supposed to be in a model like 108 or something like that Oh, I thought it was more than that, but actually you might be right um Something something in that ballpark Yeah, okay. So like you're supposed to count or not count them No, you're supposed to repeat a mantra for every you like thumb like through them Yeah, that's right. Yeah. Yeah, so I use those once or twice Um, so you repeat the same mantra for every you know Over and over for every bead that you have But yeah, I'd say like those three Situations are the times that i've you know, the things that i've used during the times that I have meditated
00:10:34
Speaker
And I have to ah excuse myself. I am getting over a little bit of an illness, so I'm sorry about the stuffy sounding voice and the clearing of the throat. To be honest, your voice really doesn't sound bad at all. Oh, that's good. It doesn't really even sound different. And it did sound different like yesterday, the day before. Or I'm actually not sure. I can't remember. Did we not? We didn't speak yesterday on the phone, right? Was it just Wednesday? I don't remember. We talked yesterday for a minute, I think, on the phone.
00:11:04
Speaker
Okay, yeah I don't remember. no But yeah, no, you don't sound bad at all. So no worries there. And the you know obviously the throat clearing is what editing is for. So yeah. But yeah, no, that's ah that's cool. And it is something that I feel like it's brought up a lot to be sure to implement or prioritize. Or at least it has been brought up to me a lot.
00:11:33
Speaker
And every single time, I'm just like, I know. Like, I know. I gotta be better about it. And I try not to, you know, shoo it on myself, as they say. i But hey, I really like your shirt, by the way.
00:11:49
Speaker
Which, it was it wicked clothes? but yeah that's a good question probably ah yeah it's um for those because this is actually not a video format uh for all those listening it is just simply a black t-shirt with the adorable little stick drawing of a witch and witch written in very elementary handwriting up the side of the stick figure maybe essentially it looks like a kid's yeah essentially looks like a kid's drawing
00:12:24
Speaker
Yeah, she's got a little broom and a hat. It's adorable. I love it. um But yeah, so meditation is something that like I always do kind of like get down on myself about that I don't do enough of. Yes, thank you for changing your camera angle. It helps. Whatever you got to do for the sciatica, no worries. But yeah, and i As I mentioned in ah our first episode, the last one, the what am I doing? What's worse? What is life? what is life the The first episode we recorded, which was also our previous episode, because this is only the second episode, I did mention that I implemented meditation pretty diligently during school, during college.
00:13:18
Speaker
and it was purely for my own mental health because I was dealing with a lot of anxiety at the time. And at the time, like I initially it started out with just like setting a timer on my phone and just sort of sitting cross-legged and closing my eyes and breathing and trying to not get overwhelmed by my like racing thoughts all the time. Then I did end up using an app that had a lot of guided meditations. Unfortunately, the app has been discontinued. It was called Stop, Breathe, Think.
00:13:50
Speaker
and I really liked it and I'm sad that it doesn't exist anymore because I feel like I'd probably have an easier time keeping up ah still if it did but and I'm not blaming them for not keeping up with it but it was quite easy especially for me a person who gets a little competitive with herself. And if I've got a streak going, because something keeps track of a streak, I like to keep that streak up literally just for the sake of keeping it up and not losing it. so I'm not going to explain the duolingo. Yeah, the duolingo that I just um actually like did freeze the streak yesterday. I forgot to do it. But
00:14:33
Speaker
Regardless, ah that app had that and ah that ah feature of keeping track of like each day that you meditated. And I liked it. It was good. And I especially do like guided meditations because it does help to not um get bogged down with the thoughts that you know are hard to quiet yourself. And also it helps to, when especially when it's a guided meditation that like tells you to relax, like various body parts.
00:15:03
Speaker
Because i I was going to say during my five minute meditation before we started, I had the realization I feel like meditation more than anything just reminds me of just how tense I am. Like at any given moment. Yeah. Yeah. um which, you know, it is what it is. But ah anyway, I did meditate the most, I think, in like 2015, 2016. And it was primarily for mental health purposes. And then after that, when I really just started to, I wasn't in school anymore, that took a huge amount of stress off of my life in 2016. I did graduate, by the way, I didn't, I didn't drop out twice.
00:15:49
Speaker
um you Oh, goodness. I graduated in 2016. But i yeah you know that took a lot of stress off. And then I was focusing more on my own spirituality. And so that sort of meant turning to meditation with a candle or something. Back in the early days, I really was very just straightforward. I didn't do a whole lot with intention. I didn't do a whole lot with tools. I just sort of tried to connect with the universe.
00:16:20
Speaker
I guess, um, or not even really like sought it out. I was just sort of like, when I do this, I feel like I am looking in. And, uh, so that was the whole purpose to me. But, you know, it's, it wasn't like super frequently, especially wasn't as frequent as when I was in college, you know, it was maybe once a week or once every other week, depending. Uh,
00:16:46
Speaker
And I have a couple of experiences that were notable, that were not in the recent in recent past, but in, I want to say 2017 and 2018.

Memorable Meditation Experiences

00:16:59
Speaker
But ah the first was a funny and funny experience and the second was profound and almost scary but not actually scary. And you'll remember when I tell it because I've told you this story before.
00:17:17
Speaker
I can't wait because I don't remember. You will, trust me. And if you think that you don't when I tell it, then I promise you that I have told you. Okay, I believe you. But we know I have memory issues. It's probably just been family a long time since ah since I've talked about it. so sure um But yeah, so the first story was In about 2017, I was in the habit of, or not in the habit, but like my practice was usually taking place after my then boyfriend went to bed. Because we lived in a one bedroom apartment. There wasn't a whole lot of privacy, a whole lot of private space. But yeah, so yeah, he had gone to bed.
