Archive for May, 2018
Posted by terrepruitt on May 30, 2018
I am looking through my posts because I was going to post about pranayama. As I am looking I don’t see that I posted how to do ujjayi breath. I mentioned it in one of my posts but I didn’t explain how to do it. The focus of that post is the possible benefits of it. I have a few posts on pranayama. Pranayama is the fourth limb of yoga. It is a practice of controlling one’s breath, controlling the prana or life force. MANY people practice some form of breathing technique. Even if it is not really conscious. Sometimes we just slow down and take a breath. Well, yoga has an actual practice of it (pranayama) and they have several ways to practice pranayama. I have posted about the Equal Breath and Cooling Breath, but not about the type of breathing often recommended be used (that I know of) in many yoga classes. As I said I haven’t posted about ujjayi breath.
Are you familiar with ujjayi breathing? That is the breathing that makes a sound. Well, there are different theories on that (isn’t there on everything?). Some say it has to make a sound. Some think that you are not doing it right if you aren’t making a sound. Some say you don’t have to make a sound. Some say you shouldn’t be that loud. So, like so many things it can be done differently — sound, or no sound. I think that one can do it without making a loud sound, but some people really like to put it out there that they are doing their ujjayi breath. So, whatever.
In addition to the opinions about the sound, there are different ways to describe how to do it. Some people call it Ocean breath because they believe it sounds like the ocean when you are doing it. Some people call it Darth Vader breath because they think it sounds like Darth Vader. Some call it Victory Breath, and again, I am thinking that is because of the sound. There are many additional names for it, but it is ujjayi breathing.
One way to do it is to inhale through your nose then exhale through your mouth saying HAAAAAAAA. Do that a few times. Then inhale through your mouth, keep your mouth closed and exhale through your nose, but still “saying” HAAAAA. This is to help you with the sensation of the air passing through at the back of the throat. Ujjayi breath is breathing through the nose with the air passing through/over the back of the nasal passages and throat.
I also think of is somewhat like what Felix Unger, in the Odd Couple with Tony Randall, used to do. Remember his honking? But he used to open his mouth.
In my post I mentioned earlier, Breath: Quiet And Safe, I was explaining how it is believed this type of breathing tones the areas that relax and cause people to snore. So some believe this can help reduce snoring. I don’t know about that, but I do know that it is a nice way to breath during a yoga practice.
Do you practice pranayama? Do you do ujjayi breathing during yoga?
Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: 4th limb of yoga, Cooling Breath, Darth Vader breath, equal breath, ocean breath, pranayama, ujjayi breathing | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 28, 2018
It is believed that hypertension AKA high blood pressure puts you at risk for heart attack and stroke. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, whose statistics are from 2015, Heart disease was the number one cause of death in the United States. Stroke was the fifth cause of death. The site does say “The 10 leading causes of death in 2016 remained the same as in 2015”. Although I don’t see any statistics on the break down of the heart disease deaths. How many were from heart conditions that were present at birth? How many were from injury to the heart? What are they considering “heart disease”? I mean, I would think that someone would what the “heart disease” numbers broken down into specific categories. Where is that information? Anyway, for some reason I am thinking about blood pressure. Could be because I was going through my pictures and a came across a picture I took of some information regarding truth and myths about high blood pressure.
It basically said that it is myth to think high blood pressure is normal and not dangerous. Untreated high blood pressure is dangerous. In addition to it possibly leading to heart disease and stroke it could damage the heart and/or kidneys. And according to that it could lead to a loss of vision.
Also . . . and this one is a HUGE common belief that they are labeling a myth, the one where “it runs in my family”. I’ve heard so many people say that it runs in their family so they just accept having it. As if there is nothing they can do about it. There is an actual belief out there that people CAN do something about it whether it is a family thing or not.
Another myth that the picture brings up is that if the symptoms such as nervousness or sweating are not present then there is not high blood pressure. But high blood pressure is nicknamed the silent killer because people can have it and not know. And, again, untreated high blood pressure can be dangerous. It is like your body being under assault all the time.
I just looked at the American Heart Association’s website they adjusted the numbers since I posted Blood Pressure Monitors – It’s All In the Wrist in 2012. They changed the numbers and the categories or what they call the numbers. There is normal, elevated, High Blood Pressure/Hypertension Stage 1, High Blood Pressure/Hypertension Stage 2, and High Blood Pressure/Hypertension Stage 3.
