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The summer games of 2008 have brought to light the performance of swimmer Dara Torres. Torres’ performance, in her 40s, led her to place as one of the best in the world. It has also proven that age can not be a limit to reaching peak levels. Dara Torres credits her accomplishments heavily on resistance stretching techniques developed and ‘rediscovered’ by Bob Cooley. His work can encourage further research into classical hatha yoga techniques and traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that can improve physiology and personality of individuals.

Mr. Cooley was led to this rediscovery by an accident that killed his friend, and left him alive. They were hit by a drunk driver while walking one night. He was slipping in and out of consciousness and was on the ground, thrown 25 feet away from the collision, with his shoulder dislocated.

Rehabilitation did not work for him at the level he wanted. He was told that stretching would help improve flexibility. He kept practicing, yet he made no gains. Other patients in the clinic, also, had little progress. He felt something was missing. Therefore, Mr. Cooley decided to sit for an hour a day, with his legs out in front of him, trying to find out what happens to the muscles that allows one to stretch all the way down. Then one day, all of a sudden his body began to bend forward after 20 years of unsuccessful attempts. Yet, he still did not know what was happening. He waiting again, sitting there for an hour a day, and one day, again, it happened. This time he paid attention and noticed that his muscles were contracting. That was how he was able to stretch. He learned that one must lengthen and contract at the same time to complete a successful stretch. Mr. Cooley became excited and experimented with other stretches.

Eventually, he learned that each one of his stretch moves finished in positions that were classical hatha yoga poses thousands of years old. In addition, one day when he was stretching his hamstrings, he felt his bladder contract. His friend told him that the bladder meridian energy channels traverse those muscles as taught in traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). He found that the muscles he stretched matched up with organs and their meridians. It seems resistance stretching contracts the muscles and in turn sends that vibration to the organs to improve functionality.

In addition, he decided to have 20 or so of his friends to do the same stretches together for 45 minutes. After the session every one was behaving, speaking and acting the same way and even using the same words. With this self and group experimentation he found out that specific stretches also elicit specific personalities. People with the same behaviors or same ailments had the same flexibility patterns.

In his book, he has 16 stretches that can be linked to improving an ailment and changing personality traits by following the energy flows from TCM. For example if you have a problem with your appendix or any of the following symptoms: lower right abdominal, hip and thigh pain; appendicitis; food poisoning; bumpy complexion; difficulty completing a thought; or extreme muscle tautness then you do stretch number fifteen. This “Full Locust at the Wall” is where one is on one’s stomach with legs outstretched and supported against the wall and while contracting the muscles as one applies resistance against the wall and the floor. This stretches a range of muscles including the back and neck area. Additionally, it improves cartilage and can detoxify. For personality changes it can help one to overcome anxiety. It can “increase your ability to change, express gratitude and express your individuality and can help to dismantle feelings of depersonalization (Cooley, 221).”

TCM medicine consists of special exercises such as Tai Chi and Qigong, acupuncture, diet, and herbal medicines that follow the theory of energy flows. “According to these practices, the body’s vital energy, qi, circulates through the body along specific interconnected channels called meridians.”

There is a way to quantitatively determine one’s flexibility level with these stretches with the help of Quantifying Human Range of Motion (QHROM) analysis research. This data can help one to improve positioning during the stretches for feedback to improve technique and reach a more optimum level of healing. Electromagnetic waves are projected around the person’s body to identify x, y, z coordinates of specific bony landmarks as the person is in a particular position. Within a few minutes the software will display true flexibility or range of motion (ROM) for all major joints of the body. This data can be use for visual and quantitative comparison with ideal models and can provide feedback to plan rehabilitation, prevent injury, enhance athletic performance and overall health.

Olympian Torres resistance stretches three times per week as well as before and after races. These techniques, consistent with practices thousands of years old, can speed recovery after exercise or accidents. With the strengthening of muscles, in a balanced way, physiology and well being improves. These stretches can be used to promote healing and encourage positive behaviors. More research can be conducted to determine optimum stretches to improve specific diseases or personalities.

