Best Of Beijing 2008

Most people only experience a marriage proposal once in their lifetime. You would want it to be both memorable and perfect. After you’ve gotten up the nerve to ask, you might have trouble finding a creative way to pop the question. Diamond on Net will make it easier for you with these romantic and unique marriage proposal ideas that are sure to make a big impression.

1. Arrange to meet her in a beautiful park near some riding stables. Rent a knight’s armor from a costume shop or theatrical company and pick it up on the way. Rent a horse at the stables, don the armor, ride up to meet her and offer to be her prince. Present the ring with princely flair on bended knee. You could have someone in the bushes nearby ready to play Holst’s “Jupiter” as she starts to see you in the distance.

2. Cook and set an elaborate candlelight table (or cater if you are not talented in the kitchen) for a quiet romantic dinner for two at home. Serve her a glass of champagne with the diamond ring in the bottom or ribboned to the stem.

3. Have an artist paint her portrait, adding a box with an engagement ring in her hand before you present it. When you present the portrait, have the ring ready when she asks about it.

4. Bring home an enthusiastic new puppy with a ribbon for a collar. Have the ring in the bow for her to find as she cheerfully greets the cuddly pup.

5. Have a plane sky-write your proposal. Plan it for the day of a family picnic, boat ride or other outing so she is sure to see it. Have your diamond ring ready when she sees your proposal.

6. Hire a magician to entertain just the two of you. Have the magician make the box with the engagement ring mysteriously appear as the surprise ending of the last trick.

7. Memorize a short French poem and recite the poem to her at a French restaurant as you offer the ring. Be sure to know what each word means so you can demonstrate your savoire faire. Have the ring ready in a presentation box.

8. Decorate a Christmas tree with lights and only one ornament — a ribbon or bow tied around a velvet ring box. Ask her over for a Christmas celebration for just the two or you.

9. For a very traditional approach, ask her father for her hand in marriage. When the approval is given, make plans for the next family gathering and make your proposal to her in private with diamond in hand. When she says yes, stand up and announce your engagement to everyone.

10. Prime a friend with harmless little secrets about the two of you, and have him pose as a psychic when you dial. Be sure to ask the right personal questions to make it look authentic. Have the psychic predict a diamond in her very near future. Then make your proposal on the spot.

11. At a college or professional sporting event (if you both like sports), arrange to have your message displayed on the scoreboard after halftime…”Karen…Will you marry me?” Have the diamond ready in a presentation box.

12. Arrange to have dinner together at your favorite Chinese restaurant. Have the waiter give her a special fortune cookie with “Will you marry me?” in it. Or you could have it say, “You will receive a diamond in the very near future.” And present the diamond in a box.

13. During dinner at your favorite restaurant, arrange with the waiter to have the diamond in a box as one of the choices on the dessert tray. Tell her she is the sweetest thing you know and you can’t resist her any longer.

14. Place the diamond in a presentation box at the bottom of a box of Cracker Jacks(R)… and give her the special box at your next baseball game and ask her occasionally if she has found the prize yet (to keep her alert to finding it).

15. For the chocoholic: Chocolate-dip the diamond box, and put it in the center of a box of chocolates when you are alone for the evening. She will always wonder what’s in the largest piece of candy. Pick it up for her and open it with panache.

16. Invite her for some games at home. Use Scrabble letters and spell out “Will you marry me?” Have the diamond close by.

17. Create a personal Web page with her name and your proposal with a picture of the diamond in its velvet presentation box, and send her the Web address. Or sit down together to surf for good vacation sites, and visit a site or two before you type in the site address.

18. Set a date to go to the movies, then rent ad space for your proposal at your favorite theater. Make sure you have the diamond with you.

19. Take her for a surprise picnic at the beach or in the woods. At the picnic spot, spell out “Marry Me” with stones, flowers or seashells. Put the diamond in her hand when she says yes.

20. Rent a limousine for the evening and be inside when they pick her up at home or work. Take her to an elegant restaurant for a romantic candlelight dinner for two, then present her the diamond on the way home in the limo.

21. Tell her to take time off work and arrange for everything to be covered for a week (but don’t tell her where you will be going). Make all the plans for a week’s vacation in a five-star resort in Mexico. Propose one evening at a restaurant with serenading mariachis. You can have the diamond ready in your pocket.