There are a lot of things that are proven to lower blood pressure. For some people the things that can lower blood pressure are really difficult to do. I know people in high stress jobs or in very stressful situations, might have a difficult time alleviating that stress. It is not as if people can just quit their jobs or completely change their living/life situation. So if life stress is something in your life that you can’t change then perhaps there are things you can do to combat it. Like exercising, going for walks, being outside, having a pet, visiting with friends, doing yoga . . . .doing things that can counter act the stress. Then there are things like losing weight, not everyone with high blood pressure is overweight but many are and if we were able to lose just five pounds sometimes that can help. Also, a change in diet. If there is switch from over processed/fast foods to fresh fruits and vegetables and home cooked meals that can help. Sometimes it can be a domino affect . . . . if someone decides to take up walking and getting outside to help combat the stress they might just lose some fat because of that. And/or a change in the diet might just help the fat come off.
Since the belief is that high blood pressure could cause heart disease and/or a stroke, it seems like along with that the belief is that lower it if it is high can help prevent that. And who doesn’t want that?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: blood pressure monitor, HBP, heart disease, high blood pressure, hypertentions, lower blood pressure, lower stress levels, number one cause of death, runs in the family | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 25, 2018
These bloom every year. They are so beautiful. My husband’s mom gave them to him to look after while she was away. Sadly, she was not able to return to take them back. They are a great reminder of a beautiful mother. This was taken at the end of April. They stayed until the middle of May.
Amaryllis as the Friday Photo.
Posted in Flowers, Friday Photo | Tagged: amaryllis, annuals, blooming flower, Friday Photo, mom | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 23, 2018
Within the last couple of months I have posted a bit about Yin Yoga. My first post, Yin Yoga, briefly explains that Qi can be blocked from flowing freely through the body. Yin Yoga, with its long holds and the stretching of the fascia and other connective tissue can help open the meridians freeing up the Qi. I’ve also posted two separate post about the Jing Well Points, one for the Jing Well Points Of The Feet and one for the Jing Well Points Of The Hands. I also did two separate post on the Leg Meridians, there are Yin Leg Meridians and Yang Leg Meridians. This goes for the arm Meridians, too, there are Yin ones and Yang ones. I also did a post on the Six Levels Or Divisions of Qi, giving a broad explanation of how weakness, pain, or the inability to do certain movements is connected with specific levels of Qi. My first post about the levels of Qi talked about the organ relationships. In this post I will revisit the organs and meridians just to quickly clarify the leg meridians and the arm meridians to the corresponding level of Qi.
There are six levels of Qi. Three are yang and three are yin. Each level has a leg sinew meridian and an arm sinew meridian associated with it. The six levels are: Tai Yang, Shao Yang, Yang Ming, Tai Yin, Shao Yin, and Jue Yin.
Yang Levels:
Tai Yang – The yang organs associated are the bladder and the small intestine. The bladder sinew meridian is a yang leg sinew meridian. The small intestine sinew meridian is a yang arm sinew meridian.
Shao Yang – The yang organs associated are the gall bladder and triple heater. The gall bladder sinew meridian is a yang leg sinew meridian. The triple heater sinew meridian is a yang arm sinew meridian.
Yang Ming – The organs associated are the stomach and large intestine. The stomach sinew meridian is a yang leg sinew meridian. The large intestine sinew meridian is a yang arm sinew meridian.
Yin Levels:
Tai Yin – The yin organs associated are the spleen and lungs. The spleen sinew meridian is a yin leg sinew meridian. The lungs sinew meridian are yin arm sinew meridian.
Shao Yin – The yin organs associated are the kidneys and the heart. The kidneys sinew meridian is a yin leg sinew meridian. The heart sinew meridian is a yin arm sinew meridian.
Jue Yin – The yin organs associated are the liver and pericardium. The liver sinew meridian is a yin leg sinew meridian. The pericardium sinew meridian is a yin arm sinew meridian.
This information can play a role in designing Yin Yoga routines. It can help in guiding movement. As a Yin Yoga Teacher we are not diagnosing specific health issues, but we can witness movement issues and instruct accordingly. Also, it can be used a very general guide on which sinew meridians to concentrate on first. A morning Yin practice could have you going from Jue Yin to Yang Ming, whereas an evening Yin practice might go from Tai Yang to Jue Yin. Morning goes from less active Qi to the most active and a night the reverse.
