WEIGHT NATURALIZATION - THE BOWSTRING WAY

How is Bowstring Different ?

Most scientific exercise routines nowadays focus on four aspects of exercise:

1. Intensity

2. Volume

3. Frequency

4. Progressive Overload

When a person is faced with the “task” of losing weight, it is natural to think that higher intensity, higher volume, more frequency and more overload, will bring faster weight loss.

But this does not usually happen for most of us. For a few of us who seem to benefit with this approach, the results are shortlived and the damage (return of excess weight due to exhaustion, injury or holidays) long lasting. Why is this so? Somewhere along the way, principles of body building (not necessarily healthy) have become mixed up with weight loss and health training for non-body builders.

There are a few not-so-well known principles of exercise, which have been stressed more by traditional systems like yoga and qi gong. These principles are the pre-requisite conditions to be fulfilled, before a regular exercise program can become effective and safe for you and help you to lose weight steadily and permanently. In the Bowstring System, the above stated exercise principles get converted to

1. Integration of Mind, Breath and Body before Intensity

2. Form before Volume

3. Infiltration rather than Frequency

4. Progressive Ease instead of Overload

According to the philosophy of bioenergetics, there are 3 corrections we need to make which positively affects the way we live our lives. These are corrections in thought process, posture and breathing pattern. How do we do this in our exercise routine and what effect does it have on weight loss?

How does Bowstring Approach Weight Loss?

The Ten Step Bowstring Program prepares you for a gradual yet dramatic transformation, combining bioenergetics and modern exercise science. The same program gives you weight gain or weight loss depending on whether one is underweight or overweight. It is a system which allows the body to find its natural weight based on lifestyle and life stage needs. The modules offered are:

1. Integration of mind, emotion and muscle

2. How to relax while applying effort

3. Thought process correction in exercise and nutrition

4. Natural breathing to raise blood oxygenation

5. Body posture and its effect on metabolism and exercise

6. Sleep and its relation to exercise

7. The relaxation workout

8. The kinetic chain upper body resistance workout

9. Stabilizers and Mobilizers lower body resistance workout

10. Residing at the "Core"- how to access your deepest core muscles.

Watch this space for more details!!

Workshop on the Tao Te Ching, April 2010

As I had mentioned before, I am working with my teacher to set up a Tai chi Institute which will have as one of its objectives the re-introduction of tai chi principles in everyday life, both for students as well as professionals from different walks of life. It will also initiate research projects to slowly introduce these mid-body-spirit concepts from yoga and tai-chi into programs for those with learning and physical disability as well as for preventive care. While we are still working to set this up, we have organized a small workshop at Batam, an introduction to the Tao te Ching, over the easter weekend. the dates are 2,3,4 Apr, 2010.

The workshop will combine an introduction to the Tao Te Ching, combined with the basics of tai chi exercises for health.

Please let me know if you or anyone you know may be interested in it, either for personal and professional benefit, or as an introduction to Chinese culture and thought. The group will be limited to 15-20 people.

Please email me : subhashisb@hotmail.com for details. You can see the profile of Master Tek at www.hsin-i.com

Secrets to a Happy, Stressful Life!

Stress – This word has been much maligned in recent years by the medical community, by magazines, the spa industry and by practically everyone else. We all want to “get rid” of stress. A lot of articles advocate that stress accelerates ageing and disease. But do we really know what is stress?

Contrary to general belief, the medical dictionary makes an important point by stating that
“Stress is a normal part of life that can help us learn and grow”. To drive the point home further, Happiness Guru Alexander Kjerulf, in his book “Happy Hour is 9 to 5”, says,

“Stress has nothing to do with how many hours you work, and everything to do with how you feel during those hours”.

Almost every stress relieving program will include the following advice:
1. Be optimistic
2. Take time to relax with structured “time-outs”
3. Eat wisely and well
4. Breathe properly
5. Take time to meditate
6. Get a massage
7. Listen to music
8. Enjoy sex and exercise
9. Laugh a little more
10. Quit smoking and alcohol

Quite straightforward one would say, except that for “stressed out” people, the above are easier said than done!

Secret 1: Your thoughts decide if stress is your worst enemy or best friend.

How does Stress lead to physical illness? Yoga theory states that there are five koshas (sheaths or layers) to the self:
1. physical (annamaya kosha)
2. energy (pranamaya kosha)
3. mental (manamaya kosha)
4. wisdom (vijnanamaya kosha)
5. bliss (anandamaya kosha)

The problem of long standing stresses starts with the Manamaya Kosha (mental state). Some of the initial symptoms include irritability, emotional liability, unwarranted smoking or alcohol urges, sleep disturbances, difficulty in taking decisions, and so on. The mind thus lies at the base of nearly all of the cases of non organic manifestations of stress. Over a period of time this goes on to upset the energy layer (problems of the digestive system like poor appetite, indigestion, etc.) and next the physical body (chronic illnesses, persistent aches and pains with no known cause).

Yogis and sages have told us that it is better not to waste too much time discussing what caused the stress. On the contrary, find out what is the current state of your mind when you are stressed. And take remedial action, using exercise as one component. As paradoxical as it may seem, one of the core principles of conventional exercise is the voluntary taking of stress! It is well known that if you don’t stress the bones, they will become brittle and if you don’t stress muscle they will waste away. Research shows that the brain works very much the same way.

So it is up to us to decide how we want to use this stress which is unavoidable.

