Today was our "Ultimate Fast Food Smoothie Party" where we talked about highly nutritious smoothies that can be made on the go for people with busy schedules that want a healthful alternative to main stream fast food. We want to say thank you to everyone who came and everyone who helped set it up!
Next weekend we will be having two more events. The first is the "Upper and Lower Back Health Qigong Workshop" in which we will be going over ancient Chinese exercises that can help keep your back strong, healthy and flexible. The second is a "Detox Party" in which we will be discussing an ancient Mediterranean herbal detoxification blend that can help with your internal spring cleaning this year.
Below are links to the facebook event pages where you can get more detailed information about these events. Everyone is welcome to attend!
Here's some great news for those of you who are wanting a class that focuses more on Qi Gong. Start January 29th
(Sunday) at 5:00pm I will be offering a Qi Gong specific class once a
week at Sophia's Well of Wisdom in Sutter Creek. :) This class will be
taking place every Sunday at 5:00pm. We're only asking for a minimum donation of $5 per person to make the health benefits of Qi Gong easily accessible to everyone in our community.
For those of you who aren't quite sure what Qi Gong is...
Qi Gong (pronounced “Chee Gong”)
was once a secret art in China
taught only to a privileged few and was considered a closely guarded
treasure amongst those who practiced it because of its many health
benefits. It was
developed for the purpose of increasing the body’s vital energy to restore or
maintain the body’s youthful vigor. Over
the past few decades Qi Gong has become more and more accessible
to the general public and is now an extremely popular form of exercise that is
used to help limber up joints, increase circulation, increase flexibility,
focus the mind, relieve stress, and energize the body and mind. This
art is now practiced by millions of
people every day for its many health benefits and on the 29th it will be
available in Sutter Creek to anyone interested in experiencing this ancient art for themselves.
Sophia's Well of Wisdom is located across the street from the Days Inn in Sutter Creek.
The Address is:
270 Hanford Street, Suite A.
If you have any questions or would like more info about this class please feel free to Contact Me.
I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that there are some changes in my Tai Chi and Qi Gong class schedules as well as some new classes.
At KSW Karate in Pine Grove, CA the Tuesday and Thursday morning Tia Chi classes have been moved from 8:30 to 9:00. So they will be starting 30 minutes later than they used to.
Also, at New York Fitness in Jackson, CA, starting May 3rd and continuing through the end of June there will be an evening Tai Chi and Qi Gong class from 4:00 to 5:00pm.
This is will be my first entry on this blog and I'm very excited to be posting it. I have just returned from an extended stay in China where I was studying Traditional Chinese Martial Arts. My goal here is to focus on the many health benefits of these martial arts and give instructions and exercises for people to practice at home.
I also want to use this blog to keep people up to date on local classes that I will be teaching and to keep people up to date on the latest news in my nutrition business.
It's going to be fun and I'm looking forward to getting started.
The first order of business today is to keep those who live in the wonderful community of Amador County, CA up to date on classes available to them.
Currently I am instructing a Tai Chi and Qi (pronounced "Chee") Gong class at New York Fitness (NYF) in Jackson, CA. This class is available every Monday morning from 7:30 to 8:30 and it's a great opportunity to start the week off right, by calming and focusing your mind, while relaxing your body. We won't spend much, if any, time working on the martial (fighting) aspects of Tai Chi, but the health benefits of strengthening your body, increasing your flexibility, improving your balance, letting go of stress, and calming your mind will make the trip to the gym well worth your while. You don't need to bring anything special to this class, just dress comfortably in loose (non-restricting) clothing and sport your favorite pair of comfortable shoes....or, as some people do, kick off your shoes and just train with sock feet. :) For any questions you can contact NYF at (209) 223-3236 or you can contact me right here. I'm always up for questions. :)
The second piece of news for those who live in Amador County is that I will be teaching a Tai Chi and Qi Gong class every Tuesday and Thursday morning at the Ko Sutemi West Karate Dojo in Pine Grove, CA. These classes will be from 8:30 to 9:30 and there will be a little more focus placed on the martial applications of Tai Chi, but this class will still offer the previously mentioned healthful benefits. For questions about this class, contact me.
