Tai Chi – The Best DVD Lessons

I became interested in Tai Chi, one of the best known martial arts from ancient China (more information and history). I’ve been receiving acupuncture, and I wanted to try something myself to nurture my internal energy, qi, to enhance my wellness.  I don’t want you to think Tai Chi is a mere workout or exercise; it is an art. 

I came across Dr. Paul Lam’s Tai Chi for Health series on YouTube.  I watched the free first lessons, and I was very impressed with the slow pace, thorough instructions of every step, and helpful explanation of Tai Chi philosophy.  The slow pace and detailed instruction are must for me. I often get frustrated with yoga classes both in person and videos because the pace is too fast, and the instruction isn’t always clear. Dr. Lam’s calm and kind voice alone makes you peaceful and happy. You feel like he is really there in front of you to guide you through. 

I bought Tai Chi for Energy (outside USA), and I am in the middle of the 8-lesson course.  In each lesson, you will learn only a segment of the complete sequence of movements (3 minutes in total).  Each lesson goes over the previous learned forms, and the sequence gets longer.  I practice each lesson for 3-4 days before moving on to the next lesson because I’m so looking forward to the next lesson although my movement isn’t smooth yet. The reason I said Tai Chi is an art is the first movement you learn is to put the foot apart.  You have to put your mind to every single movement, however simple and subtle it is.  Tai Chi trains your mind to slow down and concentrate.  It takes time and many practices to “master” seemingly easy flow of slow movements.  It can be very difficult for some people to slow down, but once you let yourself go and follow the flow, it will be very calming as well as revitalizing. 

This page shows you what DVDs you can start with.  Tai Chi is proven beneficial especially for people with arthritis, and Dr. Lam’s Tai Chi for Arthritis is endorsed by Arthritis Foundations and CDC.  There are many other DVDs such as Tai Chi for Diabetes, Tai Chi for Rehabilitation, and Tai Chi for Osteoporosis. 

I am not getting compensation for promoting the products.  I simply believe that they are the best DVDs to learn Tai Chi.

Do You Have Migraines? Have You Tried This Method?

Headaches and migraines are the most common, yet very distressing condition that many people get.  I’ve written many posts about headache relief.  Recently, I gained better insight into migraines from webinars and articles by Til Luchau, LMT.  

Migraines were thought to be caused by dilated blood vessels of the brain.  However, it is now being viewed as a nervous system disorder, along with other factors.  A goal of massage or bodywork is to reduce the compression on the cranial nerves. 

One of the ways you can try to relieve migraine pain is pulling your ears.  When you pull your ears, you also pull the temporal bones slightly. Deep behind the temporal bone is the trigeminal nerve, the likely cause of migraines and cluster headaches.  Pulling the ears might help relieve the pressure on the trigeminal nerve.  You should experiment which angle of the pull relieves the pain better; straight to the side, up, down, back and etc.  Once you found the right angle, hold the traction and relax for a while. I hope this will work for you.

If you are interested in finding more details and other ways to relieve migraine pain, read the article here.  It is designed for massage therapists/bodyworkers, but you can try yourself or ask your massage therapist if they are familiar with the techniques.

Take a Pause: Body Scan Relaxation

Awareness is a great way to connect with our body.  We often forget how our body feels most of the time until it screams out as pain.  Or, we don’t even want to face any sensations, especially if unpleasant (will post about facing pain).  However, noticing any tension, discomfort, and ease that may go unnoticed in our daily life is important to deal with stress before it is out of hand.   

One of the benefits of massage is that you can easily notice how your body feels by touch; feeling good, sore, tight, warm, tingling, stinging, pain, or unexplainable sensation.  Massage is a great to way to learn to stay where the EASE is found.

If you need audio instructions, you can play the Track 6 “Body Scan for Meditation” (seated - 2 min.) by Mindful Meditations by UCLA or Body Scan (lying down – 5 min.) that I talked about in the post “Calm Your Anxiety with Breathing Exercises.”

I use Body Scan before going to bed every day, and it puts me to sleep right away!

Diaphragm and Digestive Dysfunction (Heartburn/GERD/Acid Reflux/Hiatal Hernia)

I have become more and more aware that breathing is an important part of health and wellness.  I talked about the relationship with anxiety in the last post.  Anxiety is not only mental distress, but can cause muscle tension, chest pain, and digestive disorders. 

The diaphragm is a unique dome-shaped muscle controlling breathing.  It is located horizontally separating the thoracic cavity (containing lungs, heart and etc) and the abdominal cavity (stomach, liver, intestines and etc.).  The esophagus, vena cava, and aorta pass through the middle of it.

