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All posts by kungfuwithwashu
Qigong and Covid-19
As things start to open up many more people are going to get sick, it’s unavoidable, but what can we do to help protect ourselves from serious complications? A researcher at the University of Virginia School of Medicine is proposing as well as washing hands and disinfecting high-touch surfaces frequently another key behavior that should be added to the list: exercise — and not just for its benefits to the lungs, immune system, and mood.
Zhen Yan, a professor of cardiovascular medicine who runs the molecular exercise physiology lab at UVA, showed that exercise boosts the production of an antioxidant known as “extracellular superoxide dismutase,” or EcSOD, which in turn, protects against acute lung disease and other diseases.
This antioxidant can protect against acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS, which is deadly in 45% of cases. ARDS affects up to 85% of patients in the ICU affected by COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.
He recommends at least 30 minutes each day to reap the benefits — if you haven’t been infected with COVID-19 yet. Those who are infected should try to move moderately, he said, since long-term bed rest can also exacerbate lung infection and cause other complications.
Both those affected and not affected could be helped with qigong. The Mayo Clinic states that Tai Chi and therefore the Science it comes from Qigong…
When learned correctly and performed regularly, tai chi can be a positive part of an overall approach to improving your health. The benefits of tai chi may include:
- Decreased stress, anxiety and depression
- Improved mood
- Improved aerobic capacity
- Increased energy and stamina
- Improved flexibility, balance and agility
- Improved muscle strength and definition
More research is needed to determine the health benefits of tai chi. Some evidence indicates that tai chi may also help:
- Enhance quality of sleep
- Enhance the immune system
- Help lower blood pressure
- Improve joint pain
- Improve symptoms of congestive heart failure
- Improve overall well-being
- Reduce risk of falls in older adults
To get the basics on Qigong through the Ba Duan Jin check out this video for an intro and click here to setup a private lesson.
THE PREGNANT DEER
In a forest, a pregnant deer is about to give birth. She finds a remote grass field near a strong flowing river. This seems a safe place. Suddenly labor pains begin. At the same moment, dark clouds gather around above &
lightning starts a forest fire.
She looks to her left & sees a hunter with his bow extended pointing at her.
To her right, she spots a hungry lion approaching her.
What can the pregnant deer do? She is in labor!
What will happen?
Will the deer survive?
Will she give birth to a fawn?
Will the fawn survive?
Or will everything be burnt by the forest fire?
Will she perish to the hunters’ arrow?
Will she die a horrible death at the hands of the hungry lion approaching her?
She is constrained by the fire on the one side & the Flowing river on the other & boxed in by her natural predators.
What does she do?
She focuses on giving birth to a new life.
The sequence of events that follows are:
– Lightning strikes & blinds the hunter.
– He releases the arrow which zips past the deer & strikes the hungry lion.
– It starts to rain heavily, & the forest fire is slowly doused by the rain.
– The deer gives birth to a healthy fawn.
In our life too, there are moments of choice when we are confronted on all sides with negative thoughts and possibilities.
Some thoughts are so powerful that they overcome us & overwhelm us.
Maybe we can learn from the deer.
The priority of the deer, in that given moment, was simply to give birth to a baby.
The rest was not in her hands & any action or reaction that changed her focus would have likely resulted in death or disaster.
We all need to learn to let go. Here’s an example of letting go: There’s a famous story about two traveling Buddhist monks who needed to cross a swift but shallow river. A pretty young woman stood on the bank nearby and also needed to cross, but she was afraid, and she asked for help. The two monks had taken vows to never touch a woman. One monk hesitated, but the other picked her up and carried her across the river, letting her down gently on the other side.
The two monks continued their journey in silence for some time. Then one blurted out, “You took vows to never touch a woman! How could you have picked her up like that?”
And the other said, “Brother, I set her down at least an hour ago. Why are you still carrying her?”
This is a powerful mediation. Had me crying on the mat
I have recently been struggling with metta for myself. For those who don’t speak Buddhist/Dharma Lingo (henceforth to be known as Dhlingo) metta is Pali word meaning roughly “loving-kindness”. I have a history of negative self talk and general feelings of being ashamed of being who I am. This meditation hit me hard. I wasn’t just crying but sobbing on the mat and I now feel like a weight has been lifted off of my heart. Thank you for this lovely gift. https://insighttimer.com/kristinneff/guided-meditations/loving-kindness-with-self-compassion?_branch_match_id=571007114219682540
Self Defense Seminar at Meng’s of Richmond
Class discussion 6/7/2016
In class I gave you guys this poem during class:
The essence of mind
Is formless;
This itself is the subtle
Body of reality.
The essence of mind is
Inherently empty;
This itself is the infinite
Body of space.— Ta-chu, Tang Dynasty Chan Master
Here is my current understanding of the poem
The essence of mind
Is formless;
The mind is not by nature orderly and constricted with the boundaries we put on it
This itself is the subtle
Body of reality.
