And we have TaiChiLady to thank .....

For our evening thought exercise, as well ...

And so .....

Healing With Hurt - Using Your Pain To Help Others

Pain is a fact of being and one that permeates all of our lives to some degree.

Since the hurt we feel may be a part of the experiences that have touched us most deeply, we are often loathe to let it go.

It is frequently easier to keep our pain at our sides, where it acts as a shield that shelters us from others and gives us an identity - that of victim - from which we can draw bitter strength.

However, pain's universality can also empower us to use our hurt to help others heal.

Since no pain is any greater or more profound than any other, what you feel can give you the ability to help bring about the recovery of individuals whose hurts are both similar to and vastly different from your own.

You can channel your pain into transformative and healing love that aids you in helping individuals on a one-to-one basis and spreading a tide of curative energy throughout the world.

The capacity to heal others evolves naturally within those who are ready to disassociate themselves from their identity as victims.

In fact, the simple decision to put aside the pain we have carried is what grants us the strength to redeem that pain through service.

There are many ways to use the hurt you feel to help others.

Your pain gives you a unique insight into the minds of people who have experienced trauma and heartache.

You can draw from the wellspring of strength that allowed you to emerge on the other side of a painful experience and pass that strength to individuals still suffering from their wounds.

You may be able to council individuals in need by showing them the coping methods that have helped you survive or simply by offering sympathy.

A kinship can develop that allows you to relate more closely with those you are trying to aid and comfort.

Helping others can be a restorative experience that makes your own heart grow stronger.

In channeling your pain into compassionate service and watching others successfully recover, you may feel a sense of euphoria that leads to increased feelings of self-worth and optimism.

Your courageous decision to reach out to others can be the best way to declare to yourself and the world that your pain didn't defeat you, and in fact it helped you heal.

And turning to TaiChiLady once again this morning ...

For our thought exercise ....

Emerging Courageous - Walking Through Your Fear

The situations, activities, and individuals that frighten us remain static.

Their relative intensity does not change.

Fear, on the other hand, self-magnifies.

It is when you are afraid and envisioning all that might go wrong that the energy underlying your fear grows.

A tiny flicker of anxiety can easily develop into a terror that manifests itself physically and eventually paralyzes you into inaction.

Though frequently, in walking through that fear, we discover that the strength of our fright was out of synch with reality.

And we learn that doing what frightens us can lead to great blessings.

Confronting your trepidation head-on will help you accept that few frightening scenarios will ever live up to the negative disasters that we sometimes play out in our minds.

Though fear is literally an evolutionary gift meant to sharpen your senses and energize you during times of great stress, it can nonetheless become a barrier that prevents you from fulfilling your potential by causing you to miss out on rewarding, life-changing experiences.

During the period before you face your fear, you may have to deal with a barrage of negative thoughts and emotions.

Walking through it, whether your fear is public speaking, taking part in an activity that makes you nervous, or asserting yourself when the odds are against you, may be equally as difficult.

But once you have emerged unscathed on the other side, which you will, you will likely wonder why you assumed the worst in the first place.

As you spend time worrying about what might happen, it's good to know that your fear probably won't happen at all.

It may feel like a great weight has been lifted from your shoulders, and you will likely feel a sense of passionate pride.

Walking through your fear can mean taking risks and can require both practice and patience.

Since it is challenging to act when you are gripped with fear, start small.

Each step you take into fear will strengthen you and help you confront future fears with poise, courage, and confidence.

You will also find that when you are willing to stare your fear in the face, the universe will always offer you some form of aid or support.

When you see the heights of accomplishment and personal evolution you can attain when you walk through your fears, your faith in yourself will grow, allowing your next step to be easier.

I call these words of Tai ChiLady's "thought exercises" ........

Not because they require thought necessarily ......

But because they stimulate thought, instead .....

And so ......

That stimulation .....

Causes movement ....

And that movement .....

EXERCISES THE BRAIN ...

And so .....

Without doing anything more .....

Than reading these words .....

You are "improving" yourself ...

And so ......

And that would be true .....

Whether you agree .....

With a word I said ...

OR NOT ...

It is all the same .....

Where the intent ....

Of the exercise ...

Is simply to have you have to think .....

For a moment .....

When you otherwise might not have had cause to .....

And so .....

And here I want to say .....

THAT THESE ARE THOUGHT EXERCISES ...

And so .....

DON'T READ THEM .....

AS SOMETHING ...

THAT YOU HAVE TO AGREE WITH .....

OR MEMORIZE ......

OR PRACTICE .....

OR MEDITATE ON ......

Unless you wanted to, of course ......

In which case ...

YOU WOULD KNOW ....

And so .....

To me .....

This is one of the great beauties .....

About this system that we are discussing in here ...

Which is ...

That you have a lifetime ...

In which to learn it ....

So that there is no rush ...

No stress ...

No fuss ...

No bother .....

And so ....

"A contented man (woman) ....."

"Is never disappointed ...."

"He (she) who knows ..."

"When to stop ..."

"Does not find ...."

"Himself (herself) in trouble ..."

"He (she) will stay ..."

"Forever safe ..."

- Lao Tze, Tao Te Ching

Age

does indeed

offer us freedom

of time

to think

to observe

to contemplate

to seek truth

and find peace

And age

lifts the restraints

so that we have less to lose

if we share

our thoughts

our wisdom

for the greater good...

Exhale.

Well said, Pie ....

Exhale, indeed ....

And relax the mind ...

And before I must go for the evening ....

Here is another thought exercise .....

From TaiChiLady .....

To close out our day ...

And so ....

Power In Numbers - Sending Our Collective Light To The World

Like tiny ripples that merge to form great waves, combined human intent is worth more than the sum of its parts.

A single individual can initiate worldwide improvement by emitting conscious frequencies of love, beauty, goodness, and wisdom.

A group of people focusing their energy on sending out light to the world can set the stage for positive global transformation.

All of us possess the ability to channel love energy, to heal, to be a conduit for white light, and to positively influence our fellow humans from afar.

Yet one person can only do so much.

Imagine if each one of us took a few moments at the start of each day to send out light to the world from our hearts.

Mother Earth would be quickly eased and the planet, as well as every organism and being on it, would be bathed in loving light.

The world would be an infinitely beautiful place.

end quotes

And so it could be ....

And so .....

But to make anything better .....

We must first be stable .....

And balanced ....

And harmonious ....

Unto ourselves ......

And so .....

Indeed, it usually begins within...

to emanate outward to others.


.................

words with many vowels
or soft sounds
continue to ease my soul

"Clarity ..."

"And stillness ..."

"Bring order ..."

"To the world ...."

- Lao Tze, Tao Te Ching

And indeed, it must, Pie .....

Begin within us ...

As individuals .....

With intent ...

To have it be so ....

Elsewise .....

There is nothing to emanate ......

And so .....

If a tiger .....

Out in the wild .....

Were to be a tiger .....

The way a young person .....

Doing a tiger form .....

Is a tiger .....

That real tiger .....

Would end up .....

Starving to death .....

Because everything .....

That the tiger .....

Would have to eat .....

To survive ....

Would know ....

That there was a tiger around ....

And so ....

They would all be somewhere else .....

And they would always know ....

Where the tiger was .....

And so .....

The real tiger .....

Must be unseen .....

To survive .....

In real life .....

And so .....

Life ...

Is evolution ...

Continuously .....

Not static, at all .....

And to evolve .....

WE MUST LEAVE THINGS BEHIND .....

Like who we were yesterday .....

Because that might not be useful ....

Today .....

And so .....

When facing problems .....

Are you far-seeing .....

And tenacious?

When you are finished ....

With work .....

Do you take time ....

To rest?

When preparing ....

For rest .....

Do you know how ...

To settle ...

Your mind?

When sleeping ....

Do you slip ....

Into emptiness?

- Deng, Ming-Dao

"There is ..."

"No greater misfortune ....."

"Than not knowing ....."

"What is enough ..."

- Lao Tze, Tao Te Ching

The FORM .....

Is the teacher ......

Not the person .....

That you learned the form from ......

And so .....

Who you learn the form from ...

Has learned their own lessons from the form .....

And so .....

That gives them insights .....

And the more insights ......

That they have ......

The more likely it is ...

That they can impart knowledge ....

To you ......

BUT THAT IS THEIR KNOWLEDGE ......

AND NOT YOURS .....

And so ....

At that point .....

It is simply something .....

For you to consider .....

And that is about all ....

Because it is a distraction .....

For me .....

To tell you .....

What I am feeling .....

In my lower dan tian .....

When I am doing ...

A certain chi gong .....

When you yourself ...

Have no clear idea ......

Where your lower dan tian might be .....

Or if you even have one ......

And so .....

In that case .....

As a teacher .....

I would .....

Give you a series of "gongs" .....

Or exercises .....

To help you to discover .....

On your own ...

Whether or not .....

You have a lower dan tian ...

And where it might be .....

And when you had made what discoveries that you had to make ......

One, ten, a hundred .....

At some point .....

You might simply abandon ....

That particular gong .....

Because you have gotten your benefit .....

And you have advanced .....