Secret 2: Strike at the “Fruits” and then at the “Roots” of stress

To relieve stress, we need to first do those exercises that relieve the symptoms (fruits) of stress. This is a good starting point. Typically, these are exercises that
1. normalise heart rate,
2. normalise blood pressure,
3. relax muscular tension,
4. reduce irritability,
5. alleviate depression.

Regular exercise will show results within 5-7 days as some or all of the symptoms begin to recede. This forms the “Fruits” series in the workout.

After recovering some aspects of your well being over a period of between 4-8 weeks, one can start the second level of exercises (“Roots” series), that of increasing capacity to take stress. This is essential for us to maximise our potential in our professional, social and spiritual lives. These exercises are aimed towards :

1. Reduced triggering of the fight or flight response resulting in better endocrine function and sleep

2. Deeper breathing resulting in better oxygenation and organ function

3. Stronger musculoskeletal structure to enable more physical capabilities at work and play.

Thus a balanced workout includes a “Fruits” and a “Roots” series of exercises.

Secret 3: Design your exercise routine based on your “Mind state” rather than “Physical condition”.

“Getting stressed out” is actually a learned behaviour. The good news about learned behaviour is that it can be unlearned. For beating stress, break up your exercise routine initially into little, “easy” parts of 5 minutes each as described below. This will form your “Fruits” series.

Step 1. Every morning when you wake up, close your eyes and take 3 deep breaths. Become aware of how your body feels. Become aware of the 3-4 thoughts uppermost in your mind. Then think of any 5 small blessings in your life and thank God for it. Contemplate these blessings for a couple of minutes.

Step 2. On an empty stomach, step out for a walk alone. Stroll for the first minute, brisk walk for another 3 minutes and stroll again for the last minute. While walking, look into the distance at trees, sky or water bodies if possible. Green and blue shades in nature calm the metabolic and nervous system. Take a look at Figure 1 and you will see how it feels.

Figure 1. Exercise in the open and use vision and nature to reduce stress build up.


Drink a couple of glasses of water slowly when you return indoors ( juices won’t do the job of flushing toxins from your system!)

Step 3. On your way to work or school (or at home if you are a housewife), train yourself to become aware of your breath. Breathe so that your stomach, lower chest, upper chest and sides of the rib cage expand as you breathe in. Feel them all collapse gently as you breathe out. While standing or sitting, continue mindfully breathing for 5 minutes.

Step 4. Take at least 5 flights of stairs on foot. Do not run. If you need to go to the 10th floor, get off the elevator at the 5th floor and walk up.

Step 5. Before taking a difficult decision at work, do step 1 again.

Step 6. Before lunch, do step 1 again.

Step 7. On the way home from work, do step 3 while commuting.

Step 8. In the evening or about an hour before dinner, do the sun salutation sequence ( For starts, I recommend reference 6 below) for 5 minutes mindfully and gently, working up from about 1 sequence per minute in the initial days to 4 sequences per minute after a couple of months. Add to this everyday with any ONE of the following activities, whichever you may enjoy on a particular day.

8 (A) Go for a run or brisk walk immediately after at a comfortable pace making sure

you are not tired at the end. Take along your spouse/kids/friends.
8 (B) On alternate days, do a 15 minute weight training of any two related body parts.

Do not repeat the same parts before 48 hours.
8 (C) Play a physical sport with your kids and /or spouse
8 (D) Try movement activity like yoga, martial arts forms, dancing to music, etc.

Choose the time duration for activities from 8(A) to 8(D) as you see fit. It will be difficult for you to make time for this evening activity, but it is essential to maintain well-being especially if you have any chronic condition like diabetes, obesity, etc.

Step 9. Follow step 8 and the supplementary activities above by relaxing in “Shavasan” position. Lie down flat on your back on a firm mat, spread your arms and legs a little to open up the armpits and perineum. Starting from the toes, relax all parts of the body progressively upto the muscles of the face. Allow the body and breath and mind to rest for 3-5 minutes.

Step 10. Before you hit the sack for the night, repeat step 1. If there is an opportunity for sex and physical touch with someone you love, it is one of the best exercise antidotes to stress!

Figure 2. The Bowstring© 5 minute formula. Beating stress is not about
“how much” you exercise but “how often” you remind your mind and
body that you are aware and that you care.

You can cut out Figure 2 and keep it in your wallet as a reminder. Treat every 5 minute step as a time-out from your worries and your illnesses.

Secret 4: Don’t forget to strike at the root!

As we grow, demands on our energies, faculties and time also grow. So do not forget to enhance your capacity to take all types of stress, for this is the only way you will stay stress-free.

Choose for yourself from the whole galaxy of exercise systems available to you. Yoga, martial arts, aerobic workouts, dance workouts, swimming, climbing, weight training, physical sports, playing with kids, and whatever catches your fancy. This forms the “Roots” series of exercises and they will replace 8(A) to 8(D) of the “Fruits” exercises in the long run.
Remember the four main components of exercise as shown in Figure 3.

Fig3. Stress is a result of Imbalance. Create a balanced workout and lifestyle

routine which exercises all the “Koshas”

The “feel good” effects of massages, vacations, parties, a few drinks are short lived in the absence of a healthy lifestyle. For optimum well-being and performance, the “Roots” exercises should be done at least every alternate day for the rest of one’s lifetime. Always stay alert not to lose your anchor, the “Fruits” series, especially when the tough times arrive.