References

Cooley, Bob. (2005) The Genius of Flexibility: The Smart Way to Stretch and Strengthen Your Body, New York. Simon and Schuster.

Cooley, B (2007) Meridian Flexibilty Center, [Online], Available: http://www.meridianstretching.com/index.html

Park A. (2008) Resistance Stretching: Contract your muscles while stretching them and get a workout worthy of an Olympian. TIME Magazine August 18

Cooley, B (2007) Traditional Chinese Medicine [Online], Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_medicine#Scientific_view

       ]]> http://msanam.wordpress.com/2008/09/30/resistance-stretching-not-just-for-athletes/feed/ http://msanam.wordpress.com/2008/07/09/mind/ http://msanam.wordpress.com/2008/07/09/mind/#comments Wed, 09 Jul 2008 07:59:22 +0000 msanam http://msanam.wordpress.com/2008/07/09/mind/ http://msanam.wordpress.com/2008/07/09/mind/feed/ http://msanam.wordpress.com/2008/07/06/when-the-mind-is-strong-the-body-will-follow/ http://msanam.wordpress.com/2008/07/06/when-the-mind-is-strong-the-body-will-follow/#comments Sun, 06 Jul 2008 22:48:49 +0000 msanam http://msanam.wordpress.com/?p=34

On Friday Morning I checked out this site a friend emailed to me:

Psychic Protection: Immunize Yourself from Negative Energy

from http://www.newdawnmagazine.com/

*** Created Reality is a mirror image of the ‘Hidden’ Reality

The mind can be developed to do more than what most believe.

We lose our bodies, but our minds somehow remain and access higher realities.  We can even access higher realities while still having a body. (see heaven does not exist, but it does)…

I was riding a bike and learned this… if you tell your mind to focus… not on the pain or other thoughts… convince your mind… then you perform better…

then i realized… when the mind is strong the body will follow…

when the mind is strong the body will follow…

when the mind is strong, then the body will follow…

The mind seems everlasting…

Maybe we need to train our minds more so our bodies can become more lasting…

Jenny Jones Talk Show -Arabs and 911

A friend sent this.  All of the people (even the audience member) are friends.

They were faking.  We can create any reality and make it the truth.  As long as we believe in that reality.  If enough people have a belief in that reality, their actions will sustain that created truth.  Read the comments.

Sometimes the reality you want, can’t happen at the moment.

These realities feel like a game.  We just have to play along (and develop) with whatever is in front of us to survive and get promoted to the next level.

Sometimes these realities feel like a dream.  I don’t even know if it’s real.

You can get masses of people to move in one direction with a created reality.

I see a moment where things will be in equilibrium.

Two (or more) systems or bodies exchange energy.   This process continues until the energy is equalized.   Essentially those interacting systems or bodies become one in the same.

If you interact with those at higher levels or at higher realities, eventually there will be a moment where you will be equalized with that higher system.

We create intentions to reach certain goals.

Things, books, people are attracted to us to help us in all these levels.

These experiences only happen when the right energy is in place.  When we have developed enough to reach an equilibrium with the thing/book/person that we come to meet.

If someone gets into an accident with another…  Sometimes there is a fight over who is to blame.  If you look more deeper, maybe the accident was meant to arise so 2 systems can come into contact with each other and transfer energy to help in establishing some equilibrium or getting close to some equilibrium.

If the realities we desire are not in place, then some equilibrium has not been reached.  That means more development is required and more experiences are necessary in this virtual world we live in with our physical bodies.

The experiences are necessary for us to learn things and we can not judge what others experience.

My sister has body image problems.  She goes to a women’s gym where some of the ladies walk around naked and wash their feet while talking her while naked.  lol

Some people can say it is bad to look at naked people.

