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The Tao of Blue Collar Zen

“Be Strong to Serve”

The above quote is a take off from George Hebert’s “Be Strong to Be Useful” , and Gandhi’s, “man acts as a guardian of his body. It becomes his duty to take such care of his body as to enable it to practice the idea of serving to the best of its ability.” , which epitomizes the philosophy of Blue Collar Zen. We live in a time of body-mind-spirit struggling. ”Madison Avenue” chants a never ending mantra equating to external pleasure gratification and material possessions being the keys to happiness and a satisfying identity. We all know better, so I must beg to differ. A cultivated state of body, mind, heart & soul wellness is where true joy and happiness is rooted. Having your life efforts realize their potential, thus allowing for your optimal contribution to life, satisfies one to the soul. To accomplish this, a fortification process from the ground up must be implemented. A strong body, full of vitality and able to perform creates improved mental clarity and endurance, emotional patience and empathy, and prepares us for the natural process and objective to continually evolve spiritually throughout our life. This is the purpose of the Blue Collar Zen lifestyle and philosophy.

The Blue Collar Zen lifestyle is a means of managing and making adjustments as needed to the elemental pillars of our physical existence:

• Air - Controlled full breathing through sitting or moving meditation exercises stimulates the body from the internal organs out acting as a tonic and metabolic accelerator .
• Food - Your performance quality and quantity is predicated by your what you eat!
• Water - Activity/weather adjusted hydration with clean water for maximum energy, detoxifying and recovery is irreplaceable.
• Physical Activity - We’re animals designed to move and move we must to maintain our physical performance ability.
• Energy management - This is the X factor of performance and wellness. Energy renewal is not automatic. Each of our lives are unique and must be managed accordingly to ensure maximum energy regeneration.
• Stress management - Physical, mental, emotional, and environmental stress must be recognized and managed, stress kills!

Blue Collar Zen coaching is a means of guidance, motivation, support and accountability to make the changes needed to optimize your lifestyle for health, performance and enlightenment.

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The Original Peaceful Warrior - The Ultimate Warrior

Morehei Ueshiba

A true warrior is always armed with the three things: the radiant sword of pacification; the mirror of bravery, wisdom, and friendship; and the precious jewel of enlightenment.

Morihei Ueshiba was the founder of Aikido, which can be translated as “The Art of Peace.” Morihei Ueshiba is referred to by the practitioners of Aikido as O-Sensei, “The Great Teacher”. He is the epitome of a true martial arts philosophy. I was blessed to be introduced to his wisdom during a period of my life where there were choices of extreme contrast to be made that would define my legacy. I had an innate sense of the love he embodied, and promoted, yet I was without the means, or courage to apply it . Once “The Great Teacher ” came into my life I had just enough support to summon that, previously, undeveloped courage and made a habit of making choices that supported peace, love, and humanity.  Aikido is a supreme example of applied physical culture in pursuit of self realization, and servitude of humanity.

Aikido is a martial art founded by Morihei Ueshiba that emphasizes harmonizing with an attacker. Aikido is practiced by young and old, holds no competitions, and can be incorporated into your daily life. Morihei Ueshiba had clear views on how aikido should be practiced; on other subjects O-Sensei was more subtle and there is a strong tradition of aikido philosophy.

Morihei Ueshiba was the founder of Aikido, which can be translated as “The Art of Peace.” Morihei Ueshiba is referred to by the practitioners of Aikido as O-Sensei, “The Great Teacher”. The following quotations from the Art of Peace have been compiled from O-Sensei’s collected talks, poems, and calligraphy, and from oral tradition.  http://www.jinshinkan.searaven.org/

Blue Collar Zen refers to energy as the barometer of health and performance ability. I was introduced to Ki, sometimes known as Chi, or Qi, as a teenager. Its definintion can be elusive to the western perspective. It could be said it is the synergistic force of your integrated body, mind, spirit cultivation. The cultivation of Ki for the sake of benovolence, and harmony is the goal of martial arts, far from the, at times, percieved, mystical super hero. The following is a very good explanation of Ki:

Balanced Practice of Body, Mind and Ki

By Rod Kobayashi

We must emphasize a balanced training of mind, body and ki. Always remember that the right attitude towards life leads to efficiency and harmony. One-sided training will create a lopsided person.