Ultimately, this combination will help move you to the Anandamaya Kosha (see Secret 1). Needless to say, once there is bliss, stress ceases to exist.

Greening the Eyes – Exercising with Nature’s Abundance

No one can deny the soothing feeling of standing over a cliff and letting our eyes roam over a vast forest below, resplendent in a thousand shades of green. The clear blue sky seems to stand out in stark contrast, bright, uniform in shade and depth, with some clouds here or there. Faced with such a natural view, the stress in our bodies, minds and in our eyes seem to melt magically away.

Like all systems in our body and mind, disuse and overuse lead to disorders. When disorders are not corrected, they manifest as disease. Today’s society is bound by four walls ( our apartments ), high rises just outside our windows, vehicles for transport where we are again enclosed, and once more the four walls ( our office or our schools ) . We are lucky if we happen to live in a city which is green, otherwise we see very few trees. Our urban environment thus forces us to overuse the eye muscles that focus over a short distance, and underuse the ones which help us see into the distance. As this continues to happen every day, the used muscles get chronically exhausted while the unused ones waste away. The lens in the eyes gets flexed less and less due to this and ultimately loses the ability to focus with the same efficiency as before.
As we grow up, the preoccupation with television and computer screens and mobile phones add dramatically to this effect. Houses and offices designed to reflect as much light as possible slowly erode our visual capabilities. This further accelerates the ageing of our eyes.

Do we rest our eyes when we sleep? Those who study sleep know that the eyes are seldom resting and static in sleep. In fact in some sleep stages, eyeballs show very rapid movement. The only real rest for the eyes in sleep comes from absence of visual stimulus.

The world we have constructed today mandates that we use trees to heal the eyes. Trees have a very important function apart from giving us oxygen – they absorb glare and reflect wavelengths of light that have many benefits to our eyes and to our overall health.

What is Greening of the Eyes?

It simply means consciously searching for trees and looking up through their foliage at the sky in daylight. Alternately try to figure out the resolution of the leaves (for about 15 seconds) and then shift focus to the clear sky or the clouds floating by(another 15 seconds). Repeat this as many times as you feel like. The treetop must be at least 20 feet from your eyes in order to begin the recovery from onset of impaired eyesight.

Very high trees are good if you find you need reading glasses while having pretty good long vision.

If you find you are getting short sighted, try to look through foliage at a water body down below.

Doing both these exercises lying down is the best possible posture you can use since it increases blood and fluid supply to the eyes and cranial nerves. If you can manage the time to doze off after this exercise ( about 5-10 min), that would be great!

For an even more powerful effect, direct the vibrations of a chant out through the eyes while doing the exercise. If you are tai chi or chi kung practitioner, circulate your chi into your head and fill your skull so that it overflows out through the eyes.

The best possible time is in early morning daylight, when the earth pulsates with rejuvenating energy.

Why Green?

Red is the colour psychologically associated with fire and blood. It is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, love, anger. Pysiologically, a person is believed to respond to this colour by becoming emotionally intense. Exposure to the colour red visually and psychologically raises human metabolism, respiration rate, and blood pressure. Hence, it is used in many applications where one needs to alert a person, eg. stop signs, fire equipment, etc. Red grabs attention easily.

In today’s fast paced, competitive, highly demanding urban lifestyle, we are psychologically “seeing red” all the time! Due to the various technologies we use, we are continually exposed to low frequency radiation, some part of which lies in the infra-red region. Computer screens, TV monitors, glass and steel skyscrapers reflecting light, and whitewashed urban landscapes add to the glare resulting in strain to the eyes and to the mind.

Hence, the logical way to unwind and relax would be to use the colour which, visually and psychologically, symbolises the qualities opposite to red, namely, green. You will have noticed that when you stare at a red light for a long time and then shift your attention to a white sheet of paper, for a brief instant, the sheet appears green.

Green, the color of nature, symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety. Physiologically, the colour green has great healing power. The most restful colour for the human eye, it can improve vision dramatically.

Why use the sky and water bodies?

Blue is the colour of the sky and sea. Often associated with depth and stability, it symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. Blue is a masculine color, highly accepted among males. Dark blue is associated with depth, expertise, and stability. Blue is used to symbolize piety and sincerity in many cultures.

The body’s response to this colour is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect. Blue is strongly associated with tranquility and calmness.

See how the red attracts the eyes and how the trees and water soothes in the afternoon glare – Jurong Bird Park, Singapore.

Why trees?

Here’s just a sampling of what researchers have discovered about our relationship with trees:

• 
  
  Hospital patients with a window view of trees need less pain medication and are discharged sooner than patients with treeless views.


• 
  
  Given a choice between a scene with trees and one without trees, people of all ages and ethnic groups from various countries prefer the scene with trees regardless of whether they live in urban, suburban or rural areas.


• 
  
  Just knowing that natural places are available nearby makes a residence more appealing to buyers.


• 
  
  People are more satisfied with their neighbourhoods if there are trees on or near their property. They describe their quality of life as safer, more pleasant and are more satisfying than people living in homes without trees nearby.


• 
  
  Residents living in apartments with a window view of tress are significantly less aggression toward family members than those whose windows look onto concrete, asphalt or barren earth. This includes their making fewer insults and threats and other psychologically aggressive behaviour.


