Yield Theory: Proflect to Flow

The Obstacle is The Path - Zen Proverb

As humans, we often look for that which is easy and, consequently, not challenging. We create life hacks, take short cuts, and shorten things that need to be left alone. This is what distinguishes a martial artist from a non-practitioner of the arts and a success story from a beaten down soldier. If you set out to only accomplish things without putting in the work, you'll never get to the accomplishment and more importantly, you won't experience it on the way. You won't even know why you may want to accomplish the things you set out to do.

Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan karate, emphasized that every practitioner must seek perfection of character. In order to accomplish this, it is essential to obtain a clear focused mind in pursuit of a mental and physical state harnessed for perfection. When learning and practicing karate, particularly as it involves both physical and mental tasks, one must first start with the mindset of discipline. In karate, attending to the work of the mind is a discipline that can be practiced both in and out of the dojo.

Some simple exercises to get the ultimate six-pack!

Rodney Yee

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) are essential amino acids (specifically, valine, leucine and isoleucine). They are essential, meaning we must get them in our diet because our bodies do not produce them. Branched chain amino acids have various functions related to energy production during and after exercise so they are needed in adequate amounts, but not excessive.

BCAA are often used to prevent fatigue and improve concentration. But the most relevant to you, perhaps, is the common practice of taking BCAAs to improve exercise performance and reduce muscle breakdown. While the first use has a fair amount of sceptics, the second is widely accepted in the medical world.

Coffee lovers everywhere are rejoicing in new research which suggests the health benefits of our morning brew are more significant than previously thought - let's face it these days we are more used to being told the things we love are bad for us – however that does not mean we can drown ourselves in the stuff, over-indulgence is still a no-no.

For years we've been told that coffee will raise blood pressure, could lead to heart disease, ulcers and diabetes and some of this may be true. It will certainly raise your blood pressure so if yours is high coffee may be best avoided, however, when it comes to heart disease and diabetes the risk factors may not involve coffee after all. See this quote in a recent article published on Dr Mercola's website.

Part 1

By Richard M. Mooney

I have been studying Asian martial arts disciplines since 1970, and meditative disciplines since 1987. In the past twelve years of cultivating qi (internal energy, also often spelt as chi in Chinese, or ki in Japanese) I have been able to realize a certain amount of success and have made public my results. I have been greeted with scepticism by a great many people, and have since shown that my abilities are valid in the realms of healing and martial use of qi derived from the practice of qigong (the Chinese art of energy cultivation and utilization).

According to research from the University of Bern presented at the 2009 European Congress of Radiology, athletes participating in intense sports possess a higher rate of hip osteoarthritis and an earlier onset of this disease compared to the general population. It has also been found that a correlation exists between the early onset of osteoarthritis and femoroacetabular impingement, an excess of friction in the hip joint.

By Jennifer Hobbs

Honey, super sweet, unctuous and delicious, a symbol of luxury and riches for millennia. “The land of milk and honey” refers to a place where riches abound. From Biblical times, "milk and honey" have been said to denote fertility and the phrase itself was used in the bible referring to what is now known as Israel. Honey figures large in contemporary language too.“You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar” which means a sweet-temper will get you what you want faster than an ill-temper and surely terms of endearment like 'honey' and 'sweet-heart' refer to exactly this idea.

Honey has been used for millennia in both medicinal and domestic contexts with the earliest recorded uses of honey as a medicine dating as far back as 700BC. The ancient Egyptians used it in beauty products and honey found in the tomb of King Tut was apparently found to be edible despite being around 2000 years old. Before the discovery of beer, Mead was an alcoholic drink made from honey and was enjoyed by early Romans, and Saxons.

In more recent times scientists have been working to unlock the secrets of honey and determine if the mythical health giving properties of honey are based on fact or just superstition.

All honey consists of about 80% sugars, 17% water, and around 3 % minor nutritive and non-nutritive compounds, however, there is enormous variation in different types of honey depending on where the bees that made it foraged, so not all honeys have the same qualities. Generally speaking the darker the honey the stronger it is and better quality.