This is a guest post written by Nathalie Lussier from Billionaire Woman.
I am currently traveling throughout China, and I decided that I would take a closer look at Chinese medicine. While in Beijing, I had my pulse checked by a traditional Chinese doctor.
What the doctor told me after 30 seconds of feeling my pulse was a revelation!
She could tell from the beating of my heart, whether I was healthy or not. However, she never told me that I needed to undergo more tests, because all she needed to know was whether my body was in balance or out of balance.
Balance
In traditional Chinese medicine, balance is the key to perfect health. Rather than a cold being caused by a virus, as in western thinking, a cold is caused by an imbalance in your body. For instance, you may have slept too little, or eaten too much unhealthy food. All of these things can be solved through the application of different herbs, and every plant has either a yin quality or a yang quality.
Hot and Cold
In traditional Chinese medicine, every food has a temperature: hot or cold. When I first went to visit a Chinese doctor, I was told that my body was too cold and that I should eat only hot things.
Food that is hot includes: meet, nuts, seeds, durian, bananas, garlic, ginger, onions, and other spices.
Cold foods include cucumbers, oranges, watermelon, lettuce, and other fruits and vegetables that are high in water content.
What you eat impacts your balance, such that medicine and food are one and the same. Different people need different amounts of each type of food group in order to keep their own balance in check.
Men and Women
Using the Yin and Yang concept, men are hot and women are cold. This may or may not stem from the fact that men tend to eat more hot things such as meat, and women historically eat more fruits and vegetables. Whatever the case may be, the way that women act and then act also reflects this hot and cold reality. Men tend to be fiery, aggressive, and on the ball. Whereas women tend to be like the waves of the ocean, cold, cyclic, and more emotional.
Neither of these is wrong, or better than the other, we just happen to need a bit of each to make the world work. It’s another piece of the balance puzzle.
Yin and Yang Working Together
Although we have yet to achieve balance on a world scale, I believe that true balance begins within. Once you start eating a more balanced diet in terms of hot and cold foods, your body will return to its optimum state. Once you are a healthy individual, you will begin to look towards the outside and try to balance this reality. Once we have more balanced individuals vying for global balance between men and women, humans and animals, nature and humanity, we will make great strides.
I challenge you to learn more about traditional Chinese medicine, or at least try to balance your intake of cold vegetables with hot foods.
This is a guest post written by Nathalie Lussier from Billionaire Woman.
If you are not a fan of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), or the UFC, then you probably have never heard of Lyoto ‘the Dragon’ Machida. However, you do not have to be a fan to appreciate his story. He is a wonderful example of the unlimited power of the mind, and I learned a lot about the human spirit from the story of his life. Here is a brief synopsis of his background from Wikipedia…
Lyoto Carvalho Machida (born May 30, 1978) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial arts fighter. Son of a Japanese-Brazilian Shotokan Karate master Yoshizo Machida, Lyoto is a rising star in MMA. He is currently ranked as the #3 light heavyweight fighter in the world by Sherdog.
Machida began training in karate at the age of four, earning his black-belt at the age of 13. He began training in Sumo at 12 and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at 15. He won a number of amateur karate tournaments, including 2001 Pan American Karate tournament. He was also runner up in the 2000 Brazilian Sumo Championships in the 115-kg division.
In addition to his Sumo and Karate achievements, he has a college degree in Physical Education. Lyoto’s brother, Chinzo, is a Shotokan vice-champion (Australia 2006), losing only to #1 ranked Shotokan master Koji Ogata. Lyoto and Chinzo fought in a Karate Final 10 years ago in which Lyoto gave Chinzo a cheek scar that still exists today. His other brother, Kenzo Machida, is a TV journalist for one of Brazil’s biggest TV stations.
What I found most interesting about the life of Lyoto Machida is the role his father played in his development. When Lyoto was a young, young boy, his Father noticed his signature toughness and told him he had the spirit of a Samurai within him. This would effect the outcome of his entire life. For the rest of his days, the one thing Lyoto’s Father always made clear, was that Lyoto had a Samurai Spirit.
“I can understand the real thinking of the samurai because the martial arts came from Japan,” he reflected. “The samurai thinks as much as he fights in the martial arts. Then my father always teached me (sic) about everything—about technique, but about out of the ring.” –Lyoto Machida from here.
Flash forward to present day.
Lyoto is currently fighting in the 205 lb Light Heavyweight division. If you do not watch MMA, then I will give you a little insight into the weight classes. Most fighters, in order to get an edge, cut weight before the weigh ins. This means a man who normally weighs 225 lbs can cut down to 205 lbs the day before his fight.
After the weigh ins, the fighters are free to re-hydrate themselves, and eat up. By the time they walk into the ring, they can weigh nearly 215-220 lbs again. Lyoto is not one of these fighters. He walks around at about the weight he fights at. In fact, he usually weighs a few pounds less than the required weight, so he is not the biggest, baddest fighter by far. He is more of a technician, and a good one at that. He mixes many different fighting styles into a blend he can call his own, to defeat larger, more powerful opponents.
In the UFC, where the elite of MMA are, being a technician is not enough. You need to be tougher than you can ever imagine. This is because, the real fight in MMA is against yourself. MMA is a war of attrition. Sure, you have to be a good fighter, but anything, and I mean anything, can happen in a fight. A slip here, a distraction there, or a bad call by the ref, can alter the entire make-up of a fight. It is during these moments a fighter finds out who they are.
