Mindful Manners on the Road

Years ago, road rage did not exist, not in theory and not in definition. People took Sunday drives, drivers let others cut in front of them at intersections, and people reserved honking for times when safety was compromised. However, as the population continued to boom and peoples' lives became increasingly hurried and stressful, road rage went from being nonexistent to plaguing our city streets. Having been given its own encyclopedia entry, road rage can now be found as an explanation used in courtrooms, news desks, and hospitals.

By definition, road rage is the term used to describe criminally violent behavior by the driver of a vehicle. It's a term that is usually synonymous with "aggressive driving" and one that often results in car accidents. While many people assume that road rage behavior is limited to driving, those who possess it often have underlying issues, a hidden problem that prevents them from remaining under control in stressful situations.

With the recent announcement that the US population has reached 300 million people, it's easy to assume that roads are going to become even more subject to grid lock.. As more and more cars fill up lanes of traffic, road rage will likely continue to fester, making itself an epidemic plaguing our nation's highways.

While road rage can be the reason for accidents, tickets, hospital stays and, in worst case scenarios, death, there is some good news about it: road rage is preventable.. In a world filled with epidemics that have no cures, we have the ability to eradicate road rage - in the form of a steering wheel - literally in our hands: all it takes are some mindful manners on the road.

yoga and Road Rage

You may think that yoga has little to do with road rage, with both entities residing on separate sides of the cool, calm and collected spectrum. But, yoga greatly has the ability to influence road rage by helping you to minimize stress and practice self control. Yoga provides a vehicle for relaxation, taking away the vehicle filled with rage.

Just Breathe

The term "Just Breathe" has been used throughout the ages, establishing itself as an act used to calm people down. It is a term that has built a reputation based on effectiveness: breathing does facilitate calmness. This is because it helps to remove negative energy and stale air out of the body, replacing them with positive energy and rejuvenating oxygen. Breathing also facilitates circulation, helping the body to rid itself of tension and become more relaxed, less rigid, and far less likely to succumb to the stress of a traffic jam.

A major part of yoga is breathing; it is as essential to yoga as it is to human life.. Because yoga teaches you how to get the most out of each breath, it helps the body to utilize the benefits of oxygen, leaving people naturally more calm and refreshed.. Through conscious breathing, a practice taught in yoga, you learn to focus on the characteristics of each breath you take, helping to remove external stress factors, including that car honking in the background.

Be Self Aware

yoga is a practice that allows you to know yourself, getting in touch with who you are and your capabilities. While this kind of life lesson can help in all walks of life, it can also be helpful in thwarting road rage. When you know yourself well, you are better able to understand when you may be on the brink of losing control, allowing yourself to work at calming down or, if need be, pulling over and letting the stress subside. When you are self aware, along these lines, you are better able to put things into perspective, grasping onto the concept that a traffic jam is just a traffic jam and not the end of the world.

In addition to helping you become self aware, yoga also helps you to become more aware of your surroundings. When on the road, being aware of those around you is essential to safety and driving defensively can save your car and your life. By knowing your surroundings, and anticipating the moves of your fellow drivers, you may be further able to avoid overly aggressive drivers, drivers who probably don't practice yoga regularly.

Plan Ahead

yoga is an activity that transcends several parts of life, making those who practice it more efficient on all sorts of levels. Because it is an empowering activity, those who take yoga are benefited with a new level of control, proactivity, and productivity. These all work together to help you plan ahead, giving yourself enough time to reach your destination.

A main cause of road rage is people rushing to get somewhere and becoming irritated at slow moving traffic or slow drivers. Some people may never experience road rage unless they are at risk for being late for something. Because of this, planning ahead, and giving yourself enough time to get where you need to go can greatly decrease the rage you may feel when traffic rolls to an unwanted stop.

Some road rage may be unavoidable; when drivers around you are driving aggressively, you may become a victim of road rage from no fault of your own. However, for the road rage incidents that lie within, you have the key to turn off the ignition. By practicing yoga, and applying the principles you learn in yoga to life on the every day road, you can do your part at making road rage pull over for good.

about us: TWISTED is a medical yoga studio at the Center for Osteopathic medicine in Boulder, Colorado. Twisted integrates osteopathic medicine, hatha yoga and mindfulness practices to teach optimal balance between physical, mental, and emotional health. It aims to educate and help people to live a healthy life from the inside out. Rehabilitation programs offer a comprehensive treatment regime for the whole being, empowering each person one breath at a time to stimulate the bodys natural healing potential.

Jennifer Jordan is senior editor of http://www.yogatwisted.com. Specializing in articles that not only teach yoga techniques, but also teach techniques on fulfillment and enrichment, she aims to educate students proudly enrolled in the school of life.

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Championship Betting Review - 13 February 2006

Reading stretched their lead at the top of the championship to 12 points with a professional victory over struggling Southampton on Friday evening.

The bookmakers were taking no chances and the Royals were a best-priced 4/9 to win their third match in a row and first half goals from Leroy Lita and Kevin Doyle justified that decision. The saints are now winless in six matches and could find themselves dragged into a relegation battle.

Sheffield united dropped more points with a goalless draw at Plymouth Argyle. Following their 4-1 drubbing at Brammall Lane by Watford in midweek, the Blades were 6/5 to win at Home Park but failed to break down the resolute Pilgrims.

Free scoring Watford hit four goals for the third match running with a crushing victory over Coventry City. Punters will have ploughed into the 5/6 available and the Hornets did not disappoint with goals from Ashley young, Marlon Kings, Darius Henderson and jay DeMerit.

