Bikram – Fraud or Fanatic?

For the past two days, or make that 16 hours, I have attended two classes in the so-called “Bikram Torture chamber” of Bikram Yoga. This is yoga performed in a hot room. Why did I choose to do this  ?
Well I love a good sauna, and I like yoga…. perfect combination? Right? WRONG!

Classically trained on and off for the past 24 years in Iyengar yoga as a recreational pursuit for fun flexibility and fitness, I decided to give Bikram a go… Despite several warnings from my work colleagues about the challenging nature of the class. I was ready for that…

What I wasn’t ready for was the American style , six-pack- loaded teacher complete with” Madonna-style” mic on a pedestal in front of the class, barking orders at me and clicking her fingers like I was some kind of performing seal!  This,for me, contravenes all that is good and attractive about yoga. That is: relaxing, finding peace tranquility, at one with mind and body.

But strange as it seems, plenty of people like to be spoken to like some kind of circus animal, endure poses where the object, according to the instructor, is “pain” and sweaty bodies in a smelly room heated to 105 degrees celsius with restricted access to water.  There were at least 17 in the class I attended.

I guess the claims of losing weight, improved healing and endurance suck people in... in fact I put on weight!


If you are contemplating a Bikram class, for goodness sake, drink at least 3 litres of water beforehand and  do not drink your water during class, unless instructed to do so. Or else, you will be reprimanded mercilessly. Secondly, if you dare to do a variation of a pose, ( one that you have practised for 20 years the correct way) contrary to the Bikram technique, due to a muscle cramp, you can expect to be asked to leave the class, as I was……..

This is such an abomination of the concepts of Yoga I feel quite irritated that it even calls itself Yoga! So I began to research this style, and it seems that there are some suspicious issues that question the very integrity of Bikram, and these I discovered, even in a basic wiki search.

For example:
Wiki tells us:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikram_Yoga
Another controversial component of Bikram yoga pertains to the prevalence of Yoga Asana Championships, regionally and nationally. While practitioners of other forms of yoga maintain that competition contradicts the idea of peace and unity, Bikram contends, “Competition is the foundation for all democratic societies. For without ‘Competition’, there is no democracy.”^[12]

Legal issues

In the United States, {Bikram} Choudhury has claimed and been aggressive in enforcing broad copyrights in most aspects of the practice, teaching, and business of the system.^[3] While these claims are not definitively resolved (i.e., by any judicial ruling on the merits), Choudhury has extracted legal settlements from a number of yoga teachers and studios.^[3] However, in a recently issued, official statement, US Copyright Office concluded, that the copyright for Bikram’s sequence of 26 postures had been issued in error. Ed’s note: {These postures have been done for thousands of years and are not his to copyright}
In Bikram’s Beginning Yoga Class (First Edition), Choudhury claims he conducted “medical” studies at the Tokyo University Medical School validating the medical benefits of his 26 postures. During one of the lawsuits defendants demanded copies of the “medical” studies and Choudhury claimed he could not find them. In Bikram’s Beginning Yoga Class (Second Edition), Choudhury removed all references to “medical” studies.^[13]

Competition is necessary in democracy?  Copyright issues? Fraudulent scientific claims?
Highly suspicious!  Yet the teachers continue to expound how his techniques are “scientifically proven” and the class swallows every mouthful. I think after my second class, I suffered heat stroke, and only recovered 6 hours later. Fairly dangerous to drive a car after a class in this condition.
No wonder they ask you to sign a disclaimer that includes the phrase,” that you have in the last 6 months seen a medical practitioner that states that you are safe and fit to do Bikram Yoga and that you are aware …..that there may be….injury, even  paralysis and death (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) I deleted this condition before signing…
It could hav e been so good.....

Something to ponder about in my more relaxing methods of yoga….







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Quick crafts - MIni Notebook Covers

These wonderful ideas come from a talented and inspiring person, which you will find on wordpress at Pillows-a-la-mode,. These crafts that can be quickly achieved, are fun and can be used as activities with older children who are into crafts! Thanks, Pillows-a-la-mode   Here are my first few efforts, but upon obtaining further supplies, will post more photos. Love doing these simple but elegant and very relaxing crafts.   The therapeutic and relaxing nature of craft is something we should ponder about whilst stuck in traffic jams!  :-)

More photos to come....





