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）

This story has been viewed 3961 times.

Much ado about biking 租借單車釀衝突 男大生與婦人互毆

Yoga for Cyclists with Tim Senesi

Teenagers use a YouBike rental station in New Taipei City on Aug. 7.
青少年八月七日在新北市使用YouBike微笑單車租借站。

Photo: He Yu-hua, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者何玉華

At about 10:00pm on the evening of May 18, a male college student surnamed Lin was standing in line outside Exit Four of National Taiwan University Hospital MRT Station, waiting to hire a YouBike. After a member of the public returned a bicycle, Lin went forward to take it. At the same time, a woman surnamed Yang scurried up beside him and, without consulting Lin, moved in front to take the bicycle. Feeling perturbed, Lin rushed forward to swipe his EasyCard. As Lin was preparing to take the bike out and leave, Yang placed some items she was carrying into the bike’s front basket. Lin angrily admonished Yang, saying: “You didn’t wait in line.” They then traded blows, after which they each reported the incident to the police, with Yang accusing Lin of damaging her mobile phone and Lin accusing Yang of injuring his left forearm.

The Taipei District Protectors’ Office summoned both parties to court. Lin expressed his desire that the matter could be resolved peacefully and, as a gesture of goodwill, dropped his complaint. Seeing that Lin did not wish to pursue his charges, Yang said she was willing to forgive the young man, and she too withdrew her complaint. In view of this, prosecutors did not indict either of them.

(Liberty Times, translated by Edward Jones)

Yoga for Cyclists with former Olympian Ditte Kotzian

五月十八日晚間十時許，林男大生在台大醫院捷運站四號出口外排隊，準備租借YouBike微笑單車，一位民眾還車後，林男上前牽車，此時卻有一名楊姓婦人從他身旁竄出，逕自上前牽車，林男不滿搶先刷卡，準備牽車離去，楊婦卻將隨身物品放進腳踏車前置物籃，林男不滿大罵：「妳沒排隊。」雙方大打出手，兩人報案後，楊婦指控林男扯壞她手機，林男則稱楊婦打傷他左前臂。

台北地檢署傳喚兩人開庭，林男盼此事和平落幕，主動釋出善意，對楊婦撤回告訴，楊婦見對方不追究，也表示願意原諒年輕人，也撤回告訴，檢察官因而將兩人不起訴。

(自由時報記者謝君臨)

Yoga for Cyclists with Leslie Fightmaster

TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字

1. rush v. 搶先 

例: People often rush to buy up food before a typhoon hits.

(颱風來襲前，民眾通常會搶先買食物。)

2. admonish v. 大罵 

例: Peter was admonished by his wife for forgetting her birthday yet again.

(彼得又忘記妻子的生日而被大罵了。)

3. trade blows v. phr. 大打出手 

例: The couple traded blows after disagreeing on which movie to see.

(夫妻對於看哪一部電影意見不一致就大打出手。)

                                             Restoration Yoga after cycling with Helder Gomes

Cambridge Dictionary

English-Chinese (traditional)

The Yoga for the Bros 真男人練瑜珈

生活必備字詞

• trademark vt. 註冊商標 & n. 商標
• twist sth into... 將某物扭曲成 Sarah twisted the wire into the shape of a star.
• pretzel n. 椒鹽脆餅

Now, a new trend has started called Broga, which is the manlier version of yoga. In 2009, Robert Sidoti trademarked the name Broga, and he has licensed more than 200 Broga instructors since then. The main fear men have of going to a yoga class is that they will look foolish in front of a room full of women. Many men might feel embarrassed if they could not touch their toes while all the women beside them are twisting their bodies into pretzels. 現在，一種名為哥兒們瑜珈的新潮流已經展開，這是一種較為陽剛版本的瑜珈。 2009年，羅伯特 •希達堤為哥兒們瑜珈這個名字註冊了商標，並在那之後認證了兩百多位哥兒們瑜珈教練。男人對於參加瑜珈課程的主要恐懼來自於當他們置身於一個全是女人的場地前面時，他們會顯得很笨拙。當身旁所有的女人能把身體扭曲成脆餅狀時，大多數的男人會因摸不到自己的腳趾頭而感到尷尬。 

Body Shape
Fertility 
Forgiveness 原諒

Grief 悲哀

Hangovers 宿醉

Headaches 頭痛

Impotence 陽痿
Weight-loss
Free 30 Day Yoga Challenge for Men 男人的 30天挑戰 

Yoga for Men Part 1男人的 瑜伽練習 練習一

Yoga for Men Part 2 男人的 瑜伽練習 練習二

Resources:

10 Awesome Yoga Poses For Men

Top 10 Yoga Poses for Men

The beginner's guide to yoga for men

Top Ten Yoga Poses For Men (Men's Fitness)

Sean Vigue Yoga Channel

Man Flow Yoga Channel

Tim Senesei Yoga Channel

Real Men Do Yoga

Surf's Up! 衝浪瑜伽

Surfing super-cop cracks unsolved case
曾救溺水女學生 鑑識警官再揪逍遙八年搶匪

A fingerprint linking a suspect with a crime committed eight years ago is shown in a photograph provided by Taichung City Police Department’s Fengyuan Precinct.

