ABSTRACT
Context The herbal product Ginkgo biloba is taken frequently with the intention of improving cognitive health in aging. However, evidence from adequately powered clinical trials is lacking regarding its effect on long-term cognitive functioning.
Objective To determine whether G biloba slows the rates of global or domain-specific cognitive decline in older adults.
Design, Setting, and Participants The Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) study, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 3069 community-dwelling participants aged 72 to 96 years, conducted in 6 academic medical centers in the United States between 2000 and 2008, with a median follow-up of 6.1 years.
Intervention Twice-daily dose of 120-mg extract of G biloba (n = 1545) or identical-appearing placebo (n = 1524).
Main Outcome Measures Rates of change over time in the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MSE), in the cognitive subscale of the Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-Cog), and in neuropsychological domains of memory, attention, visual-spatial construction, language, and executive functions, based on sums of z scores of individual tests.
Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00010803 INTRODUCTION
Seane Corn Demonstrates “Body Prayer” from Speaking of Faith.
When using garlic, crush it and let it sit for several minutes to allow all the enzymes to flourish.
It is best to use garlic raw, in dishes without cooking.
Determination and size-fractional distribution of the elements in garlic. Zhu Y, Inagaki K, Haraguchi H, Chiba K. Anal Sci. 2009 Jan;25(1):137-40. Environmental Standard Section, Inorganic Analytical Chemistry Division, National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8563, Japan. yb-zhu@aist.go.jp
Zhu Y, Inagaki K, Haraguchi H, Chiba K. Anal Sci. 2009 Jan;25(1):137-40.
Environmental Standard Section, Inorganic Analytical Chemistry Division, National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8563, Japan. yb-zhu@aist.go.jp
Analytical Sciences Vol. 25 (2009) , No. 1 p.137, by Yanbei ZHU, Kazumi INAGAKI, Hiroki HARAGUCHI and Koichi CHIBA
Read the rest of this entry »
Two campers see a bear, and one immediately puts on his running shoes. “You can’t outrun the bear,” the other says. The first one replies, “I don’t have to outrun the bear. I just have to outrun you.”
Two campers see a bear, and one immediately puts on his running shoes.
“You can’t outrun the bear,” the other says.
The first one replies, “I don’t have to outrun the bear. I just have to outrun you.”
In yoga, do we compete against each other? Some do; let this go. Yoga is about the self, it is only about your own body and your own mind and your own spirit with the union of all.
In yoga, do we compete against ourselves? Some do; the self of yesterday, or the expected self of tomorrow. Let this go. yoga is about the moment. In that moment, is there competition still? Sometimes, there is: go further, go faster, go deeper; let this go as well.
When all these forms of competition, between others and between our many selves, drop away, then we can merge into the flow.
New Year’s Celebration
January 1
Start the New Year off on the right foot!
1:00pm – 108 Sun Salutations, Sūrya namaskāra (feel free to come and go as you please) 2:30pm – Long Ek Ong Kars and Gong Relaxation 3:30pm – Community Social and Potluck!
This is the 8th year that we have celebrated the New Year this way and it’s always a lot of fun! Bring a vegetarian treat or just bring yourself. This community event is free and all are welcome.
Directions:
1. Self-Knowledge (Chit) ~ Awakening, recognition, remembrance, self-realization, enlightenment, discovering the bliss of being. Because we are part of the Divine ~ a microcosm ~ knowledge of ourselves IS knowledge of the Divine (pure consciousness). 2. Delight of creative expression (Ananda) ~ To enjoy the freedom of being. To make beauty, to love, to exult in the goodness of life, to celebrate the Supreme through art/music, to serve by adding more joy & laughter to life (Shakti principle)
1. Self-Knowledge (Chit) ~ Awakening, recognition, remembrance, self-realization, enlightenment, discovering the bliss of being. Because we are part of the Divine ~ a microcosm ~ knowledge of ourselves IS knowledge of the Divine (pure consciousness).
2. Delight of creative expression (Ananda) ~ To enjoy the freedom of being. To make beauty, to love, to exult in the goodness of life, to celebrate the Supreme through art/music, to serve by adding more joy & laughter to life (Shakti principle)
Saccidānanda, Satchidananda, or Sat-cit-ānanda (Sanskrit: सच्चिदानंद) is a compound of three Sanskrit words, Sat (सत्), Cit (चित्), and Ānanda (आनंद) (the ā is of longer vocal length), meaning essence, consciousness, and bliss respectively.
Saccidānanda may be understood as the energetic state of one-ness (non-duality), wholeness, naturalness which is comparable to a fully liberated yogi.