00:18:03
Speaker
And it was probably close to when I am. And I was like 45 minutes deep into what was effectively a trance state. And again, it wasn't toward any particular like purpose. I wasn't doing a spell. I wasn't doing anything like except for connecting. um And so I was pretty deep in it. And I had incense burning. I had candles burning.
00:18:32
Speaker
And the smoke alarm went off at one in the morning. but so Oh, my God. And I'm not sure if I ever told you this story, um this one in particular. But I found it really entertaining. And of course, it woke my ex up. And I almost feel lucky that he wasn't pissed that he was just like, of course, this is happening, you know? but So media how many incense sticks did you have going at once?
00:18:59
Speaker
at I don't know. I think it was more so the candles than the incense, honestly, because like I usually only do like one at a time. And sure, I'll keep relighting them. But like maybe the incense had gone out at that point, because usually they last not as long as 45 minutes. That's true.
00:19:21
Speaker
not sure exactly but i I do think it was more so the candles that was the issue but he I'd like you know my eyes were closed and like I didn't even realize how smoky the whole apartment had gotten and uh and our windows didn't open uh because we were on like the sub basement floor you know We were like partly underground and like that's not a safe thing to be able to open your windows because that means people can break in, which I did not let anyway. um Nobody broke in. But you know we that that made it harder to actually like clear everything up. we had to like We were just waving all the doors in the apartment and flapping a towel at the sleep detector.
00:20:04
Speaker
it was it was It was funny, but it was also just like, ugh, God. i don't know I don't know why I feel like Windows not being able to open is a fire hazard in and of itself. I mean, you know what? Get out. ah Like, I could be wrong, and maybe there was a way that they would open, but ah we certainly never tried. Gotcha. Like, there we never had, like, an instance of feeling like we needed to open the windows. Also, the whole time that we lived there was like not the hot months of the year. So like we were we we were okay keeping them closed. But yeah, so that was that incident which I thought was entertaining.
00:20:45
Speaker
But the second most memorable to me instance of meditation was in 2018 Max and I had moved into a house that he had bought and i had only been we'd only been there for like a month, less than a month, and it was again late at night.
00:21:06
Speaker
And I was sitting downstairs in the what we call the office space, which never actually ended up functioning as an office, but it was like the one room that didn't have an immediately obvious purpose. So that's what it has continued to be called. But it did have his old desk in there at the time. And so I had sat at that desk, and I actually had my mala beads that time.
00:21:33
Speaker
and I, you know, who was just doing my thing, going into somewhat of a trance state. I did have a mantra. I was repeating it. And I don't even remember if I had a candle burning at that. I i must have had a candle, but ah what I don't remember is the candle because of what else was going on. And I want to also preface this by making it abundantly clear that I do not have a sensitivity to spirits and presences.
00:22:05
Speaker
I have tried. I do not. I just don't have it. i don't like There is a lot that I can do, a lot that I can work on. Mediumship is not a talent of mine, and I am okay with that. um But for that, like I want to emphasize that because like that's how significant what happened next is because it was sitting there and I was working my way through my mala beads and about not even halfway through, I began to hear whispering all around me in the room. And the unfortunate thing is that I had set myself up facing a wall, effectively facing a corner.
00:22:51
Speaker
in the room. So my room, my back was like toward the open room. Yeah, kind of a vulnerable position. Very vulnerable. And I never have sat in that kind of a position to meditate ever again. Never ever because I hated it. Because yeah, I immediately could hear whispering.
00:23:11
Speaker
It felt like a room full of people were whispering and I couldn't make out words, but I could hear enough voices that it did sound like the room was crowded with people. They were watching me and they were talking about me. And that was the first experience I've ever had with the spirits that lived in that house.
00:23:30
Speaker
which i do I do remember the story, by the way. I was hoping you were going to talk about it, actually. you You were hoping I was going to or wasn't going to? I was hoping that you were going to talk about it. Oh, good. Good, good.
00:23:44
Speaker
but But yeah, so, you know, continuing with the asterisk that I don't have a gift for mediumship. That house was so potent with spirits and presences that I could not, not notice them. And especially, I mean, like you're obviously more prone to that when you're in a deep uh, trance state or just like a deep meditative state anyway. But that, you know, it scared me because I was like, I really did feel like I was sitting there and suddenly a whole bunch of people were standing behind me, but it was more of like a, like, like you said, vulnerability thing.
00:24:24
Speaker
than that I felt like anything was malicious. Excuse me, I keep almost hiccuping. Nothing was malicious in that house. And I will certainly in the future tell more stories about everything that was in there in the house. Or that is still because the house still exists. and we didn't We didn't banish anything the whole time I was there. That house is pretty cool though. It's a cool house. I love houses in Massachusetts. I love how old they are.
00:24:53
Speaker
and that house was built in 1890. which was not not even very old by Massachusetts standards, but still quite old. It was it was full of people. um Yeah. And I ah have been a little bit sensitive to spirit, not spirit, but but um um residual energy or emotions. ah And I never really picked up on anything in that house at all.
00:25:25
Speaker
Yeah, well that's the thing is that like when you're not like introduced to or aware of what's there, it's not like super easy to pick up. i guess Well, I guess I can't really even speak from my own experience just because like I genuinely don't have that talent. like We went to that haunted hotel for that, um which is Luncheon or whatever, right and you were like, I can't wait to you know to find out what sort of stuff you pick up on. And like the whole time, I was like literally trying so hard to like tune in and like feel something and nothing.
00:26:01
Speaker
didn't see anything, didn't hear anything, didn't feel anything. same yeah and so like And I guess some places, even if they're the haunted the most haunted place in existence, you know some days sometimes they have off days.
00:26:14
Speaker
but That's true. There certainly wasn't constant spirit activity in the house I lived in. you know It was like mostly just occasionally that I would hear the stairs creaking and I was definitely 100% sure that I was alone.