With proper breathing, the diaphragm contracts when we inhale, moving down and expanding the thoracic cavity to suck the air in, and the diaphragm completely relaxes when we exhale.  We do this about 26,000 times a day.

If we have shallow chest breathing, where the diaphragm can’t fully contract and relax, it loses the elasticity and tightens like any other muscles. The dysfunction of the diaphragm could cause adhesion with the stomach, or squeeze the esophagus, causing digestive disorders like GERD and hiatal hernia.

Here is how it happens.

Anxiety/stress ➜  Incorrect breathing (shallow breathing) ➜  Diaphragm dysfunction ➜ Stomach dysfunction ➜  Digestive disorders 

I found very helpful and comprehensive videos about understanding heartburn and GERD and an abdominal massage for hiatal hernia.  Although I never had hiatal hernia, massaging the middle of the stomach right below the breastbone and rib cage has been effective for me to relieve the pain in the upper stomach because of indigestion.

It is important to massage other abdominal muscles (will post in the future) and use the breathing exercises in order to maintain the healthy digestive functions.

Calm Your Anxiety with Breathing Exercises

When we have stress, anxiety, and worries, we don’t breathe normally.  Shallow breathing could cause a panic attack for some people.  Keeping breathing under control not only calms our anxiety, but also transforms our life.    

There are many breathing exercises available.  I came across the book called Healing Power of the Breath.  It explains various breathing techniques and their benefits in different conditions or situations from trauma to relationships.  It emphasizes that breath is a “portal to the mind-body system.”  

Messages from the respiratory system have rapid, powerful effects on major brain centers involved in thought, emotion, and behavior. 

The exercises are very simple.  I found it more helpful to listen to the audio and follow the guiding cues to do the exercises.  

I will introduce 3 basic techniques.

1. Coherent Breathing

A rate of 5 breaths per minute- 5 bpm (inhaling for 6 seconds and exhaling for 6 seconds). 

Purpose: To increase Heart Rate Variability (HRV) by changing the pattern of breathing.  The higher HRV, the more flexible cardiovascular system and more resilient stress-response system.

If you were to learn one breathing technique, choose Coherent Breathing.  It helps relieve stress, tension, anxiety, worry, phobias, insomnia, and respiratory problems. 

• Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. 
• Close your eyes and mouth, and breathe through your nose. 
• Breathing should be very slow, gentle and comfortable, not forced.
• Play the practice. (If 5 bpm is too slow, play the beginning of this practice at 6 bpm.)

2. Resistance Breathing

Any kind of breathing that creates resistance to the flow of air (by pursing the lips, hissing, tightening the throat and etc.)

Purpose: To stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system by the increased pressure in the lungs, inducing relaxation. (Like cats purr!)

• Play the practice and follow the step-by-step instructions.

3. Breath Moving
With imagination, moving breath and awareness to different parts of the body

Purpose: To improve the circulation of energy through the nervous system and improve blood flow. (In Easter traditions, to open chakras and dissolve blockages so energy can circulate more freely.)

I personally like Breath Moving because I am a visual person.  When I am lying down, I can easily picture the breath as waves coming in and going out.

• Play the practice.

Total Breath

The combination of Coherent Breathing, Resistance Breathing, and Breath Moving.

Purpose: To maximize effectiveness and rapidity of response.

The book recommends you practice once a day for at least 20 minutes with full concentration. 

• Play the practice–5 bpm (20 min.)
• Play the practice–6 bpm (20 min.)

 

Body Scan

After breathing practices, finish with Body Scan to allow your system to consolidate the effects.  You can choose any other form of relaxation (meditation, visualization, deep prayer, and etc.).  It helped me calm down better because following the practices makes me more alert than relaxing.   

• Lie down and play Body Scan.

If you would like to know other healing breath practices including vibration breathing, and also make these great breathing practices your routine, download the audio files here to your device.  The book has much more information, and includes a helpful chart “How and When to Use Each Practice” in the appendix.

Hope these breathing practices transform your life!

            

These audio files are for your own personal use only.

FAQ: Why is tension carried in the shoulders?

Many of us seem to carry tension in the shoulders as if the whole world rests on our shoulders.  That’s right.  We often feel like it, with so many responsibilities, urgent tasks, and uncertainty for the future.  But, why in the shoulders?