Reality is like our mind limitless but also chaotic (chaos is not always a bad thing)
The essence of mind is
Inherently empty;
Without the artificial boundaries that we create the mind is clear and floating along happily
This itself is the infinite
Body of space.
Because of the body/mind connection that which is true of our mind is true with out body and vicea versa. An example, The splits are not an impossible task. Anyone’s body can do the splits but we are limited by the idea that it hurts. This does not mean that you should force yourself into the splits today because “pain isn’t real” that will cause a horrific injury. What I do mean though is not to claim that you will never be able to do it because it hurts. Over time you can work through smaller pain events to get to the ultimate goal.
What do you think? Please feel free to leave your comments below.
Gassho _/|\_ ,
Washu
How to set goals
I started writing a series of articles on small goal setting and making todo lists, but I realized many of us have no idea how to set goals. There are a lot of things in life that we are expected to do but no one showed us how to do it. Goal setting is one of these. I didn’t even realize how much I had to learn about goal setting until I read this article from Psychology Today by Dr. Will Meek Ph.D.
Doc Meek sites John Norcross is a researcher that has been studying goals and change for many years, and defines a goal as a) identifying something that you want and b) are willing to stick with a course of action to achieve. Doc says
This is different from a “value,” because a value is something we find important, but does not have a specific course that we are committed to. For example, you can value being healthy and make some choices that are in line with that, but a goal related to health would be to “lose 10 pounds by December 31st.”
To start with he has some questions to ask yourself about your life:
In the big picture, what do you hope to experience and accomplish? In what ways do you want to improve your mental and physical health? What bad habits do you want to change? What relationships patterns do you want to improve? What skills do you want to learn? What other things have you been thinking about changing?
Wow those are some heavy and necessary questions. Your answers may change as your expectations and experience grow. Make sure the answers are first about you and not someone else. Then make sure they are realistic, achievable, worded positively, and lastly make sure that they are specific. Wanting to be “happier” or “a better person” is great but hard to achieve because of how vague they are.
Now that you have your goals you need an Action Plan!
You have your goal statements but now what are you going to do with them:
1.You need a way to measure them
2.set a time frame you want to achieve the goal in
3.list what you are already doing that is already on that path
4.what are the next logical steps to achive your goal
5.what new skills or information do you need to achieve your goals
6.where can you get support?
One place you can get support is right here! Click here to see membership options. Members will be getting some follow up information on The Art and Science of Making Todo Lists and Eating an Elephant One bite at a time: The Power of setting small goals.
The Primitivation of Problems
When I think about my problems they can become huge and unmanageable. Which can lead to inaction and depression. I often ask myself “How would people have dealt with this in the past?” or “If there was a full scale societal collapse how would I deal with this?”
Sometimes this allows me to put my problems in perspective. Society is a great thing. It gives us safety, stability, and more wealth than our ancestors could have ever dreamed of. It also puts a little too close and creates exceptions on how one should live. We are all up in everyone’s business.
I meet a lot of 20 and 30 somethings that are living at home with their parents, with grandparents or other “sub-optimal” living situation. These cats feel judged or believe they are judged even when no one has thought anything of it.
Don’t get me wrong everyone has an opinion, and they are entitled to it, but let’s look at it this way. You had been living in a shelter made of sticks and leaves for months. You have survived the cold, rain, maybe even snow. One day some guy walks by and says “Hey your shelter sucks you loser!” Are you going to be concerned that you aren’t considered cool in the eyes of some other dude? I doubt it, you are way too busy surviving to care about that dude.
Your real life is the same way. Don’t ever be ashamed of the way you are surviving. You are the one putting in the work. Anyone who comments on the way you are surviving has two options help or f*&k off.
Finally meeting government recommendations for preparedness
Like most people who get involved in preparedness I went after the fun and cool parts of the checklist first. Credit Card sized survival tool, check. Tent, check. Weapons and ammo, check. Water filter, check. Solar battery charger, check. Enough food to last three days with a way to cook it if things get hairy? Well um… that’s not the fun stuff dude!
Until today that’s how I’ve been operating. I know, I know not smart, but after I trip to a big blue box store I am now I am meeting the Government’s basic suggestions on disaster preparedness. for a little over $60 I got 3 days worth of freeze dried food for 3 people and a 6 gallon water jug.
Storing this food is as easy as, DON’T OPEN THE BLOODY THING! The pail is sealed with the food, camp stove, and fuel ready to go. No reason to mess with it. Once opened the self life goes from 25 years to 5.
The water on the other had takes a little, and I mean little more work. You must clean the canister and add a little bleach to the water. A rough guide is 1 teaspoon per gallon, and it should be rotated every 6 months.
Is this everything I need? Nope. but it is a bloody good start. You can find more info at ready.gov and redcross.org
This is what I am thankful for
Kung-Fu with Washu 