“Many men feel that they should act according to the time or the moment they are facing, and thus are in confusion when something goes beyond this and some difficulty arises. The man whose profession is arms should calm his mind and look into the depths of others. Doing so is likely the best of the martial arts.“ –Shiba Yoshimasa (1350-1410)
When Lyoto Machida gets into rough spots like this, you can see the spirit light up his face. It seems, as the situation gets more dire, Lyoto actually gets stronger. His eyes light up, his focus unites, and the spirit of the Samurai lifts him out of trouble. It is amazing to watch as this unassuming man turns into a warrior at the first sign of trouble.
I believe this is directly due to his father. His father, a Karate master himself, obviously knew about the power of the warrior spirit. By constantly reinforcing his son’s belief in his own spirit’s power, Lyoto grew to have a spirit stronger than any of his challengers. He full well believes, with every ounce of his being, that he has a Samurai spirit living within him. This singular belief, that he has had since he was a small child, has carried him to victory in countless areas of life.
You don’t have to fight in a cage to benefit from the Samurai spirit.
Any challenge you face in life is a test of your spirit. Humans are remarkable beings that have consistently overcome insurmountable odds to achieve what was once thought impossible. The reason is solely due to their belief in themselves. For example, no one ever ran a 4 minute mile before it was broken in the early 1950s. Within two years, eight other people broke the record. Coincidence? Or do you think that these other people finally believed it was possible once they heard someone else did it?
Anything is possible. Humans have always dreamed of being able to fly. Well now we have helicopters, jets, planes, and space shuttles. Humans have always dreamed of a time machine. Now we have television, dvds, movie theaters, and documentaries which can re-create what past times may have been like. The point is, whatever your dream may be, no matter how far-fetched it may seem, it is definitely possible in some way or another.
All you have to do is believe in yourself.
Remember about the Samurai spirit the next time you are ready to give up. Remember how it has carried Lyoto through his most pressing times. I always say MMA reflects the challenges we face in life. Try to use the same tools these fighters do. Believe in your preparation, in your own ability, and great things will be sure to come.
Such is the way of the Samurai….
“Life is like unto a long journey with a heavy burden. Let thy step be slow and steady, that thou stumble not. Persuade thyself that imperfection and inconvenience are the natural lot of mortals, and there will be no room for discontent, neither for despair. When ambitious desires arise in thy heart, recall the days of extremity thou has passed through. Forbearance is the root of quietness and assurance forever. Look upon the wrath of the enemy. If thou knowest only whatit is to conquer, and knowest not what it is to be defeated, woe unto thee; it will fare ill with thee. Find fault with thyself rather than with others.” –Ieyasu Tokugawa (1543-1616)
Have you ever thought so much about life after death that you got to the point of internally debating whether or not to kill an annoying insect? I mean, really thought about if it is wrong, or whether Karma, or God, or whatever will haunt you because of this action? You want to do it, but you feel guilty.
Well, right in my garage, I have a fly that is annoying the hell out of me as I write. I desperately want to smash it against the wall, but I just feel like taking any life is not right. I mean it is only an insect. It does not know any better. Why should I be the judge of whether it lives or dies?
Just as I am contemplating whether or not I am a better person for this, my cat pounces out of mid air right on the fly and eats it. The look on his face is definitely not about whether it was right or wrong. He just followed his instincts and now that it is over with, he is ready to move on.
At least I will have good company in Hell, I thought.
Growing up in a Roman Catholic household, I was well versed in the concept of life after death. When I was little, I was taught my actions in life would determine if Heaven or Hell would be my final destination. I was preached all of this in Catholic school as if it was coming straight from the Creator himself. It was a rather simple concept: Live a good life and you are in, live a bad life and you burn.
As I got older, my thirst for knowledge grew. I had a voracious appetite for movies from all over the world. These films allowed me to digest unique perspectives from foreign places with very different viewpoints than typical Hollywood movies. I was introduced to many, many different ways of thinking and it really peeked my curiosity. I began to surf the web as the internet popped up and read all sorts of history books & classic Renaissance novels in search of truth.
The more I learned, the more I strayed from the fear based teachings I absorbed as a youth. I realized the entire world has various views on life after death, and proving any of them wrong or right is impossible. There is not one accepted concept because no one really knows anything for sure. It is simply all about what you believe.
I find it remarkable how some people live their life solely for this belief, and how some people could care less one way or the other. This simple difference in thinking has been the cause of countless deaths and atrocities. I wonder, is either way necessarily a better way to live than the alternative? Is it important to worry about what happens when you die?
I believe, just like me, society has begun to reject fear based concepts as our collective intelligence has grown through increased communication. It’s funny, because after a long journey, I have come almost full circle. I believe all of the ideals I was taught in my upbringing are vital to living a good life NOW, not after I die. I also am amazed as I look back, just how much of my life has been spent preparing for death. It is quite remarkable when you think about it.
The great thing about the internet is it allows us to hear a myriad of wonderfully diverse views from around the world. I believe there are positive aspects in all of our beliefs. I am dying (no pun intended) to hear what you think. What are your thoughts?
Does your belief (or not) in the afterlife affect your day to day life?
Stumble It!