22. Order a dozen red roses and pick them up yourself at the shop. Write the card to say, “Will you marry me?” and put the diamond in a presentation box with the roses. Present the flowers during a candlelight dinner for two at home (cater if you can’t cook).

23. Mail her a romantic poem from Shakespeare or Browning. Include a photo of yourself on your knees with a diamond in your hand, and write on the back in marker, “Will you marry me?” Be ready, hiding outside her house when she normally opens her mail, and go inside with the diamond in hand when you hear her scream with joy.

24. For the serious netizens — E-mail a 3-D animated graphic of a loose diamond, with the message, “Will you marry me?” If you can, time the delivery of the e-mail when you can be there in person to see her reaction and get your answer.

25. During a vacation at one of the fancy hotels that leaves chocolates or mints on the pillow each morning — Sneak back after she leaves the room for breakfast, make the bed, put out the “Do not disturb” sign. Leave the diamond in a special box on the pillow in place of the mints so she finds it when you get back.

To know more about Diamonds and various diamond products visit http://www.diamondonnet.com

Tony Hagigi is content writer for DiamondOnNet; Visit the site (http://www.diamondonnet.com) for more information about Diamonds.

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The origins of Karate are to be found in 12th Century China. There were a number of ancient Chinese systems, collectively known as KEMPO or “Way of the Fist.”

Karate consists of self-defense practices and an entire way of life that gives students an approach to continual self improvement. It can be practiced simply by visualizing its movements within the mind, without involving any actual physical activity. In this way, it gives students the means to manage their everyday lives with discipline and focus.

For students who have learned karate, its unique marriage of technique, physical, mental and emotional conditioning became an integral part of their lives. Studying karate will help you continue to hone not just your mental and emotional skills but also your entire being.

Karate encourages combat without weaponry, but it also encourages peaceful existence. Rather than focusing on extraneous or unnecessary details, (including mind chatter), karate encourages students to focus on the heart of the matter at hand. After all, the mind itself is a karate student’s most powerful asset because it encompasses not only students’ ability to think, but also houses instinctual responses and one’s connection to soul.

At Tetsu Shin Dojo, our student creed is as follows:

One: To strive for the perfection of character

One: To defend the paths of truth.

One: To foster the spirit of effort

One: To honor the principles of courtesy

One: To guard against impetuous courage

We encourage students not to strive for the belt, but for the KNOWLEDGE that the belt represents. In the earlier times, the intensity of one’s training was represented by the dirt on one’s white belt. The longer and the more intensely the student trained, the darker his belt became until the white belt, which was the beginning, became the black belt of a hard-training teacher.

Karate connects the mind, body and soul, so that all three can be used as one exquisite tool as one makes one’s way through life.

Located in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Tetsu Shin Dojo offers karate classes for men and women of all abilities. Tetsu Shin Dojo also offers karate for kids in the Sheboygan area. Learn more about our karate classes here: Karate in Sheboygan Wisconsin

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Through out time there have been very few that could resist the natural beauty of ivory. Whether it be ivory being used out of practicality of everyday usage or today’s collections often in the artistic forms of magnificent artwork, ivory has always been irresistible by most. Ivory is one of nature’s unique materials that has long played literally thousands of variant roles throughout human history, and has been of use to mankind for most every culture all around the world. Up until recently, before plastic was invented, ivory was the preferred chosen material for even the most practical items such as clothes buttons and other common items like the keys of pianos.

Although it is commonly thought by many that ivory only pertains to the tusks and teeth of the elephant and the woolly mammoth, but this is not true. Ivory can also be from the walrus, the hippopotamus and the whale too. Even though elephant ivory hunting has been band since the early 1970’s the other forms of ivory are still legal. The most common form of ivory today is the 10,000-year-old wooly mammoth.

The woolly mammoth was one of the historical past ivory suppliers for mankind and is once again giving the world some of the most beautiful ivory around even though this is an animal long ago extinct. In fact it is the extinction of the mammoth that allows for legal ivory means nowadays. Since the mammoth was native to the very cold Siberian and Alaskan areas of the world, the ivory has been well preserved for digging up and collecting today. Another advantage for the use of mammoth ivory is the huge amount of ivory that can be collected from just one mammoth dig. This is because the mammoth had extremely long tusks, and has been known to grow up to 16 feet or more. These are the largest tusk measurements to be found so far and very well could have grown even longer on some mammoths that have yet to be discovered.

