A nice day

Well, this was a nice day, full of events

Thai travel diary 19

it’s been a while since the last diary episode, may I have your forgiveness, please? here the month of rain was declared, they open the tap every day and the water runs …;

otherwise, everything is fine, my trainings with Mr. Poo is going well and my understanding of this art is deeper

last time I mentioned the pain; it is present, unfortunately, everywhere in the body, as a sign of the accumulation of tensions, in time; in the teen-age, the energetic channels begin, little by little, to obstruct and to function at law capacity; obviously, a normal person, relatively healthy, can leave without any problems with this kind of obstructions; the body has an unbelievable capacity of adaptation and survival, so …; after about 50 years, the health problems become visible for almost all of us; it’s the moment when the channels are blocked and the body has difficulties in transporting the energy, there is no other alternative

as long as the body has its own resources, the pains are absorbed at a very deep level and it’s hard to be detected, so you have to “dig” a little bit more to find them; but this is also a good moment for the pains to be “helped” to disappear from the body and to free the blocked lines

I won’t go in further details now, I’ll come back with a special chapter for this – energetic lines, blockings, signs, etc

the point is that an art like Nuad ensures deep and long-term unblockings; the well executed technique can eliminate almost completely these obstructions, and, in the case of a person who knows how to take care of its own body, it can guarantee that they won’t appear again; of course, there are alternatives for curing this, but the effects are local (usually) ; Nuad ensures the effects at the level of the whole ecosystem of the human being

and, on another hand, I started to get used to the Japanese food; the people here are very fond of it; not my case, I’m not a fan, but it is good and if you find a good restaurant, it’s worth trying

and, to boast a little, now I can handle the sticks and eat the rice with them; sometimes it falls through the sticks, but it’s not bad, isn’t it?

ok, see you soon …

Technorati Tags: thailand,thai massage

Thai travel diary 19

at first sight, I could complain I have quite a monotonous schedule – trainings and trainings and nothing else more …

I saw on my computer a movie made by a Romanian director, but with Russian actors, and also French, I think, “The Concert”, nice one; it was on our cinemas as well but I didn’t have time to go; at least it has an optimistic ending and it doesn’t rise impossible to solve philosophical problems to the spectator; all in all, no matter how things seem to go on, all ends well, doesn’t it?

some days ago I went to a kind of fair of clothes, food products …, naturally manufactured, and some of them organic; the people from here definitely have a gene that makes them sensitive to beauty; I noticed in the past years how skilful they are about flower arranging or decorative art etc; at this fair I had the chance to see the equivalent of how our traditional peasants were in the past, common people who did their things manually, and with passion; they merely liked what they were doing and the results were accordingly.

now going back to my basic job, “testing the human body for pain” through massage techniques, I’m sure that many of you wonder whether I’m a button short that I keep on “mutilating myself” when I could take care of me and my things and do something else; it’s true nobody forced me to do this

what’s the reason why then? a few years ago, I discovered I had quite an exhausted body, with enough interrupted energetic connections and organs that were not functioning properly; definitely refusing to be treated by the doctors in white coats, I started searching and trying different techniques from the alternative medicine – plants from our traditional medicine, sound therapy, chromotherapy, magnetotherapy, diets, crystals, different devices, water, pyramids, etc; by the time, I could see the results and I was happy to feel on my own skin that the respective therapies are very fruitful

step by step, I started to correlate effects and reactions after treatments, in order to see connections and complementarities; on the other hand there was an element I couldn’t fully understand – pain; while palpating or pressing, even slightly, the pains suddenly appeared in different parts of the bodies

so I passed to studying a technique that was to be quite an enemy for the pain – the massage; of course, the first step was the Swedish massage, pretty nice, but the effects were quite limited and short in terms of duration, and then I got to the main subject – Nuad, the Thai massage; and from there on, many things happened ….

Technorati Tags: thailand,thai massage

Thai travel diary

otherwise, today I can say I’m better after I was hit by a strong cold for about four days, that fascinating cold on a hot weather – there were about 40 degrees when I caught it; that’s it, it was also a kind of purification following the lecture, or who knows what else it could have been ….

yes, I was mentioning about the Chinese needles; I said a couple of weeks ago that it would be interesting to try some traditional Chinese therapy, to see how it works; I went to a sort of mini clinic and I was seen by a nice doctor who listened to my heart beats from the hand; I watched him, it seemed simple, but there is a whole science to be able to identify them correctly; that was not big deal and he recommended some herbs; but, as I am kind of curious person, I asked him a few things and we set to have a few meetings for acupuncture.

