thaddeus

Is this something you heard or you have tried? Ian, I had to LOL when I read your post...you sounded so 'urgent' I personally have tried a glass of red wine with a raw egg in it before sleeping. I got that from Hua Ching Ni (sp?) and it does seem to work, I don't usually add the sugar. Also about two extra hours of sleep always seems to work as well. T

I think it's irresponsible for anyone to give out medical advice when it concerns life threatening problems. Not sure if you consulted a doctor or not but you definately want to check to make sure you don't have something like diabetes or serious artery problems. But the quick answer is that anything that relaxes you will lower blood pressure unless you have some physiological problem with producing nitric oxide. So basically just laying down and listening to music will drop blood pressure. Check out Herbert Benson for the science part. But seriously get checked out first.. T

I just hurt my sacral area in aikido last night. Hurts like hell, can barely stand and walk. What can I do to get back to training asap..like next week. Normally, this level of injury will take me out three weeks. I think i've tried everything in the past..anything that you've tried that can get me going? T

Thank you for all the great info! I'm going work on releasing tonight. Karen, thanks for the info on arnica, i heard of it topically, but not taking it internally..so that's cool. T

I think what you are saying is most likely 'true' with the exception of the statement about being a 'fraud with no significant attainment'. His contribution since the 60s is unquestionably signficant. Many 'teachers' now quote him and his wisdom including chopra, dyer--whatever you may think of them, we can't say they are not 'signficant'. My only contention with what you write is that Castaneda was soo interesting that there is a ton of literature out there exposing him in various lights. I don't think there are many people out there who would fare much better in such scrutiny--even ourselves. T

Thanks Sundog, really like your name! I'm not sure exactly how it happened, I was getting up and realized I felt something like a tear in my sacral area and now it hurts. I've been loading up on vitamin C, proline, bromeline,chondrotin sulfate, glucosamine, meditation/visualization to jump start the healing process. Also just trying to sleep alot. I do think I have tightness in the ilacus that probably made me more suscesptible to this injury..how do i work that one again? Thanks, T

The other interesting thing about him was he seemed really concerned about getting cancer and I think claimed he could never die of it. Ironic that cancer killed him. T

Part of the training is absorbing the technique with your body. If you feel pain from a joint lock, your body mechanics is not right. Alot of this is learned by feel and trial and error. Don't give up a training opportunity because of the occasional freak you might get paired up. The art of taking ukemi is largely about protecting yourself. I got careless and overstretched on a backbend taking ukemi for irimi nage. All my fault for getting careless. Thanks for the info on the enzymes..gonna try it.. T

Curious..how are you defining clinginess or neediness? I just had this discussion with a friend. I get really annoyed when i send an e-mail or a voicemail to a 'friend' and they completely ignore it. I personally feel it's rude not to acknowledge something. When I talk to these people they sometimes say how the e-mail made them 'laugh' or some other reaction, so I wonder why don't they just write something quick back or call back. (i'm not talking about the blanket joke e-mails, i mean something personally directed that has meaning) So of course, I second guess myself, am I being needy, clingy, etc. I also noticed that the people that are so quick to label others as clingly or sensitive or take things personally themselves seem to be pretty selfish and self absorbed. Anyway, am i making sense? Curious what others think about what is good interaction between 'friends'. I like warm friendships and often amazed at some of the funny games that occur with planned get togethers, calls, etc. Also regarding the heart center, how/where are you absorbing energy into it? T

I totally agree with what you're saying. It's unfortunate, but very true. Ida Rolf used a term, 'the random body' to talk about your everyday person. The random person is not ready to deal with a intention pure hug. T

There seems to be some bashing of yin yoga on the part of paulie. The reference to grilley only studying 'a year' and such and that blurb on the home page about 'you can learn some fundamentals from yin yoga teachers...' hmmmm.