And so ......

Staying with that gong .....

Past that time ......

Might serve .....

To hold you back ....

And so .....

Knowing what is enough ......

Is a key ...

To further discovery .....

And so ....

Remember .....

NO ONE CAN MAKE OUR DISCOVERIES FOR US ......

That we must do on our own .....

BUT THE FORMS .....

Are the "VEHICLES" ......

That help us make that journey .....

And by which ...

We actually do ...

Make that journey .....

And so ...

Don't treat the forms .....

As a goal ......

Look at them ....

As an instructor, instead .......

And so .....

And starting out the day .....

With a thought ....

From TaiChiLady ......

Mudras

You might feel that your busy schedule leaves you little time to complete your many tasks today.

In trying to do everything on your to-do-list, you could be placing excess pressure on yourself.

While it is important to get things done, today you may want to concentrate on slowing down and finishing only what is of immediate importance.

You can do this by using a mudra when you begin to feel the pressure mounting.

A mudra is a hand gesture that helps to relieve distress by stimulating various nerve endings.

You could try a mudra for patience using your thumb and middle finger.

Turning your palm up, let the fingertips of these two fingers gently touch to form a circle of energy.

You might notice a sense of calm and well-being develop as a result.

Getting into the habit of using some form of physical relaxation technique daily helps us notice and cope with the pressures of everyday life.

When we feel stressed, it is useful to create a trigger that allows us to calm down and relax.

Mudras are an effective technique since they can be learned and used easily.

By using a mudra throughout the day, we activate not only a physical reaction but also a relaxation response.

This allows us to bring our attention back to ourselves and gives us mental energy to assess what is truly important in our lives.

Creating a relaxation trigger today will give you a tool you can use each day to deal with any situation that arises.

On my "ship of life" ......

I am ...

The only ...

Captain ...

That there is .....

I never "leave the bridge" .....

And I am always .....

"At the controls" .....

And so ....

Outside of the "wind" .....

And the "waves" .....

And the "stars" ....

And the "sky" .....

WHO REALLY .....

IS MY MASTER?

MUDRAS ......

And Ma Bu ......

HANDS .....

And feet ....

And expression ...

And of course ....

Ma Bu means nothing at all to us ...

Because it is not in a language that we are accustomed to ...

Nor is it ever explained real well .....

What it is .....

And so ....

Ma Bu is the "horse riding stance" .....

And if you have ever ridden a horse .....

You will have an idea of what I am talking about .....

When I say that Ma Bu ...

Is a dynamic stance .....

Even though to an observer .....

It might appear ....

That you are doing ....

Nothing ...

At all ....

To me .....

Ma Bu is not riding one horse .....

To me .....

Ma Bu .....

Is riding two horses .....

At once .....

Side by side .....

One foot on the back of one horse .....

And the other foot ....

On the back of the other horse .....

And there you are .....

LIKE A TRIANGLE .....

When you "envision" yourself standing there, that way .....

And so .....

Each time that I do Ma Bu ......

Or perhaps it is better said, "COME INTO MA BU" .....

I FEEL THOSE HORSES RUNNING .....

And so .....

I must accomodate myself .....

To them ...

The rythym of their movements .....

Which requires my feet to be sensitive ...

And alive ....

And my legs must be flexible .....

Not fixed .....

And so ....

If you have ever rode a horse .....

At full gallop .....

Then you know ......

That as you ride that horse .....

There is a rythym .....

To the horse's movements ....

Because like us .....

The horse ..

Is breathing air .....

And so .....

There is an inhale ....

And there is an exhale .....

And to "flow" with the horse .....

As opposed to bouncing all around .....

In the saddle ...

Like a sack ...

Of potatoes .....

We "accomodate" ourselves .....

To that cycle of breath .....

That transmits to us .....

Through the movements .....

Of the horse ......

As it is running ....

And so .....

THAT .....

IS .....

THE CYCLE .....

OF YIN .....

AND YANG ....

That we are experiencing .....

When we ride a horse .....

Running ....

Or walking ....

It is all the same cycle .......

And when we do Ma Bu ......

The "horse-riding stance" .......

We want to keep that sense .....

Of surging horses .....

Beneath our feet .....

And so .....

Ma Bu, then .....

Is not rigid .....

Because you cannot be rigid .....

And ride a horse .....

Even in a saddle ...

Because a horse ...

Like us .....

Is a living, breathing thing .....

And being rigid .....

Is counter to that rythym ...

Of life .....

That we can feel ...

Through our feet .....

From the earth, itself ...

Which is our "horse" .....

When we are doing Ma Bu .....

And so .....

Close your eyes .....

Right there in your own home ....

And feel .....

With your mind .....

Life beneath your feet .....

And exhale .....

And so .....

Now, as it is well known ....

Those skilled ....

In attracting life ....

Can travel ....

Across the land ....

And not meet ....

A rhinoceros .....

Or tiger ...

When the military comes in ....

Their defense ....

Cannot ....

Be attacked ....

The rhinoceros ...

Is without ....

A place ....

To thrust its horn ....

The tiger ....

Is without ....

A place ...

To affix its claw ....

The military ...

Is without ....

A place ...

To admit its blade ....

- Lao Tze, Tao Te Ching

Commentary by R. L. Wing .....

A strong life force .....

Creates .....

Certain invunerabilities ....

In life ......

Lao Tze ....

Believed .....

That individuals .....

Are protected ....

From harm ...

NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE LUCKY .....

BUT BECAUSE ......

They do not .....

CULTIVATE ....

WEAKNESSES .....

Therefore ....

Those who would evolve ....

Do not put themselves ....

Into positions ...

Where they are vulnerable ....

To attack .....

Or misfortune .....

State of mind .....

State of being .....

I think (__________) ........

Therefore ....

I am (__________) ........

Until you have lived some ...

And thought about that .....

For a time or two .....

Anyway .....

And then .......

Really gave it a try .....

Thinking on being some way ....

Like not angry .....

And then .....

Actually being .....

Not angry ...

For more than one or two minutes ....

It is just philosophy .....

And that is that .....

Just some words ....

On a piece of paper .....

And so ......

I came across those words ....

Probably thirty years ago now .....

And I began thinking about them ...

Back then ...

Looking at them .....

From this angle ...

And that direction ....

COULD THIS BE SO?

And it seemed that it could ...

But that alone ...

Didn't get it done ....

And so .....

Patience is what I am talking about .....

And Perseverence ......

And IMAGINATION .....

As we get older ...

We should not have ....

Less imagination ....

Than we did ....

When we were young ....

We should simply .....

Have a more mature relationship ....

With our imagination ....

Than we did ....

When we were young ...

Which then ...

Turns it ...

Into a positive tool ....

For OUR benefit ....

Which is to the benefit ....

Of the world around us ....

And so ...

Life is ...

What life is ....

And that is that .....

Nothing more ....

Nothing less .....

It simply is .....

What it is ....

At any given moment in time ....

And so .....

If that is the case .....

As it seems to be ....

WHY BOTHER WITH ALL OF THIS "STUFF" .....

That we are talking about in here .....

And I would say ...

That that answer ....

Has to be found ....

In your heart ...

Or it is nowhere, at all .....

And so .....

T'aiChiLady .....

And I ....

Have been having a sidebar ....

On how good a teacher .....

Of stances .....

A bad knee can be ....

And so ....

Years ago ....

When I first began to learn ....

Chinese martial arts .....

I was blessed ....

With a teacher .....

Who stressed stance exercises ....

For beginning students .....

And so .....

At his school ....

When you could do .....

His stance exercise smoothly .....

Flowing from horse stance to cat stance to crane stance to heel stance .....

Then you began to use your hands ....

And arms ....

And so .....

I am thankful ......

For that teacher .....

And his regimen .....

And INSISTENCE ....

On good stances ....

And stepping ....

And so .....

That is over twenty years ago .....

And I still pay attention to my stances .....

And stepping .....

Especially now .....

That I am comfortably familiar .....

With the "envelope" .....

Or "outer bounds" .....

Of my forms ....

Which is what TaiChilady and I are talking about .....

In our sidebar ....

The importance ....

Of good stepping ....

And stances ....

NO MATTER HOW LONG YOU HAVE BEEN DOING A FORM ....

And so ....

Stances ....

And breath .....

Or breathing, if you will ....

They are directly connected .....

And so .....

To me .....

Who utilizes these so-called "martial arts" .....

To maintain ....

And enhance ....

My own quality of life ....

As a living, breathing human being ....

That is where my attention .....

Should be focused .....

As I do my forms ....

And so ....

The "TRICK" .....

Of course .....

Is to have that .....

Actually be .....

Where my mind goes ....

When I am doing my forms ....

BECAUSE THERE ARE ALWAYS DISTRACTIONS .....

Waiting to take our minds with them .....

And so .....

Each time .....

That I do my forms ....

It really is an exercise .....

Of PATIENCE .....

PERSEVERENCE ....

AND CONCENTRATION ....

And so .....

And CONCENTRATION ....

Is really a key factor here .....

In getting healthful benefits from these exercises .....

As too sharply focused a concentration .....