I was not completely acknowledged about acupuncture, but there was no time for that; at least I have a clearer idea about it; first of all, yes, it is efficient, you can feel how quick it acts at the level of the energy blockings and how it opens the channels in the body; the needles used by the doctor were semi-elastic and in a kind of small tube – only the end to be introduced in the body was left out; at the other end, there was a little sphere that the doctor filliped, and the needle penetrates the skin a few millimetres with a slight discomfort (in the happy cases) or little/great pain (in the cases of high blockings); normally I had to stay like this for about 20-30 minutes; that doctor also used modern tricks like electrodes he put on the needles and a device to send low current impulses in the respective points; he added that, normally, the recommended number of meetings is 10, but of course this can vary.

as for my adventure with Mr. Poo, maybe you remember my “delightful” exclamations in the classes I attended last year – the toughest style I experienced until then; well, things can change, in a good way; I still think it is the “deepest” style I have learnt by far, but as far as pain is concerned, this is proportional with the problems gathered in the body and left there to grow up, without trying to solve them

so, the point is: by the time, the body accumulates lots of tensions and blockings; first they “gather” in the deepest layers, and that’s why they can pass unnoticed; as time goes by, if there’s anything done to take them away, they keep on growing to the superficial layers; as a rule, for a very healthy body (which is quite rare these days!!), the visible pains appear after 40 years, randomly and after 50 years, persistently …

ooohh, pooor me!!! (pixdaus)

Thai travel diary 16

as I was saying, this is a new series …

so I’m here again, in the warm country (not to say hot) for a couple of weeks and I deal, as you can imagine, with the same things as in the past – I study the secrets of the Thai massage. I started getting used to the local area; it’s such a pity the city is very polluted and when you are taking the “tuk-tuk” thing in the street you can, sometimes, hardly breathe; the funny thing is that the mountains are at the outskirts but the city is somehow in a valley …

I don’t know what’s going on with young men here, but it seems they all want to be women; I was telling you in a previous part of the diary about the “lady-boy” phenomenon, very frequent in the Thai society. You can see them everywhere, even at the dentistry clinic I met one; what can I say, I’m not entitled to comment on this, there might be something that attracts them in the direction of the femininity; what is interesting is that they are (or want to be) more feminine even than women – manners, make-up, clothes, etc.

the social climate is very quiet; the echoes of the events in the capital, with the “red shirts” were hardly heard in this area; maybe in the underground there are still tensions, but at the surface everything looks fine.

so, I attended some classes at a small and nice school, LoiKroh. Their style is quite a well done mixture of styles from other schools. It was a good training, with a huge advantage, the teaching process is 1-to-1, instructor-student; so it is easy to assimilate, you have a lot of time for practicing with the instructor; I repeated the movements, I remembered other styles from last year, and obviously I learnt some new tricks

well I’ll be back with some more news …

Preview of the next part: Chinese needles in my head, Mr. Poo is back…; do not miss these, watch the blog (smile!!!)

Technorati Tags: thailand,thai massage

Gums massage

Yes, this technique sounds interesting. No, it’s not my invention, it traces back to the ancient Chinese.

Things are, as usual, very simple. We just massage the gums with the tips of the fingers, the forefinger being the most comfortable to use. The massage is done with slow, circular movements along the gums, both on the exterior and interior sides. Be careful, the straight movements are not very efficient, so the circular ones should be done.

In the posterior part of the mouth, after the wisdom teeth, there are some parts on which you should insist more – muscles and small tendons whose role is to move the jawbones.

You might be surprised (as I was) to feel that there are unexpected painful points.

This type of massage is preferred to be done at least 2-3 times a week, for 5-10 minutes every time.

What are the effects? They complete those from the technique with cold-pressed oil – especially the visible firming and regeneration of the gums.

So who started massaging the gums?...

Technorati Tags: gum massage

Living foods 2

The most important components of the system are germinated seeds and young plants. Different seeds are used: radish, chickpea, lentil, lucerne, clover, sesame, etc. Wash them and let them soften and germinate in clean water for several hours (between 8 and 15 hours). Afterwards, rinse them and put them in a glass jar with sieve, upside down, so that the water would leak. Leave them in this position to germinate for a few days. Once or twice a day wash them with water. After approximately 2 - 3 days, the sprouts appear. They are good to eat when the twig is approximately 1-2 cm. They can be used as such or in salads, soups, etc.