Meditation ‘eases heart disease’ (BBC News) Heart patients saw a big risk reduction from practising meditation Heart disease patients who practise Transcendental Meditation have reduced death rates, US researchers have said. At a meeting of the American Heart Association they said they had randomly assigned 201 African Americans to meditate or to make lifestyle changes. After nine years, the meditation group had a 47% reduction in deaths, heart attacks and strokes. The research was carried out by the Medical College of Wisconsin with the Maharishi University in Iowa. It was funded by a £2.3m grant from the National Institute of Health and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. ‘Significant benefits’ The African American men and women had an average age of 59 years and a narrowing of the arteries in their hearts. TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION Introduced in India in 1955 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi In the 60s the Beatles popularised it by travelling to India to learn the technique from the Maharishi The Maharishi Foundation says TM is a programme for the development of consciousness Courses are only available through the foundation They cost from £190 for students to £590 for people with incomes over £40,000 The meditation group were asked to practise for 20 minutes twice a day. The lifestyle change group received education classes in traditional risk factors, including dietary modification and exercise. Over nine years, there were 20 events (heart attacks, strokes or death) in the meditation group and 31 in the health education group. Dr Robert Schneider, lead author and director of the Centre for Natural Medicine and Prevention at the Maharishi University in Iowa said: “At the end of the 9 years, 80% of the meditation group were still practising at least once a day. “But there was very little change in the health education group. “Their lifestyle was much the same in terms of diet and exercise – it’s a very difficult thing to make those changes.” As well as the reductions in death, heart attacks and strokes in the meditating group, their average blood pressure was significantly lower (5mm Hg), and there was a significant reduction in psychological stress in some participants. Dr Schneider said other studies had shown the benefits of Transcendental Meditation on blood pressure and stress, irrespective of ethnicity. “This is the first controlled clinical trial to show that long-term practise of this particular stress reduction programme reduces the incidence of clinical cardiovascular events, that is heart attacks, strokes and mortality,” he said. Dr Schneider said that the effect of Transcendental Meditation in the trial was like adding a class of newly discovered drugs for the prevention of heart disease. He said: “In this case, the new medications are derived from the body’s own internal pharmacy stimulated by the Transcendental Meditation practice.” Ingrid Collins, a consultant educational psychologist at the London Medical Centre, said: “I’m not at all surprised that a change of behaviour like this can have enormous benefits both emotionally and physically. “Physical and emotional energy is on a continuum and whatever happens to us physically can affect our emotions and vice versa.” British Heart Foundation Cardiac Nurse Ellen Mason said: “This is a fascinating area and the results were impressive. “However, in order to fully assess the difference transcendental meditation could have on heart patient’s lives, we need to see research confirming it in a far bigger study and with other ethnic groups.”
Heart disease patients who practise Transcendental Meditation have reduced death rates, US researchers have said.
At a meeting of the American Heart Association they said they had randomly assigned 201 African Americans to meditate or to make lifestyle changes.
After nine years, the meditation group had a 47% reduction in deaths, heart attacks and strokes.
The research was carried out by the Medical College of Wisconsin with the Maharishi University in Iowa.
It was funded by a £2.3m grant from the National Institute of Health and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
‘Significant benefits’
The African American men and women had an average age of 59 years and a narrowing of the arteries in their hearts.
The meditation group were asked to practise for 20 minutes twice a day.
The lifestyle change group received education classes in traditional risk factors, including dietary modification and exercise.
Over nine years, there were 20 events (heart attacks, strokes or death) in the meditation group and 31 in the health education group.
Dr Robert Schneider, lead author and director of the Centre for Natural Medicine and Prevention at the Maharishi University in Iowa said:
“At the end of the 9 years, 80% of the meditation group were still practising at least once a day.
“But there was very little change in the health education group.
“Their lifestyle was much the same in terms of diet and exercise – it’s a very difficult thing to make those changes.”
As well as the reductions in death, heart attacks and strokes in the meditating group, their average blood pressure was significantly lower (5mm Hg), and there was a significant reduction in psychological stress in some participants.
Dr Schneider said other studies had shown the benefits of Transcendental Meditation on blood pressure and stress, irrespective of ethnicity.
“This is the first controlled clinical trial to show that long-term practise of this particular stress reduction programme reduces the incidence of clinical cardiovascular events, that is heart attacks, strokes and mortality,” he said.
Dr Schneider said that the effect of Transcendental Meditation in the trial was like adding a class of newly discovered drugs for the prevention of heart disease.
He said: “In this case, the new medications are derived from the body’s own internal pharmacy stimulated by the Transcendental Meditation practice.”
Ingrid Collins, a consultant educational psychologist at the London Medical Centre, said: “I’m not at all surprised that a change of behaviour like this can have enormous benefits both emotionally and physically.
“Physical and emotional energy is on a continuum and whatever happens to us physically can affect our emotions and vice versa.”
British Heart Foundation Cardiac Nurse Ellen Mason said: “This is a fascinating area and the results were impressive.
“However, in order to fully assess the difference transcendental meditation could have on heart patient’s lives, we need to see research confirming it in a far bigger study and with other ethnic groups.”
