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Picnic dinner out by the pikake and okra bush is different!

4/30/2020

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Grandkids still have FUN
in spite of the inconvenience of finding something else to do while at Popo's.

As you can see, way out at sea, there is a freighter
heading to Honolulu Harbor,,,
keeping us well stocked with all our necessary supplies
while Hawaii is still sheltering in place.
Tomorrow marks lucy's 49 day of stay at home ...
as Friday, March 13 was our last ta chi class held at Kilauea District park.

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and here I thought I was busy in the kitchen... BUT take a look at this clip!

4/30/2020

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This is a great example of great beautiful cook in China
with a great photgrapher
and someone great in editing skills!
All the greatness I wouldn't mind having!!

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Da bes' time of the day is lunch time for me! A private celebration bc Oahu had NO new COVID-19 cases today!

4/30/2020

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3 different "dishes" folded into 1 in order to capitalize on the combined flavors including the homemade dill vinaigrette. ALL vegan with a trace of fat or oil.

Our NEW norm is not so bad after all!

Why is lunch time the most enjoyable time for me?
bc, I have accomplished the most by this time:
1. Pau with walk in neighborhood (45 minutes)
2. Pau with tai chi with ken (45 minutes)
3. Pau with kitchen cooking and washing vegetable harvest for the day (3-4 hours)
Now at mid day I have these other activities that round out my day:
4. I can now catch up with COVID-19 news & email
5. Edit and keep up to date
with my submission dead line for Olelo television projects
6. Learn something new online such as Zhang Zhuang meditation
7. Do some light exercise such as tai chi warm ups
as well as Luk Tung Kuen in the early evening
8. Have a light dinner
9. and MAYBE our grandchildren will come visit us and talk story
& have after dinner snacks with Popo & Gungie, curbside!

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Sheltering in place + no tai chi classes to teach give me more time in the kitchen = FUN

4/30/2020

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Black bean pumpkin or dau see kabocha
topped with oyster sauce green beans and okra

A Lei of Aloha
Sticky brown rice
with Hokkaido red beans, black eye peas and mung beans
flavored with turmeric ginger garlic,
five spice, hoisin and char siu sauce
with a halo of garden greens

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10 Essentials of Tai Chi explained by Master Yang Jun

4/29/2020

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Playing tai chi during physical distancing can be healthy

4/29/2020

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https://www.healthfitnessrevolution.com/reasons-tai-chi/?fbclid=IwAR3YQhsRt4Uf_NjhXk8Uo6JNyGVC7pesrxU5chKvDS2rYS5RiXMY5kbFsQQ

Reasons You Should Be Doing Tai Chi while Social DistancingApril 26, 2020
The Tai Chi movements can be loosely described as shadow boxing or ‘shadow kung fu’ in slow motion. Regular practice can increase flexibility and strength, and improve cardiovascular fitness. The emphasis on correct posture means that Tai Chi can instil a greater awareness of the body and how it moves through space. Tai Chi is also prized as a form of meditation (which we recommend while social distancing at home too!). By focusing exclusively on performing the body movements with grace and poise, the mind achieves a calm, empty clarity. It is also amazing to note that no equipment is needed for Tai Chi and it can be practiced anywhere, especially outside in nature or while social distancing at home due to COVID!
Here are ways Tai Chi is good for your health:

Anxiety: because Tai Chi is essentially meditation in motion, it promotes serenity through gentle, flowing movements. Not only will the physical exercise boost your happy hormones endorphins, but the calming motions and deep breaths greatly reduce anxiety.

Arthritis: The movements of Tai Chi keep the body fresh and allow the person to find a freer range of motion in the joints, greater flexibility, better balance- all of which help with the symptoms of arthritis.

Balance and coordination: Tai Chi involves exercises that focus on postural orientation (positioning the trunk and head in alignment to each other as well as to the ground and to the visual field) and postural equilibrium (coordinating movement strategies to center and stabilize the body) both of which have been proven to improve balance and coordination.

Fatigue: Tai Chi focuses on controlled motion and breath, which puts your mind and body into a relaxed but energized state. After a session of Tai Chi, people feel energized and relaxed.

Joint stiffness: The gentle and flowing motions stretch muscles, ligaments, and promote the bodies natural lubrication for joint health.

Muscle tension: Because Tai Chi is both strengthening and stretching, people who practice rarely feel very sore. There will be mild soreness, which is normal- but those who practice usually feel limber and relaxed.

Poor posture: A large portion of tai chi focuses on slow and controlled movement that are meant to be perfected. Tai Chi is about correct form, even in the transitions. Because of this, many people note an improvement in posture after a few sessions.

