My last post was about receiving the Watermelon Radishes in the organic produce box that we have delivered. Well, I didn’t know what to do with them – remember, part of the reason why I get a box delivered is to experience new-to-me produce. When I had glanced on the internet at what they were I saw a few things about “Pickling” them. I hadn’t considered roasting them, as I think of them more like a radish — because they are — and I wouldn’t think to roasted a radish. So I thought I would try throwing them in some vinegar and seeing what that would be like. I didn’t do it the day I received them, but I did it the next day. Although they were not going to be a part of Saturday’s dinner. I was thinking we would have them Sunday. So I didn’t think they would be soaking this long. Here it is Tuesday and we still have not eaten them. I tasted them so that I could post this. I will serve them tonight with dinner. They taste ok. I am not getting a lot of THEIR flavor possibly because they set so long. I only had a few pieces as I do want save them to have with dinner tonight. Here is what I did to make the Watermelon Radish Salad.
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Watermelon Radish Salad
1 1/2 tbsp of SEASONED rice vinegar
3 tbsp of REGULAR rice vinegar
3/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper
1 large Watermelon radish (a little smaller than a tennis ball)
Mix the ingredients in a bowl, except the radish. Slice the radish as thin as you can. Then put the slices in the bowl with the other ingredients. Flip the bowl or stir the radishes every once in a while so that all of the slices are in the liquid at one time or another.
Let set for at least two hours.
Then eat as a snack or a side dish.
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I think next time I will add some onions and garlic. In my quick research of them, I kept seeing the comment that they were “sweet” so I didn’t want to add garlic to that. Also when I sliced them and tasted them they were really peppery so I didn’t want to add the onion. But now that I have tasted the plain and simple way I will probably add some more flavor. Perhaps so soy sauce to make it more like a cucumber salad?
So even though I usually roast my veggies, as I mentioned I hadn’t considered doing that but, my husband shared my post on Facebook and one of his friends did say he LOVED them roasted. So I will probably try that. We have two left and they are huge so I COULD probably do both. Make another “salad” and roast one. We will see.
My evening yoga class is on break this week so that means I will have extra time to cook this week so that just might work.
I do want to say that the smell coming from the radishes is NOT GOOD. It is worse than soaking beans. I am using my essential oil and candles remedy to battle the stench.
A lot of people commented on my husband’s post that they LOVE these radishes. What about you? Do you like watermelon radishes?
So our produce delivery has progressed into something kinda neat, but kinda not. You may remember me having posted about how I wanted to start receiving a produce box because we would receive farm fresh organic produce. But one of the main reasons I wanted to get a box was because I would end up with things I didn’t know what they were. Or I might know what it was but have no idea how to serve it. So it was a way to get organic produce but also “force” myself into new things. New fruits, new vegetables. Again – perhaps not TOTALLY NEW, but something I had never purchased because I didn’t know what to do with it. Well, that worked for a while. I was exposed to some new things and learned how to cook and/or serve some new things. I have acquired some new favorites and have learned that somethings I just don’t care to bother with. Well, the service has progressed as I started out saying. It is more like shopping now. The week before we are to receive our box I get an e-mail that allows me to pick and choose what I want. So now I am not getting things just arriving on my doorstep. I kind feel like they are just including standard stuff and if you want anything out of the norm you have to go choose it. So I am not being “forced” to try new stuff. Yes, I have the option to choose new stuff, but what really ends up happening is I get the e-mail and I think, “Oh, I can do that later, because I am busy now.” So I don’t go through the hassle of logging in and looking at all the produce available. Then next thing I know it is the night before delivery and it is too late to change the standard order. So . . . . like all progression there are pros and cons. I did happen to log on for our latest delivery and order something new to me. Watermelon Radishes.
I love red radishes, but my digestive system and them don’t get along. They leave me feeling very uncomfortable so I don’t eat them. I sometimes buy them for my husband. I put them in his lunch. When I put them on his salad, I might take a piece and cut it up really tiny and put it on my salad, but I don’t even eat a whole radish. Just pieces.
I didn’t know what a watermelon radish was. So I decided to get it. The information I glanced at prior to ordering stated it was sweeter than a regular radish.
Well they arrived and they are huge in comparison to other radishes. Sort of, we also received regular radishes in this box and they were the biggest radishes I have ever seen. So I am experimenting with a watermelon radish. When I cut it, I took a piece for my hubby and I to try. It tasted A LOT more peppery than a regular radish AND it was sweeter. So either the ones we got were the typical ones described in the descriptions I read or the people writing the descriptions have a different idea of what “sweet” is than I do.