Training the mind alone disassociates the mind from the body; the mind will be calm, but the body will be empty. The techniques might look smooth and beautiful, but will be ineffective and unrealistic for self-defense.

Over-emphasis on physical training may also lead to embarrassing and dangerous situations. We have physical limits and there will always be someone stronger or faster. Relying on physical strength can lead to dependence on brute force. Using excessive force to control others could injure them when successful and yourself when unsuccessful. Finally, there is always a tendency for collision when physical strength is not controlled.

Developing your ki or “inner force” is very important. However, we must be very careful about the proper use of ki. Merely training to develop strong ki can lead to haughtiness, and eventually, that person will encounter someone who controls his/her ki more efficiently. Over-exerting your ki can be dangerous to your health. Ki is your life force, and you need it to sustain your life. Needlessly extending your ki can lower your immunity against sickness. With proper training, one learns that very little ki is needed to harmonize with and control an attacker. O-Sensei emphasized ki no myoyo o tadashiku ”the proper usage of the mysterious power of ki”.

Use your ki in moderation and use it to bind your mind and body together for a harmonious way of life. Training the mind, body and ki simultaneously to harmonize with the ki of the universe is the true path of aiki.

Power Meditation

For Performance, Health, and Stress Reduction

Meditation has been scientifically proven to provide many physiological, mental, and emotional benefits. Many athletes, corporate executives, entertainers understand the benefits and employ them as an integral part of there lifestyle as well as a tool to prepare them for their performances. For athletes, corporate executives and entertainers their performances are their livelihood and the quality of each performance impacts their value, thus allowing them to keep their positions in these highly competitive fields. Today I am going to introduce you to a very easy meditation application that will help you whenever you need a break to increase your energy, clear your mind, or reinvigorate your mental focus.

Power meditation is much different than a power nap. A nap by definition is sleeping for a short period of time. A power nap is a 20-30 minute nap that purposely falls short of attaining deep or slow-wave sleep. Getting to a place where one can sleep, power napping, and getting back to your days work is not logistically possible for most. Compound that without being able to close off your mind, little emotional rebalancing, mental clarity, physical energy is going to be gained and you have the reason for its lack of popularity. Where the power is derived from a “power nap” is evading my understanding and imagination completely. The term “Power Nap” is arguably an oxymoron. 5 - 20 minutes of “Power Meditation” on the other hand, with a focus and technique on breathing and clearing the mind produces a noticeable calm and increased energy state. I state my case!

Studies have found a direct correlation between meditation and the performance level of sports professionals. Meditation strengthens the mind as it comes under control, providing an enabling of effective guidance to the physical body (including the brain) to proficiently executes desired efforts. Meditation has many health benefits. The deep, rhythmic breathing techniques of meditation increases circulation allowing cells to receive oxygen and other nutrients in great quantity. In recent years meditation has been implemented in the management of many life threatening diseases and psychological disorders.

Benefits of meditation:

• The lowering of oxygen consumption
• The decreasing of respiratory rate
• The increasing of blood flow and slowing of the heart rate
• Increases exercise tolerance in heart patients.
• Leads to deeper levels of relaxation
• The lowering of high blood pressure
• Reduces anxiety attacks by reducing levels of blood lactate
• Decreases muscle tension, pain due to tension, and headaches
• It increases mood and behavior influencing serotonin production, in which low levels are associated with depression, obesity, insomnia, and headaches
• Helps in chronic diseases like arthritis, allergies, etc.
• Reduces Pre-menstrual Syndrome
• Helps accelerate post-Operative recovery and healing
• Reduces the activity of viruses and emotional stress
• Enhances the immune system

Power Meditation Technique:

• Turn off your phone ringer.
• Find a quiet place or lock the door and put on some soothing music.
• Set your watch or phone to your desired time of meditation.
• Find a comfortable place to park your body. Whether that be sitting upright in a chair, in a recliner, lying on your back with knees bent, or sitting on a matt in the lotus, ½ lotus or seiza position.
• Take a couple of deep breaths to open up your lungs and clear them out.
• Take a minute to consciously relax, find a comfortable posture
• To start, close your eyes and focus on breathing relaxed full breaths. Breathe in and out through your nose at the same pace.
• Focus your hearing to the music or peaceful silence while you concentrate on your full, relaxed rhythmic breathing.
• Keep your attention on your breathing, feel the inhale and exhale. Withdraw your attention from the past, future or responsibilities at hand and focus on deeper immersion in the feelings of your breathing.
• If you find yourself distracted with thoughts, gently bring yourself back to the feeling of your breathing. Allow the thoughts to pass by as they come. Don’t try to hard, just do your best to return to your breathing and allow any thoughts to exit.
• Don’t worry if you find yourself thinking a lot. This is normal. Over time, you will gain the ability to quiet yourself more and more. Like anything else, it just takes practice.
• If you experience some physical discomfort during the meditation, make the necessary adjustments to bring yourself back to the comfort zone. The adjustments might be very subtle muscular, skeletal, or attitudinal shifts. Just do your best to relax and remain as still as possible during your meditation.
• Whether you perform 5 minute meditations when needed or use a scheduled time in your day, you will feel the relaxing, energizing effects of taking a break from the world and breathing therapeutically.

Your performance in life is how you are judged, both by yourself and others. Take charge of your own performance potential by maintaining peak performance ability. Energy management is a must in todays over the top, busy world. Meditation, combined with daily management of your nutrition, hydration, physical activity and sleep will help you obtain your optimal performance in life.

If you need help getting started in applying meditation into your lifestyle please consider Blue Collar Zen Wellness Coaching.

Namaste.

Greg Alario

Blue Collar Zen Master

Blue Collar Zen Wellness Coaching

Artistry, Mindfulness, Origional Expression & Women

Is it their talent and sensuous, creative efforts that pleases and stimulates our senses, bringing us a level of external joy, that has led cultures throughout time to honor, respect, and admire artistry? Or is there more to it? Could the mindful, arousing, original expression of true art resonate within us and create a brief glimpse of true living, and the joy and bliss that accompanies it. Is it the purity and satisfaction of mindful action  that artists emote in their work be the true source of our infatuation, and desire to emulate them? 

Mindful expression is available in all the actions of life. Physical culture, work, sex, cooking, etc., can all be expressed with artistry. Anything we do can be done meditatively, with total, integrated focus on the moment, and action or thought at hand. We all have moments of being “On”, or in “The Zone.” Being able to call on this state on demand, though, comes less easily. To have this ability on hand takes a little consistent discipline to develop. It is not difficult, but it takes time. Meditation is a very useful tool in learning to control the mind and access our true self.

Viva Degas 

In recognition of Women’s history month, as well as providing an  example of artistry, mindfulness, and original expression,  I felt Edgar Degas’ work would fit nicely.  He not only poignantly captured the romance of the ballet, he also expresses his deep fondness and appreciation of the female form, mystique, energy, and grace in the following pieces.

The many components of the art of mindful living will be explored indeptly In future posts and, “BLue Collar Zen  Holistic anti-aging, optimal performance, and contentment through physical culture and self realization.” Until then think about it and enjoy the supreme efforts of Edgar Degas.

You Are What You Eat

It is irrefutable that 99.9% of men and women in the world eat merely to please the palate.  - Gandhi

There is nothing wrong with wanting to look good. It is human nature to want to look our best and if passing by the mirror after getting out of the shower doesn’t elicit a, “That’s what I’m talking about ” response to your reflection, the culprit is, for the most part, your diet, it is not the mirror. What you see is what you have earned. You are what you eat. That is the absolute bottom line. To look and feel your best your must have diet habits that fit your needs. The undeniable fact is that what you eat and drink is a pillar of your health and performance ability. Before you can expect results from your physical activity you need to ensure you are fueled for the performance. In referring to performance I am talking about not only game day performance but your every day performance.