• 
  
  Police report lower crime rates in areas of public housing developments that have a density of trees.


• 
  
  Residents of urban public housing use common spaces with trees more often than common spaces that are barren of trees.

Just imagine the positive effects trees could have on our lives if we consciously chose to assure their ample presence in all commercial and residential areas everywhere.

Why not just get glasses?

Sure! Get glasses or contact lenses or Lasik surgery or whatever and live happily ever after! After all, many say

“Where is the time to do these exercises?”, or “I have too much on my plate already.”

But glasses don’t heal the eye, nor do they reduce stress and tiredness in daily life, nor are they free. And they don’t add beauty, health and joy to life like trees do.
So if you are a person who has recently received the advice to use glasses to correct your vision in the past 6 months, give this simple remedy a shot. About 3 minutes a day for 3 months.

For those who have been advised surgery for vision correction, try to do the same.

For those who are convinced that bad vision is “natural” in old age, try greening your eyes and discover what is really natural to you.

You have nothing to lose ( except your stress!) and everything to gain (including rediscovering your universe in a new way!).

Subhasis Banerji
10th Jan, 2009, Singapore. Age 45 years.
Advised reading glasses July, 2008. Free of glasses November, 2008.

Exercising for Weight Loss - The Golden Rules

One of the greatest scourges of urban society in the 21st century is the desire for instant gratification. After just one day of going on a weight-loss program, we get onto a weighing scale and start judging whether the programme works or not. Not surprisingly, many weight loss programs strive to show you results the next day or even the next hour, ignoring the long term consequences to your health. They are merely trying to give you what you want.

Most people begin an exercise program designed for weight loss with the intention of sticking with it. Unfortunately, statistics show that the majority give up after a month or six weeks, having decided that the program does not work for them.

There are usually two reasons behind this decision. Individuals claiming, "they don't have the time" are often hiding the real reason, that their expectations were not met. When there is a conflict between the results you expect from exercise, and what you actually get, it is easy to predict what happens next. In my years of dealing with clients I have had the pleasure of coming across some brilliant excuses for not exercising. “My trainer ran away with my wife” and “My astrologer told me I had started at an inauspicious time” come readily to mind.

( Ref: http://www.snappreviewcentre.com/)

Most experienced exercise scientists agree that the best weight loss results are achieved by a combination of appropriate diet, aerobic exercise and resistance training, but there is a time tested aspect of weight loss that most of us never learn or are never told by our trainers or doctors.

The ancient texts on Qigong place a large emphasis on the “Three Treasures”, namely posture, breathing and awareness. This is a pre-requisite for any program which enhances health, including weight loss and weight gain. Similarly in Yoga, we have the first two steps of authentic yoga practice, which are called “yama” and “niyama”. Loosely translated, they mean observances and restraints. Needless to say, the prime mover for these exercise routines is not the body, but the mind. The development of this key quality of Mindfulness brings us to Golden Rule 1.

Golden Rule 1 : Permanent normalisation of weight is directly related to gain in awareness.

The first thing is to become aware of posture, breath, thoughts and lifestyle choices we make daily. Work on building a habit of holding yourself tall and breathing deep but without straining. Do this for a few minutes every time you remember, during the day. This awareness can be enhanced through gentle, slow, mindful yoga or tai chi.

You will find that with increased awareness, blood oxygenation levels go up, depression and toxin levels receed, metabolic rate rises, blood pressure and other chronic conditions stabilise. To top it all, aches and pains are less, stress levels are better and it is easier to handle changes in dietary and other habits. Sleep improves and the body starts becoming more energy efficient. All these are critical to start the weight loss process stress-free.

The second thing to be aware of is the fact that your weight loss goals may be unrealistic. Many people starting an exercise program are told they can expect to lose around two pounds of fat each week. Some people do. But a lot of people don’t. All traditional medicine systems treat each individual differently for chronic disorders(obesity is one of them), rather than follow statistical data and thumb rules. I would recommend a similar approach, rather than running after the latest fad diet or celebrity workout.

Let us try to list what our objectives are for losing weight. For most people they may be

1. Looking good
2. Feeling better and younger
3. Having more energy
4. A better sex life
5. Freedom from chronic diseases and disability

So what’s wrong with losing weight fast?

Rapid weight loss usually involves different types of losses which most people are unaware about. You can end up losing not only fat, but also body fluids, muscle, minerals, vitamins, bone density. If this happens, you will not achieve any of the objectives above.

A healthy programme would obviously be one where you lose mostly fat, replenish fluids, vitamins and minerals, and build muscle and bone density. The problem is that gain in muscle mass and bone density makes the weight loss seem less spectacular on the weighing scale. The body mass composition, however, does change. This means you may see positive changes in shape and strength, but less than expected change in weight, say over a 6 week period. This simple logic brings us to the next golden rule.

Golden Rule 2 : Long term sustainability is better than short term results.

Sustainability is important for many reasons. You must lose fat slow enough to regain health. Your body is “structured” with its current percentage of fat. It may take anything between 6 months to a year before it stabilises at a new, healthier fat percentage. Till then the fat will keep pushing to come back. It is the body’s way of preserving itself. Pushing hard from day one to get rid of fat either through crash diets, intensive exercise or both will only build resistance in mind and body. When exhaustion, frustration or low motivation sets in, many end up gaining back the lost weight and more, in a very short time. So start exercising only as much as you can comfortably manage when you are at your busiest! Even 10 minutes is good for a start provided it is mindful. Never allow exercise to add to your stress! If we exercise with too many unrealistic expectations, exercise becomes a stressor rather than a stress buster. Compared to the widely marketed “quick-fix lifestyle”, psychotherapists recommend a different approach, which I will put down as golden rule 3.

