25 replies to this topic

[Renegade]

Hi everyone,

I have been dealing with bouts of significant brain fog and confusion. I am an intelligent person in many capacities, however my brain often feels heavily shackled.
I have tried all sorts of purported cognitive enhances over the last few years. Tons of supplements, herbs, drugs, daily meditation for 5 years, brainwave entrainment, dual n-back etc etc. Nothing apart from physical exercise and meditation has given me any real, discernible effect.
When I read about superbrain yoga, an ancient technique for drawing up energy through the body to stimulate higher mental faculties, I was sceptical. However, this technique, for me personally, has been incredible! Over the past few weeks of practicing three times per day, my brain has been functioning on a level I could have only DREAMED of!
There is a very immediate effect after doing the exercise. Particularly if I am in a heavily 'fogged' state, severely lacking mental energy - the exercise puts me immediately back into a state of mental vigor and increased intellectual capacity. The sudden shift is profound. To think of all I have tried it 'treat' my brain fog and increase my intellectual capacity, I never would have imagined that this technique would come out on top, but it has. I therefore urge you all to disregard your inner sceptic long enough to see if this works for you as well as it has for me personally.

http://www.dailypaul...alize-the-brain

You can check out the book on Amazon.
Good luck and hope to hear some success stories.

Edited by Renegade, 18 December 2013 - 07:34 PM.

[unregistered_user]

What 3 times during the day do you do it?

[mait]

Wow, it seems to have some positive effect! I did it and I have much reduced brain fog that was present from the beginning of morning today. Will keep on doing it to see if effects are sustainable and / or cumulative. Thanks for suggestion!

[Renegade]

Semi retard - Initially I was doing 9am, 3pm and 9pm. I'm currently doing two rounds of 14, once in the morning and afternoon.
Mait - Your experiences continues to mirror my own.

It continues to work beautifully and better than anything I have tried, particularly in terms of an immediate, discernable effect. Sometimes after the exercise, I have a physical feeling of the energy flooding to my brain. I often feel a literal increase in intelligence after this exercise, and believe me I DO NOT say that lightly!

Give it a try!!!

[Jochen]

another thing to look into :-)

[Godof Smallthings]

Somebody wrote a whole book about what is essentially a very simple exercise that can be learned from watching a 5-10 min Youtube clip? Is there something I have missed about the technique?

[Renegade]

You can quite easily do it without the book but the book does have some good info if you want to make it a consistent practice.

Edited by Renegade, 26 January 2014 - 02:58 PM.

[renfr]

Somebody wrote a whole book about what is essentially a very simple exercise that can be learned from watching a 5-10 min Youtube clip? Is there something I have missed about the technique?

The book apparently talks about scientific studies on this technique, it's there : http://www.amazon.co...k/dp/9710376063

I don't know if it boosted my brain but each time I do one session when it ends I feel a huge flow of warmth through all my body and a slight sensation of disorientation.

[Renegade]

Link to a study: http://guruprasad.ne...earch-study.pdf

[renfr]

Did it several times throughout the day and this is what I notice right after doing it :
- heart rate speeds up
- huge feeling of warmth throughout all the body
- strong feeling of renewal/rebirth
and it feels like you have more energy
Not sure about cognitive enhancement, I have an assignment due tomorrow and I don't feel especially more performant, it's very hard to tell, maybe it'll be easier to notice when it comes to learning facts.

[Barfly]

scepdic.com bashed this practice pretty strongly, some quotes from them:

"Naturally, there is no evidence that electrical activity in these or any other parts of the brain are related to the alleged improvements in thinking and behavior attributed to eartugging. Nor are there any references to where these "studies" might be published, much less any information about their design and how they were conducted, how many subjects were involved and for how long, etc. "

"I don't doubt that there are a few medical doctors who think they see improvement in brain function in their Alzheimer's patients who do this exercise. I don't doubt that there are some special ed teachers and parents of special ed kids who are sure they see quicker, brighter children after doing this exercise. What I doubt is that tugging on your ears while doing squats is anything more than a placebo exercise. It pleases people, but it isn't going to improve memory or raise your IQ by 3 points, remove plaque from dendrites, or open up new neural pathways."

I have been burned with ton of self improvement programs that failed to show any lasting benefits for me (dual n back, holosync, zox, quantum entrainment...) so I think some caution and skepticism is a must as there there are endless bullshit miracles for the gullible out there and as soon as I see a vague, unverifiable sentence like "It increases the flow of pranic energies within the body" my bullshit alarm starts ringing.

On the other hand the risk/reward ratio in superbrain yoga seems really favorable - at worst you do some squats which are good for you in themselves and if any of the claims they make is true than you have hit the jackpot so I will be trying this for a while

[Godof Smallthings]

The risk/reward ratio in superbrain yoga seems really favorable - at worst you do some squats which are good for you in themselves and if any of the claims they make is true than you have hit the jackpot so I will be trying this for a while

I agree with that bottom line.

