Rami's Blog

Like the Yin-Yang, Eastern Martial Arts and Western medicine are two halves of a whole. My mission is to preserve the ancient mind-body tools and pass them on to you.

 

Mind-over-Matter: Connecting the Three Forces

When trying to lose weight, a routine is very, very important. If you aren't keeping close to your dietary and exercise goals, then you won't see much change in your health. It requires dedication and discipline.

Some people help this process along with "cheat days," where they are allowed to eat whatever they want, or skip their exercises for the day, just so their mind can relax and they can enjoy some of life's luxuries once in a while.

This is okay, but there is an even better way of renewing yourself and giving your mind a rest. When I teach my students about Tai Chi and Qi Gong, I inevitably teach them about the three forces: heaven, human, and earth. One of the highest goals of mind-body practice is to connect these three forces, the yin of the earth, the yang of heaven, and the yin-yang mix of the human force. This can be achieved through a commitment to meditation, but it can also be done in little ways by simply going out and enjoying nature.

Take a walk in the woods. Watch the clouds go by. Look up at the stars on a clear night. Reconnect with friends. Do these things so that you can be re-energized by the forces around you. When we are in a routine, or a busy job, or a new lifestyle, we often get swept up by the focus that is required, and we lose our feeling of connectedness.

But that feeling of connection, to the earth, to the heavens, and to other people, is what keeps us feeling excited and alive. So the next time you are feeling exhausted, or you are saying to yourself, what's the point? Why not reconnect with your surroundings?

Happy Stretching!

Mind-over-Matter: Iron on the Wall & Fire Breath

Last time we showed you how to do a meditation with the technique Fire Breath. Today, we are incorporating that breathing technique into a classic exercise of mine: Iron on the Wall. I'll show you the stretching posture from a couple different angles, and you'll be able to see my back and shoulders rise and relax as I breath in and out loudly. Happy stretching!

Mind-over-Matter: How Mindfulness and Calories Interact

When you are hungry, and you see a cheeseburger, what goes through you mind?

"Yum." "I can't wait to eat." "I'm starving!"

But do you ever think about how many grams of carbs and fat, or how many calories, are in that burger? Do you ever slow down and consider what would be best for your health in that moment, or are you stuck on autopilot?

For most Americans, in fact for most people all over the world, eating is not an exercise in mindfulness, it is a habit. We practically do it unconsciously. In the same way that many people have to deal with anxious thoughts, or depressed feelings, even though they don't try to bring them up, we are also in danger of putting food into our body that isn't good for us, even though, deep down, we know better.

But in order to bring that better half of us to the surface when we are tempted by the likes of a burger, we have to practice being mindful by meditating. If you can sit down for a few minutes and practice letting go of those negative and automatic thoughts, you will see a difference in how you handle situations like food. There will be a little space that opens up, and in that space you'll have the chance to ask yourself, "Should I really be eating this?"

From that moment, you have the chance to change your mind. And when you begin changing your mind, you have the chance to change your body as well.

But to make sure you know whether the answer is "yes" or "no" when you are faced with a food choice, you need to do a little research. Use some online food calorie calculators and references so that you can tell whether a food or meal is within your calorie, fat, and carb limits for the day. You'd be surprised what "healthy" choices aren't all that healthy.

Choosing the caesar salad might sound like a healthy choice, and compared to a cheeseburger, it probably is. But with a few searches and calculations, we find that your standard caesar salad has about 160 calories and 10 grams of fat. Not too bad, but stop and think. Could we do better?

How about an Israeli salad (one of my personal favorites). Finely chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, bell peppers, and garlic. Add some mint and olive oil, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. That comes to roughly 138 calories, and 4 grams of fat. When you consider all the vitamins and antioxidants you're getting as well, it's pretty clear which one is the healthier choice. Personally, I think it tastes better too!

A little knowledge of what you eat goes a long way. Be mindful!

Speaking of food. If you haven't already, please check out the new website that Jeff Sirlin and I have launched called Cancer Wellness TV (www.cwellness.com). It has tons of free, research-driven information about nutrition, recipes, cancer-fighting foods, as well as mind-body and support therapies for fighting cancer and living after cancer. It's all free, and we want as many people as possible to be involved. Tell everyone you know, and Happy Stretching!

Meditation as a Weight Loss Strategy

You may be wondering how exactly this Yin half of my weight loss system is really going to help you achieve your weight goals. Sure, the Yang half, with its push-ups and sit-ups and such, makes sense, but if all you do is sit and move gently for the Yin half, how will that help you reach a healthy weight?

The answer is this: meditation is brain exercise. Many aspects of your mind, such as self-control and healthy thought patterns, become stronger the more you practice them. They are just like muscles, and if you don't give them a workout often, they may fail you when you really need them.

When there is junk food around the house, not having the self control to stop snacking makes your weight problem worse. When you are at a party with lots of treats and desserts, and you keep going back to the food area for "one more cookie," that's your mindfulness muscle already failing you. Those moments matter when it comes to our weight and our health.

A meditation routine can be a huge help when you are faced with moments like that. Meditation is often VERY difficult for people at first. It isn't painful, or dangerous. It's just frustrating. Sitting in place for five minutes without making a sound is an exercise is discipline. Your mind constantly bombards you with thoughts of everything and anything, and meditation's goal is to help you quiet that crazy "monkey mind," as it's called in Eastern philosophies, so that you can feel more emotionally balanced and in control.

When you can sit down quietly for five minutes without needing to check your phone, you'll find that you can also say "no thank you," the next time that dessert tray comes around. It's all willpower and self-control. 

Remember: discipline is a practice, not a place. This isn't foolproof. Everyone has moments of weakness (especially when those moments involve chocolate). But this Yin routine is meant to put you on a path toward more healthy eating, and less unhealthy eating.

Good luck!