Golden Rule 3: Avoid the “All or Nothing” mindset.

“All or nothing” means either we lose 2 lbs as promised per week or else the program is a flop. It means if we wake up 15 minutes late for a morning workout, we curse and go back to sleep. It means if I eat some extra dessert because I got carried away, then I give up for good on the diet I am trying to follow.

This mindset is a way of punishing ourselves for the slip-ups we commit. Every time we follow this mindset, the compliance with any program is short-lived, because it triggers frustration, anger, disappointment and hence stress. When the body finds itself under stress and depleted of energy, its first instinct is to accumulate fat as an extra energy source.

Avoiding this mindset means we correct our errors, forgive ourselves and continue forward. It means we may be late by mistake so we exercise for less time today, becoming aware of what caused the error and how we can avoid the trap tomorrow. If we “exercise” kindness and mindfulness to ourselves, it will help us realise golden rule 4.

Golden Rule 4: Progressively develop an exercise plan which depends on only one factor, YOU.

It is now fairly well established that nutrition forms the most critical component of any weight loss programme. In various studies done over the past 3 decades, it was seen that the contribution of nutrition to weight loss was almost 70% with a healthy mix of aerobic and weight training contributing to the rest. However, in the maintenance phase of the body’s healthy weight, the importance of both aerobic and resistance training went up dramatically.

Western medicine tells us that the risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, intestinal and prostrate disorders all get enhanced when the extra weight is put on around the midriff, what we call abdominal fat. Abdominal fat is your “very-easy-to-identify” wake up call. It means your body is not coping well with your lifestyle.

Your waistline is your wake-up call (http://www.carllewisfitness.com/)

Instead of stressing your body more by doing 100 crunches a day ( several programs recommend this!) it is necessary to slow down and become mindful of what you eat and what you do to rob your body of exercise and rest eg. taking the elevator every time instead of the stairs or partying / watching late night TV frequently and robbing yourself of sleep.

A simple aerobic activity like brisk walking is a great starting point. Not only does it contribute to weight loss, but it activates the circulation, oxygenation and hormone generation like no other, while being gentle on your joints and strengthening bones and muscles. Low intensity brisk walking is known to metabolise fat better than higher intensity running. Walk quick enough so that your heart rate rises to the following value:

• Number of heartbeats per 10 seconds = (220 – age in years) / 10
  

Try to hold this heart rate for a minimum of 10-12 minutes at a time before you take rest, and then repeat the cycle till you complete 30 minutes.If you feel breathless before this heart rate is reached, walk as quick as you feel comfortable and take frequent breaks. These are approximate guidelines.

Martial art movements are by far the best advanced aerobic workouts to enhance physical and mental performance. Combining this with the sun salutations will take your energy levels and mental poise to a new high. Spend one or two days in a week with one exercise form and then another. Do them with your kids. This will keep alive interest and joy.

Also introduce static postures from yoga ( you can use the same exercises which help sleep as described in the Nov,08 post!) into your routine. Balance asanas are great for toning abdominal muscles, forward bending asanas enhance detoxification and deeper abdominal muscles. If there is back or knee pain, tai chi forms are probably more comfortable initially to release stress and open energy channels.

Forward bending and balance asanas for activating abdominal and core muscles
(Ref: http://www.bodyweightculture.com/)

Once you find that your flexibility, joint stability, posture and breathing has improved, you will already feel lighter. This is a good time to engage in resistance exercises with moderate weights. You can use dumbells which are easily available at any shop. It is advisable to engage a trainer for a while. Ask him or her to teach you correct form and routine rotation. Be sure to start with low weights and high repetitions per set to tone up first, before you go for muscle growth. This will also keep aches and injuries at bay. Supplement with a lot of freehand resistance exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, and half squats, all done slowly. Limit crunches to 20 a day done slowly, without lifting your lower back off the floor and without holding your breath.

Mindfull Exercise for Weight Loss ( http://www.studymatrixart.com/)

Once you lose a few kilos, don’t be afraid to experiment with some sport like tennis or badminton or swimming, because competitive sport keeps your mind sharp and alert. Guard everyday against falling back into our old habits again. Aim for a life where you are independent of your cook, trainer, gym, equipment, city, weather, moods, budgets, preferences and aversions.

Equipment free workout ( Ref: http://www.exercise.about.com,www.nhs.uk/)

Golden Rule 5: The “How” is as important as the “What”.

Our attention is all the time on our weight and “what” we can do. A powerful lesson is to equally focus on “how” we do something. Realise how you eat, react, exercise, evaluate.Try to find a teacher who stresses on the philosophy and science behind the exercise.

Personally, I consider the “how” more crucial than the “what” for a simple reason. People follow thousands of exercise systems all over the world. The joyous, fit, healthy people you meet who are able to maintain themselves well will always teach you a thing or two about “how”, and their advice will be more or less as follows,

“Your obesity is not really around your belly, it is in your mind”.

( Disclaimer: It is advisable to do all the exercises mentioned above under the supervision of an experienced teacher. Consult your doctor before starting any exercise program in case you have a medical condition).

