Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Do you ever feel like your mind is stressed? You're feeling this stress, this tension in your body, in your mind, you can't think clearly, being weighed down by all of the stress of life.
Too many things going on, can't function easily. It's a very unpleasant state to be in. Today we're going to be diving into the mind brain connection. How does the mind, the brain, the soul, all connect to each other? This is a very fascinating topic because when we understand that we are separate from the brain, the mind is different from the brain, and we are spiritual beings having a human experience, then we can have a totally different perspective on stress. We can actually release stress. And you're going to learn some interesting methods that hardly anyone ever talks about. Fascinating new ideas that can completely liberate you from that feeling of stress.
So buckle your seat belts and enjoy the episode.
[00:01:12] Speaker B: Thank you, Michael, for being here. Welcome.
[00:01:18] Speaker A: Thank you. Welcome, welcome.
[00:01:20] Speaker B: So if you don't know who we are, Brother Michael is a yogi of more than 25 years and myself have been practicing for more than 30 years. And we are very happy to be here with you. We have a lot of experience harnessing the power of the mind and thinking about spiritual things, meditation. We have a lot of experience, and so we're very happy to be here with you and share our thoughts.
[00:01:52] Speaker A: Yeah. And the purpose of this podcast is to help you thrive and enjoy your life as a spiritual being on this planet. How to use the mind and these different high level technologies of the mind to go to the next level and to learn things that people normally don't talk about. There's so much stuff around, so different perspectives that are really useful and next level technologies. So welcome, welcome. So today we're talking about stress. Stress is of course, a huge problem. I mean, it's causing billions of dollars in damages in people's health and having to go to the doctor and they can't work. And it can wreck our life. And not just stress, anxiety, depression, all these things are kind of connected.
And so when we feel stressed out, overwhelmed, what tends to happen is we shut down. Everything seems like a burden. Everything seems really annoy. Everything seems like a big deal.
And from that perspective, it's very hard to be happy. It's very hard to enjoy life.
We can't take things lightly. Everything's such a major problem.
And this is no way to live, really, is it? We don't want to be burdened by this stressful feeling. And not only is it mentally and emotionally burdensome, it's actually Bad for our health.
Stress is linked to all kinds of illnesses and diseases.
And so there's lots of stress methods, you know, like the stress balls. People can grab the stress or smash chairs up or you know what, there's loads of methods people use for trying to get rid of stress. And some of them work, some of them don't work, some of them make it worse.
And so I'm sure you've probably tried certain things already. There's different meditation practices from different meditation methods.
We're going to be going into something that hardly anyone actually ever talks about and is a very powerful stress release, stress reliving technique. So without further ado, you probably know what stress is like. We don't need to get into it too much because you might feel more stressed talking about it. So, Shirin, what is it people need to know about the mind, the brain and stress?
[00:04:21] Speaker B: I was thinking about stress when you were talking about it. I was thinking that for me, stress is where the mind is kind of working against you.
And no matter what you do, you're not able to get out of this negative loop of stress and negative thinking, right? You do a little bit here and there and you're not able to get out of it. And so. So for me, that is stress. I was thinking about what you were saying that it feels like.
And also, right, the majority of the solutions that we have seem very symptomatic solutions, right? They just camouflage the symptoms, but they don't really go the root of what's happening. And to really understand the root of why this is happening, right, we need to understand how consciousness and brain are connected. We've heard this phrase that I'm a spiritual being having a human experience. You know, it's a very popular phrase that is, that goes around, right? But we need to kind of really break down this thing. What does that mean?
So if I'm a spiritual being, right, A spiritual being in itself means that I am beyond the physical. Spiritual means metaphysical. Metaphysical means something that is beyond the physical.
So anything that is spiritual, let's say, like love, you cannot measure it. You cannot see it with your physical eyes. You cannot measure it. It's metaphysical, right? It's beyond the physical. And so to be able to go beyond the physical, we need to understand how the brain, which is a physical entity, the brain can be measured, the brain can be weighed. The brain, we know exactly where it's located. We know all of those things. And so one thing for sure is we are spiritual beings means that we are not the brain Right. What do you say, Michael?
[00:06:36] Speaker A: Whoa. From a spiritual perspective, the soul is invisible, immortal.
[00:06:45] Speaker B: Absolutely right.
[00:06:47] Speaker A: When we think of it as a point of light. But is it really a point of light? Probably not. It's just invisible presence, right. The smallest thing you can think of is a point of light before it disappears into nothing.
