Ido Portal Weaponizes Liminal States to Expand Human Neural Plasticity

Ido Portal利用阈限状态拓展人类神经可塑性 真正的身心掌控要求将日常摩擦视为持续的修行课堂，而非机械僵化的健身训练。 本次对话探讨了“动作文化”（movement culture）的发展，通过提倡在日常生活中保持持续的身心临在，挑战了传统的运动范式。Ido Portal剖析了自律与意志力的区别，阐述了玩乐心态、有意识的微练习以及过渡状态如何重塑神经系统，从而更好地应对压力、恐惧与心理创伤。对话深入探讨了“身体分辨率”这一概念，追溯了精细的动作模式如何丰富认知与情绪的颗粒度。最后，讨论概述了结构性悬挂和脊柱波浪等实用方案，并从精通实时环境适应的顶尖运动员、滑板手和艺术家身上汲取了提升表现的深刻见解。 纪律应作为启动进程的临时“脚手架”而非永久依赖，真正的精通与掌控需要融入游戏心态、深度放松与发自内心的自主选择。 (0:00) 睡眠与清醒之间的临界过渡状态蕴含极高的神经可塑性潜力，学会在此状态中停留与觉察有助于重置神经系统并打破僵化的认知图式。 (5:35) 相较于孤立的多日冥想静修，全天穿插进行的微练习（micro-practices）更能有效重塑日常默认操作系统，维持全天候的清醒觉知。 (11:20) 真正的意志力无法像纪律那样被训练或建立，它只能被揭示；在直面阻力边缘时学会放松并软化身心，远比依赖肾上腺素硬抗更为有效。 (34:45) “身体分辨率”代表了身心的精细度与颗粒感，长期缺乏新颖的感觉运动挑战会导致身体、情绪与认知图式不可逆地退化与僵化。 (61:37)

Movement teacher Ido Portal argues that human development requires moving beyond rigid discipline and superficial fitness metrics toward cultivating subtle bodily resolution, playfulness, and high-awareness internal models. True capability and neuroplasticity emerge from engaging transitional states and multi-stable perceptions rather than forcing outcomes through sheer willpower or visual aesthetics. Scaffolding Discipline to Expose Will (34:45) Portal asserts that discipline functions strictly as temporary scaffolding—analogous to using a wall to learn a handstand, where the true objective is utilizing the hands and floor connection so the wall becomes unnecessary. Relying solely on disciplinary friction, adrenaline, or external motivational hype hijacks the process and excludes genuine personal agency. Authentic will, Portal contends, cannot be trained or built from scratch; it can only be systematically exposed. Practitioners reveal this capacity by confronting minor friction—tasks they only occasionally resist, such as holding outstretched arms for 3 to 5 minutes or maintaining a horse stance while fatigued—and learning to soften into that edge with an internal relaxation rather than forcing a mental jailbreak. Bodily Resolution Versus Aesthetic Fitness (61:37) Modern fitness culture heavily obsesses over crude, low-resolution markers such as isolated muscle mass and visual contours, which Portal compares to an exercise equivalent of plastic surgery. Physical injuries and joint pain frequently represent the lagging consequences of an internal body schema that deteriorated into rigid, black-and-white representations decades prior. Portal warns that corrupted language, such as describing the spine as a rigid "column," accelerates this physical decay by blinding movers to subtle pressure distributions and rib micro-actions. Replacing mechanical "balls-and-levers" models with fluid mechanics and dynamic relations restores somatic granularity. He highlights core physical protocols—such as hanging to decompress, spinal waves to connect, and deep squats to compress—as practical tools to preserve functional physical architecture. Harnessing Transition Zones and Multi-Stability (103:18) While science has meticulously categorized sleep architecture, scientific taxonomies for waking states remain rudimentary, leaving modern attention vulnerable to coarse, low-resolution digital feeds. Portal emphasizes that meaningful neural recalibration occurs within subtle transitional spaces, such as hovering at the edge of sleep without dropping into unconsciousness, waking in early morning darkness to bypass daytime emotional defense filters, or meditating on the pause between breaths. These transition points foster "multi-stability," where antagonistic sensory experiences coexist. For instance, Portal describes investigating severe cold during ocean immersion until perceiving its hidden core of heat, mirroring the biological reality of antagonistic neural circuits that govern opposing behaviors like mating and aggression. Tuning awareness to these delicate sensory borders prevents rigid cognitive and emotional schemas from cascading into metabolic depletion and anxiety. Technical Efficiency and Movement as Language (70:38) Highlighting research by neuroscientist Eric Jarvis showing shared genetic substrates between vocal learning and dance in birds, Portal frames bodily movement as humanity's primary foundational language. In elite physical expression, immense power stems from spatial confidence and rebound mechanics rather than raw muscular hypertrophy; vertical skateboarders like Jimmy Wilkins and Tom Schaar, as well as Soviet Olympic gymnasts, produce tremendous height primarily through speed and curve navigation rather than superior vertical leaps. Portal cautions against designing movement to achieve visual aesthetics, insisting that beauty must always remain an incidental consequence of efficient mechanics. Chasing choreographed perfection produces robotic technicians, whereas embracing single continuous lines, playfulness, and unexpected angles preserves genuine physical artistry. The dialogue concludes that treating daily life as an active practice school enriches human experience far more than chasing rare peak milestones or isolated exercise sessions. However, Portal observes an ongoing cultural tension, noting that digital algorithms increasingly reward shallow, easily mimicked fitness content at the expense of deep, nuanced movement mastery.

运动导师 Ido Portal 与神经科学家 Andrew Huberman 认为，真正的身心连接并非建立在机械化健身或强力自律之上，而是源于对内部身体图式分辨率的精细重塑。通过激活状态转换的神经可塑性、以游戏性引导而非强行冲破阻抗，并重拾以功能为核心的基础动作实践，个体能够有效打破僵化的心理防御机制，延缓神经与机能退化。 纪律的脚手架功能与真正意志的显露 (34:45) Portal 指出，自律常被大众误解为意志本身，但它实质上如同练习倒立时依靠的墙壁——仅是开启行动的临时脚手架，若持续推墙借力便会形成依赖；真正的掌控来自手与地面的连接发力并主动拉离墙面。将自律或外部动机当成绝对主导会绑架做事的过程。意志无法被强行“训练”出来，而只能通过在特定情境下被系统性地“显露”。 为唤醒真正的意志，Portal 提倡一种降级训练策略：练习者不应直接挑战如冰水浴等极端困难，而是捕捉日常中那些“仅仅是有时不想做”的细微抗拒时刻（例如在疲惫时平举双臂3至5分钟或站马步）。面对这种阻抗，关键在于放松身体而非依赖肾上腺素硬抗，通过保持“下颌内部的微笑”与温和的内在博弈跨越阻力边界，从而沉淀出可靠的内在品质。 边界状态的可塑性与多稳态感知 (5:35) 普通人对意识往往持有清醒与睡眠的二元简化视角，忽视了过渡区域潜藏的神经重塑价值。Portal 认为，在即将入眠但尚未完全丧失意识的临界点，能有效松动为日常生存设立的坚固防御与马尔可夫毯（Markov blankets）。Huberman 结合自身经历佐证了这一点：他在深切哀悼导师期间，按建议在凌晨3点至5点醒来哭泣，借由额叶功能受抑制的生理窗口绕开白天的心理防御，实现了深度的情绪校准。这种温和而规律的“微剂量”事件，比激进手段更具神经重塑效果。 这种临界观察进一步延伸为感知的“多稳态（multi-stability）”。Portal 认同专注于呼吸间隙的禅修练习，指出摆锤转向时并不存在绝对的静止零点；在梵文闭气法（Kumbhaka）或极寒海水浸泡中，持续细致观察便能发现寒冷深处暗含的灼热感。Huberman 补充表示，这种感知现象与神经系统的拮抗机制高度吻合，正如屈肌与伸肌的协同抑制，以及下丘脑中控制交配与攻击行为的对立回路。 提升身体分辨率与重构语言模型 (61:37) 现代健身文化过度聚焦于肌肉维度与线性负重，却导致了“身体分辨率（bodily resolution）”的严重退化。分辨率指身体在复杂、新颖动作中的精细感知颗粒度，与纯粹的柔韧度或力量无关。若缺乏高质专注与新挑战，内部身体图式将硬化为黑白二元的低分辨率模型，进而诱发慢性损伤与深层身体不适；这种退化还会逐步向情绪图式与空间认知蔓延。 错误的语言模型正加速这种退化。Portal 直言“词语是危险的”，例如将脊柱称作刚性的“脊柱柱体（spinal column）”，直接抹杀了大众对胸腔内压微调与肋骨微动作的体察。从业者必须从“球窝与杠杆”的机械论转向生物流动性与流体力学视角。正如神经科学家 Eric Jarvis 证实能模仿发声的鸟类同样具备舞蹈能力、且运动与语言脑区共享特定基因回路一样，身体运动才是人类最底层的母语，其感知输入相较概念图式更少受到认知扭曲。 游戏性介入与对抗低分辨率刺激 (23:40) 现代数字环境充斥着算法推送与高频刺激，Huberman 将社交媒体比作诱发持续行为的实验室大鼠轮盘，指出步入中年后能量分配主导了绝大部分生活质量。抵御这种消耗需要执行“禁止任务（no-go tasks）”，但纯粹依靠惩罚性的纪律往往收效甚微。Portal 提倡以游戏性与好奇心作为替代重塑路径，通过每日10分钟凝视天空等微型敬畏练习，迫使视觉脱离对具体物体的抓取，打破陷入抑郁倾向的僵化情绪图式。 短视频平台充斥着粗糙刺耳的低分辨率视听元素，而高分辨率体验（如黄昏时聆听鸟鸣或观察云层流转）能赋予心智丰富的质感。将日常生活视为修炼场，在宏观与微观的时间和空间尺度间自由切换，有助于消除注意力碎片化带来的高昂代谢成本，遏制从焦虑向资源枯竭型抑郁的发展趋势。 动作的功能本质与反思审美倒置 (153:40) Portal 对现代健身将外在视觉形态置于核心的“审美倒置”提出批评。以臀部训练为例，发达的臀肌本是奔跑、跳跃等真实功能性输出的自然体现，如今却被当作类似“整形手术”的孤立外观雕刻。他强调，美感必须是高效运动的必然副产物，绝不能充当出发点。苏联体操教练 Leonid Arkaev 的实测曾显示奥运体操选手的绝对纵跳高度并不惊人，顶尖垂直滑板手的高度同样源于速度利用、弧面反弹与空间自信，而非庞大的肌肉体量。 在日常实践中，与其耗费数小时进行碎片化孤立训练，不如深度践行三项核心基础动作序列：通过“悬挂（The Hang）”舒展并减压骨骼结构；借由“脊柱波（Spinal Waves）”建立各部位间的流动连接；利用“深蹲（The Squat）”进行深层压缩以增强结构韧性。即使在标准器械训练中，仅需将推举意识转换为主动拉近杠铃，就能促成运动范式的根本转变。 本期节目颠覆了传统以力量堆砌和强行克制为主的锻炼范式，提出通过提升身体分辨率、捕捉状态临界点与融入游戏性来重塑心身韧性。不过，对话中所倡导的多稳态体察与非机械流动模型，高度仰赖练习者细腻的主观内省与持续调适，其在大众健康层面的标准化量化与普及路径仍有待神经科学与运动医学的进一步验证。

[36:45] Ido Portal: The will never gets developed. It's only get exposed. Discipline gets developed. That's what we mistaken will for. [82:10] Ido Portal: Life is not for living. Life is for practicing. It is a place. It's a school we came to. [70:38] Ido Portal: bodily movement is the fundamental language [67:38] Ido Portal: emojification of mental life [94:13] Ido Portal: how to think about thinking [112:18] Ido Portal: this Jewish thing that the Catholic perfected [112:18] Ido Portal: that was bad on me... That’s not who I want to be [115:34] Andrew Huberman: It just is what it is [115:34] Ido Portal: remorse of conscience [119:52] Andrew Huberman: if we dull our senses, we miss all of it. We miss the difference between crude and refined. [122:27] Ido Portal: this is no love [122:27] Ido Portal: the one who loves to practice [151:18] Ido Portal: It's about a transformation of the whole perspective... It's about changing the paradigm. Everything is an opportunity. [159:32] Ido Portal: The height comes from the speed. [170:31] Ido Portal: The beauty is a side effect. It's an effect. It shouldn't be a cause.

[0:00] Discipline is very important, but it's [0:02] similar to the wall in learning to do a [0:04] handstand. If you use the wall one way [0:08] where you're all the time pushing [0:09] yourself off of the wall, try to catch [0:11] your handstand, you become reliant on [0:14] the wall. But there is a different [0:15] approach. We can use the wall but pull [0:19] off of it which comes from the other end [0:22] from our hands from the connection to [0:24] the ground. That does not necessitate [0:26] the wall. This is the correct way to use [0:29] discipline. You should use it as a [0:31] scaffolding as a way to get things going [0:34] like write that book. But inside the [0:36] process, you must make sure you don't [0:38] lean hard into it. You don't leave [0:41] everything for it to dictate and you [0:44] bring some playfulness, some relaxation, [0:48] some deep choice. I want to do this. [0:53] Welcome to the Hubberman Lab podcast, [0:54] where we discuss [music] science and [0:56] science-based tools for everyday life. [1:00] [music] [1:02] I'm Andrew Huberman and I'm a professor [1:04] of neurobiology and opthalmology at [1:06] Stanford School of Medicine. My guest [1:08] today is Ido Portal. Ido Portal is a [1:11] world-renowned movement teacher and the [1:13] founder of movement culture, which is an [1:15] integrative practice for developing the [1:17] self that combines physical and mental [1:19] practice. Today we discuss how anyone [1:22] can practice movement, deliberate [1:24] awareness, and even language and other [1:26] forms of communication in ways that [1:28] explore and expand your capabilities and [1:30] your understanding and sense of self. [1:33] >> [snorts] [1:33] >> Now, Ido is not anti-ex exercise or [1:35] anti-fitness, but what sets him apart as [1:37] a movement teacher and why so many [1:39] professional athletes, dancers, and [1:41] people around the world continually seek [1:43] out his teachings is his ability to show [1:45] people unique ways for how to go about [1:48] their daily life in ways that truly [1:50] expand both their mind and their body as [1:52] well as their athletic performance in [1:54] the case of athletics. Today, we discuss [1:56] unique meditation practices, ways to [1:59] build discipline and access willpower. [2:01] And by the way, what the difference [2:02] between discipline and willpower is and [2:05] how to use play as an extremely potent [2:07] way to rewire your default operating [2:09] systems in everything you do. If you [2:12] like so many other people typically [2:14] think about movement practices as for [2:16] strength or endurance or mobility, well, [2:18] today you're in for a surprise because [2:20] Ido explains how the transitions between [2:22] brain states and physical states are [2:24] linked and are fertile ground for [2:26] extremely rapid neuroplasticity and that [2:29] they can help you truly understand how [2:30] your mind and body are organized and can [2:32] function better. Today's conversation is [2:35] a truly special one. I have to be clear. [2:37] It's not philosophical. It's not [2:39] theoretical. It's a practical [2:41] exploration of movement, awareness, [2:43] language, and cognition that is rooted [2:46] in science and has real world [2:47] implications for all of us. Edo is a [2:50] truly unique human being, teacher, and [2:52] friend. And it was an honor to host him [2:54] again. So, prepare to learn. Before we [2:57] begin, I'd like to emphasize that this [2:58] podcast is separate from my teaching and [3:00] research roles at Stanford. It is [3:02] however part of my desire and effort to [3:04] bring zero cost to consumer information [3:05] about science and science related tools [3:08] to the general public. In keeping with [3:09] that theme, today's episode does include [3:12] sponsors. And now for my discussion with [3:14] Ido Portal. Idor Portal, welcome back. [3:18] >> Thank you. [3:19] >> So happy to see you again, my friend. [3:20] >> Good to see you. [3:21] >> You've aged backwards, so doing [3:24] something right now. You haven't aged at [3:26] all. What have you been up to lately? I [3:28] have many questions but I want to know [3:29] what what what's been your first thought [3:32] on waking most consistently over the [3:34] last you know year or so [3:38] the same thing always the same thing the [3:41] most important thing that exists that [3:43] there is that that's how my system [3:47] operates but getting that that change [3:51] that deep transformation in people in [3:54] myself [3:57] Why? Why are we missing it? What is what [4:00] is required [4:02] that's always been there and changes its [4:05] face, but it's the same one. [4:09] When you wake up, do you open your eyes [4:12] right away or do you ever spend some [4:14] time in that liinal state between [4:16] [clears throat] asleep and awake? [4:18] >> I'm sometimes spend some time there. I [4:21] experienced also sleep paralysis before [4:24] and various inetweens [4:27] >> where you're wide awake but the body is [4:29] still paralyzed. Yeah. [4:30] >> Yeah. When you sit a lot when when you [4:32] meditate a lot and and other practices [4:35] and somatic practices again you get to [4:38] know the territory and you can stabilize [4:42] fragile states more easily. So crossing [4:45] into that boundary of the sleep it [4:47] becomes [4:49] a slow-mo journey that you can pause [4:52] that you can you know spend time at any [4:55] point in interesting I do yoga nidra [5:00] non-sleep deep rest and there are [5:01] moments where I can feel myself falling [5:03] asleep and it literally feels like [5:05] falling and then you can kind of catch [5:07] yourself in these liinal states. Rick [5:09] Rubin once said to me, he said, "If uh [5:13] if you wake up from a like a bad dream, [5:16] a nightmare, just move your body and [5:20] look around the room. If you wake up [5:22] from a dream you were really enjoying [5:24] and you want to go back in, keep your [5:26] eyes closed." And I think what he's [5:29] talking about is more or less what [5:30] you're talking about, the ability to [5:32] kind of forward and reverse out of these [5:35] transition states. Usually the the [5:38] common way that people live and the [5:39] common person has a very [5:43] simplified [5:45] perception of these states of this the [5:49] granularity. [5:50] >> Mhm. [5:51] >> So they're difficult to stabilize. So it [5:55] becomes very binary black white sleep [5:58] you know like you you relax someone they [6:01] fall asleep. That's what happens when [6:04] there is not a lot of experience. [6:06] Everything is immediately going there. [6:08] But there is a lot of benefit in heading [6:10] to sleep and taking a sharp left just [6:14] before. [6:15] >> Tell me about that and how one might um [6:17] practice that. [6:19] >> Well, the sleep there is a kind of a way [6:22] where we can inverse the relationship. [6:26] This is the sleeping state which is [6:28] discussed in various authors and the [6:31] waking sleep and then the sleep has a [6:34] benefit because there is an openness [6:38] towards something else. So heading [6:40] directly to sleep and then navigating [6:44] from there is very powerful to reset the [6:47] system to change the schemes these rigid [6:50] schemes that we sometimes have the rigid [6:52] schemas [6:54] the models that we're running when they [6:56] become too rigid when they're surrounded [6:58] by a hard membrane [7:00] when they oversimplify [7:02] and there is this bas basian reduction [7:06] um you got to pop out of it somehow. So [7:09] psychedelics is one way and there are [7:12] other ways but the sleep every day is [7:15] key because it's a a very different [7:18] status and way of being and way of [7:21] experiencing which we experience daily [7:24] and uh we can use that transition part [7:27] and the thing itself as well. Do you [7:29] ever intentionally get up in the middle [7:31] of the night to just experience being [7:35] mostly awake but somewhat asleep just to [7:39] experience what that what that's like? [7:42] >> Yeah, I did before. Various practices [7:45] use that kind of instruction. Uh people [7:49] uh some people might be familiar with [7:51] the lucid dreaming or the the dream yoga [7:53] or the sleep yoga what is called various [7:56] practices and waking up in the middle of [7:58] the night also allows you to [8:02] appreciate something else something [8:04] different. Sometimes it happens and you [8:07] can manipulate it into somewhere and [8:10] sometimes you can do it on purpose. [8:12] Nowadays with all the longevity talk and [8:15] all this direction we we sometimes don't [8:18] capitalize on such things but uh [8:21] sometimes there is more to be gained [8:22] with a bad night's sleep than with a [8:24] good night's sleep. [8:25] >> Uh in [clears throat] 2015 to 20 I would [8:29] say 2018 I was uh very busy but I was [8:34] mourning the death of my graduate [8:36] adviser. was very close with her um [8:39] unusually close for a graduate adviser [8:41] and student [8:42] >> [clears throat] [8:42] >> um very maternal [8:45] her to me relationship knew her kids I'm [8:48] friends with her husband and kids still [8:50] and um she died in 2014 and I was really [8:53] distraught about it and someone [8:56] recommended to me uh that I set an alarm [9:00] for the middle of the night somewhere [9:02] between 3:00 and 4:00 a.m. and I just [9:04] get up and and try grieving then. And at [9:08] first I thought like that sounds like [9:09] the worst thing to do. I'm like no I [9:12] have no protection then you know my [9:14] forebrain is shut down. I'm that's when [9:16] I normally would be entering more REM [9:18] sleep. And I tried it. It was very [9:21] interesting. It definitely allowed for [9:22] more intense morning but it had a very [9:25] interesting effect where I no longer had [9:27] the challenge of like falling asleep and [9:29] waking up. I had this like designated [9:31] period in my sleep. did a lot of crying [9:33] between 3:00 am and 5:00 am and in many [9:37] ways I I feel like it worked. Who knows [9:40] in some cultures it's like the veil of [9:43] suppression is is pulled back. Our [9:46] defenses are way way down in those [9:48] hours. [9:49] >> That's the point. [9:50] >> Yeah. these membranes that are [9:53] surrounding various systems inside of us [9:56] and and models that we are running that [9:58] are protecting them. This uh marov [10:01] blankets [10:03] the this filters that can rigidify and [10:07] and don't allow a lot in to simplify [10:10] things for the model so we can survive [10:12] so we can do things. And then in when [10:15] you change when you go into those times [10:18] to those change the scenario radically, [10:22] you increase your chances of opening up [10:24] of recalculating of allowing the model [10:27] to recalibrate. [10:30] And again, people nowadays that they use [10:32] extreme means, it doesn't necessarily [10:35] mean that it works. Sometimes sometimes [10:38] you need the micro dosages [10:40] [clears throat] [10:40] >> and a practice around it. repetition, [10:44] not a huge event of intensity, but a a [10:48] repeating mellow event, gentle event. I [10:52] can relate to I started a prayer [10:53] practice before sleep over two and a [10:56] half years ago, and I'm haven't been [10:58] missed a single night. Um, and some [11:00] nights I fall asleep while I'm praying [11:02] and wake up and continue. And um I tell [11:05] myself that the consistency is like [11:09] worth something on those nights cuz I I [11:11] feel sort of badly like my mind's [11:12] drifting and then okay but I haven't [11:14] missed you know it's it's all in the if [11:16] I fall asleep get out of bed and and do [11:18] it and then get back in bed. With [11:20] respect to these microp practices micro [11:22] doing as it were uh I know you're a [11:26] proponent of med meditation [11:28] um people often will talk about how long [11:31] they meditate. Do you have a practice [11:33] where you will just stop for a moment or [11:36] two or a minute or or is it for you a [11:39] meditation practice a long extended [11:41] thing and how often are you doing that? [11:43] Oh, I think there are advantages to to [11:47] both ends of the spectrum [11:49] cuz the the long meditation thing, the [11:52] the retreats, the strong determination [11:56] seats, many hours or you know many days, [12:00] they definitely [sighs] [12:03] load the trampoline and and and create [12:05] an effect. But also you become dependent [12:10] on it and it's hard later to drag this [12:13] into other areas of life which is not [12:15] often discussed and mentioned in [12:17] relation to meditation. [12:19] I didn't start to meditate because I [12:21] wanted to sit. I wanted to take the [12:24] state and to apply it into my life. So [12:31] that is a moment where you can [12:33] integrate. You can take the depth and [12:35] you can take also very short periods of [12:38] practice and apply this micro dosages [12:42] and try to get a change in the defaults [12:46] of this your state and your way of [12:48] being. [12:50] Eventually people ask me why I practice [12:53] so much is because I'm aiming for 24 [12:55] hours a day. [12:57] So if you're practicing 8 hours a day or [12:59] 10 hours a day, this is the unofficial [13:02] side of the practice. And this micro [13:04] practices are very helpful for that. A [13:07] good practice to do is not to take your [13:11] mind off of something like a problem [13:15] that you have to solve. [13:17] to walk around and [13:20] try to remember that thing. Try to keep [13:24] it in front of you as much as you can. [13:27] Which means the only thing you can be [13:28] blamed for is if you caught yourself [13:31] >> not focusing on that and you didn't [13:34] bring yourself back to the problem at [13:36] hand. Then you are to be blamed. [13:38] Anything else is fine. [clears throat] [13:41] >> And that is a very powerful practice. We [13:43] we can solve incredibly difficult [13:45] problems, overcome obstacles, transform [13:48] ourselves. [13:50] And we've moved away from such ways of [13:52] doing and ways of being. [13:55] It's an unfortunate reality, but tap [13:57] water often contains contaminants that [14:00] negatively impact our health. In fact, a [14:02] 2020 study by the Environmental Working [14:04] Group estimated that more than 200 [14:06] million Americans are exposed to PAS [14:08] chemicals, also known as forever [14:10] chemicals, through drinking of tap [14:12] water. These forever chemicals are [14:14] linked to serious health issues such as [14:16] hormone disruption, gut microbiome [14:18] disruption, fertility issues, and many [14:20] other health problems. The Environmental [14:22] Working Group has also shown that over [14:25] 122 million Americans drink tap water [14:27] with high levels of chemicals known to [14:29] cause cancer. It's for all these reasons [14:31] that I'm thrilled to have Rora as a [14:33] sponsor of this podcast. 