It seems the main cause is mechanical – poor posture.  Most of us spend too much time sitting with the head forward or down and the hunched back.  Since we keep the same position for a long time, the muscles in the upper back are stretched out while the chest and abdominal muscles are short and tight.  Both stretched-out and short muscles cause problems.

From the perspective of body-mind connection, muscle tension and nervous tension are hand in hand.  Mental stress triggers the muscle tension, and the muscle tension causes discomfort leading to stress.  It goes both ways and is a vicious cycle.  Some degree of muscle tension or nervous tension is normal and even necessary.  However, if it’s happening constantly and becoming a habit, it will do more harm than good. 

When we are anxious, worried, upset, or distressed, we experience faster and shallower breathing as well as other fight-and-flight responses.  We sometimes hold our breath.  Thus, the chest has to work rather than the diaphragm,  a large muscle below the lungs to control breathing (read more about the diaphragm in this post).  To move the chest up, the muscles attached between the neck and the ribs or shoulder blades have to do more work.  If the condition persists, the shoulders stay tensed up. 

A small step to reduce shoulder and neck tension is to catch ourselves in the poor posture and under stress/anxiety.   Do the exercise for upper body, and breathe slowly from your stomach (read the next post about breathing exercises).  And, get a massage to relax!  We deserve a break from carrying the world. 

Shinrin-yoku – Forest Bathing

   © Naoko Otani

Shinrin-yoku (森林浴): A visit to a forest for relaxation and healing

I was lucky to have grown up close to nature for the Japanese, who live in a crowded city.  My parents frequently took me to the mountains, rivers and lakes.  I loved the sound of rivers and sweet smell of earthy air in the forest and mountains.  I feel at home when I’m in the woods because that’s where I can totally relax, get energized, and, above all, feel being part of the universe. 

I often heard of the term, shinrin-yoku, in Japan, so I was surprised to come across this Japanese word in English articles recently.  It’s no surprising that being in nature makes us feel better and relaxed.  However, the recent studies show scientific evidence that being exposed to the forest air has positive physiological effects.  In Japan, as of now, there are 64 accredited areas and trails for shinrin-yoku therapy.

Major effects noted in the studies are:

• Boosted immune system: increased natural killer (NK) cell activity, the number of NK cells, and levels of anti-cancer proteins
• Reduced stress: lowered cortisol (stress hormone) and pulse rate
• Lowered blood pressure
• Greater parasympathetic nerve activity  

The effects in the studies are often associated with phytoncides, aromatic volatile organic compounds released from trees and plants.  However, forest environments affect us through all of our senses: sight of scenery, smell of wood and flowers, sound of running streams, chirping birds, or the rustle of leaves, feel of grass and trees, and for some people, taste of edible plants.   

Let’s head out for the forests and relax! 

No time right now?  Watching a 5-minute Forest Therapy Break made by Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs might help you relax.

Nurture Our Mind

I’ve been talking about body-mind connection all the time.  We can’t talk about healthy self without considering healthy mind.  There is a Japanese saying, “Sickness originates in mind. (Yamai wa ki kara.)”  If we want to be well inside out, we need healthy thinking to nurture our mind. 

A source of routine nutrients for my mind, so to speak, is a weekly e-newsletter “Just One Thing (JOT)” by Rick Hanson, PhD.  It’s a short essay about “a simple practice each week for more joy, more fulfilling relationships, and more peace of mind.” His topics deal with everyday experiences, and the solutions are simple.  I first came across his writing "Relax and Contended" when I was looking for an article about relaxation and the nervous system for one of my first posts “Benefits of Massage Therapy.”  He is a psychologist interested in modern neuroscience.  I like his approach incorporating physiological aspect (body) into psychology (mind) because it mirrors my approach to massage therapy (mine is incorporating mind into body).

This week’s Just One Thing, “Relax anxiety about imperfection,” came at the right timing.  I’ve been anxious about a relatively minor thing this week, which didn’t cause a big damage, but could have been prevented or better.  Imperfections are everywhere.  Instead of reacting to each imperfection, which makes us feel even worse, he suggests we should accept them as they are, and “realize the impossibility of perfecting anything.”  I try to tell myself that everything will be all right in the end, even with a few imperfections.  And, peace of mind - that’s what matters most.

10 Tips to Choose the Right Shoes

Buying a good pair of running or walking shoes is a must for everybody if you want to save yourself from pain or injuries.  A pair of running shoes is said to last for 400-500 miles.  A good pair costs about $100-$150, which isn’t inexpensive, but it is a good investment.  If you consider medical expenses incurred from pain or an injury by a wrong pair of shoes, it isn’t bad at all.  It will also be a great holiday gift for anyone you care.