Two sites I looked up this morning had the EXACT, word for word, description of what a watermelon radish is. I don’t know which site copied which site, but that is always disappointing to me. If a site states that the information is from another site, that is understandable to me, but just two sites, seemingly unrelated having the SAME EXACT information . . . bah!
Now I am looking at a different site and it is saying that watermelon radishes are the same as Red Daikon. I have heard of red daikon before, but not watermelon radishes. I think of daikon as long vegetables. But round or long they are all radishes. The watermelon radish is a winter radish.
Wiki states:
The heirloom “watermelon radish” is another Chinese variety of daikon with a dull green exterior but a bright rose or fuchsia-colored center.”
Do you like radishes? Do you cook them? Have you had a watermelon radish?
I have been teaching Nia since 2009. Just now, this year, this month, I decided to send a monthly e-mail. I HAVE sent e-mails in the past, but I have never done it on a schedule. I have never sent an e-mail on a MONTHLY basis. In the past I have sent e-mails when I had an announcement or when I wanted to wish my students a happy holiday or when I felt I needed to remind them of something. But I just decided in the middle of last month that I was going to send a monthly e-mail. It somewhat came about when I wanted to promote the Nia Class and Playshop I am producing in March. It also came about when a group of us were talking about people that we have not seen in a long time. I was asking the group of Nia participants if they saw so-and-so. Because sometimes the people could stop coming to the Nia classes but still attend other classes. The people I was asking about, I was told, had not been seen at other classes either. So then we started talking about being able to contact them. It has been suggested in the past that the venues should give me people’s information. I am not comfortable with third party hand-offs. Of course, no one is under any type of obligation whatsoever to tell me where they are and what they are doing when they stop coming to a class. But I – we, the other students and I would like to let people know that they are missed. So I decided to ask for people’s e-mail address so I could have a way to contact them. The classes for which I rent the studio, I have always requested a e-mail addresses. But requesting them in this type of setting is new for me.
There are a lot of reasons someone might stop attending a class. And honestly, it is not necessarily my business, I don’t need to know why you stopped coming. But I really do have a desire to let you know that we noticed and we miss you. When someone lets me know they are thinking about me, it makes me happy. So I think it would be nice to let someone know that we are still holding class and we miss their energy or style they used to bring.
I asked my students what they wanted to received: monthly e-mails, special e-mails, love notes. They all said, “What are love notes?” And I replied, “E-mails tell you I love you.” Some of them had quizzical looks in response. Some were completely ok with that. I did explain that sometimes I just wanted to say thank you or let them know I was thinking about them. Or sometimes I might inquire as to their status. And I mentioned some of our fellow participants that are no longer here and they nodded. The monthly e-mails are going to consist of announcements, tidbits, and links to my blog posts.
This monthly e-mail format is flexible, it might change. I might not have anything to announce one month so I might use that space as a reminder. The tidbits will be little bits about Nia, exercising, nutrition, a quote, etc. It will be a short e-mail and it will be skimmable. Recipients will be able to skim it quickly. There will be links to information in case you want more.
I am so blessed to have such great students. We have fun.
I am excited about this new thing. I know that many people send out monthly e-mails, I get them. I know this is something I probably should have been doing since the beginning, but I didn’t, I am doing it NOW.
Would you like to receive the monthly e-mail? If so indicate that in the comment. You enter your e-mail address when leaving a comment. So that is the one I will use if you ask to be added. No one else sees that information. Do you receive any e-mails monthly?
I did not intend to write a blog post on all of the 52 Moves in Nia. My intent was to post a few and entice you into buying The Nia Technique Book. It seems as if I just might get to all of Nia’s 52 Moves on my blog. It so happens that sometimes I am at a loss as to what to post, so I turn to a move on the list of 52 Moves. Or sometimes I am intrigued by one the moves because it is in a routine that I am currently dancing with my students. Or I am intrigued by of the moves that it is in a Nia Routine that I danced with another Nia teacher. OR I am intrigued by of the moves even though it is NOT in a Nia Routine – as in, it is not part of the original choreography, but we do it anyway. That is the fun thing about Nia Routines and the 52 Moves. You can kind of put them in anywhere. And, I will say it again, because I think it is important to state that the moves that Nia includes on their list are not unique to Nia. Nia is not claiming to have created them. Also, it is nice to know that you will experience moves in Nia that you have experienced before. The moves are on the lists and included in Nia Routines because there are benefits to doing them. Some of them are so simple the benefits could be overlooked. Some of them might seem odd to have included on a list of moves done in a dance exercise class. But they have benefits. One move that is simple and might seem random to have in an exercise class is Finger Flicks.
