Yoga for Feet

The foot-washing ritual 曉明女中洗腳禮

After the Last Supper, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, leaving behind him a paradigm of service. On Thursday last week, Stella Matutina Girls’ High School in Taichung also performed the rite of foot washing, during which Principal Chu Nan-tzu and a dozen teachers washed some students’ feet.

Chu said that the feet are the lowliest part of the body and the one that most easily gets dirty. Both washing other people’s feet and letting others wash yours take considerable courage. Just as it may be difficult for a person to bow down and kneel to wash someone else’s feet, the person receiving the service may also be worried about his own smell, the ugliness of his feet, itches, athlete’s foot and so on. It is a challenge for both the service provider and the receiver. Hence people can learn through the foot-washing service that providing a service is a humble job that requires extraordinary benevolence and love. A person who provides service with love will not think about his identity or his own needs and rights, but only the needs of others.

During the foot-washing ritual, most students felt embarrassed to have their feet washed by their teachers. The teachers washed the students’ feet attentively with clean water and then dried them. Some teachers considerately asked the students whether the water temperature was comfortable for them or encouraged them to study diligently.

Chen Chun-chin, president of the students’ union, received the foot-washing service from Chu and then provided the same service to her classmates. Chen said that, in comparison, washing other people’s feet was easier than letting others wash hers. Washing others’ feet was pure giving, whereas letting others wash hers had a lot to do with receiving. Initially, she felt very awkward about letting the principal wash her feet, since, after all, the principal is an elder as well as head of the school. However, when she saw the principal kneeling down before her, washing her feet and rubbing them, she felt embarrassed yet also enchanted. She really felt from the bottom of her heart that she wanted to emulate her teachers’ act of bowing down and serving with humility.

(Liberty Times, translated by Ethan Zhan)

耶穌在最後晚餐後為門徒洗腳，留下服務的典範，台中曉明女中上週四也辦「洗腳禮」，由校長朱南子等十餘名師長親自替學生洗腳。

朱南子說，腳是最卑微、最易弄髒的部位，不論為人洗腳或被洗腳，都需要有很大的勇氣。彎下腰、俯下身，為人洗腳，固然不易，被洗腳的人也會擔心自己腳臭、腳醜、腳癢、有香港腳等。對雙方來說，都非常不容易。因此，希望藉著洗腳禮，體會到服務是謙虛的，是需要極大的善意與愛。在愛中的服務，不會考慮自己的身份、自己的需要、自己的權利，只想到對方的需要。

洗腳禮進行時，多數學生面對師長幫洗腳都顯得靦腆。老師們則細心地幫學生用清水洗滌腳部，再仔細擦乾，有的老師還貼心地詢問學生水溫等舒適度，或是不忘勉勵學生好好加油。

自治會長陳淳蓁接受校長朱南子洗腳後幫同學洗腳。她說，兩者相較，幫人洗腳遠比接受別人洗腳容易。幫助別人只是純粹的付出，但被別人洗腳則承受較多。原本她對於是否接受校長洗腳一事十分糾結，畢竟校長是長輩又是一校之長，然而看到校長蹲在自己眼前，幫自己洗腳又擦腳的過程，感覺既不好意思卻又很奇妙，真的有從心底冒出要學習師長彎下腰、謙卑服務的想法。

〔自由時報記者蘇孟娟／台中報導〕

Hate mornings? Blame your DNA: Study discover the genes that make us 'night owls' or 'larks' 研究：愛早起的人更苗條 夜貓子更聰明

研究：愛早起的人更苗條 夜貓子更聰明

 Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, happy and slim, according to new research.

 新研究顯示，早睡早起有助於身體健康，保持心 情愉悅，還有瘦身功效。

 A study that analysed the DNA of sel ­professed 'nights owls' and 'morning larks' found that people who like to rise early tend to be thinner than those who go to bed later.

 通過分析“夜貓子”和“早起鳥”的DNA，研究發現：早起的人會比晚睡的人更瘦。

They are also less prone to depression and less likely to suffer from insomnia.

 早起的人罹患抑鬱症和失眠症的幾率也更小。
 Almost 90,000 people were asked if they were naturally a morning or a night person and had their DNA analysed.

 此項研究讓近9萬人選擇自己是“夜貓子”還是“早起鳥”，並分析了他們的DNA。



 This revealed 15 genes that were linked to a person being a 'lark' or an 'owl'.

 研究結果表明，人類體內有15個基因與“早起還是晚睡”有關。

 A preference for mornings rose with age, with more than twice as many of over­60s describing themselves as morning types than under­30s.