But you have to look at the person’s (lol) background and intentions and the level they are in and the level they need to go toward.

Maybe if my sister sees all these women of all shapes, sizes and ages, then one day she will learn to appreciate her image and body and maybe not go for plastic surgery.

Also, this may help my sister for her future goals… maybe if she becomes a healer, she might not be shocked if a naked, bloody person just comes in front of her.  Maybe the experience is preparing her and teaching her to change her thoughts so she can get out her current level and advance to a higher level.

You really can’t judge for another.  Each being needs a customized set of experiences so they can learn what they need to learn to improve their thoughts and actions.

This world doesn’t feel real.  It feels temporary.

If two people are not meant to be together for the moment, that means those two people or systems are not in equilibrium.  That means more development is required to reach states of equilibrium.

http://www.jewsagai nstzionism. com
WORDS OF THE RABBIS Rabbi Michael Dov Weissmandl ZT”L Dean of
Nitra Yeshiva [Rabbi Michael Dov Weissmandl ZT"L Dean
of Nitra Yeshiva] Rabbi Michael Dov Weissmandl ZT”L Dean of
Nitra Yeshiva TEN QUESTIONS TO THE ZIONISTS 1. IS IT TRUE
that in 1941 and again in 1942, the German Gestapo offered
all European Jews transit to Spain, if they would relinquish
all their property in Germany and Occupied France; on
condition that:

a) none of the deportees travel from Spain to Palestine;
and
b) all the deportees be transported from Spain to the USA
or British colonies, and there to remain; with entry visas
to be arranged by the Jews living there; and
c) $1000.00 ransom for each family to be furnished by the
Agency, payable upon the arrival of the family at the
Spanish border at the rate of 1000 families daily.
2. IS IT TRUE that the Zionist leaders in Switzerland and
Turkey received this offer with the clear understanding that the
exclusion of Palestine as a destination for the deportees was
based on an agreement between the Gestapo and the Mufti.

3. IS IT TRUE that the answer of the Zionist leaders was
negative, with the following comments:

a) ONLY Palestine would be considered as a destination
for the deportees.
b) The European Jews must accede to suffering and death
greater in measure than the other nations, in order that the
victorious allies agree to a “Jewish State” at the end of
the war.
c) No ransom will be paid
4. IS IT TRUE that this response to the Gestapo’s offer was
made with the full knowledge that the alternative to this
offer was the gas chamber.

5. IS IT TRUE that in 1944, at the time of the Hungarian
deportations, a similar offer was made, whereby all Hungarian
Jewry could be saved.

6. IS IT TRUE that the same Zionist hierarchy again refused
this offer (after the gas chambers had already taken a toll
of millions).

7. IS IT TRUE that during the height of the killings in the
war, 270 Members of the British Parliament proposed to evacuate
500,000 Jews from Europe, and resettle them in British colonies,
as a part of diplomatic negotiations with Germany.

8. IS IT TRUE that this offer was rejected by the Zionist
leaders with the observation “Only to Palestine!”

9. IS IT TRUE that the British government granted visas to
300 rabbis and their families to the Colony of Mauritius,
with passage for the evacuees through Turkey. The “Jewish Agency”
leaders sabotaged this plan with the observation that the plan
was disloyal to Palestine, and the 300 rabbis and their
families should be gassed.

10. IS IT TRUE that during the course of the negotiations
mentioned above, Chaim Weitzman, the first “Jewish statesman”
stated: “The most valuable part of the Jewish nation is already
in Palestine, and those Jews living outside Palestine are not too
important”. Weitzman’s cohort, Greenbaum, amplified this
statement with the observation “One cow in Palestine is worth
more than all the Jews in Europe“.