Derby's caretaker manager Terry Westley oversaw his second successive goalless draw at the expense of Leeds united. With just two wins in their last five matches Leeds are seeing their chances of automatic promotion fade.

Preston north End extended their unbeaten run to 24 matches with a thumping 5-1 win against floundering Luton Town. Billy Davies side were 8/11 before kick off and found themselves 2-0 up through Lewis Neal and david Nugent. An own goal from Tyrone Mears halved Prestons lead on 82 minutes but he scored at the right end two minutes later. A stoppage time goal from Claude Davis and a penalty from Chris Sedgewick completed the rout.

Cardiff City boosted their play-off hopes with a convincing victory over Stoke City. A rocket from Kevin Cooper gave the 4/5 Bluebirds the lead after 18 minutes and further goals from veteran defender Neil Cox sealed the points.

Gary Waddock celebrated his first match in charge as QPR caretaker manager with a 1-0 win against struggling Millwall. Marc Nygaards goal after 56 minutes secured a 20/21 win but Millwall are now seven points from safety.

Leicester City recorded their third win under caretaker boss Rob kelly as they edged away further from the relegation zone at the expense of third-from-bottom Brighton & Hove Albion. The Foxes, 9/5 before kick off, found themselves 2-0 ahead through Patrick McCarthy and Iain Hume before midfielder Alexandre Frutos pulled a goal back for Brighton.

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9 Easy Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally

So your blood pressure is high, but you dont want to take prescription drugs? Can't say I blame you, with what we've learned about some very popular pharmaceuticals over the last year or so. Well, you're in luck. There are some simple modifications you can incorporate into your lifestyle that can make a big difference when it comes to hypertension, and here are the top 9:

1. Eliminate salt from your diet. This is probably the most important change you can make. The main reason why you will hear people say "I tried cutting back on salt and it didn't do anything for my high blood pressure" is because they forgot about prepared convenience foods. If you start reading labels, you'll find that just about all these items (not just salty foods like chips and crackers) have added sodium. Really, if you want to cut way back on salt, the best way is just to eliminate anything that comes in a box or bag from your diet. Eat natural foods, which will help your health in many ways in addition to lowering your blood pressure.

2. Cut out white sugar. While scientists arent yet sure exactly why, many studies have shown that eating processed sugars elevates blood pressure. Also eliminate high fructose corn syrup, an ubiquitous sweetener that has even more detrimental effects on health than white sugar. If you need a sweet taste, try adding some stevia, an herbal sweetener that comes in powder and liquid form, or xylitol, a low-carb sugar alcohol, to your foods.

3. Get regular aerobic exercise. Anything that gets you moving and your heart rate comfortably elevated has a beneficial effect on hypertension. Your physician may be able to give you an exercise plan that suits your condition and current fitness levels. It's important not to do too much too soon. There are some Eastern forms of exercise, such as yoga and tai Chi, that seem to have good effects on blood pressure. The emphasis on full, rhymthic breathing integral to these disciplines may be as important as the actual physical movement.

4. Increase the amount of fiber in your diet. This has been shown to have many benefits other than its effects on blood pressure. You can add fiber supplements to your diet, or eat more foods such as whole grains and vegetables, which brings me to the next tip....

5. Eat those veggies. There are myriad other benefits besides the increase in fiber associated with an increased intake of vegetables. These provide important vitamins and minerals, and other more recently discovered substances such as phytonutrients and antioxidants, which all help to keep your body functioning at an optimal level. One valuable nutrient contained in vegetables is potassium, and so our next tip is to....

6. Eat lots of bananas. Everyone knows that bananas are high in potassium, and it turns out that increasing the amount of potassium in our diet is almost as important as reducing one's salt intake with respect to normalizing blood pressure. As a matter of fact, some authorities think it's actually less about the amount of salt and more about increasing the ratio of potassium to sodium. We've mentioned bananas because they're the most popular fruit in the USA and are widely available, but if you want some high potassium alternatives, try dried apricots, figs, avocados, cantaloupe, raisins, carrot juice, prune juice, peanuts, and almonds.

7. Get that folic acid. This nutrient's been found to have a number of health benefits for women, and protecting against high blood pressure now seems to be another one. Harvard Medical School did a study which indicated that women could lower their risk of hypertension anywhere from 18% to 46%, depending on their age, by taking 1 mg (milligram) of folic acid per day.

8. Eat chocolate, but not too much. Some recent studies have indicated that 100 grams per day of dark chocolate can have blood pressure lowering effects. The researchers postulate that a component of dark chocolate known as flavinols is responsible. But remember, only 100 grams (around three or four ounces), and it needs to be dark chocolate. You'll need to read labels, because most chocolate candy these days uses light chocolate. And of course, chocolate always contains sugar. So if you can't stop at 100 grams, or you need to lose weight (100 grams of chocolate is usually around 500 calories) you'd probably be better off not to take that first bite.

9. And finally, dump those diet pills. You know they're no good for you. While losing weight is usually beneficial for blood pressure levels, doing it by speeding up your heartrate is not. Do it by eating the healthy foods mentioned above and you'll have lower blood pressure and a nutritious diet you can continue with for life.

Of course, if you're already taking any medications, do not stop them without consulting with your doctor first. He should be willing to work with you as you try natural options. If not, you may need a new doctor. Give these tips a try one at a time. Keep the ones that help, and when you're done, you'll have a healthier lifestyle for sure!

Joe Serpico is not a doctor, nor does he play one on TV, but he's been interested in health and fitness for over twenty-five years. Click on over to http://www.thehealthandfitnessguide.com for lots more great info.

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