00:26:33
Speaker
in the house right like in such clear creaking that was like very clear steps going down the stairs not like one weird creek or like the cat jumped on the stair just a little hard enough that it happened to creek it was very much footsteps down the stairs and i texted my ex and been like i hope that was you on the stairs and he was like nope i'm halfway to work Oh, God. you know um That kind of thing. it like Yeah. I would have a hard time not crapping my pants. Well, that's the thing, is that like I really had to then you know tune into, like what is the energy that I'm getting from whatever's here? And had to sort of be constantly constantly on, not on my guard, but just constantly checking in about it. Because like whatever was usually there, or whatever like had like a long-term
00:27:25
Speaker
permanent presence there was not only neutral but just like generally comfortable and then if there ever was an energy change I was like the most possibly equipped person in the world to handle it Not in the world. I'm sure there were more. no that's That was an exaggeration. but certainly meaning Meaning you have lots of tools. I have lots of tools um and techniques and knowledge and an understanding that like there's absolutely no reason to be afraid no matter like how nasty of an energy I might have felt.
00:28:02
Speaker
And so, yeah, like it it was an interesting experience for sure. So oddly enough, we've completely gone off topic from meditation. Yeah, we have. And that's okay. That's okay. Yeah. I wasn't even thinking like, Oh, we got to stay on topic. Like whatever we talk about is what we talk about, you know, yet for sure. But yeah, we did, we did get off topic there.
00:28:28
Speaker
I wasn't trying to point it out as like a negative at all. I just wondered if you wanted to get back on the topic or not. Sorry. No, of course. of course i mean like there's There's a lot to talk about with regards to meditation. and i guess like For me, like meditation did become a bit of a like, oh, I'm tuning in, I'm tapping into the presences around me because they were always there. I didn't often meditate, not at home. So that was the majority of my experiences after I moved into that house and I lived in that house for five years.
00:29:01
Speaker
which is crazy to think about. But yeah, so that's sort of where that's that's where that led me. And I haven't done a ton of meditating since I've lived ah by myself, since I moved out of that house. ah you know Not meditating just for the sake of meditating, I've done it in other contexts.
00:29:20
Speaker
But it's ah still, I feel a very good thing for me and I do still wish that I would do it more often. And I, you know, it's a constant thing that I say I'm working on. So. Yeah.

Benefits of Meditation for Mental Health

00:29:35
Speaker
And, you know, I definitely want to start getting into the routine of meditation more frequently myself, especially since after having my reading that I had with a ah Oh yeah. because she She calls herself a healer channel psychic yeah and a medium, but she's working on some of those skills. and But anyhow, she's more of a healer and a channel. And she told me, well, her guides told me that if I wanted to develop my psychic abilities better, um that I needed to meditate. And I've known that anyways, just in terms of like,
00:30:19
Speaker
meeting it for my own mental health to quiet my brain because the ADHD is insanity, right? And the way to quiet the ADHD and the constant chatter is you know meditation is obviously the best way to do that and the healthiest way to do that. And you need to be able to do that in in order to tune into the the gifts that you might have. So right that's what I need to do.
00:30:47
Speaker
yeah absolutely yeah and i uh i agree with you there and i actually like i wasn't going to immediately jump into that like saying that about your reading but like you know when you had sent me that recording of it i latched onto that too when i was listening to it i was like please yes absolutely like that's gonna be so good for you You know, yeah and i and I really need to and remind me, please. I mean, like remind me gently every day, if you need to, to be like, Hey, try to meditate or, you know, have you meditated or whatever. I love that. Yeah. I mean, absolutely. If you're asking for it, sure. Um, that's no problem. Yeah. I don't want it to become where like, every time I remind you, then you're just like, I just can't, I don't have time. And like, you get aggravated about it, but like, No, no. I i mean, there might be days I might feel like that, but... Yeah, we all have those days. Definitely. I think if I do five minutes or 10 minutes, i can I can find the time to do that for sure. Yeah. Yeah. it's And that's the thing. It's like even five minutes can make such a great difference.
00:31:51
Speaker
So you just took a quick ah break bathroom break, and Christina grabbed a better chair for her or sciatica. Our mom with a poor butt. We're back. and so yeah But you were mentioning your ah just this feeling of needing to develop a more consistent practice with meditation. And I'm more than happy to remind you, whenever I think of it,
00:32:21
Speaker
Okay, so yeah, I almost want to say let's do the same for me. Let's let's do the the whole like. Co accountability thing. Not that we're going to you know get down on ourselves when we go like a whole week without bothering with it.
00:32:38
Speaker
uh you know because that's never a good thing but right any amount any amount of meditation that is more than what we've been doing is going to be better than no increase or a decrease so Right. yeah So I think for me, it's going to be helpful for me for more reasons than just helping my ADHD, but like who basically putting myself in a better position to deal with stress and all of those things. And I have a lot of that. so
00:33:17
Speaker
Don't we all in this stay in age? i'm not I'm not anything special, for sure. I know that. No, but I do know that there are a lot of things that have been going on in your life that have been stressing you out. And you know so I do think it would be particularly beneficial for you. And I i kind of am in the same boat. It's you know as much of a spiritual thing as a mental health thing, as with you know so much of my spirituality being so deeply locked in with mental health because that's how it started you know for me. um So i I'm on board. I'm on board for sure. I was just reminded of a friend of mine who I won't go into too much detail, just for privacy sake. Anyhow, if she listens to this podcast eventually, that would be amazing. I would love it. But she told me how she used meditation. And I mean, like specifically, I don't remember her words
00:34:12
Speaker
But I would assume that it that was mostly for stress management for her life, probably for some self-improvement or anything you know anything positive like that. But I remember that she said to me that it's like been scientifically proven to increase gray matter in the brain, which I don't know exactly what that means because I didn't look it up and like I didn't read the studies that she you know may have referenced or whatever. but um what i think that might mean and what it what i mean What I could assume it means is that it helps to create new neural pathways. I don't know. yeah But neural pathways, yeah. That's what I was thinking too. Not only maybe increases the brain cells. like
00:35:02
Speaker
potentially, maybe the brain cells can regrow where they may have, you know, not been growing or any of that, but um new neural pathways help you to create new thought patterns and help to change belief systems and things like that that we can hold on to. And so in that way, it's a super positive thing. Yeah, um I honestly, I was going to say like we could dedicate an entire episode to the experiences we've had in that regard, too. That's, yes. Yeah. Which, you know, we should, we should dedicate an entire episode. I say I'll add it to the list. Okay. But yeah, like, I, you know, when you said like, that she said it increases gray matter, like the very first thing that I thought was like, no, like, it makes sense. It like literally helps your brain cells regenerate.