Stress: Tai Chi encourages one to look within and harness energy. It is a constant ebb and flow of both motion and controlled breathing, which calms participants. It is nearly impossible to be stressed after a session of Tai Chi!

Tai Chi can be safely practiced in the safety of your home during the COVID pandemicTai chi for medical conditions (Information from Harvard School of Public Health)When combined with standard treatment, Tai Chi appears to be helpful for several medical conditions. For example:
Arthritis. In a 40-person study at Tufts University, presented in October 2008 at a meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, an hour of TaiChi twice a week for 12 weeks reduced pain and improved mood and physical functioning more than standard stretching exercises in people with severe knee osteoarthritis. According to a Korean study published in December 2008 in Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, eight weeks of Tai Chi classes followed by eight weeks of home practice significantly improved flexibility and slowed the disease process in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, a painful and debilitating inflammatory form of arthritis that affects the spine.
Low bone density. A review of six controlled studies by Dr. Wayne and other Harvard researchers indicates that Tai Chi may be a safe and effective way to maintain bone density in postmenopausal women. A controlled study of Tai Chi in women with osteopenia (diminished bone density not as severe as osteoporosis) is underway at the Osher Research Center and Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Breast cancer. Tai Chi has shown potential for improving quality of life and functional capacity (the physical ability to carry out normal daily activities, such as work or exercise) in women suffering from breast cancer or the side effects of breast cancer treatment. For example, a 2008 study at the University of Rochester, published in Medicine and Sport Science, found that quality of life and functional capacity (including aerobic capacity, muscular strength, and flexibility) improved in women with breast cancer who did 12 weeks of TaiChi, while declining in a control group that received only supportive therapy.
Heart disease. A 53-person study at National Taiwan University found that a year of Tai Chi significantly boosted exercise capacity, lowered blood pressure, and improved levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, and C-reactive protein in people at high risk for heart disease. The study, which was published in the September 2008 Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, found no improvement in a control group that did not practice Tai Chi.
Heart failure. In a 30-person pilot study at Harvard Medical School, 12 weeks of practice improved participants’ ability to walk and quality of life. It also reduced blood levels of B-type natriuretic protein, an indicator of heart failure. A 150 patient-controlled trial is underway.
Hypertension. In a review of 26 studies in English or Chinese published in Preventive Cardiology (Spring 2008), Dr. Yeh reported that in 85% of trials, Tai Chi lowered blood pressure — with improvements ranging from 3 to 32 mm Hg in systolic pressure and from 2 to 18 mm Hg in diastolic pressure.
Parkinson’s disease. A 33-person pilot study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, published in Gait and Posture (October 2008), found that people with mild to moderately severe Parkinson’s disease showed improved balance, walking ability, and overall well-being after 20 sessions.
Sleep problems. In a University of California, Los Angeles study of 112 healthy older adults with moderate sleep complaints, 16 weeks of Tai Chi improved the quality and duration of sleep significantly more than standard sleep education. The study was published in the July 2008 issue of the journal Sleep.
Stroke. In 136 patients who’d had a stroke at least six months earlier, 12 weeks of Tai Chi improved standing balance more than a general exercise program that entailed breathing, stretching, and mobilizing muscles and joints involved in sitting and walking. Findings were published in the January 2009 issue of Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair.

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Lucy's Favorite Bookmark: Health & Healing Benefits of Tai Chi

4/28/2020

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Asia’s centuries-old healing technique
It’s early morning in Hong Kong. As the roar of traffic and rush of the commute begin, the city moves to its usual pulsing rhythm. But in the heart of one of the most hectic urban jungles on Earth is an unlikely garden of calm and healing – a little oasis where the pace is decidedly slower.
Located in Hong Kong Park, a lush green space in the centre of the city, is a dedicated tai chi garden. Designed with a courtyard for practicing, and decorated with bonsai trees, it has a serene quality that comes as a pleasant surprise in an area otherwise dominated by skyscrapers and the rush of city life. The garden is used frequently, if not daily, as locals gather in parks like this across the city, mostly in the morning, to practice the centuries-old martial art.