 
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Recycling craft project for kids - Used mattress projector to New Dog Mat!

I am in a process of de-cluttering, it is gradual and it is slow, but it is happening!

I have had in the linen cupboard, a used mattress protector, one without elastic bands to hold it on. ( In its former life, it covered a waterbed bladder so the elastic bands were just extraneous). That aside, I wondered what I could do with it. Not really hygienic to donate it to the thrift shop is it? NO good to anyone without elastic bands, which I could re-attach, but is it worth the cost of elastic and the effort? I think not…

Then a brainwave hit me…. The dog would love it. Best check that first....

Dog mat Trials:

Step 1. Cut mattress protector in half lengthways. Fold each half, in half lengthwise again. You should have a piece around 1 metre by 1/2 metre or so, depending on whether you used a Queen or Double protector.
Step 2. Sew all around the permeter using zig zag or straight stitch. It is quite thick so you may need to use a different foot on your machine. Contrasting thread colour looks nice.

Cut mattress protector

Step 3 Test that dog will accept new mat ….call the dog and say “mat”

Claimed!

Step4.  Trial successful! Mat has been claimed and dog in situ.

Now it is time to enhance the bed with a few simple designs or if you are feeling particularly energetic, ( which I wasn’t today) a new cover made of fleece or used old flannelette sheet, or cotton towelling fabric. At least something that will be durable and withstand the washing machine claws!

Naive decoration of Dog Mat

Step 1. Remove dog from mat.
Step 2. Select a half drop or crazy random design and decorate to your heart’s content using fabric marker (permanent) In other words, give the markers to the kids and let their imagination take over.





You can even decorate the reverse side if you wish. Now you have a quick Sunday project, kept the kids and the dogs happy…. enjoy.

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BOOK REVIEW: Johan Theorin THE DARKEST ROOM

BOOK REVIEW: Johan Theorin  THE DARKEST ROOM

Imagine a bitterly cold Swedish winter, on the bleak treeless coastal island, in an old manor house built from the wood of a wrecked ship in which scores of sailors drowned, where one's only neighbours are 2 lighthouses, one of which no longer works and is haunted. Is there any better location for a thriller/murder mystery?

The novel is set on the very real Swedish island of Oland, in mythical locations. This is the world that Joakim Westin has recently moved to, with his family of wife and two small children. The grand plans to renovate and rejuvunate the manor house is destroyed when shortly after their move, one of the family drowns not far from the house.

Joakim struggles to come to terms with the death, while others on the island become immersed in a struggle of their own. One is a young female police officer finding her feet in a new beat, and another is a young man involved in petty crimes, who becomes haunted by his the results of his misdemeanors. As Christmas approaches, a sageful relative of the police officer tells of an old Swedish folk tale where the dead come back to visit the living on the darkest night of the year. What does this mean for Joakim, and his family, isolated in the manor house during one of the worst blizzard's of the decade?

Atmosphere by the bucketload, is what you get from Theorin's spine- tingling novel. Whilst it remains a murder mystery, those who like supernatural touches or ghostly happenings would get their kicks from the story. Theorin weaves a mystery into believable occurences, yet manages to get the reader to sympathise with the bereaved man and hungry for the next chapter.



 Theorin also gets into the head of the protaganist and takes the reader on a psychological journey of grief. Themes of retribution/karma also simmer under the surface when it becomes clear what happened to Ethel.

Despite a head splitting migraine, I was determined to finish the book, such was the effect this story had on me. Be warned....

The good: Dark windswept landscape experty described. You are there... in the blinding snow with the characters.
The bad:   Would a father leave his children alone?
The ugly:  Depiction of alcoholic art tarts.......
Rating out of 10: 9



























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I Am Eleven Documentary -

I Am Eleven Documentary -
A interesting look at the world through the eyes of eleven year olds... A perspective uncluttered, in the main by politics, or at least political correctness, hidden agendas and jealousies.
Touches on culture, and environmental factors influencing the children's lives. This is the world that we have made for them, and what they will inherit from us. A window into a world where one is neither a child, nor a teenager, in which these people briefly linger... absolutely fascinating.