There are additional similar questions to be asked of these
atheist degenerates known as “Jewish statesmen”, but for the
time being let them respond to the ten questions.
These Zionist “statesmen” with their great foresight,
sought to bring an end two two-thousand years of Divinely
ordained Jewish subservience and political tractability. With
their offensive militancy, they fanned the fires of
anti-Semitism in Europe, and succeeded in forging a bond of
Jew-hatred between Nazi-Germany and the surrounding countries.
These are the “statesmen” who organized the irresponsible
boycott against Germany in 1933. This boycott hurt Germany
like a fly attacking an elephant - but it brought calamity
upon the Jews of Europe. At a time when America and England
were at peace with the mad-dog Hitler, the Zionist “statesmen”
forsook the only plausible method of political amenability;
and with their boycott incensed the leader of Germany to a
frenzy. And then, after the bitterest episode in Jewish
history, these Zionist “statesmen” lured the broken refugees
in the DP camps to remain in hunger and deprivation, and to
refuse relocation to any place but Palestine; only for the
purpose of building their State.
The Zionist “statesmen” have incited and continue to incite
an embittered Jewish youth to futile wars against world powers
like England, and against masses of hundreds of millions of
Arabs.
AND THESE SAME ZIONIST “STATESMEN” HEEDLESSLY PUSH THE
WORLD TO THE BRINK OF ANOTHER TOTAL WAR - REVOLVING ENTIRELY
AROUND THE HOLY LAND.
What may befall the Jewish inhabitants of Palestine, of the
Arab crescent, Europe, or the USA; is of no concern to these
Zionist leaders. The rising anti-Semitism in the Western World
is the product of their “statesmanship” .
Under the guise of “love of Israel“, the Zionist
“statesmen” seduced many Jews to replace devotion to the Torah
and its Sages with devotion to the scoundrel who founded
Zionism. It is of no little significance that Herzl originally
sought conversion of the Jews as a solution to the problems of
the Diaspora. When he realized that this was not acceptable to
the Jewish masses, he contrived Zionism as a satisfactory
alternative!