It has been discovered that the very first human group to have carved with the material of mammoth ivory were the humans that were around during the ending time period of the ice age. The Romans, the Greeks and the Chinese also were well knowledgeable about carving with ivory. Ivory then moved on down the cultural lines throughout Asia and on into the rest of the continents over time.

Anita Satin Choudhary writes for Ivory and Art Gallery. Browse the gallery for unique collection of artifacts ranging from Mammoth Ivory to Netsuke and Silver Art.

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Local bike shop sales are up 300% in the last two months and it does not take a rocket scientist to know why. Yep, the high fuel prices are doing it, with gasoline now over $4.00 per gallon. The local bike near me has sold 16 bikes in the last week and while I was there buying a new water bottle for my ten-speed, I noted one lady bringing in a nice but older bicycle she had in her garage in for a tune-up and thorough going over. She is considering using it to get around town and perhaps get back into shape too.

Maybe there is some good news amongst these higher fuel prices, maybe more Americans will ride their bikes to work or around time and lose some weight, that would certainly be a great thing. So, what does a good new quality bicycle cost these days? Well, you can pick up a solid road bike for about $350-600 and it will be something with quality components and something you can rely upon. If you are looking for a good commuting bike, such as a ten speed you cost could range from $700 to 3,000 depending on the model, brand and type you pick.

Safety is also very important and plan on spending a little on a good helmet and some quality riding glasses to keep the dust and debris out of your eyes. If you will commit to riding your bike around town on your smaller errands you could perhaps save $100 or more a month on fuel and take off those 20-30 pounds you have been meaning to get rid of. Think on this.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Blog Content Service. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance Winslow’s Bio

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Beautiful people need exercise too. It is rightly said Healthy wealthy and wise all are interrelated and complementary to each other. To work hard and to fight with the turmoil difficulties, a healthy body is required. It is in healthy body where proper mind dwells. In today’s world where people are surrounded by so many diseases to keep fit is an essential quality. Exercise is must. It is through proper exercise that we can keep our body fit and to fight with odd circumstances.

With proper diet exercise should be part of daily routine. Though it is not possible everyday but at least cycling can be done for half an hour daily. It is cycling alone can help to keep the body fit and fine. Cycling is an overall exercise which keeps the body toned. Through cycling we can actually keep ourselves fit.

In many developing countries people started commuting to their offices by cycles. It is not matter of shame or sign of poverty. It is actually part of body exercise and keeping the environment pollution free. The emission of harmful gases which comes out of heavy vehicles harms and pollutes the environment. Most of them are poisonous for human being. It’s a big cause of global warming. So, by riding cycle twin purposes are served. Cycling can be taken as sport and as hobby. If, people ride cycles as sport it gives them pleasure. Many cycling competitions are held which actually done for exercise, or to collect fund for noble cause.

Whatever may be the cause for cycling whether sport or hobby the actual purpose is to keep body fit and healthy from all aspects. Even if we take it as hobby then also people will ride cycle which gives them pleasure as well as time to keep fit. It is very difficult for men to spend some time for their well being and workouts on a regular basis. Nowadays people are more busy in making money, so if they ride cycle also for their own enjoyment it gives some time to them for relaxing after long hours of working, because in beautiful body resides beautiful mind.

For More Information: http://www.thebeachcruisers.com/

The Beach Cruiser is one of prominent dealers of best quality beach bicycles, beach cruisers and cruising bicycles in California.

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With an increased interest in natural and alternative healthcare treatments, there are a growing number of courses in natural healing that are offered at both traditional and alternative healing schools.

If you are an individual, who is committed to leading a holistic lifestyle, and would like to further your personal and professional aspirations; any one of the diverse courses in natural healing may well be an ideal choice of study for you. Whether you wish to enroll in programs in herbalism, massage therapy, or other holistic therapies, today’s natural health colleges and schools provide in-depth curricula and hands-on training in these and other unique holistic fields of study. For example, there are herbal courses in natural healing that often entail two years of studies. Subject matter in these programs are comprehensive and involve both Eastern and Western herbal medicine remedies — including anatomy, pathology, physiology, biology, biochemistry, herbology history, botanical/plant identification, holistic nutrition, herbal pharmacy, Materia Medica, iridology, Ayurvedic medicine, TCM (traditional Chinese medicine), Wildcrafting, and more.