Can't wait to see it...
http://iameleven.com/





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BOOK REVIEW : The Mind's Eye - by Håkan Nesser

"Van Veeteren was generally able to decide if he was looking the culprit in the eye in nineteen cases out of twenty, if not more.  No point in hiding his light under a bushel."

Such is the wry humour behind Håkan Nesser 1993 crime thriller novel's protaganist: Inspector Van Veeteran, which has been (ably translated from Swedish to English by Laurie Thompson, and published in 2008.

This novel is philosophical at times, due mainly to the alleged perpetrator, Janek Mitter's, a teacher of philosophy and history comments, which makes the reader ponder about the nature of life and death at several moments in the book, (something rarely found in crime fiction).

The story revolves around a disconnected innocent husband (isn't it always the husband? according to Harry Hole), who is held to trial for the murder of his wife. He claims he did not do it, and his only pathetic defence is that he has suffered a memory loss. He wakes up with a severe headache and an enormous hangover, and can't remember any events of the previous night to find his wife dead in the bath tub, (behind a locked bathroom door). Suspiciously, upon finding her, he cleans the flat and to add to his worsening prospects, he ridiculously claims in court, that he "will admit to everything if someone would give [him] a cigarette!"

Despite this, Van Veeteran has reservations that he is the real killer and this is confirmed when a month after Mitter's imprisonment in a psychiatric facility, he is murdered. The dead wife, a sex goddess type, with a dysfunctional family background is a real mystery, and the colleagues at the school where Mitter worked, seem unwilling to support him in any way.

"Eva Ringmar turned up in the fourteenth chapter of his life. Between pages 275 and 300, she played the role that overshadowed all others: the priestess of love, the goddess of passion, and then she went away, would probably continue for a while to live a sort of life between the lines, but soon she would be forgotten. It had all been so intense that it was preordained to come to an end. An episode to add to the plot? A sonnet? A will-o'-the-wisp? Finished. Dead, but not mourned. End of valediction. End of contradicton. No doubt this must be the state of shock that was driving his thoughts into such channels. That had crushed and demolished everything, made it impossible for him to grasp what had happened. To grasp what was happening to him....?"

Van Veeteran's investigation and tenacity comes from his belief in a "determinant" and this helps him solve this puzzling crime, even in the absence of leads.
An unusual story, predictable yet solvable, only in the dying pages of the book. The humour is apparent from page 1 and really sets Nesser's novel apart from other crime writers. One cannot get enough of them, and it comes highly recommended.
If you are hoping to read about the real Sweden in these pages, forget it, as the locations are as mythical as the stories! Still the Scandinavian genre of murder mysteries is evident in the winter, cold and rainy atmosphere!
I have ordered the two following sequels from Amazon already! Does that say something that I am pondering about?

The Good: Humour, in small to moderate doses that compliments the story and the philosophical touches
The Bad:  The frustration a reader feels when one's instinct tells one that the wrong person will be jailed. And the tragedy that leads to the murder and depressing nature of institutional life
The Ugly: The meaning of the title?

Rating: 9 out of 10

Here is a list of Nesser's Van Veeteran series that have been translated, thus far:
1993 The Mind's Eye translated 2008
1994 Borkmann's Point translated 2006
1995 The Return translated 2007
1996 Woman with Birthmark translated 2009
1997 The Inspector and Silence, translated 2010
1998 The Unlucky Lottery, translated 2011
1999 Hour of the Wolf, translation 2012
Three more in this series await translation.
Nesser is the winner of the Best Swedish Crime Novel Award three times over and a Glass Dagger Award in 2000 for another book in the Van Veeteren series.
Nesser has written another detective series, none of which have yet been translated into English.