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These red lens [15:17] glasses are meant to be worn in the [15:18] evening after the sun goes down. They [15:21] filter out shortwavelength light that [15:22] comes from screens and from LED lights, [15:24] which are the most common indoor [15:26] lighting nowadays. I want to emphasize [15:28] Roa Red Lens glasses are not traditional [15:30] blue blockers. They do filter out blue [15:32] light, but they filter out a lot more [15:34] than just blue light. In fact, they [15:35] filter out the full range of [15:37] shortwavelength light that suppresses [15:39] the hormone melatonin. By the way, you [15:40] want melatonin high in the evening and [15:42] at night. Makes it easy to fall and stay [15:44] asleep. And those short wavelengths [15:47] trigger increases in cortisol. Increases [15:49] in cortisol are great in the early part [15:51] of the day, but you do not want [15:52] increases in cortisol in the evening and [15:54] at night. These Roka Red Lens glasses [15:56] ensure normal, healthy increases in [15:58] melatonin and that your cortisol levels [16:01] stay low, which is again what you want [16:03] in the evening and at night. If you'd [16:05] like to try ROA, go to roka.com. That's [16:08] roka.com and enter the code hubman to [16:11] save 20% off your first order. Again, [16:13] that's roa.com and enter the code hubman [16:16] at checkout. We've done a few episodes [16:20] in the last year on or that touched on [16:23] meditation. Uh we had Richie Davidson [16:25] who's one of the like real pioneers of [16:27] studying the neuroscience of meditation [16:29] and he said that when people start a [16:31] meditation practice traditional sitting [16:34] meditation close their eyes focus on [16:36] third eye center breathing etc redirect [16:39] attention that they see a statistically [16:41] significant increase in anxiety across [16:44] that early phase and in some ways he [16:47] said that's a real value of the [16:49] practice. It's really about stress [16:50] inoculation, the stress that comes from [16:52] forcing oneself to sit still. But [16:55] eventually it does seem to give way if [16:57] people practice regularly to some other [16:59] kind of uh channel of consciousness that [17:02] is very useful to apply in the rest of [17:04] one's life. [17:06] >> Sounds [clears throat] like that second [17:08] channel is the one that you're after. [17:10] >> Yeah. this anxiety, this under reduced [17:13] state in a way, the failure to adjust [17:18] the membrane, this protective membrane [17:21] around the model, whatever model it is, [17:23] if it's the body scheme, if it's the [17:26] emotional schema or or the conceptual [17:29] schema, you're in an underreduced state. [17:32] So everything bombers you and you're [17:34] bleeding resources metabolically, right? [17:38] And that's anxiety. That's why all [17:40] almost always anxiety over a long [17:43] duration will turn into depression. [17:45] You're bleeding resources. [17:47] So adjusting simplifying that's a [17:51] critical moment. Of course lowering the [17:53] bar of the task is a very important [17:58] tool. Microtasks [18:00] and I'm not just talking about the [18:02] classical sitting meditation. I'm using [18:05] everything. For me, it's all the same [18:09] tasks with tennis balls, with a with a [18:11] stick. I I'll use anything because my [18:15] intention is not to get the success in [18:17] the specifics, is to get the [18:21] transformation [18:23] much deeper. So, it's almost irrelevant. [18:26] I'll use whatever I need to use to get [18:28] that going. [18:30] And so I think meditation many ways [18:33] sometimes becomes too dogmatic in that [18:35] sense. [18:36] >> Yeah, we've already touched on sort of [18:38] liinal states transition from sleep to [18:40] waking or waking to sleep and trying to [18:44] just catch oneself and pause in those [18:46] like you said maybe reverse maybe pause [18:48] there hover there. I'm fascinated by [18:51] this peculiar place we are with science [18:55] where we know a lot more about sleeping [18:58] states can describe phase one phase two [19:00] phase three slow wave deep sleep REM [19:02] sleep the fraction that you get [19:03] depending on the night before vivid [19:05] dreams versus non vivid dreams [19:08] we know barely anything scientifically [19:14] about waking states in comparison to [19:16] sleeping states I mean we talk alpha [19:18] waves beta waves theta waves but It's [19:20] very rudimentary. Like right now, [19:23] I assure you there's no scientific paper [19:26] that could describe the state that we're [19:28] in. We could say, oh, the these alpha [19:30] waves or these, you know, percentage of [19:33] activity in one brain area or another. I [19:36] think that the definition of different [19:39] waking states is going to come into [19:42] science from outside of science. someone [19:44] will study it. But I've been waiting for [19:46] somebody to say like this is uh like are [19:49] we in stage one of focused attention [19:51] right now? Stage four. Nobody can ex um [19:54] point to this which is should bother [19:57] people. Like we're we're really far [19:59] behind even a descriptive understanding [20:02] of where we're at. Like I feel calm [20:04] right now despite drinking caf so much [20:06] caffeine. You're clearly externally [20:09] calm. I imagine you're internally calm. [20:11] But what would you describe like your [20:13] state? How should people start to peel [20:15] back the layers and get a better [20:17] understanding of the state they're in? [20:18] Because I think there's real value to [20:19] this in waking states. And I don't have [20:21] a language for it, but you've spent a [20:24] lot more time thinking about mindbody [20:26] states than I have. I think there is a a [20:29] a m a mistake or a direction that we [20:33] took asking who we are [20:38] instead of asking what we are which can [20:40] really serve this. There is a need of [20:44] almost a a rudimentary map of what is [20:50] what is needed what is here how do I map [20:54] this what am I observing even you can't [20:57] refine what you can't define but not in [20:59] the sense of this verbal definition but [21:01] some kind of an internal definition some [21:04] kind of a boundary drawn some kind of a [21:08] selection [21:10] the selected thing the selected state [21:13] the differentiation [21:16] without this [21:19] what am I seeing when I look inside [21:21] listen to your body [21:23] I don't believe in that [21:26] >> portal doesn't believe in listen to your [21:27] body right what do you listen to [21:29] >> what are you listening [21:30] >> your heartbeat your what does that mean [21:33] >> it's corrupted you're too corrupted to [21:36] listen to your body [21:37] >> those are the most corrupted people [21:39] usually [21:40] >> the people who are saying listen to your [21:41] body. [21:42] >> Yes. I think it that whole verbiage [21:45] comes from this notion and the quite [21:49] pioneering although I would say somewhat [21:52] outof-date book the body keeps the score [21:54] I think is it was an important book best [21:56] title of any book you could imagine in [21:59] the psychology space because it's so [22:00] catchy um and I want to give proper [22:03] respect to um Bessel [clears throat] [22:05] for doing that book and it was early but [22:08] I think that embedded in people's minds [22:11] that like experiences we have live as [22:16] pain, discomfort or blockages and that [22:20] the [clears throat] solutions come from [22:21] releasing that pain, discomfort and [22:23] blockage. Erggo, if I'm feeling good, [22:28] things are moving through. I'm making [22:29] progress. I'm moving away from that [22:31] historical bad thing. And if I'm feeling [22:34] it again, it's still alive in me and it [22:37] needs to be released. That's the kind of [22:39] premise. [22:40] >> Yeah. And there a lot of data to support [22:41] that chronic stress can harm the body [22:43] and so forth. So those things those [22:44] ideas sort of took off. But I also agree [22:46] they sort of they've kind of hit a wall [22:49] in um 2020 or so. We go well what like [22:53] what do you mean? Well it's in the [22:54] fascia really like is it in the fascia [22:57] or are we just like talking about [22:58] fascia? And and I love all of that stuff [23:00] as an exploration but I think we are at [23:03] a place where we really need to ask [23:05] better questions. [23:06] >> Yeah. Yeah. It's a it's it it sounds [23:09] very corrupted again. And we know so [23:12] much about [23:14] the framing of things, excitement [23:17] versus, you know, very negative states [23:19] that it's so similar. It's so close [23:23] that it cannot make sense. We cannot [23:25] work from that place. And and also [23:28] working from our likes and dislikes. [23:30] What do I want to do? We just watch this [23:33] thing. You just need to do what you want [23:36] to do. I believe that's the last thing [23:39] for you to do. [23:40] >> Right. Um, you know, I was referring to [23:42] before we came in here, we watched two [23:44] short films. The first one is a one that [23:46] was u put out in 2014 about this guy, [23:50] real life guy slow-mo. uh we'll put a [23:52] link to it who uh guy who essentially [23:55] gave up his life as a physician and say [23:57] rollerblades very slowly on one leg down [24:00] the boardwalk in Pacific Beach San Diego [24:03] to touch into [24:05] what he describes as a mild euphoria and [24:08] altered state he's totally sober clearly [24:11] very very smart and the other film we'll [24:15] talk about several times uh which [24:17] hopefully will be out in the not too [24:18] distant future so we can all see a [24:20] beautiful film that's being made about [24:23] IDO and movement culture called the [24:25] architecture of practice. Correct. [24:28] >> Internal architecture. [24:28] >> The internal architecture of practice. [24:30] Excuse me. Um trust me folks, you want [24:33] to see this when it comes out. It's it's [24:35] visually beautiful and content uh rich. [24:39] It's it's spectacular. [24:41] >> Thank you. [24:41] >> There's something really special there. [24:43] Uh for sure. But I wrote down actually [24:46] play versus discipline. I think for some [24:50] people it would be helpful [24:52] to try and uh operationalize a bit of [24:56] what we're going to go to today. And I [24:59] know you're not a fan of like morning [25:01] routine or this or that, but I can [25:02] imagine walking toward a practice of any [25:05] kind, a workout of any kind, making [25:08] scrambled eggs [25:10] as either I'm going to approach approach [25:12] this from a with a sense of play or I'm [25:15] going to approach this with a sense of [25:17] discipline. I'm going to try and find [25:19] some friction, some edges that force me [25:22] to rewire something. Now, play can help [25:25] rewire, discipline can help rewire, but [25:27] of your waking hours, what percentage of [25:30] time do you spend in kind of a playful [25:33] explorative state, like kind of keep it [25:35] light and loose versus, you know, I know [25:37] you're also a believer in like there's [25:39] really value to putting up mental or [25:42] physical or both corridors so that your [25:45] system, your whole system improves [25:48] because at those friction points is [25:50] where plasticity [25:51] can be triggered. I think both of these [25:54] things and also the relation to [25:57] motivation [25:58] in in both of them are [26:03] required scaffoldings [26:06] that we have to use at certain points in [26:08] time but are not the essential [26:12] will [26:14] that connection to what we we don't know [26:19] nothing about that we have researched [26:22] that deeply in v various spheres but [26:26] often we just replace pure will with [26:30] discipline [26:32] or with motivation but once I motivated [26:35] myself I don't need will anymore and if [26:38] I dis if I discipline myself into doing [26:42] something I also hijack the opportunity [26:46] playfulness it brings a direction and a [26:50] flavor of something else a different way [26:53] to interact with something. How do we [26:56] start to look at that? What is the basic [26:59] requirement? I don't want to do this. [27:04] Without this requirement, I can't [27:06] research will [27:09] now if I hijack it, if I take the [27:13] process and I distort it, I use [27:14] discipline, [27:16] then again, I'm out of the game. Or if I [27:19] motivate myself, same problem. [27:22] Playfulness try to walk a different path [27:24] a little bit. [27:28] Maybe it's not it quite. It's not the [27:30] will that search for a will that you [27:33] know many authors and and practitioners [27:36] have looked for because it's so elusive. [27:39] But it's definitely something to [27:41] cultivate and we've talked about it the [27:43] last time we met [27:46] and it brings about so many positive [27:48] things. I think people should first [27:52] develop discipline [27:55] and use motivation and also research [27:59] playfulness which is a lot more tricky [28:01] for people uh these days. [28:04] It brings with it [28:07] incredible benefits. The aesthetic [28:10] intensities that are missing from our [28:12] lives, awe, [28:15] curiosity, this deep sense of curiosity, [28:18] these things can allow us to totally [28:21] transform the emotional schema which is [28:24] stuck rigid. [28:27] This model of ourselves that is often [28:31] times [28:32] rigidifies all the way to depression. [28:35] The most tricky situation of all the [28:38] total bankruptcy of that budget of those [28:43] resources. [28:46] So something like awe [28:49] which happens also in psychedelics. [28:51] Isn't this a huge part of the [28:53] psychedelic thing? What about [28:56] experiencing all regularly in a directed [28:59] targeted and practiced way? [29:03] It can be cold showers and hot shower an [29:08] experience on the sensory level. It can [29:10] be something that is more related to the [29:12] environment like sky gazing. Incredible [29:15] practice. 10 minutes a day. Your eyes [29:17] cannot grab onto things. So and it can [29:21] be and very important conceptual [29:25] or reading poetry or certain types of [29:30] stories or literature touches that so [29:34] all of this comes along with playfulness [29:37] our interaction with things I treat this [29:41] as a playful thing [29:42] >> so if I think about it it's almost [29:44] always present because it allows me not [29:48] to rigidify myself in front of the [29:51] challenge. I'm working with athletes or [29:53] work in cinema or do some project or [29:55] work with a government body or or a [29:57] military organization. I bring [30:00] playfulness. [30:01] Playfulness allows me to go much [30:04] further, much deeper. My discipline [30:09] wouldn't get me there. [30:11] >> It got me certain places. Who got there [30:15] to that place? I discovered that it [30:17] wasn't me because I use discipline. So, [30:20] it's often leaving you kind of out the [30:23] totality of you. [30:24] >> I am very very intrigued by this play [30:28] versus discipline uh thing. So many [30:32] years spent I wouldn't say punching the [30:34] clock but you know there just things you [30:36] have to do because experiments have to [30:38] be done in this time in this way. one [30:40] can develop a a real sense of an ability [30:42] to push through and to do things and [30:45] beautiful stuff can come out of what I [30:46] call chop wood carry water. It's just [30:48] like phase is like okay we're just going [30:50] to chop wood carry water but this play [30:53] thing is really powerful. I had this [30:55] experience when I lived in San Diego. My [30:58] lab started there and I I used to [31:01] commute really far to work cuz I my home [31:04] was um in an area that I really liked [31:07] and that I could afford far from campus [31:09] and the traffic was just brutal. Anyone [31:12] that's ever driven in San Diego, these [31:13] big wide eight lane freeways and and I [31:16] like listening to music, so I would [31:17] drive and I remember one morning just [31:19] being so frustrated with the drive even [31:21] though traffic was moving. And I've only [31:23] had this experience once and I just [31:25] decided I'm gonna just [clears throat] [31:27] slalom the car to work. And I wasn't [31:31] speeding. I'm like slaloming the car. [31:33] I'm listening to music and I'm like this [31:36] is the way to go to work. I can remember [31:38] this one commute is a real standout [31:40] experience in my life of like and I [31:43] thought why don't I do this all the [31:44] time? [31:45] >> The old frog crosses the street video [31:47] game. [31:48] >> Right. Exactly. Exactly. So, I'm just, [31:50] you know, and I get to work and I do [31:52] thing and and this was one instance. I [31:54] don't think I've ever done it again. And [31:56] I like to drive, but I never [31:58] deliberately turn on like I'm going to [31:59] take an ordinary experience that I do [32:01] every single day that usually is kind of [32:04] like loathe or mildly irritated at [32:08] traffic. I'm just going to enjoy this [32:09] experience. I think now that it would be [32:12] so great to just be able to apply that [32:14] to all these different little [32:15] transitions. Oddly enough, I also have [32:18] flashbulb like memories of being in [32:21] Yusede where I've spent a lot of time. [32:22] I've hiked a lot of the peaks in Yusede. [32:24] I love it. I live lived and worked up [32:26] there when I was in college and I just [32:28] adore. You know what? I remember the [32:30] great vistas and great peas that I had [32:34] urinating in the woods. I like have like [32:36] flashb memories of like and there's [32:38] something there. I think it's just the [32:40] calm and relaxation like oh like I'm [32:42] just a creature peeing in the woods, you [32:44] know. And uh as one does, you know, when [32:47] you when you count just thinking like [32:49] this is awesome. I have these like my [32:51] life is great. It's so weird that these [32:53] micro experiences that occupy like 10 to [32:56] 15 seconds or a minute depending on how [32:58] much water you drink, right? One commute [33:01] could grab like real mental real estate [33:04] in our brain. There's something there. [33:06] And I know people are probably like, [33:07] "This is crazy." But I think most people [33:10] would probably describe like kind of odd [33:12] flashbulb memories that they have of [33:13] things that are kind of trivial. [33:15] >> Did you notice that the the quality of [33:18] those memories [33:20] >> cuz you recall them and it they it has a [33:23] flavor and a texture and a resolution [33:25] which is different than other things [33:28] which sometimes are should have been a [33:30] lot more detailed. And it comes and [33:33] goes, but we can become a lot more [33:36] deliberate about it. And it represents a [33:39] certain presence [33:41] in that specific scenario of a [33:45] heightened it's a heightened presence [33:47] thing. Why? Those are questions. But [33:50] playfulness opens the door for that. [33:53] Some of my best seats, my best [33:55] meditations were using a playful [33:58] approach. [33:59] Similarly to how you navigate the [34:02] traffic, [gasps] [34:03] you can use it writing your book. [34:05] >> I tried that. It was very diff I will [34:07] tell you it was very difficult because [34:09] there's aspects of the book that are [34:11] very technical. There are aspects that I [34:12] really want to get communicate things in [34:15] a certain way. I definitely tried to [34:16] relax myself. Um Cal Newport who's a [34:20] sort of a guy who's a big proponent of [34:22] of deep work uh staying away from [34:24] technology to you know writing by hand, [34:27] typewriter, this kind of thing. He said [34:29] uh and I tried this. He said to approach [34:30] work with um kind of a languid [34:33] intentionality kind of relaxed but with [34:36] a direction. I tried it. I have to [34:38] scruff myself and bring myself to it [34:40] even though I want to do it and I just [34:42] like have to like like I imagine I'm [34:44] like doing this [34:45] >> but that deep belief [34:46] >> Yeah. [34:47] >> is already a self-fulfilling prophecy [34:50] cuz you perceive yourself as that [34:52] person. This is the way for you to do [34:55] things. [34:55] >> Mhm. And I'm similar but I've glimpsed [34:58] something else. [35:00] Yes, I I also I'm the disciplinary [35:04] person. I'm a person of great work ethic [35:06] and [35:08] this is how I came about. But then I [35:10] discovered it doesn't matter because [35:15] how you write that book using that [35:17] approach it leaks into your words [35:21] and it's a different way of doing [35:24] things. you're not going to write [35:27] doniote in this way. So I appreciate [35:31] that and I also want to say come back to [35:34] that thing this scaffolding the the fact [35:38] that we have used discipline for such a [35:40] long time is very positive we need that [35:45] first thing is to get things done I'm [35:48] the practice person I'm the met person [35:50] you do it or you talk about it so [35:53] discipline is very important but it's [35:55] similar to the wall in learning to do a [35:58] handstand if you Use the wall one way [36:02] where you're all the time pushing [36:03] yourself off of the wall. Try to catch [36:05] your handstand. [36:06] You become reliant on the wall. Notice [36:09] what I said. You push yourself off of [36:11] the wall. But there is a different [36:13] approach. We can use the wall but pull [36:17] off of it. Not quite push oursel off of [36:20] it but pull off of it which comes from [36:23] the other end from our hands from the [36:25] connection to the ground. that does not [36:28] necessitate a wall. So I can pull myself [36:31] when I feel myself falling forward later [36:33] on. This is the correct way to use [36:36] discipline. You should use it as a [36:39] scaffolding as a way to get things going [36:41] like write that book. But inside the [36:44] process, you must make sure you don't [36:46] lean hard into it. You don't leave [36:48] everything for it to dictate. And you [36:52] bring some playfulness, some relaxation, [36:56] some deep choice. I want to do this. [37:00] It's so elusive. [37:02] It's so tiny. Our life didn't leave any [37:05] room for it anymore. We don't even [37:07] recognize when will come to visit us. [37:10] And here is the big shocker. It was for [37:12] me that I discovered one does not [37:15] develop the will. [37:19] The will never gets developed. [37:22] It's only get exposed. [37:25] Discipline gets developed. That's what [37:27] we mistaken will for. We call it will [37:30] will power etc. [37:33] But when a child is born with a problem, [37:37] when you're facing such a situation, [37:40] discipline might not be enough for you [37:43] to do what is necessary. or when a child [37:46] is born normal and you simply don't feel [37:50] love for that child that occurs a lot [37:54] what do I do now do I discipline myself [37:57] I need a different quality and I need to [38:01] research it and I need to open up space [38:03] for it in my life space to practice it [38:05] because it's not going to come from [38:07] somewhere else and the practice will not [38:09] develop it but it will expose an [38:12] invisible thread it's a sequentiality [38:15] I always do what I said I'm going to do, [38:20] but not by disciplinary action, but by [38:23] having a beautiful evasive sequence like [38:26] you moving around the traffic, finding [38:28] your way there. You never stopped [38:31] looking for the best route. It's a very [38:34] different approach than just pushing the [38:37] gas pedal forward. [38:38] >> Yeah. What's interesting is the traffic [38:41] example, while