Like bodywork? If you do, there are massage courses in natural healing that encompass roughly 300-500* training hours; and entail hands-on instruction in Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, and sports massage. (*Depending on natural healing school, training hours may exceed 500.) Other common studies include anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, CPR/first aid, hydrotherapy, and aromatherapy, among other specialized modalities.

No two courses in natural healing are exactly alike, so there is much to explore when deciding which academic program you’d like to pursue. For instance, if you would like an all-inclusive education, you may wish to pursue a diploma or degree program in naturopathy or holistic medicine. Like chiropractic and acupuncture, these courses in natural healing typically range between three and five years and often require licensure and/or certification to practice.

If you prefer to complete your studies from home or in a shorter period of time, there are a vast number of courses in natural healing which can be completed from the convenience of your laptop or PC; or in less than three to four months for fundamental natural health classes like reflexology, aromatherapy, and reiki, among others.

If you (or someone you know) are interested in learning more about these or other alternative health programs, let professional training within fast-growing industries like massage therapy, naturopathy, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, Reiki, and others get you started! Explore courses in natural healing near you.

Courses in Natural Healing
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NOTICE: Article(s) may be republished free of charge to relevant websites, as long as Copyright and Author Resource Box are included; and ALL Hyperlinks REMAIN intact and active.

Resource Box: CarolAnn Bailey-Lloyd - Freelance Writer and Web Consultant for HolisticJunction.com, in association with CollegeSurfing.com - Educational Resources for Courses in Natural Healing, Natural Health Schools, and other unique training programs.

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One day a young samurai approached a revered teacher of swordsmanship and begged acceptance as a student. “You must do everything I ask you without question.” The teacher warned. The samurai agreed without hesitation. “Hai.” Said the teacher “Go to the Dojo and walk along the edge of the Tatami by placing one foot in front of the other.” Perplexed the samurai did as he was told but after a week of this practise, he became impatient to pick up a sword. After the tenth day, he could take no more and angrily questioned the teacher when they would begin serious training. “Very well.” Said the teacher. “Tonight we will begin serious training.” That night under a full moon, the teacher took the Samurai up into the mountains until they came to a deep and narrow gorge. Spanning the gorge was a fallen tree. “Here we begin training.” Said the teacher. “Cross over the gorge.” “But the tree is too narrow.” Said the samurai. “It is much wider than the edge of a Tatami.” Replied the teacher. The Samurai jumped up on the fallen tree but as he began to step forward the dim moonlight and the sound of rushing water beneath him seemed to pull him off balance. “I cannot cross.” Said the Samurai. “Well then, how can you expect to master the sword when haven’t yet mastered walking?” Said the teacher.

Japanese Folk Tale

At first glance, the above tale, like many such `teaching tales’ from the Far East, illustrates a simple lesson in humility. However, a deeper meaning to the story is revealed when you ask the question, why couldn’t the Samurai cross the gorge? The answer is that the Samurai hadn’t mastered his sixth sense. Before modern medicine, man generally recognized that he had five senses, sight sound, touch, taste and smell. The so-called sixth sense was thought to be an extra sense hence the term Extra Sensory Perception or ESP. It is now known that we have three other senses, balance, proprioception, and a sense of direction. Anything paranormal would have to be moved down the list to the `ninth sense’. The story indeed teaches a lesson about the sixth sense, balance. The ability to master one’s senses and control perception is an important skill underlying every other. In the case of the Samurai and the gorge, it was his inability to master his perception of balance that prevented him from crossing. The sense of balance is one most of us take for granted, yet in the traditions of every martial arts discipline, mastery of balance played a primary role in developing fighting skills. One reason is that in battle the greatest strategic advantage lies in mobility. For the martial artist, mobility requires both strong legs and excellent balance. To master balance, one first needs to understand how the sense of balance is accomplished.

