August 29th

I’ve been waking up in a bit of a funk lately. It’s kinda been taking me a while to get outta bed. It’s a little strange and I don’t like it. I seem to wake up and almost get overwhelmed by the amount of things I want to do, and end up just being paralyzed. Also, my body is a little bit sore in a not so good way. So I just lay there frozen for a little bit. Something is probably due for a little change up. I’ll check back in next week and see if we are doing a little better in that department.

So I’ve done breath work a total of 3 times now. The first experience I talked about on the August 12th post, which was GNARLY. The last two experiences have been cool. By cool I mean I definitely got to an interesting place mentally and physically, but no intense crying or profound experience since that first time. I’d still highly recommend it. Today’s breathwork made my wrists and forearms cramp real gnarly. I’m going to try doing this type of work on my own and meditate immediately after. Today, I would have loved to have just sat there in peace thinking about nothing for a long time after the practice. However, in a class setting it’s good to share your experiences with others.

Venice beach is a truly fascinating place on this earth. It’s hobo and hipster heaven. It blows my mind how so much poverty, creativity, culture, money, tourism, and healthy living establishments is here. This city is a gnarly juxtaposition of the best of LA and the worst. I can’t wait to see what other adventures it may bring me.

I’m taking acting classes right now and having fun with it/getting my mind blown. I’ve been auditing classes as well and have concluded that there are some damn talented people out there and that I can’t wait to hone my skills such as they have and continue to do. The “method” of teaching that my workshop preaches can be summarized in two words : BE PRESENT. This little message seems to be a recurring theme for me in the past year to be honest. It seems to have started with my favorite twitter guy NAVAL and has been reinforced by a number of books, podcasts, seminars and by people I keep coming in contact with. I met with a director today and his book, BANFEBA Meditation, can also be summed up with the one word. In acting, being present is essential and if done correctly should manifest itself in perfect, believable acting. Those little tiny muscles in the face that make those oh so critical microexpressions can only be turned on if one is in the moment, actively listening and responding to what the other person is saying or doing. Now this may be a somewhat simplified approach to acting.. Or is it? We’ll see and I’m rolling with it, cause I dig it.