年齡越大，人起的就越早。認為自己是早起類型的人中，60歲以上的比30歲以下多出一 倍。

Women were more likely to enjoy mornings than men, the journal Nature Communications reports.

《自然通訊》期刊中有文章表明，女性比男性更愛早起。

 The researchers, from the California ­based genetic testing company 23andMe aren't sure why a person's body clock might be so strongly linked to health.

 此項研究的研究人員來自總部位於加利福尼亞州的個人基因檢測公司23andMe，他們也無法確知生物鐘與健康之間為何如此密切相關。

 But it might to be as simple as too many late nights taking their toll on evening types.

 但這背後的原因也許很簡單，經常熬夜讓那些夜貓子的身體付出了代價。

 For instance, the study suggested that a gene that is involved in body weight also affects whether someone is at their best in the morning or at night.

 舉例來說，該研究表明，與體重有關的一個基因會影響人們的最佳狀態是在早上還是夜晚。

Researcher David Hinds said: 'We like to think of our preferences and behaviour as core to who we are and it's interesting to see how our biology influences these things, like whether you are a morning person or a night owl.

 研究人員大衛·海因茲說：“我們喜歡把我們的偏好和行為當作'我們是誰'這個問題的核心。研 究生理特質如何影響人早起或晚睡等行為偏好其實挺有趣的。”

 'With large genetic databases available for study, we can uncover the genetics behind a variety of conditions and diseases and hopefully reach a better understanding of how we differ from one another.'

大衛還說：“現如今，可供研究的基因庫資料龐大，我們可以發現各種病症背後的遺傳學原 理，有望對個體特殊性有更深的理解。”

 But night owls needn't despair because a previous study found them to be brainier than those who leap out of bed when it is still dark.

 但“夜貓子”們也不必沮喪。之前的一項研究表明，晚睡的人比那些天還沒亮就起床的人更聰 明。

 To be precise, the brainiest go to bed at 29 minutes past midnight ­ while least clever turn off the bedroom light at 11.41pm, the British study found.

 確切地說，根據一項英國研究，最聰明的人在零點29分時睡覺，而智商最低的那些人在晚 上11點41分關燈上床。

 It is thought the division into larks and owls has its roots deep in evolution, with early risers in the Stone Age taking the initiative in food gathering, while late bidders stood guard late into the night.

人們認為，“夜貓子”和“早起鳥”這種分類可以從人類進化上找到深層原因。在石器時代，早 起的人帶頭採集食物，晚睡的人則在夜晚守夜。 Vocabulary take a toll on: 給……造成重大傷亡（或損失）

Cold and flu are not the same: If in doubt, seek prompt treatment 感冒流感大不同 勿延誤就醫

The weather has been very changeable lately. Ever since the Lunar New Year, a lot of people have been suffering from symptoms such as fever, sore throat, aching all over, vomiting and diarrhea. In addition, most people cannot tell the difference between the common cold and influenza, causing them to delay seeking treatment when they catch the flu and leading to complications.

Huang Shan-sung, a physician at the ear, nose and throat department of Da Chien General Hospital in Miaoli City, explains that the common cold is mostly characterized by upper respiratory tract symptoms such as sneezing and a runny nose, and people can recover fully in three to five days. However, the flu symptoms caused by the influenza virus are more severe, including fever, aching all over, blocked and runny nose, dry cough, poor appetite and so on.

Huang says influenza is very infectious and easy to catch if one does not take adequate preventive measures. A minority of patients may have severe complications such as viral or bacterial pneumonia, middle ear infections, encephalitis, pericarditis and other serious secondary infections. Elderly people, babies, young children, people suffering from chronic ailments such as heart, lung or kidney conditions and metabolic diseases and those with impaired immune functions should be especially careful.

Apart from getting flu vaccinations, Huang suggests avoiding going into crowded public places as much as possible, wearing a surgical mask when necessary, improved personal hygiene, frequent hand washing and making sure that air can circulate indoors. People should also make sure to get regular exercise and eat plenty of vitamin-rich fruit so as to strengthen their resistance to infection, he says.