trivial, it hopefully [38:43] describes a process that people could [38:45] relate to. Not only did I not lose [38:47] energy from it, but I might have even [38:50] picked up some energy. [38:52] >> Beautiful. [38:53] >> And the commute was exactly the same. So [38:56] there's something in that experience and [38:57] I and you're explaining it beautifully. [39:00] This distinction between the will, [39:03] willpower, the expression of the will [39:06] and then discipline. Maybe we can define [39:09] the difference a little bit more so that [39:12] I can understand [39:14] when I'm in [39:17] discipline mode versus um exposing [39:21] willpower. You said you can build [39:22] discipline, you can't build the will. [39:24] The will is a is a fixed unit but a [39:27] hidden one, a very elusive one. [snorts] [39:31] uh we can discuss it more and we will [39:33] expose some things but we will not be [39:35] successful in a binary fashion. We won't [39:38] get it. The only way to get even a [39:41] critical mess with that concept is self [39:45] practice looking for that quality in [39:48] your life and I already mentioned that [39:51] the first requirement is to do things [39:53] you don't want to do which you're also a [39:56] big believer in from a variety of [39:58] reasons. [40:00] All of them are not as important as this [40:04] because they go to serve this layer, [40:07] this corrupted self, this success in [40:10] this area. This is not important. What [40:13] is important is you not all those [40:16] things. And will is actually that [40:19] representation of you. The totality, the [40:24] harmonious combination of all that you [40:27] are comes together and hence you can be [40:30] reliable. You have a sequence. You found [40:34] a way. You cannot push this forward. You [40:38] cannot force this. So you need first a [40:40] situation which you cannot you don't [40:42] want to do. So I tell people here is the [40:45] first requirement of this new practice [40:48] practice of will. [40:50] You have to wait for a moment. You don't [40:52] want to do the task. That's the first [40:54] thing. Not to go to the ice bath now. [40:58] This is a different process and will get [41:00] you somewhere else. Come up with a task [41:05] that only sometimes you don't want to [41:07] do. It's a crucial difference. And wait [41:10] for that moment. In that moment, catch [41:13] yourself. And there you have to [41:16] investigate. There there is a very fine [41:19] little game. It comes back to that [41:22] playfulness that we have to play. Do not [41:25] force into it. Don't jailbreak it. Don't [41:30] push hard into it. Second problem, do [41:33] not motivate yourself to do it. Don't [41:35] put any YouTube clips. Don't mention [41:37] slogans. [41:40] Relax yourself. [41:43] Essential component. Do not rigidify in [41:46] front of the task. If you do, lower the [41:49] bar. Find the task that has this right [41:51] dosage and build up gradually and [41:54] slowly. I like to use things like [41:57] difficult physical postures [42:00] like holding your arms out for 5 [42:03] minutes. It's enough. Just straight arms [42:05] out. Some people can take it further [42:09] or 3 minutes or doing a horse stance and [42:13] then wait for a critical moment when I'm [42:16] tired. A lot of these things are very [42:18] useful. So I've grown to practice those [42:20] things before I at the end of the day [42:24] when I'm checking out that is the moment [42:26] where I bring it about. And then you [42:29] have to research and you have to find a [42:32] thread, a way to get this going again [42:36] and again and again with this gentle [42:38] quality, this playfulness, this softness [42:41] and slowly increase the bar. What will [42:44] you discover? Your will is sufficient is [42:47] like a mosquito's fart. That's the power [42:50] of our will. Even incredibly powerful [42:53] people because they only use discipline. [42:56] So their will is totally they don't know [42:58] how to identify it. They don't know how [42:59] to put it together. So you got to do [43:01] stuff that is so easy relatively easy [43:06] that you're not interested in doing it. [43:08] And that's why we don't develop will. So [43:11] these are some of the discoveries that I [43:13] I had with myself and trying to bring [43:16] about this quality because like you I [43:18] did a lot of stuff with powering [43:21] through. I think the value of a physical [43:23] practice um is probably obvious to [43:26] people or more intuitive like okay um [43:30] for some people ex exercise working out [43:33] movement practice perhaps there'll be [43:35] days when they want to do it there'll be [43:37] days when they don't want to do it if I [43:38] understand correctly [43:41] the idea is to get right up to that edge [43:44] and then instead of throwing oneself [43:47] across that threshold or getting enough [43:50] caffeine in yourself to get across cross [43:51] that threshold or doing hyper cyclic [43:53] hyperventilation breathing to get all [43:55] the things to kick up adrenaline talking [43:59] about getting right there relaxing and [44:02] almost letting yourself sort of drift [44:03] across but am I pushing a little bit am [44:07] I giving myself a nudge like to keep [44:09] going okay so I don't expect myself to [44:11] just default into it okay do you still [44:14] have to do that I mean you've been doing [44:15] movement practice many years are there [44:18] days when you feel that resistance And [44:21] you have to kind of nudge yourself [44:22] course if I don't feel the resistance I [44:26] don't have will. I don't develop will [44:27] and I don't have will. The whole point [44:30] of will is that it only comes to visit [44:32] and it's only necessary when there is a [44:34] resistance. [44:35] >> So you see those as opportunities [44:37] >> as well. [44:38] >> Mhm. [44:39] >> As well. But this is this is the trick. [44:41] But the to answer your question, my [44:43] answer might be a bit trickier than what [44:45] most people assume. [44:47] They want the remove of the the removal [44:51] of the problem and will that's the whole [44:54] point of will [44:55] >> right not to remove the problem and not [44:57] to also jailbreak it [45:00] and you've described it beautifully [45:03] and imagine even that clip that you saw [45:07] or over the last years things that you [45:10] saw me you see me do they're not [45:13] impressive anymore [45:15] I can still kick up here and do a one- [45:17] arm and stand in the center of the room. [45:19] My body looks different by choice and [45:23] how I move is different because I [45:25] discovered this is not going anywhere. [45:28] I've already been there. I've already [45:31] done that. I've used motivation, [45:34] discipline, this quality. I'm looking [45:38] for something much more powerful, but [45:40] much more gentle as well. So I had to go [45:43] back to baby steps and to play that game [45:47] that you you just mentioned beautifully, [45:50] the edge. Stand at the edge [45:54] and it has to be an edge. You're almost [45:56] not sure if you choose that task whether [45:59] it's difficult enough or not. It's not [46:01] the only practice. It's just another [46:03] flavor that is important for us to [46:05] practice. I still practice my [46:06] discipline. I still practice extremely [46:08] difficult things. But it's an important [46:11] flavor that I missed. [46:13] >> Mhm. [46:14] >> And I think most people are missing it. [46:16] They have no interest in doing it. It's [46:18] too easy. They don't understand the [46:21] point is not in the task at all. The [46:23] point is is in the quality that [46:25] develops, the attribute that develops [46:27] inside of us, which is one of the most [46:29] important basic attributes. I want to [46:32] know when I'm going to war with you, [46:35] whatever war that is, that you're [46:37] reliable to have a word. [46:40] And that cannot rely on caffeine or on [46:45] on discipline. And and you can play this [46:47] game. I'm right now extremely [46:48] jet-lagged. So I'm I'm very tired. So I [46:52] play this game with myself. I I have [46:54] this little internal smile here in my [46:58] jaw inside. I I I play I pay attention [47:02] to what is going on in the internal [47:04] realm, this interceptive thing and I [47:08] play a game. Before I used to kind of [47:10] push against it, harden against it and [47:13] push through whatever needs to be done [47:16] and so this way of practicing taught me [47:18] a lot. [47:20] >> I'd like to take a quick break and [47:22] acknowledge our sponsor AG1. AG1 is a [47:25] vitamin mineral probiotic drink that [47:27] also includes prebiotics and adaptogens. [47:30] I discovered AG1 way back in 2012, long [47:33] before I ever had a podcast, and I've [47:35] been taking it every day since. The [47:37] reason I started taking AG1, and the [47:39] reason I still take it every day, is [47:40] because AG1 is, to my knowledge, the [47:42] highest quality and most comprehensive [47:44] of the foundational nutritional [47:46] supplements on the market. AG1 is [47:48] designed to support things like gut [47:49] health, immune health, and overall [47:51] energy. And it does so by helping to [47:53] fill any gaps that you might have in [47:55] your daily nutrition. 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Yeah, I'm I'm very [48:41] intrigued by this this notion of of play [48:44] because I do think that it's energy [48:47] conserving if not energy building. And [48:50] it's kind of incredible, right? I mean, [48:52] we know that neuroplasticity is [48:54] triggered by friction points, you know, [48:55] some level of autonomic arousal. How why [48:58] else would the nervous system change if [48:59] it can do what it needs to do? You need [49:01] a change in the millu, the chemical [49:03] environment. But if one can get it from [49:05] play, that's awesome because the other [49:09] thing takes literally adrenaline, [49:11] norepinephrine. Yes, we love dopamine, [49:13] but that little cocktail of [49:15] catacolamines as we call them, that is [49:18] energy. That's chi. That's the It's [49:20] energetically costly to be in that [49:22] state. Play is a different cocktail. It [49:25] includes some of those, but it includes [49:27] some other stuff, too. We know this [49:28] neurochemically. So, I'm not just [49:30] speaking in metaphors. And it does seem [49:33] to open something up. And it's a sounds [49:36] so subtle. I'm going to be playful about [49:38] this really important thing, this [49:40] challenging thing versus I'm going to [49:42] just, you know, I'm going to just drill [49:44] into this. the rigidity that comes about [49:47] is is almost instantaneous [49:49] >> and it's more representative of you in [49:53] the way that I see this word you self I [49:58] because again that that the use of that [50:00] cocktail that the jailbreaking [50:04] is a very it removes something from [50:08] engaging it it numbs something. So here [50:12] this is the most crucial point. We get [50:14] to transform ourselves [50:17] by choosing to do something deeply [50:21] saying I want to do this in the moment [50:25] that you don't want to do this to find [50:28] that paradoxical thing. It's a [50:30] multistability. You have to be able to [50:33] glimpse these two things to feel this [50:35] emotional contradiction and to remain [50:38] functional without collapsing to remain [50:40] functional and moving forward leaning [50:43] forward into the direction. This is a [50:46] critical way of doing this is a a big [50:49] passion of mine in the last years cuz I [50:52] realized it's so crucial such a missing [50:55] component [50:57] and having listened to you and and and [51:00] various people that you brought along [51:02] really helped me helped me see it to [51:05] understand it to look at the scientific [51:09] side and the anatomy and the and the way [51:11] that we are constructing these models [51:14] and to see if that match matches my [51:16] experience and what exactly is missing [51:18] and where am I lying to myself in that [51:20] sense. So it turned out to be a valuable [51:24] insight. [51:25] >> It's come up before on a few podcasts [51:27] and you may have heard this but I'll [51:28] just briefly describe we have a finally [51:31] thanks to the work largely of my [51:33] colleague Joe Parveves at Stanford. We [51:34] have a neurological understanding of [51:37] tenacity and willpower and the [51:39] plasticity that is this anterior mids [51:41] singulate cortex that gets activated [51:42] when we don't want to do something and [51:44] we force ourselves to do it and that [51:46] structure enlarges and it becomes easier [51:48] to access and so we you know in that [51:50] sense the the discipline piece really [51:52] can be built up [51:54] >> definitely [51:54] >> the recognition that oh I don't want to [51:56] do this feels a lot like the I don't [51:57] want to do that and I was able to do [51:59] that that anterior midsulate cortex can [52:02] go to work on a number of things it's a [52:04] it's a real thing. We don't yet have the [52:09] coralate structure for the play piece. [52:11] >> Definitely [52:11] >> and it may be distributed, right? We [52:13] always want to think there's a [52:14] structure, the amygdala, fear, inter [52:16] midsulate cortex, tenacity, but these [52:18] are circuit phenomena. But but it would [52:20] be so nice to be able to find a neural [52:22] coralate because there does seem to be [52:24] something very special about people in [52:27] their 70s, 80s, 90s who [52:30] >> they're in the longevity game clearly [52:33] and they're taking great care of their [52:35] bodies and their minds, but there's a [52:37] playful spirit in there that [52:40] is never discussed in this whole [52:42] longevity thing, but it's clearly very [52:45] very crucial. hard to research that of [52:48] course from obvious reasons it's much [52:50] more easier to to research this [52:52] discipline right [52:53] >> to be playful [52:56] I I want to I want to give something [53:00] positive we all meet this quality even [53:03] many of us believe I never am in this [53:07] state investigate [53:10] >> investigate into your past like you [53:13] mentioned this moment of driving but I I [53:16] want to tell you something. [53:19] Investigate yesterday. It was also there [53:23] for moments. For brief moments, you can [53:25] always and by studying this, you would [53:27] help yourself because it is always [53:30] present. It's almost guaranteed to be [53:33] there even in extremely depressed [53:36] people. Part of the problem of [53:38] depression is this rigidity [53:40] to change to to recognize these positive [53:44] moments, right? and to to to transform [53:46] the model. So we don't end up harvesting [53:51] it but it's there. It's an important [53:54] thing because without [53:57] learning the flavor and the texture of [53:59] that we have no chance of approaching [54:03] that developing this playfulness this [54:05] will this softness about things that can [54:08] do a lot. There's a third bin which I [54:12] think people default to including myself [54:14] right I think about discipline will or [54:18] laziness sloth and wasting time. Right [54:21] now we're talking about using discipline [54:24] or a mode of play to do something. These [54:26] days it seems a lot of having a good [54:29] life is about not doing certain things. [54:32] mostly for most people not having your [54:36] consciousness and your body pulled into [54:39] algorithms. You know, I'm a fan of [54:41] social media. I learn there. I [54:44] [clears throat] see you there. I try and [54:46] teach there. But there is a way in which [54:49] our body shape, our mental shape can be [54:52] structured around this wheel of infinite [54:56] stimuli. That's how I think about it [54:57] now. Now when I go into uh social media, [55:01] I think about it as a wheel of infinite [55:03] stimula. Like a rat in an experiment. If [55:06] I want to keep that rat engaged, just [55:08] give it this, give it that. Doesn't like [55:09] this, give it that. I mean, that's the [55:10] algorithm. I try and see myself in it so [55:13] that I can navigate it with some [55:14] intentionality like, oh, this is [55:16] interesting. I'm actually quite [55:17] inspired. I'm not just saying this by [55:20] the content you've put up over the [55:21] years. I really think hard about the [55:23] I've gone and looked up authors. You [55:24] know, your philosophers and many things [55:26] I don't know. So I I follow up on those. [55:29] In the domain of strength training, [55:32] there's this guy Tom Havland. I think he [55:34] was used to be Australian special [55:35] forces. He only posts from the back. He [55:37] doesn't disclose his identity. Very [55:39] large guy. Um doing zer squats, you [55:42] know, where the bar is in the crook of [55:43] the elbow with, you know, 500 plus [55:45] pounds with pauses and it's very, you [55:48] know, if you really impressive feats of [55:51] strength. So I see and learn and [55:54] inspired by things I see in social [55:55] media. Sends me down the path of [55:58] learning. I didn't even know what a zer [55:59] squat was until recently. It's kind of [56:01] cool. Like I know the crooks of elbows [56:03] could hold that much. And the core [56:04] bracing is really interesting. But a lot [56:07] of my life these days is about no this [56:10] is not a stimulus space I want to spend [56:13] time in. I'm 50 now. I don't know how [56:16] long I'll live. Hopefully a long time. [56:18] But allocation of energy is like 90% of [56:23] the game of life, right? Maybe more. So [56:27] when you think about practices for [56:30] resisting [56:31] doing something, the no-go as we say in [56:34] neuroscience, not go tasks, but no go. [56:37] How do you think about pulling back in a [56:41] playful way? That's a little bit harder. [56:43] Beautiful question and very important [56:47] thing to to look at to examine and I I [56:50] can offer my my personal experiences [56:53] that's the only thing that I can but [56:56] again the pullback deleting the app [57:00] you know take something off throwing [57:03] your phone on the rooftop [57:04] >> done it done it [57:05] >> that's why I mentioned it cuz you told [57:07] me last time we met [57:08] >> yeah when I used to have to write grants [57:10] I would either give my phone to my [57:12] students early days and I'd say if I [57:13] asked for that back before 5:00 p.m. [57:16] today, everyone in lab gets a $100 bill. [57:19] I didn't have the money to do that. I [57:22] didn't ask for it back by 5 or throw it [57:25] on the roof and go get it later. And [57:27] this action, I'm not against it. May [57:30] maybe it sounds like it's jailbreaking [57:33] something, but it's a required moment. [57:38] One of the first thing with will [57:41] is the recognition that we're not in [57:43] contact with it that we don't possess [57:45] and we should verify it for ourselves by [57:48] trying to do things [57:50] which are definitely possible and we [57:54] can't we can't do them. [57:56] >> Mhm. [clears throat] How do I pull back [58:00] in this way? Isn't this good to delete [58:04] the app? [58:06] It's a way of [58:08] paying upfront. [58:11] It's painful and it's costly. It's [58:14] expensive. It's a required thing. Part [58:18] of me say [58:20] I'm not sure I'll be here in a few more [58:23] moments. I'm going to take this action. [58:26] It reminds me of I have great fear of [58:28] heights. [58:29] >> You? [58:29] >> Yeah. It reminds me when I went to [58:33] bungee jump the first time with friends [58:36] decades ago in Greece and I'm climbing [58:38] up there and I'm watching down this tiny [58:40] swimming pool from the crane and I [58:43] realized in that moment there is no way [58:46] I'm jumping down and the other part of [58:49] me realized there is no way I'm climbing [58:52] down [58:53] the girl screaming down there you know [58:56] and I I just stood there and I just I [58:58] just kind of threw myself forward. I [59:00] jailbreed it years after I've I redone [59:04] it with a different quality. [59:07] I softened into it. [59:09] >> Mhm. [clears throat] [59:10] >> And I found a way to [59:13] come down feeling this great [59:17] pain, physical pain, and at the same [59:20] time the multi-stability feel a [59:23] softness, a wave of softness passing [59:25] through me as tiny as it was. So when [59:27] I'm pulling back it's very important [59:30] that I interact with this action also in [59:33] that way that I don't force myself in a [59:36] sad mazoistic way that I don't do this [59:39] action from that place maybe it's the [59:42] beginning of the process maybe it's [59:43] something that is a required stepping [59:45] stone something that you have to do but [59:47] later you learn to soften into it and [59:51] eventually you can leave the app you [59:53] don't delete it and it's there and you [59:56] keep on softening as it jumps calling [60:00] you back again and again and again and [60:01] you've developed this feedback. You've [60:03] changed, you've transformed your model [60:06] and there is a new reaction [60:09] to that stimulus and you relax. When [60:12] when the stimulus calls your name, you [60:15] recognize it, note it, and the first [60:18] thing that you do, you soften yourself, [60:20] you relax, you put a little smile on, [60:23] and only then do you go back to the task [60:25] at hand. You change the way instead of [60:28] saying no, I don't want to go back into [60:31] social media now. I want to work on my [60:33] book and forcing yourself back. You take [60:35] another extra step. [60:38] Oh, it's calling my name again. [60:42] I note it. I recognized it. I soften [60:45] myself. And only then do I go back to [60:47] the test at hand. The outcome would be [60:49] totally different. Millions of times [60:51] forward. Done again and again. you would [60:54] be amazed by the difference. [60:57] >> I absolutely get what you're saying that [60:59] there's something about paying attention [61:02] to the subtle trans subtle ripples like [61:06] they're these ripples and that language [61:08] of the subtle ripples of consciousness [61:10] makes it sound like I'm trying to be [61:11] poetic, but I I really can't find a [61:14] better language than these like subtle [61:16] ripples. It's the same thing, I believe, [61:20] as noticing the transition between [61:23] asleep and awake. Just a little bit more [61:25] each day. Maybe some days you miss it. [61:27] You just pop up and go into the day and [61:28] then you I missed I missed the there [61:30] were these ripples in between. But [61:32] catching them, this is one of the most [61:35] important attributes [61:37] also in the physical body that I believe [61:39] is totally missing from our physical [61:41] modern movement, culture, physical [61:44] practice. Granularity. I call it bodily [61:48] resolution in the application to the [61:50] body. Notice I'm not talking about [61:53] mobility or definitely not about [61:56] flexibility. There is a certain [61:59] refinement and with it a certain [62:02] complexity [62:04] that if it's not challenged by novelty [62:07] and by certain qualities of attention, [62:09] there is a deterioration of the model. [62:11] There is a simplification. There is a [62:14] hardening of the body schema. It becomes [62:17] more black and whitish and living in [62:20] this physical form becomes hell. [62:23] [snorts] The same thing happens in the [62:25] emotional schema in the emotional model [62:27] of ourselves. And the same thing happens [62:29] on the conceptual or intellectual [62:32] abstraction