Category: 1 Introduction

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Introduction

There is a Confucius saying, “a good student is one who, when shown the corner of a napkin, seeks out the other three.” To take that a step further, a good teacher is one who finds a way to motivate the student to seek, and it is in that vein that I have collected this information; having been ignited, with the hope of igniting fires inside the motivated. This is only the tip of the iceberg – a jumping off point.

When I began this project, it was initially intended to be a method for addiction recovery and management. As I moved through it, I realized that we all are in recovery in one sense or another, and all of us are addicted in one way or another as well.

In daily living, most times, feelings and reactions are automatic and predictable. Creating life spontaneously, rather than having each moment being determined by past experiences, can indeed be a struggle. Addiction, along with traumatic accidents, unexpected changes in life, breakups, the death of a loved one, etc. all require healing and recovery. Continue reading Introduction

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Beginnings

This all started when I was about seven years old. I was standing in line like the rest of the kids, listening to the nun. We were in church - Saint Dominic's Cathedral I think it was, in front of one of the confessional booths. She was explaining confession, when all of sudden out of nowhere, whack!!! This kid Charlie turns around and punches me in the mouth; in retrospect, it was to see what I would do; but I was a nice boy, I didn’t like to fight and I certainly wasn’t used to this kind of spontaneous aggression. I cried and ran for the nun to protect me from this maniac. That was when my father enrolled me in Judo class. It was there that I had my first taste of the martial arts. Though I enjoyed the experience greatly, as life changes would have it, a year later I moved and found myself in a different school. I did not continue with classes, though my interests in the martial arts had not dwindled; I practiced what I could remember and like many of my friends we avidly watched all the martial arts movies and often mimicked the movements of the actors. By age 14, I was kind of a "dojo rat" - bouncing around from one martial arts school to another but never really settling down and seriously studying the art. Continue reading Beginnings

Posted on by — 1 Comment

What is “in shape”?

It all begins with the self-talk, "I want to get in shape" or "I need to work out".  Then we look out into the world and see the media definition of what "in shape" is.  Have you ever really stopped for a moment and asked yourself what is “in shape”?  You know…. “Fit”.  What is that?  Better yet, have you ever wondered why we call it a “work-out”?  Is it necessary?  What is the objective?  Walking – Running – Weight lifting – Pilates – Rock climbing – Yoga – Swimming – Dance Class – couch potato – beer curler, why do we do that; is there more to it? Continue reading What is “in shape”?

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Our Inherent Recuperative Powers

Think about it, what if you had a partner you lived with.  Things were going fine for a while, no problems.  Then suddenly they decide not to communicate with you.  Oh, but you love them, I mean really love them, so you let some time go by.

Three months goes by, you are concerned but you do not want to crowd; more time goes by.  Six months later, they decide to communicate with you.  They say to you, “ok we can communicate, but only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 7 to 8:30pm”, because that is all the time their schedule will allow.  Continue reading Our Inherent Recuperative Powers

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Detox & Recovery

If everything were reduced in size by fifty percent, including you, you would not notice.  It is only if you did not fit, that you would notice and if you noticed, you would not fit.  From the moment we are born, we are socialized to fit “in”.  Then we enter school and are trained how to learn, how to be in the world in an “acceptable” way and in the process are required to resign innate qualities and repress deep feelings for the sake of social acceptance, all of which results in, so to speak, a reduction of consciousness; a primary contributor to the existential pain of human existence we all share in contemporary society, whether or not we’re willing to acknowledge it.

Continue reading Detox & Recovery

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Elements for Well Being

Well-being goes beyond the age old idea of the absence of illness and healthcare implies a proactive stance towards achieving optimum physical, mental, and emotional well being.

In contemporary times, there is much concern about what one should and should not eat. Quality of food, no doubt, affects and reflects quality of life. Food choices are shaped by upbringing and culture, and influenced by where one lives, personal needs and daily activity. Lifestyle choices, cultural standing and acute or chronic illnesses all have their significance in creating and sustaining long health.
Continue reading Elements for Well Being