Exploring the Dan Tien

Dan tien is an energy center located slightly below the navel, near the centre of the body. In Tai Chi, it is known to be the centre of gravity, and all Tai Chi movement is directed by this centre, while the torso & limbs are extensions of this.

The dan tien corresponds to the swadhistana chakra in yoga. In the hard martial arts like karate, they know of the power of the dan tien. The ability to exert extreme force for breaking boards and bricks comes from awareness of moving from the centre of our body. But again, that same power can help us lift our laundry basket, a baby or turn over our mattress with much less chance of hurting our back or pulling our muscle. In pilates, it is referred to as the core strength.

No matter what form our physical expression takes, the internal self-awareness of moving from and breathing into dan tien will add power. In yoga that is why we stress on abdominal breathing. Whether you are making a board room presentation, ironing clothes or running a marathon, your performance will be simultaneously more effortless and much more powerful.

All great coaches know that real power comes from the dan tien even if they have never heard the term. Singing or acting coaches talk of "speaking from the diaphragm", golf coaches speak of "swinging with the belly button". Dan tien is our store house and main production unit of energy in our body.

As Tai Chi teaches us to move from the dan tien, it also helps us realize that we can let most of our muscles relax.......... As it is said

"Hold it tightly like a dove, so not to crush it in your grip, and yet firmly so it does not fly away".

Written with inputs from Tai Chi & QiGong by Bill Douglas

Silence - 'Mauna'

We are constantly talking. Either as a part of our occupation (teacher, marketing executive, call centre employee etc.), with people around us (friends, relatives, strangers, shopkeepers etc) or with ourselves (literally or figuratively). You don't need science to tell you that excessive talking does drain you out physically, mentally and emotionally.

Yoga talks of a technique of 'mauna' (forced silence) to keep you away from the physical world, take you closer to your true self and of course to conserve your energy.

Mauna not only refers to keeping ones mouth shut, but also trying to keep your mind from conversing within. Gift yourself a few minutes of silence each day. What can you do when in 'mauna'? Well you can engage in gardening, painting, reading, sitting quietly, listening to music, meditating, counting your breath, hearing the sounds of nature, listening to your heart beat or just being.

Try and fix a regular time during the day when you can be alone by yourself or bring silence into your routine by talking only when required. Only when we observe ourselves will we come to know how much unnecessary talking we do every day. Silence helps in getting in tune with ourselves, knowing who we really are, what we want and how we want to live. Get these insights into your own self with a few minutes of silence each day.

Shhhhhh!!!!!

Emote :-)

Smile - It brings a difference.

Dance - Who knows when you won't be able to?

Cry - Holding those emotions in, is bad for you.

Kiss - It's the most wonderful thing in the world.

Laugh - What's the point of hiding happiness?

Frown - Why not let them know you're unhappy?

Apologize - You don't want to lose friends.

Hug - There's no better feeling being wrapped up close to someone you love.

Live - Because life is everything you have.

Chakrasana - Wheel Pose

It's an extremely invigorating pose, slightly difficult to get in the beginning but achievable with a little determination & practice. You can go into the pose lying down or even standing.

Lying down on your back, bend your legs keeping them hip width apart, rotate your arms to put them behind your shoulders, fingers pointing towards the shoulders. Push your feet and palms on the floor to lift your body up. Some people go inhaling into the pose while some go exhaling. Stay there for a comfortable count and lower your body down.

Standing with feet shoulder width apart, put your palms on the waist bending backward, bend your knees, release your hands behind and glide your palms on the floor to come into this asana. This is much more challenging so should be attempted only after a proper practice.

In any case, do your practices under the guidance of a teacher only.

Lifting the heels up as i have attempted here provides better contraction to the spine & elongation to the front of the body.

Experience the stimulation you get and ENJOY!!!

Managing Anger

This is the last article in my 3-part series on anger. Anger Management has a dual approach.

1) What to do when you are angry? (Short term)

2) How to get angry less frequently and less intensely in the first place? (Long term)

Both are equally important and necessary if you want to make your and you near & dear ones' lives better.

These are some suggestions which help in that direction.

• Relaxation (watching TV, talking on phone is not relaxation)
• Diet – reduce artificial stimulants, have simple food
• Exercise
• Time management
• Prioritizing (spend more time on IMPORTANT activities)
• Eat something sweet :-) . It helps the body secrete serotonin which, is like the switch that turns off anger. When enough serotonin is secreted we feel happy.
• Pratipaksha bhavana – Think of the opposite, change the way you think, try to replace your angry thoughts with rational / good ones.
• Karma Yoga – cooking, cleaning house etc. - basically keeping oneself occupied
• Asana, Pranayama & meditation; deep breathing with more stress on exhalations as it activates the parasympathetic nervous system that helps in slowing down the heart rate & blood pressure
• Find alternatives – is there a more mature way to deal with the problem?, can I look at this differently?
• Objective attitude – is it really worth getting so angry about?, am I taking this personally?, will I remember this in 3 hrs, 3 days, 3 months or 3 years?
• Better communication with people you interact with.
• Engage humor

Different alternatives will work for different people. And mind you, conquering anger will also show improvement in other areas of our lives - relationships, work, personality, attitudes....... need i say more?

Health Tip

Recovering from an illness ?? Have lots of fresh fruits, fruit juices (without condiments), lemon, coconut water, sleep, relaxation and lots of laughter. This helps the body better in dealing with illness and you'll be back on your toes refreshed.

Everything Readymade !!