00:35:56
Speaker
you know, like it totally tracks for me and ah in addition to, because I think it's two, it is probably two separate things. I'm not a brain scientist, otherwise. I wouldn't be doing this on my lunch break right now. work yeah let's let Let's do the yeah but disclaimer thing of ah we are not scientists, we are not doctors, we are not mental health providers, we are simply two people. That regards simply people who have had, we're mental health ah professionals in that we have dealt a lot with bad mental health.
00:36:33
Speaker
um We are not other people yeah the We are the mental health sufferers, not professionals. who We're not medical doctors. We don't have degrees um in the in the field. Anyway, quite sort of being, like I was thinking they're probably two it's probably two separate things to regenerate brain cells and to create new neural pathways because you can always create new neural pathways I think with the brain cells that you have but I do feel like when you're doing whatever it is you're doing to create new neural pathways it's also going to be on the side or in the background regrowing brain cells and like
00:37:19
Speaker
particularly, like, I think of psilocybin. um But I also think about how, like, the way that bad mental health and consistently, you know, bad and untreated bad mental health, as well as trauma, both the acute event trauma and long-term CPTSD type trauma,
00:37:40
Speaker
does actual, literal brain damage. And therefore, these kinds of things, meditation or whatever, you know, other treatment that achieves the same end are like, critical, I feel. Yeah. You know, and and not from a moral standpoint, but from a like literal, like, cellular structure, physical health, mental health standpoint.
00:38:08
Speaker
you know Because it's ah it's too easy, and especially when you have bad bad mental health, it's too easy to get you know caught in the whole like moral, like oh, I'm so bad because I don't keep this up, like I'm not good enough, like but blah, blah, blah, the shame spiral.
00:38:26
Speaker
And that's another thing that is a new neural pathway I'm trying to build for myself is to like no longer just live in this loop of a shame spiral. You know, to remind yourself like, I need to do this because it's the best thing to take care of myself. Yeah.
00:38:45
Speaker
Rather than I need to do this because it's bad. I haven't been doing it or I'm a failure because I keep forgetting to do it or whatever Like none of that like failure talk, please And I'm saying that as much to myself as to anybody else Yeah Yeah, I was going to say, you know it's not like, well, when I ask you to remind me you know or ask me if I've done it for the day, if I've meditated, who it's literally because I just forget. yeah like I mean, that's the whole reason why I haven't been doing it because I'm so busy day to day that I just don't think about it. And so you know maybe I need to set an alarm on my phone for a specific time of day when I know that I can have some alone time or something and just do it for five or 10 minutes. But yeah um yeah, just forget. And I haven't prioritized it enough to remember it.

Challenges with Meditation Habits

00:39:40
Speaker
So it's definitely it's a habit thing for me. I'm going to need to just try to remember and maybe set the alarm, whatever, and just make it a habit.
00:39:49
Speaker
Yeah. The more often that you do remember to do it, and the more often that you ah prioritize it, or the longer that you go while prioritizing it, like it's probably going to become easier to remember. Yeah. you know yeah Well, that's that's called a habit. bush Exactly. I struggle so much, not just with like habits like the process of habits, but the fact that like With ADHD, you almost really can't even physically form a habit. you um you know Most of the time, people, I guess, specifically with executive functioning problems due to their ADHD or other neurodivergent
00:40:29
Speaker
diagnosis. But yeah, like that I guess is at the core a habit. ah But yeah, like it's also just, you know, more present in your like daily life and therefore easier to remember. And, you know, I'm much the same way I actually I spent a good portion of yesterday literally writing out so many different routines for myself, which was an assignment given me by the astrologer that I have seen.
00:40:58
Speaker
nice and you know i As a, I haven't said this yet on the podcast, but as a Virgo, because I am a Virgo, my Virgo ass just like did what she does best with it, you know? And I just went all out. But it included, and I made sure to include, many different instances through the day to try to meditate. um Nice.
00:41:25
Speaker
Yeah. And it's not that I'm going to try to meditate multiple times a day, but, you know, your day's got to be flexible in some regard. And so, like, you know, to be able to say, okay, if I can't fit it in at, like, five o'clock in the morning, then I can try to fit it in at, like, 8 p.m. at night. um You know, and having those options effectively, but like you know just just ah Even if I don't sit and meditate on a particular day like having the designated time to like Check in with myself, you know check in with like not only my to-do list for the day or whatever is going on but also check in like mentally and You know physically
00:42:10
Speaker
ah because like I guess at its core that is also somewhat of a meditation. I guess also meditation gets conflated with mindfulness a lot and that would be mindfulness, the checking in.
