I really didn't have to practice. I just read the book and followed some of the directions like, "Ask yourself in your head, what am I going to think about next?"
It is a way to kind of 'separate' your consciousness from your 'thinking'. I don't really have the right words, but you then just observe your own analytical mind. You can observe without judgement, and at that point you're not thinking about the future or the past, but only the present moment exists.
In those moments I can then use thinking as a tool, but in the same way I use my hand to grab something, I'm not always using my hand, and in that state I'm not always using my analytical mind, only when needed.
It's in that state that I feel 'love' or something like it throughout my entire body. I feel like a huge weight is taken off me and I can just relax. And with hints of that love extending outwards and through everything. Something I've never believed in, it could be all internal to my brain still, but I understand how people can feel like there is something else out there.
Random 'thinking' thoughts come and go in that state, you just observe them, acknowledge them, and let them go. And I've heard that's very similar to what most people say about meditation.
He goes on to say that state of mind can become permanent. You live in the moment and only choose when to think about the future and planning, only use that part of you when needed. Worrying about the future all the time is not good, but there are times when you do need to think and plan. You don't always have to analyze everything, but choose to do so when it's needed.
I am nowhere near that point, not sure I could get there. But it does sound appealing, constantly enjoying the present moment, but also deciding when you should learn from the past or think about the future. But not be obsessed with it.
As a side note, I find right when I hit that state, most of the time, I yawn. Yawning is still kind of a mystery, but some current research shows it could be extra excitement of the brain, or even extra brain cooling. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3678674/ Maybe I'm just using a lot more brain power and energy to focus on my consciousness or just to focus on all my senses? All just random guesses, I know barely anything about it.
