learning and practicing ChiKung

sometime last year I started to learn ChiKung. at first I had learnt some techniques from Akiko. she teaches ChiKung ("Kikou" as it is pronounced in Japan) a few times a week. the style is called Enbouzen. which is roughly translated as, round stick Zen . in her school, they use different sized bo's which symbolize levels of the practice. it helps to keep the hands together and level during certain exercises as well as having the benefits of having good ki (energy) properties of wood.
Enbouzen Exercises:
1. a central practice of enbouzen would be the "standing Zen" practice, where the student simply stands upright, knees slightly bent, tail-bone tucked in, shoulders and waist relaxed, while holding the bo out in front of the mid torso. Akiko tells me that they sometimes stand this way for one hour. (I am yet to practice at such lengths) the practice can also be modified by holding the bo directly above one's head, having the arms extended straight.
                                                      2. to help with tightness in my hips, middle back, and shoulders, it was recommended by Akiko's Sensei that I should practice holding the bo in both hands, making circles with the bo starting near my chest, extending the bo upward and outward away from my torso, circling down as the extension of my arms reaches mid way, circling down and back towards the torso and back up to finish the circle. this should be done again and again. another movement that is added to the exercise is bending and straightening my legs following the upward and downward movement of the circle I am making with the bo. the movement should be graceful, hips should be relaxed as much as possible, and the knees should not bend beyond the tip of the toes.
                                                      3. to help release tightness in my shoulders and neck, Akiko taught me another exercise. making ovals with the bo above my head. the oval is long and no wider than the width of my head. extending the arms up as far as possible straight above my head, and back down, over and over, continuously. Akiko has told me they sometimes make at least 300 repetitive ovals daily. I can manage to do around thirty before my arms become weak.
these are the main exercises I have learnt from Akiko so far. I have also supplemented these exercises with a flexibility training which I learnt from a teacher called Binkun Hu. I bought his dvd which is called "Creating Flexibility Through QiGong." the exercises have been very helpful. since starting to practice kikou, I am now starting to feel more movement in my body as i practice. certain muscles are slightly softer than they were before. I hope to learn more from Akiko and her Sensei, and deepen the relaxation and flexibility which can result from the practice.

baking cookies

there is  something I do quite a lot, at work, and that is baking desserts. the demand for cookies increases with each successful batch. from twelve, to twenty, to twenty five per day. I also bake a lot of cakes. when I have time, I take pictures to remember them. the repetition of each day, baking, using similar recipes, I start to understand how I can add ingredients, or modify the process, to get a slightly different result. so far, my favorites have been, oatmeal cookies, lemon cheesecake, sticky date pudding, and chocolate chip cookies. these always turn out well, and are popular with the workers.
although I enjoy baking, I find it is hard to make desserts without tasting them. as I am usually trying new recipes, I should taste them once they have been cooked. I should know how they taste, and whether or not I can be proud to serve them or not. this isn't such a bad thing. some of the baked sweets are quite tasty. the down side to this is the amount of sugar i consume daily, and how it affects my appetite and well-being.

sugar is extremely stimulating, causing my mind and senses to feel erratic and hyper. my appetite for vegetables and fresh food diminishes. also there is the developing habit of eating sweets out of convenience. they are prepared and ready to eat. and when I am tired from a days work, I am sooner to eat a cookie than I am to prepare a bowl of miso soup.

this time around, this work period, I have controlled how much of the sweets I am tasting. since I have baked them a number of times, I am familiar with the taste and the affect. so I can leave most of them for the others to eat.
ideally, I would rather be cooking healthy food for people. there are doubts and debates about what is helpful and healthy about food, and eating. some people claim that sweets are "good for us" because they help stimulate our mood and generally make us feel happy. personally I find the affect of sweets can be positive while influencing a positive mood, but at the same time can cause harm to us. we can easily form habits of eating too many sweets, and therefore risk developing diabetes, erratic moods, and obesity.
what I am most concerned with is the affect on moods, and the habit of mood that can result from a dependency on sweets. I have experienced the affect of habitual eating on my mood, as well as noticed it in others. for example, it is common for the craving for sweets to cause anxiety when we are without sweet foods. and for those who are prone to have emotional imbalances these cravings would no doubt make the ups and downs of emotional waves to be greater.
for now I do my best to eat well, and provide good healthy food, as well as the sweets which we all enjoy. I do not wish to push my beliefs on others. I realize I can only do the best I can to be healthy for myself. if another person wishes to eat certain foods which I would not eat I should not stand in their way. they will either be healthy or not be healthy. I can only be who I am, and hope that my intentions and my actions influence people to take care of themselves.
I do wish, that if I am still working as a chef in the future, that I can serve better foods. perhaps in my own cafe/restaurant, where I need not tell people to eat well. I would simply be providing a place for people to come and eat the foods which I feel would help them be well and feel good. being healthy can feel good too.