The Ultraman World Championships was this past weekend (Nov. 27-29). Ultraman is an athletic endurance event so extreme that just to qualify, you have to complete an Ironman race. Two of the participants this year will be Richard Roll and Jason Lester. They are both 100% vegan, and credit their success to a plant-strong lifestyle.
Think vegan can win in this most extreme of all endurance athletic events? It can – Richard Roll won day 1 at Ultraman. He performed a 6.2 mile swim plus a 90 mile bike ride in 7 hours, 57 minutes.. which was the best of the day! From his twitter page :
Two words: PLANT STRONG. For those who think u can’t excel athletically on a plant based diet, think again.
References:
Is it possible to be a highly-fit endurance athlete eating only 100% vegan? Yes, here’s the proof. Of course, this is hardcore for the Ultraman (a three-day, 320 mile (515-km) annual endurance race):
ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः । तत् सवितुर्वरेण्यं । भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि । धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात् ॥
We meditate on the glory of that Being who has produced this universe; may He enlighten our minds. —Swami Vivekananda
We meditate on the glory of that Being who has produced this universe; may He enlighten our minds.
—Swami Vivekananda
ॐ सह नाववतु | सह नौ भुनक्तु | सह वीर्यं करवावहै | तेजस्विनावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै || ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ||
ॐ सह नाववतु |
सह नौ भुनक्तु |
सह वीर्यं करवावहै |
तेजस्विनावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै ||
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ||
OM Let both of us protect each other together May both of us enjoy together May both of us work together Let our study become radiant, unite us OM Peace, Peace, Peace.
oṃ saha nāvavatu saha nau bhunaktu saha vīryaṃ karavāvahai tejasvināvadhītamastu mā vidviṣāvahai oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ
Happy Baby Pose is an excellent way to re-align the back and open the hips.
Downward Facing Dog Pose is the simplest inversion. Inversions are defined to be poses where the head is lower than the hips.
Om Namah Shivaya Gurave Saccidanda Murtaye Nisprapancaya Shantaya Niralambaya Tejase
I offer myself to the Light, The Auspicious One who is the True Teacher within and without. Who assumes the forms of Reality, Consciousness and Bliss Who is ever present and is full of peace Independent in existence, the vital essence of illumination
Dhāraṇā is the sixth stage, step or limb of eight elucidated by Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga or Raja Yoga: “holding”, “holding steady”, “concentration” or “single focus”. Dhāraṇā is the initial step of deep concentrative meditation, where the object being focused upon is held in the mind without consciousness wavering from it; the object of meditation, the meditator, and the act of meditation itself remain separate.
The meditator or the meditator’s meta-awareness is conscious of meditating (that is, is conscious of the act of meditation) on an object, and of his or her own self, which is concentrating on the object. In the subsequent stage of Dhāraṇā, as the meditator becomes more advanced, consciousness of the act of meditation disappears, and only the consciousness of being/existing and the object of concentration exist (in the mind).
Bhagavad Gita, ~Ch. 6, V34:
The mind is restless, turbulent and strong, as difficult to curb as the wind.
dṛṣṭi is focused gaze. There are nine points of dṛṣṭi (in English: Drishti).
* Aṅguṣṭha madhyai: to the thumb * Bhrūmadhya: to the third eye, or between the eyebrows * Nāsāgrai: at the tip of the nose (or a point six inches from the tip) * Hastagrai: to the palm, usually the extended hand * Pārśva: to the left/right side * Ūrdhva: to the sky, or upwards * Nābhicakra: to the navel * Pādayoragrai: to the toes
vande gurūṇāṁ caraṇāravinde saṁdarśitasvātmasukhāvabodhe niḥ śreyase jāṅ̇galikāyamāne saṁsāra hālāhala mohaśāntyai ābāhu puruṣākāraṁ śaṅ̇khacakrāsi dhāriṇam sahasra śirasaṁ śvetam praṇamāmi patañjalim
vande gurūṇāṁ caraṇāravinde saṁdarśitasvātmasukhāvabodhe
niḥ śreyase jāṅ̇galikāyamāne saṁsāra hālāhala mohaśāntyai
ābāhu puruṣākāraṁ śaṅ̇khacakrāsi dhāriṇam
sahasra śirasaṁ śvetam praṇamāmi patañjalim
I bow to the lotus feet of the gurus, The awakening happiness of ones own self revealed, Beyond better, acting like the jungle physician, Pacifying delusion, the poison of samsara. Taking the form of a man to the shoulders, Holding a conch, a discus, and a sword, One thousand heads white, To Patanjali, I salute.
I bow to the lotus feet of the gurus, The awakening happiness of ones own self revealed, Beyond better, acting like the jungle physician, Pacifying delusion, the poison of samsara.
Taking the form of a man to the shoulders, Holding a conch, a discus, and a sword, One thousand heads white, To Patanjali, I salute.
