Qigong is one such deliberate breathing method. This ancient Chinese practice literally means “Life Energy Cultivation,” and instructs practitioners to align breath, movement and mental awareness. This Taoist tradition seeks to create a circular breath that rises first from deep inside the belly. These breathing exercises may be performed while sitting, or in conjunction with Qigong exercises, but, like other forms of exercise, the Qigong physical movements mean nothing without proper breathing strategy to harness the power of the practitioner’s mind, and bring it in line with the goals of the body.

So what does it mean to “breathe from your belly”? Without realizing it, most of us breathe from our chests, but we’re only getting a small percentage of our total lung capacity as long as breathe so shallowly. Try it for yourself and experience the difference. First find a comfortable sitting or standing position – just make sure your shoulders are not rounded so that you can maintain relaxed but proper posture. Then, place your tongue comfortably behind the tops of the front teeth and gums. (Correct tongue position is believed to connect your “Internal Energy Switch” – imagine you are turning on a light switch!) Finally, breathe in through your nose, feeling the air move through your nasal passages, down your throat, into your lungs and filling your belly.

The technical term for what is happening when you breathe from your belly is “diaphragmatic breathing,” meaning the muscle underneath your lungs and across your chest cavity called the diaphragm is contracting and expanding to involve your whole torso in the act of breathing. As you breathe in, imagine and feel your diaphragm moving downward to make room for as much air as possible, and notice it contract gradually as you breathe out.

Don’t just stop with filling your lungs and belly – visualize your breaths filling all sides and corners of your torso – even in your kidneys and lower back. Patrick Dougherty, American-trained psychologist, notes that visualization and imagery are key to effective Qigong breathing – if you can VISUALIZE the deep breaths filling you, then you begin to feel it as it happens. Visualization is also key to involving the mind more intimately in the process of breathing, and when accompanied by physical movements, exercises.

As Dr. Dougherty concludes, “Eastern traditions have taught us the importance of the mind-body connection for optimal health. Deep relaxed breathing is the simplest and most direct method of connecting mind and body.” Don’t be the last Westerner to discover the benefits of something as simple as better breathing – you’ll be delighted at the immediacy and efficacy of the results!

Here’s a video instruction by a Qigong instructor.

I recently took a photography class, and became friendly with one of my classmates,  Staci, a 30-year-old pretty Hispanic lady.  When we took a class break and walked to Starbucks together,  Staci told me about her 4-year relationship with a man 7 years her senior.   Now 4 years later, she was very frustrated by his lack of commitment to her, as she wants to be married, have children, etc., so I urged her to give him a deadline.  While she responded that she would give him only another month or two, I have to admit that I was a little skeptical that she would do so because I have seen so many women and men cling onto bad relationships.  I reciprocated my story about a former bookkeeper, beautiful and smart, who stayed with a man  who cancelled their wedding and then made endless excuses to delay it, and yet she continued to live with him and take care of his teenage daughters on the days he had custody.  At the time, I didn’t have the heart to tell my bookkeeper that he didn’t want to marry her because I knew that she wasn’t ready for the truth.

I hear too often about women and men who cling onto bad relationships out of fear of being alone.  And when their partner does not commit, they make endless excuses: “he’s busy with work,” “she’s going through  a lot right now,”  “he’s taking care of his mother,” etc. etc.   I hate to break the bad news, but usually the real reason is that he/she is just not that interested in you, and your partner is just being passive and lazy about the break-up.  Knowing that the likelihood of the situation is not going to change, we still hold onto the unrealistic glimmer of hope that the he/she will “come around.”  Yeah, we can all hope to win the lottery, but it ain’t gonna happen.

Instead of looking at the glass half full that the right person is out there, we are looking at the glass half empty that we will find no one else.   Due to our lack of self esteem and confidence, we act out of fear that no one else will want us, so we hold onto someone that is not right for us.   As the Buddha said, it is only a loss when you cling onto it.  Why would you ever cling onto some one or think that it’s a loss to release a partner who is not right for you?  In fact, freeing yourself from the wrong partner would only be a gain because you will be saving yourself from future pain and agony: when you have kids and merged every aspect of your lives, it becomes really messy when the relationship does not work out.    Recognizing and freeing yourself now from the wrong partner is a blessing in disguise.

