Council on Aging

Exercise

Ronald Windsor exercises recently at the Fort Payne Senior
Center. The center offers a fully equipped exercise room with
various equipment.

Crew-members aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock, home-ported in Port Huron, Mich., used an oil-skimming device Wednesday to recover peat moss, acting as a substitute for spilled oil, near Mackinac Island. The crew of the Hollyhock was participating in a project led by the Coast Guard’s Research and Development Center showcasing techniques for removing spilled oil from a frozen environment.

One of the most common areas that women wish to improve in terms of appearance is the back of their legs. The hamstring muscles are a group of muscles that run down the back of the legs. While aerobic activity is important for anyone looking to improve the appearance of muscle tone, there are specific exercises that can improve the strength and appearance of this muscle group.

One of the most effective exercises for increasing the strength and appearance of the back of the legs is the squat. The squat involves placing a bar either on the back of the shoulders, or in some cases holding it on the front of the arms; sometimes referred to as a front squat. The person doing a squat goes down into a seated position while keeping the back straight or slightly arched, but not curved or rounded off. This exercise is not only one of the best hamstring strengthening exercises, but it also works the quadriceps and glute muscles as well.

Another great exercise that targets the hamstring muscles is the seated leg curl. There are typically three main methods by which these machines operate. The first involves sitting in a chair like machine, curling weight down and back. The second method involves lying in the prone position on a machine and curling the legs up and back toward the buttocks. The third method involves standing and using a machine to curl weight up and back toward the buttocks area. All of these exercises target the muscles down the back of the legs and help to tone and firm those areas.

The hamstring muscles can be worked with numerous exercises. Many gyms offer machines that specifically target this muscle group. If you have any questions about how to do an exercise, make sure to ask a good personal trainer. The cost of a personal trainer session or two will likely be well worth the expense with regard to what you learn. Good luck in your workouts.

This entry was posted Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 at 3:36 am and is filed under Exercise.

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The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) teamed up with US Special Forces troops Wednesday evening for a night of multi-agency counter-terrorism tactical exercises.??

Residents of the sprawling city observed a Black Hawk helicopter and four OH-6 choppers flying over Los Angeles, with the fleet hovering above the US Bank building downtown and flying low over the Staples
Center. ??

Meanwhile, LA news station CBS KCAL9 managed to identify a Black Hawk making what appeared to be a practice drop off in a local park before flying off.??

The LAPD issued an official statement explaining that the training exercises would help ensure the militarys ability to safely and effectively operate within urban environments.??

Chief Warrant Officer David Duran told KCAL9 the Los Angeles training exercises could be a dry run for a future mission.

They do a lot of mockup training… But its always best to get the closest terrain layout to what the objective is, he explained.

If its a mountainous terrain, they go to the mountains; if its a desert terrain, they use the desert; if theyre in a coastal terrain, they use the coast. If its an urban terrain, you know, whatevers needed.

Similar exercises – which were held in NYC, Miami and Boston – have prompted concern over what appears to be the rapid militarization of local police departments. Indeed, since 9/11, the DHS has shelled out more than $34 billion in federal grants arming precincts with military grade equipment and advanced tech.

For example, the New York Police Department (NYPD) and US Department of Defense (DoD) are currently testing a new system that uses terahertz imaging to detect hidden weapons.
?
Unsurprisingly, the use of such invasive technology has prompted a slew of concerned statements from privacy advocates who believe the arbitrary use of terahertz imaging violates human rights. To be sure, the system is capable of measuring energy radiating from an individual up to 16-feet away, while detecting anomalies like a firearm.??

However, NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly insisted he will only authorize the use of the system in reasonably suspicious circumstances where terahertz imaging would cut down on the number of instances which police stop and frisk a subject.

The NYPD is also apparently mulling over the idea of deploying drones to assist officials with various law enforcement tasks. Of course, drones are already flying above the skies of a number of US states, including Miami and Texas. The craft are typically equipped with high-resolution cameras capable of capturing a high-level of detail in real time, such as faces and license plates numbers.??

Former NYPD officer Gary Weksler said he believes the deployment of drones over the skies of the Big Apple makes perfect sense and is probably somewhat inevitable.

Not only would it be a form of intelligence gathering to protect the public, it also in many respects removes the officers, who might be attempting to identify issues, from harms way, he added.