Yeah, you read that right, Finger Flicks. Flicking your fingers. This move can be done so many different ways. Fast, slow, high, low, fingers up, fingers down, with an emotion, without an emotion, with the music, against the music, so many possibilities. The benefits of this move include conditioning the muscles of the forearms and hands. If you really use your thumb to resist the fingers the move contracts the forearm muscles and makes your fingers work! The Nia Technique Book states that this move helps rid the hands of tension.
The how-to is simple enough. I bet you know it already. You form a loose fist with your hand, keeping the thumb on the outside of the fingers. Then push with all four fingers against the thumb. Allow your thumb to resist. Then let your fingers push through. Practice this move with your hand at different levels-as in high above your shoulders, at the same level as your shoulder, below your shoulders. Let your arms hang, hold them out . . . in other words flick your fingers all over. Use one hand, then the other, then both. Just flick, flick, flick, flick. Try doing it how I mentioned, fast, slow, high, low, fingers up, fingers down, with an emotion, without an emotion, with the music, against the music, play with the possibilities.
You can practice this move while dancing around your home. You probably do this move without even thinking about it after washing your hands. You could probably check the mirrors above the sink to verify it.
Remember in my last post I said I get grumpy when I am not feeling well? Well, sometimes it is not actually grumpy but it is a feeling of feeling off. And sometimes it is not because I am sick, but I am not feeling 100%. I kinda mentioned this in that same post. Well, I think I am hearing fluid in my ear. I remembering hearing that garlic is good at helping heal ear infections. But I don’t have any garlic cloves. I have some garlic already minced and I don’t think that is what they have in mind. I am also thinking it is not really an infection because it doesn’t hurt and I know that ear infections DO hurt. But I do hear something. So in trying to figure out what to post today I was looking at my blog and I saw the category “Essential Oils”. I thought, “Hey, I know they can be used to treat ear infections.” So, I looked it up. The first site I happen to click on said something about sometimes it is not even really an ear infection it is just a build up of fluid. Ah-ha! It gave some suggestions on helping it too!
So since I am not having the pain associated with an ear infection, but I am sometimes hearing something . . . I think, I will go with that diagnosis. It is extra fluid and not yet an infection. I know not everything I read on the internet is true, but I do when it makes sense and matches up to what I was thinking. I am doing to try one of Homemade Mommy’s ideas.
One is to dilute some Lemon Essential Oil with a carrier oil and rub it around the outside of the ear and lymph nodes. Another is to use a few drops of lavender or tea tree oil on a cotton ball. The cotton ball goes in the ear. (These are abbreviated versions of her remedies. Please see her site for the full information. I only listed the oils I have and the ones I am going to try not all of the options she gave.)
There are a number of single oils and blends that can serve well to support the body when confronted with an earache. These include. . .
Melrose
Lavender
Rosemary
Thyme
Tea Tree
Peppermint
Purification
PanAway
Wintergreen
Thieves can also be a good choice for supporting the immune response when there is an ear infection.”
They recommend diluting and using a cotton swab or a cotton ball.
Every site I have looked at states to dilute the oil and rub it in and around the ear. Of course, I didn’t think about this until the last-minute before I have to go out. If I were just “going out” I probably could get away with putting it on my neck, but we are going to a Sharks Game so I will be somewhat bundling up so the oil would just get all over my scarf or jacket. I will wait until I get home to apply the oil to the appropriate places . . . but I think I will put a little in and on my ear.
So what do you do when you have an ear ache? What do you do when you have an ear infection? Do you use essential oils? What kind? How do you do it?