(Liberty Times, translated by Julian Clegg)

最近天氣變化大，從春節期間開始，不少人出現發燒、喉嚨痛、全身痠痛及上吐下瀉等狀況，加上多數人分不清楚一般感冒及流行性感冒的不同，造成患上流感時延誤就醫，引發併發症。

苗栗市大千綜合醫院耳鼻喉科醫師黃山崧解釋，一般感冒多為打噴嚏、流鼻水等上呼吸道症狀，約三到五天就能痊癒，但流感病毒造成的感冒狀況較為嚴重，包括發燒、全身痠痛、鼻塞、流鼻水、乾咳、食慾不振等症狀。

黃山崧說，流感傳染性很強，未做好防範措施很容易感染，少數患者可能出現嚴重併發症，例如病毒性或細菌性肺炎、中耳炎、腦炎、心包膜炎及其他嚴重的繼發性感染等。老年人、嬰幼兒、患有心、肺、腎臟及代謝性疾病等慢性病患者及免疫功能不全者，要特別留意。

除了接種流感疫苗，黃山崧建議，應盡量避免進出人群多的公共場所，必要時戴口罩，加強個人衛生、勤洗手，保持室內空氣流通，同時維持規律的運動，多吃含豐富維生素的水果，增加身體抵抗力。

（自由時報記者彭健禮）

TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字

1. changeable adj. 變化大；起伏不定 

例: Ronald’s mood is very changeable; I wish he could chill out a little.

(羅納德的脾氣起伏不定，我希望他能放輕鬆點。)

2. ache v. 痠痛 

例: My arm muscles are aching after hand-washing three blankets yesterday.

(昨天手洗了三條毛毯後，我的手臂肌肉就一直痠痛。)

3. cannot tell the difference phr.分不清楚 

例: I cannot tell the difference between a butterfly and a moth. (我分不清楚蝴蝶與蛾的區別。)

New Years Resolution 新年決心: Yoga for Beginners 初學者該學的瑜珈

Is starting yoga your New Years resolution and you don't know where to start? Start here: 開始學瑜伽是你的新年願望，你不知道要從哪裡開始？就從這裡開始：

New Years resolution 新年決心

"Have you made any New Year's resolutions?" "Yes, I'm going to eat more healthily and give up smoking."

「你給自己定下甚麼新年決心了嗎？」「是的，我要令自己飲食更加健康，並且戒煙。

It's Never Too Late To Turn Over a New Leaf 更生人變書法家 寫出人生新章

TODAY’S WORDS今日單字

1. mentor v. 指導 

例: Sharon has been mentored by the best guitar player in the nation for ten days.

(夏倫受國內最優秀的吉他手指導已經十天了。)

2. companion n. 良伴，夥伴 

例: My best companion on that boat trip was a tiger. (那個海上之旅中，我的最佳良伴是一頭老虎。)

3. meditation n.靜心，禪坐 

例: Meditation will change the way you perceive the world.

(靜心會改變你對這個世界的感受。)

Mr. Li, 39, is an ex-convict, who committed serious offenses in the past and was jailed for ten years. He now lives in Nantou County’s Puli. When he was serving time in jail, he started to learn calligraphy and has been addicted to it ever since. After he was released from prison, he became even more diligent in practicing calligraphy and has become one of a new generation of calligraphy artists in Puli. From March 21, he has opened a calligraphy exhibition in the garden gallery of Puli’s township library. It is the first ex-convict exhibition held in the garden gallery since its establishment. In particular, township mayor Chou Ihsiung gave Mr. Li encouragement and support, commending him for letting go of his wasted years and for his artistic talent in calligraphy which helped him rediscover meaning in his life.

Mr. Li was eighteen years old in 1996, when he was convicted for robberies and drug-related crimes and was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment. During this period he was introduced to calligraphy and mentored by famous calligraphy artist Chou Liangtun and began to become absorbed by it. When he was released on parole, he committed crimes and was imprisoned again. He painfully reflected on what he had done in jail and began to diligently practice calligraphy by reciting the Heart Sutra and poems. Calligraphy became his best companion for self-reflection and meditation.

曾因犯下重案入獄服刑十年的南投縣埔里鎮三十九歲更生人李先生，服刑期間接觸到書法，進而踏上書法創作之路，出獄更勤練書法，成為埔里新世代的書法創作者，他將於三月二十一起於鎮立圖書館田園藝廊舉辦書法創作展，也是該藝廊成立以來首度有更生人策展，鎮長周義雄特別為李先生加油打氣，肯定他揮別荒唐歲月，用書法藝術讓人生重現色彩。

民國八十五年，當時李先生年僅十八歲，因盜匪、煙毒案件判刑，遭法院重判有期徒刑十年，期間受到知名書法家周良敦的啟蒙與指導，開始投入書法創作領域。假釋期間又因誤涉案件，再度入獄，他痛定思痛，在獄中勤以毛筆抄心經、詩詞，書法成了他反省、靜心最佳良伴。

Yoga Challenges: （尤指比賽或辯論）挑戰（書），邀請

"I bet you can't eat all that food on your plate." "Is that a challenge?"