WICHITA, Kan., Jan. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ –
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has exercised the first option with CLC Lodging to administer the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Transitional Sheltering Assistance program.

CLC will continue to work under contract with FEMA and network with an array of lodging partners to provide critical temporary lodging facilities for eligible disaster victims who have been displaced from their homes. CLC has served as the administrator of FEMA’s transitional sheltering program since 2006.

“Our program continues to stand ready to assist FEMA to provide temporary lodging for hundreds of communities displaced from their homes following disasters,” said Tim Downs, CLC Lodging President. “The value of our program became even more evident as numerous disasters were declared in the United States this year. Since hurricane Katrina, thousands of families have participated in the Emergency Lodging Assistance program, which provides temporary housing to families during a stressful transition.”

In 2011, CLC was simultaneously activated for five different recovery efforts. From flooding to hurricane damage and fire evacuations, CLC’s ELA program assisted thousands of individuals in need of temporary lodging.

CLC’s responsibilities include establishing a nationwide network of hotel partners, developing and operating a secure communication and processing system accessible by FEMA and lodging providers, managing and controlling lodging costs and issuing timely and accurate payments to lodging providers.

Through more than 1,750 disaster relief operations, CLC has supported the nation’s disaster response community with comprehensive lodging, reservation and reimbursement programs.

CLC Emergency response clients include the U.S. Government’s General Services Administration, the American Red Cross, regional utility companies, environmental restoration companies and emergency transportation companies.

CLC Lodging (
http://www.clclodging.com ) is a division of FleetCor, the Global Fleet Card Company. CLC has more than 30 years experience as a leading provider of workforce lodging management programs to businesses, serving thousands of clients in North America. CLC’s clients purchase more than 9 million room nights annually across CLC’s proprietary network of thousands of hotels.

For Media Inquiries, Contact:Denny MarlinMarketing DirectorCLC Lodging(316) 771-7057dmarlin@clclodging.com

This press release was issued through eReleases(R). For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at
http://www.ereleases.com .

SOURCE CLC Lodging

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

Last week, the Indian Navy commissioned a nuclear powered submarine called INS Chakra. The 8,000 ton vessel built by Russia has been taken on lease for a 10 year period, at a cost of almost $1 billion. The new submarine will be added to the fleet of 14 aging Indian submarines. It will be armed with 300 km range Klub-S land attack cruise missiles and advanced torpedoes. The submarine will be based at Visakhapatnam along the Bay of Bengal.

According to the Indian Defense Ministry, INS Chakra will be deadly hunter-killer of enemy submarines and warships. It will also provide protection to fleets at sea. The vessel is as sophisticated as the latest US submarines as regard its sound effect and capacity to stay under the sea for a very long period.

It is curious that India is arming itself with offensive naval platforms and military assets. To many, this may seem unusual for a country that is committed to world peace. But analysts say this is part of a regional effort against any other hostile mega power, especially in the Asia-Pacific.

To begin with, an alliance of countries, known as the axis of democracies, is being formed. Here, India is being joined by the US, Japan and Australia.

Let us take a closer look at what is happening around us in the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific.

Last May, Japan and Australia signed the Japan-Australia Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA). It calls for reciprocal provision of goods and services during joint exercises, peace keeping operations, relief activities, etc. This is the second ACSA after the one Japan signed with the USA.

But before that, in April last year, the Japanese defense minister visited India and held the second Japan-India Defense Ministerial meeting. Among other things, it was agreed that joint exercises, staff talks, exchanges in various fields and various levels would take place.

In the meantime, the US is busy putting together the bricks and mortar to form a new security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region.

The concern of the US is mainly the sea choke points — the narrow channels along widely used global sea routes. They are a critical part of the global energy security due to the high volume of oil passing through the narrow straits. Two such choke points are the Strait of Hormuz leading out to the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Malacca linking the Indian and the Pacific oceans. On the south eastern end of the Malacca Strait it flows into the South China Sea where the resource rich Spratly islands are contested between China and several members of the Association of South East Asian nations (Asean). In Hormuz, the US directly faces Iran, which is ready to close the Strait if US pressure through economic sanction due to its nuclear programme increases.