model. [62:34] The same thing happen in the social [62:36] schema. The same thing happen on the [62:38] spatial schema. If you don't continue to [62:42] make it detailed and to appreciate the [62:45] details, you will have a deterioration. [62:48] You're moving up or down. There is no [62:51] status quo that it's never stable. [62:53] Hence, guess what? Most people going to [62:56] the gym, doing these runs, [63:00] they totally lost something and they [63:02] don't even know. They're not as they [63:05] were as children. They don't look like [63:08] that. Kung Fu master in Beijing, 5:00 am [63:11] at the park walking with the stout of a [63:15] a child. We like to mention blue zones, [63:19] but we don't you don't look like the [63:22] blue zones. We like to mention the [63:24] importance of muscle mass for longevity, [63:26] but which muscle mass are you talking [63:28] about? Not that muscle mass. It's a [63:31] different quantity. [63:34] So we kind of moved away from those fine [63:39] things and the refinement of them is [63:42] very very important emotionally the [63:45] emotional granularity [63:47] to recognize it's so important. [63:51] Depression puts everything into the [63:53] black and white thing. So it's the [63:56] extreme and then the other side is very [63:59] high resolution of emotional [64:02] appreciation and perception [64:05] that can turn against you but only when [64:08] the conceptual layer comes and [64:10] manipulates that information. But as [64:12] long as it stays within the [64:14] nondiscursive [64:17] the the raw Yeah. the raw thing coming [64:21] from this alostostatic [64:24] system. The the the the the [64:27] way that we define our state like [64:31] poetry. That's why also reading poetry [64:34] helps and and reading literature helps [64:36] in this way. It makes you a lot more [64:38] complex. And now you discover it's not a [64:42] good or bad thing anymore, but you're [64:46] playing a different game. And here is [64:47] the playfulness back. Mhm. Because I'm [64:50] even playing game with that. [64:53] Oh, I'm I feel bad. I feel good. I feel [64:58] neutral. That thing starts to open up. I [65:02] abandon this and I go back to the body. [65:06] And that's why I like to send people [65:09] back to the body. The eye is a lot more [65:13] this than what we think it is, [65:15] especially meditators, etc. is not up [65:19] here. And of course they're talking [65:22] about it the way of the heart and you [65:24] know the har the danten etc. But [65:29] you can see when somebody is [65:32] embodied [65:33] there are signs there are cues to it in [65:36] the way that people move in the way that [65:38] they are here. [snorts] And I I often [65:41] don't see those those those clues and [65:45] then there is a great deterioration. So [65:48] I I don't care so much about structures [65:50] these days about muscle mass about you [65:53] know the joint protective things the [65:56] connective tissue or whatever because I [65:57] believe the model deteriorates way [66:00] before and the consequences come after [66:02] once the model has degraded the [66:05] simulation now we are in trouble and now [66:08] the the the structural effects are just [66:10] following that years forward decades [66:12] forward and then we discover it it's too [66:14] late [66:15] words are dangerous [66:17] like the spinal column. Do you know how [66:20] many spines this destroyed? [66:23] Countless. It's not a column. And [66:26] treating it like a column destroys our [66:29] spine. It's the way that I model myself. [66:31] Even in my words, I can I can sense that [66:35] I can feel that different languages have [66:37] different words for those things and [66:39] clues are there. the lack of [66:41] appreciation of fine micro actions [66:44] inside the torso in between the ribs, we [66:47] don't appreciate it. [66:49] The way that we distribute [66:52] pressure in the body practices that I [66:55] engage with, that I teach, that I work [66:57] with, they're very powerful, but we [66:59] don't leave room for that. We want to [67:01] go, we want to do something quickly, [67:03] crudely, and we deteriorate. [67:06] And then we go to the protocols. We go [67:09] to the help help me and and yeah there [67:13] is some help the there is definitely [67:16] some help there but to lift it into a [67:19] meaningful healing is not often done. I [67:24] I believe because the practice is [67:26] missing the notion of high resolution [67:29] versus low resolution language [67:33] movement and awareness. Maybe we just [67:35] kind of grab those three and I know [67:37] there there are others. I think about [67:38] this a lot. Uh let's start with [67:40] language. Lisa Feldman Barrett, who's a [67:43] psychologist, I would also consider [67:45] somewhat of a neuroscientist because she [67:47] collaborates with neuroscientists and is [67:49] studies emotion. And she's been very [67:51] clear and it's absolutely true that in [67:54] cultures where there's many words to [67:57] describe different aspects of sadness, [67:59] aspects of happiness, even some [68:02] extremely specific circumstances. is [68:04] like there's a Japanese word, forgive [68:05] me, I don't remember, for the the [68:07] sadness one feels after a bad haircut. [68:10] The more nuance and specificity, the [68:14] less likely people are going to default [68:17] to I'm sad, I'm depressed, just kind of [68:20] like throw themselves in the broad bin. [68:22] And uh I refer to it as the [68:25] emojification [68:26] of [68:28] >> mental life. I'm happy. I'm sad. I'm [68:30] depressed. I do think that it's nice to [68:32] have a range of language ability so you [68:36] can talk to people of different [68:38] backgrounds. Some people are more [68:40] hyperverbal than others. a colleague of [68:42] mine at uh NYU um Tony Mauvshin who runs [68:45] the center for neuroscience. He's he [68:47] described an intellectual beautifully [68:49] and you certainly uh fit this [68:51] description which is an intellectual is [68:54] somebody who can talk about and work [68:56] with a concept or something at multiple [68:59] levels of granularity that are [69:01] appropriate for the conversation. like [69:03] we're going pretty deep today peeling [69:05] back layers looking you know if you have [69:07] three minutes you know it's a different [69:09] conversation but I think as you said [69:12] this is the advantage of reading more [69:14] challenging books at times or kids books [69:17] which are very simple in essence but [69:20] deliver the message in with in very [69:22] succinctly [69:23] >> generally right so I think there's real [69:25] value to working up and down the ladder [69:28] in language and having that at one's [69:30] disposal [69:31] >> and here is Another practice we go back [69:34] to being pragmatic, [69:36] ambiguity, [69:39] incompleteness. [69:42] Do you bring it about? [69:45] >> Not having to have everything resolved. [69:47] >> No. [69:47] >> And not only in the terms of problem [69:50] solving or or or or a physical what we [69:53] call kinetic coins. This is great. This [69:57] develops movement intelligence. [69:58] Something that I work with a lot. [70:00] reading puzzling symbolic texts, [70:04] parallels, [70:06] difficult to resolve things and maybe [70:09] never resolve things or movies, watch [70:11] Tarovski, [70:13] Hodorovski, [70:14] it's a very different experience than [70:16] Hollywood or watching contemporary dance [70:20] that is contemporary in the sense that I [70:22] can't define it. It's happening right [70:24] now and I'm not sure what I'm even [70:26] watching here. I've been taken to some [70:29] contemporary dance where I thought I [70:31] don't know what I'm watching. [70:32] >> Yeah. And the first time I went to wash, [70:34] I said, "I don't like it." Yes. [70:36] >> And I'm gonna come back. [laughter] [70:38] >> That was the distinguishing factor [70:39] between you and me. But I've since [70:40] developed a real appreciation uh for uh [70:44] there are some forms of dance that um [70:47] Eric Jarvis was a guest on the podcast [70:49] neuroscientist who was uh going to be [70:51] part of the Alvin [70:53] Dance Company took a hard left turn into [70:56] neuroscience and studies language and [70:58] will say this will a relevant tangent. [71:02] The species of birds that can talk are [71:05] also the ones that can dance. And he [71:08] thinks bodily movement [71:10] based on the genetics. He studies the [71:12] genetics of language and the same genes [71:15] that are in these speech areas are [71:18] strongly expressed in very similar [71:21] motifs [71:22] >> in the areas of movement. So he thinks [71:24] bodily movement is the fundamental [71:26] language. I'll just leave it at that. I [71:28] need to get you two in the same room at [71:30] some point and then I won't just want to [71:32] be there listening. If everything [71:34] depends on language, we also have to be [71:36] careful because then the granularity of [71:39] language will be the limiting factor and [71:42] it's huge pieces. So this like playing [71:45] with play the the not Lego, you know, [71:49] there was technical Lego, the small [71:50] little bits. I love this. [71:52] >> There was a normal Lego and then there [71:54] was a the the big one, the big chunks [71:57] that you started from. So, it's like [71:59] you're working with these [72:01] words are corrupted [72:04] and they're corrupting us and they're [72:07] supposed to be containers, but they [72:09] don't they're not containers. They're [72:11] more pointers, [72:13] but we've lost what they're pointing at. [72:15] The simulacum versus the sim simulation. [72:20] Simulation is something that creates a [72:24] model of something real. simulacum [72:28] is now disconnected. There is not [72:31] anymore that real thing. When I [72:33] investigated this deeply with myself, I [72:35] don't believe there is an inherent [72:37] difference between these two, but there [72:39] is definitely critical masses that can [72:42] be achieved. For example, [72:45] the sensory thing, sensor, sensory motor [72:48] thing is a lot less corrupted than the [72:51] conceptual schema. Even that is not [72:55] reality. The senses don't bring reality. [72:58] They model reality. They are simulation [73:02] machines. [73:02] >> Everything we experience is an [73:04] abstraction of what our senses are [73:07] pulling into our brain. [73:09] >> Which means [73:10] ignoring uniqueness, [73:13] erasing differences for the sake of [73:16] communicating it to the system even on [73:19] the level of sensation because it would [73:21] be overwhelming. [73:24] We would be crushed [73:26] by reality if the band wage is opened [73:29] fully. [73:30] >> Certainly if it was opened all at once. [73:32] I mean I'm um [73:33] >> this is also what happens with [73:34] psychedelics by the way. Sometimes [73:36] >> too much pours in. Yeah. [73:38] >> There there is a bandage expansion [73:40] >> too much cross talk. I mean we should [73:42] acknowledge this you know so in the [73:44] studies of psilocybin and it's um where [73:47] it has been shown to improve major [73:50] depression the typical outcome is you [73:53] know scan before [73:57] I should mention this is you know [73:58] therapy assisted psychedelic um [74:00] experience not just recreational therapy [74:03] therapy therapy therapy with [74:05] psychedelics therapy therapy therapy [74:08] therapy with psychedelic we're talking [74:10] about psilocybin here therapy Y therapy [74:11] therapy therapy therapy. Not just head [74:14] into the woods, eat a bunch of [74:15] mushrooms, talk to your friends. The [74:17] most consistent observation in the brain [74:20] is a lot more connectivity between areas [74:22] that weren't communicating prior to [74:24] that, which can offer new opportunities [74:26] for insight, new opportunities for um [74:30] it's literal integration and the [74:32] unmasking of connections that were there [74:34] but were more or less suppressed. This [74:36] can be a really good thing. It can also [74:38] be a really bad thing. One of the [74:41] hallmark definitions of psychosis is [74:43] clang associations where people with [74:45] schizophrenia or other forms of [74:46] psychosis will say, you know, this is a [74:48] really cool cup up. So everything's [74:51] moving up or stock market, you know, and [74:53] they they just follow the language in a [74:55] meaningless way that any non-sychotic [74:58] person says all they're doing is [75:00] following the rhyming of the words. [75:02] >> Those are not good connections to [75:03] follow. If you want to be functional in [75:04] the world, you might write an [75:06] interesting [75:07] book using that tool. consciously, but [75:10] these people live in that reality. So, [75:13] the pouring in and the cross [75:15] connectivity, the plasticity, it's it's [75:17] not always a good thing. I'd like to [75:20] take a quick break and acknowledge one [75:21] of our sponsors, Element. Element is an [75:24] electrolyte drink that has everything [75:26] you need and nothing you don't. That [75:28] means the electrolytes, sodium, [75:29] magnesium, and potassium, all in the [75:31] correct ratios, but no sugar. Proper [75:33] hydration is critical for brain and body [75:36] function. Even a slight degree of [75:38] dehydration can diminish your cognitive [75:40] and physical performance. It's also [75:42] important that you get adequate [75:43] electrolytes. The electrolytes, sodium, [75:45] magnesium, and potassium are vital for [75:47] the functioning of all cells in your [75:49] body, especially your neurons or your [75:51] nerve cells. Drinking element makes it [75:53] very easy to ensure that you're getting [75:54] adequate hydration and adequate [75:56] electrolytes. My days tend to start [75:59] really fast, meaning I have to jump [76:00] right into work or right into exercise. [76:03] So, to make sure that I'm hydrated and I [76:04] have sufficient electrolytes, when I [76:06] first wake up in the morning, I drink 16 [76:08] to 32 ounces of water with an element [76:10] packet dissolved in it. I also drink [76:12] Element dissolved in water during any [76:14] kind of physical exercise that I'm [76:15] doing, especially on hot days when I'm [76:17] sweating a lot and losing water and [76:19] electrolytes. Element has a bunch of [76:21] great tasting flavors. In fact, I love [76:23] them all. I love the watermelon, the [76:24] raspberry, the citrus, and I really love [76:26] the lemonade flavor. So, if you'd like [76:28] to try Element, you can go to [76:29] drinkelement.com/huberman [76:32] to claim a free element sample pack with [76:34] any purchase. Again, that's [76:35] drinkelement.com/huberman [76:38] to claim a free sample pack. In terms of [76:41] movement, I absolutely agree. I think [76:43] that um people who are not exercising [76:45] enough, not moving enough, not walking [76:47] enough are starting to approximate a [76:49] C-shape internally rotated. We see that [76:52] if people are taking on an exercise [76:54] program, which I think is generally [76:56] healthy, walking more, hopefully doing [76:59] some movement that gets their heart rate [77:00] up, hopefully list lifting some objects [77:03] that are outside their ability so then [77:04] they get stronger and so forth. Okay, [77:06] great. Should people do all of that and [77:10] then start to think about [77:13] the other syllables and vowels and and [77:17] uh language of movement and incorporate [77:19] that into their life or if given the [77:22] choice should people start with [77:26] many many forms of movement and the [77:28] reason I ask this is a very practical [77:30] one. Many people will say, "Well, this [77:32] all sounds great, but I got to get up in [77:34] the morning, make myself breakfast, take [77:36] my kids to school, do all my things. I [77:38] get 30 minutes. I need to get my heart [77:40] rate up. Got to get my zone 3, four. I [77:42] now have to lift things." You're telling [77:44] me now I have to pay attention to the [77:46] subtle ripples of movement, you know? [77:48] So, I could see either argument being [77:51] true that just like check off the boxes. [77:55] heart health, muscle health, ligaments, [77:57] fight deterioration, [77:59] add something on top of that versus no, [78:01] let's treat the whole system as having a [78:04] lot more opportunity there and start [78:06] there no matter where you are. That's [78:09] that's a practical question embedded in [78:11] a somewhat intellectual conversation. [78:13] >> I'll push back. [78:15] >> Mhm. [78:16] >> The question is already corrupted. [78:18] First, it's a exercise approach to [78:21] physicality. [78:23] I have 30 minutes a day and what do you [78:26] do with the rest of your time? That is [78:29] the push back. [78:30] >> Mhm. [78:32] >> What do we do that is so important that [78:36] we don't have time to pay attention to [78:39] the ripples of movement when we are [78:41] living our lives, cooking, doing? [78:45] When you're listening to me, are you [78:47] fully engaged and listening to me? Now [78:51] we are not using this time well. [78:56] Even highly productive people actually [78:58] those are often the case. [79:02] They are never [79:04] using the time well in the sense of that [79:07] presence. [79:09] So what I'm suggesting is a paradigm [79:12] shift [79:13] in the way that I view my physicality at [79:16] all. the way that I view my day today, [79:18] my being when I'm listening to you. I'm [79:22] not running after these words in my head [79:25] and [79:27] I'm also in the physical experience of [79:30] what is occurring right now and and I [79:32] developed this through my practice. We [79:34] need better education and we need better [79:36] tools [79:38] and this is the new limiting factor. [79:42] Even AI recognizes it more and more and [79:45] it will I predict become the crucial [79:48] component. The body the sensory [79:53] symbols [79:55] that are popping out [79:57] when a symbol comes to our mind that [80:01] that that that [80:03] impression those impressions that are [80:05] they are so important [80:08] without them there is nothing. And we've [80:11] tried to go down to the the root of it. [80:14] I've I've spent a lot of time reading [80:16] about this and figuring out what is the [80:18] raw currency of [80:22] cognition of that ab ob abstraction [80:25] schema. And I've heard many answers. [80:28] There is the the primal or primitive [80:30] semantics this point of view like [80:33] something that is under language. And [80:36] there is this um point of view from [80:39] phenomenology [80:40] and that this this area or or there is [80:43] the invariance something that does not [80:46] change no matter how you look at it [80:47] that's the most crucial basic element [80:50] but the best answer that I found is this [80:53] drawing a boundary [80:55] selecting which means when I look at you [80:59] I select you from the environment [81:03] I create a boundary inside my [81:05] simulation. This is the most as as [81:07] George Spencer Brown talks about this in [81:10] laws of form. This is the the act of [81:13] differentiation. [81:15] This creates the most basic thought [81:18] matter. It's a thing now. And the [81:21] unselected state which also represents [81:23] the the entropy second law of [81:26] thermodynamics the the soup that wants [81:28] to pull us back [81:30] is [81:32] the other side. So this selection and [81:35] the unselected state which are [81:37] codependent of course [81:40] they are the very root of of things. So [81:45] when we play this game of paying [81:48] attention and the quality of it we are [81:52] interacting [81:54] underneath the problems with the system. [81:58] We are going to the and I'm talking [82:01] about this open presence pre- language [82:05] thing that must inform the language [82:07] formation anyways it doesn't come from [82:09] anywhere so there must be something [82:11] underneath and and I'm sure you can [82:15] teach me a lot about that a lot more [82:17] than what I researched myself but the [82:20] experience of it myself is very [82:22] important to try to find that gentle [82:27] layer [82:29] and to try to interact with it. This [82:31] will transform the body schema and we [82:34] have to teach it to children when we [82:37] come about and some cultures maintain it [82:39] to a larger degree and of course it [82:41] depends on the language and on other [82:42] habits. This is below exercise. This is [82:46] and then I use exercise very efficiently [82:49] when you have that when the model is [82:52] addressed. I do this work with athletes. [82:55] I do this work with grandmas. I do this [82:57] work with Alzheimer patients, with [83:00] musicians. [83:01] This is very potent. [83:04] So stop trying to fit me into something [83:08] corrupted in that sense. I'm telling the [83:10] world in that physical sense of I got to [83:13] fit into this fitness practice. I got to [83:16] fit into this exercise idea because when [83:19] I'm looking deeper, I don't see a lot of [83:22] promise there. Those are positive [83:24] manipulations. They can be definitely, [83:26] but we need to go further. And we're not [83:29] because we stay with that 30 minutes a [83:32] day idea. [83:35] And this is everywhere. You don't need [83:36] to become like me, a practitioner of [83:38] movement all day. In the official side, [83:40] it becomes the unofficial practice. Your [83:43] way of being, your way of doing things. [83:46] I turn everything into this. the way [83:48] that I drink from the cup, the way that [83:51] I sit right now, the way that I'm [83:53] listening, and it's coming from the [83:55] official side of my practice. I had to [83:57] learn it in a structured way and then to [84:00] pull it back into my life. Much more [84:03] important than to learn to meditate. [84:05] Much more potent because it is [84:07] meditation in the deep sense of the [84:09] word. [84:10] >> You mentioned Alzheimer's. Um, [84:13] there are more and more scientific [84:15] findings all the time showing that loss [84:18] of vision, subtle or severe, loss of [84:22] hearing, subtle or severe, can either [84:27] accelerate or maybe even cause some of [84:31] the um deprivation [84:34] symptoms of Alzheimer's, memory [84:36] deprivation, uh, this kind of thing. And [84:38] it makes good sense, right? Right? It's [84:41] unfortunate, but it makes good sense. [84:43] Meaning, [84:44] if there are fewer inputs to the system, [84:46] the system is deprived by definition, [84:49] and then the system starts working with [84:50] deprived inputs and it degrades. And in [84:53] Alzheimer's, they like to mention that [84:55] the feedback is damaged. [84:57] >> But they threw the baby with the [84:59] bathwater. Even when the feedback is [85:02] damaged, it's not a monochromatic thing, [85:05] black and white. You got to continue to [85:07] challenge the system. [85:09] When I tear [85:11] a muscle, my rotator cuff, I rehab [85:15] myself by going back into motion. I [85:17] don't put a cast on. I treat Alzheimer's [85:20] in the same way. I practice. And this is [85:24] incredibly powerful. Like loading the [85:27] skeleton for osteoporosis. [85:30] Forget about the nutritional [85:32] side of things. Lift something heavy for [85:35] God's sake. pound the ground in in the [85:39] right dosages and ways. It it is a lot [85:42] more potent. [85:45] >> We have to change our way of looking at [85:48] things here. This thing here is called [85:51] practice. This is a school. Life is not [85:54] for living. Life is for practicing. It [85:58] is a place. It's a school we came to. [86:01] Maybe