Hong Kong Park is a lush green space in the centre of the city (Credit: SeanPavonePhoto/Getty Images)It’s here under the early morning light that a group of tai chi students, led by their teacher, Master Chow, are using the garden as their classroom. They run through what’s known in tai chi as a “form” – a sequence of fluid moves.
To an observer, the movements appear effortless. The students glide and flow seamlessly from one move to the next, exuding a calmness that’s far removed from the bustling streets nearby. Passers-by stop and watch, momentarily soothed by the movements that, although gentle, cut a powerful presence.
“People think that tai chi is just soft. But it’s all things – gentle, explosive, delicate, calm and full of wisdom,” said Chow. “There are 1,000 words to define it, but there are no words to fully describe it.”
Tai chi is a type of ancient Chinese martial art that is widely believed to have originated more than 400 years ago during the Ming dynasty. Chen Wangting (1600-1680), a local military commander from the Chenjiagou village in Henan Province, has historically been recognised as the first person to create and practice tai chi. After retiring from the army, Wangting created tai chi as a fighting art to protect his family against thieves and bandits. He integrated the skills of different martial art styles with elements of the Taoist yin-yang philosophy – the idea that everything consists of two opposing forces that harmonise with each other to create a whole – as well as theories drawn from Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Hong Kong Park has a dedicated tai chi garden for practicing the centuries-old martial art (Credit: Matthew Keegan)Nowadays, tai chi is mainly practiced as a low-to moderate-intensity exercise combined with meditation, body awareness, imagery and controlled breathing. Its main objective is to achieve longevity through mind and body conditioning.
Tai chi maintains cardiorespiratory function, muscular fitness and joint flexibility The ancient practice is immensely popular throughout China, but it is particularly beloved in Hong Kong for its ability to relieve stress and improve health. With famously small living spaces in Hong Kong, going to the city’s parks or tai chi gardens is a good way to be out in the open while getting some exercise. Hong Kong also has a rapidly ageing population – about one third of its population will be aged 65 or above by 2038 – and the city’s elderly citizens are encouraged by the government to attend classes in the morning, which are often followed by tea and dim sum with their teacher and classmates. Not only do tai chi classes promote healthy movement, but they provide the elderly with a social community and combat isolation.
Some experts point to the health benefits of tai chi as a reason lifespan has increased in Hong Kong over the last 50 years. Hong Kong has the highest life expectancy in the world. Women in the city live, on average, to 87.6 years of age and men to 81.9, beating such places as Japan and Italy, which are renowned for their longevity. “Prior study has indicated that this longevity increase is associated with the more active lifestyle of the elderly today,” said Aileen Chan, professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, whose research expertise is tai chi. “Tai chi maintains cardiorespiratory function, muscular fitness and joint flexibility. To promote a longer life, it is recommended to practice tai chi regularly for at least 30 minutes a day and at least five times a week, preferably every day.”
Chow is the founder of the Chen Style Tai Chi Institute in Hong Kong where he has taught more than 3,000 local and international students over a period of 19 years. Born into a martial arts family, Chow was inspired by his father, a kung fu master, who he describes as a humble man with great power and strength but who never showed off.

Hong Kong’s elderly citizens are encouraged by the government to attend morning tai chi classes (Credit: Marc Bruxelle/Alamy)“When I was 16 years old, I knew the power of tai chi from books and I was amazed by its philosophy,” said Chow. “So, I decided to take classes, and this is how I started my tai chi journey.”
Chow was fortunate to learn the Chen-style of tai chi – the original form of tai chi – at its birthplace in Henan province, in mainland China. (There are four other traditional styles: Yang, Wu, Wu Hao and Sun; each have different movements and can look very different from one another.) After a few years of observation and training, the Chen family accepted him to be an inheritor, meaning that he could officially teach as a master of Chen-style in Hong Kong.
Mentally, it has taught me how to think and how to control my emotions Chow enjoys tai chi for both its physical and mental benefits. “Mentally, tai chi is an ancient Chinese method which is a natural and unique way to help relieve stress and soothe our soul,” he said. “Physically, it helps build joint movement in the knees and back, improves balance and fall prevention, adds muscle strength and flexibility and training coordination.” That’s because the movements are usually circular and never forced, the muscles are relaxed rather than tensed, the joints are not fully extended or bent, and connective tissues are not stretched. Chow says he has experienced the health benefits himself.
“When I was a child, I always used to have a fever and coughing,” he said. “But as I grew up and started to practice tai chi, year by year, my health changed, and it has made me very strong now. Mentally, also, it has taught me how to think and how to control my emotions.”

