You may have seen them congregated in urban parks as a group or standing alone, moving in slow rhythmic patterns that appear very simple, and you may have wondered why they do it. Those who practice tai chi do it for the stress relief and healthful benefits of a daily routine, and these life-giving properties must be working because it’s been around since the 6th century.

A Shao-Lin monk named Bodihdharma is credited with developing six of the moves that are still practiced in modern tai chi. He noticed how poorly-conditioned his fellow monks were due to their sedentary meditative practices and introduced a form of exercise into their daily rituals. This practice was also incorporated into Kung-fu martial arts at the time; indeed “tai chi” is the shortened term for “tai chi chuan,” which means “supreme ultimate fist.”

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You may be asking yourself, “What is Pilates and why is everyone in the world but me doing it?” If you find yourself struggling to get yourself off a low-sitting couch or sitting up in bed in the morning is an effort, the question “What is Pilates” becomes even more important.

The Pilates Method was developed by Joseph Pilates, a German prisoner during World War I who used his training as a nurse to help bedridden English patients increase their range of movement in a confined space and ultimately get out of bed. In fact, the first reformer, a machine used in Pilates, was most likely a mechanically-cranked hospital bed. Pilates moved to the U.S. in 1926 where he established his first studio with his wife, Clara, in New York City. The couple began teaching students there how to develop their core muscles to better support the spine and improve their posture and overall health.

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Sometimes life presents opportunities that are just too good to pass up. Recently I was offered a chance to blog for my friends at the online store for Its Simply Zen www.ItsSimplyZen.com. I have used, and recommended their site because I love their quality product lines, discount prices and free shipping. It is extremely important to me, however, to give my blog readers more than an advertising pitch. I promise to stay true to my real self and share my thoughts, trials, inquisitiveness and knowledge. My hope is that, through your comments, I will gain insight into what my readers are thinking and what they would like to hear more about. We will discuss product reviews, types of yoga, meditation tips, retreat reviews among other things.

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I am a self-admitted, self-help and diet/nutrition book junkie. At times I am reading 2 or more books and the acquisition of my Kindle seems to have fueled my addiction.

For years I have thought this addiction was not such a bad thing…in the scheme of things…well it’s at best educational. This week, however, I have started to rethink this. I am reading two books on dieting that totally contradict each other and well it has almost made me want to give up on my educational habit and maybe just start reading Harlequin Romance novels… well maybe not…

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is a natural pain and stress management technique developed by Mikao Usui and based on the principles of Buddhism and Shintoism. Reiki, from the Japanese words “rei” (spirit) and “ki” (energy), accesses the universal life force through the practitioner, who channels healing energy through the patient by the laying on of hands. The Shinto religion believes that energy (kami) flows from both animate and inanimate objects while the Buddhist tenets that Usui followed involved chakras, or energy sites, in the body that can be activated by practice, just as in yoga.

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