So it is interesting to have this information so that there is an idea of Qi is being moved and what it is associated with. Do you agree?
PLEASE NOTE: Nothing you read here should be relied upon to determine a medical diagnosis or courses of treatment. The information on this blog is not intended to replace advice and instruction from a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.
Posted in Yin Yoga, Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: Jue Yin, movement guide, Shao Yang, Shao Yin, six divisions of qi, six levels of qi, Tai Yang, Tai Yin, Yang Ming, yang organs, yang sinew meridians, yin organs, yin sinew meridians | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 21, 2018
The Yin Yoga Teacher Training I was taking is done. But that doesn’t mean I am done posting. There was so much information. I have a lot to post about. I introduced Yin Yoga and the meridians/channels being the path of Qi and how we were focusing on the sinew meridians. I wrote about the Jing Well Points being the starting points of the meridians and how there are Jing Well Points of the Feet and Jing Well Points of the Hands. I wrote two posts for the Leg Sinew Meridians because they are split into Yin Leg Meridians and Yang Leg Meridians. I have already posted about the Yin Arm Sinew Meridians so this is a post about the Yang Arm Sinew Meridians. They are for the Large Intestine Sinew Channel, Triple Heater Sinew Channel, and Small Intestine Sinew Channel.
The Yang Sinew Meridians – for the most part – run up the outer part of the body. The meridians travels up the forearm crosses over the elbows up the upper arm and into the head. Whereas the Yin Arm Sinew Meridians travel up the inner arm and go into the chest.
The starting point or the jing
well point for the large intestine sinew meridian starts on the lateral side of the base of the nail of the index finger. It travels up the back of the palm past the wrist up the medial side of the forearm, to the lateral side of the inner elbow and continues up the outside of the upper arm to the shoulder where it branches out. One branch spreads over the scapula and connects at the spine, and the other branch proceeds to the neck. It travels up the neck to the jaw where it branches again, one branch continuing up and over to the bridge of the nose and the other going up and over the head to the jaw on the other side. This Qi can show signs of being blocked when there is trouble gripping and bearing weight with the arms.
The triple heater sinew meridian starts at the medial side of the base of the nail of the ring finger. It travels to the wrist back of the palm. It continues up the outer forearm, over the elbow, up the back of the arm onto the shoulder and up the side of the neck. At the jaw it branches off into two branches, one following the line of the jaw and connecting with the root of the tongue and the other travels up past the front of the ear angling up to the outer corner of the eye then moves upwards to the side of the head. Difficulty rotating the head or rotating lengthened limbs could be a sign of blocked Qi in this sinew meridian.
The jing will point for the small intestine sinew meridian is at the median side of the pinky. The sinew meridians goes up the lateral side of the hand, up the forearm, past the elbow, up the back of the arm, over the shoulder blade. It continues up the neck to a bone behind the ear then branches from there. One branch goes into the ear the other goes up and around the ear all the way down the jaw, then back up past the outer corner of the eye up to the side of the head. This sinew meridian could show signs of blockage when it is difficult to extend your body and its parts.
The arm sinew meridians can be freed up by activating the jing well points. With Yin Yoga the poses tend to focus on the lower body but it is possible to affect the arm meridians during certain asana. Yin yoga generates Qi flow through the body and releases latency from meridians.
Now we have all the twelve sinew meridians mapped out.
PLEASE NOTE: Nothing you read here should be relied upon to determine a medical diagnosis or courses of treatment. The information on this blog is not intended to replace advice and instruction from a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.
Posted in Yin Yoga, Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: Large Intestine Sinew Meridian, poses, qi channels, qi pathways, sana, Small Intestine Sinew Meridian, Triple Heater Sinew Meridian, Yang Sinew Arm Meridians, Yin, Yin Arm Sinew Meridians, Yin Jing Well points Qi, Yin Yoga | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 18, 2018
Last month my husband and I decided we need some ocean time. We went up to Capitola for breakfast. I was looking forward to sitting on the beach and enjoying the ocean. But we just had breakfast and took a walk to the wharf then headed home. It was a very short little visit. It was a very nice day.
Here is a shot from the Capitola Wharf for today’s Friday Photo.