Thus, last October, the then US Defense Secretary Gates met with the Japanese defense minister at the Asian Defense Ministers meeting in Hanoi and reiterated that their countries would jointly respond in line with a bilateral security pact towards stability in areas in the East China Sea, covering disputes between China and Japan. It may be mentioned that there is complete inter-operability between the navies of the US and Japan.

Relations between the Indian and Australian navies have grown in strength recently. Australia sees India as her extended neighbourhood. Naval exchange ship visits and exercises are becoming frequent. Australia has agreed in principle to sell uranium to India in a major policy reversal.

The US has also tied up with India through consolidating a strategic partnership. In October 2011, the US army participated in the latest and the largest of Yudh Abhyas (training for war) games with India. The US has also been joining annual naval exercises named Malabar with India. It has now included Canada, Australia, Japan, and Singapore. In 2007, Malabar naval exercise was held in the Bay of Bengal close to the Bangladesh shores, with more than 25 warships from five nations.

So when India, with more than 700 million poor, is engaged in purchasing and leasing military hardware like the INS Chakra, eyebrows are likely to be raised. The scarce resources of the country could instead have been used to alleviate poverty. Indias own society, which is threatened by Maoist insurgency, attacks by terrorists, as well as armed insurrection in the north eastern states, needs priority attention.

By participating in a big power game in the Indian Ocean, India may be putting itself at odds with other countries that do not see eye-to-eye with it on strategic matters. India, it is suggested, should first engage China and quickly demarcate their northern land borders so as to increase mutual trust and reduce the possibility of any conflict with China.

Recently, in the 15th meeting between India and China on the border issue, a working mechanism for consultation and coordination only was agreed upon. The process of border demarcation continues to be stalled as there is little confidence between the two. India and China are two large trading partners, but this in no way seems to overcome the distrust that exists between them. Indias participation with the US, Australia and Japan to contain China through their navies may acerbate the situation.

In 2011, India had invested over $36 billion in its military. It is rapidly modernising its armed forces and building a missile defense system and nuclear triad delivery systems. The country will be investing more than $112 billion in sophisticated arms and battle platforms before 2016.

So how do Indias small neighbours like Bangladesh see these developments?

Bangladesh has since 2009 been undertaking joint military exercises with India to combat terrorism. It has also being testing combat zone tactics together. India is also now thinking of supplying Bangladesh with military equipment. This is in addition to what Bangladesh buys from China, which, ironically is seen as militarily hostile to India.

In spite of all this, Bangladesh as well as other small nations along the Indian littoral, who use the sea lanes for trade and energy supplies, will remain uncomfortable with the Indian navy patrolling the deep seas ever so quietly and inconspicuously. They would also be worried to see a Nato-like force emerge in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, comprising of the US, Japan, India and Australia, to jointly confront China or other powers.

The acquisition of INS Chakra points towards such a possible development in the future.

The writer is a former Ambassador and Chairman of the Centre for Foreign Affairs Studies.

E-mail: ashfaque303@gmail.com

WASHINGTON — The United States and the Philippines are exploring increased joint military exercises and other military cooperation that would not entail a major buildup or a reopening of permanent bases, officials in both capitals said Thursday.

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A Philippine sailor looked toward the American Navy’s U.S.S. Carl Vinson off Manila Bay on May 15, 2011.

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Foreign affairs and defense officials from the Philippines are visiting Washington for preliminary talks, and in Manila last week, leaders told a visiting American Senate delegation that the government would welcome closer military ties. The United States has about 600 troops in the Philippines, many of them trainers assisting in countering terrorist groups in the south.

American military interest in the Philippines is a touchy subject, and both sides appeared to be moving carefully. The American presence in the Philippines began with the capture of the islands from Spain in 1898, introducing decades of near-colonial rule.

The Philippines gained independence in 1946, with the vast American presence often proving an irritant in the country’s uneasy relations with the United States. Resentments sharpened after the ouster of President Ferdinand E. Marcos in a popular uprising in 1986, and within a few years, major American air and naval bases were closed, notably at Subic Bay, long the American hub in Asia.

In Manila, the Philippine defense secretary, Voltaire Gazmin, said the talks in Washington would cover intensifying joint military exercises within the limits of a 1999 accord that lets ships and American troops visit temporarily. “That agreement will prevail,” The Associated Press quoted him as saying.