How We Sense Balance

Balance is controlled by a combination of three senses; the vestibular, vision, and proprioception. The sense of up and down is provided by the vestibular system located within the inner ear. It consists of three semicircular hollow tubes that are set at angles to each other. These tubes are filled with liquid that flows through the tubes depending on head tilt and movement. Lining the tubes are hair-like nerve endings that, when stimulated by the movement of the fluid, transforms this motion into a neural signal. This provides information on the position of the head, telling the brain when the head is tilted forward, backward, and side to side, similar to a carpenter’s level. While the vestibular system supplies information about head position, it does not communicate the overall positioning of the body itself. This information comes from two other sources: vision and proprioception. Vision tends to dominate and override all other senses including our sense of balance. You can test how much vision influences your balance by first standing on one foot with your eyes open, and then with the eyes closed. Most people will begin to lose their balance with their eyes closed. However, vision is not essential to balance and in certain situations, its input is detrimental to performing complex physical movements. Gymnasts, acrobats, high platform divers, and martial artists must train their nervous system not to rely on the eyes for balance. For example, dancers and figure skaters, when performing pirouettes, focus their eyes on a point in the horizon. As their body spins, the head and eyes remain focused on that spot until the neck will not twist any further, then the head turns around quickly ahead of the body and again focuses on that same spot. If you allowed the head to spin in tandem with the body, the overwhelming visual and vestibular sensations would cause immediate dizziness and disorientation. (Notice young children spinning and falling to the ground.) The same principle is needed to execute a spinning kick or hand technique. The eyes must focus on the target, while the body feels it way through the movement. This feeling your way through a movement is done by the third sense involved in balance, Proprioception. (Also known as the kinaesthetic sense) This sense is the result of the combined information the brain receives from the Golgi tendon organs. These are sensors within every muscle that measures the amount of tension each muscle is exerting. This information enables us to sense physical movement and posture, as well as how heavy an object is, or how hard to throw a ball. It is also the sense of being `in’ your body. Information received from all three senses is processed and directions are sent to the various muscles groups to maintain balance. Therefore, we know why the Samurai could not cross the gorge; he could not suppress his visual input over that of his proprioception that caused him to lose his balance on the log.

Training Methods

Balance Now that we understand how balance is accomplished we can learn ways of improving it. The following exercises are aimed at improving the sense of proprioception while reducing the reliance on visual cues. In addition, balance training works the body’s stabilizer muscles. These are smaller muscles that refine movement and are responsible for what can be described as grace and fluidity.

Three Point Balance

This exercise is similar to those done in modern dance, ballet, figure skating, and gymnastics. While standing on one leg, bend the other leg and raise the thigh upward so that it is parallel to the floor. Hold this position for the count of ten. Still keeping your thigh horizontal, rotate the thigh out 90 degrees to the side of your body, hold for a count of ten. Then lean forward and bring the leg behind you in what ballet would term an Arabesque, and hold for a count of ten. Repeat with other leg. Gradually increase the length of time you hold out the leg until you are able to hold it for one minute. When you are able to hold it out for one minute then repeat the same exercise, this time with the raised leg held straight. Finally, practice the same movements but with eyes closed. If you can accomplish this with eyes closed and without losing balance you will have mastered this exercise.

Walking The Beam

Place a ten foot, 4″ x 4″ or equivalent, beam on the ground and walk across it each day. When you are able to walk across the beam without the least loss of balance, close your eyes and repeat. For the next stage, raise the beam off the ground a foot. When you feel comfortable crossing at this height with your eyes closed, raise the beam higher still. When the beam is six or more feet off the ground, and you can easily walk along it, you have mastered this exercise. If you don’t have a place for the beam you can always practice walking along curbs if you don’t mind the strange looks it attracts. Single Leg Squats Hold one leg out 90 degrees and garb the foot with your hand. Keeping the knee straight, slowly lower yourself into a squat until your buttocks rest against your calve. Then stand straight up again. These exercises require both excellent balance and leg strength.

Varied Terrain

In China and rural Japan, much time is spent training outdoors, in the parks, along beaches, and in the mountains. These varied conditions improve balance and stability to deeper levels than the uniform flat surfaces we usually train and spend our working days on All martial artists should train under different terrains and conditions. By expanding one’s experience with varied conditions, one is better able to react and move under a greater number of combat situations. Practice your forms and drills on hills, along the beach, on rocky ground, in the snow, and during a rainstorm. The first thing you will notice is the incredible strain this puts on the legs spurring the development of stronger leg muscles. One also learns to move more perfectly balanced since the ground is often unreliable being either to slippery or too entangled to allow any degree of error.