So we've got the brain, which is here, and then you've got this thing that's non physical. I remember actually doing a survey about this once that said, do you believe I asked people, do you believe you're a spiritual being having a human experience? Right? And everyone was like, yeah, absolutely, absolutely. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. And then next question was, do you experience how much do you experience yourself being non physical, peaceful, blissful being in a day, practically speaking? And it was like, wow.
Well, you know, so knowing about it intellectually is one thing and actually experiencing it practically is a totally different thing. And that's what we're getting into today is that experience that leads to that sensory feeling.
[00:07:56] Speaker B: Right? So, you know, so one of the most important things that we can understand is understand how the soul, consciousness, the soul is connected to the brain because we know a lot of things that, you know, there's a lot of research on brain. There's a lot of research on brain plasticity, there's a lot of research on mirror neurons. There's a lot of research on what happens in the different aspects of the brain. All of those, right? The frontal lobe, the cortex, the pre cortex. So all of these, right. We know the research around that, like people, the science is there, even though we might not know science is there on this, but there is actually a connection between the soul and the brain. And the one very, very important aspect that is good to remember is that the soul is the thinking, feeling, being. The soul is consciousness. And the body itself doesn't feel anything. And so the brain also actually doesn't feel anything. Ultimately, the soul feels it.
Right. Let's say I tap myself here, even though the body is experiencing it, right? The body's hearing the tap, all of that. The soul is actually experiencing this tap, this, you know. And so in the same way, the soul is the thinking, feeling, being, and the soul is the one that is operating the body through the brain.
And the best example of this is the movie Surrogates.
In the movie Surrogates, you know, Bruce Willis movie surrogates, what happens in that movie is that people create robots. They're surrogates and they experience the world through the robots, right? They send out the robots into the world, and they stay at home. They're not going anywhere, and they stay at home and they send out the robots into the world. And there's this one line in the movie which I really thought was very interesting is everything you have been told is a lie, right? Everything you've been told is a lie. And so I feel like this thing, right, that who is the one experiencing it? I really feel we need to understand that because we have been not intentionally fed a lie, but kind of because of social upbringing, you know, all of those things, right? It's just. It's kind of hardwired into society. And so everyone believes it. So everyone just thinks that's the case. And so in surrogates, the people are staying at home and they send out their robots to experience the world.
And so the people at home, they're growing old and all of that, but the robots are, you know, kind of nice and prim and proper and, you know, no wrinkles, and all of that is happening. So you could think of it like, how what is happening with the soul and the body?
That movie is a good example of what happens with the soul and the body.
So the soul is there, and the body is kind of like a suit we are wearing.
And you could say the brain is the VR headset on the suit, right?
So the brain is kind of like. So let's say we are using a VR headset, you know, one of those meta headsets people use these days, and we are looking at something that's happening in Cabo. Let's say, who's the one experiencing it, even though we are using the VR headset.
It's the soul, right? It's the. I'm experiencing it. The VR headset is not experiencing it. You understand?
You know the difference? So there's a VR headset, even though I'm using it to experience, let's say, a beautiful beach in Cabo, the VR headset is not experiencing it. I'm experiencing it. It's the same way with the soul. Even though I'm using the brain, even though I'm using the body, the soul is the one experiencing these things. And this is what happens, is the soul experiences these things.
And. But what happens is, you know, recently I was reading about mirror neurons, right? And in mirror neurons, what happens is what mirror neurons do is, let's say I am doing something, doing something violent, right?
Some aspects of the neurons, some parts of the brain get triggered because, you know, some neurons are activated and. But what they have found is why they're calling it mirror neurons is if someone else does the violence and I'm watching the violence, then the same neurons get triggered, right? The same neurons get triggered. Even if I'm doing the act or if I'm seeing someone else do the act.
And so that's why it's so careful, right? It's like a double edged sword, you could say, because you could have like it's good for empathy and things like that. But also if you're watching too much negativity and you're watching too much of something, then you know, it's almost like you're doing it right, because they keep getting triggered. But if they're getting triggered, right, so now, how is now that's happening in the brain? So this is what got me started thinking that's happening in the brain. So mirror neurons are being triggered in the brain. So how is the soul connected to those mirror neurons?
What would you say, Michael?
[00:14:13] Speaker A: It's a very interesting thing. Before I answer that the, this is a big deal to realize that if we see stressful things happening, we will feel stress. Even if it isn't happening to us personally, it's happening outside. This is why studies have done on people watching the news, like the people who constantly study the entire news cycle all day long, always checking, checking, checking the latest things being blown up and people being killed, they're obviously going to be quite stressed out because those mirror neurons seeing buses of children being blown up or whatever, of course it's going to cause distress. And when that goes on enough at times it can get the better of us.