The key to maintaining a base of balanced wellness is a healthy diet and adequate physical activity. Your diet gives you the fuel and your activity maintains or enhances your physical vehicle. They are inseparable. Activity without the fuel breaks down the components and/or limits your efforts. Although the main activity in my services regard varying methods and degrees of physical activity, I always emphatically place the diet as an irreplaceable, foundational component in any program whether it behealth,  fitness or competitive in it’s objective. A healthy, sufficient diet combined with daily low intensity exercise is more beneficial to wellness than moderate to high intensity exercise supported with poor nutritional habits. Bottom line is what you eat is more important than what you do physically. Ignoring a sound nutritional base is the equivalent of building a custom, million dollar home on an unstable, imbalanced foundation.

We are what we eat. As a society we are fat, lacking energy, suffer from sexually dysfunction, depression, and a plethora of degenerative diseases, and for the most part, are accepting of it. People will take a pill before taking the first step in attempting a holistic approach to self healing, by refining their diet. I don’t get it. How is it not possible for our education system to provide an applicable understanding of this? How irresponsible is it for a college course in nutrition to pass a student and not leave them with the knowledge and ability to create a personal diet plan that provides specific nutrition for optimal performance. Think about it.

As a believer in the benefits of the human potential, I promote healthy living to create a foundation of quality of life. Everything we do starts with that foundation. A healthy body leads to a healthy mind which is what’s needed as a base to realizing potential and self. Blue Collar Zen promotes physical culture as method of  creating a base for service productivity and enlightenment

Physical Culture is a philosophy, regimen, or lifestyle seeking optimal physical development through a healthy diet, mental discipline and varied means of physical activity such as martial arts, yoga, dance, weight training, aerobic activity, and athletic competition. Specific benefits include improvements in health, mental clarity and capacity, appearance, strength, endurance, flexibility, speed, and general fitness as well as greater proficiency in sport-related activities.

As you can see from the above definition the exact combination of activities you choose for your own state of physical culture is vast. You have choices to fit your specific needs, personality, climate, facility or equipment availability. Just like the wild animal, the human animal needs movement and to expend physical energy to maintain physiological and mental balance. Without that needed movement animals become lethargic, atrophied, stressed, neurotic and fat. Although there are countless recreational activities, sports and fitness approaches that will satisfy our activity needs your diet has specific volume and composition requirements  

The problem with the plethora of information and advice on physical activity and diet choices is that they much of the time contradict each other, and are simply attempting to negate the ill effects of unhealthy, degenerating life style habits instead of promoting good health.

I can guarantee if you get your food intake right every aspect of your health will improve. You will have more energy, better workouts day and night, better recovery and improved mental clarity. It astounds me that this isn’t understood and applied. Getting it close isn’t good enough. Your oxygenation, hydration and nutrition are the foundation of your health and performance ability.

Healthy Diet Guidelines

• 5-6 small to moderate complete meals per day
• Eat plenty of high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, to get 30-50 grams of fiber daily.
• Consume raw food: green, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds. Eating a salad with raw vegetables and a little bit of raw seeds or nuts with lunch and dinner is a good recommendation. Baby carrots and edamames are good snack and boxed lunch ideas.
• Cut the sugar; eat mainly complex carbs: Limit your intake of sugary foods, refined-grain products such as white bread, and salty snack foods.
• Avoid all saturated and trans fats.” Saturated and trans fat calories hurdle their way past metabolic adjustments and sit themselves in the fatty tissue of the body.
• Consume lean protein products with each meal.

Blue Collar Zen coaching is a means of guidance, motivation, support and accountability to make the changes needed to optimize your lifestyle for health, performance and enlightenment.

Energy is Life

“Your body is precious. It is your vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care” - Buddha  

Energy is life. The amount we can generate is a return on your investment into life itself. The brilliance of your energy as well as its endurance is self made. It’s a  tragedy the unrealized state of energy that most accept. As with much in life; what we know and understand through our own physical experiences is is but a fraction of what is possible. Your energy is the essence of who and what you are. If your energy is not optimized your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual efforts aren’t either. It is not about how our efforts in life compare to others but if our efforts are truly the best we are capable of. To establish optimal energy an applied system of production, maintenance and regeneration must be in place. Are you operating at your potential?