spiritually you can take it there [86:03] as well. But I'm talking even [86:05] neurologically. [86:06] That's who we are. That's what we are. [86:09] And viewing yourself in this way is very [86:12] very potent. And it will not take your [86:14] life away. You don't need more than 30 [86:17] minutes a day. It will enrich the [86:19] current life that you have. But you have [86:22] to educate yourself and you have to go [86:24] deeper into these concepts in order to [86:26] apply it correctly. That's my belief in [86:28] in regards to this and I've seen it. [86:31] >> Beautifully put. I could not agree more. [86:34] uh we are in a curriculum of life and [86:36] our nervous system and all the rest of [86:38] us is being shaped by that and we have [86:40] agency about what we bring in. Thank [86:43] you. I see it on you. It's clear to me. [86:46] It's very clear who's practicing and [86:49] who's not. On some level when you meet [86:52] people, if you're practicing yourself, [86:54] if you're in this practice, if you're [86:56] under this load, in this conscious [87:00] interaction, choice, with suffering, [87:02] with friction, with difficulties, but [87:04] also with awe, with curiosity, with all [87:07] those things in a directed way, not in a [87:10] way that holds on to who I am. Doesn't [87:13] matter who I am currently. I'm not [87:16] interested in that. I am not my friend [87:20] in that sense. There is a place in me [87:22] that I recognize this is not my friend. [87:26] But it doesn't turn into a beatdown. It [87:28] doesn't turn into this. It's very [87:30] important that the the multistability is [87:33] held and then I can I can become I [87:39] practice myself into the next day. I [87:42] practice myself into the next moment. [87:44] And this is the crucial moment. So when [87:47] I'm doing podcasts or whatever, I use [87:50] it. I manipulate the situation for my [87:53] practice and for the practice of others [87:55] because I believe it's so important. Our [87:58] life depends on it. I could not agree [88:02] more. I [88:04] you know I brought back to this notion [88:06] of uh language, movement and awareness. [88:09] Um and maybe just for sake of of [88:11] understanding and this will be an [88:13] incomplete analogy but if people could [88:14] imagine that um there's levels of [88:17] coarseness with within each of those [88:19] let's call it you know neuroscientists [88:22] would call it like big spatial scale [88:23] like I can flap my elbows or I can move [88:26] my fingers more subtly like so subtle [88:28] motion versus big motion right um in [88:32] language I can I can [clears throat] [88:34] grunt I can me you know I can woo you [88:38] you know, or I can articulate using more [88:42] sophisticated language if if I have [88:45] knowledge and access to those and you [88:47] build that up through experience. Yeah, [88:49] you can go look things up and do that. [88:51] In the realm of awareness, [88:54] it's similar, right? You can grab big [88:57] pieces of the room all at once. You [89:00] there, the table, the cameras, producer [89:02] off to my left, all of it. Or I can home [89:05] in on a small space, right? But there's [89:07] also, and I'm obsessed with this, [89:08] there's also the time domain. How we [89:11] choose to segment our experience is [89:15] something that I find so incredible. Can [89:18] lie back, look at the clouds, and just [89:20] watch this big cloud move through my [89:22] visual field over the course of minutes, [89:25] an hour, or I can watch for every little [89:29] subtle ripple of a leaf if I choose. And [89:33] uh Dhacker Kelner who studies awe, he's [89:35] at UC Berkeley, said everyday awe [89:38] experiences are very accessible if we [89:41] allow ourselves to move from fine scale [89:43] to large scale or large scale to fine [89:46] scale and back again. It's in the [89:48] transition between the two in space. [89:51] >> Yeah, he said he nailed it. Space and in [89:54] time. I was like, you know, a lot of [89:56] things happen on this podcast and useful [89:59] tools come up and interesting [90:00] conversations come up, but in talking [90:02] with Derer and now talking to you, it's [90:04] like th this is the experience of life [90:08] that we're getting shaped on and we have [90:10] control. [90:12] And so as a last point, my audience is [90:14] thinking let your guest speak. I but I [90:16] just want to throw this out because when [90:18] I think about going online, which is [90:20] where people spend a significant amount [90:22] of their conscious awareness now, their [90:24] time, I ask myself, is this a [90:28] lowresolution or a highresolution [90:31] event? [90:32] >> And someone once asked me recently, uh, [90:35] do you have Tik Tok? And I said, I don't [90:37] like Tik Tok. He said, why not? And I [90:39] said, I don't like Tik Tok because I [90:40] don't like that sound at the end. [90:44] Why? It's low resolution. [90:47] It feels like a highly pixelated [90:50] auditory sound. Whereas like a not [90:53] trying to be poetic here, but like we [90:55] have these redwing blackbirds in [90:57] California and in the evening when they [90:58] get ready to settle down, they make this [91:01] incredible sound. It's very brief, but [91:03] it's rich and it's so beautiful. anyone [91:06] who ever has the chance to hear it is is [91:08] spectacular. Then I realize all the [91:10] information on Tik Tok is low [91:12] resolution. [91:14] It's kind of for idiots and if you only [91:18] look at that, you'll become an idiot. [91:21] And I realized I'm probably consuming [91:23] some other sensory input that is [91:27] disproportionate [91:28] to what I should be and it's going to [91:31] make me an idiot. So it doesn't mean one [91:33] has to spend time in the deep philosophy [91:36] of of you know the most intricate [91:38] philosophers. I mean I listen to punk [91:40] rock music. I like it because it's raw. [91:42] I like it. I like three chord Raone [91:44] songs. But I also love classical music. [91:48] I think it's important to step through [91:50] from coarse to fine. And I feel like [91:53] what you've been talking about for years [91:54] in terms of movement is has something [91:58] perhaps to do with this. Forgive me for [92:00] going long, but no, I'm happy to see you [92:02] again. And this is kind of what we do. [92:04] >> Yeah, this is beautiful. I I I take a [92:07] lot from it and I like this the the the [92:10] transition importance. Something makes [92:13] me think that we talked about the [92:16] schemas, the these models, [92:18] but another way to look at it is [92:23] a a stomach [92:25] digestive [92:27] systems. Why? In the sense that they [92:30] require nutrients. [92:32] You got to feed them. [92:35] And then [92:37] the quality of those nutrients, the [92:40] gross, the fine, the micronutrients, the [92:43] macronutrients. [92:45] Like for example, emotionally, I don't [92:48] feel well. Let's say what do I tell [92:50] people? What are you feeding yourself? [92:52] What is your emotional food? [92:56] emotional foods that are important that [92:58] I bring into the practice of my students [93:00] of myself. One, discomfort. We've [93:03] mentioned it. It's important. It's clear [93:04] why [93:07] emotional contradiction. [93:09] Two, [93:11] I love you and I hate you. For example, [93:14] when you work with boxing, when when you [93:16] let people have this physical and you [93:18] can point at it, look up. Watch what [93:21] happened now. [93:23] I love you and I hate you and I feel it. [93:26] I can the multistability. [93:30] Another one is the aesthetic intensity [93:32] that we talked about bringing moments of [93:35] awe of curiosity but also of melancholy [93:39] or or many other intensities that are [93:42] important. [93:43] We've removed this from our lives, from [93:45] our movies, from our books, [93:49] definitely online, [93:51] you know, as you pointed, [93:54] we took it away. So, of course, we're [93:56] not feeding ourselves those things. [93:59] Restraint, [94:01] stimulating, and requiring restraint, [94:05] very important quality. [94:07] All those are practices for me. Those [94:11] are nutrients that I want to feed my [94:13] emotional state. The same thing I have [94:15] for my intellectual faculty, schema, [94:19] the conceptual, the abstraction. How do [94:22] I become smarter? What is thought? Is [94:25] thought just this knee-jerk reactions, [94:28] these levers, this associative quality? [94:31] Is this thought? I refuse to accept it. [94:34] >> That's not thought. So, you're you're [94:36] lucky. Uh you're not lucky. you uh you [94:38] are right to refuse it. Uh we could talk [94:41] about thoughts and what they are. I [94:42] actually have a segment in my book. I'm [94:44] not trying to advertise my book that's [94:45] all about how to think about thinking so [94:48] that you can literally control your [94:50] thinking. Use thinking as a tool, not [94:54] just have it be this like wherever you [94:56] go some dynamic attractor states. The [94:59] neuroscientists say you just kind of [95:00] fall like a clang association in a [95:02] psychotic person. Yeah. is just they're [95:04] they drop into a groove of of thought [95:07] that is disjointed, makes no sense to [95:10] the rest of us. Many people, including [95:12] myself, sometimes we live in those modes [95:14] of thought that are equally psychotic. [95:17] We just don't express it, but they're [95:19] psychotic because we're taking something [95:21] as valuable as like a a beautiful [95:24] vehicle and we're just kind of using it [95:26] to like [95:27] >> prop something up at the side of the [95:29] house. My colleague Carl Dyeroth, one of [95:32] the best neuroscientists alive, maybe [95:35] ever, um when he told me that every [95:38] night after he put his five kids to [95:41] sleep, [laughter] you know, he would go [95:43] and sit and force himself to think in [95:48] complete sentences as a practice. [95:51] >> I remember you told me before I was [95:53] humbled and I thought, [95:55] >> "Oh, that is the that is hard. That is a [96:00] smart person. [96:00] >> He's a very smart person. [96:01] >> That's an intelligent person. [96:02] >> He's a very intelligent person. [96:04] >> That sounds like it. It comes from that [96:07] place of knowing like, you know, I never [96:10] I I almost never truly think. It's rare. [96:15] >> He taught himself to think. [96:17] >> Yeah. [96:17] >> Yeah. [96:18] >> Without realizing it, without realizing [96:20] that you're just playing a different [96:22] game in that sense that it's it's hard [96:25] to develop it. And again what are the [96:27] practices that we engage with you know [96:29] we need those things nutrients so it's [96:32] stomachs the emotional faculty is a [96:35] stomach it's digestion and it asks you [96:38] feed me [96:39] >> and you got to take care of it there is [96:40] metabolism involved there is a [96:42] protection layer there is immunity to it [96:45] right there is the marov boundary around [96:48] it the membrane there is a model to it [96:51] simulates things out but so it's also a [96:54] very important way to Look at it. And of [96:56] course the body movement nutrients. What [97:00] is the quality of that? If you look at [97:02] those gym practices, those [97:04] weightlifting, they're of very very low [97:07] quality in terms of movement. Every [97:09] dancer will tell you that. Every athlete [97:12] of a high level will tell you that. [97:14] Where did we move to a ridiculous [97:16] situation where our athletes are [97:19] learning and are inspired by the fitness [97:23] people instead of the fitness people be [97:26] learning and be inspired by the the [97:29] athletes the the movement people. [97:30] >> Uh tell me more because I I certainly [97:33] like if I love to watch track and field [97:35] during the Olympics um and it's amazing [97:38] to see these athletes move and their [97:40] different shapes and their different [97:42] personalities like the sprinters. This [97:44] is I still marvel at these races boil [97:47] down to sometimes hundredths of a second [97:50] and they'll wear flashy jewelry [97:54] [laughter] [97:54] without question slows them down. This [97:57] is the least aerodynamic thing you could [97:58] possibly do. [97:59] >> There are more important things than [98:01] that [98:01] >> and they're willing to do give up the [98:03] potential time advantage to show their [98:07] bravado. Now the distance runners where [98:10] typically it doesn't get down to [98:12] hundredths of a second. It can typically [98:16] the margins between first, second, and [98:18] third place are wider. [98:22] They're not wearing any jewelry. There's [98:25] no And their personalities are much more [98:27] subdued. Fascinating. [98:30] >> You're telling me that the athletes are [98:32] paying attention to the fitness people? [98:34] >> Yeah, of course. [98:35] >> That seems crazy. Why? That's Do you [98:37] don't you see it? Boxers training like [98:39] fitness people. They're fitness [98:42] athletes. They're not boxers these days. [98:44] Why social media? Why? What is there [98:48] approachable calls the attention? [98:52] I don't know why you brought me in [98:54] today, [98:56] but it might be one of the less times if [98:58] not the last time as it becomes less and [99:01] less [99:04] what the attention calls for. [99:06] >> I don't know. I think I believe that the [99:10] the system that is human curiosity [99:14] which drives a lot of social media, not [99:17] all of it. I do think that when you have [99:20] a lot of low resolution stuff, the [99:23] signal to noise becomes people [99:28] our senses I almost said this earlier [99:30] but our sensory apparatus whether or not [99:32] it's our skin or our smell or our vision [99:33] or our hearing as you know has levels of [99:36] granularity. The receptive fields as we [99:38] call them go from very fine to uh to [99:42] very coarse. We love the feeling of a [99:43] hug with somebody we love. We also love [99:45] the feeling of a light caress, [99:48] you know, or just a hand on ours. These [99:50] things matter and they're part of our [99:52] experience. And even without being aware [99:54] of that desire for it, we have it's it's [99:56] it's a drive. I think I do think people [100:00] like to learn and they like to think. [100:02] Some people perhaps not. They're lazy. [100:04] But I believe that the sorts of things [100:06] that you talk about and do, the real [100:08] effort, like the movie that you showed [100:10] earlier of you, this incredible movie, [100:13] like the amount of care that went into [100:15] that right now relatively brief. It [100:18] might be longer going forward. The [100:20] amount of care is what makes that high [100:23] signal to noise. [100:25] >> Thank you for that calming and and and [100:29] positive words. They are important and [100:31] they they touch my heart as well. And I [100:33] know personally with you I feel this. [100:36] I'm talking about this exposure. This is [100:41] great exposure. [100:43] It's not not possible anymore to talk [100:46] about certain things and certain sizes. [100:50] And I know you are a person who is [100:53] challenged by that tremendously because [100:55] you went huge and at the same time your [100:58] original search [101:02] is not going to serve that. This is not [101:05] the motive. This is not the deep thing [101:07] that drives you. So [101:11] I'll always be available and and and [101:15] free to come for a wonderful [101:16] conversation with you. But I I I lament [101:20] sometimes the situation with the masses [101:24] and the public and where a lot of [101:26] attention that the big viral things are [101:28] going to in the sense that [101:32] it's it's sad. It's it's very very [101:36] pricey. It's very expensive. despite [101:39] your and my attempts to enrichen the the [101:42] conversations out there and um uh the [101:46] younger generation whose brains were [101:48] more plastic in this phase of of [101:51] lowresolution [101:53] overload. But I trust that there there's [101:57] the hunger's there and they'll they'll [101:59] rescue themselves. They're going to [102:01] realize it. They're they're starting to [102:02] realize it. Maybe this isn't the best [102:04] analogy, but pornography is is [102:07] quite available online. And I think [102:09] there's still a hunger for movies and [102:12] about real romance and relationships. [102:15] >> I think, you know, interesting romances [102:17] and relationships [102:18] >> of their [clears throat] own and and to [102:20] know that that still exists in the [102:22] world. I think there's a crudeness to [102:23] things, but I hear you. And there's a [102:26] new generation coming up who hopefully [102:27] are [102:29] >> listening in like, hey, and have their [102:31] own, you know, desire for for multiple [102:34] layers of granularity. [102:36] >> Good. Yeah, we we just need to invest in [102:39] that. I'm I'm I'm trying my best to to [102:42] invest in that. But I've moved away from [102:46] doing certain things and exposing [102:48] certain things cuz I believe there is no [102:52] no way there, no path there into the [102:54] real I want to help. I want to really [102:57] help [102:58] people myself. [103:01] But it takes a certain [103:04] process to get to that critical moment [103:06] of being able to actually help and [103:08] transform. It's not as easy as just [103:11] offering the help, putting it out there, [103:14] not as it was. It used to be, but the [103:16] game is different. We had a guest on, [103:19] he's a psychiatrist, uh Dr. K, Indian [103:21] guy. We were talking about um meditation [103:24] and he described a meditation that is [103:26] super interesting that I'm sure you've [103:28] done many times and but for me was [103:30] novel. He said try meditating for just 5 [103:33] minutes but instead of paying attention [103:36] to the inhale and the exhale pay [103:38] attention to the pause in between the [103:41] two [103:42] >> as a way to start to notice transition [103:44] points and it's a way of kind of dialing [103:46] in the spotlight of attention. Boom. [103:48] Boom. and you can kind of release in [103:50] between as opposed to just trying to [103:52] constantly focus on the breath. What are [103:54] your thoughts on on these kinds of like [103:56] noticing transitions [103:59] between setting down the phone, getting [104:00] up, getting on the phone, maybe even [104:03] between swipes if people have to do it [104:05] that way, but ideally this would be done [104:06] in terms of a movement practice as well, [104:09] an emotional practice. [104:10] >> Before I even talk about it, you know [104:12] what? What is the discovery of that [104:14] practice? [104:17] There is no point where the pendulum [104:20] changes direction. [104:23] >> No transitional moment [104:25] where the this reaches this zero point [104:28] and and [104:30] that's what you discover as you're [104:33] following this more and more and more [104:34] and more. It opens up. It opens up and [104:37] this pulls you in. And that's why it's [104:40] such a powerful practice. [104:42] [snorts] [104:44] And this is available in many places. [104:46] It's the multi-stability again. [104:50] For example, right now I really have to [104:52] pee. [104:55] And inside this sensation, [104:58] which funny enough I didn't know, but I [105:03] kind of loved to practice as a child. I [105:07] didn't realize that I'm the that it's [105:09] unique. [105:12] And I believe it's also related to my [105:14] willpower in a way. No, I don't need to [105:17] go to the toilet yet. I would hold and [105:20] [snorts] I would recognize inside of it [105:22] a certain pleasure. Maybe maybe a [105:25] pleasure of the release that will come. [105:28] It's [clears throat] similar to the [105:29] orgasm. It has something similar to this [105:32] burning. The first time you have an [105:34] orgasm, you're not sure it's painful. [105:36] It's it's pleasurable. You're still in [105:38] that multi-stability. [105:40] So in that sense the kumbaka is very [105:43] similar. So it's a type of practice not [105:46] the only type you can do it with a lot [105:47] of things goosebumps feeling cold inside [105:51] the sensation of coldness. There is a [105:53] heat [105:54] >> underneath that's why the body creates [105:57] this thing and I've I've seen it. I [105:59] remember a time I was doing a standing [106:02] meditation in [106:05] in yelling up in Australia standing [106:07] inside shallow water and the sun was [106:10] coming down became very cold and I [106:12] remember I was there for an hour [106:13] standing and just this realization the [106:16] beginning it's like oh it's cold [106:19] and then I start no I'm going to stay [106:22] and by staying and by investigating [106:25] closer and closer I discovered this heat [106:27] inside and when [106:29] grab a glimpse of it. Boop, the cold was [106:33] gone. [106:34] And now I locked, you know, the old [106:37] woman and the young woman, the [106:38] multi-stability, the visual thing. I [106:40] locked into the other side. [106:42] >> And I was able to see it [106:44] >> and then I was [clears throat] able to [106:46] bring back the cold and to see both. [106:51] This is a practice that I engage with [106:53] with rhythms, poly rhythms, [106:57] with movements, [106:59] with reading certain conceptual [107:01] materials that are requiring this with [107:03] meditation with and and it requires keen [107:06] observation and it's very very powerful [107:08] practice. [107:10] Even a push-up, I practice it doing [107:13] push-ups. [107:15] You can think of a push-up. You can you [107:17] can experience it as a push but you can [107:20] also experience it as a pull which is by [107:23] the way closer to reality. One thing is [107:26] for certain you're describing [107:28] beautifully [107:30] the [107:32] antagonistic nature of every neural [107:35] circuit that we are aware of. Flexor [107:37] extensor being the most obvious. Right? [107:39] When we flex our bicep or whatever [107:41] hamstring, the opposite muscle, the [107:44] extensor relaxes and vice versa. [107:47] But they're intricately related in their [107:49] in their function. Like it's not they're [107:51] totally independent, right? The ability [107:54] to see dark edges is contingent on your [107:57] ability to see light edges. [107:59] >> Super imposition. Everything is [108:01] superimposed. [108:02] >> Everything's pushpull. this uh [108:04] ventromedial hypothalamus right Dulin's [108:07] work with uh David Anderson showed if [108:10] you people for years had stimulated this [108:13] brain area and in cats and rats and [108:15] monkeys and bats and they would see that [108:18] sometimes they would get rage and [108:20] sometimes they would get mounting in [108:22] sexual behavior even of inanimate [108:24] objects. Dulin comes in, develops [108:27] genetic tools to separate out the salt [108:30] and pepper of these different neurons [108:32] and shows that these are two [108:34] antagonistic sets of neurons in the same [108:36] structure that drive either mating or [108:39] attack. And then she gets the [108:41] opportunity to put them into competition [108:43] with one another. And what she discovers [108:45] and other people discover by monitoring [108:47] the activity of these neurons is when [108:49] you drive the mating activity, the the [108:52] potential for firing in these other [108:54] neurons is suppressed but then it comes [108:56] back higher. The firing of these neurons [108:59] that drive aggression suppressed then [109:02] the main after some period of time [109:05] mating it subsides then the aggression [109:06] comes back and we don't like these are [109:09] uncomfortable notions for people to [109:10] think about. That's just one example, [109:12] but also eating versus the desire to [109:15] naughty. Everything's a push pull in the [109:17] circuitry of the brain, even in [109:18] cognition. So, I I totally uh love, very [109:24] crude way to put it, but I totally love [109:27] the idea that [109:30] exploring what feels like an extreme [109:33] sensory experience is actually an [109:36] exploration of of the opposite side of [109:38] the seessaw. It's awesome that you could [109:40] touch into that [109:41] >> and you can directly connect to it by [109:44] taking a multistable entity and [109:47] observing it. [109:49] Any entity is multistable entity but [109:52] there are ones that are clearly that [109:54] like listening to a poly rhythm to two [109:56] rhythms at the same time and spending [109:59] time watching it from one perspective [110:02] and then from another perspective and [110:04] switching back and forth that switching [110:06] again. It's extremely powerful. This is [110:08] stuff I use with fighters because if you [110:12] can't hear the various rhythms, [110:15] you're not the DJ and the DJ controls [110:17] the party, you're going to get knocked [110:20] out. But if you can view all these [110:24] complex rhythms that are there present [110:27] in the footwork and in the breath and in [110:29] the body and in the blinking of the [110:31] eyes. And if you're sensitive to it, you [110:34] can [clears throat] be a lot more [110:37] aligned with that and manipulate it for [110:40] your needs. [110:41] So this is extremely powerful practice. [110:44] Certain texts, they don't allow you to [110:46] grab a hold. [110:47] >> Mhm. [110:48] >> My favorite is Horge Luis Bores, [110:51] >> the Argentine. [110:52] >> Yes. [110:52] >> My father would be very happy that you [110:54] said that. Yeah. the absolute master, [110:56] the man who was [110:59] the big priest of the cult of books, the [111:02] ultimate, the blind librarian. What can [111:05] be more than that? The man who read [111:07] everything when it was still possible to [111:09] read everything, who knew everything. [111:13] And what did he leave us? These [111:15] incredible practices, short stories, but [111:19] they are challenging. And they changed [111:22] my body when I read them. They changed [111:25] me again and again and again. And they [111:27] transform you. And they're multi-stable. [111:31] And they're examining things in a way [111:33] that makes you transform. [111:36] I used to fill my hot tub with extremely [111:40] hot water, [111:43] unbearable, and read the short story [111:46] while being in there. In the worst times [111:49] of my life, I use this and and the the [111:53] physical discomfort and it's short [111:56] stories. You can do it. It's a certain [111:58] length of time. Somehow together I I [112:01] like to relax into that combination and [112:03] it was awe. It was I always came out [112:06] different from that experiences. [112:09] I also used it just normally. I use it [112:13] with students in events and there are [112:15] other authors but it's just an example [112:18] to feel real remorse in order to change [112:22] change my ways to to to truly not to [112:26] beat myself up not to make this yeah [112:29] this this Jewish thing that the Catholic [112:31] perfected [112:33] hatch [112:34] >> or flagagulate yourself yeah [112:36] >> not this but true remorse it's like [112:40] that was bad [112:43] bad on me that shouldn't have done that. [112:46] That's that's not who I want to be and [112:49] and from that place [112:52] hitting this rock bottom and immediately [112:54] climbing up from that. So it doesn't [112:57] stay within that to so we we don't I [113:00] don't think people tell me thank you in [113:02] the end of teachings events but how [113:06] often do I feel real gratitude [113:08] we don't interact we don't feel they [113:10] don't sense it no one can blame them but [113:13] they've desensitized themselves from [113:16] this whole granularity of emotions and [113:20] so we need to bring it back we need to [113:22] bring it back we need to go to train it [113:25] back like losing your sense of smell [113:28] because of COVID or something. [113:32] People ask me what shall I do? I said [113:33] train it back. And that's you know I I I [113:38] don't I don't know the neurology of it [113:39] but it's clear to me. It's like what's [113:41] the answer to any question? Practice. So [113:43] I just send them to practice and it [113:45] works. gradual, progressive, [113:50] pleasantly visual, pleasing enough, etc. [113:56] I'd like to take a quick break and [113:57] acknowledge our sponsor, Function. [114:00] Function provides over 160 advanced lab [114:03] tests to give you a clear snapshot of [114:05] your bodily health. This snapshot gives [114:07] you insights into your heart health, [114:08] your hormone health, autoimmune [114:10] function, nutrient levels, and much [114:12] more. They've also recently added access [114:14] to advanced MRI and CT scans. Function [114:17] not only provides testing of over 160 [114:20] biomarkers key to your physical and [114:21] mental health. It also analyzes these [114:24] results and provides recommendations for [114:26] improving your health from top doctors. [114:28] For example, in a recent test with [114:30] function, I learned that some of my [114:31] blood lipids were slightly out of range. [114:34] As a result, I decided to start [114:35] supplementing with nattokinise, which [114:37] can naturally help reduce LDL [114:39] cholesterol. And it did. In a follow-up [114:41] test, I could confirm that this strategy [114:43] worked. My blood lipids are now back [114:45] exactly where I want them. Comprehensive [114:47] lab testing of the sort that function [114:49] offers is just so important for health. [114:51] I mean, how else are you going to know [114:52] what's going on under the hood? And [114:54] while I've been doing blood work for [114:55] years, it used to be timeconuming, [114:57] complicated, and expensive. In fact, I [114:59] used to spend thousands of dollars per [115:01] year trying to get this kind of data. [115:03] And the data, frankly, were not all that [115:05] good. But now with Function, it's [115:07] extremely easy and affordable. A [115:09] function membership is only a dollar a [115:11] day, $365 a year. And if you think about [115:14] the information it provides and the [115:15] health challenges it helps you avoid and [115:17] the proactive things that it can do for [115:19] you to enhance your health, I truly look [115:21] at it as a savings. To learn more, visit [115:24] functionhealth.com/huberman [115:26] and use the code hubberman for a $50 [115:28] credit towards your membership. Again, [115:30] that's functionhealth.com/huberman. [115:34] the ability to um really acknowledge [115:38] real remorse, guilt, regret. Uh that's [115:44] hard. I totally agree. Um there's [115:47] enormous power in it. Um and yet one [115:51] can't do it in order to extract the [115:53] power like that get keeps you away from [115:55] the feeling. I had to spend, as we were [115:57] talking about earlier, some time in my [116:00] life just thinking about the times I [116:05] genuinely failed, [116:07] that I was a coward, that I made the [116:11] wrong choice. I don't feel a lot of [116:14] power from saying it. It just is what it [116:16] is. [116:18] And that's like where the uh the benefit [116:21] is just like sitting in there and then [116:23] somehow one is able to move on from it. [116:26] >> I'm with you. I don't know many people [116:30] who talk about it. I'm the same. I'm [116:32] saying to people I'm a coward. I'm a I'm [116:34] a coward. That's who I am. Like that's [116:37] who I was many times in my life. I I've [116:40] made the wrong choices. Again, I'm not [116:43] beating myself up over it. I I've made [116:46] my peace with it [116:48] >> but I've had to glimpse it to change [116:51] something and maybe it won't be enough [116:54] maybe I'll need this process again but [116:57] so remorse is crucial have to be part of [117:00] the practice practice of remorse remorse [117:03] of conscious [117:05] that is also not available not there we [117:09] can cultivate the process of it we can [117:11] devote time to it we can um we can [117:15] design practices for it. Grieving is [117:18] also another one right it's so [117:22] difficult. One time somebody told me a [117:25] meditation teacher he told me I griefed [117:28] my father's death for 20 minutes [117:32] and that's it. I was done. But those 20 [117:37] minutes people push away for a lifetime. [117:41] and and even if the you know not it's [117:43] not exactly the truth I like to use that [117:46] that story still [117:48] so to interact with it and to be capable [117:51] and to invite these things into our life [117:54] also takes [117:56] practice lately I've been I wouldn't say [117:59] forcing myself I would say nudging [118:01] myself into [118:03] um allowing some grief over the passage [118:07] of time not regrets about certain [118:10] decisions That's a separate line of [118:12] exploration. But just acknowledging I [118:15] think with all this stuff about health [118:17] and longevity and I certainly feel [118:19] vigorous. I feel great. But time has [118:22] passed. And that doesn't mean thinking [118:25] about the past. Just really [118:27] acknowledging that I I and the reason I [118:29] got to it is I felt like I was [118:31] suppressing something like there was [118:34] some lie in my head about my [118:37] representation of time. [118:40] And when I spend some tough moments [118:44] really like it does, as great as I feel [118:47] at 50, I truly feel better than I did in [118:49] my 30s if I think in terms of vigor and [118:51] understanding of life and all that. But [118:54] the fact that there's no doover [118:57] and that I actually don't want to live [118:59] in the delusion that I have forever. I [119:02] think that's a huge mistake. That was a [119:04] heavy moment and I'm probably still [119:06] grieving it. I can kind of sense it a [119:08] little bit. It comes up as a kind of odd [119:10] constellation of feelings. But by [119:12] acknowledging that I was a coward in [119:14] certain perhaps many circumstances, it's [119:17] actually allowed me to be much braver in [119:19] leaning into the stuff that sucks. [119:22] It's such a weird thing and it almost [119:24] sounds like we're, you know, like you're [119:27] constructing this. It's a real thing. [119:30] And I think the real key if anyone wants [119:31] to try it is to not go do the [119:35] acknowledge where you were wrong so that [119:37] you can not feel it anymore. You have to [119:39] go into it with the almost acceptance [119:42] that you might stay there forever, but [119:43] of course you won't, right? It's like [119:45] this it's like this bullshitting of self [119:48] that is useful. You know, earlier you [119:52] were talking about sensory [119:54] desensitization. [119:56] And it's so funny you said that because [119:58] we took a brief break uh to relieve our [120:01] bladders. Um and I was walking back and [120:05] I thought I got to tell the Charlie [120:07] Gilbert story. The Charlie Gilbert story [120:10] is the following. Charlie Gilbert was is [120:13] a very renowned neuroscientist. [120:16] Uh he was at the Rockefeller University [120:18] in New York. And I'll never forget as a [120:21] graduate student, he came and you do [120:23] these lunches with the visiting speaker [120:26] and they bring lunch out and the lunch [120:28] isn't great, but it wasn't terrible and [120:30] it was fairly nutritious. And typically [120:33] the speaker eats, but they mostly talk. [120:35] And I'll never forget, [120:37] he said, "No, I'm not eating lunch. I'm [120:40] going to my favorite restaurant tonight [120:42] in Napa." I said, "Is it going to be a [120:45] big meal?" He said, "No, not at all, but [120:47] I want my senses to be tuned to the [120:51] subtlety of every bit of it." And I [120:53] said, "Is the food rich?" I'd never [120:56] really been at that point in my life to [120:57] a really nice restaurant, and I assumed [120:59] I still haven't been to the one he's [121:00] referring to, but I assumed that the [121:02] food would be really rich. And he said, [121:04] "No, that's the point. The food is just [121:06] delicious, but it's not overcome with [121:09] flavor, like the food you're eating [121:11] right now." And I looked and it was like [121:13] turkey sandwiches and some chips or [121:14] something, you know, graduate student [121:16] fair, some salads. And I asked him, I [121:20] was like, "What do you mean?" He said, [121:21] "When you're hungry, you are able to [121:23] pick up on all sorts of subtleties and [121:26] pleasures and aversions to what you [121:28] don't like. You're allowed to not like [121:30] food, even when you're paying a lot of [121:31] money for it. In fact, you're in those [121:34] circumstances, you're particularly [121:35] allowed to send things back. People [121:37] don't realize this." And he said, "I'll [121:40] never forget." He said, "This pertains [121:43] to most all experiences in life." And I [121:46] was like, "Whoa, [121:48] wow." Well, he's from New York City and [121:51] very sophisticated clearly, but what he [121:53] was describing is exactly what we're [121:56] talking about, what you're talking [121:57] about, that if we dull our senses, we [122:01] miss all of it. We miss the the [122:04] difference between crude and refined. [122:07] It's not just like this ability to get [122:09] into this like ultra refined state. [122:12] This was before intermittent fasting [122:14] became a thing. So, beautiful story, [122:16] >> man. He nailed it. I can't take any [122:18] credit for. He just nailed it. I just [122:20] have a good memory for things that like [122:22] stand out. So, now I want to talk about [122:27] relationships. [122:29] something I didn't anticipate we were [122:31] going to talk about. But before we came [122:32] in here today, we were sort of [122:34] reflecting on what our [122:37] happy lives currently are. And [122:40] you said something and I'm going to get [122:42] the language wrong, so forgive me, but [122:44] it's sort of like the exploration of [122:47] relationship also involves this [122:49] opportunity to explore all these [122:50] different dimensions and the transitions [122:53] between them. And it's a like a vast [122:56] probably infinite landscape between two [122:59] people. I think I'm starting to get my [123:01] head around that one. [123:03] >> Tell me more and how you think about it. [123:05] You don't have to reveal any details of [123:07] your personal life. I just it's such a [123:10] great framework. [123:12] Can an argument that you didn't want to [123:15] have become the point of enrichment? [123:18] Let's start by [123:20] we are robbing against things [123:24] to be not to rub against things. [123:29] Being is that is this rubbing mapping [123:32] yourself by rubbing against things. [123:35] Relationships are very powerful for [123:37] that. [123:40] Alone you're also rubbing against things [123:42] but just different things. It's also a [123:45] practice to be alone and both of them [123:47] are very important. But when you relate [123:52] you become [123:54] this is being it's a relationship thing. [123:57] Everything exists only as a form of a [124:00] relationship. [124:01] Now this is the big picture. Of course [124:04] now we can take it into the the human [124:06] relationships and some of these things [124:08] are not going to be so easy to digest. I [124:11] believe the make or break element is we [124:16] are together in this game. [124:19] Not one against the other. It's not a [124:22] pingpong [124:24] but it is a game an infinite game in [124:28] that sense that we want to sustain the [124:30] play. It's not a finite scenario where [124:32] we want to finish, we want to win, we [124:34] want to we want to continue [124:36] and we have to create this practice [124:39] shared practice. How to be in this game [124:43] of evolution, of transformation, of [124:45] insight [124:48] together. It's not a fixed point. I [124:51] cannot come from the place of I am XY Z. [124:56] I'm already a finished product in that [124:58] sense. If the other side is a finished [125:01] product in their mind, it can't work. [125:05] That's why it's the make or break. Not [125:08] sexual attraction, [125:11] not love in that sense of that chemical [125:13] concoction, [125:15] romantic love, but this element. And [125:19] it's true for every meaningful [125:22] relationship and I believe also for [125:24] romantic relationships. And then around [125:26] them you got to wrap the other sides. [125:29] The physical love which is the sexual [125:31] attraction the romantic emotional one [125:35] and a higher concept of love. Not one [125:38] that we speak through lawyers if you say [125:41] the wrong thing after you know 30 years [125:44] of marriage. What kind of love is that? [125:48] That trans that breaks like this that [125:50] switches that is this is no love. [125:53] But really this meta concept of love [125:58] meta as well. So relationships are a [126:02] form of a practice together [126:06] and they must be cultivated as such. [126:09] We're using each other but we're helping [126:12] each other as well. And we're together [126:14] in this game going through life's [126:17] experiences, [126:19] crisis, [126:21] helping each other, [126:23] bringing kids or not bringing kids. [126:27] This is a core piece and I don't often [126:31] hear it [126:33] pointed as a central element [126:37] that seems to be a good partner for [126:40] that. Usually it's a good partner for [126:42] something else which is all good [126:44] respect. Should respect it. But this is [126:46] the make or break for long-term [126:49] relationship. [126:50] I love the one who loves to practice. It [126:56] can rob people really the wrong way. But [126:58] now you understand why it is said in [127:01] this way. This is the love that that [127:03] choice that deep choice in you. Okay, [127:05] you're a partner. Now we can go. We are [127:09] here at this practice. We are not [127:11] against each other. We are supportive of [127:14] each other. And we play this game. I [127:17] need your attention. [127:19] I need your presence. [127:21] I can't have you check out. And there is [127:24] this infinite game that we play that [127:27] might finish at a certain moment, but it [127:29] just actually changes its face. It never [127:31] finishes. [127:32] >> I love it. And I feel obligated to raise [127:36] a an example of relational [127:41] dynamics that's outside of romance, [127:43] which is of all things uh The Grateful [127:46] Dead. Um a good friend who's an amazing [127:50] uh punk rock musician uh encouraged me [127:53] to listen to The Grateful Dead. I didn't [127:55] have an aversion to it, but um I didn't [127:59] have a tendency to want to play it. Now [128:02] I'm I really like it. I don't know if [128:03] I'm like into it, but I really like it. [128:05] So, I watched a few documentaries about [128:07] the Grateful Dead. I They come from my [128:09] hometown. They used to hang out at a [128:12] music store near where I grew up. They [128:13] were around until they weren't. Even [128:16] went to some shows. In this documentary [128:18] about the Grateful Dead, they talk about [128:20] the amazing chemistry that this band [128:22] had. Just the amazing chemistry and why [128:25] people literally followed them around [128:27] the world. [128:29] And then they talk about why it [128:31] suffered, why the chemistry fell apart [128:34] at a certain point and then maybe it was [128:36] restored. And it was one word. They [128:39] asked what happened. They said cocaine. [128:43] But then what they said next was cocaine [128:46] made people very focused on their own [128:49] goal directed behavior. And even though [128:52] everyone was playing together and they [128:54] all knew the songs and they were paying [128:56] attention, [128:58] someone or several people were kind of [129:01] vying for something that was more about [129:03] them as opposed to the chemistry and [129:06] dynamics [129:07] because cocaine is mainly a dopamine [129:10] related thing. just kind of speaks to [129:12] the fact that like if we lean too hard [129:14] into it's not just about like me [129:16] thinking but in terms of like [129:18] advancement like got to get to this [129:20] place the group doesn't necessarily move [129:24] forward and so we need leaders but it's [129:27] more like this dynamic subordination [129:29] where there's like a like a flock flock [129:31] of birds moving forward and then one [129:32] replaces and I feel like in any kind of [129:35] relationship whether or not it's two or [129:37] more in a work situation um or maybe [129:41] even romantic relationship between two [129:43] people that there's some some sense of [129:46] of this kind of subordinating the the [129:49] the eye [129:50] >> in the deep sense of it in the neurology [129:52] part of it we are sharing kind of a the [129:56] alostostasis the the body budget we are [129:59] sharing it right so it's like it's a way [130:01] for us to metab to be metabolically [130:04] bringing in more resources [130:06] >> so that's even the neurological reality [130:09] of it [130:10] >> that's Why also grief is so devastating [130:13] because it removes in a moment huge [130:16] amount of resources right all of a [130:18] sudden it's pulled out of you [130:21] as if it's not really the the the [130:25] hoftter talks about this this the loop [130:27] is still there it's it's part it's part [130:30] of your loop already it's integrated but [130:32] there is the resource part [130:36] and how am I going to face these [130:39] challenges without that person. It's [130:42] highly related to the grieving thing. [130:44] It's not removed from it. It's it's [130:47] maybe the core of it. Not often [130:49] mentioned again in relation to grief, [130:52] but it's it's a very [130:54] egotistical thing has [snorts] to [130:57] operate in such a way along the lines of [131:00] music. Um, for the longest time I've had [131:03] this question and I'm hoping you can [131:05] help me shed some light on the the [131:07] answer which is there are some forms of [131:11] music I think of like Bob Dylan certain [131:14] um songs that Joe Strummer from the [131:16] Clash sang there going to be other [131:18] examples that I'm not aware of but [131:19] everyone will know what I'm talking [131:21] about in a moment where the words if [131:23] read literally make no sense but somehow [131:27] they seem to reveal like a fundamental [131:30] truth that people can relate to. And [131:33] when I say fundamental, I mean people [131:34] seem to agree that there's something [131:36] important there. It sounds important. [131:39] And it's not just because it sounds [131:40] beautiful or melodic. Like there's [131:42] something important there. And that [131:44] maybe, just maybe, these songs are [131:46] tapping into some [131:49] language of the nervous system or of [131:52] whatever human experience that that we [131:53] don't have a word for, we don't have a [131:55] concept to pin to. And my question is, [131:59] is there an analogous phenomenon in [132:02] movement? [132:03] >> Most definitely. There is an aesthetic [132:06] value to it beyond the the symbolic [132:10] significance. [132:12] That's why we are hitting constantly [132:15] this this glass ceiling. We cannot break [132:18] through because we're approaching [132:20] everything from the intellect from this [132:23] this this place and and it does not [132:25] carry certain pieces with it. I can't do [132:29] it in this way. This is not [132:30] understanding. I cannot reach [132:32] understanding in this way. I only reach [132:34] knowing [132:36] understanding is much bigger. It's much [132:39] more visceral. It's much more bodily and [132:42] emotional and musical and rhythmical. [132:45] And there is an aesthetic value to the [132:47] word [132:49] when I say slippery. And in a song even [132:52] more there is rhythmicality. There is [132:54] moments there is silences that are [132:56] placed correctly. And that's why good [132:59] music. Tom Waits is Tom Waits. He brings [133:04] that thing always present in all these [133:07] different ways. It's so diverse and it's [133:09] so powerful. It affected so many genres [133:12] and people and it's the mastery of that [133:16] instead of the AI strip down give me the [133:21] recipe I make it and the cake doesn't [133:24] taste good and I follow the recipe to a [133:27] tea there is missing components and some [133:30] of them we know about and we can talk [133:32] about but most of them we will never [133:35] find [133:37] so the magic that's why the magic is in [133:40] The doing, the magic is in the [133:42] practicing. [133:43] And that's why sitting here is very [133:45] different than doing this on screen. [133:48] >> And [clears throat] we share something. [133:49] Our bodies are communicating in all [133:51] these ways that you know about. And all [133:54] our senses are engaged and we're sharing [133:57] this space and we're tuning forks are [134:00] aligning in all these rhythms. And so [134:03] it's different. We can't [134:06] keep coming back to this illusion that [134:12] we can put it together if we take all [134:14] the ingredients that we know of because [134:17] there are more ingredients that we don't [134:19] know of and the good news we can [134:22] interact with it directly by engaging [134:24] with the practice with the motion with [134:27] the body. So body movement, [134:30] human movement carries huge amount of [134:34] that. It's not the same [134:37] for me to do a movement like this. And [134:40] now I do it with a different focus point [134:43] of awareness of attention. I totally [134:45] transformed the neurology of it and the [134:47] effects of it on myself and on the [134:51] environment as well. To watch a dance [134:53] performance live is extremely different [134:55] than to it actually doesn't make any [134:57] sense to watch a music video in that [135:01] sense of movement because it's there is [135:04] a critical mess in relation to human [135:06] movement which is not reached there [135:08] other things okay you can do something [135:12] music is arguable right like to listen [135:16] to Tom weights live is maybe that's a [135:19] totally different thing I never did I [135:21] never had the chance but I I would love [135:23] to maybe that will transform [135:26] my experience of it totally we have to [135:30] give attention to these and a place for [135:33] these x quantities like sister Korita [135:37] Kenchi mentioned this always leave a [135:39] room for x quantities the unknown [135:41] quantities because you can not leave [135:45] room for them it's not like they're [135:48] always there no in some ways in some [135:50] stratas of how we approach things. We [135:54] don't leave room for it. [135:57] It's important. [135:58] >> I'm struck by the um the artists, the [136:02] practitioners, whether it's movement, [136:04] dance, or visual art, or music that tap [136:08] into this to something that [136:11] language alone can't tap into, that um [136:15] film alone can't tap into. And the the [136:17] example that I often go to because I [136:20] think well because I like the work so [136:22] much is like a Rothco you know which [136:25] most people would say is just you know [136:27] couple blobs of color couple squares or [136:29] rectangles but um the vision scientist [136:32] in me and I'm not the one that that [136:34] unpacked this but a guy named Beville [136:36] Conway who's uh at NIH explained this [136:39] best that what Rothkco was able to do [136:43] was because he eliminated the frame [136:47] And there's no white that he combined [136:52] colors in ways that when you look at it, [136:55] any Rothkco, you're seeing colors that [136:57] you've never seen before because of the [136:59] way color space interacts. But here's [137:02] the interesting thing. It's not clear to [137:03] me that Rothkco understood that as he [137:05] was doing it. So, it does seem like some [137:08] people are they're able to kind of [137:11] scratch and dig and create around [137:13] something that they feel I don't know [137:15] what they're feeling, but they get to [137:16] some fundamental truth that becomes the [137:19] signature of what they're doing. Maybe [137:21] Andy Warhol did it with his kind of like [137:23] play on marketing and branding and and [137:26] it's in the end it becomes very simple [137:28] like what pops out is very simple but it [137:31] feels like a like a macronutrient [137:35] >> of experience and you go I can't get [137:37] that anywhere else. I can't just look at [137:40] a Campbell soup can. But seeing them [137:42] like arranged that way, I can appreciate [137:43] something completely different about [137:45] marketing more generally or brand or [137:47] visual art or color in the case of [137:49] Rothkco. I'm going to draw you into [137:52] something that you really know a lot [137:54] about. Actually, it's related to art. [137:58] What are these great artists? [138:01] Well, the practitioners, and I'm a [138:03] broken record with it, they realize [138:05] things much earlier because they're in [138:08] the experience. What did they realize? [138:11] The eyes don't operate like a camera. [138:15] That's the wrong model. When I look at [138:17] your face, all the pixels are not equal. [138:22] And I move my eyes in a certain way that [138:26] constructs you. So what do these great [138:28] artists did? [138:31] They did deformed [138:33] wrong paintings, [138:36] but they move in front of your eyes. [138:40] The perspective is wrong. The the hand [138:44] is placed incorrectly, but it respects [138:46] the way that our brain looks at it. And [138:50] this only came much later in terms of [138:53] understanding why. Because we have all [138:55] these distortions from great artists. If [138:57] they wanted to do it right, they would [138:59] have done it right, hyper realistic, [139:01] etc. [139:03] This is a crucial thing. Our models, the [139:07] neuromuscular model is another one. The [139:10] skeletal neuromuscular model, the fascia [139:14] skeletal neuromuscular model. And you [139:16] can expand it more and more. And they're [139:19] all the time replaced. And it's [139:20] important that we replace them. But [139:23] there is something even more important. [139:26] the realization that all models are [139:28] wrong but some are useful. that that [139:32] quote I use it a lot in the sense that I [139:36] need to switch up my models to useful [139:40] models at this current moment [139:43] and understand that this model will also [139:45] be wrong in essence but it doesn't mean [139:47] that I have a choice I have to use [139:50] models there is no choice about it so [139:53] when we are creating this art and we are [139:56] respecting this it's a representation of [139:59] these deeper models [140:01] For me as an example in the physical [140:04] body there is something about [140:07] fluid mechanics and pressure changes and [140:10] liquidity of the body that is was a huge [140:14] leap in how I moved compared to the old [140:19] balls and levers thing and it started up [140:24] here in in this understand [140:28] that's not how things work. [140:31] From there my whole body changed [140:34] for the better. [140:36] >> When did that occur? [140:38] >> That shift [140:38] >> in the recent decade a bit more looking [140:42] for these models of like how is the body [140:45] constructed? What is the right way of [140:48] running? What is the don't tell me how [140:51] the body is constructed? I'm not [140:53] interested. These people are not [140:55] actually even moving eventually. And [140:57] again, you don't need to test it there. [140:59] You're not wet tested often. So, it's [141:01] not representative of a high level of [141:03] movement. Somebody who engages with it [141:07] will tell you. [141:10] So, I slowly realized [141:13] the fault is not in the way that we are [141:17] structured or in the practice, the way [141:20] that we are practicing. It is in the [141:22] model. It is in the way that we think of [141:25] movement to begin with [141:28] that makes everything [141:30] your back pain can go away from from a [141:34] change of the model. It's the most [141:35] powerful thing that I can give [141:38] physically to someone. So to work with [141:41] models, [141:43] to refine them, to change them, to [141:46] switch them around is important for the [141:48] artist, for the health, longevity, for [141:52] cognition, for problem solving, for [141:56] everything. It it keeps coming back to [141:59] this most important thing. So rather [142:02] than think about fascia or muscle or [142:07] connective tissue, [142:09] sounds to me like you're thinking about [142:12] certainly how all the pieces fit [142:13] together. And I've I've heard you say [142:15] this before. It's it's more about the [142:17] organization of all these pieces, [142:20] >> the relationships, [142:21] >> the relationships, [142:23] >> how they relate. This realization that [142:26] especially in the body schema, it's [142:29] immediately changeable. [142:32] In the emotional schema, in the abstract [142:35] one, it's a lot slower of a process. But [142:37] if I hold this cup, I immediately [142:39] change. It's so quick to change the [142:41] body. This is something that Moshe Feld [142:44] and Christ realized a long time ago. [142:46] People still don't appreciate, don't [142:48] understand the power of that work. We've [142:50] desensitized ourselves. [142:52] >> What do you think is the crux of that [142:54] work that hopefully this conversation [142:56] can get people reading and looking at [142:58] that more deeply? Uh I confess I haven't [143:00] spent a lot of time with it. Very [143:02] little. In fact, [143:02] >> awareness through movement in that sense [143:06] the same thing that I'm practicing. I [143:08] I've learned a lot from him. Not [143:11] personally, of course. He died when I [143:14] was four years old. But in in the sense [143:16] of don't tell me how I'm built, [143:20] let me build myself. Let me model [143:23] myself. I can refreshen how my shoulder [143:28] is with the right approach and it's [143:31] extremely powerful when you can interact [143:33] with it. The problem is again many times [143:36] people don't want to interact with it. [143:39] You bring them to the water but they [143:41] don't want to drink. That's why I keep [143:44] coming back to this crucial component. [143:48] First realize that you don't want first [143:51] that realization is already precious and [143:53] then from there you know the the old [143:58] Pinocchio illusion [144:01] stimulation of the bicep tendon when [144:03] touching your nose. You don't know this [144:05] one. [144:06] >> There are a few versions of it. It's a a [144:09] pretty common one. You touch your nose [144:11] and somebody stimulates with a vibration [144:14] gun the tendon and your nose become [144:17] longer. You feel as if your nose become [144:20] longer. Or there is this version. [144:22] You know this one. Put your finger [144:25] against mine [144:28] and do this. [144:32] >> Oh yeah. It's very bizarre. It's hard to [144:35] know what what where my finger stops and [144:37] yours begins. And another version of the [144:39] Pinocchio illusion is we sit in front of [144:41] each other. I rub my nose and I rub your [144:45] nose at the same time or I tap my nose [144:48] and I and I tap your nose and again this [144:50] distortions. What does it show you? The [144:53] change that you're after is immediately [144:56] available. [144:57] >> Mhm. [144:58] >> We can It's so potent. It's it's now [145:01] you're in depression. You're in a bad [145:03] state. I can flip you now. chemically [145:06] you know that you can do that [145:09] but we can do this not chemically and we [145:11] can do this in a longlasting way and we [145:13] can transform how we experience but it [145:16] takes a certain quality of the how we [145:20] practice that has to be built through [145:22] education through connection [145:25] and then applied correctly. [145:27] This is the most powerful thing I know [145:31] this interaction with the models and the [145:33] transformation of the models more than [145:35] any structural approach more than [145:37] anything else. We have to invest in it. [145:40] We have to work on our models like for [145:43] example your bodily model, your [145:44] emotional model, the schema and your [145:48] abstraction model, social model etc. We [145:52] have a point a a point of leverage as [145:55] our committee asked for and we can lift [145:57] the world. We can change our reality. [146:00] This is the promise of being a [146:03] practitioner being in [clears throat] [146:04] practice and learning that everything is [146:07] possible that everything is malleable, [146:09] everything is adaptable. [146:11] I love that you mentioned that the [146:14] movement and sensory maps are very [146:17] dynamic because the plasticity is so [146:20] fast in part because it's revealing what [146:22] are ordinarily cloaked connections. You [146:26] know, it's it's not the growth of a new [146:27] connection yet. The connections are [146:29] there, we just don't know how to access [146:30] them. So certain forms of movement and [146:33] sensation like you said like the hot [146:35] bath and and reading a short story or [146:38] poem it sitting at that transition point [146:42] and and having to deal with those two [146:44] what previously were incompatible [146:46] experiences [146:48] unmasks a a a capacity that somebody has [146:52] right then. [146:53] >> Beautiful. And there's no question that [146:55] doing it repeatedly will lead to [146:57] strengthening of that unmasking like [146:59] make it more robust. Let me tell you [147:01] something about that that I want to [147:03] share to help people. In my past ways, I [147:07] would have looked at it and said, "Ah, [147:09] it's not potent. It's a cool moment, but [147:12] it's not potent. It's not going." Now, I [147:15] learned there is another category, [147:18] another way of looking at it. I don't [147:20] need high [147:24] volume, high intensity only to [147:27] transform. There is another important [147:30] more important maybe freshness. [147:33] >> A moment of freshness can transform you [147:36] irrevocably. [147:38] And that is something that I was blind [147:40] to cuz I was a hard worker. So I didn't [147:43] realize that I just need a fresh moment. [147:45] Just a moment where things look [147:46] different, feel different. I experience [147:49] my body differently. And I've had these [147:51] experiences in the past and I've lost [147:53] them. They've [147:55] leaked between my fingers. [147:58] And the reason is I didn't note them. I [148:01] didn't stop to give them the power by [148:05] noting it to myself, by paying attention [148:08] to it. What we pay attention to grows. [148:12] So we don't necessarily need a thousand [148:14] reps [148:16] as we think like in order for it to [148:18] lift. Maybe you have a pain in your [148:20] shoulder and you experience it as a form [148:23] of hardness that you cannot penetrate, [148:26] you cannot sense well into it. And maybe [148:28] through a certain practice of attention, [148:30] I bring a moment of freshness and then [148:32] the pain is back again. The past self, I [148:36] would say that was nice, but it's not [148:38] going to solve my problem. Now I know, [148:40] no, this can really solve my problem. [148:44] This is how people with incredible [148:47] challenges can work through things. This [148:50] can take you above and beyond any kind [148:52] of discipline, volume, intensity [148:55] approach can. And I started to respect [148:58] this and look for these moments of [149:00] freshness. [149:02] One reason that I'm so reassured by [149:04] everything you're saying and and [149:06] reassured by the idea that there's going [149:09] to be a return to a deep interest in uh [149:13] complexity and and really parsing things [149:16] as well as the realization that what [149:17] sounds really complex is actually it's [149:19] it's simple, but it's in the gaps [149:21] between everything else that's been [149:23] described. Right? People are like, I can [149:25] see why people like sets and reps [149:27] because there's no ambiguity [149:29] and the ambiguity is hard to embrace and [149:32] it almost starts to sound like be like [149:33] water, you know, well like okay that [149:36] sounds great but you know be like water [149:38] Bruce Lee like but that he did a lot of [149:40] sets and reps too I have to imagine. [149:43] Yeah, [149:43] >> I think that it's a basic human drive to [149:45] want to understand at least oneself. And [149:47] by [clears throat] [149:49] trying to do that, we immediately become [149:51] neuroscientists, psychologists, [149:53] philosophers. It kind of stems out from [149:55] there. There's no way to understand [149:56] one's own life and self and people [149:58] around you without having some interest [149:59] in in these things. And [150:02] the idea that what seems like subtle [150:07] is actually so potent is such an [150:10] important idea. I'm so glad you raised [150:12] it. I I haven't ever had that thought [150:14] specifically, but now that you say it, [150:16] I'm like this. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. I [150:18] start thinking about it. So, I'm [150:19] learning from you right now. And And I [150:22] think I'm not alone in that. I know I'm [150:24] not alone in that because we think of [150:27] peak experiences as like the thing, but [150:30] by definition, those peak experiences [150:32] can't come very often. And I think a lot [150:34] of the uh depression, the the sense of a [150:37] lack of meaning comes from like just [150:40] waiting for like the next big thing that [150:44] if you have enough of those, you [150:45] eventually realize that they have some [150:47] potency, but they're not like life, you [150:50] know? [150:51] >> So, as a daily practice with movement, I [150:53] mean, you talked over the years and we [150:54] talked last time and you know, like [150:56] there's this great video of you online. [150:57] And I love the one where you put on a [150:58] backpack and you move through a crowded [151:00] city trying not to uh make contact with [151:02] anybody as a way to just move your body [151:04] differently. And some people might look [151:06] at that and say, "Okay, well, okay, he [151:08] could do that. I'm not going to do [151:08] that." But the commute example I gave [151:11] earlier, it's just a different version [151:14] of it. I think that if people could [151:17] start to see their body as this vehicle [151:19] that they have so much agency over, [151:23] I think people would still exercise. [151:26] They want those health benefits. But if [151:28] they were to start incorporating small [151:30] amounts of movement practice, even just [151:33] with their hands or their toes or [151:35] whatever, you know, [151:36] >> and if you can do it while exercising, [151:39] >> it's it's it's about a transformation of [151:42] the whole perspective. I I also [151:44] exercise. [151:46] It's about [151:48] changing the paradigm. Everything is an [151:50] opportunity. And again, like I told you, [151:53] like you can do push-ups or bench [151:54] presses. And by putting attention into [151:57] the fact that you're pulling the bar [152:00] close, not just pushing it away. While [152:03] you're pushing it away, you can you [152:05] transform something. And I know it [152:07] sounds as if ah what's that going to do [152:10] because the corrupted self jumps again [152:12] and wants this immediate result this or [152:15] that. But anyways, you're doing those [152:17] bench presses. [152:19] So you don't need to change that. You [152:21] don't need to start to do some weird toe [152:23] and finger exercises. [152:25] >> It's about educating oursel how to [152:27] approach almost every scenario just like [152:29] you did with the traffic jam. [152:32] Playfulness is one thing that we [152:33] mentioned. Observation and presence are [152:37] key. What starts to clear its space is [152:42] this quality of scatteredness. [152:47] multiple things that are switching, you [152:51] know, all this starts to become and [152:54] again remorse hyper expensive. [152:57] >> They are much more evil than what we [153:00] think is evil. [153:03] We put evil still in this category far [153:07] away. Evil is the indifference to those [153:10] things, those little moments that they [153:14] steal our lives. [153:16] And it's very hard to get rid of it. [153:18] It's very hard to to let go of it. But [153:20] there is a promise in every moment. I [153:23] start now in the way that I'm talking to [153:26] you, in the way that I'm listening in [153:29] and I remind myself. And this brings me [153:32] to that quality [153:34] remembering what is important, [153:37] cultivating that. [153:40] How much did you invest in certain [153:42] concepts? tremendously and that's why [153:45] they're present in your life. If you [153:48] don't invest in these concepts, don't [153:50] expect things to change. Start there. [153:53] Wake up, think about it, watch this [153:56] episode or others or go down the and do [153:59] it attentively. [154:01] Make notes for yourself. Keep coming [154:03] back to it again and again. Start this [154:06] will start a process. Without this, [154:09] there is no promise. Without this, yeah, [154:11] it's true. The corrupted self is right. [154:13] It's not going to work. It's too far [154:16] away. I don't know what to do. I'm [154:18] freezing altogether. And I can give you [154:20] some protocol and we've talked about it [154:22] before. [154:23] You can hang and you can do spinal waves [154:26] and you can spend some time in the squat [154:29] essentially stretching the body open [154:32] compressing the body fully. Those are [154:34] the hang and the squat and the spinal [154:36] waves which is the connecting bit. This [154:37] is great and great practices that I [154:39] share with people. And there is more [154:41] certain games, certain playfulness, but [154:44] those are the specifics. That's not [154:46] where the heart of things is. The [154:48] approach is what produce those things [154:50] and what will produce many others. And [154:53] we have to invest in that [154:56] remembering in making it important for [154:58] ourselves. [155:00] That's the the make or break for me. [155:03] Would you be willing to indulge us with [155:06] um some reflections on different [155:09] athletes and sports or maybe sports? We [155:12] don't have to get into specific athletes [155:14] unless you want. Um before we came in to [155:17] record, you were talking about air [155:19] sense. [155:20] I've never heard of air sense. Um we're [155:23] talking about [155:24] >> skaters word a different word for