00:42:21
Speaker
Oh yeah yeah. Good point. Yeah. So like meditation, I guess a little bit more specific mindfulness zoom out a little bit. There's a little broader range of options there, but like it is still the stopping and the checking in the smelling of the roses, if you will. Um, but yeah, like mindfulness. And that is yet another thing that I've been like, Oh, I've always got to work on my mindfulness. I say it to make therapists all the time.
00:42:51
Speaker
like I want to be more mindful about this or that and or just in general but like no like I don't think I need to get mindfulness like get into mindfulness about any particular thing I think if I am just doing it for myself and even just a little bit like a few minutes a day it gets easier to then be mindful in a lot more contexts a lot more instances I guess what it comes down to is, hey, you do things enough, you're going to have an easier time doing them. Habits.
00:43:25
Speaker
but Oh, yeah. And absolutely so nothing that we're saying is new information. Right. But like, yeah, I mean, talking about it helps to, you know, want to, or to in the like effort of implementing it. Sure. Yeah.
00:43:45
Speaker
and now i was going to say i think A lot of people get intimidated with the idea of doing meditation maybe because they feel like they're going to fail at it or whatever. But what I have learned in my minimal studies of this topic is, and I don't mean just like what I've learned just recently in preparation for this episode because I And really didn't I prepare was going to much for this. say, I think This drawing on my past knowledge and whatnot, one of the things that I've learned is literally they call it the practice of meditation for a reason, because it takes practice to do it. And you, as long as you try, you're doing it, literally. You can sit there. You can
00:44:37
Speaker
try to be still, try to be quiet in your mind and try to meditate. And like you may feel like you're doing it wrong or you're failing at it, but you're not. You're literally just doing it. And all it takes is the time to sit as quietly as you can and try to like, I don't know, you you can't stop thinking. Most people can't stop thinking until they've been doing it and practicing it for many, many years. I was gonna say, ah you you technically can't stop thinking until you're like dead. you know But I mean, that there is that
00:45:15
Speaker
There's that point, like you were saying, like in a trance state almost, like where you get to that level where you don't really think of much. And yeah the point is when you're sitting there and you have a thought, it's okay to have a thought. You just have to acknowledge the thought. Don't dwell on it. Don't assign emotion to it or any of that. You just let it be and wipe it. Like imagine swiping it away with your hand and then... Yeah, like on Tinder.
00:45:46
Speaker
swipe. So not that I've ever, I've not been on on Tinder. I'm a married woman. I haven't been on Tinder in so long. It's just the most commonly known app. That's why I referenced it. But yeah, anyway. I'm only familiar with it because of what people have said or what funny videos or memes there are.
00:46:07
Speaker
Anyhow, just you think of it like that and you you know a thought pops up and you just swipe it away and you know try to be quiet in your mind again and if a thought pops up again, you just do that again and and you just keep doing that and you keep practicing that until you get better at it and that's it. But you're you're doing meditation regardless if you're sitting quietly. with no noises as much as possible going on around you, um no interruptions. you know So like even if it is three minutes, whatever, yeah it's still but still all good. And the more you can do it and the more you can practice it, the better you'll get at it.
00:46:46
Speaker
100%, yeah. And like, honestly, you know, even if what you're doing is more so of a mindfulness, more so of a checking in with your body, checking in with your like mind and your heart, that's still, you know, a stepping stone in the direction of like what meditation is. And I I was going to say, I've known so many people who have like completely written off the concept of meditation because of the fact that they you know tell themselves, oh, I can't get my mind to shut up. yeah um And like what you just said is a perfect explanation, I feel, for the people who who think that way or who have felt that way. And I have i have no business
00:47:34
Speaker
telling anybody what to do. But I might, I feel prompted or I feel like a call to, if you've ever had that thought yourself of writing off the concept of meditation, you know, if you sit, are you sitting here listening have ever had that thought? And whether you, you know, lament about it or not, like, if you ever had that thought, like, take that idea of, you know, you're still allowed to have thoughts and think while you're meditating but you know go ahead and try what Christina said like acknowledge the thought don't assign emotion to it be removed from it like be outside of it and watch it come up and watch it go away you know even if you spend 30 seconds trying to do that like you can do it it is it's something that you like you can focus on
00:48:26
Speaker
you know So it's, again, not trying to tell people what to do. But it does feel important to acknowledge like it's such a common thing that people do say that they don't think they can even do it. And I don't necessarily believe that.
00:48:48
Speaker
Right. I mean, that's the whole point of me wanting to talk about that because yeah I think people need to realize if it's something that they've tried and they felt like they couldn't, it's really, literally, yes, you can. You just have to keep trying. Yeah. And you you don't have to keep trying. like You can do whatever you want, truly. But like yeah.
00:49:10
Speaker
That's what I mean. if If it's something you want to do, you just have to keep trying until you get better at it and and you're not failing. if If it feels like it's hard, if it feels like it's work, then you're probably doing it wrong.
00:49:25
Speaker
Yeah, don't be hard on yourself. Don't be like, don't give yourself a hard time about it because that's the purpose. It's almost a little bit like, you know, like the the concept. And I feel like I use this metaphor in too many, too many different ways. But like the concept of like gripping sand where you're like, if you're holding so tight to it, it's going to like flow out through your fingers. But like if you just cup your hand and hold it, like it'll it'll all stay.
00:49:54
Speaker
And I feel like you got to assign that to the practice of meditation, where if you're like working so hard to try to do it and get through the five minutes or the 10 minutes or whatever, you don't need to strain yourself. you know Exactly. get you know Stop the timer, like get up, do a lap, take a breather, and like sit down and just sort of relax into it. Yep, exactly. Yeah. like don't A, don't do anything you don't feel like doing. B, if you want to try, don't get hard on yourself because because it feels difficult, because you have struggled with it in the past. Relax into it.