White / Brown Rice: What is the Difference? Recipes

Rice - its nutrition and place as a staple is unquestionable. Whole civilisations exist on it, or variations of it - even today in our modern societies.
Dr Lam at  http://www.drlam.com/opinion/brown_rice_vs_white_rice.asp
tells us that white rice, is comprised of mostly carbohydrates, with the nutrients stripped off in the milling process, which removes the outer husk (where all the nutriets are contained) from the brown rice and thus is becomes "white" rice.
Carbohydrates are broken down into sugar inside the body. While carbohydrates are a good source of energy (yielding 4 calories per gram), excessive carbohydrate intake leads to sugar imbalance. Carbohydrates are also addictive, and lead to cravings. Thus brown rice is a way to break the addictive 'sugar' cycle.
Wiki also sheds some light on the difference telling us that whilst both types of rice have similar calories and carbohydrates, the main differences between the two forms  lie in processing and nutritional content.
When only the outermost layer of a grain of rice (the husk) is removed, brown rice is produced. To produce white rice, the next layers underneath the husk (the bran layer and the germ) are removed, leaving mostly the starchy endosperm. Several vitamins and dietary minerals are lost in this process. Fatty Acids, fibre, rice bran oil ( which can lower LDL cholesterol), are removed in the milling and Vitamin B₁, vitamin B₃, and iron are sometimes needed to be added back into the white rice making it "enriched".
One mineral not added back into white rice is magnesium; one cup (195 g) of cooked long grain brown rice contains 84 mg of magnesium while one cup of white rice contains 19 mg.
So, having established that Brown rice is better for us, can we make it a little better ? I have used this recipe on my family which has an intense dislike for brown rice, and so far I have three converts, well, 2 at least, one is sitting on the fence atm!!! So here is the recipes I use at home, which can be adapted or used as is, for a variety of dishes including Chinese fried rice, Rice Pilaf, vegetarian dishes and many more.

NUTTY BROWN RICE

2  tbspn olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
50 g ( 2 oz) pine nuts
1/4 cupsful of brown rice
1 1/2- 2 cups of vege or chicken stock or water ) boiling
1/2 tsp thyme
1-2 bay leaves
Method:
1. Heat oil in heavy saucepan and saute pine nuts for 1-2 minutes till golden brown
2. Saute onion till soft. ( celery could also be nice added in here for touch of greenery)
3. Add the rice, stirring well till all the grains are well coated with the oil.
4. Add the stock or water, and bring to the boil.
5. Add thyme and bayleaf and cover.
6. Cook 45- 50 minutes simmering on low - med heat till all liquid is absorbed. *
* I use 2 cups of liquid otherwise if left to simmer dry, it leaves a mess on the base of the saucepan, which required a good scrub to remove.
7. Season if desired - I usually don't as the nutty flavour and stock is enough to bring out the flavour.
Variations:
Add  1/4 tsp cumin towards the end of cooking and raisins/sultanas as desired.
Leftovers can be turned in to a warm/cold summer salad  by adding bean sprouts, celery and / or stir frying left over rice for 5 mins.
This Nutty brown rice is so yummy it will convert even the more drastic of white rice eaters amongst us!!

MICROWAVE QUICK WHITE RICE

For this you need: a microwave-proof bowl, or microwave-proof rice cooker.
1. First wash 1 and 1/2 cups white rice under running water till water is clear.
2. Place in microwave bowl or cooker with 2 cups of WARM water, placing paper towel underneath to absorb any overflow during the cooking process.
3. Cover with lid/plastic wrap
4. I program in the time but you can do it manually if you prefer:*
Microwave high power         - 3 minutes
Microwave medium power  - 7 minutes
Standing Timer / no power - 3 minutes
*Microwaves can vary in power, mine is 1200 watts, but I have successfully used this recipe in 800- 1000 watt microwave ovens too.
When done, fluff with a fork. That is it, enjoy.
This is a great way to prepare rice for Chinese fried rice, as you can easily make it the day before, allowing it to dry out in readiness for being stir-fried.

Which way will you prepare your next rice dish? And which rice will you use? Something rice eaters will more than likely ponder about.

Quick Beef Stroganoff - with Rice

A busy life with a family means hearty, nutritious meals that can be made in minutes. ( or half and hour: tops)  This is a variation of a Veal Goulash recipe I had that takes much longer to cook and uses stewing veal or beef as opposed to leaner, finer cuts.
Just why is something that I ponder about, but I do notice many young people are lacking this instinctive knack of creating a meal with whatever is in the fridge, so I have posted this recipe or "throw – together," as I prefer to think of it, for their benefit. Established cooks most likely will have this or a variation of this in their repertoire.