it [155:26] maybe. [155:27] >> Well, I don't even know that they're [155:29] aware that they do it, you know. Uh, we [155:32] were, it was just a brief conversation [155:33] to give people context. It was a brief [155:35] conversation about how some [155:36] skateboarders look particularly [155:38] impressive like this kid, he's a grown [155:41] man now, Antoine Dixon, who was it [155:44] amazing when he was a young kid, still [155:46] is. He did a bit of a comeback recently. [155:48] He's phenomenal skateboarder. But if you [155:52] watch him, he's doing things that other [155:54] people do, some things other people [155:56] don't do, but his arms never like really [156:00] fly up. his hands don't go up. So, he's [156:02] doing his knees sometimes are up near [156:04] his ears as he's doing things. He's [156:06] catching everything. A lot of people can [156:07] do that, but he has this amazing ability [156:09] to keep his hands and arms down [156:12] throughout [156:14] the the entire um trick. [156:16] >> But you're amazed by this because he [156:20] doesn't [156:21] recalibrates, rebalances. [156:23] >> He doesn't look like he has to use his [156:25] arms in order to pop really high. he [156:27] doesn't have to kind of explode out of [156:28] that squatted position. He somehow [156:30] managed to put it into his uh the rest [156:33] of his body and it looks awesome. We'll [156:36] put a clip to something. There's [156:37] actually a really terrific bio about his [156:39] personal comeback against addiction and [156:42] what he's done with himself. It's just a [156:44] an amazing story and just but his [156:46] ability is just it's kind of like if you [156:48] look at like you know Jordan you know [156:51] dunking in his prime is like something's [156:54] different. Yes, he's jumping high. Yes, [156:55] he's jumping far. Yes, he's got his [156:57] tongue out and he's like signature [156:59] Jordan and but there's it's the way the [157:01] whole thing is put together. So, it's a [157:03] little bit harder to describe. I should [157:04] just send people to a clip. And you were [157:06] talking about across sports this notion [157:08] of air sense that some athletes just [157:12] have this ability to orient and move [157:16] through the air. Can you tell me more [157:17] about that and some examples that um [157:20] resonate with you [157:22] >> and you because you have this [157:23] >> to a certain extent. Mhm. [157:25] >> There are others who have it much better [157:27] than me, but [157:29] I I grew up doing acrobatics in Capoa [157:32] and flipping and doing these things. And [157:35] very early on, you get to I got the [157:38] realization of, oh, there is these [157:41] people that are very coordinated, [157:43] they're very organized, they're very [157:45] well oriented as long as that they're in [157:48] this normal vertical situation touching [157:52] the ground. But once they're in the air, [157:54] they have no idea where they are. [157:56] [laughter] [157:57] And then others can navigate this [157:59] scenario [158:00] which is clearly unique. [158:03] >> So we started to call it air sense. [158:07] Trampolinists are the most extreme [158:10] example of it. And nowadays high level [158:13] extreme athlete skateboarders they use [158:16] trampoline a lot. [snorts] And those in [158:19] the know, they know because this is one [158:21] of the most basic tools. [158:23] Uh, and different pits, landing pits [158:27] made of foam pieces where you can fly [158:29] with your bike or your skateboard off of [158:31] a ramp and you don't need to land and [158:35] you get to develop this sensation in the [158:38] air. When is it time to open up? When is [158:41] it time to change your shape? So since [158:44] the propriception is available all the [158:48] time, [158:51] is it the vestibular side of things that [158:53] makes it a unique scenario? Is it a [158:56] certain gift or or or a a a capacity [159:01] with the vestibular system? I wanted to [159:03] ask you, [159:04] >> what would you think it is? If we're [159:07] really thinking about time in the air, [159:10] we have to talk about Tom Char, who's [159:12] this phenom of a skateboarder who, you [159:16] know, I'm sure some people, most [159:17] everyone's heard of Tony Hawk. If you [159:19] took Tony and you combined him with like [159:21] Danny Wei, who's probably easily one of [159:23] the best skate vertical skateboarders [159:26] ever, built the mega first mega ramps [159:28] and did that or Bob Burnquist, like [159:30] these guys that like go just huge uh [159:33] innovators do it. Tom um and a kid named [159:36] Jimmy Wilkins I represent the [159:40] the latest generation of but in my [159:44] opinion anyway [159:46] the greatest vertical skateboarders that [159:48] have ever lived because [159:50] >> of their ability to have so much [159:52] control, speed, technical ability [159:58] to do things that typically were only [159:59] done on the street like kick flips, heel [160:01] flips to board slide, smacking the board [160:04] on the way back into the ramp. No hand. [160:06] So, ollieing, not grabbing, doing all of [160:09] these things bigger, [160:12] faster, [160:14] cleaner, [160:16] but also [160:18] an order of magnitude in every one of [160:20] those dimensions. And so, if I think [160:23] about like Tom, I've seen Tom and Jimmy [160:25] firsthand doing these things. I think [160:28] the [160:30] they go faster than everybody else. They [160:33] pump harder and they go faster into [160:35] this. So clearly they're willing to [160:37] spend more time in the air. Danny was [160:38] like this. Like Danny and Bob Burns were [160:40] willing to spend more time in the air [160:44] even if it was a simple trick. So it's [160:45] not necessarily they're spinning around [160:47] a lot. Like people tend to over uh like [160:51] overemphasize like how many spins. It's [160:53] a 900, a 1200. Like there's something [160:55] impressive to that. But um what's far [160:59] more impressive to me anyway would be [161:01] like Jimmy Wilkins, his mom's a [161:03] ballerina. [161:05] I think his father's an orchestra [161:06] conductor [161:07] >> and when Jimmy does a handless, so we [161:11] call an oi on vert where you don't smack [161:12] the tail like a handless air. His back [161:15] knee touches the board and he's guiding [161:17] the board with his back knee. He has the [161:19] hip mobility to be able to do that. He [161:22] didn't train it. It's just how he's [161:23] built. So, I think it's a combination of [161:25] things, but what makes it look so [161:28] amazing [161:29] is how fast he's going. And you don't [161:32] realize it. You just think how high he's [161:34] going. But the height comes from the [161:35] speed. [161:36] >> Here there are a few things inside [161:38] hiding. [161:39] >> Mhm. [161:39] >> Which which I would love to unpack [161:41] further. First is the speed and power [161:46] when it's mentioned in those fields must [161:49] be differentiated from the physiological [161:52] speed and power. I remember the first [161:54] time I read the the book of Leonid aray, [161:59] professor archive, the legendary Soviet [162:02] gymnastics trainer and in his book he [162:05] mentions the vertical jumps of the [162:07] Olympic Soviet male team. I think the [162:11] best was something that I did at the age [162:13] of 13. [162:15] But people are still under the [162:16] impression that gymnasts have good [162:19] jumps. They're rebounders. [162:22] >> They use the floor springs very well. [162:27] Skateboard similar. [162:28] >> Mhm. [162:29] >> Power-wise, strengthwise, nothing. There [162:32] is nothing there. It's the willingness [162:35] to go into that speed and to exit from [162:38] the ramp. And the willingness comes from [162:40] a confidence which comes from a certain [162:43] capacity to orient in space. That's my [162:46] suspicion. [162:46] >> No, you're absolutely right. You nailed [162:48] it. And uh Jimmy and Tom will hear this [162:50] and appreciate. There's only [162:52] historically I left out one legend that [162:54] isn't mentioned as often as you know [162:57] Tony Hawk or or Danny or Bob Burnquist [163:00] um who is truly amazing that they both [163:03] sort of capture some of the essence of [163:05] and that's Chris Miller who it's the [163:08] same thing. And none of these guys are [163:09] are physically very very large. They're [163:11] very slight. Um so they don't have a lot [163:13] of body weight to throw around. Um but [163:17] although Danny got strong, he broke his [163:20] neck surfing when we were younger and um [163:22] came back with a with a thick neck and [163:25] and doing strength training. He worked [163:26] with Paul Paul Czech [163:28] >> um and built himself back up to be [163:30] really resilient because he was [163:33] >> jumping the Great Wall of China doing [163:34] these kinds of things on broken ankles. [163:36] It's like you need some resilience. [163:37] Multiple knee replacements. He's a [163:39] gladiator. He's like evil conval [163:40] combined with the gladiator. But if you [163:43] watch Tom Char or Jimmy, they don't look [163:47] like they're throwing themselves into [163:49] it. But that's why it looks so graceful [163:52] and fast is that there but there is no [163:54] hesitation. [163:55] >> And the other part to explore in this is [163:58] comes from the father of biomechanics [164:02] Bernstein. [164:03] you know the Soviet government there is [164:05] this legendary urban legend. Maybe it's [164:08] true, maybe not. But there is I I [164:10] believe it it it might be true. The [164:12] Soviet government brought him in to [164:15] improve productivity in workers and he [164:19] was the father of motion capture. He's [164:22] the man who came up with it. He put [164:24] these globes and used an old school [164:28] camera to capture [164:31] the motion and study the biomechanics. [164:35] And they brought him to this factory and [164:38] one employee, [164:41] let's say, was producing [164:43] 200 perfect pieces in an hour. And then [164:47] the average was 150 pieces. And they [164:51] asked him, why? What's so special? He [164:54] put these sensors on the arm. He let's [164:57] say it's with a hammer working with a [164:59] sledgehammer. What did he discover? [165:02] There is more variety [165:05] in the trajectories [165:07] for the worker that gets more pieces [165:10] perfectly done. [165:11] >> More variety. [165:12] >> Correct. Notice what is the variety [165:14] where it is in the trajectory [165:18] of the various joints. [165:20] But the end result has less variety. [165:24] [clears throat] [165:24] >> It is more perfect. [165:25] >> Mhm. [165:26] >> That brings me back to the [165:27] skateboarders. I believe from my [165:30] experience there is something like a [165:32] meta movement. A movement [165:35] that when it's developed correctly, it's [165:38] capable of achieving the task in any [165:41] condition. This is the difference [165:43] between a boxer's jab [165:46] and a kung fu punch. [165:49] How do you develop a boxer's jab? From [165:51] the first day, somebody interrupts it. [165:53] You're not throwing punches in the air [165:55] or on the makiwara. [165:57] >> Someone parries it or [165:58] >> someone parries it, moves it, you know, [166:00] you miss you. From the first day, you [166:02] use it as a tool under these chaotic [166:04] conditions. [166:06] >> So, you develop it. When you look at a [166:08] boxer's punch, most people will be more [166:10] impressed with the karate guy, with the [166:13] kung fu guy because on the air it looks [166:16] much crisper. We don't people don't [166:19] appreciate boxing. They appreciate [166:21] Jackie Chan movies. That is much easier [166:24] the the the the visual side of this [166:27] fighting. But it's not the real thing in [166:30] this sense. It's not adaptable. It's not [166:33] alive. [166:35] This is the Instagram reality. Another [166:37] problem. It has destroyed the real deal. [166:43] Now I can put a camera on and I can [166:46] practice here for two hours until I get [166:48] one good rep. I capture it and I put it [166:50] online. But when I meet these people and [166:52] it's time to move, [166:55] no it's not happening. [166:58] So in this sense the skateboarder faces [167:02] every time a fresh [laughter] [167:04] scenario altogether different and must [167:06] be present and adapted the meta [167:10] technique to the situation. It's not to [167:13] be perfect in the way that you are like [167:16] the discipline push hard and perfect it. [167:19] There is an aspect of it. The [167:22] stabilization of performance must resist [167:25] certain interruptions but must not [167:27] ignore other interruptions. [167:29] >> It brings to mind a couple of important [167:31] things. Um right now there are a lot of [167:34] very very impressive skateboarders, [167:35] young and old, male and female. um [167:38] [clears throat] some like just to [167:40] mention like this young girl Reese [167:42] Nelson is just a phenom and her style is [167:46] great and she's different than a lot of [167:49] the young kids that are like really [167:51] flippity and go big. She's a vert [167:52] skateboarder. And there are a lot of [167:54] skateboarders now that can do things [167:56] big, fast, flip, twist, lip tricks. Like [168:01] they can do all of that on on the street [168:04] tr also. But there's some that just look [168:07] like robots. They're just technicians. [168:09] They And cuz I was going to say that [168:12] when in a line where there's no break in [168:14] the editing, that's where the [168:15] [clears throat] real magic comes through [168:16] cuz they have to line things up properly [168:19] trick to trick. It's not just like one [168:21] hit. [168:22] >> Totally different athletes. [168:23] >> Totally different athletes. But there [168:25] are some vert skateboarders and some [168:26] street skateboarders that they still [168:28] just look robotic and they just and it [168:30] it's almost like it's too perfect. And [168:33] it's real. It's too perfect, but that's [168:35] not what [168:38] real like the the cool thing about [168:39] skateboarding is that it rewards a bit [168:41] of that like you said, approaching [168:44] things from different angles, but the [168:45] end point still sticks. And that's the [168:48] real magic. And there's one other person [168:49] I have to throw into the mix because [168:51] growing up this guy he he was like the [168:53] real evil conval and he's still a [168:56] legend. He hasn't hit a bad injury and [168:59] so he he actually brought himself back [169:00] from paralysis. He can bike now and [169:02] skateboard a bit. Great artist. Amazing. [169:05] Super nice guy. His name is John [169:07] Cardiel. I was fortunate enough to know [169:09] John a bit and uh we're still friendly. [169:11] although I haven't seen him in years [169:13] sort of online we're we're friendly but [169:15] I got to see him firsthand years ago and [169:17] he was one of these people that it [169:19] looked like everything was chaos around [169:23] him but he could go bigger and further [169:26] and he's the opposite of Antoine's like [169:28] hands flailing and like the amazing [169:30] thing was [169:32] the the speed the energy and the I don't [169:35] want to say imperfection cuz it was [169:37] perfect in its variety of like entry [169:40] points But he's he's still revered many [169:44] many years later and probably always [169:46] will be. And so there are certain things [169:48] like skateboarding [169:49] >> beautiful where it's still celebrated to [169:52] not just be perfect never miss and and [169:55] these guys that I'm I'm referring to and [169:56] Reese um and there are others of course [169:59] um it's like real poetry [170:03] uh but sometimes it's heavy metal [170:04] poetry. [170:05] >> Yeah. [170:05] >> Yeah. It's beautiful and also it breaks [170:10] the aesthetic. [clears throat] The [170:12] aesthetics and the performance they walk [170:15] hand in hand to a certain degree but not [170:18] beyond that. And it's a slippery slope. [170:21] I warn people don't try to beautify your [170:25] movements. You will destroy them. The [170:28] beauty is a side effect. [170:30] >> Mhm. [170:30] >> It's an effect. It shouldn't be a cause. [170:33] This is what happened to our asses. [170:37] [laughter] [170:38] Where does it come from? It comes from a [170:40] person who can jump high, who can [170:42] sprint, who is productive, and it it's [170:46] attractive. Now, it's just the end [170:49] result. [170:50] >> It's like uh the exercise equivalent of [170:53] plastic surgery. [170:54] >> Yeah. And we found a way, a better way. [170:57] We always find a better way to get what [170:59] we want. We want the aesthetics. So we [171:02] found a way training way how to boost [171:04] this to create the shelf the I don't [171:06] know what all this yeah the [171:09] but this is a terrible mistake in many [171:13] ways when you look forward [171:17] you can develop the glutes [171:20] but don't disconnect them functionality [171:22] without function is in this case very [171:25] costly [171:28] and you start to get a pirated product [171:32] that is eventually too good to be true. [171:36] In that sense, what you mentioned is [171:39] very interesting and we start to [171:41] separate. Also, you see it in tricks, [171:44] tricking phenomenons, sports that [171:47] started to develop. Have you seen those [171:49] kids who can do the juggle like football [171:52] players, like soccer players? They can [171:55] do things that no soccer player can do. [171:58] But I cannot play in the World Cup. Now [172:02] this shows you the difference. One, I [172:04] transform myself [172:07] to the challenges that I'm presented. [172:10] Two, I transform the environment or the [172:12] field to fit myself. [172:16] So in this case, I control all the [172:18] parameters of my skateboarding and it [172:21] becomes perfect yet robotic. Diego [172:24] Armando Maradona used to warm up with [172:28] the shoelaces open. I used to love it. [172:31] Showing you the whole scenario is open. [172:34] I can still function. [172:37] Fighting is a very important field in [172:40] that sense for movement perspective. I'm [172:42] not a fighter but my interaction with [172:44] fighting I used to think it was so ugly, [172:49] so ungraceful that the movement quality [172:51] was so low. [172:53] They cannot do nothing well. These real [172:56] fighters, MMA fighters, they don't punch [173:00] well. They don't kick well. Nothing that [173:03] they do is of high movement quality. And [173:06] yet, [173:08] they'll kill you. They solve the [173:11] problem. [173:14] They're not about perfecting. They're [173:16] not car mechanics. They're drivers. and [173:20] they will drive a Toyota and will defeat [173:22] you with a Lamborghini. [173:24] This is what they do. And there are [173:26] certain fields like that. And [173:27] skateboarding comes from that because [173:29] it's the street. Everything always [173:32] changes. The sidewalks, the heights, [173:34] your mood, your state of being, the [173:36] shoes. [173:38] And there was grace in being able to [173:40] navigate that chaos and become chaos. [173:43] Not to control it, to make an order off [173:45] of it. So this is what you feel. Ah it's [173:50] not it. And I feel it a lot with many [173:52] movement fields. Look, look, it's so [173:54] beautiful. And we even became [173:56] desensitized for this beauty which is [173:58] good because in the future this will [174:00] open the door again for real movement, [174:04] real performance, real presence and then [174:07] beauty is part of this equation but not [174:10] the it's not the everything. It's not [174:13] all about it. It's almost like it [174:15] becomes an emergent property of all the [174:17] I don't want to call them imperfections [174:19] because they're not there. It's it's [174:20] it's there's something that's real about [174:24] what you're describing and what I'm [174:25] attempting to describe, but I I [174:27] stumbled. I tried to provide examples. [174:29] I'll provide some links, but uh if you [174:31] ever want to get a little bit scared, [174:33] you want your amygdala activated a [174:35] little bit vicariously [174:37] um and see what real chaos upon chaos [174:41] harnessed into something beautiful is. [174:43] although I don't re recommend actually [174:44] doing it is go on to YouTube and put [174:47] GX1000 and watch these kids bomb hills [174:49] in San Francisco. Um [174:52] >> I've seen some [174:52] >> they're like yelling get out of the way. [174:55] Like they're not setting it up so that [174:56] the streets clear. I mean it's super [174:58] crazy hazardous and one of those kids [175:00] ended up dying years ago skitching [175:03] holding on to the back of a a vehicle. [175:05] But nonetheless, I mean they're maniacs [175:07] of a certain kind. Um, and [175:11] there's something about embracing the [175:14] uncertainty. [175:16] You know, I I have to say, uh, Edido, [175:18] uh, I did not expect we were going to go [175:20] where we went today, [laughter] but I [175:22] would be remiss if I didn't say, and I [175:25] take no credit for this, I really want [175:26] to give you due credit, is that [175:30] everything you just described about [175:33] allowing for different entry points and [175:35] coming to a a place that nails it, like [175:39] that's you. And that's in some sense [175:43] the best of podcasting. It's we don't [175:46] have a script. We didn't come in here. I [175:49] didn't even show you what was on this [175:50] sheet of paper. I looked at it a few [175:51] times, made some adjustments. It's [175:53] improv to some extent. But it takes a [175:56] special kind of person to be able to do [175:59] what you do in the physical space to be [176:02] able to articulate about that but also [176:04] to pull in from so many areas of [176:07] philosophy, psychology, physiology, [176:10] neuroscience. By the way, your [176:11] description of the eyes not as cameras. [176:14] Like the reason I didn't yap about that [176:16] is cuz you nailed it. I couldn't have [176:18] given a lecture [laughter] like that [176:19] truly. And um you're one of these people [176:22] that when you speak, people learn. And [176:26] it's transformed my experience. I go up [176:28] and down the stairs a couple times a [176:30] night lately to check on my puppy. And I [176:33] still can't go up or downstairs without [176:35] thinking about the way I go up and [176:37] downstairs ever since we recorded in my [176:39] house. Gosh, probably three maybe four [176:43] years ago, five years ago. In any case, [176:46] >> it's not an invasion into my [176:47] consciousness. It's it's a real gift. [176:50] And I I know people will come away with [176:53] these gifts. And I really want to [176:54] encourage people to think about leaning [176:56] into these subtle ripples, the spaces. [176:58] This isn't just language. It's the magic [177:01] that really makes life so much better. [177:04] So I'm very grateful to you. I really, [177:06] really am. And please come back again. [177:09] >> Thank you. Thank you. Truly enjoyed [177:11] that. [177:12] >> Thank you for joining me for today's [177:13] discussion with Ido Portal. To learn [177:15] more about his work and to find links to [177:18] the various things we discussed, please [177:19] see the show note caption. If you're [177:21] learning from and or enjoying this [177:22] podcast, please subscribe to our YouTube [177:24] channel. That's a terrific zerocost way [177:26] to support us. 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