As for gardening young plants, almost always use sunflower, buckwheat and wheat. The first two can be consumed as such. After staying in water, put them in trays with soil and cover them a few days, in order to germinate and burgeon. Afterwards, water them regularly, like the flowers from your balcony. When the twigs are approximately 5-6 cm high, they can be harvested and used in salads.

The wheat cannot be consumed as such, it is too difficult to chew. You can use its juice by chopping it in a special device, or, in lack of one, in the usual chopper. The quantity of juice for a tray is not very big, but the juice is extremely concentrated, enriched with various good elements which are very quickly assimilated by the body. As far as advantages are concerned, it goes without saying that consuming this kind of products is very beneficial: vitamins, minerals, and other elements, in fresh state, without industrial procession, without chemical supplements…

The list of recipes is extremely diverse. Elaine used to make all kind of dishes: soups, second dish, salads, juice, dessert, bread. It is quite difficult to keep a diet only with this type of food. I remember the week I spent with her when I ate only uncooked food and the reactions of my organism were, as expected, quite strong. It is about the usual detoxification that, on the third day, only allowed me to go to school and nothing more but languishing as much as I could. Therefore, maybe a diet of a few days, once every few months, would be more indicated for a citizen of our days. The key word is, as in many other cases, moderation.

Living Foods

as we are talking about food, recently I managed, after a couple of months of laziness, to prepare a cold soup, vegetables and water, smashed with a strong blender which makes them a cream soup.

thus, going back in time, I remembered the naturist cooking classes I attended in UK about three years ago with Elaine Bruce.

Elaine Bruce holds cooking classes where you can learn to cook without the use of fire, boiling, etc.; the majority of the products are used in their natural state, blended fresh or dehydrated for a later consumption.

She follows the line established at the beginning of the 20th century by Ann Wigmore, a Lithuanian woman emigrated in the USA around 1920. At home, due to the precarious life conditions, she frequently ate “verdure” gathered from the fields and also used it for treating different diseases.

Once arrived in the USA, Ann discovered candies, ice-cream and other capitalist “advantages” and forgot about the herbs. Later on, facing serious health issues, up to the recommendation of legs amputation due to a gangrene, she had to take major decisions. She remembered her home habits and decided to refuse any medical intervention and returned to her plants.

After several attempts, she succeeded to obtain small crops of eatable plants.

During winter, she had the ingenious idea to make the same in the limited space of her own apartment. Little soil, plastic trays, quality seeds, water and lots of patience - these were the secret ingredients to assure her success.

Like in a beautiful fairy tale (but 100% true), the doctors were stunned when Ann showed up with her totally recovered legs and an excellent health condition.

As for Elaine, I can tell you that she is in her 70s and when I attended her classes, she used to take us for walks in the fields. Sometimes I had to run to catch her, she was very quick…

Technorati Tags: living foods

How do we get time for spiritual practice

Author: Sorinel Balan

In our present days, when life becomes more and more restless, we can still find time for practicing personal development. Daily practicing gives us strength and, by improving energy circulation through our body, we will loose less time. The purpose of our activities is reaching the energetic balance, which implies a good functioning for all the systems of the body. By insisting daily we accommodate our brain with this state of good humour which will generate neurotransmitters to support itself. Thus, constantly, we will be able to solve the burdens we have to carry out in a shorter time and obtain an interval for our practice.

What else could contribute to this “way to happiness”?

It would be wonderful to recall the organism intelligence; in this way our body would be able to tell us what we really need and what we do not need, regarding alimentation, but also our emotions, thoughts and preoccupations

To rediscover this quality, the body has to be helped to eliminate the toxins first by choosing an adequate modality: detoxification cure, diet, physical exercises or complementary therapies: massage, reflexotherapy, chiropractics, Thai massage, bioenergy. The next step consists in the elimination of parasites and then restoration of the benefic intestinal flora to stimulate the immune system. Logically after that we must feed and strengthen the body with the necessary nutrients, and here we must have a particular approach for every person.

We can continue by maintaining the level we have obtained using alternatives and then choosing an investigation method to verify the level of general balance we have reached, beyond our personal perception. Depending on the actual situation other solutions might help, if necessary.

Normally, once we have regained the homeostasis of our body as a whole, we must try and maintain it by permanent harmonisation of the parts of our being, taking care in the same time of particular proper alimentation.

In other words the body must have what it chooses because it strengthens itself, the soul must receive emotions of positive resonance and the spirit must have the light which continuously completes it. This can be achieved either by a personalized practice, either by living to develop our personal talents for the advantage of the others.