And so the soul is sitting behind the eyes in the brain and interfacing with the brain. It's a bit like, I like to think about the Matrix movie, like unplug that thing in the back of the head and they jack into the Matrix.
It's a bit like that the soul is somehow, I mean, it's a bit of a fascinating thing. Where exactly is the soul specifically? I mean there's a specific place in the brain which perhaps you can talk about.
And then that is from that central place, the non physical being is somehow moving everything around, perceiving everything.
And also if the brain is damaged through some injury or something that happens, then the perception of the soul is going to be influenced by that just in the same way as if like a screen is cracked. Let's imagine like we're looking at a TV screen and someone smashes the screen. It still works, but it's all broken or it might flicker like that you know, if you have a phone that sort of malfunctions and it jumps all over the place, and it kind of. So the brain affects what the soul experiences, and the soul is experiencing it through the senses.
[00:16:22] Speaker B: Right, Right.
[00:16:24] Speaker A: So it's a very fascinating thing that we're dealing with on a daily basis.
[00:16:29] Speaker B: I know, right. And to understand this is so important. And we'll get into why to understand this is so important.
One of the things that I was thinking about is about a telescope, right. To understand this further.
So let's say I'm watching a distant something through a telescope, right? The telescope really is just an instrument for me to watch that thing, for me to see that thing. But I'm the one seeing it.
So it's the same here. Even though the brain is there, even though the body is there, they're just instruments for me to operate in the world. The soul is the one that is thinking and feeling and experiencing these things.
And not to switch analogies, but the best analogy, I really feel, is the VR headset, the virtual reality headset.
So the virtual reality headset, what happens is you think of this, you, the tiny soul right there, and you think of your big brain and think of your brain as a virtual reality headset that you have been given this. You, the soul have been given, and you're wearing it, and you're using it to look at the world, to operate in the world. And this body is a suit. You're moving around, and that's the virtual reality headset. And you're moving around and watching the world.
That's actually a very good, very good way of looking at it, to be able to understand how the soul and the brain are connected.
Going back to telescope, right? And mirror neurons.
So if mirror neurons, right. If I'm looking at something stressful, say the war in Iran and Israel, I'm looking at something stressful.
And some neurons are being fired in the brain, right? Who is experiencing that?
The soul is experiencing that even though the neurons are being fired in the brain, just like the telescope.
Like, even though I'm seeing through the telescope, I'm the one seeing it. The telescope is just like a machine that I'm being used to see things.
And so I am the one experiencing this. I'm the one experiencing the stress. I'm the one, you know, all of the details around it, the feeling, the thinking, the, you know, everything that's happening around it. The soul is. It's happening to the soul because the body itself doesn't have consciousness, and it's Very apparent at the point of death is when the soul leaves the body, which is popularly known as death.
Even though the body is the same, right. Like, let's say five minutes before death and five minutes after death. The body is the same, everything is the same, and still the body is not moving, not seeing, not experiencing. Why? Because the soul has exited the body.
And so for the soul to be.
For us to have this awareness, hey, the brain. I'm not the brain, I'm the soul. The brain is not the thinking, feeling, being. I, the soul, am the thinking, feeling, being. That's who I am.
And so that is a very.
It's amazing that if we keep repeating these things, right? If we keep understanding these things and repeating these things, we are getting at the root cause of stress.
That's what happens. We get at the root cause of stress.
If I detach myself and keep, you know, keep going back and forth, I'm reminding myself again and again, hey, this is going to happen. This is what's happening. The brain. I'm not the brain. Even though all of this is happening, I'm the one experiencing it. I'm the soul, the thinking, feeling, being.
You want to do a meditation for us, Brother Michael, on this?
[00:21:00] Speaker A: Yeah, it's a very, very deep thing. I think the key thing when it comes to stress in the soul is. Or any negative feeling is that the negative feelings ultimately come from resistance to something in the movie of life.
So something's happening and we're worried about it in some way, and that's causing the stress in ourselves. Well, oh, this shouldn't be like this. I don't like this. Because all sorts of bad things can happen in the. In this life that we have.
And so the reason that this. These practices help is that you, instead of looking outside at things that are stressful, you look inside you kind of like the virtual headset is like looking outside at things going on. And meditation and these practices is turning the other way and looking inwards where the mirror neurons are seeing peace.