Can be as much an impediment .....

To becoming relaxed in these forms ....

As no concentration at all .....

And so ....

Yesterday ....

In one of our exchanges ....

TaiChiLady informed me .....

That at class .....

Where I have not been myself in some time now ....

They are learning another chi gong .....

And she made the comment ...

That that chi gong .....

Was not relaxing .....

And so .....

When you are just learning something ....

Like t'ai chi ....

Or chi gong ....

The "process" of learning itself ....

Can cause us to be "rigid" .....

Because our attention is "outside" of ourselves .....

More than it is "internal" .....

And so .....

That is why ....

PATIENCE .....

And PERSEVERENCE ....

Are so important ....

To get us past this learning stage ....

And on the road .....

To "NATURALNESS" .....

In our movements ....

And so .....

We don't think about it, perhaps .....

Later on in life ....

But when we were ten or so .....

We started preparing ourselves .....

To be twenty .....

Not knowing, of course .....

Anything about being twenty .....

Other than what we observed .....

In the people around us ....

Who were twenty or so ....

When we were ten or so ....

And so .....

Depending on where we were ....

When we were ten ....

And who we were surrounded by ....

Our thoughts about what it would be like .....

To be twenty .....

Could vary quite a bit .....

From person to person of us .....

And so ......

And then we do reach twenty .....

And after that .....

Unless we are sick ....

Or injured .....

The next twenty or more years .....

Are pretty much of a cake-walk .....

Physically speaking, anyway .....

And so .....

Not knowing anything of older age .....

And having some thirty or more years ahead of us ....

Before we even get to fifty ...

Which is not old, at all .....

We lose sight of the need to prepare ourselves .....

To be eighty .....

When we are thirty .....

Or forty ....

Or even sixty ....

And so .....

That is one of the goals of this thread .....

To quietly discuss that need for "preparation" .....

At some time in our lives ....

For "older age" ....

Just as we prepared ourselves ....

When we were ten or so .....

To be twenty ....

And so .....

And this is another thought ....

That has come to me .....

From my recent exchanges ....

With TaiChiLady .....

And since it is relevant to our current "train of thought" in here .....

I make mention of it now ....

And so ....

Any time you learn a form .....

That is a series of different moves ....

And postures .....

The first move .....

The "opening" move .....

Is the one .....

That you will be the most familiar with ....

Because that is the one ...

That you will have done the most .....

Since you started ....

Your learning process ....

Right there ...

With that opening move ....

And so ...

Depending on how long it has been .....

Since you learned the whole form ....

You might find ..

Your concentration ...

And thus ...

Your control ...

Wavering ...

As you get further into the form .....

And so that will be ....

And it is natural, when you think about it .....

As I do ...

Since that occurred to me today ...

As I was doing my wuji chi gong this morning .....

As I do each day .....

I came to a point in the form .....

A "cross-over", I will call it ....

Where I became aware .....

Of the movements of the form ...

As I was doing it ....

As wuji chi gong increases in complexity of the movements .....

As you get further and further into the form .....

And when that happened .....

I "lost" .....

The rythym .....

Of the ma bu .....

Or horse riding stance .....

That I had set up ....

At the beginning of the form .....

And so .....

And that really should be expressed slightly differently ...

Because I did not ...

So much lose that rythym .....

As I failed to carry it further forward .....

Into that part of the form .....

That I am less familiar with .....

Than I am with the first part of the form .....

Which I learned first .....

And so .....

With that realization .....

I can move forward in my practice ....

Which is to say ...

Get more benefit ....

By being more relaxed ....

And at peace .....

Than I was yesterday ....

And so ....

Since true foundations cannot fail ....

But hold as good as new ...

Many a worshipful son shall hail ....

A father ....

Who lived true ....

Realized in one man (woman, as well), fitness has its rise ...

Realized in a family, fitness multiplies ...

Realized in a village, fitness gather weight ...

Realized in a country, fitness becomes great ....

Realized in a world, fitness fills the skies ....

And thus ....

The fitness of one man ...

You find ...

In the family he began ....

You find ...

In the village that accrued ....

You find ...

In the country that ensued ....

You find in the world's whole multitude ....

How do I know this integrity?

Because it all ....

Could begin ...

In me .....

- Lao Tze, Tao Te Ching

State of mind ...

State of being ...

And there is no scalpel .....

Sharp enough ....

To separate the two ....

Where your mind is ...

Your physical is sure to follow ...

And so .....

This morning ....

As I was waiting for the news to come on the radio ....

I heard the tail end of one of these "infomercials" .....

For some "wonder concoction" .....

That was going to restore all of your this ...

And all of your that ....

And quite seriously ...

Well ...

I just had to wonder ...

Who out there believes that that will happen ...

You don't have to move ...

You don't have to get control of your diet ...

Or lifestyle ...

You don't have to exert yourself ....

Or exercise ...

Just take a tablet ...

Put it in your mouth ...

And LE VOILA .....

There you are ...

In perfect health ...

Back to being twenty years old again .....

Full of energy ....

One pill makes you larger ......

And one pill makes you small .....

And the ones that mother gives you .....

Don't do anything at all ......

Go ask Alice .....

When she's ten feet tall .......

And so .....

"Fight Arthritis with Food"

Your diet plays a crucial role in helping you avoid or control osteoarthritis.

The first objective of a healthy diet is to help you lose weight if you are overweight.

Being overweight can cause additional stress to your joints.

The second way a balanced, varied diet can help ease the pain of arthritis is by providing vitamins and minerals that keep your joints healthy.

If you have arthritis or knee or hip pain, vitamin C and vitamin D can help prevent additional bone and cartilage destruction.

And a multivitamin can help ensure that you always get the nutrition you need.

Here are some other healthy (and delicious) choices to include in your diet.

Fresh pineapple.

Bromelain, an enzyme in pineapple, reduces inflammation.

Be sure the pineapple is fresh, not canned or frozen.

Cherries.

Recent research has shown that tart cherries are an excellent source of nutrients that may help to reduce joint pain and inflammation related to arthritis.

Fish.

Cold-water fish such as salmon and mackerel contain omega-3 fatty acids, as well as vitamin D, which help keep joints healthy as well as reduce pain and swelling.

If you don't care for fish, consider supplementing your diet with fish oil capsules.

If you learn a t'ai chi form .....

Without being taught chi gong ....

And the FIVE REGULATINGS .....

Then what you will have .....

IS ....

A t'ai chi form .....

And on those days ....

And there will be some ....

Or many, perhaps ....

Where that form does not suit you ...

Then ...

You will have nothing .....

And so .....

Conversely ....

If you ARRIVE ....

At t'ai chi ....

Through a series of small, incremental steps ...

And stages ...

Involving ...

Concentration ....

ON YOUR PART ...

And ATTENTION

ON YOUR PART ....

To such things ....

As the HORSE RIDING STANCE ....

And where your breath is ....

At any given time ....

THEN .....

You are NEVER .....

NOT ....

WITHOUT SOMETHING .....

TO FALL BACK ON ....

AND TO RELY ON ....

AND TO LOOK FORWARD TO ....

TO GET YOU THROUGH ...

OR BEYOND ...

WHAT YOU ARE CONFRONTED WITH ...

AT THAT MOMENT IN TIME ....

Be it simply no time at all to do anything ....

Which affects many, many of us ....

And I am not free of that, totally, myself ....

Or sickness ..

Or illness ....

Or injury .....

Whatever ...

It doesn't matter ....

Because chi gong ....

And the FIVE REGULATINGS ....

Are like one huge "toolbox" .....

SPECIFICALLY FOR ....

MAINTENANCE ....

OF THE "TOTAL" HUMAN BEING ...

And so ....

Years ago, now .....

I was wounded ...

In the back of the head .....

And neck ....

By an exploding war head ....

On a rocket-propelled grenade ....

And so ....

That kind of kicked me over ...

Into a "new career path" .....

That was more distinguished .....

For what it did not offer ...

Than for what it did ...

And so .....

Because of that ...

I have ended up ...

With "knowledge" .....

That really is available to anyone .....

Who has the incentive .....

As I was given ...

To learn this knowledge ....

And so ......

In most ways .....

I was lucky ....

To have become "disabled" when I did .....

Old enough to be able to handle it .....

Mentally ....

And young enough .....

To be able to deal with it .....

For a time ....

Physically ...

And so .....

As I have accumulated years ....

And miles ....

Since then ....

I have had ...

A first hand opportunity ....

Since "I" ....

Am "here" ....

Where the damage occurred ....

To learn ...

The "interplay" .....

Between mind ...

And body ...

In ways ...

That I perhaps ...

Would not have done ...

Had I not been wounded ...

And so .....

When I make that statement above ....

About chi gong being ....

Like one huge "toolbox" .....

SPECIFICALLY FOR ....

MAINTENANCE ....

OF THE "TOTAL" HUMAN BEING ...

That is what my own personal experience of it has been ...

And so ...

BASED ON THAT EXPERIENCE .....

I make that statement in confidence .....

For anyone else out there .....

Who might be so situated as I am .....

And is looking .....

For real solutions ....