Posted in Friday Photo | Tagged: Capitola breakfast, Capitola Wharf, Friday Photo, ocean, ocean time | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 16, 2018
The meridians or the channels are the paths that the Qi travels. In the Yin Yoga Teacher Training I am taking we are focusing on the SINEW Meridians. The Jing Well Points are the areas where the meridians begin. The leg meridians begin at the Jing Well Points of the feet. The arm meridians begin at the Jing Well Points of the hand. Just like the leg meridians there are Yin and Yang Arm Meridians. Also, remember that the Jing Well Points and the meridians are bilateral so they are on the left side as well as the right side. The Yin Sinew Arm Meridians are the Lung Sinew Meridian, the Heart Sinew Meridian, and the Pericardium Sinew Meridian.
The Yin Sinew Meridians run up the inner part of the limbs, primarily. So the Yin Sinew Arm Meridians, run up the inner forearm and inner upper arm. The Yang Sinew Arm Meridians travel up the outer part of the arm, crossing over the elbow.
The jing will point for the lung sinew meridian is at the base of the thumb nail. The lung sinew meridian travels up the “back” of the thumb over to the inside of the wrist up the inner forearm up the inner upper arm into the arm pit, continues on to the anterior shoulder spreading out to L1-15. It also branches down to the diaphragm, spreads over the diaphragm ending in the area of the floating rib. Lung Qi has to do with circulation and, of course, respiration. Weak lungs or blocked lung Qi could be evident by signs of skin issues or a poor sense of smell.
The heart sinew meridian starts at the nail bed of the lateral side of the pinky, crosses over to the inside of the palm, travels to the wrist and up the inner side of the arm, over the medial aspect of the elbow. It travels into the chest under the armpit through the diaphragm ending at the belly button. The heart and its Qi has to do with blood and its circulation, it also has to do with spirit. Issues could be presented as anxiety, trouble focusing or settling down.
The Pericardium Sinew Meridian starts at the tip of the middle finger, it travels up the palm, up the inner forearm to the inside elbow and below the armpit. It then disperses out and down over the ribcage. It branches of into the chest at the armpit and down to the diaphragm. Since it has to do with blood circulation to the extremities, having issues with circulations in the extremities could indicate blocked Qi.
Most Yin Yoga poses focus on the lower body, but there are ways to incorporate the arms and affect the arm sinew channels. Yin Yoga asana don’t target only one meridian, they tend to affect more than one at a time. When examining the pathways, it makes sense since they are so close together and sometimes seem to converge. Yin Yoga uses asana to free up sinew meridians.
So there you have the pathways of the Yin Arm Sinew Meridians.
PLEASE NOTE: Nothing you read here should be relied upon to determine a medical diagnosis or courses of treatment. The information on this blog is not intended to replace advice and instruction from a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.
Posted in Yin Yoga, Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: asana, Heart Sinew Meridian, Lung Sinew Meridian, Pericardium Sinew Meridian, poses, Qi, qi channels, qi pathways, Yang Sinew Arm Meridians, Yin Arm Sinew Meridians, Yin Yoga | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 14, 2018
This is one of those not-really-a-recipe things, but it is kinda an idea for dinner, an idea on how to use left overs. Last year we had a party. It was a very small party, but I cooked as if it were a big party. I was looking to make things that could be made ahead of time. I didn’t adjust the recipe for a smaller number of guest. I knew we would have a lot of left overs. We were ok with that, we like left overs. One thing that I made was artichoke dip. You know that one, yes? I posted about it Artichoke Dip – Easy Party Dip.
It is really good. Well, we had a lot left over. So I was trying to use it up. Aside from just eating it with crackers and/or chips. If you know me at all you know I love tortillas. I pretty much think you can put anything on a tortilla. And I often do. One night I made use of the artichoke dip. I put some cheese on a tortilla, then I spread some artichoke dip on top, then I topped that with meat. We happened to have left over meatballs so I cut them up and put them on top, but I it would be good with ground turkey, ground beef, shredded chicken, even sausage. Then I chopped up some kale and put it on top.
As usual – just my normal M.O. – I didn’t take a picture of the finished product. I was too hungry I think. At least I got pictures of the before cooking. Although they don’t look very good. It looked better when the artichoke dip was hot and gooey and the kale was a bit wilted. And it tasted awesome.