[Renegade]

Barfly - Totally agree with your sentiments above. My bullshit detector was ringing and I still have a healthy ounce of scepticism. However, it seems to work for me, and usually when I do something which is acting as placebo, there comes a point quite early on where I will decide it doesn't work and move onto the the next rainbow. I've been doing the exercise for over a month now and I'm still as enthusiastic as when I wrote the initial post. Whether it's the squats themselves or pranic energy releasing my brain fog, I don't know but what I do know is that my mind has a palpable shift after doing the exercise and that's all I care about. I may try just doing squats at some point without the ears to gauge this effect.

When it comes to any 'energy' based practices, I can't take sceptic.com too seriously and I really think much of the content on there is more about 'bashing' than a commitment to truth. I could never see completely 'eye to eye' with this purely objective view, due to the fact that I have been doing acupuncture / yoga / mediation for years and my subjective experiences strongly back the energetic model.

This is an ancient yogic technique and the more I explore energetic models such as TCM and Yoga, the ancient subjective insights appear to be often (amazingly) confirmed by our modern world - both by anecdotal experience and science.

And yeah, no harm in doing squats!

Edited by Renegade, 27 January 2014 - 01:45 PM.

[BlueCloud]

Looks like placebo to me. I get the same effects described here from doing regular squats. I tried this thing a couple of times and don't see any difference from squats, wich are probably one of the exercises that moves the most amount of blood thru the body, therefore the brain. Whether you wanna touch your ears or your nose during the exercise is optional.

[EncyclopediaBrown]

Looks like placebo to me. I get the same effects described here from doing regular squats. I tried this thing a couple of times and don't see any difference from squats, wich are probably one of the exercises that moves the most amount of blood thru the body, therefore the brain. Whether you wanna touch your ears or your nose during the exercise is optional.

I think it would help simply because it trains you to put your brain into the now. Which obviously helps with anxiety.

[Godof Smallthings]

Looks like placebo to me. I get the same effects described here from doing regular squats. I tried this thing a couple of times and don't see any difference from squats, wich are probably one of the exercises that moves the most amount of blood thru the body, therefore the brain. Whether you wanna touch your ears or your nose during the exercise is optional.

If you have only done the exercise a couple of times, it sounds a little too early to dismiss it as placebo or 100% identical to squats. It is natural that it shares a lot of its effects with squats as the movement is essentially the same. But perhaps the added crossing of the arms and the stimulation of pressure points actually does matter, and then, applying a simple cost/benefit model, would it not be smarter to keep doing the exercise as described rather than to dismiss it so early?

Again, what have you got to lose?

Got to find the right balance of skepticism and not let it be a goal onto itself that stops one from discovering new things, even when they fall outside of the majority view.

Most beneficial changes in the body take time to develop, and all breakthroughs in science have been made by people with a mindset that dares think and experiment outside the box.

Edited by Godof Smallthings, 28 January 2014 - 03:30 AM.

[BlueCloud]

I'll admit I'm pretty sceptical about acupuncture ( and its variation acupressure ) in the first place. And yes, I have tried it the past extensively , with one of the best known chinese practionners here in Paris, with exactly zero results. Maybe it was bad luck, or maybe not.
I'd still love to see real, solid scientific studies confirming the efficacy of acupuncture ( even if it doesn't explain it). And no, the fact that it has been used for a long time by a lot of people isn't enough, it's the same argument used for homeopathy wich is total quackery.

Edited by BlueCloud, 28 January 2014 - 09:47 AM.

[BlueCloud]

Most beneficial changes in the body take time to develop, and all breakthroughs in science have been made by people with a mindset that dares think and experiment outside the box.

Experimenting in science and thinking outside of the box still requires a minimum of discipline and critical thinking, and shouldn't be an excuse for just accepting anything that comes our way, don't you think so ? Otherwise we should just accept stuff like this guy and not question it because that would be having a narrow mindset...

Edited by BlueCloud, 28 January 2014 - 10:00 AM.

[Renegade]

I'll admit I'm pretty sceptical about acupuncture ( and its variation acupressure ) in the first place. And yes, I have tried it the past extensively , with one of the best known chinese practionners here in Paris, with exactly zero results. Maybe it was bad luck, or maybe not.
I'd still love to see real, solid scientific studies confirming the efficacy of acupuncture ( even if it doesn't explain it). And no, the fact that it has been used for a long time by a lot of people isn't enough, it's the same argument used for homeopathy wich is total quackery.