00:50:39
Speaker
Yep. Don't pressure yourself. Just you just chill and let it let it happen. Yeah. Oh boy. I didn't mean to get intellectual mode. Yeah. no yeah But i think I think people need to hear that because if it is something they're interested in, they they need to realize it is it is possible and it's that it doesn't have to be as hard as you think it is like or you might you know might have thought it was.
00:51:04
Speaker
so you know And if you ah if you're listening and you do have a good grip on your own meditation practice and you have techniques that have worked for you, um maybe especially if you started out having a hard time with it, go to the comments on our Instagram and ah tell us what you tried, tell us what worked, tell us what didn't. you know And anybody who's had a hard time and would love to try to meditate but never has felt like they can do it, go read those comments.
00:51:34
Speaker
You know? yeah Let's interact. Let's share some share some wisdom. But yeah, like, it's a it's a good

Exploring Transcendental Meditation

00:51:43
Speaker
thing, I feel. And, you know, oh, yeah okay. Let me just bring up another point. I'm sorry. Oh, absolutely. Go for it. That really reminded me of something. um A couple of months or so ago, I was looking into potentially taking a Transcendental Meditation course.
00:52:03
Speaker
And I don't think I really brought it up to you, but I don't remember so maybe no no, I don't think I did um Anyhow the backstory on that isn't important, but I was ah Let's see. I signed up for a free online like info session on a zoom call with the transcendental and transcendental meditation um organization that's near where I live. And um I guess they're all over the country, maybe all over the world, I don't know. um And I can't remember this specific website, so i can look I can look that up while I'm talking, I guess. But anyhow, so with that there was like a Zoom call, and they provided a bunch of information for us with like
00:52:53
Speaker
graphics of graphs and just general facts about transcendental meditation. And I was so impressed with some of the stuff that they said that it does. And I'm going to try and find some of those some of those screenshots that I took from that. Can I ask while you're looking where it's going to distract you? No, go ahead. Do you know if when they say transcendental meditation, is it in reference to transcendentalism of the 1800s?
00:53:23
Speaker
I do not know what that is, so I'm not sure. OK. That actually, that's another thing that I feel like I'd love to explore a little bit, because I i really don't know much about it, or it as much as I feel like I should. um But it was it was like an intellectual movement of the 1800s, mostly like the 1850s and 60s, around you know the the time of the Civil War and around the time of um emancipation of slavery, or its slaves, and you know the ending of slavery in the US. But I think it was a lot focused on nature, it was a lot focused on human equality, and like it was just, it felt like, I don't know, again, I haven't done reading about it, I would love to read more about it, but it felt to me very much like a like positive, I don't know, not theory, but I wondered, because I wondered if that had anything to do with it.
00:54:20
Speaker
I don't know specifically. It doesn't really sound like they're the same thing, but um what I believe transcendental meditation is, is just a certain certain level of meditation that gets you in a specific head space that can actually result in a feeling of bliss and like you've just transcended, like yourself and like the earth or whatever.
00:54:46
Speaker
um But it's supposed to bring the most peace and my onion they know like in terms of like relaxation and peacefulness in your mind and just those kind of things. I'm sorry, this is taking me so long. That's okay. I'm almost there though. have to Oh, you you know you remember where I was? I'm almost, yeah. Okay, because I got you. I was in the month of March.
00:55:12
Speaker
when i did that it sounds to me like that is somewhat what i work towards or at least like what i try to work towards when getting really really deep into meditation you know like into like an hour long or longer than an hour Um, not that I've achieved any sort of like what I would label as bliss, but like certainly like that higher, uh, plane of yeah not existence, but I'm not sure what. Like a trance, like a trance state. Somewhat of a trance state, but also just sort of like a, you're connected to yeah a higher plane or higher dimension or whatever you want to call it. Oh. Found it. Found it. Yeah. Sweet.
00:55:59
Speaker
Oh my god. The stuff that I thought was important is not even in here. Oh, really? Oh my god. Yeah, that's crazy. Oh my gosh, I'm so disappointed. Oh, well, no worries.
00:56:13
Speaker
ah Well, honestly, like I'd be down to, if you like want to look some of that stuff up and like rehash this topic again, I'd love to. I'd be down with that. You're probably going to have to cut all of this out. I'm really sorry. Oh, it's OK.
00:56:29
Speaker
I don't think I will. I don't think I need to. Okay. Okay. No, we're good. That's your discretion. When you listen back and it sucks, you know then you can't decide that. It'll be fine. It'll be fine. I feel bad. But anyway, I do kind of remember a couple of points um about it. And it literally, like there are statistics that say that where people are practicing Transcendental Meditation like in a group setting, or I don't know exactly like what they said, but like maybe it was within you know a few people in a certain city that had started doing it, and even if they were doing it on their own you know time, in their own space, not always just altogether as a group, but you know what I'm saying, is like multiple people in in a certain geographical area, that literally the crime rates fall.
00:57:28
Speaker
wow in in that area because the consciousness level that's happening is it's being raised so much. in that, you know like the the the vibes, the you know the vibrational energy is getting raised so much from doing that practice that it affects everybody around them. That's cool. It's very cool. and i mean like The statistics they had, there was more than just that, but that was one of the things. and I'd love to read those studies.
00:58:00
Speaker
I was so impressed with it. I was just like, I really want to do this. like I want to learn it. And they claim that the way that they teach it is a guaranteed success that you will be able to achieve transcendental states.
00:58:19
Speaker
So I really want to do it. The thing is whether you know it's it's a little hefty out-of-pocket cost. I feel strongly that I that i should mention, like I don't think you need to take the course.
