All posts by Sumana Rao

Don't worry about the people in your past; There's a reason they didn't make it to your future.
Musti Yuddha: "Art of Eight Limbs"

Musti Yuddha: “Art of Eight Limbs”

It is an unarmed martial art from Varanasi (Benares) in north India. It was almost went to extinction and now gaining importance. It is unarmed martial art from originated in this holy place.

In Varanasi, Musti-yuddha  was not a sport, but a way to  fight with the anti-social elements. Similar to Southeast Asian kickboxing styles it makes use of punches, kicks, knees and elbow strikes & head buttes although punches tend to dominate.

Matches were once held regularly in Varanasi but were eventually banned because of the fights which often broke out among the boxers’ supporters. Illegal bouts continued but became rare by the 1960s.

The additional thing which needs to meant here is that the training of Musti-yuddha  is a spiritual training, as well as  physical  workout. Traditionally, the art of hand to hand combat in India was divided into two main categories: Musti-yuddha  and Malla yuddha.

Sanskrit, mallayuddha  literally translates to “boxing match”.  Strictly speaking, the term denotes a single pugilistic encounter or prize-fight rather than a style or school of wrestling.

This art was known as the “art of eight limbs” as there are eight natural weapons to fight with: fists, elbows, knees and feet.

Technique used in this ancient martial art are punches, kicks, knees and elbow strikes. This style is a complete art of physical, mental and spiritual development.

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Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: May 12, 2017
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Gatka: “Short Cudgel”

Gatka: “Short Cudgel”

Gatka is an ancient martial art which has been thoroughly battle-tested and has existed in northern India for many thousands of years.  Gatkais weapon-based Indian martial art basically created by the Sikhs of Punjab.

It is a physical as well as a spiritual exercise. Both these aspects of the person are developed to a high level during the learning phase in this ancient art.

Although it uses the sword as its primary weapon, many other weapons are available to the Gatka master.

It is a complete martial system which uses spiritual, mental and physical skills in equal portions to help one fully competent in defending themselves and others.

There are many weapons used in Gatka like, Stick, Talwar, kirpan and kataar. The attacking and defense methods are based upon the positions of the hands feet and nature of weapons used.

In addition to giving the student defensive skills, it also helps the individual with other aspects of their life: makes the mind alert and responsive, maintains the body in a near perfect condition and makes soul fearless, compassionate and tranquil.

Gatka also aims at the coordination of mind and body through the meditation of spiritual verses of Gurbani, a holistic system by which the character and moral attitude of a student is shaped.

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Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Silambam: "Bamboo from the hills"

Silambam: “Bamboo from the hills”

Sialambam is a traditional stick martial art from South India State of Tamil Nadu. It is a stick and weapon-based Indian martial art from Tamil Nadu.

A wide variety of weapons are used in silamban, some of which are not found anywhere else in the world. Silambam art also used animal movements of snake, tiger, eagle forms and footwork patterns is play a key role here as well.

Another part of Silambam is Kuttu varisai, it is the unarmed kind of martial art.

Silambam appears to be taken by city youths by storm as there are many increasing interest in Silambam these days.

Today there are three kinds of Silambam being practised – Por Silambam (warfare), Silambattam (folk dance) and Potti Silambam (sport).

Apart from the kambu (stick) made of either bamboo or perambu, which is popularly associated with Silambam, the martial art is also performed using a varied range of weapons such as Surulvaal, sword, velkambu (spear), maan-kombu (deer horns) and small knives.

Mind and body benefits of Silambam:

  • Silambam is a good form of cardio workout that improves blood circulation and heart function.
  • Burns calories, helps in weight reduction and shaping of body.
  • Relieves mental stress, laziness and fatigue.
  • Improves body flexibility and reflexive movement of joints and muscles.

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Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Kalarippayattu: 'Battleground'

Kalarippayattu: ‘Battleground’

Kalarippayattu is one of the oldest Martial arts of India. It is originated from Kerala and one of the oldest fighting systems in existence. It is believed to have been founded by Lord Parasurama and Sage Agastya Muni.

Many movements and postures in the art of kalaripayattu are believed to be inspired by the raw strength of animals and are also named after them.

Many martial arts in India have been forgotten due to neglect and lack of proper documentation of their existence but kalaripayattu has stood the test of time.

During the 13th and 16th centuries, the art gained dominance and was incorporated into many religions as well. It was customary in Kerala to have all children above the age of seven to obtain training in kalaripayattu.