Then how do you determine whether the person is right for you?  There are many red flag signs, but we often ignore them.  We hear it in our gut, but we refuse to listen and take our own internal advice.    The first obvious red flag is that he/she does not want to commit after you have invested considerable time in the relationship.   You know when you have invested enough time in the relationship, so if he/she is not committing after such time period, then he/she is not right for you–it’s that simple. If you are still uncertain,  I would set a time deadline for a commitment to take place.  While it is never a good idea to “extort” someone into a commitment, this method will let you know if he’s really serious about you, and I would use it as a last resort.

The second big red flag is when your partner makes all kind of excuses about delaying the marriage, kids, etc., because when someone is genuinely interested, he/she will find and make time for you and your relationship — NO MATTER HOW BUSY.   I stress “no matter how busy” because when you become their number one priority, they will put everything else second.  If you are just dating and have not made a monogamous commitment, there are also signs: usually there are those last minute date cancellations that seem suspicious or you usually end up calling them to make plans or just to say hello.  Uninterested dates do not make a lot of effort in calling or seeing you and make you feel like a second class citizen.  If you feel like this, it’s not a good sign.  Letting go is your best option, which allows you to move forward knowing that there is someone who deserves you.

So, if you see these signs, seriously re-evaluate whether your partner is right for you.  If you listen with your gut, not with your head,  the answer will come.   When you close the wrong relationship chapter, a better one will open!  It is only when you let go of the bad that the universe will show you the way to the good!  And know in time that your “loss” will become your gain.  So, learn to let go, move forward, and you will find the man or the woman of your dreams!

By Moon Cho, Creator of Ying & Yang Living

Instead of the usual scrambled egg for breakfast or brunch, try our low calorie scrambled tofu with home potatoes, yellow zucchini, tomatoes and spinach.  You will not miss the egg in this dish, as tofu is so hearty and a lot of flavor is extracted from all the delicious vegetables.  Super healthy and a perfect dish for you Vegans out there!

Ingredients:

• Firm Tofu (1 cake, make sure it’s the firm tofu, not soft)
• Potato (1 peeled, diced)
• Cherry Tomatoes (1 cup, sliced in half)
• Yellow Zucchini (1, diced)
• Spinach (2 1/2 cups)
• Onion (1/2 of a large onion or 1 small onion, diced)
• Garlic (3 cloves, minced)
• Red Pepper Flakes (1 teaspoon)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil

Instructions:

Oil, spices, and vegetables you’ll need:

1) Cut all the vegetables: dice the potato, zucchini, and onion all into 1/4 inch cube pieces.  Slice the cherry tomatoes in half.  Mince the garlic.

2) Prepare the tofu.  Place tofu in a linen cloth with pores and squeeze out all the excess water.  Put tofu aside.

3)  In a hot skillet (preferably cast iron), add about 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  Add potatoes and sautee.  Add pinch of salt and pepper.  Scatter potatoes evenly in skillet so all potatoes can cook crispy golden brown.  You can place lid on skillet, which will help potatoes to cook inside.  Occasionally sautee the potatoes with a spatula, so they don’t burn.  Potatoes are done when they’re soft on the inside yet golden crispy on the outside, about 15 minutes to cook potatoes.  Set aside cooked potatoes.

4) In the same skillet, add a little more olive oil.  Add garlic, onion, and yellow zucchini and sautee until they are slightly soft but still retain some crunchiness to the onion and zucchini (about 5 minutes of sautéeing).  Add pinch of salt and pepper.

5) Add tomatoes and sautee for just 2 minutes, so tomatoes still retain their shape.

6) Add tofu and mix it in well with the vegetables.  Add pinch of salt and pepper.

7) Add cooked potatoes and mix well.

8) Add spinach until it becomes wilted.

9) Add red pepper flakes and mix well.

Serves: 3-4

First, give it a try as a moisturizer – for your hair, body and face. Rub a dime-sized amount of coconut oil into dry hair ends or frizzy fly-aways to add hydration. When using coconut oil as a face and body moisturizer, remember that thanks to its relatively “greasy” consistency, a little goes a long way – even a dollop will provide enough moisture for your whole body. Coconut oil’s super-moisturizing powers are particularly great for mid-winter dryness on your hands – try rubbing a bit of oil onto your knuckles and cuticles to prevent skin from cracking and peeling.