The anatomy DVD reviews on Amazon seem pretty impressive. I'm going to get it.. T

Visit a synogogue sometime and listen to the rabbi's sermons. I was born catholic and as a catholic we are brought up to take the bible literally. I have to say the average christian's understanding of the 'old testament' is like a kindergarten level. There is so much going on, so much nuance so much discussion around a single word in jewish tradition, that your appreciation for what is in there will never be the same. The kabbalists take the stuff to a university level. Not sure where I stand with that exactly, I have some mixed feelings, but the takeaway is that there is much more than meets the eye. I agree with you regarding christ's teachings. Something happened and it was remarkable. I don't think it's a matter of taking sides like east or west to find truth. I think you are doing the right thing by looking beneath the surface. Sometimes digging deeper pays off, like the bottom of a paella. Regarding your original question about the sacrifice. I always had the same question. It must be like a Koan. Or it could just be someone's superficial understanding that gets repeated so much no one bothers to question it anymore. For me, i never understood what the sacrifice was. Apparantly jesus knew who he was and he would come back, etc. so what exactly was the sacrifice. I never got an explanation from all my discussions with born agains, etc. So perhaps it's something to meditate on and realize. There probably is no verbal explanation. Good questions.. T

Again, I just don't see passing judgement on wanting or not wanting. You can interchange the two ideas. Not wanting stuff also ties you up. If something obstructs my air, I want to breathe, I want to live. That's not bad or good, spiritual or unspiritual. If I start to feel good or righteous because I'm denying myself, or giving, or whatever, it's the same trap as being selfish. I feel the path of righteousness is also a tangily ball of string. That's all I'm saying..is not attach labels of 'good' or 'bad' to this stuff. Didn't Lao Tzu say putting these labels on things makes people quarrel--or something to that effect. You bring up an interesting idea about what is a spiritual life..I think that's worth a separate thread.. T

I just hope you can see how what you are saying is so prejudiced with your particular point of view and belief system and is not necessarily true for everyone. Denial being something good is an example. Couldn't denial make a person dwell even more on what they don't have. Can't you say more people are denied what they want than actually get what they want. Are people getting enlightened because they are denied things? Obviously not. I personally don't see it as good or bad. I'm not going to put a value judgement on it. Many of us seem to have this instant dislike to someone manifesting a ferrari, for example, rather than a hamburger for a starving person. Why do we have to judge it, why can't we see it as energy without a good or bad label attached to it? I've said this in another post, I don't pay much attention to experiences people report. Like colors and heat and bursts and feelings, etc. There's so much self perception disorder that it becomes almost meaningless. What do you mean by 'the will of undifferentiated life when they want something'? Hope you're not getting annoyed or anything by my tone..i'm doing this while I'm working so I'm in a perpetual state of rush, not thinking through enough,etc..but I'm enjoying the conversation and the ideas.. T

Hi Ian, there's no way to know what goes on in someone else's mind or their expectations..who knows? To me this is more of the 'poor = good' 'denial=virtuous' belief system. It doesn't have to be that way. As far as a spiritual practice, consider this. A person 'Joe' has a desire. He can deny it or satisfy it. Why is denying it a spritual practice and satisfying is not a spiritual practice? Could not satisfying desires also help one to break through this illusion as well? Getting nice stuff is not necessarily bad and giving away your salary is not necessarily virtuous. And when you say 'not my will...but thy will'..what are you saying? Is there necessarily a conflict? Just some thoughts.. T