References:

1. Buemann,B., et al.,"Effecst of exercise training on abdominal obesity and related metabolic complications", Sports Medicine, 1996;21;191-212

2. Jahnke,R., "The Healing promise of Qi: Creating extraordinary wellness through qigong and tai chi", Contemporary Books, 2002.

3. Mcguire, MT., et al, "Long term maintenance of weight loss: Do people who lose weight through various weight loss methods use different behaviours to maintain their weight?" International Journal of Obesity, 1998;22;572-577.

4. Iyengar, BKS., "Light on Yoga Sutras of Patanjali", Ramani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, Pune, India, 2007.

Using Exercise to Manifest your Inner Beauty

Coming face to face with beauty is a powerful experience. Seeing a Carl Lewis run a 100m race, watching a beautiful woman walk in through the door, noticing a new blossom on your morning walk route or suddenly coming across an inspiring line in a book – they all touch our lives in different ways. Sometimes, it can be life-changing. Why does this happen? The ancient masters say “beauty” is our essential nature, hence we identify with it easily. We long to manifest it within ourselves, consciously and unconsciously, throughout our lives.

As we grow up, many factors contribute to our believing that we are “ordinary”. The conditioned mind keeps telling us this all the time. But the longing of our Being to unfold our beauty in all its glory does not go away.

One of the more obvious ways of addressing this issue is the quest for superficial beauty. So we focus our attentions on our skin, hair, nails, clothes, footwear, body shape, face, teeth and so on. When this is not enough we cling to beautiful friends, the latest gizmos, jewellery, but the frustration grows because the true inner beauty is still struggling to reveal itself.

No one can dispute that everyone wants to “look better”, but it is also equally true that even more people want to “feel better”. Few things are as striking as a child, adult or old person who radiates health, energy and wears a big smile on his or her face. Most of us identify this as “inner” beauty manifesting as “outer” beauty. Hence we find that wellness and beauty are intimately connected.

Assessing Yourself for Wellness

A simple self-administered wellness test ( Figure 1) will show you which way you need to go.

Figure 1. Wellness Self-Test

Mark the above table, using 1 and 0. For example, if your answer is Yes, mark “1” in the “Yes” column and “0” in the “No” column. Write down the total in the last row. If your total in the “Yes” is above 2, you need to start preventive practice to neutralize health problems while they are minimal. If your total in the “No” column is above 7, then you should spend less time in building energy and more time in learning how to effectively manage and maintain your health.

Understanding Cause and Effect

The very basic principle of computers, that most of us may have heard of, states:

“Garbage IN – Garbage OUT”.

If you feed bad data into your computer, you get erroneous results. Yoga says exactly the same about human beings. If we put into our system negative thoughts, unhealthy food, destructive emotions such as anger and jealousy, we reap bad relationships, excess weight, poor health and low beauty.

The two-pronged antidote that I would suggest is drawn from qi gong and yoga.

1. Make the Three Intentful Corrections : a. Adjust your posture
b. Adjust your breath
c. Adjust your thoughts
2. Improve integration of Head, Heart and Hand.

The method of the three corrections is something we do naturally every day whenever we are uncomfortable. If we are sitting for a long time and our back starts to hurt, we adjust our posture in the chair. If we are tense or we run up a flight of stairs, we stop to take a few deep breaths. If we are faced with an impossible situation, after a while our thoughts move towards acceptance rather than confrontation.

All these reactions are corrective, energizing, but unconscious. If we do the same things intentfully before we experience discomfort, then the energy levels in our system will go on rising, thus improving performance, immunity, and a sense of peace.

Similarly, some of us are in situations where we over stress our minds, emotions, or body. Sometimes it is a combination of all the above, especially if we are in a stressful job, bringing up little children and having relationship issues with our spouse or parents. We are constantly trying to manage on the mind, heart and physical fronts.

These responses of our mind, heart and physical being are again unconscious and constantly trigger the stress hormones in the body. Strengthening and integrating Head (mental), Heart (emotional) and Hand (physical/practical) aspects of ourselves with a regular practice keeps us better focused and calm in the face of the pressures of life.

Practices for the Three Intentful Corrections

This is a practice which you try to make your second nature. Whenever you have a few seconds spare, maybe just before a meal or a meeting, just before you take a call and just after you disconnect, just before you start the car or just after you park it, first thing in the morning or just before you climb into bed, do the following:

Straighten your spine and purposefully relax. Imagine the crown of your skull being gently pulled towards the sky and the base of your spine towards the earth. Visualise your spine lengthening due to this.

As your body cavity increases due to posture correction, feel the body and especially the abdominal cavity fill with breath. Feel the extra oxygen entering your system and traveling to the furthest corners of your body. Hold your breath while reciting in your mind:

“One,one thousand; Two, two thousand; Three, three thousand”

Allow the exhalation to be deep and visualize it taking away all toxic debris from body and mind.

When you breathe out, feel stomach move inwards
When you breathe in, feel stomach move outwards

Purposefully, bring your thoughts to the present. Make a note of how your thoughts are flowing at the present moment. Clear from your mind for the moment all those thoughts that appear in Figure 1 under points 3,4,5,9.

Then continue with whatever you need to do next.

Practices for Integrating Head, Heart and Hand

Before we integrate we need to connect at a deeper level with these three aspects of ourselves.

a) Head : Just like we clean and feed the body everyday, cleanse and nourish the mind. How do we do this? Yoga exercises which focus on balance and inversion are a great way of quickly achieve a mind which is active but calm. Inversion is great for skin and hair.