INGREDIENTS:
1 onion, 2 stalks celery, a quantity of beef /bbq beef/ beef schnitzel or similar cut, enough to feed the required amount of people, sour cream, tomato paste, handful- 1 cup of chopped mushrooms, 1 cup chicken or beef stock ( or 1 cup water and 1 chicken/beef stock cube)

Method:
1. Cut beef along the grain and cook on moderate to high heat, quickly, almost till done. Remove and keep warm.

2.  Saute some finely chopped onion and celery in a dash of olive oil till onion is transparent.
3. Add mushrooms,  and cook briefly, for several minutes.
4.  Add 3 tbspns of tomato paste ( or whatever quantity the sachet comes in) and 1 cup Chicken or beef stock and cook for about 5 minutes or till sauce has thickened.
5.  Return cooked beef to pan and stir through 1/2 cup sour cream. ( Substitutes for sour cream could be whipping/pouring cream, evaporated milk, full cream milk ( sauce may be more runny)
6. Serve with nutty /white rice ( see recipe on next post)
Recipes for preparing Brown and White rice: Just what is the difference?

This dish is also nice with crusty baguettes/ breads.

Enjoy!

Book Review - HORSE BOY - Rupert Isaacson

 Quite unusually, I have this week been reading a book that has no dead bodies contained within its pages. I do sometimes read biographies of interesting people, but this book was given to me by a work  colleague and its title certainly does not indicate the intensity of the true story within its pages.
 
Horse boy is the story of a family's journey to heal their severely autistic son. Conventional western therapies were yielding little progress and their son's tantrums and neurological trauma appeared to be increasing.  Spurred on by the accidental discovery that Rowan had a special gift with animals, in particular horses, the family embark on a monumental adventure that takes them to the outer regions of Mongolia. 

Rowan, and his parents are in search of a shaman to heal their son, who is nearly six, has few words, is not toilet trained, and their lives revolve around preventing the next mega tantrum. Yet he is at peach and happy and a glimpse into his world is possible when he and his Dad are riding the neighbours horse Betsy, for Rowan seems to be able to communicate with animals on a level that most humans can't.  Rupert meets some shaman bushmen healers from Africa and an idea begins to formulate in his head of combining a shamanistic healing for Rowan, along with horses, and the only place to offer this combination was Mongolia.

This book is both painful and joyous. It will make your heart break and also give you a feeling of being uplifted, of hope in the face of incredible odds. The first half of the book is riveting as the author, Rowan's dad, eloquently and succintly takes you through the process of diagnosis of Rowan's condition,  and the day to day lives adjusting to a child with extra special needs. Some vivid description of the Mongolian culture and landscape will also thrill those interested in travel writing. An interesting moment in the final pages of the book comes when a disgruntled tourist finds Rowans' behaviour annoying, and Rupert challenges his thinking in a way that has my endless admiration in terms of advocacy for disabled persons/persons with special needs.


Against all autistic odds could be a fitting alternate title. Just when everyone appears to finally give up, there is a shaft of light! But you will have to read it to find out if it works!! 


The camera crew accompanying the family on their Mongolian adventure have produced a movie and here is a link:
Horseboy movie


Real healing and progress for autism, a condition that is considered incurable - that is surely something parents would ponder about.


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Thinking back to the snow and colder climes

Today I had a lovely restful day, after the manic few weeks of the early June. It was just what I needed to rest my overstretched brain and body. Retail therapy just does not have the same effect as sitting at my desk, painting a naive bavarian swiss scene, drinking, eating and listening to radio danmark.

Yet as I sit here, I find myself thinking of the day I took the train from Brig up to  Zermatt in switzerland and remembering the best of travel times. Whilst my travel log is still a work in progress, the images in my head have not faded every though it is now incredibly, almost seven months since I was there.

A brisk morning in my sub tropical part of the world can be much more brutal that below freezing or freezing temperatures in a colder climate. Why is that? Is there a mental factor in enduring colder temperatures? Can the complete lack of insulation in the houses here, take the total blame? Is there a dew point/ humidity level that interferes with how we perceive the cold? I would like to know why 8 degrees here feel so much much more cold than 8 degrees in Germany or Sweden? I would be wearing a t-shirt in Europe in 8 degrees, but here I have a thermal shirt and cardi on.....

So I guess it is easy to guess where I would rather be......something for people who don't know me, to ponder about....




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