「我敢打賭你吃不完自己盤裡的食物。」「這是在挑戰我嗎？」

[+ to infinitive] She issued a challenge to her rival candidates to take part in a public debate.

她向與她競爭的候選人發出挑戰，邀請他們參加一次公開辯論。

You know me - I like a challenge. 你瞭解我——我喜歡挑戰。

Yoga Camp 
7 Day Detox Challenge 
7 Day Yoga Challenge
Men's 30 Day Yoga Challenge

Ease Into It: 30 Days of Yoga

Do You Yoga 30 Day Challenge

Cardio Yoga 14 Day Challenge

4 Week Yoga Challenge
30 Days to a Healthy Back (Wai Lana)

（自由時報記者佟振國）

Yoga for Clean Lungs 對肺友幫助的瑜珈

Deep breathing, Yunlin’s most dangerous exercise 深呼吸，雲林的最危險的運動

Members of the Yunlin County Physician’s Group on Monday last week gather in Yunlin to demand that the public gets clean air.
雲林縣醫師團體上週一在雲林站出來，要政府還給人民乾淨新鮮的空氣。

Photo: Chan Shih-hung, Liberty Times 照片： 自由時報記者詹士弘攝

Deep breathing has become Yunlin County’s most dangerous exercise. On April 27, the spokesperson of Yunlin County Physician’s Group stated that he used to think Yunlin’s air was the cleanest in Taiwan, but now knows that there is a risk with each breath. If the government still does not address the pollution problem, no matter how much is spent on health insurance, it will never be enough.

Taiwan’s air quality has already worsened to the same level as China. The invisible nature of the hazard makes it only more worrying. PM2.5, which refers to particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers, is an invisible killer, making air pollution in Taiwan a matter of national security. The government must take more proactive measures, regulate the sources of pollution and control and manage overall pollution levels.

A doctor from Yunlin said, we can choose not to drink tea beverages from chains like 50 Lan or Stornaway, but we can not go a minute without breathing air. PM2.5 will raise the chances of the public getting asthma and lung cancer. Even foreign research indicates that dust under PM2.5 can be transferred to the brain through the alveolus and even lead to dementia.

The doctor said that when he found out that Yunlin had Taiwan’s worst air quality, it left him quite shocked. Big factories only create pollution for Yunlin; their taxes do not contribute anything to Yunlin. Yunlin used to have the best air quality, and now taking a deep breath has become the most dangerous exercise in this county. The government really must face up to this problem.

(Liberty Times, translated by Zane Kheir)

「深呼吸成雲林縣的最危險的運動」，雲林縣醫師團體發言人四月二七日表示，原本他以為雲林縣空氣最乾淨，現在才知道每吸一口氣都有風險，政府再不正視空污問題，健保費再多也不夠花。

TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字

1. worsen v. 惡化 

例: Relations between Japan and China have worsened recently.

(近來日本與中國的關係已經惡化。)

2. proactive adj. 積極 

例: Proactive students can easily improve their English.

(積極的學生可以輕易的提升英語能力。)

3. contribute v.貢獻 

例: I hope my work will contribute something to the team.

(我希望我的工作能對團隊有所貢獻。)

台灣的空氣品質已惡化到與中國同等級，看不到的傷害，讓人更為恐慌，pm兩點五是無形殺手，空污在台灣，已是國安問題，政府必須有更積極的作為，要從源頭、從污染總量管制起。

雲林的一位醫師表示，我們可以選擇不喝五十嵐、英國藍，但就是不能一分鐘不呼吸空氣，pm兩點五將提高民眾罹患哮喘、肺癌機率，甚至有國外研究指出，小於pm兩點五的灰塵，可透過肺泡轉移至腦部，甚至導致失智。

醫師說，得知雲林縣空氣品質全國最差，讓他相當震驚，大工廠對雲林只會製造污染，繳稅對雲林一點貢獻也沒有，原本空氣最好的雲林，變成「深呼吸成最危險的運動」，政府真的要正視問題。

〔自由時報記者詹士弘〕

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Yoga for Balance 平衡瑜珈

Ballerina brain holds secret to balance 女芭蕾舞者的大腦掌握平衡的秘密

TODAY’S WORDS今日單字

1. dizzy adj.頭暈目眩的 

例: She was dizzy and close to fainting.(她頭暈還差點昏倒。)

2. rotation n.旋轉 

例: Rotation of the hips is a key element in classical ballet. (骨盤向外旋轉是古典芭蕾的一個重要元素。)

3. puzzle v.困惑 

例: The students were puzzled by the teacher’s odd explanation.(老師奇怪的解釋讓同學們感到困惑。)

Years of training cause structural changes in a ballerina’s brain that help her stay balanced in the pirouette, said a report on Sept. 27 that may aid the treatment of chronic dizziness.