“Internally active but externally still”

is the principle of these exercises. The balance postures in Figure 2 also dramatically affect your core muscles and hence your body shape.

Figure 2. Balance and Inverted postures

b) Heart : Allow the stagnant emotions to drain away and ingest fresh energy. This is cleansing and nourishing for the heart. Do forward bending exercises to effect release and reverse bending with an open chest for absorbing new energy. Twisting exercises balance the tensions of the left and right sides and allow the spine to settle into a more relaxed position.

“Empty your jug if you want to fill fresh water”

is the common sense principle of these exercises, illustrated in Figure 3. The release of toxins is triggered and emotions, appetite and immunity are improved.

Figure 3. Move along the arrows in any direction your body and mind feels like.

c) Hand: Circulate the energies generated by the above exercises by working multiple muscle groups simultaneously and in concert with your breathing and your awareness. This movement therapy aspect of yoga is grouped together under the various forms of sun salutations. In this case, we focus on

“Incessant action outside but complete stillness inside”

as the guiding principle. Scientific weight training can also be beneficial, provided they maintain the suppleness of the body and cardiovascular capacity. All the above prepare us for the past paced activity of the chaotic external world.

The word yoga essentially means “union” at a spiritual level. At a practical level, it may be interpreted as “integration”. The integration of Head, Heart and Hand is the next step, for which we train ourselves to be observers and “directors”, using sitting and moving meditation.

Sitting meditation is best achieved by progressive training in “Dhyana” (one example is sitting with eyes closed 5 minutes at a time, focusing on a recent event and watching your response to it at the head, heart and hand levels). Moving meditation is best begun with an introduction to Tai chi forms. These forms should be done slowly enough so that your awareness keeps in step with the graceful, relaxed movements, and your breath stays deep and full.

“If any exercise or activity is difficult for you,
Know that patiently mastering it is what is good for you”.

With this mindset, we overcome the blocks to good health in mind, body and spirit.

Once you have engaged in regular practice for about 6 months, revisit the table in Figure 1 once more and prepare to be amazed. This is a good time to choose what next to do with your hair, skin, nails, clothes, etc. which we call the outer aspects of beauty, because your body will be toned and more graceful. You will also make a balanced choice because the mind is peaceful. Your skin may clear up enough for you to avoid harsh chemicals.

Science is uncovering many things about wellness which we have always suspected to be true. The most dramatic find based on studies at Stanford University and University of Utrecht in the Netherlands is that the human body has a capacity to store light in its cells. The capacity to store light is a measure of vitality and can be measured from the light emissions of the skin and breath. Finally, there is direct evidence that inner vitality results in the sparkle in the eyes, the glow on the face and the lustre in the hair and nails.

( Disclaimer: It is advisable to do all the exercises mentioned above under the supervision of an experienced teacher. Consult your doctor before starting any exercise program in case you have a medical condition).


References:

1. Iyengar, G.S., “Yoga in Action for Beginners”, Ramani Iyengar Yoga Institute, Pune, India.
2. Jahnke,R., "The Healing promise of Qi: Creating extraordinary wellness through qigong and tai chi", Contemporary Books, 2002.
3. Tiller, W.A., “The Real World of Modern science, Medicine and Qigong”, Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society, 22(5), 2002, 352.
4. “Introduction: Biophoton emission, stress and disease”, Journal of Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, December, 1992, vol. 48. www.springerlink.com

SLEEP AND ITS RELATION TO EXERCISE - MYTHS AND FACTS

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When I was a child, my parents told me kids need at least eight hours of sleep daily. This meant I was expected to spend one-third of my childhood sleeping !! What a waste of good playing time, I would complain.

Students nowadays find themselves always short of time. Instead of learning how to study and memorise more efficiently, the popular and widespread practice is to scavenge extra time from their sleep. From an early age, therefore, they start the process of upsetting our body rhythms, without realising the consequences.

For working professionals and parents, the demands on “sleep time” become progressively more. This is amplified for those working shifts. With kids to look after, sleep actually becomes the least of our worries, while the body craves it everyday.

In this way, we psychologically establish sleep deprivation as an acceptable coping mechanism and make it part of our lifestyle and culture. This happens largely due to many myths about sleep and exercise which prevail. Three of the most prevalent are discussed in this article.

Myth 1 : I need sleep only when tired. My body and mind are at rest when I sleep.

Contrary to popular belief, the body and brain are not always at rest when we sleep. In fact in an eight hour sleep, the brain may be at complete rest only for a little more than an hour !

Measuring the electrical activity in the brain, scientists and doctors can now see that the brain uses minimum energy when it is in stage 4 sleep ( Figure 1). Stages 3 and 4 are classified as deep sleep. However, the tissue repair in the body is at its optimum in this stage because muscle tone decreases slightly and heart rate is at its lowest, allowing enough time for nutrient transfer and removal of the by-products of metabolism. So the body is very much at work.

Figure 1. What happens to us when we are asleep [1]

Similarly, REM or “Rapid eye-movement” state is related to memory development and learning [2]. Again the time spent in REM is limited. The REM duration also increases progressively so it is enough only when we sleep 6 hours or more at a stretch.