I agree. Even with aiki jitsu, the BJJ person will prevail. Btw, I've studied all three more than cursory so it's not an armchair opinion..Cam is right. That would be true if the aikido person looks at his art as just throwing technique..like looking at taekwondo as just kicking technique. We can all agree that aikido is based on sword movements. Many martial arts evolved from their weapons technique and I think I can say without too much argument that aikido is based on sword technique. With that said, an aikidoist would never turn his back to his opponent. So how can we have a technique like koshinage. It would only appear under certain circumstances. A good aikidoist is always aware of his opponent's 'ki' (for lack of a better term) he never just does a technique because it's his style to do so, so I would say the koshi would only be done when it was safe to do so..i.e. the bjj guy has committed and is off balance and unable to control himself. I think I alluded to this earlier. The problem I see with the way aikido is practiced is that the intention to do the technique is already predetermined. 'Now we practice koshinage'. That's why aikido doesn't work. The same is true when an 'applications' class is taught in Taichi. One doesn't 'do' the technique, it just happens, based on the energy that is being handled. Cam, you mentioned Rickson before..totally agree. Did you see the DVD Choke? Anyone who sees that will know exactly what I mean. Rickson embodies this to a T--he's the man, and would make a great taichi, aikido, bjj or whatever master because he understands how to be like water.. T Forgot about Ki Aikido. It will be interesting to see how this evolves. Tohei Sensei is truly remarkable. His 4 principles are original. He would be awesome to study with. But you can get most of that stuff if you study Japanese Yoga (there's a book by that name). He basically got all his internal ideas from studying with that guy--maybe his name is nakamura, not really sure right now. Then he applied it to aikido to try to make sense out of what O-sensei was doing and saying. So Ki-aikido is the marriage so to speak of Aikido and Japanese Yoga. I think American Yoga is taking some interesting and innovative evolutions, and I believe the same will be true of Ki-Aikido. T

Cam, I haven't followed this stuff in years. I heard Royce was making a comeback fight..when is it or did it happen yet? T

I think if Aikido was practiced more according to it's principles, this wouldn't be so true. Energywise there shouldn't be a difference between someone coming in to do a takedown or a strike. The problem with aikido practice is that you practice the same move no matter how the attacker attacks. THis is not really 'listening' or realistic fighting. Sometimes people wonder why the teacher doesn't do the move exactly the same way everytime he/she demonstrates..this is because the uke is attacking differently each time. Most aikido dojo's don't teach this way, even though they may give it lip service. If we were given more freedom to handle uke's force the way it's coming in without being 'corrected' it might lead to more realistic practice. The way people are practicing aikido today gives one a false sense of security regarding fighting--and basically will never work. In aikido your partner rarely resists your technique so you never really learn it like in BJJ or Judo. You have to just realize what you are practicing is very simple energetically..meaning uke is coming in with a simple, obvious, dumb force. Arts like BJJ, Judo the 'opponent' comes in very complex ways and will change. That's what's more realistic about it. They will attack and grab in unpredictable ways. How many times have you experienced or seen an aikido practicioner ask his/her partner to grab the 'right way' so they could do the technique. That's what I mean. But it's alot of FUN! and you will make great friends..it's one of the best things i've ever done in my life.. T

but you didn't show what happens next, the dog on the right is just about to do a brutal koshinage on doggy on the left! T

BJJ and Aikido are good in the sense that, in the larger clubs, you have the 'teacher' show/demonstrate a technique/concept but your teacher is really the principle and the partner you have at the moment. I kinda agree I don't like the dynamics too much of the 'guru'. But it's unavoidable. At lease in the two arts mentioned, it's not in your face. Don't look for an 'enlightened' teacher. You are already enlightened, just need a reminder..and the hard training in aikido and bjj or judo without all the extra nonsense is pretty cool. Good luck and keep us all updated on what you finally choose. I don't remember if I read it here or not, but there is alot of weird drama in martial art schools where you can't really show results and just follow the instructor by faith. For example, someone who doesn't really know his stuff won't last long or earn respect in a BJJ or Judo or some aikido schools. Places where you practice rote techniques that don't really work, lend themselves to environments where the teacher is treated like a 'god'. Alot of taichi and karate, etc. are like this--too much BS and nonsensical time wasting for me. Schools that have 'randori' practices tend to weed out a lot of nonsense. Proof is in the pudding so to speak. Just some tidbits for thought T.

check out the discovery channel video..very interesting..would like to hear what the results were...anyone know? the website is pretty slow, where can i get more info on the qigong technique? T

Pycnogenol is known for increasing production of nitric oxide..which accounts for the sensation of increased circulation. It's a proven remedy combined with arginine for erectile dysfunction..so definately a kidney/liver/chi tonic from an eastern perspective. Really good stuff. Love to hear your experiences.. T