Keep Calm - Create Peace

There is strength in calm. If that's true, our society gives a rather tired and powerless impression. There's no sign of keeping calm or creating peace. The latest "fashionable disease" is burnout syndrome. That's another word for: "I'm completely worn out, I'm broken, I'm burned out."

The causes of burnout are varied. One cause of burnout syndrome, however, lies within our own hands. And I believe this cause is easily remedied. I'm talking about the lack of peace, the silence, and the contemplation that comes with it.

Today, we encounter noise, clamour, and sounds everywhere. Most are senseless, unwanted by us, sickening, and guaranteed to annoy us. In 1997, I pointed out this fact with an art project called "World No Music Day."

In the supermarket, some miserable music is blaring at full blast. On public transport, fellow human beings who think they must share their musical taste are accompanied by equally annoying and pointless announcements over the loudspeaker.

Road traffic seems to have become a matter of course these days: motorcyclists rev their cars to the max, and golfers tune their exhausts for maximum rage. At the intersection, some other poor idiot is banging away in the trunk with his bass drum.

The neighbour's TV program even trickles through the garden and hedges. What to do? Consciously turn off your sources of noise. Don't always think I have to have the radio, TV, or CD on. I don't need to play music everywhere. Go out into nature more often, where there are as few people as possible. And then use the silence of nature to heal myself.

Have you ever planted a tree?

Have you ever planted a tree? No? Well, go for it. It's so easy. Even if you don't have your garden or land. Go into nature, find a hidden spot, and there it is. The first tree you've planted.

And no matter how desperate the situation seems—environmental threats, personal catastrophes, all the misery seems to be crashing down on you—even more so then. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now! (Ugandan proverb).

Also, my tip: when the first chestnuts fall from the trees, take a flowerpot with some soil and place it on the windowsill. Next spring, you'll have a small chestnut tree. Then, transplant it into nature.

Standing Knee Kiss

This yoga exercise, the standing knee kiss, is an ideal position for working the spine, chest, and, of course, the head's circulation. Although this pose looks relatively simple, it also requires a lot of practice when performed correctly. I favour this yoga pose as preparation for the queen of all asanas, the headstand. The head's circulation is well-supplied, but you don't need to concentrate too much on balance.

In the Yoga Sun Prayer, the knee kiss is the third asana. Here, you exhale and bend forward until your hands align with your feet, and your knees touch your head. At first, your knees may still be slightly bent, but later, after some practice, they should be straight.

I deliberately included the knee kiss in the TerLiMa Yoga asanas. Of course, this is also because of its connection to the sun prayer, but also because this asana is simply wonderful to practice and can be practised relatively quickly, so that one experiences the greatest possible benefit from it.
Namaste.

Sick on prescription

There's a report circulating in the media right now that an insulin preparation, used by approximately 500,000 diabetics in Germany alone, is causing cancer as an unpleasant side effect. It sounds pretty scary.

The fact is, the 500,000 diabetics suffer enough from their first illness alone, and 3,500 more cases of cancer per year won't make much difference. But it's also a fact that the insulin medications now suspected of causing cancer are prescribed by doctors.

Cocoa tastes good and is healthy. A nice claim, to begin with

Cocoa tastes good and is healthy. A nice claim, to begin with.
Well, there's no accounting for taste; some like it, some don't.

But cocoa is definitely healthy. The active ingredient flavonol, contained in cocoa, protects against arteriosclerosis. Flavonol binds reactive, cell-damaging substances, the free radicals. Flavonoids are even said to be able to repair blood vessels to a certain extent. 

Anyone who thinks consuming cocoa in large quantities is good should note that everything in moderation is ok; excessive consumption of anything never helps. It's actually harmful. It just depends on the amount. But a nice cup of hot, real cocoa, perhaps with a bit of milk, instead of the usual coffee, is good for your health.

18 or 80 ?

How old am I actually? The question is, which age am I referring to? The one on my birth certificate? The one others think of me? Or when I look at myself in the mirror. It makes a big difference whether this happens in the morning or evening. 

If I feel balanced and content today, I'll appear younger in times of stress and worry. As an introduction to the broad and exciting topic of age, here's a link for a so-called Methuselah check. It provides insight, but shouldn't be taken too seriously. It's certainly good and helpful for shedding light on certain factors, and it's certainly thought-provoking. Because age, how old we feel, always depends on external factors and our attitude towards age. 

There should actually be a link to the check here. But these days, almost every test of this kind involves registration, consent to data collection, use of a camera, etc. I'll spare you that. Instead, I suggest that you are as old as you feel!

Bloody nose

You can quickly get a "bloody nose." Mainly in a figurative sense, since most of us don't usually step into a real boxing ring. But everyday life is often hurtful enough that some people might wish to risk a bloody nose in personal situations rather than everything else that can happen to them.  

What hurts much more is a blow to the soul. When we are hurt emotionally, the pain is often greater and more dramatic than a real punch in the ribs. So it makes perfect sense to study more than just pure self-defence. The psyche must be trained and strong enough. The solution is courage.

Garden Time

Garden Time

When we no longer have a connection to our food, we only buy it pre-packaged and pre-cooked from the supermarket, and when the pizza delivery man delivers his food to the door of the overweight TV watcher...

Are you surprised that people are mutating and developing allergies, suffering from self-inflicted illnesses, and our society is becoming physically and mentally impoverished? Those who know the value of home-grown tomatoes can consider themselves lucky. Those who don't can start their garden, even in the smallest space, like a balcony, you can make a difference to your food supply. And you become more active.