Another great use for coconut’s oil moisturizing properties is as a shaving cream – you’ll avoid cuts and scrapes while you make your skin softer! Especially for those of you with more sensitive skin, make sure to buy organic coconut oil – that way you can be sure it’s unbleached and unscented so as not to irritate any skin allergies.
Coconut oil doesn’t just make a great moisturizer – it’s also a fantastically flexible cosmetic product. After you’ve finished applying your make up, add some coconut oil to the surface just to add a bit of glow. Many cosmetics use coconut oil as a base ingredient for this very property – like Living Luminzer. Not only is coconut oil often used in cosmetics, but it makes a great make-up remover as well. Unlike other make up removing products that can leave your skin feeling dry and greasy, dab a bit of coconut oil onto a cotton ball and use it to remove even water-proof mascara. You’ll be delighted at how well it works, as well as how soft your skin feels afterwards. Coconut oil is also naturally antibacterial and antifungal, so in addition to using it as a make up remover, many women swear by coconut oil’s use as a nighttime moisturizer as well (although this may not be the best for those who are acne-prone).

And these are just a few of coconut oil’s most popular uses. Many coconut oil fans swear by its myriad different uses, so pick up your own coconut oil and get adventurous with its uses!

Vitamin Shoppe

Pure Formulas

Drivita

GNC

~Dalai Lama

I was in a retail store, and instead of buying clothes for my video shoot, I struck a conversation with the store manager, Stephanie, a beautiful 24 year old young lady who recently moved to LA from Utica, a small town in upstate NY (we bonded about the fact that Utica is only 15 minutes away from my alma mater).  Even though I was a complete stranger, Stephanie confided in me that she had a very stressful day and that she was experiencing a downward pattern in her life.  She wasn’t feeling confident about her performance at work of late, which obviously made her feel very insecure about herself.  I, on the other hand, evaluated Stephanie as just the opposite: accomplished, smart, articulate, ambitious, and a wonderful example for young ladies.  I was actually inspired to meet such a “together” young lady.  Feeling bad that she was unnecessarily down on herself, I engaged in a 20 minute conversation trying to boost her self worth and help her to recognize it.

How often do we beat ourselves up over and over again impulsively like second nature?  We are our own worst enemies.  No matter how wonderful our qualities may be — beautiful, smart, successful, compassionate, generous, kind, etc. — we can always find our own achilles heel.  When we put ourselves down for not being good enough, we don’t feel or behave with confidence, which in turn prevents us from taking important actions and steps for ourselves. And because we haven’t taken the appropriate action, the outcome is not getting that job or raise or significant other we really deserve, and we end up making excuses for our failures, justifying in our minds that, indeed, we weren’t good enough for those great opportunities.

Women, who have a natural desire to fulfill the nurturing role, are the most harshest on themselves because they tend to put everyone else first.  They are the primary care takers of their children, husbands, and homes, so they are hard wired to put their needs in the back seat.  And women, who also fulfill the bread winning role and are the A type personalities who can “do it all,” can be the most critical of themselves because they are such perfectionists.   While putting others first is noble and admirable, it is not serving the best interest for yourself or for others whom you care and love.  Because if you are not taking care of yourself, how can you be in the position of taking care of others?  If you are mentally, emotionally or physically sick, how can you be useful to anyone?  The airplane safety analogy is perfect: if the air pressure drops, you are instructed to put on the air mask first before you can help others because if you pass out, you will be good to no one.  It is a simple concept to help yourself first, but we have a hard time internalizing and practicing it.

When you have drained all of your energy taking care and thinking of others, you will be good to no one, so it is IMPERATIVE to make time for yourself.  This is your number one priority if you are going to be the best mom, wife, husband, father, employee, friend, et al. Take time out for yourself and create a realistic schedule, perhaps 30 minutes per day or 3 times a week. Even in the midst of our crazy busy lives, we all have time for ourselves if we make it a PRIORITY to do so.  I stress priority, because that is what prevents us from taking care of ourselves.  Most things in life can wait, so if you know and truly accept that taking care of yourself is the best investment for you and your family, you will take immediate action. Take the yoga class you always wanted or the spa treatment or the golf classes or simple as the bubble bath.  Make a list of what you would like to do, plan it, and mark it in your schedule.  Take action to do it this week, not next week, because procrastinating will lead to inaction.  Work out a schedule so others can watch the children while you are able to take time out for yourself.   It is in the nurturing of yourself, that you are able to nurture others and the world.

Once you realize and embrace your self worth,  you will emanate a  calm, beautiful energy, which everyone around you will recognize.  If you do not see yourself as deserving, then I assure you no one else will.  To Stephanie, who inspired this article, if you are reading this now, it was a pleasure and honor to meet you.  Know that your story truly inspired me and  that your worthiness is measured by you and you only, so give yourself credit for being fabulous.   Love thyself and the universe will reciprocate in kind.