To life-long problems .....

That are associated with physical ...

And mental trauma .....

And so ...

And that is not to say ...

That chi gong is only for the sick ...

Or injured .....

Chi gong holds promise ..

Of benefits ...

For all human beings, I would say ...

Because of its emphasis on personal responsibility ....

THE "FITNESS" ....

OF THE WORLD .....

BEGINS ....

WITH ME ....

And its focus ...

On the mind ....

As an "organ" .....

That itself can be strengthened .....

And improved ....

Through "exercise" ....

Even if the body itself cannot move ....

And so ....

This thread ....

To talk about these things ....

Since we all are down here for a lifetime ....

And so ....

Are not in any hurry ....

To be ....

"Somewhere else" .....

And so ....

And this just came in ....

"Off the wire" .....

from TaiChiLady .....

And so ....

Chi Gong ...

Like any program meant to improve the mind or body ....

For example, high school, college, gym/fitness, bike riding, walking, karate, Tai Chi, Yoga, aerobics, weight-loss ...

Whatever program you choose ...

Needs to be done ...

With consistency ...

And dedication .....

In order to gain benefits from said program .....

No matter how much you "practice" ......

It needs to be on a steady as you go basis ...

Make it a priority in your life ....

And you will gain greatly .....

In mind, body and spirit ....

And if you are lucky ...

You meet people who are of the same mind-set as you ...

Even if the contact is a link on this powerful internet of ours .....

And so ...

CLARITY

What we are all seeking is clarity.

Forget about religious rationalizations.

Forget about elaborate explanations.

What we all want is clarity.

What we abhor is ignorance.

Ignorance confuses us, brings us misfortune and sorrow, and makes us miserable.

If we have clarity, then we can live with equanimity.

It is a misconception that spirituality brings everlasting happiness.

There is no such thing.

Sadness still comes to the wise, but, unlike most people, their clarity of mind allows them to see beyond the temporal emotionalism of the moment.

They are farseeing, and so happiness and sorrow become the same to them.

True clarity is more than just being smart, more than just being wise.

Clarity manifests from meditation.

It comes when you can unite all the faculties of the mind and unify them into a magnificent light of perception.

It is hard to talk of this in anything but mystical terms.

OUR LANGUAGE IS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE FRONTIERS OF THE SPIRIT BECAUSE FEW HAVE EVER SEEN THOSE LIMITS, LET ALONE DESCRIBED THEM.

But let's try:

If you unite sound with vision, then you will create "light".

That "light" is the concentrated force of the mind.

It is by that brightness that truth is revealed.

- Deng, Ming-Dao

And this just came in from TaiChiLady ....

Who thought it would tie in ....

With what I posted this morning ....

And so .....

It is from the Kripalu Yoga magazine ....

That TaiChiLady gets .....

And so .....

"A conversation With Daniel J. Siegel, M.D."

In the early 1990s, Daniel Siegel di­rected the training program in child and adolescent psychiatry at UCLA.

Drawing on his natural tendency to synthesize and integrate, he pulled together an interdisciplinary study group on the mind and the brain in an effort to see the larger whole of hu­man experience.

The team included 40 people, representing more than a dozen branches of science, including anthropology, zoology, developmen­tal psychology, linguistics, genetics, neuroscience, and systems theory.

The result that emerged from that inspirational experience was a whole new field of science: interper­sonal neurobiology, which presents an integrated view of how human development occurs within a social world (to be precise, that the neural patterns in our brains are literally affected by our relationships with other human beings).

Interpersonal neurobiology embraces a wide array of knowing that includes the sciences, contemplative practices, expressive arts, and philosophy to explore the nature of being human.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this field is that it has created a bridge between the laboratory work of brain researchers and the mind work that happens on a therapist's couch.

Dan Siegel's highly regarded book, The Developing Mind: Toward a Neurobiology of Interpersonal Experi­ence, continues to be widely read by both specialists and lay people.

In this conversation, Kripalu's senior editor, Grace Welker, and Dr. Siegel discussed what's happening out on the cutting edge of science, how it can affect our lives, the nature of mental health, and the diminishing gap between science and spirituality.

Grace Welker: You are the spokes­man for a new approach to mental health; you teach throughout the world; you write; you still see pa­tients-you are clearly a man with a mission.

What fuels your quest?

Dan Siegel: Imagine having one foot on the shore of infinite possibil­ity and another foot on the ground of scientific insight.

As a physician and scientist I have had the oppor­tunity to become immersed in the world of cutting-edge research on the brain, relationships, and human development; as a psychotherapist, I have been immersed in the clinical domain, the world of our subjective experience and the journeys - often wondrous - that form the stories of our lives.

I wanted to take a rigor­ous, disciplined, scientific look at aspects of human relationships, personality, emotion, memory, and identity - those things that are re­ally the core of most psychothera­peutic work.

I wanted to find the connections, always with an eye to­ward what works, what's real, what's practical.

Psychotherapists work to heal the psyche, which is classically de­fined as "the soul, the spirit, the in­tellect, and the mind."

So it seemed to me that in order to work effectively, we needed to understand the mind more deeply, through a process of "mindsight," which integrates in­sight and empathy.

The mind is not just the activity of a brain, encased in its isolated skull, as many scien­tists may claim.

The mind is both a subjective entity, based ultimately upon physical properties, but also an entity having unique processes of its own.

It governs the whole or­ganism and its interaction with the environment; it is the fundamental source of our inner experience and our interpersonal lives.

If we begin with the subjective and physical aspects, we might start to clarify a route to understanding the mind as a unique entity, in health and un­health, or imbalance.

Essentially, two questions have served as a driving force for my work:

"What is the mind?" and "What is mental health?"

GW: In addressing the first ques­tion, can you provide a little sum­mary of the relationship between the subjective and physical aspects of the mind and how they interre­late and affect each other?

DS: Although we still do not know exactly how, we do know that the subjective dimensions of the mind - thoughts, feelings, percep­tions, beliefs, attitudes, intentions, and memories - emerge from the neuronal activity of the brain.

Scientific research, particularly in the field of neurobiology, has recently illuminated the physical dimen­sions of our minds, revealing the beautiful and intricate networks of neurons that are nestled both in our brains and throughout our bodies.

In laboratories, we can actually see the brain activating, as the mind rides the waves of patterns of neural firing.

And as it does, our sense of self is created-by this experiential process that is both embodied and relational.

To know and awaken the mind, we must embrace its bodily and social sources.

GW: The underground hit movie "What the Bleep Do We Know?", which a lot of people have seen or heard about, portrayed this very clearly.

DS: That ultimately reflects a deep need for us to understand our place in the universe and in our in­dividual and collective lives.

What is critical to understanding these re­cent scientific breakthroughs is that it's a two-way street: our lived experi­ences also shape how our brains, and therefore our minds, develop across the life span.

Scientists now use the word "neuroplasticity" to describe the brain's response to experience, or how connections in the brain are ca­pable of changing or being changed.

Elucidating the links between the physical brain and the processes of the mind has shed light on the deepest nature of the self.

Experience changes the function and structure of the brain itself.

The connections among the 100 billion neurons in the brain are continually carving out new pathways, which can support ongoing learning and can enrich our mental health well into our nineties.

It's clearly impor­tant to actively shape the nature of our experiences in ways that keep the mind thriving.

GW: And what about the second question, "What is mental health?"

DS: A close examination of a wide array of sciences and cross-cultural ancient and contemporary arts en­ables us to propose that a thriving mind emerges as a fundamental process of "integration" occurs.

In­tegration is the linking together of distinct elements into a functional whole.

Chaos theory, a mathemati­cal science that examines the func­tion of complex systems, such as clouds, relationships, or brains, sug­gests that integration enables the flow of a system to achieve optimal functioning.

The linkage of distinct parts is a vital aspect of this - it actually creates the possibility for more complex and adaptive states of processing to emerge.

I'm an acronym addict - I love putting elements together in words to support our ways of seeing - so I've proposed understanding inte­gration from the word FACES: an integrative state is Flexible, Adaptive, Coherent, Energizing, and Stable.

I think this is a beautiful definition of well-being as it is drawn directly from science and reveals a deep truth about our subjective lives.

GW: It's interesting you should be saying this.

As you are prob­ably aware, the usual translation of the word "yoga" from Sanskrit is "union;' but recently one of the leading Indian yoga masters used the translation "integration."

What many people don't realize is that yoga developed not as a side activ­ity to life but as a thorough pursuit of what it means to fully thrive as a human being.

DS: This is very exciting and reveals a form of "consilience;' in which different ways of knowing converge on a common set of principles that illuminate truths about our lives.

In our research center at UCLA, we are exploring the ways that mindful awareness practices, such as yoga, tai chi, and meditation, may help promote well-being by fostering the growth of integrative regions of the brain.

We believe, for example, that mindfulness promotes the in­tegrative function of the prefrontal cortex, which facilitates the creation of a wide array of functions, from bodily balance and attuned com­munication to mental flexibility and morality.

GW: What if we don't address inte­gration in our lives?

What happens then?

Is disintegrated the opposite of an integrated state?

