100 Excellent Art Therapy Exercises for Your Mind, Body, and Soul January 9th, 2011 Pablo Picasso once said, "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." It's no surprise, then, that many people around the world use art as a means to deal with stress, trauma and unhappiness – or to just find greater peace and meaning in their lives. Emotions Deal with emotions like anger and sadness through these helpful exercises. Draw or paint your emotions. Relaxation Art therapy can be a great way to relax. Paint to music. Happiness Art can not only help you deal with the bad stuff, but also help you appreciate and focus on the good. Draw your vision of a perfect day. Portraits Often, a great way to get to know yourself and your relationships with others is through portraits. Create a future self-portrait. Trauma and Unhappiness These activities will ask you to face some unpleasant aspects of life, but with the goal of overcoming them. Draw a place where you feel safe. Collaging Create a motivational collage. Self Draw images of your good traits. Gratitude
brushpaintings.com A Painting Lesson Are you ready to do your own Chinese brush painting? Good! If you are not sure about what you'll need go to Materials and learn about the Four Treasures of Chinese painting. Today we will do a painting of a bamboo. Practicing Separate Elements Start by practicing the stems of the bamboo. Now fill in the bamboo nodes. Next practice painting a page of small branches. Start a new sheet of paper to practice the leaves. Now practice grouping the leaves in patterns of twos, threes and fours. Putting It All Together You are now ready to combine all the elements you've practiced into a finished painting. Now add the nodes in between each of the segments. Add a few branches. Add a group of leaves to the bottom branches. Finally add two more clusters of leaves to the upper branches. Your painting is now complete. If you have a chop (a stamp with your name carved onto it) you can add it alongside the painting.
I Ching The I Ching, also known as the Classic of Changes, Book of Changes, Zhouyi and Yijing, is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts.[1] The book contains a divination system comparable to Western geomancy or the West African Ifá system; in Western cultures and modern East Asia, it is still widely used for this purpose. Traditionally, the I Ching and its hexagrams were thought to pre-date recorded history,[2] and based on traditional Chinese accounts, its origins trace back to the 3rd and 2nd millennia BCE.[3] Modern scholarship suggests that the earliest layers of the text may date from the end of the 2nd millennium BCE, but place doubts on the mythological aspects in the traditional accounts.[4] Some consider the I Ching the oldest extant book of divination, dating from 1,000 BCE and before.[5] The oldest manuscript that has been found, albeit incomplete, dates back to the Warring States period (475–221 BCE).[6] History[edit] Traditional view[edit] Modernist view[edit] Structure[edit]
The T’ai Chi Symbol Which Way Up should the T’ai Chi go ? by Mark Shackelford, author of Software for Feng Shui This is the famous T’ai Chi symbol, representing many of the basic ideas of Taoist philosophy, some of which are outlined below. However, one question that often arises is "Which way should one draw the T’ai Chi?". Taking a look at the wide range of books, magazines, internet sites and other publications, one soon finds a whole host of different orientations of the T’ai Chi, such as those shown here: So, which is the correct one ? Yin and Yang Yin is the dark, cold, female, introvert, passive side of life, shown as the Black area. Yang is the light, warm, male, extrovert, active aspect, shown as the White area. The T’ai Chi symbol means that everything in the Universe (the "Ten Thousand Things" of the Tao Te Ching) contains both light and dark, good and evil. The Cycles of Life The Seasons In the T’ai Chi symbol, the seasons are mapped to the appropriate areas of Yin and Yang: The T’ai Chi Orientation
I Ching, the Book of Changes - Yi Jing This famous system of 64 hexagrams plus their commentaries and transformations is at the root of Chinese thought. Tr. Wilhelm (en, fr). Extracts from the Wilhelm's I-Ching translation's introductory : « The Book of Changes – I Ching in Chinese – is unquestionably one of the most important books in the world's literature. Its origin goes back to mythical antiquity, and it has occupied the attention of the most eminent scholars of China down to the present day [i. e. around 1920]. « In the course of time, owing to the great repute for wisdom attaching to the Book of Changes, a large body of occult doctrines extraneous to it – some of them possibly not even Chinese in origin – have come to be connected with its teachings. « At the outset, the Book of Changes was a collection of linear signs to be used as oracles. , and “No” by a broken line . « These eight trigrams were conceived as images of all that happens in heaven and on earth. « These eight images came to have manifold meanings. Bye
Integrating the 16 Habits of Mind In outcomes-based learning environments, we generally see three elements in play: 1) learning objectives or targets are created from given standards; 2) instruction of some kind is given; and then 3) learning results are assessed. These assessments offer data to inform the revision of further planned instruction. Rinse and repeat. But lost in this clinical sequence are the Habits of Mind that (often predictably) lead to success or failure in the mastery of given standards. Below are all 16 Habits of Mind, each with a tip, strategy or resource to understand and begin implementation in your classroom. The habits themselves aren't new at all, and significant work has already been done in the areas of these "thinking habits." And a renewed urgency for their integration. The Habits of Mind by Art Costa and Bena Kallick don't simply represent fragments of practice to "add on" to what you already do, but rather new ways to think about how people learn. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.