00:58:37
Speaker
i don't think you it feels i i always and this is this is something that i feel very strongly about is that like i always second guess things that cost a lot of money or at least i feel like that's a very good reason to question it or do a lot more research and i'm i'm not saying that they're not actually legitimately teaching you but i also do feel like it's something that can be achieved actually know that it's something that can be achieved on your own with your own practice. So let me just but me just offer the info that I know and why they you know why they do it this way and why they say it it's a certain fee um that these people have learned
00:59:24
Speaker
they kind of go up the chain. And the original practice came from a yogi like in India or whatever. And I can't remember specifically what you know the title of the person, the name of the person, whatever. The person who like originally started all of this okay in the Eastern parts of the world. okay um like They taught people who taught people who taught people. And so it worked its way down the chain and that this particular organization is literally set up because of that. Like they've learned from the masters and that they've become masters themselves. okay um And that there's specific um traditions to follow along with not just paying for a fee for the course, but also bringing offerings to the teacher.
01:00:19
Speaker
and just stuff like that they practiced for millennia or whatever, you know centuries and centuries of the same practice and that they've carried on the tradition. And so when they explained it, it it made sense to me. And they do you know, they do charge people on a sliding scale of like income level and stuff like that. So it's not like they just make you pay, like everybody has to pay $10,000 or whatever. It's like, you know, not like that. It's on a sliding scale. And like, if you're a student, you get a bigger discount and just things like that.
01:00:56
Speaker
so So yeah, it'ss I believe that it's legit. I don't feel like it's a scam. Yeah, and my by saying that, it's not necessarily labeling it as a scam. i don't I don't immediately jump to that usually. I still feel, and this is, I think, more of like my own personal code that I hold to, but like I would for myself do a ton of research ah like independently of the organization um about the history and the claims that they make before deciding to invest in it. for certain first And that's not me telling you that you should do that. It's more me saying like that's if I was looking into it, that's how I would proceed. on Yeah, I mean, it's just because there is so much out there, special especially around witchcraft, around ah new age, spirituality in general, like, and like, meditation, mental health, ah holistic practices, things like that, that are really, ah even if they do teach you good things, they are still money making schemes and those things like
01:02:04
Speaker
freak me out and make me so uncomfortable to the point that I'm like, maybe I stay too far away from things that are not even that, you know? um But that is, again, just a me thing. And I and I would caution everybody to, you know, just sort of use their own discernment in those situations, for sure. But like, it does seem fascinating. ah Certainly, especially the theory and the practice and the um studies and the statistics that they talked about. Yeah.
01:02:34
Speaker
Yep. And I ah just looked it up to make sure, but the website is tm dot.org. It's simple. TM dot.org. And it's like it's like a worldwide, I think, organization. Interesting. Or maybe just in the US, but I don't know. But anyway, you can go on there and you can click on the find in and in it. but squeeze me, find an instructor. um You can do a search for the closest um TM center near you, and um you can sign up for like what I did, which is the free info session on a Zoom call.
01:03:13
Speaker
and get some information about it. And and they do put on the hard sell. I mean, they do kind of like, they want to know if anyone wants more information. And so like, if you do, they will you know call you after the call, like after the Zoom calls over with, they'll call you on the phone and they'll explain to you, well, it's not, it's not bad for me. That's a me reaction, not a yeah yeah judgment. So you you don't have to say you want to do the call with them, but I did. I just ah wanted to know more. um I wanted to see if I could get something scheduled. And then when I found out that it was like a specific amount of money, I was kind of like, well, I really think I need to wait on that, you know whatever. But I do eventually want to do it. But yeah, so so if you do decide you want more info and have them call you, it is
01:04:03
Speaker
It's maybe some people might consider it a little bit of a hard sell, like where they're maybe might feel a little pressured, but you don't have to say yes. You do not have to say, okay, let's get scheduled. You can say, i I need to think about it or I need to schedule it for a later time or don't schedule anything at all, whatever. yeah But um I did schedule something with her.
01:04:27
Speaker
And then I decided a few days later that I needed to wait and I called her back and I was like, I'm really sorry. I need to put this off until, you know, it's more convenient for me or whatever. and So anyway, that's that. um And if you have experiences with this particular organization and you're listening, oh chime in, but you don't hear about it. Yeah. So um yeah, the how I found out about ah the tm dot.org is um because of the microgreens actually, the guy that I was watching his videos on how to learn how to grow micros.
01:05:05
Speaker
when I did a one-on-one thing with him and a group of people, a little you know private learning sesh, he mentioned it because he talked about doing a yoga practice of his own. And he mentioned that he used that particular organization to learn how to do it. And so that's what kind of sparked me into going, oh, I want to know about this. like So i I went on that website and I found out about it.
01:05:34
Speaker
Yeah, cool. It's definitely interesting. But yeah a yeah, I will, you know, maintain that I do feel like it's something that is achievable on your own. But, you know, that's more so my personal philosophy that like anybody trying to sell you something is just kind of there for the profit. But that's again, maybe I'm a little, maybe I'm a little jaded about it. I don't love, what do they call it?
01:06:07
Speaker
But I mean, it's a specific technique. And I don't think just anybody is going to teach it. And so if you have no i'm sure yeah and that specific technique, yes. But like if you it to to achieve the end result of the transcendentalism or the the trans state is not exclusive.
01:06:28
Speaker
No, it's a transcendent state, transcendent, excuse me, it's a transcendent state, yeah not just a trance state. because I know, I know, yeah they like but I don't personally, you know they they do kind of conflate for me.
01:06:43
Speaker
ah But like but I but I understand what you mean it's again like I it's not only the money too But it's also like the like only we can teach you this ah this technique and you we can't do it for free like those put um Alarm bells on for me i get and and so that's very much and it is not a judgment on you or anybody else who has looked into it or you know done it or paid for it like not at all it is more so a i have learned enough in my life to be over cautious i mean like personally i feel it's it's just a cautious enough but so yeah you know i mean and it's maybe over cautious
01:07:28
Speaker
It's okay though, because I think that it's better to be safe than sorry in any case like that.