Brain scans of professional ballerinas revealed differences from other people in two parts of the brain, one that processes input from the balancing organs in the inner ear, and another responsible for the perception of dizziness.

Most people, after turning around rapidly, feel dizzy for a period thereafter.

This is because of the fluid-filled chambers of the ear’s balance organs, which sense the rotation of the head through tiny hairs that perceive the fluid swishing about. The fluid continues to move for a while after the spin — which creates the perception that one is moving when still — hence the dizziness.

Ballet dancers can perform multiple pirouettes with little or no feeling of dizziness — a feat that has long puzzled researchers.

The pirouette sees a dancer execute one or more full-body turns on the toe or ball of one foot.

“Ballet dancers seem to be able to train themselves not to get dizzy, so we wondered whether we could use the same principles to help our patients,” Barry Seemungal from Imperial College London’s medicine department said in a statement on the study published in the journal Cerebral Cortex.

(AFP)

一份九月二十七日的報告指出，女芭蕾舞者的大腦因多年的訓練產生結構性改變，幫助她在急速旋轉時可以保持平衡，並稱這可以幫助慢性頭昏的治療。

專業女芭蕾舞者的大腦掃描顯示，大腦有兩處與其他人不同：一處是處理來自內耳中平衡器官的輸入指令，另一處則是負責頭暈覺知。

大多數人，在迅速轉圈之後，會有一段時間感到頭暈。

這是因為耳朵平衡器官中充滿液體的腔室，透過細毛感知液體流動進而感覺到頭部旋轉。在旋轉過後液體會繼續流動一陣子—在人靜止時創造出持續移動的感覺—因此感到頭暈。

芭蕾舞者可以表演多次豎趾旋轉且鮮少或根本不會覺得頭暈—這是個讓研究者一直困惑的技藝。

豎趾旋轉是指舞者用腳趾或踮腳進行一至多個全身旋轉。

「芭蕾舞者看似可以控制自己不感到頭暈，所以我們想知道是否可以運用同樣的道理來幫助我們的病患」，倫敦大學帝國學院醫學系的貝瑞．希姆葛在刊載於《大腦皮層》期刊的研究聲明中說。

（法新社／翻譯：陳伃軒）

Full Moon Salutations 滿月瑜珈

Yes, you can blame the moon for a bad night’s sleep是的　都是月亮惹禍害你睡不好

TODAY’S WORDS

今日單字

1. tossing and turning idiom 輾轉反側

例: She was tossing and turning all night. (她整夜輾轉反側。)

2. doze off v. phr. 打瞌睡 

例: He dozed off in the armchair.  (他在扶手椅上打盹。)

3. anecdotal adj. 趣聞軼事般的

例: Gray’s book is anecdotal and entertaining. (格雷的書充滿奇聞，很有娛樂性。)

If you were tossing and turning at your pillow, you are not necessarily going crazy. The full moon might be to blame for your poor sleep.

In the days close to a full moon, people take longer to doze off, sleep less deeply, and sleep for a shorter time, even if the moon is not shining in their window, a new study has found.

Anecdotal evidence has long suggested that people’s sleep patterns, moods, and even aggression, is linked to moon cycles.

Between 2000 and 2003, biologist Christian Cajochen of the University of Basel in Switzerland and his colleagues collected detailed data on the sleep patterns of 33 healthy volunteers.

Using electroencephalograms (EEG), which measure brain activity, they recorded how deep and how long each participant’s nightly sleep was in a controlled, laboratory setting. They found a striking association between poor sleep and lunar cycles.

(Liberty Times)

若你在枕頭上輾轉反側，你應該不是發瘋了。你的失眠恐怕得歸咎於滿月。

在即將滿月的數日，即使月光沒有照進窗裡，人們要花更久的時間才能入睡、更少熟睡，而且睡眠時間更短，一份新研究發現。

有些奇聞軼事曾提到人們的睡眠模式、情緒甚至侵略性與月亮週期相關。

二０００年到二００三年間，瑞士巴塞爾大學的生物學家克里斯提安‧卡約翰與研究團隊，蒐集三十三名健康志願者睡眠模式的詳細資料。

藉由腦電波測量大腦活動，他們經由實驗室的控制儀器記錄到，每個參與者的夜間睡眠有多深、有多久。他們發現失眠與月亮週期有驚人的關聯。

（自由時報／翻譯：詹立群）

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