There was a time when most of the things were made at home - All spices, flour, food, sweets, cakes etc - even though they took a long time. And we have to admit that the food did taste better. Moreover, even our clothes were tailor made, stitched at home or by a neighbourhood tailor. I admit that we still use some of these things but most of it has gone into oblivion. The reason - man's need for instant gratification. Don't you feel it has translated into all spheres of life. We are definitely becoming more and more impatient and more worried about the results than the process of attaining those.

And we've not even spared the animals. The concept of zoos is born out of it. We want enjoyment and entertainment at the cost of animals and that is why so many animals brought from different parts of the world, from different habitats, climates etc are brought, caged in one place. After all it's GLOBALIZATION we may say! Can you imagine staying in a palatial house with all facilities and comfort BUT not being allowed to go out......... Atrocious. i am sure you would agree that there is more fun and adventure in spotting animals in their natural surroundings in their raw character, than dull duds sitting in cages starring out at the onlookers.

Recently, on my visit to Singapore (one of the developed nations) i went on the visit to Jurong Bird Park (one of the major tourist attractions). i was shocked at the treatment meted out towards the birds of prey (large birds like eagles & vultures). They were sitting pretty (dumb) in their cages, doors opened, but one of their legs tied to a metal rod. i was deeply saddened by HUMAN BEHAVIOUR.

i have not visited many zoos and i intend not to; but my intention behind this write up is to make people more aware, sensitive, and careful in the way they use the environment and its beings for their joy. Afterall each living being has a right to enjoy it's freedom!! What say???

An Amazing Video

I received this forward from my mother and i thought i HAVE to share it with you all. It's just amazing. It's about an Interview with God. (Click on 'view presentation')

You can drag the background song's scroll at the end so that it doesn't interrupt with your viewing the above video. I love the background song too so that will remain here at least for sometime. The other option is to just hear the song out & then play the video :-)

Those who have the hidden talent for painting landscapes (even those who don't but love to learn new arts), may well start after viewing the breathtaking beauty of nature................. Savour the video!!!

Health Tip - Eating Cereals

I have been trying not to mix two cereals in my meals since the past few months and i feel much better. i am not sluggish after meals, but light and energetic. Few schools of nutrition particularly natural hygienists recommend a mono cereal diet (if at all you want to have cereals...) i know the staple food of most Indians is roti(bread), vegetables, dal / pulse and rice. So have either wheat or rice. Most of the times its our habit which leads us to stuffing ourselves during meals. So not mixing two cereals puts lesser load on the digestive system at the same time makes available remaining energy to do other work. Experience it yourself.

Happy eating!!!

Full Split - Hanumanasana

It's a very challenging pose but achievable with continuous practice. I too have to perfect it still. Apart from extreme flexibility, what is required here is tremendous strength in your back to hold the hands up in a namaste. It gives an immense contraction at the lower back. Keep your palms folded, as you are bent over your leg and then come up breathing in. It also needs core strength (deeper muscles of your abdomen) to come up like that. But please don't even try attempting it without a proper workout (i don't mean just a warm up!!)

Have a fun-filled & challenging practice.

Effects of expressed or suppressed anger

Anger stimulates the release of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream. These two hormones have a number of effects that mobilize the body over the short-term but that can be destructive if anger is chronic.

The hormones cause heart rate and blood pressure to rise. This can damage the delicate inner lining of the arteries and accelerate the development of arteriosclerosis – a buildup of plaque that can lead to a heart attack.

They cause platelets circulating in the blood to become sticky. That enables them to cling to damaged areas on the artery lining, where they clump and release chemicals thought to further stimulate the growth of plaque in the arteries.

They stimulate fat cells to empty into the bloodstream to provide a quick energy source. When that fat isn't burned, it's converted into cholesterol – making more cholesterol available to be incorporated into plaque.

Our internal alarm system triggers the release of adrenaline to heighten our awareness and responsiveness. This gives our blood stream and muscles a quick supply of glucose so we can run fast and make quick decisions.

Also we may have a burst of histamines to ward off infections. A whole complex of glandular and physical arousal occurs. If you have been driving a car and had or nearly had an accident you know what this rush of stimulation feels like.

They suppress the immune system, making us more susceptible to illness.

Can induce weight gain & overeating - may lead to cortisol levels that stimulate your appetite, with the end result being weight gain or difficulty in losing weight.

Simpler still, anger can also lead to headaches; tendency to smoke & drink; problems in inter-personal relationships; physical lashing out at every person or object that irritates.

So the next time you shout at your maid, grumble behind your boss's back, curse yourself for netting a ball in the tennis game, whack your child for not behaving.......... think of what it might do to you.

Peanut Sauce & salad

Someone's rightly said "The way to a person's (not just a MAN - modifying a little bit) heart is through his stomach!! I thought let me also start a new area of healthy recipes from my experiments with food (of course with valuable inputs from various people including the Health awareness centre). So here's something for starters:

Vegetables for the salad:-

Cabbage, tomato, potato, cucumber, carrot, french beans, capsicum - 400 gms. You can also take veggies like baby corn, red & yellow peppers, broccoli etc.

Peanut sauce:-

Roasted peanuts - 100 gms

Roasted chilli powder, jaggery, tamarind to taste; salt to taste

Method:-

cube vegetables - steam potato & french beans

mix all the ingredients for the sauce, add a little water and blend into a smooth paste

Serve:-

You can mix the sauce well with the vegetables and have it as a salad

Can also cut vegetables into sticks and serve the sauce with it as a dip. It goes very well as a biting with your drinks too :-)

Savour the taste of completely healthy, nutritive and delicious food....... Did anyone say its lunchtime????