What I learned from 40 Years of Zen

I’m Brandon Wilson. I am constantly working toward improving my mind, body, and spirit using various ancient techniques and cutting-edge biohacking tools and devices. I want to be healthy, but not at the expense of being happy. This simple idea is what it means to be wellthy.

First time reading? Let’s get you in the club.

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Longtime readers may remember that I attended the Virtual Biohacking Conference in May of 2021. I’m glad I revisited my summary of the conference because there are many great tips and tricks that I forgot about. I bring it up for two reasons. One, the 8th Annual Biohacking conference is next month, and if you’re going, I’ll see you in Beverly Hills! Two, I was one of the VERY lucky winners who won a ticket to 40 Years of Zen. I am excited to share that I spent last week near Seattle, Washington, participating in this program, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

What is 40 Years of Zen?

40 Years of Zen is a revolutionary program created by Dave Asprey, often referred to as the “Father of Biohacking.” The experience combines ancient wisdom with advanced neuroscience in an intense, five-day neurofeedback program to put your brain into the same state as someone who has practiced meditation for decades. Dave has referred to 40 Years of Zen as the ultimate biohack and the most leveraged and highest-ROI thing he’s ever created. People sign up for the program for a variety of reasons: to enhance relationships, improve IQ and emotional intelligence (EQ), free up energy, expand consciousness, improve brain function, and become more resilient.

Everyone’s Favorite Virus™️ made scheduling a challenge, which is why it took this long for me to attend. Monday morning, I arrived at the stunning compound. The building and grounds were absolutely beautiful.

I met the other participants in the main dining area. There were six of us. We split into groups of three with a facilitator for most of our time, but we all joined together for lunch and dinner. The small group makes for an intimate setting with lots of individual attention.

After completing some preliminary paperwork, we separated into two groups and met with our facilitators. Our first session with the facilitator focused on setting intentions for how we want to live.

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up where you are headed.” —Lao Tzu

The first thing I wrote is the following: I want to live without fear, be hopeful about the future, and be confident in my abilities to succeed in life. After setting intentions, it was time for our first brain scan.

Every brain is unique. To establish a baseline, we received a custom brain map that measures over 8,000 discrete variables. The neuroscience team analyzes the data and designs a custom program using specialized feedback to reinforce strengths, reduce areas of weakness, and improve how parts of the brain communicate with each other.

The facilitators used neurofeedback and reset protocols that taught us to edit, turn off, and upgrade the voice in our heads. This training increased the threshold for stress and helped us reframe the things that stress us out. The goal is to take on more with less energy and become more resilient.

Our facilitator was an expert listener, and he taught us many tools and techniques to question our belief systems and get to the root of the fears underlying our emotions. The facilitator was an excellent guide along the way, enabling us to rediscover the core of who we are and what’s most important to us.

Each day featured multiple pod sessions, where we used technology that provided real-time feedback to train advanced forms of meditation. One of the stories I’ve been telling myself is that I can’t meditate for long periods of time. I proved in my pod sessions that I could sustain long periods of a meditative state. My brain could do it, and more importantly, I am confident that I can do it.

This is where the magic happens.

Obviously, it takes quality fuel to do all this work, and we received the best fuel. We took science-backed, cognitive-enhancing supplements. We drank Bulletproof Coffee (decaf) and delicious Bulletproof meals for lunch and dinner prepared by an executive chef. We had plenty of healthy snacks, and I got my fill of Bulletproof collagen protein bars.

Halibut with vegetable medley and cabbage frittata

We were asked to avoid caffeine for a week before, during, and after training. Why no caffeine? Caffeine interferes with the brain’s ability to coordinate the functions of the left and right hemispheres. Caffeine helps your brain perform sequential tasks, e.g., planning, analysis, and problem-solving. That’s your brain in Beta-wave mode. Caffeine inhibits the expansive thinking of meditation, which is your brain in Alpha-wave mode. By the way, pairing caffeine with L-theanine will help balance some of the effects. Green tea is naturally high in L-theanine.

We also had access to various devices, such as the Bulletproof vibration plate and the BioCharger.

Nothing like getting charged up with some Bulletproof coffee and the BioCharger.

My transformation at 40 Years of Zen

For nearly a year, I have dealt with varying pain in my hands, specifically my fingers. I feel it when I clench my hands into fists or try to grip things. There’s a sharpness in my knuckles, like the skin is too tight. It usually feels worse in the morning as opposed to after a long day tapping at a keyboard.

My doctor ruled out an auto-immune condition with a blood test, and she suggested it might be the beginning of arthritis. She recommended that I take proteolytic enzymes on an empty stomach at bedtime. When you take enzymes with food, they help break down the food. When you take enzymes on an empty stomach, they help the body clear misfolded proteins and other undesirables circulating through your system and causing inflammation, which is the root cause of arthritis. After taking the enzymes for a couple of weeks, there might have been a slight improvement, but overall the pain has been the same despite other modalities such as ice packs and using a hand massager regularly.

I learned an ancient Qigong breathing technique that helps to restore energy flow throughout the body. This exercise is a hard reset of the nervous system. While performing this breathing, I felt my hands become warm with a tingling sensation. I explored this feeling in the pod session and discovered an incredible revelation.

At the end of his life, my father lost the use of his hands, which had become locked closed. He only had his two index fingers for typing. I never got to the bottom of the cause, and I feared the same thing would happen to me. I explored the worst-case scenario of losing the use of my hands and discovered that the root of my fear was a lack of trust—trust in other people and the universe. Since that revelation, my hands have felt 95% better! No more pain!

Before this experience, I was searching for answers in the world. I read books, listened to “experts,” and remained frustrated (like Bono) that I still haven’t found what I’m looking for. One of the clear messages I received this week is that the answers are within me. I need to be patient, wait for them, and not try to think through every issue.

My brain scan revealed that my brain is underperforming relative to a high-performing brain. My diet and lifestyle that led to type 2 diabetes affected my brain, but seeing the images made it very real for me. I am doubling down on prioritizing sleep, eating nutritious foods with lots of healthy fats, and getting more active in enjoyable ways.

One of the last tasks on Friday was to set intentions for the path ahead. Intentions are like the North Star, reminding us what’s important. We started the task with a question:

How can I live my life such that the outcome doesn’t matter?

After all, we can make choices and actions, but we cannot control the outcomes. I worked with the facilitator to discuss all the breakthroughs and the truths I uncovered during the week. We worked together to distill the essence into a few sentences.

Even though the experience is five days, the journey has only just started. Our brains will continue to undergo significant changes in the next three to six months. I am a work in progress and much more at peace with the many versions of me that make me unique.

It sounds cliché to call something “life-changing,” but that is an apt description of 40 Years of Zen. I feel tremendous gratitude in my heart for Dave Asprey, his team, and this amazing opportunity. This isn’t a program where you feel good for the moment and then return to the normalcy of everyday life. I felt a shift not just in my brain but in my entire body. This program is the real deal and worth the commitment. The best investments are the ones you make in yourself. It isn’t easy to summarize this experience in a short newsletter. I will write more on the topic in the future, but I’ll end with one final thought.

Tim Ferriss likes to ask the following question of the guests on his podcast: If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it, what would it say? Tim recently did a Q&A episode in which he answered his own question. He said he stole it from someone, and I’m stealing it from him:

Don’t believe everything that you think.

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