THE UNHEEDED CRY
<http://www.jewsagai nstzionism. com/bookstore/ productDetails. cfm?M\
erchID=2>
The gripping story of Rabbi Weissmandl, valiant holocaust leader
who battled both Allied indifference and Nazi hatred.
Available in our Bookstore A look into history
reveals that this very same type of
“statesmen” opposed the call of Jeremiah the prophet to yield
to the minions of Nebuchadnezzar at the destruction of the
first Temple. Five centuries later, Rabbi Yochonon Ben Zakai
appealed to the people to surrender to Titus the Roman to
avoid bloodshed. The “statesmen” rejected this appeal, and the
second Temple was destroyed by the Romans. — And now for the
past fifty years, the Zionist “statesmen” rebuff the
leadership of our Sages; and continue in their policy of
fomenting anti-Semitism. When will they stop?? Must every Jew
in America also suffer?? - Even the Nazi monsters had more
sense, and gave up their war before all Germany was destroyed.
The Zionist “statesmen” ridicule the sacred oath which the
Creator placed upon the Jews in the Diaspora. Our Torah, in
Tractate Ksubos, folio 111, specifies that the Creator,
blessed be He, swore the Jews not to occupy the Holy Land by
force, even if it appears that they have the force to do so;
and not rebel against the Nations. And the Creator warned that
if His oath be desecrated, Jewish flesh would be “open
property”, like the animals in the forest!! These are words of
our Torah; and these concepts have been cited in Maimonides‘
“Igeres Teimon”, “Be’er HaGola”, “Ahavas
Yehonosson”, and in “Toras Moshe” of the
Chasam Sofer.
IT IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT ALL THE SAGES AND SAINTS IN
EUROPE AT THE TIME OF HITLER’S RISE DECLARED THAT HE WAS A
MESSENGER OF DIVINE WRATH, SENT TO CHASTEN THE JEWS BECAUSE OF
THE BITTER APOSTASY OF ZIONISM AGAINST THE BELIEF IN THE
EVENTUAL MESSIANIC REDEMPTION.
Yidden - merciful sons of merciful fathers - how much
longer must holy Jewish blood continue to be shed??
The only solution is:
The Jewish people must reject, outright, a “Jewish
State”.
The Jewish people should accept the US compromise.
We must depose the atheist-Zionist “statesmen” from their
role as Jewish leaders, and return to the faithful leadership
of our sages.
We beseech the Nations to open all doors to immigration -
not only the doors of Palestine.
Peaceful, non-Zionist religious personalities in Palestine,
(particularly from the native population) and their
counterparts in the Diaspora, should engage in responsible,
face-to face negotiations on behalf of the Jewish people, with
the British and the Arabs; with an aim of amicable settlement
of the Palestine issue.
Every Jew is obliged to pray to the Blessed creator, for in
Him lies all our strength. Let us bear in mind that our
prayers be forthright. One should not entreat the Creator to
provide a banquet on Yom Kippur, and one can not perform a
ritual ablution with a dead bug in his hand. Similarly, we
should avoid the untenable position of the robber who prays
for Divine help in carrying out his crime. We should pray that
Zionism and its fruits vanish from the Earth, and that we be
redeemed by the Messiah with dispatch.
A prisoner is released only when he has served his time, or
if he is pardoned by the President for good behavior. If he
attempts escape and is apprehended, his term is lengthened,
besides the beating he receives when he is caught.
Faithful Jews- for over three and one-half thousand years,
in all parts of the world, through all trials, our
grandfathers and grandmothers marched through seas of blood
and tears in order to keep the Faith of the Torah
unswervingly. If we have compassion for ourselves, for our
women and children, and for the Jewish people, we will
maintain our golden legacy today. We have been sentenced to
exile by the King of Kings because of our sins. The eternal
blessed be He, has decreed that we accept the exile with
humble gratitude until the time comes, or until we merit His
pardon through repentance if we seek to end the exile with
force, G-d will catch us, as our sages have forewarned, and
our sentence becomes longer and more difficult.
Many times in the past have segments of our people been
defrauded by false messiahs - but none of the false messiahs
has been as fallacious and delusory as the lie of Zionism.
With our historical experience as our guide, no retribution
has been or will be greater than the retribution for giving
credence to Zionism. If we wish our exile-sentence commuted,
we must appeal through repentance; and through total physical
and spiritual observance of the Sabbath, laws of family
purity, and study of Torah.
Let it be clearly understood that never in Jewish history
(even in the time of Jeroboam or Achav) have such hostile
atheists stood at the helm of the Jewish people as today.
How can we plead to the Almighty for mercy while we
tolerate these vile, “wicked” leaders as spokesmen! Beloved
brothers - let us cleanse our ranks and cleanse our midst; let
us entreat the Almighty through prayer, repentance, and
fulfillment of mitzvos that He alone redeem us, immediately.

I was taking the MTA train in ny. There was a girl sitting to my right. I looked at her and was thinking that she was pretty. Then I turned to my left, and this guy was looking at me the same way i was looking at her. He noticed and then turned away.

then i was thinking what if we were having the same thoughts at the same time? What if my thought was actually his thought, and it was just projected to me and i just assumed it was my own thought.

my last day in ny, i was with my friend chris. we were standing by a house. I looked down at his shoes. Then i was thinking, “your feet are small, what is your shoe size?” Then i looked up, I noticed he was looking at my shoes too. Then I was thinking, what if that was his thought, and he just was thinking it at the same time as I was thinking it?

Maybe all of our thoughts are not ours. Maybe the brain can do more than what we think.

I say that thoughts create energy. That’s why you can get good positive vibes around good people and feel negative energies around those that may think negative for the moment.

Before i would just try to avoid negative energies for my own health and well-being. However, if you can sense the thoughts of others and even clearly understand those thoughts and if those thoughts are negative, then you can change those thoughts.

