Introduction to Phase Two Practices

Moving beyond rest-and-digest

Congratulations on making it through Phase One of the practice. This sets up for you a foundation to create tremendous change in your life. The most significant step in this journey is the step you will take next. As I mentioned, moving from a fight-or-flight state to a state of rest-and-digest is important, but nowhere near as important as it is to move from a rest-and-digest state to a more thriving state of mind. This phase is where we finally break the patterns of the primal brain. So, in the beginning, this is where the lion’s share of our energy should be focused.

Now that you’ve gained the ability to manage your fight-or-flight states, you will learn to willfully activate the frontal lobe or your brain. The exercises change slightly here. In this process, the goal is not to become comfortable or even to create happiness. The goal is to create a state of deep concentration. We create this by bringing ourselves into the current moment and removing the ability to be anywhere else. This practice is a practice of extreme focus.

Note: always make sure you’re in a state of rest-and-digest before beginning your Phase Two practice. You don’t need to do a full Phase One activity but taking a moment or two to active positive sensory stimuli, taking a handful of deep breaths, or doing some counting will help make the Phase Two practices much easier.