What it teaches?  It is practiced in most of the part of south India. A kalari is the school or training hall where martial arts are taught. It includes strikes, kicks and some weapon based practiced, Footwork patterns is most important key in Kalarippayattu.

Regional variants are classified according to geographical position in Kerala; these are the Northern style from Malabar region in north Kerala practiced by the Central style from inner Kerala and the southern style from Thiruvitankoor.

Northern Kalaripayattu is based on elegant and flexible movements, evasions, jumps and weapons training, while the southern “Adi Murai” style primarily follows the hard impact based techniques with priority on empty hand fighting and pressure point strikes. Both systems make use of internal and external concepts.

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Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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OVERCOMING GRIEF

Overcoming Grief

Grief is a natural response to loss. It is the emotional suffering you feel when something or someone you love is taken away. The more significant the loss, the more intense the grief will be. You may associate grief with the death of a loved one—which is often the cause of the most intense type of grief—but any loss can cause grief, including:

  • Divorce or relationship breakup: Grief for children and entire family – thought of parents not together anymore
  • Loss of health: People suffer bodily and emotionally & the feeling of dependency.
  • Losing a job & loss of financial stability: This is a tough situation for entire family if there is no enough savings. Situation may be a short period but expectation is stability need to come back soon.
  • A miscarriage: Especially for mother who goes through emotional changes.
  • Death of a pet: Grief on entire family.
  • A loved one’s serious illness or death: A tough and long process that everyone need to realize
  • Loss of a friendship: Friends moving away, or betrayal
  • Loss of safety after a trauma: This can be any trauma where people develop insecurity and not at all safe feelings.

Myths and Facts About Grief

MYTH: The pain will go away faster if you ignore it.
Fact: Trying to ignore your pain or keep it from surfacing will only make it worse in the long run. For real healing it is necessary to face your grief and actively deal with it.

MYTH: It’s important to be “be strong” in the face of loss.
Fact: Feeling sad, frightened, or lonely is a normal reaction to loss. Crying doesn’t mean you are weak. You don’t need to “protect” your family or friends by putting on a brave front. Showing your true feelings can help them and you.

MYTH: If you don’t cry, it means you aren’t sorry about the loss.
Fact: Crying is a normal response to sadness, but it’s not the only one. Those who don’t cry may feel the pain just as deeply as others. They may simply have other ways of showing it.

MYTH: Grief should last about a year.
Fact: There is no right or wrong time frame for grieving. How long it takes can differ from person to person.

How to face situations and how to overcome the grief?

Grieving is a personal and highly individual experience. How you grieve depends on many factors, including your personality and coping style, your life experience, your faith, and the nature of the loss. The grieving process takes time. Healing happens gradually; it can’t be forced or hurried—and there is no “normal” timetable for grieving. Some people start to feel better in weeks or months. For others, the grieving process is measured in years.

1. Be Patient with Yourself : Give yourself time to accept what has happened, give yourself a chance. There is no schedule for when you should feel certain emotions, or be over others. Choose to stand up for you and the rest of your life, and choose to move on. You do not have to figure out how you are going to get through the rest of your life. Just focus on staying in the game and moving forward now. It is normal to cry and be depressed, but you need to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

2. Adjust Your Expectations: Accept that your emotions are a natural part of the grieving process. Experiencing death, divorce or other loss that makes you feel rejected and alone is not a life sentence of grief. You will emerge. However, do not put generic expectations on yourself and do not let others do so either. You will feel an array of emotions. Remember that grief from any loss is not a linear process. You will begin to move on in your own time; just be sure to move forward before you totally lose your way.

3. Accept What You Cannot Change : One of the most frequent struggles you may face when you lose someone is a sense of being out of control because you are not able to control when someone leaves you. Even though we cannot even almost have that control, we are not victims. There is a point in this process where you can and must choose to take a stand for how you are going to react to this hard hit. You must actively, consciously choose to focus on what you can change, and accept what you cannot change. Start accepting the changes that is surrounding you.

4. Find Strength In Others: Although it may feel like you are all alone in your experience, try talking to someone who has experienced a similar loss or someone whose presence is a source of comfort. Sometimes, a compassionate person may be a great help, even though they have not been through a similar loss.

5. Don’t Get Stuck: It is easy to be stuck in this negative experience and all the emotions of it, so you need to work to prevent being stuck in anger or bitterness. Do what you need to do to help you get unstuck. This can be different for everyone. You may find help in taking up a new hobby, getting counseling or talking to your doctor about treatment options like antidepressants. Grief may cause you to be biochemically unbalanced, and medication  may be the short-term jump-start that you need to move forward. If you have had an addiction in the past, make sure you do not turn to that narcotic as a source of soothing.