Tai Chi Health Benefits, Styles, Videos, Classes, History and Origin on MedicineNet.com Introduction to tai chi When the Western world thinks of "martial arts," it inevitably thinks of kicking, punching, fighting, and body contact. Not slow, rhythmic, and meditative body movements designed to enhance relaxation, inner calm, and peace. But that's what the martial art of tai chi is all about: slow, rhythmic, meditative movements designed to help you find peace and calm. In this article, we will cover the history, philosophy, and benefits of tai chi, as well as how and where to get started, and more. What is tai chi, and where does it come from? Tai chi history Tai chi is a centuries-old Chinese martial art that descends from qigong, an ancient Chinese discipline that has its roots in traditional Chinese medicine. Qi In traditional Chinese medicine, human beings are considered miniature versions of the universe, and like the universe, they are thought to be made up of the constant interaction of five elements (metal, water, fire, wood, and earth). Qigong Types of tai chi
The Health Benefits of Tai Chi This gentle form of exercise can prevent or ease many ills of aging and could be the perfect activity for the rest of your life. Tai chi is often described as "meditation in motion," but it might well be called "medication in motion." There is growing evidence that this mind-body practice, which originated in China as a martial art, has value in treating or preventing many health problems. And you can get started even if you aren't in top shape or the best of health. In this low-impact, slow-motion exercise, you go without pausing through a series of motions named for animal actions — for example, "white crane spreads its wings" — or martial arts moves, such as "box both ears." As you move, you breathe deeply and naturally, focusing your attention — as in some kinds of meditation — on your bodily sensations. Tai chi in motion A tai chi class might include these parts: Warm-up. Instruction and practice of tai chi forms. Qigong (or chi kung). No pain, big gains Muscle strength. Flexibility.
Benefits of Learning Tai Chi Tai chi’s gentle, non-jarring movements support bodily functions in three basic ways: Tai chi trains the major ligaments that serve as the springs of the body. Anatomically, the human body is kept upright by ligaments, not bones, as is commonly believed. Ligaments are also critical in keeping your internal organs from impinging on each other and thereby downgrading their functions.Tai chi tones the muscles.Tai chi trains biomechanical alignments, which enables the bones and internal organs to withstand the forces of gravity that pull on all the other parts of your anatomy attached to them. The movements of tai chi continuously massage your internal organs, including lungs, heart, liver kidneys and spleen. Taking care of your internal organs is important because your life and health depend on them. In tai chi, stretching occurs by gently letting go of the tension in your muscles, rather than by pushing or forcing muscle fibers to stretch. Most people ignore their breath.
Tai chi: Discover the many possible health benefits - MayoClinic.com Tai chi: A gentle way to fight stress Tai chi helps reduce stress and anxiety. And it also helps increase flexibility and balance. By Mayo Clinic Staff If you're looking for a way to reduce stress, consider tai chi (TIE-CHEE). Originally developed for self-defense, tai chi has evolved into a graceful form of exercise that's now used for stress reduction and a variety of other health conditions. What is tai chi? Tai chi is an ancient Chinese tradition that, today, is practiced as a graceful form of exercise. Tai chi, also called tai chi chuan, is a noncompetitive, self-paced system of gentle physical exercise and stretching. Tai chi has many different styles. Who can do tai chi Tai chi is low impact and puts minimal stress on muscles and joints, making it generally safe for all ages and fitness levels. You may also find tai chi appealing because it's inexpensive, requires no special equipment and can be done indoors or out, either alone or in a group. NextSep. 28, 2012 References Seaward BL.
50 Life Secrets and Tips Memorize something everyday.Not only will this leave your brain sharp and your memory functioning, you will also have a huge library of quotes to bust out at any moment. Poetry, sayings and philosophies are your best options.Constantly try to reduce your attachment to possessions.Those who are heavy-set with material desires will have a lot of trouble when their things are taken away from them or lost. Possessions do end up owning you, not the other way around. Read “Zen and the Art of Happiness” by Chris Prentiss.This book will give you the knowledge and instruction to be happy at all times regardless of the circumstances.