Conclusion

While we all love to perform the acrobatic, the dazzling, and the swift movements, in the end, like the old masters that came before, we find ourselves returning to the beginning, struggling to master the first skills we learned as a children, the simple skills of standing and walking.

Stefan Verstappen is a writer and martial arts practitioner who has lived and traveled throughout the Far East. He is a frequent contributor for Black Belt, and Inside Kung Fu Magazine and author of , The Thirty-Six Strategies of Ancient China, Blind Zen, Little Warriors and Chinese Business Etiquette. Author’s website: http://www.chinastrategies.com You can e-mail Stefan with questions and comments to sverstappen@yahoo.com

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1. Check out Universal Studios for unlimited fun and entertainment. For those not in the know, the famous theme park features rides and games that are built around concepts in Hollywood movies. Take a ride on The Revenge of the Mummy, which is a slow ghost train featuring animatronics, or watch out for the Waterworld show, where a full sized plane is thrown over the set towards the audience. Checking a show schedule will help you plan your itinerary to include themes from all of your favorite movies.

2. Take a look at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre where the first silent movie was played and where the red carpet ceremony for the Academy Awards begins. Outside the theatre are the handprints and footprints of Hollywood stars on the Walk of Fame.

3. The Getty Center caters to art history lovers with its collection of Greek and Roman antiquities, European paintings, drawings, manuscripts, sculpture, decorative arts, and European and American photographs. The architecture and spectacular views are also great attractions to the museums.

4. Disneyland in California is a smaller version of Disney World in Florida, but just as much fun. The rides, shows, parades, and of course, Mickey Mouse, make it a kid’s paradise. The adults will enjoy the water, laser, and fireworks show. Get yourself a fastpass to get past the long queues for each ride.

5. Venice Beach is one of LA’s most popular beaches for all the activities and nearby attractions. Come out to Venice Beach for biking, rollerblading, lifting weights, swimming, sunbathing, people watching, and so on. The canals of Venice and Marina del Rey are all nearby.

6. Rodeo Drive is a fun place to be to rub shoulders with your favorite superstars. Located in Beverly Hills, this is an upscale shopping district covering three blocks with designer label boutiques. That said, there are a number of stores offering items at affordable or discounted prices.

7. Los Angeles Zoo is a fun place for the family to hang out together. Showcasing all the usual animals expected in a zoo, it also has many educational exhibits.

8. The Griffith Park Observatory offers a fantastic view of the city of Los Angeles as well as the Hollywood sign. As a planetarium, it offers some interesting information about our planet and its neighbors in the universe.

9. TV show lovers absolutely must not miss the opportunity to watch one of their favorite TV shows live as part of the audience. Free tickets can be requested via mail or online.

10. For the more active and adventurous, hiking, camping, mountain biking, and rock climbing are all available at the Angeles National Forest, which has thousands of miles of forest, mountains, streams, waterfalls, and campgrounds.

Orson Johnson writes for Holiday Velvet, a website providing California holiday rentals and Vacation apartments.

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For years I have practiced the principles of Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido and applied them to everyday life. As Tohei Sensei said, the way of harmony is through keeping one point, your centre and therefore the centre of the universe.

The centre of the universe?

By letting the Ki of Aikido pass through our center we can tap in to the Ki of the universe and use its power to direct our physical actions. With the addition of Zen thinking you can use Ki to control your perception of time and make a second last as long as you need it.

Impossible?

Not really if you sit in the seiza position, that is with your legs folded beneath you Japanese style, and with your hands together locked in the church and steeple manner with your thumbs crossed and your index fingers gently touching at eye level. Breathe deeply and steadily taking at least a minute to complete each breath first breathing in through the nose and then exhaling through the mouth with a pause at the change over.

You can use a Zen mantra if you wish. Silence is better, the mantra is a distraction because you need to empty your mind of all thoughts.

How can I do that?

Simply by concentrating on breathing and becoming aware of the circular contact between your fingertips. How does this aid keeping centre and what is keeping centre anyway?

Your centre is a small place about fifty millimeters below your belly button. This is the point in all martial arts movements around which your body pivots. It is also the channel for Ki (or the Chinese Chi) that makes the proper practice of Aikido, Tai Chi and Kung Fu so powerful. It is the point from where the sword takes its power, or the Karate open hand gets its force.

Ki is the means of keeping centered.