6. Recognize That Time Is Infinite, nothing is permanent: There is wisdom in that old saying about living every day as though it were your last. That does not mean you should go out and be reckless, but rather recognize that the unexpected can happen to you. Nurture the relationships with the ones you love. You have to see time as a currency that you need to spend now, not wait for a day that may never come. You are not here forever, and neither is anybody you love. Nothing is permanent in this earth.

References:
1) Center for Grief and Healing
2) www.huffingtonpost.com
3) http://www.joycemeyer.org/
4) https://www.psychologytoday.com

Image courtesy: www.werindia.com

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Eating Healthy this summer

Eating Healthy this summer

As summer holidays are approaching there is lot to look forward to and there will be lot and lots of yummy food to eat both at home and outside at restaurants. It’s easy to let healthy eating habits slide, but holidays can still be healthy.

Here are some tips to help you and your family stay on track with good eating habits.

For kids, so how do you make sure that your are eating healthy foods this summer? Here are few suggestions to make eating as healthy as possible.

  • Nibble on health snacks like whole grain crackers, fruit, or raw vegetables before the big feast. You’ll eat less.
  • When you are at a party or having a holiday meal, choose healthier foods like veggies or fruits.
  • It takes your brain some time to signal you are full. Wait 10-15 minutes before eating seconds. It’ll keep you from overeating!
  • It’s not rude to say no to food. Don’t be pressured to eat, if you aren’t hungry.
  • Eating holiday goodies like fudge, peanut brittle, cookies, and other baked goods is fine, but eat them in small pieces.
  • You can help make healthy holiday food with your parents. Look for low-fat recipes that substitute butter and oil with non-fat ingredients like applesauce or pumpkin.

For parents – how you can help your kid to eat healthy during holidays?

1) Make Fruit Visible: During summer holidays many fruits are available. Take kids for fruits picking – strawberry, cherry, apple, guava, mulberry, blueberry etc. Place pears, apples, bananas and citrus bowls on the table – living room and dining room.  Try mandarin oranges or Clementine, which kids love, because they’re easy to peel. Prepare a fruit salad or fruit popsicle and ask your kids suggestion too. If you make it attractive and creative kids will eat twice as much.

2) Varieties of colors: All fruits colors has something good in it. Encourage kids to snack on colorful fruits and veggies. Kids can snack on Clementine, sugar snap peas, antioxidant rich red peppers or any other colorful fruit or vegetable in lieu of a holiday cookie or chocolate truffle.  Give cracker with cucumber, sweet pepper, strawberry with little whipped cream or cheese. Kids always love cream and cheese.

3) Organic foods: Introduce children to organic food. Grow your own vegetable garden. Assign small portion of garden to your child to take care. When the vegetable grows encourage and get suggestion from them to prepare a dish from home grown veggies like veggie pizza, pasta with vegetables or rice with vegetables. They are more likely to take at least a little bite of broccoli or carrots if they’ve helped to plant and pick them.

4) Drinking water: Get attractive juice bottles and prepare fresh fruit juice at home. Encourage them to drink plenty of water.  Don’t provide soda and other artificial drinks. Instead introduce them to natural waters like coconut water and prepare juice out of exotic fruits – mango, pomegranate, papaya etc.

5) Lightly spiced cereal mixtures as snacks: Prepare mild spicy cereal mixture at home. Add dry coconut, almonds, cashew, raisins and other nuts for which your kid is not allergic to and store in an air tight container. Instead of giving them French fries or heavy burgers as snack items give them cereal mixture with fruit desserts.

6) Try to keep your cupboards stocked with healthier snacks such as fruit, air-popped popcorn, unsalted nuts and unsweetened yogurt.

Enjoy summer with your kids!!

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Reference: www.werindia.com

Image credit: Image by RitaE from Pixabay (Free for commercial use)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: May 9, 2017
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Ketogenic diet for vegetarians

Ketogenic diet for vegetarians

Ketogenic diet, which was originally used to help control and prevent seizures in epilepsy patients, have grown in popularity in recent years as an effective fat-burning diet. This low carb, high fat diet also heavy in protein. Is Keto diet is a good diet to consider weight loss? It all depends on the type of protein and fat that you eat.

Let us understand what is a ketogenic or keto diet is?