This was just another way to eat the left over artichoke dip. Have you ever had left over artichoke dip? What did you do with it? Did you try to incorporate it into a meal?
Posted in Food | Tagged: Kale, left over artichoke dip, left overs, not really a recipe for dinner, party dip, party left overs | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 11, 2018
Oh! Babies! I just ran across these pictures! Last year I heard a lot of chirping coming from our little front yard that I never go into. So I went to see what all the commotion was about. BABIES! There was about six babies looking as if they were just getting bold enough to venture about. I watched them for a long time. Then I went and got my phone/camera. When I came back they noticed me and most of them teetered off. They were so cute! I managed to get two of them.
Baby birds is today’s Friday Photo.
Posted in Friday Photo | Tagged: baby birds, cute babies, Friday Photo, John's yard | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 9, 2018
I know many people think salt is bad for you because that is what the American Heart Association seems to preach. But salt is not bad for you and it is very necessary in our diet. What I think the American Heart Association bases their recommendations off of is the idea that the average American eats A LOT of fast food, and a lot of over processed foods. Fast Food contains a lot of sodium as do over processed foods. Often times food stuff can be “lite” or “less fat” and still flavorful by adding more sodium. So, I believe that the American Heart Association thinks there is too much salt in the average American diet and with that their recommendations have scared people away from salt. I started off with that because I am going to post about salt. Not just any salt but a particular salt.
I have a friend that visits Hawaii once a year, I believe. She is one of the generous people who buys gifts for people whenever she goes on a trip. Well, one year she brought be a few salts and spices. Since she bought me a few it took me awhile to get to using them all. Well, there was one that once I opened it I used it on everything I could use it on. I fell in love with Hawaiian Guava Smoked Ginger Lime Salt. I used the Hawaiian Guava Smoked Ginger Lime Salt so much I quickly went through it.
My friend always asks me what flavor to bring back when she goes and I tell her Hawaiian Guava Smoked Ginger Lime Salt. But the last time she went to brought me Aloha Spice Company’s Aloha Vanilla Hawaiian Cane Sugar so we could see what that was like. She didn’t bring me the Hawaiian Guava Smoked Ginger Lime Salt. So I got to thinking . . . maybe I could just buy it from Aloha Spice Company. Well, of course I can. But I can also buy some flavors through Amazon. So that is what I did.
I don’t use the Hawaiian Guava Smoked Ginger Lime Salt on everything that can be salted because I am not sure the Hawaiian Guava Smoked Ginger Lime flavor would go with everything, but it pretty much goes with ALMOST everything. It is great on veggies. You know, if you have ever read one of my posts about veggies, you know I love to roast veggies. The Hawaiian Guava Smoked Ginger Lime Salt on roasted veggies . . . . . WOW! So good.
She had also brought me Kiawe Smoked Garlic Hawaiian Sea Salt. Since I use garlic on pretty much everything I cook . . . so using the Kiawe Smoked Garlic Hawaiian Sea Salt is really not a big change. I also got some Guava Lime Smoked Hawaiian Sea Salt, which is not as flavorful as the one with ginger, but it is very good. It is amazing, to me, the different flavor that these salts add to things. Not an over powering flavor, but just enough to make things I would use garlic salt on anyway – very, very yummy!
The salt comes in little bags which I find tedious to use. So after my friend brought me a few bags of different types of spices I started saving the spice bottles from the organic spices I buy. They are glass and really nice to use. The label peels off them very nicely and they wash up really well. Once the spice that is in the bottle is done, I peel off the label and put the bottle in the dishwasher. Then I peel (I think I peeled once and that is why the Hawaiian Guava Smoked Ginger Lime Salt label is ripped) or cut out the Aloha Spice Company label and stick it/tape it to the jar. So much easier to use the spice from a shaker jar.
So if you are looking for a little taste of the island 🙂 and you cook things that you like to salt, you might want to check out Aloha Spice Company and see if there are any spices that you might like. They sell a lot more than just salt blends.
Do you use sea salt?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Alohoa Spice Company, American Heart Association, flavor enhancer, Guava Lime Smoked Hawaiian Sea Salt, Hawaiian Guava Smoked Ginger Lime Salt, Kiawe Smoked Garlic Hawaiian Sea Salt | 2 Comments »
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