By Moon Cho, Creator of Ying & Yang Living

The crunchiness of the Asian pear, sweetness of the mango and blueberries, and the little tartiness of the tomatoes give this fresh spring salad both sweet and savory flavors, a unique flavor combination.

Ingredients:

• Asian Pear (2 peeled, thinly sliced)
• Mango (2 peeled, thinly sliced)
• Blueberries (1/2 cup)
• Cherry Tomatoes (1 cup, sliced in half)
• Red Onion (1/2 of onion, thinly sliced)

Dressing:

• Olive Oil (4 tablespoons)
• Rice Vinegar (2 tablespoons)
• Lemon (juice of 1 lemon)
• Salt (1/4 teaspoon)
• Pepper (1/4 teaspoon)

 Instructions:

1) Peel your Asian pears and mangos.  Slice Asian pear in halfs and then in quarters.  Take each quarter, and cut out the seed core.  Then slice each quarter into paper thin pieces.

2) Peel your mango, and cut on 4 sides around the pit in the middle.  Then slice each quarter pieces into thin pieces.

3) Slice Tomatoes in half.  Slice 1/2 of your red onion into paper thin slices.

4) Add pear, mango, blueberry, tomato, and red onion into a large bowl.

5) In a small bowl, mix olive oil, rice vinegar, lemon. salt and pepper.  Wisk dressing, so all ingredients are well integrated.

6) Pour dressing into salad, and make sure dressing covers every fruit and vegetable.

Serves:  4-6

Ying & Yang Living provides you, our readers, the inside look and tips into Asian inspired living.  With videos and articles covering food, home/garden, health/fitness, fashion/beauty, and spiritual wellness, we are excited to share our newest content with you. Ying & Yang Living invites you to join our journey as we grow this brand.

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For your home’s doorway and foyer, Chinese or Japanese calligraphy art is an ideal choice. From ancient dynasties to modern times, Asian households have placed the character for “blessings” above or on either side of their doorframe, believing that the characters and phrase can protect and bring luck to the home.  Still others choose phrases like “love,” “longevity” or “happiness” – whatever sentiment appeals to you, feel free to decorate with it!

To choose an auspicious piece of calligraphy art for your own entryway, check out the following vendors:

Oriental Outpost,  Etsy,  Amazon Handcrafted,  Amazon Gift Walls,  Osdak

Calligraphy artwork is also often used to decorate the bedroom or living room, and it’s often often popular to incorporate peaceful landscape scenes including blossom or river imagery. Famous Japanese artist Utagawa Hiroshige is renowned for creating vividly colorful and dynamic landscape paintings, many of which incorporate calligraphy. You can find affordable prints at the following vendors:

Chinese Calligraphy,  Japanese Prints,  Amazon Utagawa,

Amazon Snowy Landscape,  Amazon Happiness Flowers

Still other calligraphy designs focus on symbols of the Chinese zodiac. Decorate with your or your family member’s birthday year.  Or switch every year with the lunar calendar! Zodiac calligraphy wall art is easily found at a variety of different vendors:

Dragon,  Horse ,  Tiger,  Other Zodiac Signs

Finally, don’t be so intimidated by calligraphy as to avoid trying it for yourself! Writing calligraphy may look difficult, and certainly those accomplished calligraphers are considered great artists, but practicing your own calligraphy can make for a fun activity that satisfies those creative urges – and saves you the cash of buying the artwork!

Howcast provides simple, step-by-step instructions for beginners:

This website on Chinese calligraphy hopes to make this long-loved art accessible for Westerners as well, and details all the tools and techniques you’ll need to get started.

Even just decorating with an authentic calligraphy set can add a unique touch to a space.

For even more selections of calligraphy wall art, check out the following vendors:

China Sprout

Artist Chinese Calligraphy

~Dalai Lama

I can recall multiple times when I have received knocks at my door, and there standing are two Korean Christian missionaries dressed to the teeth with brochures in hand.  They do their “sales pitch” and urge me to join their church.  They are relentless.   For these two ladies who took out a whole day to convert the non-convertibles, I know they truly believed in their message and mission.  Last time, the door knocked, I made it clear that I was not open to their solicitation and that they were just wasting their time.

I normally shy away from discussing religion, as I  believe that this is a very personal choice, and realize that it can be a very sensitive topic for most.  But Dalai Lama’s  kindness as religion really cuts through all the religious  mumbo jumbo dogma.  Many times when I speak with avid church goers who are adamant about their church, their motto seems to be “their way or the highway.”   This is why, over the years, I have always been skeptical and hesitant to join any organized religion.  By no means am I saying that all religious organizations/institutions are bad; far from it, many do very good and charitable work.