臺中市豐原分局鑑識巡官高培邦憑這枚嫌犯指紋，再三比對出八年前搶匪身分。

Kao Pei-pang, a 27-year-old police inspector with Taichung City Police Department’s Fengyuan Precinct Criminal Investigation Corps identification team, was recently transferred to a post at Heping Precinct’s Criminal Investigation Corps. Kao, a lover of sports, hit the news more than three years ago while surfing in Miaoli county with two classmates from Central Police University, when he saved the life of a drowning first-year female student.

Two months ago, Kao reopened an old unsolved case and carried out a cross-check of the identification information. Surprisingly, the cross-check found a match with the identity of a thief in a robbery case involving a female student eight years ago. Following more than a month of investigation, Kao finally tracked down the male suspect, surnamed Yu. Although Yu denied his involvement in the criminal case, he was nevertheless unable to explain the evidence of his fingerprints and in the end was brought to justice by the police for the robbery.

(Liberty Times, translated by Edward Jones)

TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字

1. hit the news v. phr.登上媒體版面 

例: My cat recently hit the news when she climbed up a tree and had to be rescued by the fire department.

(我的貓最近因為爬上樹被消防隊救了下來而登上新聞版面。)

2. following prep. 經 

例: Following many years of tireless practice, Tom became fluent in Russian.

(經由多年的練習，湯姆的俄語變得很流利。)

3. bring to justice v. phr. 函送法辦 

例: My team will work night and day to bring the killers to justice.

(我的團隊會日以繼夜地工作，將殺人犯們繩之以法。)

現年二十七歲的臺中市豐原分局偵查隊鑑識小組巡官高培邦，剛調至和平分局偵查隊任職，平時喜愛運動的他，三年多前與另兩名警大同學在苗栗衝浪時，及時救上一名溺水國一女學生，登上媒體版面。

高培邦兩個多月前重新開啟未破舊案資料，與鑑識資料進行交叉比對，意外比對出八年前的女學生搶奪案歹徒身分，經一個多月查訪終於找到涉嫌的余姓男子。余男雖否認犯案，卻對證物上有他的指紋無法交代，最後仍遭警方依搶奪罪嫌函送法辦。

（自由時報記者李忠憲）

This post is inspired by my friends at Take Your Time Guesthouse (慢慢來)  in Taitung and  Rising Sun Surf Inn in Wai'ao.

Men's 30 Day Free Yoga Challenge 男人的 30天挑戰

 30 Day Yoga Challenge for Men: What is It?

Week 1 - Men's Challenge

1. Day 1 – Welcome to the Men’s 30 Day Yoga Challenge (18 min)
2. Day 2 – Yoga for Core Strength (10 min)
3. Day 3 – Yoga to Ease Back Pain (10 min)
4. Day 4 – Animal Strength for your Legs(12 min)
5. Day 5 – Deep Twist Yoga (11 min)
6. Day 6 – Yoga to Transform Yourself (11 min)
7. Day 7 – Yoga for Open Hips (11 min)

Week 2 - Men's Challenge

1. Day 8 – Full Body Animal Strength Yoga(12 min)
2. Day 9 – Yoga for a Strong Back and Abs(13 min)
3. Day 10 – Building Balance Through Strength (12 min)
4. Day 11 – Learn to Fly with Crow Pose (14 min)
5. Day 12 – Learning Yoga Back Bends (13 min)
6. Day 13 – Yoga for Strength And Grace(13 min)
7. Day 14 – Awesome Yoga Wake Up Flow(13 min)

Week 3 - Men's Challenge

1. Day 15 – Open Hips & Open Heart (13 min)
2. Day 16 – Yoga for the Spine (12 min)
3. Day 17 – A Quick Burst Of Yoga Energy(13 min)
4. Day 18 – Yoga for Strong Legs (12 min)
5. Day 19 – Balance, Breath & Motion (12 min)
6. Day 20 – Long Strong Yoga Burn (13 min)
7. Day 21 – Yoga to Energize the Spine (13 min)

Week 4 - Men's Challenge

1. Day 22 – Yoga to Unlock the Shoulders(13 min)
2. Day 23 – Flying High (13 min)
3. Day 24 – Yoga to Build Trust (13 min)
4. Day 25 – Flower Power Yoga for Dudes(14 min)
5. Day 26 – Hang, Breathe, and Burn (14 min)
6. Day 27 – Energize Your Day (12 min)
7. Day 28 – Yoga Burpee Extreme (10 min)

Week 5 - Men's Challenge

1. Day 29 – Overall Core Strength Workout(11 min)
2. Day 30 – Full Body Yoga Fitness (13 min)

Yoga for Men Part 2: 男人的 瑜伽練習 練習二

‘Too fat to fight’: thousands of British soldiers overweight 胖到不能打仗：數萬名英國軍人超重

British soldiers ride bicycles over Arnhem Bridge, in Arneham, Netherlands on Sept. 19.
英國軍人九月十九日在荷蘭阿納姆騎單車穿越阿納姆橋。

Photo: EPA
照片：歐新社

The British army has a global reputation for efficiency and performance, but new figures published on June 22 suggest that its soldiers might be getting a little soft.