And in a way, you're going beyond the brain itself, but you're looking at something and focusing on something that is very relaxed and blissful, rather than all this, all the chaos. So that's how it's possible to be in stressful situations and feel relaxed. But if we're looking at all the stressful things, we're not going to feel relaxed, we're going to feel stressed. So this is. This is an opportunity to kind of like take the headset off and realize that you're in a place, a peaceful, safe, secure place. So we'll do a little meditation to experience that. So you can just take a few gentle breaths. You can keep your eyes open, or you can close them, whatever you want, just enjoying a few gentle breaths, gently breathing slowly and smoothly, calmly.
And as you breathe, just becoming aware that you are basically watching a virtual reality movie happening, which is separate from you, the consciousness.
Just imagine you're watching a very fascinating long movie through a headset, and then you turn within as if you're looking backwards at yourself.
And who is it that's watching everything?
You are a beautiful shining light, like a star. You can imagine a very relaxed. Imagine a being that is constantly peaceful, relaxed, full of light, calm, safe, doesn't need anything, completely at peace.
And just look within. Imagine a being that's constantly, easily and naturally relaxed, calm, peaceful, everything is all right.
And just breathe in that beautiful, peaceful feeling and allow that wonderful, peaceful energy to flow through your whole body, just letting yourself totally relax, that you are totally separate and free from everything around you, even though it's happening.
Like you're watching the whole world through a bulletproof glass window and might be raining outside or whatever's happening, but you're safe and secure on the inside.
And as you feel safe and relaxed, you send out wonderful, good feelings through your whole brain and wonderful feelings throughout your whole body.
And you're allowed to smile if you want, and all is well.
So just taking one or two last breaths, just getting nice and relaxed, and maintain that consciousness that you're separate from your body, your peaceful being.
And as you experience this more and more, any stress or worry or whatever it is is all happening out there, and you're safe and secure in here.
So welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome back.
[00:27:29] Speaker B: Thank you, Brother Michael.
[00:27:31] Speaker A: Yay.
So what do we need to do, Shirin, to experience more.
More peace, how to make this shift Shift?
[00:27:43] Speaker B: Right. I always feel understanding is very important.
That is why meditation without understanding really doesn't work.
Understanding is very important. And one of the things that we need to understand is it's a false belief that stress is something out there.
Right. Because that happened. I'm stressed, right? Because there is a war somewhere, I'm stressed. Or because I saw something, I'm stressed. That there is a false belief that stress is caused by outside forces.
And it's just all happening to me. And I don't have any say over this because we are the creator of our thoughts. We are the ones actually using the brain, the virtual reality headset called the brain, to interact with the world, I can use that to do other things, like keep myself very calm.
I can do that.
And how important it is to do that and to keep reminding ourselves, right. The understanding and practice.
Understanding that, you know, whatever we shared, right. That deep understanding of the soul and the brain and what's happening and the practice. The practice of being able to keep reminding myself, I'm a soul, I'm not this body, I'm not the brain, I'm a soul. I'm connected to the body, I'm connected to the brain, but I'm a soul. I am peaceful. You know, there's no. I'm safe, I'm fine. You know, all of these things you have to keep reminding yourself.
So both understanding and practice, both are important.
[00:29:43] Speaker A: Absolutely. So how does somebody, you know, deepen that practice? Because a lot of people know about this intellectually.
How does. How do you go from theory? This is a wonderful thing to fix because, I mean, my own experience of this is that I might know about these things, but I might feel stressed. But then there's a shift that happens when I do the meditations and the practices. And then I feel, why was I so worried about all this stuff? It doesn't matter, because I'm basically watching a movie happening.
[00:30:16] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:30:17] Speaker A: And it's fine.
[00:30:19] Speaker B: Right. And we have a lot of feeling change, isn't it? Yeah, the feeling change. And also we have a lot of resources, right? Both, you know, on our website, spiritualtravelers.org and even YouTube channels, we have a lot of resources, lots of meditations where you could do it. Like, even if you're not able to do it on your own, just play it and then do it.
But to keep going back, for me, I feel understanding is important. And the practice doesn't have to be a fancy practice, Right? It could be a simple practice. A simple practice of I am a soul, I'm separate from the brain, I'm separate from the body, and I'm the soul. The consciousness of the soul is driving the body and the brain, Right. The energy of the soul is driving the body and the brain. It could be a simple practice like that. It's actually a very profound practice, but it could be simple also.
[00:31:22] Speaker A: This is actually extremely advanced practice. Even though it sounds simple, isn't it, really?
The funny thing is that the simple things are actually the most advanced things in many cases, once they're practiced.
So even though this sounds straightforward enough, it's something that. I mean, both of us have been practicing this for a long time now, and I personally Feel like I could be told this same thing again and again and again. And I don't think, oh, I already heard that yesterday and today. Why do I have to hear it now? It's like, no, I need to hear this all the time. Because the habit of going into the body awareness and thinking that this is all such a big deal is so prevalent and so potent and there's so many people doing it that making that shift, even though it is simple technically, does require a little bit of effort. Just a little bit.