What has also turned me off to religious institutions in the past is that too often hypocritical religious leaders stand up at the pulpit professing love, good values, compassion, etc. only to find out that, behind closed doors, it is a different story:  a family member  of mine attended a church where the reverend was having an affair with a church member, not to mention that he and his mistress both were married and had children.  The ultimate betrayal of trust and faith, this can truly taint someone’s view of religion.   Needless to say, we have also seen religion used to  justify and carry out bad behavior, i.e. acts of terrorism, in both small and large scales.

What the Dalai Lama recognizes is so profound: that the core and fundamental value of religion is kindness; it’s that simple.  If we just show kindness, we are in essence practicing religion in the deepest level.  And he recognizes that all religions carry universal truths of kindness, love and compassion, which make them have more in common than differences.   HIs message is that you do not need to attend church or listen to religious punditry to have genuine religion in your life.  The key is to focus on kindness and compassion.   Now, if it’s your personal choice to partake in a more formal religious path (attending church, studying the bible, etc.), then by all means do so.  This is a personal choice that should be respected.   My family and I grew up agnostic, but my sister So became Catholic and baptized when she was 30. For So, she found her calling in Catholicism later in life, but she came to it on her own, knowing that it was the right personal choice for her.  We do not judge her, nor does she judge other religions just because she’s Catholic.  In fact, So is a huge fan of Buddhism and has mailed me books on Dalai Lama, et al.

Instead of trying to evaluate and dissect all the religions, a very good start would be to simply act kind without any conditions or expectations of anything in return.  Just by doing this, you will see how people become more recipient to your words because now they trust you and therefore value your opinion. It is only when you receive respect that anyone is open to listening, but just ranting about your religion will never gain someone’s ear and time.  If someone wants to join a church, they will do so in their own time, knowing that they made the right decision for themselves.  By taking away the focus away from religion and just practicing kindness,  we will see immeasurable positive difference in ourselves and in our world.

If the Korean missionaries could have spent their time volunteering for a soup kitchen instead of showing up at random homes, this would have yielded much more productive results.   Next time they knock at my door, I will provide the kindness of letting them know that while their efforts to promote their church message is admirable, they should, instead, just do acts of kindness.  So, be kind and you will be the most religious person on the planet–in a good way!

By Moon Cho,  Creator of Ying & Yang Living

A one pot wonder, this dish is a potpourri of ingredients with different textures paired with both sweet and savory bold flavors.

Ingredients:

• Chicken breasts (3/4 of lb., sliced into 1 inch cubes)
• Jasmine Rice (1 cup of brown or white jasmine rice)

• Cashew Nuts (1/2 lb.)
• Raisins (1/4 lb.)
• Pineapple (5 slices of canned pineapples, sliced)
• Tomatos (2 small-medium sized tomatoes, thinly sliced)
• Carrots (2 small carrots, thinly julienned)
• Onion (1/2 of a large onion or 1 small onion, diced)
• Scallions (3 scallions, diced)
• Cucumber (1 small cucumber, sliced thinly)
• Garlic (2 cloves, minced)

• Curry Powder (1 tablespoon)
• Tumeric Powder (1 tablespoon)
• Salt (1 tablespoon)
• Pepper (1/2 tablespoon)
• Vegetable oil (sunflower, canola)

Instructions:

1) Cook your jasmine rice: 1 cup of rice with 2 cups of water.  Set aside cooked rice.

2) Slice your onions (diced), carrots (julienned), tomatoes (1/2 slices), scallions (diced), pineapple (1/2 inch cubes), and garlic (minced).

3) Slice your chicken into cubes.

4) In a large hot pan, add vegetable oil and sautee garlic for 30 seconds.  Add chicken, pinch of salt, and pepper.  Cook chicken until it’s cooked.  Set chicken aside.

5) Add a little more oil, sautee onion and carrots for a few minutes until vegetables become slightly soft.  Add tomatoes and pineapple and sautee for 1 minute just until tomatoes and pineapples are warm (no need to cook these).

6) Add curry and turmeric powders, a pinch of salt, and pepper.

7) Add rice and cooked chicken.  Add more salt and pepper to taste.

8) Add cashew nuts and raisins.  Turn off flame and add scallions.

9) Before you serve, add fresh cucumber on top.

Serves: 6