More than 32,000 soldiers failed a basic fitness test at some point in the past three years, and more than 22,000 were found to be overweight and at risk of health problems, according to Ministry of Defense figures.

All soldiers in the British army are required to complete a personal fitness assessment twice a year, and those who fail must retake the test within seven days. Multiple failures could result in being discharged.

Men under the age of 29 must complete 44 press-ups in two minutes, followed by 50 sit-ups in two minutes, and a 2.4km run within 10.5 minutes.



Women have a slightly easier test, with 21 press-ups, 50 sit-ups and 13 minutes in which to complete the run.

According to the figures obtained by The Sunday Times newspaper, 29,600 men and 2,819 women failed their fitness tests between April 2011 and March this year.

“This figure represents 11 percent of the army serving in that period and many of those who failed will have subsequently passed their fitness test,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

The Sunday Times also revealed that more than 22,000 troops were found to be at increased risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease because they were so unfit.

(AFP)

英國軍人的效率與表現全球知名，但六月二十二日公布的新數據顯示英軍或許有點弱。

超過三萬兩千名軍人在過去三年中的某個時刻，其基本體能測驗未過，逾兩萬兩千人被判定過重，而且有健康問題上的風險，根據國防部的數據。

英國所有軍人規定一年內要完成兩次個人體能評估，未過關者必須在七天內重考。多次失敗恐導致退役。

二十九歲以下的男性軍人必須在兩分鐘內完成四十四下伏地挺身，接著兩分鐘完成五十下仰臥起坐，以及在十分半內跑完二點四公里路程。

女兵的測驗稍微輕鬆一點，分別是二十一下伏地挺身、五十下仰臥起坐，以及十三分鐘內完成路跑。

根據《週日泰晤士報》取得的數據，二０一一年四月今年三月間，有兩萬九千六百名男性軍人與兩千八百一十九名女兵未能通過體能測驗。

TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字

1. retake v. 重考；重學；再取 

例: The allies retook the city after severe fighting.

(經過激戰後，盟軍重奪該城。)

2. press-up, push- up n. 伏地挺身 

例: He’s good at doing one-arm press-ups.

(他擅長做單臂伏地挺身。)

3. sit-up n. 仰臥起坐 

例: How many sit-ups can you do in one minute?

(你一分鐘可做幾下仰臥起坐？)

Yoga for Men Part 1: 男人的 瑜伽練習 練習一

Holding doors open for men threatens their masculinity 幫男人開門　威脅他們的男子氣概

A sure-fire way to ruin the self-esteem of a cocky colleague is to hold the door open for him, say psychologists.

Such a gesture could be taken to imply that the recipient looks needy and vulnerable.

This is likely to clash with their masculine identity and leave them deflated, professors Janice Kelly and Megan McCarty of Purdue University in Indiana suggested.

Their study, published in the journal Social Influence, found no evidence that women were effected in a similar way when men held doors for them.

The authors said even fleeting examples of unexpected help can have significant impact if they work against typical gender roles.

Men who had the door held for them by another man reported lower feelings of self-esteem and self-belief than men who did not have the door held for them.

No differences were seen in women, regardless of whether a door was held open for them or not.

(Liberty Times)

絕對能摧毀臭屁同事自尊的方法，就是幫他開門，心理學家說。

這可能與他們的男性認同有所衝突，並且讓他們很洩氣，印地安納州普渡大學博士凱利與麥卡尼強調。

他們的研究，刊登在期刊「社會影響」上，沒有發現證據顯示，女性在當男性幫忙開門時有受到同樣影響。

作者說，即使時間短暫的、突如其來的幫助有顯著的影響，若他們這些動作有違典型的性別角色。

被男人幫忙開門的男人，據稱其自尊心與自信心比沒有被幫忙開門的男人來得低落。

但在女性身上並沒有不一樣，無論她們是否被提供開門的服務。

（自由時報／翻譯：詹立群）

TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字

1. sure-fire adj. 必定能的 

例: This is a sure-fire way to get publicity.

(這麼做必定能引人矚目。

2. cocky adj. 驕傲自大的 

例: Don’t get cocky just because you’ve achieved some amount of success.

(別小有成績就把尾巴翹起來。)

3. clash with v. phr. 與…衝突 

例: The color of the curtains clashes with the color of the wall.

(窗簾顏色與牆壁顏色不協調。)

YOGA FOR MEN ROUTINES