Sometimes I just can’t figure it out. I do know that when my body is fighting off something (a cold, a virus, or the sickness that is going around) I get grumpy. I don’t get sick, but I get grumpy and I don’t know why. It is probably because I am feeling less than 100%, but not sick. My hubby and I have not actually been sick since last January. Where we got something from the family at the Holiday dinner and it took us down for days. Me – for one and half to be exact. I just went to bed. My hubby took longer to get better because he didn’t just go to bed. He — like most people have to work. I was lucky enough that it hit me Thursday after my class and I didn’t have a class on Friday so I slept all day. I remember it well because I have never just slept like that. I remember I got up once to make dinner and eat, but then I was back in bed. I wanted to get rid of it. Sometimes there are things going on that I allow myself to stress out about. Like when I am learning a new routine. I’ve told you that before. But usually after teaching it for the first time the sense of “nervousness” goes away. Could be that I messed up bad yesterday and forgot to do something I told someone I would do. Never have done that before. Don’t want to do it again. I do know that is really bothering me. But it could also be that thing I am trying to not let bother me. I don’t THINK it is bothering me . . . but I feel odd . . . so it COULD be bothering me. So like I said, sometimes I just can’t figure it out. Is my body working really hard to keep from getting sick? Am I so mad at myself for being forgetful that I can’t forgive myself and have this icky feeling inside? Or is it that THING I am not thinking about? And in not thinking about it, I am thinking about it. I do think that sometimes grief has this “buzz” about it. It might not be there all big and hairy making you cry and wail, but it is there. It makes you edgy. Sometimes even a little jumpy. And it is not so much that I am not thinking about it, it is more that I was going to try not to mention it. But . . . . I think, trying not to mention it and trying to just let it be “not a big deal” is in fact making it a big deal. Grrrr! So . . . not to make a big deal out of it, but to see if putting it out there helps relieve this tightness (almost like heartburn) in my chest and throat I will no longer ignore the THING. Today is my mom’s birthday.
She and I are twenty years apart. She would have been 67. I had hoped I would have her around until she was in her 80s, but that didn’t happen.
I had thought that my dad and niece and I would get together and do something for my mom’s birthday, but we decided not to. I never know if my dad is just trying to be brave or if he really thinks he is ok. I also had secured tickets to an event this weekend so that had me believing my dad and letting him be. He had a lot of projects he is doing. “Keeping busy” as he says.
So really, I wasn’t going to say anything, but like, I said, there is something . . . . I can’t figure it out. So I was thinking NOT SAYING ANYTHING, might be it. Because otherwise I am excited. I have a new Nia class. I mentioned in a recent post that I was going to filling in for someone. Turns out the “filling in” is going to be a permanent situation. Remembering, of course, that “permanent” is still a flexible term. I have to make sure the number of attendees in the other classes don’t go down. A thought I had had, was, having Nia three times a week, might keep people from coming to the other two classes. But today we had a record breaker. So, we will see.
There are also a few other good things going on. Perhaps they are good, but causing some stress? I don’t know. Like I said, sometimes I just can’t figure it out. All I can figure out is that there is SOMETHING and I don’t like it. So I am doing things, trying this and trying that to see what works.
What do you think? Do you agree with the idea that grief can just hang out and make you edgy? Do you think sometimes it is like that annoying thing you can’t put your finger on? Do you understand it is not always tears and big time sorrow?
I have mentioned that my husband and I have purchased a portion of a cow. My friend that has done all the work in regards to researching grass-fed beef and the procurement of the cow is a chef. When we talk about the beef – she forgets she no longer has to “sell” me on it – she says it is so nice to know she has meat in the freezer for dinner and she loves that she doesn’t have to go to the store for dinner. I am unfamiliar with that feeling because 1) I primarily cook what I have. Unlike her I just look at what I have, then I decide what to cook. It is not often I think, “Oh I want this (this, specific thing that requires specific meat) today” and go about making it. But such is the creative life of a talented chef (my friend). 2) I forget to take it out to defrost. THAT is my problem. I forget to take the meat out. I don’t always wake up thinking, “What should I make for dinner?” And even when or if I do, by the time I get out of bed and make my way downstairs, I forget to go directly to the freezer to take out for defrosting, whatever I was thinking I could make for dinner. My friend suggested a method that works and speeds up the process.
As we were talking I shared with her my preferred method and she did not like it. She expressed concern over the safety of it, but it works for me except when I forget to take whatever I am defrosting out of the oven before I turn it on. I usually think of taking something out of the freezer to thaw after my Nia classes, in the middle of any work I am doing . . . so about 2:00 or 3:00 pm.
In her infinite knowledge my friend told me to put the meat on metal. I am sure many of you know that and might even employ the method. I know that metal conducts cold but I never thought about it defrosting meat.