The good news is that we feel.
My own personal experience is that I always notice myself thinking, why was I so bothered about stuff? Because it doesn't really matter that the big difference is stress ultimately comes from thinking that I have to get everything just the way I want it, otherwise I won't be okay.
Whereas what we're talking about is saying I'm okay anyway because I'm a spiritual being and life can't always be how I want it, even if I. Because let's be honest, right? We can spend our entire life trying to get everything just the way we like it. And it might be just the way we like it for a day or for a week or for a moment, but it's not going to stay like that because too many unexpected changes.
So if we want everything to be perfect in order for us to feel okay, we're going to be constantly stressed.
How long is it going to be the way we like it? You know, like it's either too hot or too cold. It's either too hungry or not hungry. I mean, when does it end? It never ends. So this is really the only solution that's going to work in the long run is to come into a place where we feel okay regardless of whether or not everything's organized perfectly the way we like it. Good luck with that.
[00:33:53] Speaker B: Good luck with what?
[00:33:55] Speaker A: We're trying to get it all perfect.
[00:33:57] Speaker B: I know, right? No one, no one I was recently joking with. I was joking with mothers. I was saying, let's say your children behave exactly the way you want them to behave. And they all laughed.
Like that's like such a ridiculous thing, right? Like no child is exactly. Is going to behave the way you want them to behave. So it's the same way with events in the world, right? It's never going to be the way you want it to be.
[00:34:23] Speaker A: And even if it was, would it actually lead to prolonged joy? Probably wouldn't.
[00:34:28] Speaker B: Yes, absolutely.
[00:34:30] Speaker A: That's the thing. Oh, these. Everything works out exactly the way I want. Often that's going to lead to an existential crisis, actually, because if we got everything we wanted, then we would probably realize that it didn't make that much difference. And now we have to deal with that as another issue.
But I also want to just mention briefly a little bit of compassion and empathy here, that when things are going horribly wrong and everything's all over the place, it isn't easy to not be stressed. And these practices are a little bit difficult to do under those circumstances, but that's why we need to do them even more.
So, you know, if you haven't got any money and you're stressed out and you're feeling stuck and the relationships falling apart and you're feeling sick, etc. Etc.
That is a very unpleasant state to be in. And so making that extra time as much as possible to be able to do some of these things is going to have a lot of payoffs. But it's not easy to do. And we're trying to make it as easy as possible for you, but just acknowledging that life doesn't always work out the way we want.
So we have meditations that you can listen to to become more relaxed without having to do anything. So you can just press a button and relax. And we have all these links below to help you do that.
Yay.
[00:36:03] Speaker B: We have a blessing for our listeners. You want to pick a number?
[00:36:09] Speaker A: How about 106 wisdom.
[00:36:18] Speaker B: You've learned the art of filling your mind with benevolent thoughts and unlocking hidden treasures deep within you. The soul. This wisdom has revealed who you truly are and your ultimate destination, allowing you to live purposefully.
[00:36:35] Speaker A: Do read it again.
[00:36:37] Speaker B: Read it again.
[00:36:37] Speaker A: These blessings. They. They need. They need a second round.
[00:36:42] Speaker B: Wisdom. You've learned the art of filling your mind with benevolent thoughts and unlocking hidden treasures deep within you. The soul.
This wisdom has revealed who you truly are in your ultimate destination, allowing you to live purposefully.
[00:37:06] Speaker A: That's a very deep thing.
[00:37:09] Speaker B: We want you to feel that blessing is coming from God to do you directly.
[00:37:14] Speaker A: God's blessings. Yeah. And what is this book that you're reading from?
[00:37:18] Speaker B: God's Blessings for you.
[00:37:23] Speaker A: So you can get that in the link below as well if you'd like a copy and we'd love to hear from you. Leave a comment if you are watching this somewhere where you can leave a comment easily of what did you learn from this session and how can you use it? And and hopefully you can get those stress free experiences more and more and more in your life. And as and my own experience is that the more. I feel that peace, that energy sort of somehow resolves some of the stressful situations as, you know, like, certain things get resolved from that peaceful energy. So it's almost like instead of trying to fix everything, sometimes we just go within and fix what's going on internally. A certain amount of things sort of deal with themselves, and then we also have the power to do whatever we need to to resolve some of the other things in our life. So it gives you power and it makes you feel better.
Yay. So have a beautiful day and lots of love.
Om Shanti.