Mr. Gazmin’s acting chief of staff, Peter Galvez, said by telephone that higher-level discussions would follow in March.

“We always welcome the broadening of relations with our allies, but this is a sensitive area of negotiations because we are constrained by our Constitution from certain agreements,” Mr. Galvez said. “U.S. bases in the Philippines would be out of the question.”

Pentagon officials confirmed that the discussions with the Philippines covered more joint military exercises and more frequent American naval visits to Philippine ports. “This is not about looking for U.S. bases in the Philippines,” said Capt. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman. “This is simply about trying to move our relationship with the Philippine military forward.”

The talks, which were first reported by The Washington Post on Thursday, are the latest attempt to bolster the American presence in the Asia-Pacific region to counter a rising China. President Obama toured the region in November, announcing in Australia that he would deploy thousands of Marines to a base there. During Mr. Obama’s Asia tour, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited the Philippines to reaffirm the military relationship. The Philippines and China both have territorial claims to islands in the South China Sea, or, as it is called in Manila, the West Philippine Sea — a term that Mrs. Clinton pointedly used.

The delegation of four American senators visiting Manila last week included Joseph I. Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, who saluted what he called “the dawn of a new era in the relationship between the United States and the Philippines.”

The two countries maintain a mutual defense treaty, signed in 1951, and negotiated an agreement in 1998 that allowed the American military to visit and conduct joint operations in the Philippines. The United States provided the Philippines a coast guard cutter in May, and the two countries have been holding joint military exercises near the islands at the center of the territorial dispute with China.

Subic Bay is now a civilian special economic zone. Although American ships can visit the area, it is unclear how the United States can operate there under the limits imposed by the Philippine Constitution. “That is what is being discussed right now,” Mr. Galvez said. The delegation in Washington is led by Pio Lorenzo F. Batino, the Philippine Defense Department’s under secretary for legal and legislative affairs and strategic concerns.

Philippine groups that fought to have American military bases ejected in the early 1990s have been monitoring the developments with concern. “The United States military is violating our sovereignty and intruding on our internal affairs,” said Lana Linaban, secretary general of the women’s rights organization Gabriela. “In the guise of military support, they are influencing our government.” She said American bases had created many problems, like increased prostitution, that still erupt after the port calls and joint military exercises.

“We should defend our country with our own military,” she said.

But a Philippine senator, Richard J. Gordon, who administered Subic Bay after the departure of the Americans, said in a recent interview that greater American military engagement had become vital for the Philippines and for the United States. “The United States has been losing ground in this region,” he said. “You have a China that is beginning to flex its muscles, and it is pushing us around. I don’t like that. Its record with its neighbors is not very good. We need to have a fireman nearby.”

John H. Cushman Jr. reported from Washington, and Floyd Whaley from Manila. Elisabeth Bumiller contributed reporting from Washington.

The Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Saturday denounced the planned US-South Korean military exercises as a nuclear war rehearsal and provocation to the North.

This is an unpardonable grave military provocation to the sovereignty of the DPRK and a wanton challenge to the international communitys desire for peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula, said the official KCNA news agency in a commentary.

The war games code-named Key Resolve are a nuclear war rehearsal for aggression on the DPRK aimed to occupy the whole of the Korean Peninsula by force, said the commentary.

It warned that the exercises scheduled for February will harm inter-Korean relations and drive the tension of the Korean Peninsula to the brink of war.

More intolerable is the fact the war games are to be held when the people of the DPRK are still mourning the death of their late leader Kim Jong Il, said the commentary.

The army and people of the DPRK will mercilessly punish those gangsters who rush into a house of mourning with flaming torch of aggression, it said.

HAVANA: Cuba in November will stage its biggest military maneuvers of past three years, a show of force that will coincide with presidential elections in the United States.

The exercises will be the first under the command of General Cintra Frias, appointed as Cubas defense minister following the September 3 death of General Julio Casas Regueiro.

YiJinJing is a set of ?hard? qigong exercises which strengthen the muscles and tendons, nourish the internal organs, as well as unblock qi stagnation/blockages and improve its intensity and flow.

WITH the coming of the new Year of the Dragon, it is perhaps appropriate for me to reveal to you the fascinating account of my initiation into the Shaolin YiJinJing Qigong clan. I had hesitated to relate this story earlier because the details may offend some people.