It works VERY well. I can take some meat out in the afternoon and cook it in the evening. That same evening. One thing I do, is I switch metal. So if I need it to defrost faster I switch the metal the meat is on. So I put the meat on a metal pan, then when the pan is cold, I switch to a new pan. Works fast. I have not tried BIG cuts of meat, because a big cut takes more planning to cook for me than taking it out in the afternoon for cooking that same evening. I bet it would work, but take a long time. I am sure it will help make the process happen faster, but not as fast as I need.
So, I understand that this might not be new to a lot of people, but I thought I would share for those that hadn’t thought about it. This has made my life a lot easier. I hope that it can help ease your dinner “pain” and make your life easier.
Did you know about the metal method? How do you defrost your meat?
I am looking through my drafts in WordPress to see if there is anything I started to write that I can finish up and use as a post. I went to a Nia class this morning and spent the day visiting with a friend, so I am trying to post at the last minute (again). I am very confused it is showing I have 26 drafts. That seems like an awful lot because I don’t type my posts in the WordPress editor. I typed them in Notepad. Sometimes I type them in the WordPress editor, but not often. I am confused because I also take copies of my posts after I post them and I am seeing copies of the post in my folder and I am seeing comments on them. But they are showing as drafts. WordPress has been changing so much with the admin portion of the site I am surprised crazy stuff doesn’t happen all the time. As things grow often times the simplicity of things get taken away and now what was one click to the admin page I have to click at least four things to get to where I am going. “Improvements” is a word they should use loosely. So I discovered the weirdest things while looking in my drafts. So far, I have discovered two posts that had been posted in August 2013 that are now showing in draft and are no longer on the calendar. One had 14 comments on it, so I know that it was posted at one time.
So I thought I would point them out in case they really weren’t posted in the first place. Which would mean that saminaiqbal27 of Samina’s Forum for police support never had that conversation. The first one I discovered I reposted as of the date of the original post. In the admin screen it had showed that there were six likes. When I reposted it they reappeared so hopefully Samina’s and my conversation will come back. (It did!)
The first post that I discovered was no longer on the blog was posted on Tuesday, August 13, 2013. It was a silly post about a silly subject. It was one of the things I hesitated posted about because it was so silly. But I remember now that at the time I was really appreciating my husband helping out with the cat’s liter box and I thought it was funny that he was making it funny. But then as time went on it turned out to be a really good thing. The post that was gone and is now back is S For Spa, Serene, Spot.
For A Taller You was the second post that was showing in drafts and NOT on my blog, but now it is back, with comments and all. Strange.
I just found another one, I Smell Something. Unfortunately I thought I had seen it on the blog still so I deleted the one that was showing up in the drafts, but it turns out that was the one that had been posted. Good thing I keep copies of all my posts. I just copied and pasted it into a new post, but with the original post date. But any likes were lost. I hesitated reposting this one because that diffuser died shortly after. They kindly offered to send me a replacement. And they did. It lasted for about 5 minutes. I gave up on that.
Well, at this time, it is late and I want to go visit with my hubby so I will go through all the “drafts” at a later time . . . because I have nothing else to do . . . I’ll probably share again if any others have become drafts. So weird.
Any of you on WordPress having weird stuff happen? If you have a different blog platform do you like it?
What is going on with you? Here? Me? Well, I mentioned that Nia released four new routines at the end of the year. I mentioned I ordered three. Well, I received them and I listened to the music for the one I had planned to learn first and just as I expected. The music for the entire routine is from ONE artist. When I originally noticed that, I thought that might be an issue for me. I thought that it would all sound the same and I wasn’t too excited about that prospect. But the music from the routine I didn’t order was even less appealing. Now, let me explain that we are able to listen to snippets of the songs. Like on iTunes. It only plays for a moment. As you may have found out from listening to snippets on iTunes some times what you hear is not exactly what you get. I mean sometimes a song can change dramatically. The Nia website used to allow us to listen to the entire song, but now we only get a short preview. So . . . having listened to the previews of all the songs for all the routines, I “didn’t like” the music of one routine. That is why I didn’t order it. But I was leery of the “One artist” routine. But the snippets sounded different enough, I thought it would be ok. Turns out . . . not so much. But . . . often times the first “listen through” of a routine’s music reveals an instant “I don’t like”, but that fades or disappears entirely sometimes. So, I have faith it will be fine, but . . . it caused me to decide to work on learning a different routine. So I am in the process of learning a new routine.