Ki meditation; proper breathing is the way of learning how to use that power.

Okay, so what is the benefit of keeping centered?

When Mohammad Ali won his big fights he was young, strong, quick and light on his feet, incredibly fit and articulate. His famous saying, Float like a butterfly; sting like a bee, summed up how he used his centre to direct his power to his devastating straight left.

Benefit one. You can concentrate power by keeping centre.

Watch a racing motorcyclist closely and see how he shifts his weight to take advantage of the least bit of room on the track and cut that extra hundredth of a second. His balance and therefore his centre controls the cycle getting the best out of the optimum engine speed, gear selection and braking to sling-shot around the bends.

Benefit two. You can ride a motorcycle extremely fast.

And now back to Ki Aikido.

As Instructors we translated this centering (keeping one point ) into our own study of self defense and effective combat techniques. As a result we taught our students how to remain calm in a rough situation.

First recourse. Defuse the situation with reason.

Second recourse. To walk away.

Third recourse. If walking away is not possible then by keeping centered use the minimum amount of force to resolve the situation. In the third situation above all make sure that the antagonist(s) do not get up again and then walk away.

Benefit Three. You can beat the daylights out of somebody without them realizing how the heck you did it.

Of course it is best not to pick a fight in the first place, after all Aikido is a gentle art, but that depends on your lifestyle and beliefs.

Finally. How does this help your daily life?

By applying the principles of Ki and centering in your everyday life and not just for the Dojo you will find tasks become easier, that daily grind becomes a pleasure and you are happier. In addition by approaching your life centered with Zen of taking each moment as it comes that second you want to stretch becomes a regular and enjoyable experience.

James Apps is a poet, writer and artist who loves Cats and Motorcycles. James practiced Aikido for over twenty years and has only recently decided to take up Tai Chi. James lives on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, United Kingdom and is the chairperson of a local writer’s group. Interested in how people think he invites you to visit his site and leave a comment on any of the articles relating to Zen and the art of living. Visit the site and follow the links to his Kent based blog for ideas of places to visit in Kent and Sussex and to see how this guy ticks.

As a motorcyclist of many years standing James is also ready to hear from bikers all over the world to share experiences. Young or old have your say.

Links: http://www.freewebs.com/catsurfer
http://jamesapps-motorcyclistandcatlover.blogspot.com/

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Many businesses now specialize in therapy supplies and there is a wealth of therapies to supply. When you think that just some of the many therapies include Acupuncture, Aromatherapy, Chinese Herbalism, Hopi Ear Candling, Homeopathy, Indian Head Massage, Pilates, and Yoga, then it is obvious that there is a market to supply.

Many shops and companies will focus on just one area of therapy supplies, such as Chinese Herbalism. These stores will be backed full of every herb you could think, and then many more. These supplies can come in a variety of forms, including teas, powders and pills. The people supplying herbs though should be specifically trained due to the dangers that some herbs can pose.

Safer forms of therapy supplies, comes with the stores supplying accessories for massage therapies. There is a wide range of massage balls used in all sorts of therapies. Massage balls are considered a great way to relieve tension and stimulate the circulation of blood. Other similar forms of them include discosit air cushion and the overball. That isn’t to say massage isn’t without dangers and care needs to be taken over some of the lotions used in the therapy.

A growing market for therapy supplies is the alternative therapy market. Consider that electrotherapy can include such things as muscle stimulator products, wires and electrodes. Magnetic therapy also has a wide range of products needed to successfully complete a course of therapy, not least of which is the range of magnets. Aromatherapy alone contains several hundred forms of oil and diffusers used in that form of therapy.

Those thinking of getting involved in a business around therapy supplies have to take care though. Many products are controlled, with training and license a necessary part of the business. Therapy supplies need to be carefully controlled as in the hands of untrained individuals they can do more harm than good.

Therapy supplies now play a large part in the dealing of health and mental issues that people have. Some directly deal with physical ailments and conditions, whilst others deal with the mental issues but are still vital. They are wide ranging and widely available, those considering using and supplying though should research what they are supposed to do, how to use them, and what possible side effects come with them. It is something worth considering that whilst therapy supplies do a lot of good they are not without their dangers.

Robert Grazian is an accomplished niche website developer and author.
To learn more about therapy supplies visit My Sports Therapy for current articles and discussions.

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