So... that takes care of all of my Amador County family, but what about everyone else out there that would like to experience the health benefits of Tai Chi and Qi Gong? What can I do for you guys and gals? Well, I've thought about it (and while it's not official yet) I'm planning to start a podcast or series of videos that you can watch online or download for free that will give you lessons to practice in your spare time. They will never be able to replace the kind of teaching you can get from an instructor in a one-on-one environment, but it'll be something you can use at home until you can find a good instructor. I don't have a lot of details on this yet, as it is still very much in the development stages, but I wanted to give you all a "Heads up!" to stay tuned and ready for more updates on this project. :) It's really got me excited and I hope, when I get it going, it will be a big benefit to you all!
Now, for those of you who are thinking, "What in the world is Qi Gong?..........and isn't Tai Chi a drink at Starbucks?" do not fret. If you are completely new to both of these arts and aren't quite sure what kind of blog you've stumbled across, I am working on a post that will explain each art and give you a basic foundation for understanding these arts.
So stay tuned for the exciting new posts that are on the way! :)
Pretty lame stuff, right? Yet everyone seems to have an ample supply with plenty in reserves just in case they happen to have a peaceful day sometime during the year. It's not that any of us like stress, but so many of us have stressors piling on more stress every time we turn around it almost seems like there is not escape. The boss is upset about something, we need a job, the kids spilled grape juice on the new carpet, we have to fill up a 20 gal. gas tank with gas prices going through the roof....you name it, stressors are all over the place.
So, since we cannot simply tell the world to go away and to stop being stressful, one of the best things we can do is learn to release the stress that we have accumulated during the day. Some people choose to do this by taking part in activities that simply add more stress. Although they may be fun and seem to reduce stress at the moment, they often tend to create an imbalanced lifestyle of constantly pushing yourself. In the long run such a lifestyle tends to lead people to a place where they just feel burned out and apathetic towards life.
One of the worst parts of this whole mess is that most people that are stressed have become so used to it that they don't even realize they are stressed. Their body is full of tension and they don't even notice it anymore. I've taught Tai Chi to students like this. I will tell them to relax their shoulders while they are standing in a certain posture, but they are so used to the tension they carry around all day that they look at me with a puzzled look and say, "My shoulders are relaxed." Which, to them, is true because they don't remember what relaxed feels like, but it is very easy to see that their shoulders are anything but relaxed. Sometimes placing my hands on their shoulders and telling them, "Focus on these points and try to relax them a little more each time you exhale" is all it takes to get them to actually relax their shoulders (some times it takes more than that), but they are always surprised by how much tension they were actually carrying when they do finally relax their shoulders. Often the exact words they use to describe the difference are, "Oh wow..." Simply by letting go of some of the tension they have stored up for years they immediately feel like a new person.
I want to teach you a simple breathing exercise that will help you get rid of some of your stored up stress. You might be wondering, "How is breathing going to get rid of tension in my body?" It's pretty simple. In the same way that you can use your mind to stress out about something or worry about something to the point that you give yourself an ulcer (or any number of other health problems caused by stress) you can use your mind, on purpose, to have a positive effect on your body. Simply by changing what you are focusing on for a short while you can give your mind and body the little "vacation" they need to keep on going.
Ready? Here we go... :)
Posture:
You can sit in a chair, cross legged on the floor or on a pillow, or even stand to do this breathing exercise. Regardless of which way you choose to do this you will want to make sure your spine is straight. Start by tucking your chin in slightly, and tilting your hips slightly to straighten out the curve in your lower back. You can imagine that your head is filled with helium and is being lifted gently upward. This will help straighten and alleviate the feeling of pressure on your spine. If you are standing you will want to keep a slight bend in your knees.