“If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” - Thomas Edison

Energy management is the most important aspect of realizing your potential in life. For most of us it is critical. If you are a saint, blue chip athlete or genius you will have a big head start in respective spiritual, intellectual, and athletic accomplishments.  Most of us are not saints, blue chip athletes, or geniuses. For us it is critical to get the most from ourselves, to operate at full throttle. For most of us it is the difference in making the team, landing that job, getting that promotion, finding the one you love, keeping the one you love, and ultimately enjoying our lives. Narrow degrees of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual application differentiate our outcomes. A system of  energy/health management has a paramount, positive impact on our life performances. 

“ He who has not first laid his foundations may be able with great ability to lay them afterwards, but they will laid with trouble to the architect and danger to the building.” - Machiavelli 

What I am talking about here is nothing new. What I am presenting has contemporary scientific evidence to support it, but has been understood to be a benefit as long as history has been documented. Many ancient healing practices conceptualize “energy” as a critical component in their actions-from acupuncture to meditation to yoga to qigong.,  We have gotten away from INTEGRATED LIVING. We strive to get as much as we can so that we can retire and enjoy the fruits of our labor. I see this as a very flawed approach, as by the time most get to that point they are a shell of their former self and a fraction of their realized body-mind-spirit potential. The solution is to apply a system of integrated self-health management sooner than later. The human body is a miraculously resilient organism, which regardless of the physical degradation it has seen will respond, as long as there is still breath and movement within it. 

BODY-MIND-SPIRIT wellness must start with the BODY. The body is the base our being. Without physical energy we cannot maintain consciousness and apply our mental ability. When our physical energy is low or impaired our emotional response is affected. It is a serious mistake to ignore the need of a healthy, high performance vehicle in our worldly and spiritual pursuits. To pursue healing the body through spiritual enlightenment or to pursue intellectual cultivation without the balance of physical fortification is fractional, illogical and potential limiting. A state of integrated health and fitness supports a natural transition of evolving spiritually.

There are times when I am fatigued and uninspired. The ebb and flow of energy is a natural order. When I get to this state there is no worry, it is part of life. I quickly recap the actions responsible for the state and immediately start applying the regeneration my body needs. If I am physically fatigued from heavy training, I know that my body needs rest, water and food. If someone close to me has taken me off my mindful balance with friction or conflict, I know that separation and meditation are needed to restore my balance. Ignoring imbalance takes much of the contol we have of our energy away. If I have been sitting for a long period writing or reading and feel my focus and clarity waning, I know some moderate exercise or mindful physical activity will regenerate my circulation and revitalize my energy. These are just a few examples of the endless assessments and adjustments we must continually make throughout life. As you can see most of these are very simple, common sense based realizations and actions. As simple and beneficial as they are, these applications of management are not within the operating framework of most of us. Not only is this limiting our potential, but it’s depleting our joy and happiness. There is a place of absolute truth in your consciousness that realizes the quality of our actions in life. We can only be happy and joyous when we recognize, at this level, that the qualities of our life efforts are equal to our present potential. Balance is the key to health, energy and long term satisfaction with your efforts. 

When our energy is depleted too low, it takes time to replenish. It is affected by our activity. This is an ongoing, never ending, constantly changing part of life, one that it in all of our best interests to understand and do our best to manage.  The regeneration of this irreplaceable resource is not automatic as many assume. To be able to constantly make adjustments to maintain balance, and progressively enhance our energy level, a foundation must be in place. The basic foundation is very simple, yet can be difficult dificult to apply consistently as a whole in our busy contemporary lifestyles.  Maintaining and regenerating optimal energy cannot be discussed until an integrated foundation of production is applied

Progress comes to those who train and train. Reliance on secret techniques will get you nowhere.” - Morihei Ueshiba 

Ok. I am sure you have an understanding of my stance by now, and are looking for the formula. Before we start talking about “The Fountain of Youth”, which we all want with one pill or treatment a basic foundation must be in place and applied as an integrated effort, daily. Oxygen, water, food and sleep are understood as pillars of life. Although exact needs are unique to the individual, applying these four components to the best of your ability, with the knowledge you are already equipped with, will suffice to produce very noticeable, positive results to your state of health and vitality. 