I don’t recommend you pick a pair by yourself just because they feel comfortable.  Find the right specialty running shoe store (recommended stores).  It is kind of choosing a bra (for women).  Even if you think you know your size because you think it always fits you, a trained salesperson might tell you otherwise (it happened to me).  Good shoe stores have salespeople who are runners and know exactly how to pick the right shoes for you. 

I recently went shopping for a new pair of running shoes, and I had a great experience.  I always pick a locally owned shoe store highly rated by runners.  This time, I found one from Jeff Galloway’s website because there isn’t a good one around in my area.  I ended up spending more than an hour to finally decide on one, which was the first pair I tried.  I didn’t have any preference for brands, colors, or styles, so a salesperson brought 5-6 pairs from different brands after she checked the soles of my old pair I brought, and how I walk, to make sure of my feet type (mine is neutral).  They let me run outside the store to test each pair that gave me a good first impression.  I appreciated my salesperson’s knowledge and patience, which made me sure that the pair I picked was the RIGHT ONE.     

Here are my 10 TIPS for running shoe shopping.  You can find more useful information at Jeff Galloway’s website, REI and Runner’s World.

1. Make sure a salesperson measures your feet, checks how you walk (feet type), and asks about your running activity.
2. Spend at least half an hour or more to pick a pair, preferably at the end of the day.
3. Be open to any brands, colors, styles and even a size, so you can have more choices.
4. Do not pick the exact model that you had in the previous year or before without trying them on.  A new model always changes, for better or worse.
5. If anything about fit bothers you, don’t buy the pair.  It will only bother you more later, never less.
6. Try a few more pairs even if the first pair feels perfect.  You never know if there is a better pair. 
7. Buy special running socks at the store (you don’t find those in regular stores).  They never chafe your feet and make a big difference.
8. If you still like the model after using it for a while, buy another pair before a new model comes out, especially if you run regularly and need another pair within a year.
9. Learn the best way to tie shoe laces.
10. Ask about their exchange policy. 

Herbal Teas for Headaches (2) - Let’s Make Tea!

Making tea from bulk herbs is easier than you think.  Above all, it tastes much better!

HERBS

I would highly recommend you buy dried BULK herbs at a health food store with a bulk section, especially ORGANIC ones (unless you have fresh herbs in your garden).  First, you know what you are getting because I’m not really sure about the quality of herbs in tea bags.  You must have experienced that tea made from loose leaf tastes and smells much better than one from a tea bag.  I tried green tea bags from different brands, but it doesn’t taste anything like real green tea, so I am always wondering if manufactures use low grade tea leaves or herbs for tea bags.

Buying herbs in bulk also gives you many advantages.  You can find more varieties of herbs, and buy only the amount you want.  You can also pick the specific herbs most beneficial for your condition and blend them exactly the way you like.  Lastly, it definitely saves you a lot.

EQUIPMENT

You can find all kinds of tea pots and cups with an infuser in stores.  If you don’t have any of these, you can use a mug and strain the herbs with a strainer later.  I use a French coffee press for making more than one cup, but I usually use one very similar to this in the picture below from Zen Formosa (I don’t remember the brand of mine, since it’s been years since I bought it).  It’s even easier than making a cup of coffee.

INSTRUCTIONS

Amount

In the book “20,000 Secrets of  Tea – The Most Effective Ways to Benefit from Nature’sHealing Herbs” by Victoria Zak, a heaping tablespoon of bulk herbs is required, but I feel it’s too much. I normally use about ½ to 1 teaspoon, and it still comes out pretty strong depending on the herbs.  You might want to start with ½ teaspoon to get used to the taste.

If you use fresh herbs (softer and hard parts of a plant), cut the herbs into small pieces and use 2 tablespoons per cup.   

Steeping time

Pour boiled water to a pot or a cup, and cover.  Steep for 3-5 minutes for dried herbs, 7-10 minutes for softer parts of fresh herbs.  For hard parts of fresh herbs such as bark, twigs, seeds, roots, or rhizomes, put pieces of the herb in a pot, cover it with cold water, and bring the water to a boil.  Simmer for 1 hour.

Sugar/Sweeteners

The author of the book doesn’t encourage you to sweeten tea if you take herbal teas as healing remedies.  I agree.  I enjoy the earthy, bitter flavor of herbs, which tastes almost like medicine.  It’s psychological, but I feel like it works better that way.