I always look at them for the first time and think, “Oh cool. That’s not too hard. I can learn it quick.” But then . . . for me that is not the case. It is one thing to be able to dance to a routine, but it is another to be able to lead it. I could just take it to class and we could play with it, but I like to have a really good handle on it first.
But . . . . somewhat exciting news . . . as is always happening at places that have exercise classes, it seems as if there is going to be a change in the schedule at one of the facilities where I teach. So they are looking to fill a spot, but they don’t really think they want another cardio class, but . . . . I know that it takes time to find the right class and a teacher that can do it, so I offered to do Nia in the meantime. Well, much to my surprise the supervisor took me up on that deal. As in starting next week. The odd thing is – I was already set to sub the class one day, so it is basically like I am taking it over tomorrow.
Another exciting thing is the response I have received from the Nia students that currently attend the other classes I teach. They are excited to have an additional Nia class. Many of them said they would take the class. So . . . we will see. I am secretly –ok, so it is not a secret (!!) hoping that the class will do well and the center will let me keep it. With Group Ex classes we know that nothing is permanent because things sometimes need to change, but there is the “permanent” and we like that. So it could be that I end up taking routines into the classroom sooner than normal if I get to teach four classes a week, regularly!
I am going to go be a student on Saturday. One of the Nia students that used to attend my classes moved to a different area. I am going to visit her. We are going to go to a Nia class she now regularly attends. I think being a student will be a great energizer. I don’t take the time out to be a student as much as I would like. Seems like I am always trying to learn a routine so I don’t take time out from that. But this was planned in advance and it will be perfect.
My hubby and I are still adding to our Goodie Jar. It is looking quite festive with all of the Christmas wrapping paper scraps we are using.
Did I mentioned the Nia Events I have on the calendar for March? There is going to be a Friday evening class and a Saturday playshop? The evening class will be a routine done to 80’s music and the playshop is all about Free Dance. The Nia Teacher that is going to do both is Jason Alan Griffin. I wrote a post about him, First Degree Nia Black Belt Guest Teacher because he brought his Goldfinger routine to the East Bay Area last year.
Whew! So that is what is up with me. Do tell, what is up with you?
As you may know if you have perused my blog or website, Nia has moves called the 52 Moves of Nia or Nia’s 52 Moves. Moves concentrated and focused on. Generally moves included in all of the routines. Not all the moves are included in all of the routines, but the routines are jam-packed with most of the moves. The moves on the list have physical benefits. Some are fun or silly so they can have mental or spiritual benefits. And in this case I am talking about your spirit or inner child, the part of you that likes to have fun, the part of you that you might not get to display in your regular everyday work life. So not the religious type of spirit but the kind of spirit that you think of when you say or hear “school spirit” or inner child. The fun playful side of you. To me, one of those moves is Claw Hand.
Claw Hand is a great move. It is super easy. It can be done all on its own. You can just stand or sit and do claw hand. You can add it to some foot work. You can add it to some complicated choreography. You can make it soft or hard. You can do it fast or slow. It is very versatile.
You can even make noises when you do it. You can growl like a big cat or a bear. You can meow like a kitty-cat. You can make any noise you want. It is fun stuff.
As I said you can do it standing or sitting and this moves gets done in to all the stances and steps in the Nia Routines. The Nia Technique Book (by Debbie and Carlos Rosas) recommends it be practiced in all the stances and steps. And that is a great idea since we use it with all of them. The routine I am doing now even add it to blocks. We block in with claw hand and we block out with claw hand. Why not?
You can probably figure out what this move is from the description but I tell you what the book says:
“Mimic a claw with your finger and claw the air, as if you were in a cat fight. Keep your wrists relaxed, and sound a cat’s hisses as you do the move. Use both hands.”
The benefits can include strengthening your fingers and hands.
In addition to keeping a relaxed wrist I like to use the claw shape to bring tension into my entire arm. I imagine I am really clawing something. I figure I would need strength to do that so I put my entire arm into it. You can use one had to “claw” and the other hand to feel the muscles in your arm (forearm and upper arm) contract.
The book states that this move can increase your sense of power. When I am doing it with muscles contracted as if I am REALLY clawing something I do have a sense of power. I imagine that is how an animal feels when they wield their claw.
This move allows you to practice bending your fingers too. That helps with the mobility of the joints. I like this move. I like to add sounding to it.
Ok, so stop and try it? What sound do you like to do best with your Claw Hand?