Next place your hands on your lower belly about an inch below your belly button. For females place your right hand on your lower belly then place you left hand over top of it. For males place your left hand first, then your right hand on top.
Once you are here imagine all your weight and every bit of tension sinking down to the lowest part of your body then imagine that your tension is draining out into the ground.
Breathing:
Start by closing your mouth. For this exercise you will be breathing in and out through your nose only. Place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth (this is important in Chinese medical theory because it connects two of the bodies meridians and allows the body to adjust and balance out more easily) When you breathe in through your nose imagine you are pulling that breath all the way down to where your hands are on your lower belly. Keep your shoulders relaxed as you do this. Instead of drawing your breath into your chest and expanding your rib cage, keep your chest and shoulders relaxed and expand your lower belly as you inhale. When you exhale bring your lower belly in as you push the air out of your lungs, but continue to keep the chest and shoulders relaxed and move them as little as possible.
In Qi Gong they say that your breathing should be quiet, thin, and smooth like a silk thread. You should not be able to hear it and it should not have an ending or a beginning. Your inhale should smoothly turn into your exhale and vice-versa. Try to breathe deeply and slowly. Long, steady, smooth inhale and long, steady, smooth exhale.
Mind:
When you are doing this simply start by counting your breaths in sets of 10. Usually you will want to do at least 20 breaths per session, but you can add more if you feel so inclined. So with your first inhale count "1" in your mind and follow that breath all the way to the lower belly with your mind, then follow it all the way back up and out your nose. Do the same thing over and over until you reach "10" then start counting at "1" again.
While you are doing this the mind will tend to wander and will try to pull your attention back to the things that it has been worrying about or thinking about all day. Our minds are very often unaccustomed to silence. If thoughts begin to pop up, don't try to force them away, just let them pass by and continue to focus on just your breathing. After a while of practice your body will become more relaxed and your mind will feel more relaxed and more focused at the same time.
It probably won't take you more than 10 mins. to go through all 20 breaths so this exercise is something you can use to focus your mind and prepare yourself for the day or as a way to calm down and relax after a long day. 10 minutes is definitely worth it if it can help you maintain your health, or counteract some of the effects of stress on your body, right?
Feel free to contact me with any questions about this exercise and I hope you enjoy a more relaxed mind and body for years to come as you practice this simple stress-relieving breathing exercise. :)
How many of you notice when the season is changing more easily by how your body feels than by looking at a calender?
Usually as people age more they become more sensitive to changes in the weather, but some younger people pick up on the changes in their mood, energy levels, and general feelings of well being during changes in the seasons as well. In Traditional Chinese Medicine they understand that different bodies have different compositions and usually respond differently to their environment. They group body types into 5 main categories corresponding to the Chinese 5 elements theory. Simply put, depending on the category you fit, you are more likely to respond a certain way to specific external environmental changes.
Have you ever met a couple where one person loves summer, they tend to keep their house quite warm in winter, and they're usually cold all the time, but the other person can't wait for winter, they always feel the house is too hot, and they have no problem walking around in colder weather in very light clothing? That would be a very basic example of different body types reacting differently to the same environment. When the season changes from cold conditions to warm conditions one of those people is going to become more active and feel more energized, while the other is going to feel more lethargic and less capable of functioning as well as they would like. The same thing will happen in reverse when winter rolls back around.
During the thousands of years that Chinese Medicine was developing they began to understand why certain body types react certain ways to seasonal changes and they began to learn that some organs become more active during certain seasons and less active during other seasons. They realized that if you were to exercise and massage these organs, and pressure points related to these organs, you could help balance them as they transition into their "more active" cycle. This smooth transition into their more active cycle helps keep the body's internal environment balanced and strong, which in turn helps avoid common seasonal ailments that were caused by a weakened and imbalanced internal system. When your internal environment is having to work too hard to adjust to new weather conditions it generally becomes too taxed to effectively defend against the most recent "bug that is going around."