Technorati Tags: spiritual practice

Self-love as a measure for the love of others

Author: Sorinel Balan

In our day to day life we share many things with our fellow men: firstly, the air we breath, then the light and the heat of the sun, nature’s vitality, the wheat berries which grow in the same ear, nightingale’s trills, the feelings and emotions, deep thoughts and sometimes even our own organs.
From intrauterine stage, when we register our mother’s loving waves, until we pass away from this world, we come across love in different shapes.
Let’s remember: “He who loves much, much will be forgiven.”
Receive and offer this sublime feeling, being aware of self-love: “I love myself”. Experience a little child’s condition as he joys when he is called and runs to hug you with laughter.
Remember the babies who smile to themselves when they sleep.
Therefore start with yourselves and share this love to the others.
You will soon observe some changes in your personal life and to those close to you.
Improve your life aspiring to reach the feeling of the One who has said: “that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another!”

Technorati Tags: self-love,spirituality

Nepali travel diary 2

I’m sitting here, at the hotel, with the laptop in front of me, listening to Tchaikovsky’s symphonies and preparing myself to say a nice good bye to Nepal; I’m leaving in about an hour with destination Thailand; so, in the time I have left I'll try to indulge you with some ingenious words …

last Sunday there was a nice strike which blocked all the traffic in Kathmandu; and so I had the opportunity to walk for about half an hour along the most crowded road in the city and to watch the Nepalese who were walking slowly, every each way; here there is a terrible fight between communists and “imperialists”, the former supported by Chinese and the latter by Indians and others; anyway, it is preferred this type of confrontation instead of the civil war they went through until some years ago

my Nuad lessons had a good evolution; I respond extremely well to Rahul’s style; Friday was a special day for me; my Austrian colleague had the practical test and asked me to be the patient; soon after that, Rahul tells me that I also have to take the test on Thursday, even if I had just done it in the previous week; I complied with his decision and both of us gave a 1.5 hours massage to our colleagues; when the massage was done, Rahul made some comments and observations, starting with my colleague; and after that … he tells me calmly that I’m doing it well and that … I can without any problem teach the base lecture (first level) in Romania … you know how it is with surprises, especially when you’re not expecting them … I was amazed, I said a thank you ... and that’s it… now I can show the others this special style, which I love so much …

ah, not to forget, I managed to eat every day, almost, one of their dishes which has a Chinese origin – Momo; this is a kind of small boiled dumplings (sometimes fried), filled with vegetables or meat, hot served with hot sauce; I admit I like them very much and I recommend it to anybody comes here

well, I prepare myself to leave behind the memory of Nepalese nights with three blankets on me and the mornings with huge efforts for getting off the bed… and to move to one of the last stages of my trainings – a Tai Chi lecture with a Chinese master in Tao Garden …

Technorati Tags: nepal,thai massage,nuad

time to go to bed (izismile)

Nepali Travel Diary

a title a little bit changed, another country …

it’s already two weeks since I’ve been in Kathmandu for Nuad classes, with Rahul, my first instructor; the location is nice and quiet, Rahul is as charming as always and his technique is fascinating through elegance and refinement; from what I’ve learnt by now, Rahul’s part is the most harmonious

he gave a very big importance to the choreographic aspect of the movements and transitions between movements, all these resulting in a splendid ballet in two; the movements are very similar to those from other schools in Thailand, the difference being in the choreography…

the Nepal capital is a mixture, not very successful, of Western civilization and local specific features – the same traffic with no rules (but surprisingly this doesn’t generate almost any accident), only one traffic lights in the entire city, the crossing of the street being a great adventure in the busy streets, all kinds of shops, bagmen selling their goods directly on the pavement, etc.

of course, there are many interesting places, especially the temples, different from what I’ve seen by far; they have an architecture in a Tibetan style; in fact most of the monks are Tibetans, refugees from their country

here I did some things, it was a first for me, namely I took part in two volunteer actions organized by Rahul:

in one of them beds, clothes and food were given to some Nepalese with no shelter; what can I say, these people are very impressing, when you see their joy you start thinking that maybe sometimes , you have everything and still not happy when keeping on demanding…;

the other one was instructive and tiresome and nice and interesting and etc; we went by car for about six hours in a village taking a “real” road; there clothes, school supplies, etc were distributed to the children in some schools in the village and also to the poor old people; we were welcome like in the movies, with applause and flower garlands, we played with the children, I made soap balloons to the great joy of the little Nepalese…; I saw the big mountains in the distance, covered by snow… and then another six hours back to the capital.

anybody wants some trip to heaven? (pixdaus)