Ketogenic diet is a low carbohydrate, high fat diet. Maintaining this diet is a great tool for weight loss. More importantly though, per an increasing number of studies, it helps reduce risk factors for diabetes, heart diseases, epilepsy types of conditions.  The word Keto is derived from Ketones which is an alternative fuel for the body, used when blood sugar is in short supply. These ketones are derived from fat and are much more stable. They supply steady source of energy than the glucose (which is derived from carbohydrates). On the keto diet, your body enters a metabolic state called ketosis. While in ketosis your body is using ketone bodies for energy instead of glucose.

On a ketogenic diet your entire body switches its fuel supply to run almost entirely on fat. Insulin levels become very low and fat burning increases dramatically. It becomes easy to access your fat stores to burn them off.

This is obviously great if you’re trying to lose weight, but there are also other less obvious benefits, like for example less hunger and a steady supply of energy.

Before going on keto diet one should understand whether the body has entered ketosis. A ketone strip will be used to test the ketone level in the urine. During ketosis, other body changes also expected to happen! Like there are other ways of telling you are in ketosis, -look for changes in your mood and alertness, as well as a stronger smell in your breath and urine. Many people also report better sleep and decreased appetite when they’re in ketosis.

CAUTION: This diet is not for you, if you have any of the following conditions: Diabetes, high blood pressure, if you are breastfeeding and trying to get pregnant.

One need to be careful if they have heart condition -because ketogenic diet uses many animal fats which can result in clogging of arteries and an increase in cholesterol level. Animal products are high in saturated fats. One should understand that the ketogenic diet is both high in saturated animal fats and low in protective antioxidants from plant sources. Antioxidants provide protection to organs such as the heart.

If you are not an animal product eater and a vegetarian, then what could be your choices in a keto diet? We are giving an alternate to animal products if you would like to follow ketogenic diet.

Breakfast:

  1. Start your day with 2 tbs butter
  2. 1 and ½ a banana
  3. 2 Tbs Cream (boiled milk kept overnight gathers thick cream in the morning)
  4. Cheese pakora
  5. Dosa with cheese or butter
  6. Cheesy Chickpea flour omelette with capsicum ​

Between Breakfast and Lunch:

  1. Mushroom Raw 2 cups
  2. Mixed Green Salad

Lunch:

  1. Grilled tofu (3 OZ)
  2. Olive Oil 2tbs
  3. Cream
  4. Raw Broccoli – 1 cup
  5. Simple salad (veggies topped with lots of cheese )
  6. Cream of palak soup with stir fried mushrooms/broccoli
  7. Kokum khadi (solkadi) and baked french beans with cheese
  8. Cauliflower curry in coconut milk and coconut oil

Evening Snack:

  1. 1 and 1/2 banana
  2. Curd 200 gms
  3. Coconut 100 gms

 Dinner:

  1. Mushroom raw 2 cups
  2. Mixed green Salad
  3. Baked spinach with cheese and cream
  4. Tofu paratha
  5. Paneer pakora
  6. Mixed vegetables cooked in cashew sauce
  7. Cabbage salad / Cabbage curry with coconut ​

How Much Should You Eat? : On a keto diet, about 65 to 75 percent of the calories you consume daily should come from fat. About 20 to 30 percent should come from protein. The remaining 5 percent or so should come from carbohydrates.

You can use our Keto Calculator to figure out exactly how many calories and which macros you should be eating every day!

https://www.tasteaholics.com/keto-calculator

The Ketogenic diet approach is simple: It’s about following a low-carb diet where the focus is on eating real food, not just food low in carbs. A ketogenic diet can be used to achieve weight loss, blood sugar control and other health-related goals. It can include a wide variety of nutritious, tasty and versatile foods that allow us to remain within daily carb range.

References:

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Tips to handle blisters

How to handle blisters?

A blister is a pocket of fluid between the upper layers of skin. The most common causes of blisters are friction, freezing, burning, infection and chemical burns.

Blisters are also a symptom of some diseases. The most frequent cause of blisters is excessive friction on moist skin.

As a blister forms, clear fluid accumulates in a pocket between the layers of the skin.

Friction of skin results in blisters.

  • Blisters caused by friction are the most common
  • Both burns and frostbite can produce blisters
  • Blood blisters occur when a small blood vessel bursts near the surface of the skin
  • Some medical conditions produce blisters, including eczema and epidermolysis bullosa
  • It is best to leave blisters intact to protect the underlying layers from infection

Exposures to certain chemicals can result in blisters: This is referred to as contact dermatitis and can occur in some individuals on contact with the following: cosmetics, detergents, solvents, nickel sulfate balsam of Peru (a flavoring), insect bites and stings, chemical warfare agents including mustard gas.