Early on in their study of how the body works the Chinese developed a set of Qi Gong exercises that somewhat mimic animal movements, but are designed to help balance certain organs in the body and keep people in optimum health during each different season. This set of Qi Gong exercises is commonly called The Five Animal Forms (or Five Animal Sports, or Five Animal Frolics) Qi Gong. This is one of my favorite Qi Gong sets and it's one of my favorites to teach as well. It's truly amazing to me how good I feel after going through any portion of this set.
There is an animal for each season.....and no I haven't forgotten how to count. :) Summer has two animals assigned to it. When I teach these animal Qi Gong sets I teach the animal set that is assigned to the current season. At the KSW Karate Dojo in Pine Grove we are currently 4 moves into the Deer form set and we will be adding the last move and possibly some new foot work to it next week. Don't worry if you've missed out on the first part of the Deer form, though. I enjoy teaching and I'll work with you from the first movement if you are just starting. :)
When Spring finally decides to come to Amador County (and actually stay) we will start learning the Tiger Qi Gong form.
If you have trouble adjusting to seasonal changes or would just like to learn these awesome balancing Qi Gong exercises Contact Me.
Yesterday morning (1-18-11) marked the third Tai Chi and Qi Gong class held at the Pine Grove Ko Sutemi West Karate Dojo. It was a small class, but still a blast. At the not-so-early hour of 8:30am class began and the students who were there began working on several of the basic movements that will prepare them for practicing the art of Tai Chi. The dojo, with its support posts standing proud down the center of the room, has the feel of an old traditional dojo, almost like something you would see in the movies. With the crisp cool air outside and the still quiet feel of a room meant for the improvement of the mind and body, we began to move. The slow meditative feel of Tai Chi lending a still, calm inward feeling to match the peaceful feel of the room. After working on several basic motions and beginning to develop a feel for the art of Tai Chi we focused for a while on foot work and the meanings of the movements, then brought the class to a close with Qi Gong that relaxed our bodies, increased circulation, and cleared and rejuvenated our minds.
Some people wonder what the benefits of an art like Tai Chi can bring them. many of us have heard about Tai Chi on the television, or in the news, but never really understand what it is or what it has to offer. Below I have copied an article from the Los Angeles Times that does a great job of describing several of the benefits of Tai Chi. I hope you enjoy the read.
---In Harmony For Health
Graceful Tai Chi Appears To Boost Immunity, Including Helping Elderly
Fend Off Shingles
April 24, 2007
By MELISSA HEALY, Los Angeles Times
In 12th-century China, a Taoist monk known as Chang San-Feng is said to have
studied the physical movements of five animals and concluded that two - the snake
and the crane - were best suited to overpower opponents who were fierce and
tenacious. From that ancient observation, the slow, graceful movements of tai chi
were born.
Today, with the art and exercise of tai chi growing in popularity, scientists have
found that older adults who practice this martial art strengthen themselves against
an opponent as stubborn as any - the tiny chickenpox virus, which can cause a
painful and often persistent nerve inflammation called shingles.
The new study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society, is the
first - and most rigorous - of a welter of rigorous new studies designed to
investigate the health effects of tai chi. Also in the works are five federally funded
studies examining whether regular practice can help patients contending with heart
disease, osteoarthritis and cancer fight off threats such as depression, infection and
the pain of joint inflammation. Other studies are looking into whether tai chi can
improve balance and reduce falls among elderly people, and improve the well-being
of patients with HIV.
"Tai chi is clearly an exercise program, but it has something more," said Andrew
Monjan, chief of the National Institute on Aging's neurobiology of aging branch. "It
seems to be somewhat more effective than simple exercise and more effective than
simple stress reduction." And older adults enjoy it, he said, making it a therapy
patients will stick to.
For healthy older adults, the study demonstrated a striking immunity-boosting
effect. After 16 weeks of tai chi classes - even before they received chickenpox
vaccine - subjects practicing tai chi showed immunity levels to chickenpox (and
hence to shingles) that were comparable to those of 30- and 40-year-olds who got
the vaccine. After the tai chi practitioners received the dose, their immune response
surged by 40 percent.