DS: To a certain extent, yes.

When the mind is out of sync with the riv­er of well-being, it can flow toward one of two banks: chaos or rigidity.

When we look at the nature of "men­tal un-health", we see that symptoms fall into these two categories - along a spectrum, of course.

This under­standing also points to what we need to do to bring our minds back into a state of well-being, into the flow of a harmonious life.

For example, if I were to ask you to focus on some aspect of your past and bring it into your aware­ness, you could sense a spectrum of elements of memory, from bodily states to images of the earlier ex­perience.

If you found that some aspect of the recollection gave you the sense of becoming rigidly re­stricted or frazzled and chaotic, we would be revealing a part of your memory that has remained out of integration.

GW: Can you address the practical implications of all this in daily life.

DS: Within the framework of inter­personal neurobiology, the mind is seen as a process that regulates the flow of energy and information.

In our daily lives, this means that how we invest enthusiasm and interest ­as energy - fuels the way in which we actually symbolize and process our sense of the world.

How we cul­tivate our awareness, how we direct our attention directly alters neural connections.

With this awareness, we can "SNAG" the brain: Stimulate Neuronal Activation and Growth.

We can do this in any number of domains of integration, such as linking forms of memory, bridg­ing the divide of the verbal left and nonverbal right sides of the brain, or creating connections between various narrative functions.

A good example of this would be accessing deep autobiographi­cal images of the right hemisphere and linking them to the words of the left, which tries to make sense out of experience.

This new linkage is the way in which we can create new neural connections that, liter­ally, foster integrative states.

In this example, this would enable a more coherent life story to emerge.

Re­search has repeatedly shown that creating such coherent narratives of our lives promotes personal and interpersonal well-being.

What's most important to re­member in terms of applying inter­personal neurobiology to our daily lives is that neural integration, em­pathic relationships, and a coherent mind form three sides of a triangle of well-being.

GW: Do you consider there to be spiritual implications of this new science?

DS: Elucidating the links between the physical brain and the processes of the mind has shed light on the deepest nature of the self.

When we examine the deep layers of our neural selves, we come to glimpse not only the roots of our mental and social lives, but the essential reality of our selves as part of an integrat­ed whole across the span of time.

It may be that our work as human beings is not only to seek meaning and satisfaction in our lives and to dedicate ourselves to alleviating suf­fering in others but to be a part of a larger effort to bring integration and healing into the many layers of our interconnections with each other.

As we explore and incorporate the many domains of integration, what seems to evolve naturally is the sense of being connected to a larger whole, something more than just our bodily defined sense of self in this time we call our "life."

This "transpirational integration" en­ables us to become more fully aware of our interconnected belonging as we, in Albert Einstein's words, "widen our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."

Daniel Siegel, MD, received his medical degree from Harvard Uni­versity and is currently codirector of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA and director of the Mindsight Institute in Los Angeles.

He is the author of The Developing Mind and the forthcoming books The Mindful Brain in Human Develop­ment and Mindsight: Our Seventh Sense.

http://www.drdansiegel.com

Dan will be teaching a program at Kripalu with John O'Donohue en­titled Awakening the Mind, October 27-29; see page 72.

Grace Welker is a language lover and lifelong learner who currently serves as Kripalu's senior editor.

I myself "discovered" ......

T'ai chi ....

For myself ....

While studying physics ......

And so .....

I know ...

In my own heart, anyway ....

Which is all that counts ...

For me .....

That there is indeed a "scientific" basis for t'ai chi ....

And chi gong .....

BUT .....

Science ....

Is just another descriptive language ....

And so .....

In the end ....

While it can provide a "basis" ....

Such as picture postcards .....

Provide a basis ......

For viewing places .....

And understanding places ....

We have actually never been ourselves ....

That "scientific basis" .....

Does not get us there ....

Anymore than a picture postcard ....

Of Paris ...

Gets us to Paris .....

ON ITS OWN .....

And so ....

While there is a sound scientific basis for t'ai chi ....

And chi gong .....

Any scientific explanations .....

Fall short ....

Of describing ....

The full experience of t'ai chi .....

And chi gong .....

And so .....

There is an "act of faith" basis to t'ai chi ....

And chi gong ....

As well ....

AND THAT FAITH ....

MUST BE .....

IN YOURSELF ....

IN YOUR OWN ....

MIND/BODY CONNECTION .....

And so .....

EVERYTHING .....

THAT YOU PERSONALLY BELIEVE .....

IS IMPOSSIBLE ....

WILL BE .....

SO LONG AS YOU HOLD THAT THOUGHT ....

And so .....

INVEST ...

IN THE LOSS ....

OF DIS-BELIEF ....

And who knows .....

And until you give it a try .....

For more than two ...

Or three seconds .....

Well .....

And closing out the day .....

With a thought .....

From TaiChiLady ....

Above The Clouds - The Sun Is Always Shining

There are times when gloom or darkness causes us to momentarily lose sight of the light .....

Although it is at these times when the thought of the sun can help us.

Its warm, glowing rays brighten even our thoughts, and it's good to remember that despite appearances the sun is shining right now.

We may not be able to see it at this very moment, but if clouds block our view, they are only filtering the sun's light temporarily.

If darkness has fallen, we know that the sun is still shining at this very moment somewhere not too far away, and it's only a matter of time before it will shine on us again.

When we remember that the sun is still shining, we know that things are still in motion in the universe.

Even if life feels like it is at a standstill, sometimes all we need to do is have faith and wait for the time when everything is in its perfect place.

Or we can we can choose to follow the cues of the sun and continue doing our work and shining our light, even when we can't yet see results.

In doing so we exercise our patience, making sure we are prepared when opportunity knocks and all other elements are in their right and perfect places.

The sun also reminds us that our own shining truth is never extinguished.

Our light shines within us at all times, no matter what else occurs around us.

Though the sun gives us daily proof of its existence, sometimes our belief in our own light requires more time.

If we think back, however, we can find moments when it showed itself and trust that we will see it again.

Like the sun, our light is the energy that connects us to the movements of the universe and the cycles of life and is present at all times, whether we feel its glow or not.

ESSENCE

Searching for life ...

In the Mechanics ....

Of cells ...

And molecules ....

Is like trying to appreciate a painting ...

By analyzing ....

The paint.

It might be interesting, in a narrow way, but the true point is to grasp the idea that the painting conveys.

Why concern yourself exclusively with the mechanics of a situation?

That is like seeking an artist's genius in the brushes; it is the mind of the artist, not the tools, that is responsible for the beauty of a painting.

In the same way, the nature of life cannot be merely understood as the interplay of mechanistic forces.

It may only be comprehended by taking in the essence behind the physics, chemistry, biology, math and other scientific outlooks.

All too frequently, we become so mesmerized by life's details that we fail to comprehend the whole.

THE ESSENCE OF LIFE SHALL NEVER BE KNOWN BY A HUMAN BEING AS LONG AS THAT PERSON SEEKS TO OBSERVE LIFE LIKE VIEWER AND SUBJECT.

The absolutely essential nature of life can only be comprehended by merging fully with the flow of life, so that one is utterly a part of it.

- Deng, Ming-Dao

And once again ....

We close out the day ....

With a thought exercise ....

From TaiChiLady ....

And so ....

Remembering Who We Are - Brave Spirits

Most of us are familiar with the idea that we are not human beings having spiritual experiences; instead, we are spiritual beings having human experiences.

We hear this and even though we may experience a resounding yes in our bodies, we may not take the time to really acknowledge the truth of these statements.

Integrating this idea into how we view ourselves can broaden our sense of who we are and help us appreciate ourselves as brave spirits on an important mission to learn and grow here on earth.

As spiritual beings, we are visitors in this physical realm.

The fact that we came here and lost all memory of what happened to us before we were born is one of the many reasons that it takes so much courage for a soul to incarnate on earth.

This is why spiritual inquiry so often feels like a remembering - because it is.

Remembering that we are spiritual beings is part of the work that we are here on earth to do.

When we operate from a place of remembering, we tap into the wisdom that our spirit accumulated even before we stepped into this lifetime.

Remembering who we are can give us the patience to persevere when we become overwhelmed or frustrated.

It can give us the courage to work through the most daunting challenges and help us trust the ancient wisdom we carry that is offered to us by our intuition.

We have chosen to be on earth because there is something we want to learn that can only happen by inhabiting a body.

Some of us are here to repay a debt, learn about love, or teach forgiveness.

Most of us are here for a combination of reasons, we carry this information in our souls, all we have to do is remember.

As you go through your journey, try not to forget how brave you are, being here now.

Honor yourself.

There is a saying .....

Or there used to be, anyway .....

"THE SPIRIT ..."

"IS WILLING ...."

"BUT ..."

"THE FLESH ..."

"IS WEAK ..."

And so it can indeed go .....

Especially in this time ...

Of turmoil ....

That has seemed .....

To engulf us ....

Right at present .....

As does happen ...

From time ...

To time ...

In the affairs ....

"Of man" .....

Down here ...

On this earth of OURS .....

And so .....

Where indeed ...

Is THE PLACE .....