If not all of our thoughts are ours, then no one can really tell if their thought is theirs (right now). We can use this information to counteract any negative thoughts.

If you sense someone hates you. You can start creating the thought I love you, repeatedly. Then you change the energy and even can change that person’s actions.

Maybe in the future as we develop we will communicate only with thoughts and energies. If you think about it, every idea and story just creates a certain thought —> certain energy —> certain actions.

Everything comes down to energy.

Video: Brain in real time - new technology to see how your thoughts affect brain. You can use this to control your thoughts and improve well-being.

This technology helps us visually see and understand how our thoughts and actions change our health.

Neuroscientist and inventor Christopher deCharms demos an amazing new way to use fMRI to show brain activity while it is happening — thoughts, emotions, pain. (In other words, you can literally see how you feel.)

ted.com

This week on TED.com, watch Joshua Klein’s demonstration of his “vending machine” for crows — a clever idea that points to a new relationship between humanity and this very smart bird. Alisa Miller, of Public Radio International, breaks down the reasons Americans know less than ever about the world. And from our partner conference EG (the Entertainment Gathering), Mark Bittman of the New York Times talks about the food we eat, in a fiery, funny talk that may cause you to re-examine your next meal.

Mark Bittman: What’s wrong with the food we eat
In this fiery and funny talk, New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman (”The Minimalist”) weighs in on what’s wrong with the way the developed world eats now (too much meat, too few plants; too much fast food, too little home cooking), and why it’s putting the entire planet at risk. From the 2007 EG conference. Watch this talk >>

Alisa Miller: Why Americans know less than ever about the world
At TED2008, Alisa Miller, head of Public Radio International, talks about why — though Americans want to know more about the world than ever now — the US media is actually showing less. Eye-opening stats and graphs. Watch this talk >>

Joshua Klein: The amazing intelligence of crows
Hacker and writer Joshua Klein is fascinated by crows. (Notice the gleam of intelligence in their little black eyes?) After a long amateur study of corvid behavior, he’s come up with an elegant machine that may form a new bond between animal and human. Watch this talk >>

Michael Moschen: Juggling rhythm and motion
Michael Moschen puts on a quietly mesmerizing show of juggling, combining dance, athleticism and a keen grasp of practical physics. Don’t think juggling is an art? You might just change your mind after watching Moschen in motion. Watch this talk >>

JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Become a free member of TED.com to join the discussion on our hundreds of Talks and Themes.

A neat idea from Edward Carter, re Christopher deCharms’ talk “Looking inside the brain in real time”:
… if they can map images of words from brain patterns, Steven [Hawking] won’t have to poke around with facial tics and eye movement to activate his word processor.

Adrian Tsang on Alisa Miller’s talk “Why we know less than ever about the world”:
I don’t suppose anyone can suggest some news outlets (web-based I hope) which have a more proportionate ratio of worldwide news?
Alisa Miller responds: I think public media can help, as well as hybrid models which we are exploring. Based on research, both PRI (through its program sites and .org) and NPR provide some diversity. Of course the BBC World Service is also great (full disclosure, we do distribute that in the USA). I think The Economist is also a great source, as is the NYT. The Wall Street Journal also provides quite a bit of global coverage, unless of course that changes under the new ownership. There are also interesting groups, like Global Voices, that provide first-hand accounts, also excellent.

Replay Pangea Day! Watch, discuss, act

People around the world were inspired by Pangea Day, last Saturday, May 10. If you missed it or want to replay the show for yourself or friends, you can watch the full program in 20-minute segments on PangeaDay.org. Or catch the one-hour highlights show. Or watch the individual films — including more great films not shown on the day — on PangeaDay.org. Or watch the films on OVI.com, MSN, Yahoo! Video … Then join the conversation about the day on the Pangea Day Blog.

http://peacebeliever.livejournal.com/6042.html

there is only 1 week left, you can vote for me daily at http://parisbff.com/people/createflow

i’m a supposed to put more videos up.