Firstly, this style originated from the Buddhist temples, and my late grandmaster was a Buddhist monk. After the Islamic religious authorities here declared yoga as haram for Muslims, they might be suspicious of qigong too, since it is practised by many Shaolin Buddhist monks, although nowadays most exponents are lay people.

I am a devout Muslim, and I avoid any elements forbidden by Islam in my practice of the various qigong styles that I have learnt.

Secondly, part of the preparations for my initiation required me to be stark naked in front of my sifu (master) and his assistants (all male) for my qi to be charged and balanced.

Being a medical doctor (also a gynaecologist) for over 30 years, I am very familiar with the need to examine naked patients. However, this time, I was the ?patient?. The necessity for this will be explained below. Please note that today?s article is rated ?R?.

YiJinJing is a set of ?hard? qigong exercises which strengthen the muscles and tendons, nourish the internal organs, as well as unblock qi stagnation/blockages and improve its intensity and flow. These exercises also improve the body?s flexibility, balance and strength.

While most other qigong exercises I practise and teach are gentle, smooth and performed while smiling, the YiJinJing exercises require intense concentration, and much effort.

The history of Yijinjing is vague. There is the popular version that it was devised by the sage Bodhidhamma, who was from India and taught at the Shaolin Temple.

Then there are other versions that attribute its origins to others. What is certain is that it became popular and was widely practised, especially by the Shaolin monks, to keep themselves healthy, fit, and also for self-defence. It also gave rise to other simpler versions like Baduanjin.

Over the years, many different sets of exercises have evolved from the original set that was taught by the originator. It is not my intention to describe the exercises here. What I would like to share is my introduction to the style, and what it can do.

Grandmaster Xuan Kong

Grandmaster Xuan Kong died recently at age 93. He combined qigong with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to diagnose and treat patients, and was particularly good at bone-setting and healing neuro-muscular problems. Because of his remarkable achievements in healing, he was called a ?miracle doctor?.

He lived in Anhui Province, China. People came from all over the world to learn from him, and also to get treatment for their health problems. The last time I was in Anhui was to learn the teachings of Confucius (Di Zi Gui) in the small town of Lujiang (see thestar.com.my/health/story.asp?file=/2008/11/2/health/2429651sec=health).

Master Jiang Feng

My sifu is Master Jiang Feng, the 97th generation in our lineage. He is only 47 years old, but was chosen many years ago to be the Grandmaster?s successor. Among the disciples, he was not the most senior, but he had the most potential and the best aptitude.

So for many years, Grandmaster groomed him to take over the lineage. From what I know about his power, he is indeed worthy of that task.

Master Jiang Feng can easily burn paper using the qi from his fingers. He can send qi into a bottle of water to make it instantly sweet. He can even send the qi to a group of people and make their saliva taste sweet within a few minutes.

I have experienced drinking the sweetened qi-energised water and have had my saliva sweetened by his qi several times. But these are just ?showtime? demos to show that qi is real, and that the physical effects of qi can be observed, experienced and scientifically recorded and tested.

Many years ago, a top martial arts exponent challenged him to a duel. He refused, saying that his powers are only to be used for the good. The man insulted him in the hope of making him angry enough to agree to fight.

Finally, Sifu relented, but suggested that the man fight one of his disciples first, and if he won, only then would Sifu accept his challenge. The man agreed.

During the fight, Sifu?s disciple jammed the opponent?s energy system and then sent a massive bolt of qi that paralysed him. He collapsed, and upon recovering, paid homage to Sifu. That man never fully recovered from his injuries till today.

Qigong masters can not only manipulate their own qi, but they can also manipulate other people?s energy system. You cannot fight the YiJinJing masters because they can jam your energy system from a distance; they can shoot you with qi-laser that burns; and when there is contact, they can zap you with intense qi that can kill.

The top masters can jam the energy systems of animals (even a big cow), and Grandmaster Xuan Kong could transfer qi from one animal to another, and from an animal to a human (to boost the qi in an emergency)!

However, they only use this immense power for self-defence and useful purposes. What is most important is that this powerful art can be used for healing.

Sifu is a qualified TCM physician and combines qigong healing with herbs and cupping. Over the years, he has helped and healed thousands of people from across the globe.