Skepticism and Listener Engagement

01:07:34
Speaker
So it's, leave it up to each individual person to look into and, you know, figure it out for themselves. And I could honestly, not like we need to ramble on any longer than we already have, but I could honestly tie it back to my roots in the Mormon church, where like the Mormon church teaches and like preaches and touts itself as the one true church, and I obviously never quite understood that or felt like it was true, but I've, you know, come away from it having this feeling of like anything that's like claiming exclusivity or superiority over anything else.
01:08:20
Speaker
should be questioned. That's true, for sure, for sure. Yeah. I agree. So it's, you know, because at the end of the day, nobody's, nobody's better than anybody else. There's like, there is so much nuance in the world. There's so many ways to find a gray area. But at the core, no life is more or less valuable than the next.
01:08:47
Speaker
I feel very, very strongly about that. And no no existence, no way of being, no lifestyle, no choice in that regard, ah you know spiritual you know choices. like There is not a better way to be or exist in people who claim that there are and claim that you should follow what they do or pay money to be involved in what they're doing.
01:09:16
Speaker
they uh i wish they would stop i just wish they would stop it's not it's just it's not um it's not good it's one of the root one of the root problems on this earth i believe Yeah. And that goes in so many different contexts that goes for spirituality, that goes for capitalism, it goes for greed by our politicians, it goes for anybody out there just trying to make a profit without any regard for anybody else's needs or well-being. You know, that's not that's not it, you guys. sweet Yeah, that's definitely right. And again, ah whoops, second time I've gone on the lecture today. Sorry. um Yeah.
01:10:10
Speaker
At the gate, i maybe we'll just keep hashing this until we're blue in the face, but we are not here to tell anybody what to do or how to think or what to believe. I you know feel very strongly about this, and that's why I have even gone on and on about it for as long as I have. But yeah, it's ah at the end of the day, I am not doing what I'm condemning. I'm not telling you to think the way that I think.
01:10:40
Speaker
Think for yourself, but also protect yourself. For sure. Yeah. Whoops. We thought that would be a light episode.
01:10:54
Speaker
Whoops. Okay. But yeah, we have gone on quite long and we do have other things we got to get to today. And so we will have to, I think, wrap it up here. But we're so excited to again, we're still excited to be here. This is like really, really goddamn cool. You know, that we're doing this like I'm stoked. And I cannot wait to release these episodes. I cannot wait to get our stuff out there and get some comments on Instagram. I want to interact with people. I want to like hear what people are you know thinking or what experiences do you have. Talk about your meditation experiences. Talk about you know anything that comes to mind. I want to know. We want to know. Yeah, I'm curious.
01:11:45
Speaker
yeah i love it i feel like that that is a big big reason why we even want to share these conversations that we have is so others can chime in and other people can connect uh not not just with us but with others you know i i want to know it'd be cool i don't i don't love facebook as a as a forum for like it's very useful for groups but i don't feel like it's headed in uh great direction and so i'm like i'm not sure i want to commit to facebook as a place to you know really commune which is why i've stuck with instagram even though i know they're totally connected um you know owned by the zuck but uh
01:12:27
Speaker
But they just ran so differently. yeah There's just two different types sort of that. I feel like Instagram is a little simpler, a little more pared back. And so I just would rather stick with that for right now. Maybe someday we'll figure out a way to have like a forum that people can have like longer or more in-depth, more organized discussions because I do feel like Instagram's comments do get a little disorganized, um especially when there's like hundreds of them. ah But, you know, someday we'll we'll figure it out. Again, we're flying by the seat of our pants here. You want to hear something funny? Yes, I do. Okay, this is so stupid.
01:13:05
Speaker
I was just looking at my phone, okay and i got on I got a notification from the McDonald's app. Free fries for Leo season.
01:13:19
Speaker
Why? Also Leo season started like four days ago. I don't know. Maybe I just ignored the notification till just now. I don't know, but I just thought it was funny.
01:13:31
Speaker
God. Free fries for Leo season, woo! I mean, I, as a Leo moon, will take any reason I can get to celebrate Leo season, but also yet another example of capitalism. ah Anyway,
01:13:51
Speaker
ah anyway speaking of Instagram, we got one. We have one. it's It exists on the void that is the internet. We're on Instagram, at Soul Pod the podcast, ah which I also literally just realized that we didn't say that at the top. Welcome back to the Soul Pod. I don't think that we have to have a whole, like, welcome yeah spiel.
01:14:17
Speaker
at the beginning. I kind of enjoy when when podcasts just start like conversationally, like you just walked in the room and people are in the middle of talking about something. I really, I feel feel like those are more enjoyable, more intimate. And so I'm cool with us doing that.
01:14:33
Speaker
uh okay but uh but this is soul pod in case you hadn't looked at the cover art uh we are soul pod the podcast and we have a gmail too which is uh more of a direct line to us rather than a you know comment forum where people can interact with each other if you have something you want to say to us then you can email us sold pod the podcast at.com. Again, super stoked that we clinched that like spot on username situation.
01:15:08
Speaker
But yeah, so that's that's where we're at. And we are looking forward to hearing from you, looking forward to meeting up again and talking about whatever we're going to talk about next.
01:15:23
Speaker
Uh, not sure what it'll be, but like, I think that's gonna be sort of how it is. It's just sort of whatever comes up, whatever we're feeling, we're gonna just sort of talk about it. And I'm stoked. Time for me to go cut some greens. Yeah. Time for me to eat for the first time today because I got ADHD.
01:15:45
Speaker
I'm gonna eat, but yeah, have fun cutting your greens. Everybody, I hope you have a wonderful day. We're happy you're here and we can't wait to see you next time. And yeah, peace. Thanks everybody.