If we're on SR to explore spirituality, connect with the divine or for spiritual improvement, we need to follow some rules along with basic semen retention.
1. Give up feelings of anger and hate
Don't hate anyone and don't let thoughts of anger touch your mind, even if some circumstances make you angry. Hateful thoughts will affect your purity and might lead to undesirable consequences.
Hateful emotions and thoughts are useless, destructive and completely unnecessary. It drains your pure energy gained from retention.
2. Don't chase benefits
If you don't notice any benefits, it's completely fine. SR is known to provide stability of the mind and helps in making the mind focused and one-pointed. Some of the benefits are very subtle and go unnoticed. If you do not notice any visible benefits, have patience and remain calm. You are, and will be getting benefits but some are not noticeable right away.
If we're spiritually inclined, we need to have faith and devotion in our practice. The mindset matters. The mindset should be of eternal retention and not retention just for the sake of benefits.
3) Have no pride
Avoid any feeling of pride since it limits you from reaching your fullest potential. Pride will create a false sense of self that actually hinders your progress.
4) Keep things secret
It's better to keep your journey secret and not tell people that you're on semen retention or that you're trying to explore spirituality. It's alright if you're trying to help someone who is suffering but don't force people to take this path.
5) Spend time alone
Try to take out some time just for yourself and spend it alone. You can meditate during that time and focus on the soul. Quiet the mind and immerse yourself in the spirit.
Letting go of all mental attachments and thoughts moves you closer to the higher self. Focus on the infinity of the vast space pervading the entire universe and merge with the eternal.
6) Don't confuse the mind by reading a lot
Trying to follow and understand a lot of philosophies and concepts leads to increased mental activity which might lead to confusion and gaps in progress.
7) Focus on the things that usually go unnoticed
When the mind is bombarded with daily pleasures and instant gratification, it misses out on all the subtle things that can provide peace. By letting go of external wants and desires, we receive inner peace and find happiness in everything. The mind no longer craves for external situations or objects for happiness.
Just a simple activity like feeling the wind or watching a bird drinking water will provide immense feelings of happiness and peace and meditating on such feelings will further develop stronger feelings of love and deep admiration towards nature and natural forces like love itself.
8) Believe in the formless
Whether it's God or love, believe and have faith in the formless, and focus just on the pure emotions of eternal love towards a being or the Lord. Unconditional, spiritual and true love is not limited by time and connects us with the divine.
Therein lies the seed of solace, protection and divine states of consciousness and is also the gateway to the higher self.
9) Try to stay calm when disturbed by unwanted thoughts
Unwanted thoughts like regret, opposing thoughts, anger, confusion, irritation, fear, doubts, urges etc. can disturb your state of mind and lead to unwanted consequences. So instead of reacting to them, stay calm.
Know that at the time of arising they are just thoughts, so the power remains in your hands. Will you let them affect you and turn them into actual consequences by reacting to them or just let them pass as thoughts by not reacting to them?
10) Have patience
If you're unable to maintain your streaks, don't worry. With time, practice and prolonged observation on the subtle aspects of thought patterns that lead to urges and the like and their connective sequences, all forms of mental activity can be controlled.
Don't dwell on your mistakes and failures. Let them serve as a repository of knowledge for developing unsurpassed self-discipline.
11) Don't underestimate the power of repetition
The mind is a powerful tool and can be used for betterment. Repetition of a particular behavior will make it permanent. That's why it becomes difficult to remove bad habits and habitual thought patterns. But, with practice and repetition of disciplined, steady and calm thoughts, all the mental barriers can be removed that stops you from unleashing your unlimited potential.
Great states can be achieved by repetition and willpower. If you're on a nice streak today, you already know that no matter how many times you failed, at last you succeeded because of your dedication. Similarly, mental constructs that lead to urges and the like can be avoided by continuous practice.
12) Free yourself from the bondage
Not all forms of knowledge lead to peace. That's why sometimes it's better to free yourself from the curiosity of word knowledge and limited beliefs created by others and yourself.
13) Devotion - above all
Almost all types of knowledge can be contradicted with other forms. Therefore, we should take the path of incredible love, extreme faith and firm devotion and go with the spiritual flow preceded by abstinence instead of getting trapped in limited forms of knowledge and beliefs.
9) Try to stay calm when disturbed by unwanted thoughts
Unwanted thoughts like regret, opposing thoughts, anger, confusion, irritation, fear, doubts, urges etc. can disturb your state of mind and lead to unwanted consequences. So instead of reacting to them, stay calm.
Know that at the time of arising they are just thoughts, so the power remains in your hands. Will you let them affect you and turn them into actual consequences by reacting to them or just let them pass as thoughts by not reacting to them?
10) Have patience
If you're unable to maintain your streaks, don't worry. With time, practice and prolonged observation on the subtle aspects of thought patterns that lead to urges and the like and their connective sequences, all forms of mental activity can be controlled.
Don't dwell on your mistakes and failures. Let them serve as a repository of knowledge for developing unsurpassed self-discipline.
11) Don't underestimate the power of repetition
The mind is a powerful tool and can be used for betterment. Repetition of a particular behavior will make it permanent. That's why it becomes difficult to remove bad habits and habitual thought patterns. But, with practice and repetition of disciplined, steady and calm thoughts, all the mental barriers can be removed that stops you from unleashing your unlimited potential.
Great states can be achieved by repetition and willpower. If you're on a nice streak today, you already know that no matter how many times you failed, at last you succeeded because of your dedication. Similarly, mental constructs that lead to urges and the like can be avoided by continuous practice.
12) Free yourself from the bondage
Not all forms of knowledge lead to peace. That's why sometimes it's better to free yourself from the curiosity of word knowledge and limited beliefs created by others and yourself.
13) Devotion - above all
Almost all types of knowledge can be contradicted with other forms. Therefore, we should take the path of incredible love, extreme faith and firm devotion and go with the spiritual flow preceded by abstinence instead of getting trapped in limited forms of knowledge and beliefs.