Compared with a similar group of older adults who did not practice tai chi but
received a shot of vaccine and a 16-week health-education program, those who
practiced tai chi built stronger immunity to chickenpox and to shingles. They also
showed significant improvements in measures of physical functioning, vitality and
mental health.
"It looks like a strong phenomenon, a fairly robust effect," Monjan said. Tai chi's
combination of slow, steady movements, rhythmic breathing and meditation appear
to offer a unique mix of benefits, Monjan said. It builds aerobic conditioning. It
relaxes the body's response to stress, which tends to intensify as people age. And it
increases the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain.
But which of those effects produces the powerful immunity-building responses seen
in the most recent study - or whether that effect is the product of some synergy
among those effects - remains a mystery, he said. Future studies may seek to
answer that question, Monjan said.
Dr. Michael R. Irwin, of the Norman Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at
the University of California, Los Angeles, directed the study, recruiting 112 healthy
adults in Los Angeles and San Diego counties, with an average age of 70. All had
had chickenpox at an earlier age and so had some immunity to a recurrence. But as
people age, they become more vulnerable to the virus that is left behind by
chickenpox - the varicella virus, which causes shingles in 1 of 5 adults who have
had chickenpox. The virus lies dormant in its host until a flagging immune system
allows it to reawaken and inflame nerves.
Generally, a dose of chickenpox vaccine will boost immunity to shingles, but in
older adults, that boost can be less robust than in younger patients. To test
whether the practice of tai chi had an effect on immunity to varicella (and hence, to
herpes zoster), Irwin divided the healthy adults into two groups. Although all
received a dose of varicella vaccine, half also received 120 minutes a week of tai chi
for 16 weeks, while the other half got 120 minutes per week of class time on a
variety of health-related topics.
Even before the vaccine was administered after 16 weeks, the stronger immune
response of the tai chi group, as compared with that of the group receiving general
health instruction, was striking, Irwin said.
The tai chi group showed an effect similar to already having had the vaccine. After
members of both groups got a dose of vaccine, the tai chi group's immune response
picked up more steam and was almost twice as strong as that of the group that did
not practice tai chi by the end of the study.
"There's a huge number of people who are not being adequately treated with the
vaccine, because older adults often do not show a full response to vaccine," Irwin
said. "That's what's kind of nice," he added, "that when you add a behavioral
intervention, it boosts the effects of the vaccine. ... The benefit was really found in
the combination."
That powerful combination of medicine and behavior, Monjan said, underscored the
important link between physical and psychological health and pointed to a new way
- in this case, a pleasant and accessible form of exercise - to help combat the many
chronic conditions that accelerate with age.
Perhaps most encouraging, Irwin and Monjan said, is how readily accepted tai chi is
by older adults who try it. The slow, dance-like movements require intense
concentration and body awareness - both of which appear to contribute to its
meditative, stress-reducing effects. Trying tai chi does not require a high level of
conditioning or special skill, Irwin said. It is gentle on stiff joints and muscles and is
accessible even to people with physical limitations such as chronic obstructive
pulmonary disorder.
For 78-year-old Robert L. Smith and 74-year-old Genevieve Marcus of Los Angeles,
both participants in Irwin's trial, tai chi was a new form of exercise. But it became
one that the married couple adopted as a daily morning ritual. Smith, who has had
knee and hip replacement and says he's "fast at everything," said he found that tai
chi calmed and energized him. Marcus said it helped her hone and maintain her
balance and had become a welcome, meditative part of her day.
"We feel in harmony" after conducting the slow-steady dawn sessions, Smith said.
"We've just made it part of our routine." ---
Classes are still being offered at the KSW Karate dojo in Pine Grove, CA every Tuesday and Thursday Morning from 8:30 to 9:30 and at New York Fitness every Monday morning from 7:30 to 8:30. For those of you who cannot make it to morning class I am in the process of finding a place to have evening classes and will post new information about that as it is available. :)