Some tips to handle painful blisters:

Cleaning and Protecting Your Blister

  1. Gently wash the area with clean water. Keep the blister clean with soap and water. You can dab on petroleum jelly or some other emollient to minimize further friction.
  2. Don’t use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, which can slow healing. Dab petroleum jelly and replace the bandage as needed. This reduces further friction
  3. Do not removed the flap of skin over the blister unless it is torn or dirty and has pus.
  4. You may cover the blister with a thin layer of petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, and a nonstick bandage.
  5. Use non-sticky bandage and change bandage every day.
  6. Another great way to protect your blister is with a piece of moleskin-a soft, adhesive cushion that’s sold in pharmacies.

It is not a good idea to open the blister yourself. Better to see a doctor. If you do decide to drain your blister, be sure to follow these steps:

  • Wipe a needle with rubbing alcohol.
  • Gently puncture the edge of the blister.
  • Press the fluid in the blister toward the hole so it can drain out.

Remember: Using rusted needles or improper handling can only increase your pain and prolonged recovery from blisters.

Sometimes blisters may get infected.  Contact your doctor immediately for a checkup.  Signs of infection include:

  1. Increased pain, swelling, redness, or warmth around the blister.
  2. Red streaks extending away from the blister.
  3. Drainage of pus from the blister.

Remedies for blisters:

1. Apply Aloe vera gel on the blister and cover using a bandage. Aloe vera gel helps in healing and reduces pain.

2. Apply calendula ointment, It’s traditionally used as a soothing wound healer. To keep the ointment clean, cover it with an adhesive bandage or a gauze pad.

3. Use tea tree oil one part and three parts of vegetable oil mix. Apply it on blister area four times a day. This mix will keep away any type of infection.

4. Use a wet cloth and keep it on blister to relieve the pain. Soak the cloth in ice cold water, wring it out and place on blister.

5. In case your blister pops wash it using soap and water and cover using bandage.

6. Apply a mixture of vitamin E and calendula ointment to help your skin heal faster. Vitamin E comes in capsules. Ask your doctor for any brand recommendation. Open the capsule and mix vitamin E with calendula ointment and apply on opened blisters.

7. Apple Cider Vinegar: Dip a cotton ball into apple cider vinegar and swab it around the affected area and allow it to dry. If it stings, dilute the apple cider vinegar with water first.

8. Green Tea: Steep a green tea bag in 1 cup of hot water for about 5 minutes. Remove the tea bag and allow it to cool. Put the moist tea bag on the blister for a few minutes. Repeat 4 or 5 times daily for a few days.

9. Epsom Salt: Epsom salt is an easy and safe way to treat foot blisters. It helps dry out an un-popped blister and encourage it to drain.Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of Epson salt to a foot tub filled with warm water and stir it in thoroughly. Soak your feet in this water for about 15 minutes. Remove your feet, pat dry and then apply a coating of petroleum jelly. Being high in magnesium, it also helps reduce inflammation, pain and swelling. It also prevents infection. Discontinue Epsom use once the blister pops

10. Castor Oil: Smear some castor oil on the blister and leave it on overnight. Do this daily for 2 or 3 days and the blisters will soon dry out.

11. Air it out – if the blister size is increasing – expose them to air. Do not cover and hid in shoe or gloves. Air circulation helps it to heal.

How to prevent various types of blisters?

  • Avoid wearing shoes that are too tight or that rub your feet.
  • Keeping your feet bone dry can help prevent from blister forming. Slide the gel variety around the sides and tops of clean, dry feet before slipping on a new pair of shoes
  • Wear gloves to protect your hands when you are doing heavy chores or yard work.
  • During exercise and sports, specially designed sports socks can reduce the amount of available foot sweat.
  • Adequately breaking in walking or hiking boots before embarking on a long trek is also important.
  • Avoid contact with any plants or other substances that are known to cause blistery rashes.
  • Avoid contact with people who have infections that are known to cause blisters, such as: viral illnesses, including chickenpox, shingles, genital herpes infection, and cold sores.

Some health conditions like Diabetes, skin infections or skin conditions may need special attention.

Visit your doctor for full checkup and treatment..

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References:

  • http://top10homeremedies.com
  • http://www.besthealthmag.ca
  • http://www.activebeat.com
  • http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

 

Image credit:
Photo by Auskteez Tran on Unsplash (Free for commercial use)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: May 4, 2017
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