The Basics of Energy Production:

• Breathing Exercises 
• Adequate hydration
• Wholesome nutrition
• Daily physical activity
• Adequate sleep

Deep breathing exercises are an integral pillar of Blue Collar Zen habits for health and performance. In the book, Blue Collar Zen, an in depth explanation of the health dependency and positive effects will be presented. Here I will stay with presenting it with all esoteric, and metaphysical veneer peeled away: Without oxygen we die within minutes, with optimal oxygen we thrive and operate in an enhanced state. Deep breathing, via the central nervous system, creates stimulation and circulation from your internal organs throughout your musculoskeletal system. It is the physical act that generates Chi, Qi, or Prana, in martial arts, Asian healing arts, and yoga, respectfully.  

Basic Breathing Exercise:

1. Find a quiet place where you won’t be distracted. If doing the exercises inside, make sure the window is open to allow plenty of fresh air into the room.
2. Sit on a chair, cross-legged on the floor, or lie on your back on the floor. The best benefit will be attained with a straight spine, so do your best, if sitting to sit up straight.
3. Breathe deeply and slowly, without strain, through the nose.
4. Exhale, through the nose, at the same pace as you inhale. Exhale each breath as completely as possible
5. Maintain a connected focus with the process.
6. Do this for 50 - 100 complete breaths (approximately 5 minutes), to start, upon waking.

Try this basic approach, and I guarantee you will feel better because of it. If you need assistance get it. You have but one life, take responsibility to make it your best effort. 

Blue Collar Zen coaching is a means of guidance, motivation, support and accountability to make the changes needed to optimize your lifestyle for health, performance and enlightenment.

Spiritual Enlightenment through Physical Culture

“Foster and polish the warrior spirit while serving in the world; illuminate the path according to your inner light.” –Morihei Ueshiba

I recieved an email asking how I integrated spirituality into my health and wellness profession.   This post flowed very easily from that excellent question.

I was introduced to true physical culture at 17 in the form of martial arts. My instructor was in his 40’s and could barely speak English. There was not a shred of western culture or mindset present once inside the doors of his dojo. In a matter of fact way, the philosophy of the body as a temple, self defense as a means of decompressing violence, commitment to cultivating the mind, and working through life from a base of harmonious integration was always in the air as we trained our bodies. Every training session started with 15 minutes of sitting meditation, followed by another 15 minutes of form movement gradually increasing to full speed movements. Training was completely engaging of our total physical and mental self as we practiced refining our strikes, kicks, attacking and evasive movement, defending techniques, interspersed with fitness exercises for strength and athletic explosiveness for 90 minutes, 6 days per week. We trained without acting the fool, showing emotion or taking a fraction of our focus and concentration off our actions. This was my introduction to physical culture and spirituality. For 10 years I floated in and out my practice, at times getting as far away from a spiritual base as one could. After enough futile effort at living a selfish, unhealthy, external based life I returned to my base and have never swayed. The paths to self realization are many and varied, one certainly does not have to be an athlete or practice a martial art to find enlightenment. One must, though, take care to do all within one’s ability and means to illuminate  their personal health and energy. 

 ”Your body is precious. It is your vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care” - Buddha

I believe that energy capacity is paramount in getting through life’s winding, at times, uneven, and challenging terrain. To navigate this physical path, and integrate into its limited time space our personal self realization takes optimized energy. It is not about getting in shape but creating a system of continual enhancement so as to be able to serve at the our individual capacity and potential. It must also be noted that with an applied system of continual enhancement, capacity and potential is continually expanded allowing you to increase your value to the world. 

“….man acts as a guardian of his body. It becomes his duty to take such care of his body as to enable it to practice the idea of serving to the best of its ability.” - Gandhi

Creating a healthy vibrant, performance able, physical vehicle is each of our obligation to God, self, and humanity. Outside of physical limitations there is no rational to argue or excuse of not pursuing such a state of being. It is not about muscles, and sexiness, but about creating a capacity that allows us to perform physical labor, have balance, compassion and empathy in our emotions, clarity and stamina in our intellectual efforts, and a harmonious, humble, altruistic spirit.