Tai chi is particularly beloved in Hong Kong for its ability to relieve stress and improve health (Credit: TwilightShow/Getty Images)Chow firmly believes that tai chi can be self-healing. “It can help people a lot, especially in a busy city like Hong Kong,” he said. “It can bring peace of mind and soothe the soul. This is very important.”
And as Chow wraps up leading his students through a series of movements in the Tai Chi Garden – among them signature movements like “Buddha pestle” (a punching movement) and “white goose spreading wings” (an advance-and-retreat movement, just like a goose when it opens its wings and jumps very fast suddenly) – it’s certainly soothing to observe. But there’s more to it than one might first assume.
Our coverage during coronavirus
While travelling is on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak, BBC Travel will continue to inform and inspire our readers who want to learn about the world as much as they want to travel there, offering stories that celebrate the people, places and cultures that make this world so wonderfully diverse and amazing.
For travel information and stories specifically related to coronavirus, please read the latest updates from our colleagues at BBC News.The learning process for Chen-style tai chi is split into 15 levels. Level one involves learning 74 movements as a sequence, which is called a “form”. “When you finish level one, we use the same form (74 movements) in the other 14 levels, but you go deeper and you learn the internal power in the other levels,” said Chow.
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Going deeper involves more than just correctly learning the movements, but ensuring that both the external movements and the internal part, the Qi (energy), are moving together as yin and yang. By stimulating the internal energy (Qi) flow it helps to recharge the body and helps to detoxify.
“Tai chi exercise involves the recognition, development, and use of Qi, which refers to the energy in the body,” explained Professor Chan. “Based on theoretical principles that are inherent to traditional Chinese medicine, Qi is the fundamental energy that sustains life and flows in the body along channels called meridians and collaterals, which enhance the integration of all organ systems and tissues, and promote good health and longevity.”

Linda Fung practices tai chi every morning to achieve a balance in her life (Credit: Matthew Keegan)Chow explains how he uses Qi in his own practice. “At the end of each movement in tai chi, we hold the posture until the Qi energy goes down and back to the earth. We call this state ‘Yin’,” said Chow. “Then you can start the next movement and take the Qi from the earth again with breathing to guide the energy to rotate and circulate inside your body. We call this state ‘Yang’. So, the entire sequence of 74 movements contains rhythm and changing of the speed. Alternately yin and yang. This is the meaning of tai chi.”
The meaning of tai chi is something that fellow Hong Kong-based tai chi teacher, Linda Fung, wishes more people better understood.
“We often misunderstand tai chi,” said Fung. “When we say tai chi, people tend to think it’s just moving your arms and legs and doing some movement exercise, but tai chi moves are part of a subset of tai chi philosophy.”
Fung, who practices and teaches the Li-style of tai chi, says that tai chi is more than just the physical movements, it’s a way of life. It encompasses arts, music, lifestyle, she said, and you have to understand the yin and yang that is the core of tai chi.
“In tai chi it’s the interconnection between the yin, which is the body, and yang, which is our mind,” said Fung. “So it’s always the mind and body moving and working together."

The main objective of practicing tai chi is to achieve longevity through mind and body conditioning (Credit: Matthew Keegan)At an 11th-floor yoga studio – a sanctuary of calm overlooking Hong Kong’s dizzying central business district – Fung guides her students through a beginners’ class. Trained as a ballet dancer at the Royal Ballet School in London and later at the Julliard School in New York, she exudes a natural grace that embodies all her movements.
In addition to teaching classes, Fung practices tai chi herself every morning, often outdoors, and says it helps her to achieve a balance in her life.
“In tai chi you slow down your movement, but yet you’re still breathing in certain patterns and so it is movement meditation,” said Fung. “With that level of focus, time just disappears, it’s like there is no time. It’s a great feeling.”
The ability to be able to slow down and to have clarity and awareness even when things are in crisis, is, for Fung, one of the best health benefits of tai chi. “With tai chi practice, even when situations are out of hand, you can still retain a calmness like an eye of the storm. That is the core of tai chi: it’s about harmony.”
And Fung believes that tai chi is a treasure trove of good stuff that has never been more needed in the world. “We have to share it with everyone, particularly now, in the 21st Century, where there are so many ways that we are distracted with problems and even illnesses. Tai chi is really very important for people, to give us a chance for happiness, wisdom and health.”
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Mustard cabbage seaweed long rice soup

4/28/2020

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A Mix Plate of Family Activities During Physical Distancing

4/28/2020

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What a topsy turvy existence!!

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A bouquet of garden greens...

4/28/2020

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Eating plant base gives rich vibrant colors to our lunch.

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Weekend family activities during Hawaii's sheltering in place

4/27/2020

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Ken, the gardener prunes his trees, BUT today he trims...

4/27/2020

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Lucy is so grateful to ken who styled her hair after 7 weeks
during our sheltering in place that grew into a wild bush!

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Fishing for ken is semi restricted in Hawaii beaches but that doesn't stop him from cooking FISH!

4/26/2020

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Mahalo to our personal shoppers, we can dress up our vegetarian meals!

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Our weekend treat to "play" from afar with our youngest grandchild

4/26/2020

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Getting use to not touching and keeping physical distancing, a necessary MUST...

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I think we'll survive ?

4/26/2020

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Ken continues to think of how he can improve his garden,
since we've done so well not going out to grocery shop...
but he does need to get garden supplies such as potting soil!
I stand corrected!
Ken does NOT use potting soil!
He needs horticultural oil, manure, vermiculite, sponge rock, and more pots!!
BTW Ken doesn't know all the things I BLOG about!