Enjoy a blissful cup of tea!

Herbal Teas for Headaches (1) - Herbs

In the last post “Herbal Teas for Healing,” I talked about great healing benefits of herbal teas.  I’m going to introduce the herbs recommended for headaches, migraines and sinuses from the book "20,000 Secrets of  Tea – The Most Effective Ways to Benefit from Nature’s Healing Herbs” by Victoria Zak.  You will be surprised to find some of the herbs are already in your pantry!  In the next post, you will find my tips on how to make tea from bulk herbs, which I strongly recommend.

This guide is for your information only.  

Please see an herbalist if you need professional assistance.

HEADACHES/MIGRAINES

Feverfew “Manna for Migraines and Allergies” (headaches & migraines)

• Inhibits histamine release and relax blood vessels and nerves.   
• A liver stimulant – Liver weakness is associated with headaches.
• Other values: Anti-inflammatory; uterine stimulant; digestive stimulant; brings on menstruation; expels worms
• *Caution: Don’t use it if you take blood-thinning medication.

Lavender “The Herb of Harmony” (headaches & migraines)

• Calms and steadies your nerves.
• Other values: Analgesic; antibacterial; antiseptic; antispasmodic; carminative; nerve tonic

Milk Thistle/Silymarin “The Herb of Renewal” (headaches)

• Strengthens your liver – Liver deficiency is linked to recurring headaches.
• Helps to suppress the release of histamines
• Other values: antiallergenic; antitoxin; anti-aging

Rosemary “The Gentle Revitalizer” (headaches)

• Relaxes your nervous system
• Other values: Antiseptic; antioxidant; expectorant; decongestant; circulatory tonic; digestive tonic; astringent; carminative; antispasmodic; antidepressant; diuretic

Ginkgo, parsley, peppermint (topical use), and wood betony also work for headaches.

SINUS CONGESTION

Feverfew: See above

Thyme “The Knockout Infection Fighter”

• The most powerful antiseptic (antiviral, antibiotic, antifungal, antimicrobial) herb
• Other values: Antibacterial; antispasmodic; astringent; broncho-dilator; carminative; decongestant; diaphoretic; expectorant; emmenagogue; tonic; expels worms

Bayberry, fenugreek, goldenseal, and plantain (not the banana-like plant) also work.

Herbal Teas for Healing

Thy food shall be thy medicine. – Hippocrates

I have been a tea drinker for a long time (drinking other than Japanese green tea), and had a collection of mostly black teas from Europe.  Over the years, I discovered red teas, white teas, and other Chinese teas as wells as herbal blended teas.  I drink tea to enjoy the subtle aroma and flavor, and the act of making tea and taking time for myself.  It’s a kind of ritual that everybody has.

My husband gave me a book called "20,000 Secrets of Tea – The Most Effective Ways to Benefit from Nature’s Healing Herbs” by Victoria Zak, which gave me new insights for herbal teas.  Chamomile tea is not the only herbal tea.  Herbs have been around for thousands of years and used medicinally.  These days, there are different forms of herbs such as in capsules, pills, and tinctures, on the market, but I like to take a natural form in a natural way (eat or drink), if possible.  I like drinking tea, so it’s a perfect way to experience the healing benefits of herbs. 

“Herbal teas are the most effective way to get the benefits of herbs, safely and easily,” the book says.  If you don’t want to rely on pills for minor discomforts, and would like to strengthen your body’s own natural defenses against disease, herbal teas are for you.  The values of herbal teas are:

• Double Benefits: Treat symptoms AND an underlying weakness.  Herbs have more than one beneficial property and value.
• Safety: No additives, preservatives, or dyes.
• Easy Absorption: Water – digested harmoniously in the body. 
• Affordability: About 30 cents per cup using a tea bag.  Buying herbs in bulk will only cost you very little.
• Universal Tradition: Used as healing remedies in every culture in the world.

The book has an A to Z list of common health issues with names of herbs best suitable for the condition.  The following chapter contains a common name, a Latin name, profiles, cautions, beneficent parts, and properties and values for each herb (more than 100) in the alphabetical order.

I look up this book most often when I get a headache, migraine, or different cold symptoms.  For a headache, I massage the neck and head, and drink an herbal tea, or both at the same time.  Herbal teas don’t ease the pain right away, but not taking pills makes me feel better and in control of my own health.  Normally, the combination of massage and a herbal tea makes the headache go away before long.   

I will introduce herbs beneficial for headaches, migraines and sinuses in the next post.