Whether my client be a senior rehabilitating, an athlete improving performance, or a fitness client desiring more energy, improved health or cosmetic body improvement my guidance, educating, and recommendations include an integrated approach of breathing meditation, sound nutrition and hydration, functional movement training, and energy system development incorporated into their program. To provide anything less would be irresponsible, and a gross underachievement on my part. It is my belief that to provide those I touch with the means of improving their ability to accept responsibility, and self manage their own health, fitness will help them serve better and find their own desire and pursuit of self realization.

A state of integrated health and fitness supports a natural transition of evolving spiritually — Blue Collar Zen

Gandhi on Health & Fitness

I watched “Gandhi” the other night, again, and was inspired to write a post in tribute to the beautiful, little man, with a mind devoted to peace, love and humanity and possessing the heart of a warrior. 

“….man acts as a guardian of his body. It becomes his duty to take such care of his body as to enable it to practice the idea of serving to the best of its ability.”

All the great prophets and spiritual leaders are very clear in their belief that creating an optimal state of health and fitness is a primary responsibility for each of us so as to create the energy needed to live a life of harmony, continual growth and contribution. Gandhi was no different.  He had plenty to say on diet, hydration and exercise. In his own life he provided a very real example of the effects on health with his own fasts. In his historic Calcutta fast Gandhi used a, fast to the death, threat as a means of stopping the Hindu-Muslim violence uprising. http://www.globalwebpost.com/farooqm/study_res/gandhi/gandhi_fast.html 

Gandhi knew very well the fact that quality, balanced food intake was irreplaceable fuel for the physical action of life. He stated it irrefutable that 99.9% of men and women in the world eat merely to please the palate. Gandhi is often associated with strict vegetarianism. For 6 years he was exactly that. Not taking into account the accumulative effects that diet could have, his health forced him to make a change in 1917, and recognize the need for adequate protein in his diet. He said, “In year 1917, as a result of my ignorance, I was laid down with severe dysentery. I was reduced to a skeleton, but I stubbornly refused to take any medicine and with equal stubbornness refused to take milk or buttermilk. But I could not build up my body and pick up sufficient strength to leave the bed. Gandhi believed that he who is able to control the palate, will easily be able to control the other senses, and that there should be an odium attached to those who slavishly pander to the palate.

“modern education….  has no relation with our everyday life. Thus, it leaves us almost utterly ignorant about our own body. ” 

Much has remained the same since Gandhi’s time, and much of what he lived and promoted have fallen to the wayside. Almost 100 years ago he was commenting on the need for individual health management. Today many are still starving, most are malnourished, a sub-species of obesity has formed, and the majority of the population apply minimal effort, if that, to their health and fitness.  His quote, “The modern generation is delicate, weak and much pampered”, has only multiplied in quality and quantity in time.

“No matter what amount of work one has, one should always find some time for exercise, just as one does for one’s meals. It is my humble opinion that, far from taking away from one’s capacity for work, it adds to it.”

Gandhi was very clear on his opinion of physical labor as part of life and believed, “… a man should be able with ease to walk ten to twelve miles a day, and perform ordinary physical labour without getting tired.”  

“Exercise is as much of vital necessity for man as air, water and food, in the sense that no man who does not take exercise regularly can be perfectly healthy. Exercise, as is food, is as essential to the mind as the body. The mind is as much weakened by want of exercise as the body, and a feeble mind is, indeed, a form of disease. A sound mind in a sound body alone constitutes true health.”

Gandhi’s health advice stressed the need of adequate hydration for health and performance, recommending, at least 9 cups of pure water per daily.

 ‘”…everyone should carry his drinking water with him. Many orthodox Hindus in India do not drink water whilst traveling on account of religious prejudices. Surely, the enlightened can do for the sake of health. What the unenlightened do in the name of religion”

As you can see the game has not changed that much. Whether coming from Aristotle, Hippocrates, Buddha, Morihei Ueshiba, Gandhi, Jack Lalanne, or a Blue Collar Zen master it is acknowledged that health and fitness is an integral pillar in life that has no replacement, and if ignored detracts from our life performance and thusly our happiness and harmony. Make the commitment to yourself, and honor your obligation to God and mankind to be your best by taking charge of your health and fitness. 