Are you saying that you felt NOTHING from acupuncture?! Not even the 'acu-buzz' immediately after? I don't always get this effect, but the fact I get it occasionally suggests to me that there is almost certainly something going on energetically. When I get it, it feels like like the ultimate state of flow and increased energy, like a huge veil has been lifted and I'm perceiving reality with a potent clarity, connection and awareness like I have never experienced. Visually, everything looks brighter and more vivid. In terms of longer term effects, I often feel this 'brightening' in the days following acupuncture in a more subtle way, even if I don't get the immediate rush. Maybe I am particularly sensitive to energetic practices / I'm particularly blocked energetically. For yourself, it may not be a matter of luck, and simply not the most helpful thing for you as an individual. I think the practitioner's consciousness, intention and connection to the patient also a vital component. I consider successful acupuncture more of an intuative art, rather than a science of placing the needles in the correct locations. My acupuncturist epitomises this way of working and emphasises the connection with her patients. Acupuncture is, more often than not, performed in the more 'mechanical' way - which in spirit has more in common with western medicine than TCM.

Edited by Renegade, 28 January 2014 - 12:20 PM.

[mission780]

I used to meditate for a few years. It's really good - relaxation, clear mind. Although one needs to do it regularly and at least two times a day as the effects wear off quickly in my expierience. And meditation has never given me the cognitive enhancement comparable to low doses of cannabis or psychedelics (LSD). Maybe I am more into cognitive/creative enhancement than typical nootropic effects.

[Godof Smallthings]

Most beneficial changes in the body take time to develop, and all breakthroughs in science have been made by people with a mindset that dares think and experiment outside the box.

Experimenting in science and thinking outside of the box still requires a minimum of discipline and critical thinking, and shouldn't be an excuse for just accepting anything that comes our way, don't you think so ? Otherwise we should just accept stuff like this guy and not question it because that would be having a narrow mindset...

Agree fully.

[cylack]

I'm South Indian. FYI, We are taught to do this at a young age. The practice is thousands of years old invented by the vedic sages. It's called "Thoppu Karanam" in Tamil and is done while praying to Lord Ganesh asking for removal of obstacles in one's life.

Don't know if it improves intelligence, but it leaves me focused just like meditation does. BTW, the easiest and most effective meditation I've found is nadhi suddhii. I've tracked various forms of meditation (TM, mindfullness) while on my Emwave2 and nadhi suddhi consistently shows the best results.

[Renegade]

Cylack - Interesting that it's traditional use suggests 'removal of obstacles from ones life.' I agree that I'm unsure if that directly improves intelligence in a healthy individual. However, particularly at times when I am most in need, it continues to feel as if my mind is suddenly liberated from some form of semi functional state, into clarity. For releasing brain fog, nothing has even come CLOSE for me. I know I'm repeating myself somewhat but the effects continue to be almost miraculous for me and some individuals may potentially benefit as much as I have.

This morning, I forgot to do the exercise. I had a foggy, mentally drained morning (dispite 1 hour of traditional yoga practice!) I did the superbrain mid morning and BAM!

I have considered placebo as a possibility and I'm ready to say that I do not believe it to be so. After over a month of practice, the effect seems too pronounced to be placebo.

Please try it people!

Edited by Renegade, 28 January 2014 - 08:35 PM.

[Godof Smallthings]

I'm South Indian. FYI, We are taught to do this at a young age. The practice is thousands of years old invented by the vedic sages. It's called "Thoppu Karanam" in Tamil and is done while praying to Lord Ganesh asking for removal of obstacles in one's life.

Don't know if it improves intelligence, but it leaves me focused just like meditation does. BTW, the easiest and most effective meditation I've found is nadhi suddhii. I've tracked various forms of meditation (TM, mindfullness) while on my Emwave2 and nadhi suddhi consistently shows the best results.

Since the emwave2 (like the Inner Balance sensor for iPhone that I use myself) measures Heart Rate Variability coherence, and HRV is affected by the activation of the vagus nerve by means of controlled regular breathing, it makes perfect sense that various pranayamic exercises help with HRV. However, I think the emwave2 or other Heart Math devices are not fit be used as an overall measurement of meditation efficacy.

We need to look at what a particular form of meditation or practice is intended to do.

Mindfulness meditation is intended to detach from and be aware of the body, the likes and dislikes attached to physical and mental sensations, mental states and mental objects. The goal of mindfulness meditation is to clearly see conditioning and how it affects every process, to clearly see and realize the three characteristics of existence and thereby be released from unsatisfactoriness, residing in the unconditioned element.

Mindfulness meditation encourages us to detach equally from unpleasant and pleasant sensations.

So that is not the same thing as 'high coherence' in the Heart Math model. I think both are beneficial exercises, but Heart Math is more about learning to induce a pleasant state whereas mindfulness is about recognizing and accepting all mental states without getting caught up in them, and in doing so, discovering the truths of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and understanding anatta (not-self).

[BlueCloud]

Updates ? Anyone seeing benefits after a few weeks of this ?

[reqless]

Updates ? Anyone seeing benefits after a few weeks of this ?

 

Any of you guys continue this?