Of REFUGE .....

Is the question ....

On the minds of some, anyway ....

And for me ....

That place ....

Is a little patch of woods ...

Where I go ...

To do my chi gong ...

In the morning ....

When I leave here ...

And the troubles of the world ...

Which seem legion these days ...

But then ...

They always seem that way ....

And so ...

A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE ...

CONFRONTS US ALL ...

To one degree ...

Or another ........

And so ......

When I am in "my place" .....

As humble as it may be .....

And it is ...

Which is why I am there ...

And not somewhere else ....

I "re-connect" .....

To where I came from ....

And one day ....

Will go back to ...

Once my time down here .....

Is over .....

And so .....

And here .....

Before I go ....

I want to leave behind ...

This one thought .....

About who ...

We "really are" .....

And it has to do .....

With what is called .....

"Pre-birth chi" ......

Which I connect ....

Through my own experiences ....

In life ....

After being wounded ...

And left for dead ...

In Viet Nam ....

With what I call ....

"THE BLOOD" ....

Of the MOTHER .....

And so ...

And there is absolutely nothing "new age" .....

Or "mystical" .....

About any of this ...

Since it is indeed a fact ...

Easily verified .....

By referring to ...

Any book ...

On Anatomy/Physiology ......

Or the "processes of life" ......

In the womb .....

That the blood ....

That flows ....

In OUR veins ....

IS INDEED ...

NOT OUR BLOOD .....

BUT THE BLOOD ....

OF OUR MOTHERS ....

Whether or not ....

We are male ....

Or female .....

And so .....

HOW OLD ......

EXACTLY .....

IS THAT BLOOD ....

AND WHAT "MEMORIES" .....

DOES IT CONTAIN ....

IN ITS "STRUCTURE" .....

And are those "memories" .....

Accessible ....

To US .....

IN OUR OWN LIVES ...

And if so ....

HOW ...

DO WE ACCESS THOSE "MEMORIES" .....

IF WE WANTED TO ....

And so .....

AT ....

THE "MOMENT" .....

OF .....

OUR "BIRTH" .....

When we "disconnect" ......

From the "umbilical" .....

A HOLE ....

IN OUR HEART ....

CEASES ....

TO BE ......

A SHUNT ......

IN OUR LIVER ......

CLOSES DOWN .....

OUR BLOOD .....

REVERSES ....

ITS DIRECTION OF FLOW ...

And life ....

Under "heaven" ....

Begins .....

When the heart ...

No longer ...

Allows blood ...

From the mother ...

To flow through it ...

COMING IN ...

FROM THE ARTERIES ......

AND GOING OUT ....

THROUGH THE VEINS ...

COUNTER-FLOW .....

To what it is ....

When we walk upright .....

Under the heavens ...

And so ....

When that hole closes ...

And our blood begins to flow ...

The opposite way ...

ARE WE "BORN" .....

In that instant .....

OR WERE WE ALWAYS THERE .....

And so .....

And while we continue to ponder that question ....

Here is another thought ....

To consider ....

From TaiChiLady .....

And so ....

And again ...

When you read these thought exercises ....

Don't consider them to be absolute statements .....

Instead ....

Be a healthy sceptic ....

Have a "what-if-it-were-so" state of mind ....

Which is a healthy mind ....

Not too open ....

And not too closed ....

But pondering ....

What is around it ....

Without being judgmental .....

And so ....

Body Balance - Masculine And Feminine Sides Of The Body

If you look in the mirror and view your profile from each side, you may notice that the two sides of your face are slightly different from one another.

Additionally, your left hand is similar to but different from your right hand.

In fact, these subtle differences pervade both sides of your entire body.

Considering these differences in the context of the idea that the right side of your body is masculine and the left side feminine may shed some light on how balanced you are in relation to your masculine and feminine qualities.

Intuition, feelings, openness, and unselfishness govern the feminine side of our natures.

The masculine side is characterized by logic, facts, systems, and self-interest.

If you are giving too much to others to the detriment of yourself, your feminine side may be overactive and your right side may need strengthening, to speak up on your behalf, protecting and conserving your energy.

If your life is too rigidly structured, your masculine aspect may be overactive; developing your feminine aspect will bring a more open-ended and creative approach.

Maintaining harmony between the left side and the right side, the feminine and masculine, is a key to wholeness.

We can foster awareness of our own relative state of balance by tuning in to our bodies.

When you close your eyes and scan your body, what do you see?

You may find that most of your ailments, from acne to muscle tension, occur on the left side of your body.

This might indicate that your feminine aspect is out of balance in some way.

Similarly, if you notice a lot of tension in your right shoulder, perhaps your masculine side is overtaxed or weakened.

Just noticing an imbalance is the beginning of healing it.

Some imbalances may be long-standing, and it may take time to bring your system into equilibrium.

Remember to be gentle with yourself and listen to your body.

Over time, doing this can guide you to a dynamic state of inner and outer balance.

And from the "scientific" side .....

Which deals .....

With external "cures" .....

To problems .....

That are within us .....

And thus ...

UNDER OUR OWN CONTROL .....

IF WE BUT KNEW IT ....

"Scientists Spot Chronic Pain 'On/Off' Switch"

Fri Jul 28, 11:55 PM ET

FRIDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. researchers say they've identified a protein in nerve cells that acts as a kind of gatekeeper for chronic pain.

This enzyme, called protein kinase G (PKG), is turned on and activated in response to injury or inflammation.

Once activated, PKG triggers other processes that generate pain messages that are sent to the brain.

As long as PKG is switched on, pain persists.

Turning PKG off relieves pain.

"We're very optimistic that this discovery and our continued research will ultimately lead to a novel approach to pain relief for the millions suffering from chronic pain," researcher Richard Ambron, professor of cell biology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, said in a prepared statement.

The study was published online in the journal Neuroscience and was expected to be in the August print issue.

Ambron and his colleague Ying-Ju Sung, an assistant professor of cell biology, have applied for a patent for the pathway that turns on PKG, as well as several molecules that inhibit it.

They hope to develop a new class of drugs that target PKG in order to treat chronic pain.

And then, of course .....

There is this "approach" .....

To life .....

As well .....

Which is a lot less dependant .....

On sticking things .....

In your mouth ....

That you have no idea .....

What is in them .....

Just because ...

Someone else .....

Told you to "take a pill" .....

And so .....

"Slow down, disconnect and reflect"

By JANET L. WEATHERS
Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Saturday, July 8, 2006

Setting an alarm in the middle of the night to check one's Blackberry sounds crazy, but some folks do it -- every night.

Not only can we be available 24-7, we have become masters of multitasking: paying bills, watching television, eating a sandwich and talking with our children all at once.

We can and often do live this way, but does it signal accomplishment or insanity?

What price do we pay for embracing what Thomas Friedman calls the Age of Interruption when partial attention is all we give, and even partial attention is at risk ...

Was that my cellphone?

Do we really have any choice?

If we aren't always available, we may miss important opportunities.

If we don't do multiple things simultaneously, how will we get everything done?

Does it matter if we choose to live this way?

Our answers will differ.

The importance of daily choices becomes clear if we ponder life's fragility.

If we stop and think about it, we know life is fragile.

A blown tire catapults a car into oncoming traffic.

A heart attack fells a robust runner.

If we stop and think about it, we know.

We are shocked when a vital person's life ends without warning.

That person could have been me, or you.

If we stop and think about it.

But do we stop and think?

A great gift to ourselves and those we love is to consider seriously what we would do if we knew we had only six months to live.

Considering how we would spend that brief time reveals our priorities.

It illumines what is important to us and it can influence our relations with people and all of creation.

Looking at the last July flowers we would ever see, we may find we are seeing their exquisite beauty for the first time.

Listening to a goldfinch, a symphony or our spouse, knowing it might be the last time, stimulates deeper listening and opens our ears to subtleties of sound and meaning we may have never noticed.

Allowing recognition of life's fragility to permeate our minds and hearts stimulates our senses and directs our attention to the details of life: the intricacies of a spider web glistening in the sun, a friend's face, the gnarled hands of a homeless man resting in the shadow of an oak.

Seeing the pulsing web of life within which we exist, beholding it in minute detail, is moving, even exhilarating.

Being fully present in this moment is simple, but not necessarily easy.

Be assured that our vaunted multitasking habits will vex us with interruptions.

Learning to release gently the intruding thoughts and feelings is part of the practice.

If we devote ourselves to the gospel of wealth, which we tend to do whether or not we have money, and the busyness this gospel embraces, we won't be inclined to stop and reflect.

We may try to convince ourselves that living this way is necessary, even good.

We can always reconsider in the future.

But what if we have no future -- not on this earth?

The truth is, not one of us knows if we have even six months to live.

We don't know if we have tomorrow.

If we are going to live worthy lives, this is the day to do it.

One healthy response to out-of-control lives is the growing interest in spirituality.

Spirituality focuses on the ultimate meaning of life.

It has everything to do with how we live our daily lives.

People who yearn for more spiritual lives will find within all religious traditions practices that respond to such yearning.

Within the Christian tradition, people often participate in retreats to learn and practice spiritual disciplines.