To do all this rebuilding, the body needs energy !! Tiredness or exhaustion everyday prior to sleep is, therefore, unhealthy and results in poor sleep quality.

Myth 2. For fitness, bodybuilding or losing weight, exercise is more important than sleep.

No matter how much you exercise, you only wear out tissue. You do not make it grow. The body repairs its tissues and cells only in sleep. All increases in muscle volume, strength and bone density occur in sleep. Sleep deprivation dramatically raises the chances of injury and muscle loss.

There is also enough evidence to show that inadequate and disturbed sleep is one of the major
factors in the onset and progress of obesity. According to a study across age groups, those who slept 6 hours a day or less gained more weight than those who slept seven hours and more a day [3].

The patterns and rhythms of sleep and other natural cycles (Figure 2)control body temperature, blood pressure and hormone secretions. Sleep keeps the heart and blood vessels healthy. It also regulates weight, appetite and blood glucose levels. Because of the close interconnection of sleep and day-to-day functioning, lack of sleep or irregular sleep upsets these patterns. Poor quality sleep causes memory problems, reduces critical thinking ability and lowers the body’s immunity.

Figure 2. The natural rhythms of body functions over a 24 hour cycle.

Different people require different hours and times of sleep. Some feel fresh and energetic with a few hours of sleep and some cannot function for long without their 8 hours of snooze. Then we have the “early birds” who go to bed early and the “late owls” who have lunch for breakfast ![4]
The graph in Figure 2 can help with deciding when to exercise for optimum effect. For example, write down your own times of sleep and hunger on the horizontal “Time” axis. Once you have your personal graph, choose times as below :

1. Calming and Focus exercises just after you wake up when the heart rate is low. Duration may be as low as 3 minutes.

2. Vigourous physical exercise when the sleep cycle is at its minimum or at least below the dotted horizontal line. This is the time your energies are at their peak. Duration may be as low as 20 minutes.

3. Relaxation exercise when your energy is low anytime during the day or close to sleep time. Duration may be as low as 5 minutes.

How long you exercise and which exercise you do each time depends on your needs and lifestyle.
The timing is important because frequent disturbance in the body rhythms is known to be one of the important risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stress disorders[5].

Myth 3. I can compensate for sleep over the weekend. If I have sleep related issues, I must “medicate” or “meditate”.

Compensation over the weekend does not work because you again upset your natural body rhythms. If you often find yourself with insufficient sleep, before you require medication, you can turn to exercising you body and your mind, so that you build the capability to have a better quality of sleep in whatever time is available to you.
Most of us may have experienced that vigourous exercise improves sleep quality. Regular cardio-vascular or resistance training, done at the appropriate time of day, helps us sleep better [6]. A diet with adequate carbohydrates also enables better sleep.

An important and often neglected aspect is to include “focussed relaxation” into your exercise regimen. It is said that 30 minutes of focussed relaxation is equivalent to 2 hours of sleep. This activity requires two skills :

1. How to focus ( a mind exercise ) and

2. How to let go ( an emotion exercise )

Exercises which increase focus are usually those which promote balance eg. standing on one leg. There are several exercises in yoga, called “Dhyan asanas” or “Focus positions”. These will give you not only core muscles and a lower body to die for, but also calm focus.

Exercises which enable you to relax and let go of physical and emotional tensions are classified in yoga as “Vairagya asanas” or “Letting Go positions”. These consist of largely forward bending exercises. Combined with deep exhalation, they enable emotional release. These exercises also give you great flexibility, a supple spine, healthy internal organs and robust hormonal systems.

The practice of focus and relaxation culminate in shavasana ( dead body posture ) where one tries to relax specific areas of the body lying down, while staying fully alert. Brain scans of people in similar “wakeful relaxation” states reveal that they can achieve a sleep state of 3 or 4 ( as shown in Figure 1 above) very quickly and for as long as they wish[7].

“Focussed relaxation” can be used anywhere at any time of the day if you wish to rest eg. while travelling or waiting for someone at a restaurant. Imagine the liberation of being able to take deep relaxation breaks of 5-15 minutes and completely re-energising yourself in the middle of the day.

You will then feel refreshed with lesser sleeping hours, in spite of a huge workload and hectic social calendar.

The 3 Cornerstones of Good Health – Nutrition, Exercise and Sleep

The foundations of long life and good health will never be solid until one has worked out the balance between these 3 cornerstones. Neglecting one and trying to compensate with the others has not shown positive long term results in any race or population.

Paradoxically, we may eat less and need less exercise, if we sleep enough.

References
1. http://www.mydr.com.au/
2. Doidge, Norman, MD., The Brain that Changes Itself, Penguin Books, 2007
3. Chaput, JP., et al., Short sleep duration is associated with reduced leptin levels and increased adiposity, Obesity 2007;15(1);pp. 253-261
4. Smolensky, Michael, PhD., and Lamberg, Lynne, The Body Clock to Better Health, New York: An Owl Book, 2001
5. Meerlo P., et al., Restricted and disrupted sleep: Effects on autonomic function, neuroendocrine stress systems and stress responsivity, Sleep Medicine Reviews 2008; 12(3); pp 197-210.
6. Brassington GS., Hicks RA., Aerobic exercise and self-reported sleep quality in elderly individuals, Journal of Ageing and Physical Activity;1995;3;120-134.
7. Elson BD., et al., Physiological changes in yoga meditation, Psychophysiology, 1977; 14(1); pp.52-57.