Blue Collar Zen coaching is a means of guidance, motivation, support and accountability to make the changes needed to optimize your lifestyle for health, performance and enlightenment.

Vibrational Weight Loss and Fitness?

I am very passionate about my belief and work in helping people live a life of better health and service, as a means of supporting their self realization. There is a current plague of failed health, fitness and weight management currently taking place. It is robbing people of needed energy, energy to perform, grow, serve, and enjoy life. Hatin’ isn’t part of my act, but when blatant greed allows gross misinformation to be promoted that plays off the vulnerability of those that are suffering from the above mentioned plague, it takes me directly back to my blue collar, working class Italian roots and ‘pisses’ me off.

Progress comes to those who train and train. Reliance on secret techniques will get you nowhere.                  - Morihei Ueshiba

‘Vibrations’ are not the reason you are overweight, unfit, lethargic, and apathetic. It is because of ‘actions’ that you have chosen to apply or ignore that are directly responsible for your state. Billions of dollars are generated annually by unoriginal, greedy, sales-whores. It is a very simple formula: Play into the laziness that is part of human nature and promise ‘secret’, ‘breakthrough’ results with little or no work for things that can only be attained by work.  

Jerry & Esther Hicks have every right to whine about the ‘The Secret’ promoting Abraham’s promoting of Buddhist philosophy reworded for a contemporary western audience.  If they choose to harbor negative vibrations towards “The Secret” because of being cut out of the revenue stream of that financial bonanza, I certainly believe they have the right to. When Jerry & Ester Hicks, along with Abraham start peddling “Think and Get Slim: Natural Weight Loss” they have crossed the line and shown a lack of dignity and greed that is pathetic. I don’t see where being an overt charlatan qualifies for sharing the love and serving humanity. I listened restlessly to this vacuous, circular expelling of hot air to give it a fair shot at providing any discernable value. It failed completely. Listen for yourself. http://www.thinkandgetslim.com/Abe_Natural_Weight_.html

Why do I even bother to react to this ridiculous, circular play on words? Because I care about people and know that this kind on nonsense only creates more confusion and gives people a reason to quit putting out an effort to properly care for their physical vehicle, which in turn robs them of seeing their personal potential in all areas of life. Health, happiness and fulfillment can only be attained by the right action, fueled from right thought. RIGHT THOUGHT ALONE WILL NOT MELT AWAY THOSE UNWANTED POUNDS! Only healthy eating, clean water, daily physical activity, and proper rest will create a healthy vehicle that is not overweight and able to perform.

It saddens me to see people so reliant on others for what they know they must me self-reliant on. Maybe the plethora of confusing misinformation makes it difficult, but it does not eradicate the knowledge that there are concrete steps that need to be taken to get finite results! Those steps need to be taken by the individual. Our lives are defined by our performance. That performance is a summation of our actions. This applies to all areas of life including respecting and caring for our own physical vehicle. It is time to stop being one of the herd of sheep and just allowing yourself to be herded to slaughter, or being one of the pack of lemmings blindly following those in front of you off a cliff to your doom.

The mind must be developed by you alone. There is no way for others to do the work and for you to reap the results. Reading someone else’s blueprint of mental progress will not transfer its realizations to you. You have to develop them yourself.                                                                                                                           - Dalai Lama

Vibrate Your Way to a Fit and Sexy New You

The Power Plate is a very expensive vibrating platform. The vibrations create instability as does working on any surface that challenges stability (grass, foam pads, standing on one leg, balance boards etc.)  Power Plate® claims to challenge stability in all three planes, which any surface that challenges stability will do. Bottom line is that you can accomplish all that is accomplished on a Power Plate without spending $2000-$12,000 and having a very noisy piece of equipment taking up space.  http://www.powerplate.com/    

My Boys

I just wanted to share this photo. These men are all the epitome of lives lived truly from the heart. The fact that even in todays time of quick, exterior based, personality driven fame, heroes of the heart still resonate their same power whether they are still with us physically or not. Share the love, baby