Next weekend, my husband and I will lead a retreat for laity and clergy.

We will teach Christian forms of prayer, meditation on scripture and walking meditation.

There will be opportunities for music, art, gentle physical movement, rest and silence.

Our retreats aim to soothe the mind, relax the body and nurture the spirit -- a good antidote to the unrelenting demands of 21st century life.

Janet L. Weathers, Ph.D., is a retreat leader and religious educator from Trenton, N.J. Previously, she taught for 25 years, serving on the faculties of UCLA and Princeton Theological Seminary. She can be contacted at Janet.Weathers@att.net.

In this thread .....

I don't tell people ....

How to live their lives .....

For that would be foolish .....

On my part ....

To think .....

That only I .....

Had the "right path" .....

For all to follow .....

And I know ...

That that ...

Is not so ...

And so .....

What I am attempting to do in here ...

For this is indeed ...

A continuous learning experience for me in here .....

Is to PRESENT ....

Ideas ...

And alternatives ....

That can at least be considered .....

If not acted on ...

Right away, anyway .....

Which is just the way it goes, sometimes .....

And so ...

As I am always saying ....

DEAL WITH IT .....

Which is what I have to do ....

In my own life .....

As a "disabled person" .....

Down here .....

On this earth of OURS .....

Who was once .....

Left for dead ....

A bloody stinking mess ....

On an obscure piece of ground ....

In what was then South Viet Nam ....

In most ways .....

You could say .....

That I ....

Am like an ant .....

Always moving .....

Towards something ....

Or away ....

Always carrying something ....

Of value ....

And when I get flicked .....

Off the branch ....

And sent flying .....

Well ...

I just find my way back ....

To where I was ....

When that happened ....

And then ....

I simply .....

Continue ....

On my way ....

In as unperturbed a manner ....

As I can muster ....

AT THAT TIME .....

And so .....

As a disabled person ...

And as a human being being .....

Which is what I really am ....

All labels cast aside .....

I am neither happy .....

Nor sad .....

For they are but distractions .....

I find ...

With one always contained .....

In the other ...

So that when you are "up" .....

Well ...

That means that "down" .....

Is on its way ....

And so ....

Rather .....

Living simple as I do .....

Out of touch with just about everything .....

That there is ...

TO BE "IN TOUCH WITH" ....

I find .....

That my life ....

Has a lot of "GLADNESS" in it .....

For that moment .....

That I have .....

The "sweet smell" .....

Of clean air ....

The murmer ....

And gurgle ....

Of water ....

As it flows ...

Over rocks .....

On its way ....

To the distant sea ....

The sound of a small bird .....

As it announces .....

To the world .....

One more time ....

That its heart still beats .....

And that it is still here .....

One more time ....

One more song ....

In what will always be ....

An uncertain world .....

And the nice thing .....

About GLADNESS .....

Is that it is a QUANTITY .....

Like water is a quantity .....

And as water can fill .....

An empty glass .....

GLADNESS ....

Can fill our lives .....

And since its "opposite" .......

Is simply emptiness .....

Well .....

As the Tao says .....

It is an empty glass .....

That is the most valuable .....

Since an empty glass .....

Can always be filled ....

So long .....

As you have .....

That empty glass .....

Always with you .....

And so .....

If anyone is looking for some good relaxing classical music to listen to ......

While on line .....

Try this one .....

http://www.wbkk.org

Then click on "listen live" .....

And you should be there .....

I listen to this station .....

While doing that self-relaxation chi gong .....

That I talk about in here .....

As well as when I am on-line .....

And it makes a nice companion .....

And so .....

Give it a click .....

And see for yourself .....

And so .....

"A shift in our size, brains - Recent change in evolution is transforming an already larger generation with longevity, higher IQ: Scientists credit health care before age 2"

By GINA KOLATA, New York Times
First published: Sunday, July 30, 2006

New research from around the world has begun to reveal a picture of humans today that is so different from what it was in the past that scientists say they are startled.

It may prove to be one of the most striking shifts in human existence -- a change from small, relatively weak and sickly people to humans who are so big and robust that their ancestors seem almost unrecognizable.

Over the past 100 years, says one researcher, Robert W. Fogel of the University of Chicago, humans in the industrialized world have undergone "a form of evolution that is unique not only to humankind, but unique among the 7,000 or so generations of humans who have ever inhabited the Earth."

The difference does not involve changes in genes, as far as is known, but changes in the human form.

It shows up in several ways, from those that are well known and almost taken for granted, like greater heights and longer lives, to ones that are emerging only from comparisons of health records.

The biggest surprise emerging from the new studies is that many chronic ailments like heart disease, lung disease and arthritis are occurring an average of 10 years to 25 years later than they used to.

There also is less disability among older people today, according to a federal study that directly measures it.

And that is not just because medical treatments like cataract surgery keep people functioning.

Human bodies are simply not breaking down the way they did before.

Even the human mind seems improved.

The average IQ has been increasing for decades, and at least one study found that a person's chances of having dementia in old age appeared to have fallen in recent years.

The proposed reasons are as unexpected as the changes themselves.

Improved medical care is only part of the explanation; studies suggest that the effects seem to have been set in motion by events early in life, even in the womb, that show up in middle and old age.

"What happens before the age of 2 has a permanent, lasting effect on your health, and that includes aging," said Dr. David J.P. Barker, a professor of medicine at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland and a professor of epidemiology at the University of Southampton in England.

Each event can touch off others.

Less cardiovascular disease, for example, can mean less dementia in old age.

The reason is that cardiovascular disease can precipitate mini-strokes, which can cause dementia.

Cardiovascular disease is also a suspected risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.

The effects are not just in the United States.

Large and careful studies from Finland, Britain, France, Sweden and the Netherlands all confirm that the same things have happened there; they also are beginning to show up in the underdeveloped world.

In 1900, 13 percent of people who were 65 could expect to see 85.

Now, nearly half of 65-year-olds can expect to live that long.

People even look different today.

American men, for example, are nearly 3 inches taller than they were 100 years ago and about 50 pounds heavier.

"We've been transformed," Fogel said.

Today's middle-aged people are the first generation to grow up with childhood vaccines and with antibiotics.

Early life for them was much better than it was for their parents, whose early life, in turn, was much better than it was for their parents.

And if good health and nutrition early in life are major factors in determining health in middle and old age, that bodes well for middle-aged people today.

Investigators predict that they may live longer and with less pain and misery than any previous generation.

The steadily improving health of recent generations shows up in population after population and country after country.

But these findings raise a fundamental question, said Dora Costa, an MIT economist who works with Fogel.

"The question is, OK, there are these differences, and yes, they are big."

"But why?" she said.

Men living in the Civil War era had an average height of 5 feet 7 and weighed an average of 147 pounds.

That translates into a body mass index of 23, well within the range deemed "normal."

Today, men average 5 feet 9 and weigh an average of 191 pounds, giving them an average body mass index of 28.2, overweight and edging toward obesity.

Those changes, along with the improvements in general health and life expectancy in recent years, intrigued Costa.

Common chronic diseases -- respiratory problems, valvular heart disease, arteriosclerosis, and joint and back problems -- have been declining by about 0.7 percent a year since the turn of the 20th century.

And when they do occur, they emerge at older ages and are less severe.

The reasons, she and others are finding, seem to have a lot to do with conditions early in life.

Poor nutrition in early years is associated with short stature and lifelong ill health, and until recently, food was expensive in the United States and Europe.

Fogel and Costa looked at data on height and body mass index among Union Army veterans who were 65 and older in 1910 and veterans of World War II who were that age in the 1980s.

Their data relating size to health led them to a prediction: the World War II veterans should have had 35 percent less chronic disease than the Union Army veterans.

That, they said, is exactly what happened.

They also found that diseases early in life left people predisposed to chronic illnesses when they grew older.

Barker of Oregon Health and Science University said he is intrigued by the puzzle of who gets what illness, and when.

"Why do some people get heart disease and strokes and others don't?" he said.

"It's very clear that current ideas about adult lifestyles go only a small way toward explaining this."

"You can say that it's genes if you want to cease thinking about it."

"Or you can say, When do people become vulnerable during development?"

Animal studies and data that he and others have been gathering have convinced him that health in middle age can be determined in fetal life and in the first two years after birth.

His work has been controversial.

Some say that other factors, like poverty, may really be responsible.

But Barker has also won over many scientists.

In one study, he examined health records of 8,760 people born in Helsinki from 1933 to 1944.

Those whose birth weight was below about 6.5 pounds and who were thin for the first two years of life, with a body mass index of 17 or less, had more heart disease as adults.

Another study, of 15,000 Swedish men and women born from 1915 to 1929, found the same thing.

So did a study of babies born to women who were pregnant during the Dutch famine, known as the Hunger Winter, in World War II.

That famine lasted from November 1944 until May 1945.

Women were eating as little as 400 to 800 calories a day, and one-sixth of their babies died before birth or shortly afterward.

But those who survived seemed fine, says Tessa J. Roseboom, an epidemiologist at the University of Amsterdam, who studied 2,254 people born at one Dutch hospital before, during and after the famine.