Master Jiang Feng has visited Malaysia several times and many locals have had the opportunity to witness or ?taste? his qi-transfer. He has also helped heal many people who sought his help.

Becoming a disciple

Let me describe what I went through before I was accepted to become his disciple. Sifu does not accept just anyone to become his disciple. You must have the sincere desire to learn, and have the required aptitude, the discipline, and the commitment to practise as well as the humility to honour the rules of discipleship.

First, Sifu diagnosed my health and qi level/balance by checking my pulse (at the wrist) and inspecting my tongue. Then he gave me an experience of his qi. He held my hand and then brought out his qi from the lower dantien (main energy centre below the umbilicus), up to his middle dantien (solar plexus area), and then out in a burst to my hand.

I felt a surge of electric current over the entire arm. Wherever the other hand touched me, there was also an electric buzz. The sensation was similar to what I had described when I went through electric therapy in Beijing several years ago (see Buzzing in Beijing, www.superqigong.com/articlesmore.asp?id=79), except that this time it was electric-qi, and not a current coming out of an electrical device.

Then Sifu asked one of his disciples to do the same exercise on me, to test his ability.

Sifu and his assistants used their qi to direct the toxins in my body to the back of my knees (popliteal fossa). Then Sifu stabbed the area with a sharp sterile instrument. Blackish blood with gritty contents dribbled out. Fortunately, being a doctor, I was not scared, and it was only slightly painful.

For those who have health problems, the detox process would continue with the toxins being gathered over the back. The cupping method will be used to extract the large amount of toxins.

While pins or scalpels are used in conventional cupping to break the skin and initiate bleeding, in the qigong method, qi is used to break the skin and start the bleeding.

Qi-balancing

I was required to lie naked, face up, while Sifu and three assistants analysed the state of my qi. They transferred their qi to me while manipulating and balancing its distribution and flow. Since qi is also sexual energy, they evaluated the adequacy of my qi by checking the strength of my erection!

In fact, prior to the session, I had to ask my wife to be ready at home because after being charged with qi to the brim, it must be discharged. And the best way to do so is by having sex.

Indeed, after the charging/balancing session was over, I had to rush home to my wife who was dutifully waiting in bed. I had to drive while having a Grade 4 erection throughout the journey. Fortunately, it was only a 30-minute drive.

I have written many times that if your qi level and flow are good, you will have good erections. Qigong masters are famous for having hard-rock erections that enable their penises to lift weights and even pull trucks. Qigong masters can have multiple orgasms without having any refractory period in between.

Some doctors out there may not believe what I am saying, but you can always ask our partners for confirmation!

The mark of YiJinJing

The last thing Sifu did to me, which he did not do to any other disciple, was to directly shoot his qi into my middle dantien (just below the xiphisternum). The qi came out like a laser beam from his middle finger, while he was sitting about five feet away from me.

It burnt my skin and I felt like screaming. For one week there was a blister. When it dried and healed, a scar with a beautiful pattern emerged. The scar is only about 1cm in diameter, with centrally radiating marks as if it was made by a laser beamed from a computerised laser machine.

The scar is still there, although the pattern has gradually faded. I often proudly show this scar to people to tell them that I really know qi exists ? I got burnt by it!

The initiation

After Sifu was satisfied with my preparation, a formal initiation ceremony was held. The traditional paraphenalia were placed on a small table, and a small banner proclaimed the official arrival of this lineage of YiJinJing to Malaysia.

I was proclaimed the ZiXiong (Big Brother) of the 98th generation here in Malaysia. My two Malaysian XiTi (Younger Brothers) were initiated before me in Anhui.

A third XiTi is an Arab who came to me from the Middle East to look for the most powerful qigong, so I brought him to Sifu instead.

Because it is intense, YiJinJing is not for everyone. If you are dedicated and want robust health, strength, power, endurance, flexibility and martial arts versatility, then you can try this art. You need not worry about having to be naked or have your leg stabbed, because ordinary students need not go through what I did. But if you aspire to be a sifu, that?s a different story.

#9632; Dr Amir Farid Isahak is a medical specialist who practises holistic, aesthetic and anti-ageing medicine. He is a qigong master and founder of SuperQigong. For further information, e-mail starhealth@thestar.com.my. The views expressed are those of the writer and readers are advised to always consult expert advice before undertaking any changes to their lifestyles. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.