Even their birth weights were normal.

But now those babies are reaching late middle age, and they are starting to get chronic diseases at a much higher rate than normal, Roseboom is finding.

Their heart disease rate is almost triple that of people born before or after the famine.

They have more diabetes.

They have more kidney disease.

That is no surprise, Barker says.

Much of the body is complete before birth, he explains, so a baby born to a pregnant woman who is starved or ill may start life with a predisposition to diseases that do not emerge until middle age.

But not everyone was convinced by what has come to be known as the Barker hypothesis, the idea that events very early in life affect health and well-being in middle and old age.

One who looked askance was Douglas V. Almond, an economist at Columbia University.

Almond wanted to see a rigorous test -- a sickness or a deprivation that affected everyone, rich and poor, educated and not, and then went away.

Then he realized there had been such an event: the 1918 flu.

The flu pandemic arrived in the United States in October 1918 and was gone by January 1919, afflicting one-third of the pregnant women in the United States.

He compared two populations: those whose mothers were pregnant during the flu epidemic and those whose mothers were pregnant shortly before or shortly after the epidemic.

To his astonishment, Almond found that the children of women who were pregnant during the influenza epidemic had more illness, especially diabetes, for which the incidence was 20 percent higher by age 61.

The men's incomes were 5 percent to 7 percent lower.

The effects, Almond said, occurred in whites and nonwhites, in rich and poor, in men and women.

He convinced himself, he said, that there was something to the Barker hypothesis.

T'ai chi .......

And chi gong ....

Are inseparable .....

From the processes ....

Of life itself .....

And so ....

Periodically ....

When I come across an article ....

Which seems related to those "processes" .....

I grab it .....

And post it in here .....

For the record, so to speak ....

And for the information that is contained therein .....

SCIENCE .....

As we know it today .....

Is relatively new ......

And it comes .....

To us .....

From a tradition ...

That is dissimilar .....

In many respects ....

To the tradition .....

That spawned .....

T'ai chi .....

And chi gong .....

And one of the main differences ......

To me ....

Who has been trained .....

In western scientific tradition .....

Is this thing .....

In CLASSICAL western tradition .....

OF THE SEPARATION .....

Between OBSERVOR .....

AND OBSERVED .....

Which is not there ......

In the EASTERN TRADITION .....

Which underlies .....

T'ai chi .....

And chi gong .....

In t'ai chi .....

And chi gong ....

YOU ARE .....

A DIRECT PARTICIPANT .....

AND YOU ARE .....

AN OBSERVOR .....

ALL AT THE SAME TIME ....

And so ....

You are gaining "information" ....

Or "data" .....

If you will .....

AS IT IS BEING GENERATED ....

RIGHT FROM THE "SOURCE" .....

Wherever that "SOURCE" may be ......

Whereas ....

In SCIENCE .....

Those observing ....

And getting "data" .....

For future study .....

Are the scientists .....

WHO ARE NOT PARTICIPATING ....

And so ....

Are REMOVED ....

From what it is ....

That they are trying to understand .....

And so .....

IF YOU ARE NOT "THERE" .......

TRYING TO UNDERSTAND .....

WHERE "THERE" REALLY IS ....

Borders on the impossible .....

Since t'ai chi ...

And chi gong ....

Are "HAPPENING" .....

INSIDE ....

A living human being ....

In touch with ....

The universe .....

Surrounding ....

Him ....

Or herself ....

At the time ....

The exercises are being done .....

And so ....

If the surroundings change .....

The t'ai chi .....

Or chi gong ....

Change in a corresponding manner .....

And so .....

And I say this ....

Just as an aside .....

That western scientific method .....

Like all things under heaven ....

Has its own limitations .....

And if one is to grow ....

Then limitations .....

Must be gotten beyond .....

And that includes ...

Those .....

Inherent ....

In western scientific method ....

And so .....

WHEN YOU INVEST ....

IN LOSS ....

OF WHAT DON'T WORK ....

IN YOUR OWN LIFE .....

DON'T LEAVE OUT ........

SCIENTIFIC DATA .....

THAT ARE NOT COMPLETE ....

BECAUSE THE SCIENTIST .....

WAS ONLY AN OBSERVOR ....

AND NOT A PARTICIPANT ....

HIM ...

OR HERSELF ....

And so .....

Become independent .....

In your own thinking .....

Consider all things ...

Openly ....

Get what information is available .....

And always keep in mind .....

That all knowledge ....

Might have holes in it .....

That only you might be aware of ....

Since you are there .....

In your own life .....

And no one else is .....

In that same manner .....

And so ....

As I have said before .....

It was back in the 1970's .....

When I first heard .....

Of the philosophical underpinnings .....

Of t'ai chi ......

And that was in a footnote ....

To something that I was reading at that time .....

Related to thermodynamics ....

Which is really a study of energy transfer .....

As I will call it in here .....

And it was that footnote .....

That caught my attention ....

Because it was positing .....

A "CONSERVATIVE SYSTEM" ......

Where what is called "ENTROPY" .....

IN WESTERN SCIENCE .....

OR "DISORDER IN THE UNIVERSE" .....

DID NOT HAVE TO EXIST .....

And this requires a bit of thought .....

And careful explanation .....

And so .....

Rather than just jumping into .....

Some rigorous scientific dissertation in here .....

Which would be as dry as dirt in a long-term drought ....

And likely as dull as ditch water ......

I have been kind of nibbling at the edges of it .....

For a while now .....

Thinking about what I am going to say ...

BEFORE I SAY IT ....

And so .....

Because there was ....

And is ....

A VERY POWERFUL CONCEPT ...

AT WORK HERE .....

WITH RESPECT TO THIS "ENTROPY-FREE ENERGY TRANSFER" ......

WITHIN THE HUMAN BODY .....

OR THE "SYSTEM" .....

THAT THE HUMAN BODY IS A PART OF ....

That does have the "power" .....

To assist us .....

IN TRANSFORMING .....

OUR LIVES ....

AS INDIVIDUALS .....

To understand that "TRANSFORMATIVE POWER" ....

We really need to understand ....

SOME BACKGROUND .....

ESPECIALLY WITH RESPECT ....

TO HOW WE WERE TAUGHT ...

"THE WORLD WORKS" ....

Over here in America ....

Where "science" rules a lot of our way of thinking .....

And so .....

this is good to remember...

Howdy, Pie ....

Good to see you, as always .....

And there is indeed some wisdom ...

In those few simple words .....

And to close out tonight ....

Here is another thought exercise ....

From TaiChiLady ....

And talk about the need for an inbreath .....

Every now and then ....

A moment to just say, "AH" .....

And so ....

Permission To Simply Be - Working Through Transitions

The elation we feel when we have learned an important lesson, achieved a goal, or had a big breakthrough can sometimes be met with a period of downtime afterward.

During this period of transition, we may feel unsure and not know where to turn next.

Many people, during the pause between achievements, begin to wonder what their life is about.

These feelings are common and strike everyone from time to time.

Human beings are active creatures - we feel best when we are working on a project or vigorously pursuing a goal.

But there is nothing inherently wrong with spending a day, a week, or even a month simply existing and not having a plan.

Just be.

It won't be long before you embark upon your next voyage of growth and discovery.

The quiet lull into we which we fall between ideas, projects, and goals can make life seem empty.

After accomplishing one objective, you may want to move immediately on to the next.

However, when your next step is unclear, you may feel frustrated, disconnected, or even a mild depression.

You may even perceive your lack of forward momentum as an indicator of imminent stagnation.

To calm these distressing thoughts, try to accept that if your intent is personal growth, you will continue to grow as an individual whether striving for a specific objective or not.

Spending time immersed in life's rigors and pleasures can be a cathartic experience that gives you the time you need to think about what you have recently gone through and leisurely contemplate what you wish to do next.

You may also find that in simply being and going through the motions of everyday life, you reconnect with your priorities in a very organic, unforced way.

The mindful transitional pause can take many forms.

For some, it can be a period of reflection that helps them understand how their life has unfolded.

For others, it can be a period of adjustment, where new values based on recent changes are integrated into daily life.

Just because you're not headed swiftly to a final destination doesn't mean you should assume that you have lost your drive.

The stage between journeys can become a wonderful period of relaxation that prepares you for the path that will soon be revealed to you.

And as I think on it ...

That thought exercise above here ....

From last night ....

Is really ...

Talking about ...

The cycle ..

Of YIN ...

And YANG .....

As it does occur in OUR lives ....

Whether we want it to ...

OR NOT ...

Or whether we feel it should ...

OR NOT ...

IT DOESN'T CARE ...

IT JUST IS ....

WHAT IT IS ...

IMPERSONAL ....

NOT VINDICTIVE ...

NOT HATEFUL ...

NOT SPITEFUL ....

Just one ...

Then the other ...

In constant motion ...

And so ...

Knowing that these cycles exist ....

And then ...

Accepting that existence ....

Even in our own lives ...

AND ESPECIALLY IN OUR OWN LIVES ...

Can make for smoother sailing .....

On the sea of life ...

And so ....