Quotes about Health in the Body, Mind and Spirit

This is a collection of quotes and images about health. These are not your typical quotes about diet and exercise. They are a compilation of ideas that encompass the totality of our construct. They address the body, the mind, the emotions and the spirit. Some are timeless and many are irreverent but all have a place in the balance of being. 

Health is dynamic, flowing and ever changing to accommodate us from omens to moment. Our physical form is interconnected with all that is us and with all that is seen and unseen. Emotions, thoughts, beliefs are at least as powerful as diet and exercise in shaping our health. I hope you enjoy these tidbits of wisdom and may they become food for thought. 

"With every pill we have prescribed for us we should also be given a creative prayer, a suggested way to correct our destructive patterns of thought." 

Ernest Holmes, "Health Is Normal"

"It has often been remarked, that persons destitute of ambition and avarice are peculiarly likely to enjoy long life. They feel no regret for the past, nor anxiety about the future. Enjoying that tranquility of soul, on which the happiness of our early years so much depends, they are strangers to those torments of the mind, which usually accompany more advanced years, and by which the body is wasted and consumed. Hence a calm, contented, and cheerful disposition, may be justly considered the great source of health, in regard both of body and mind; and ought to be accounted the most important of all our possessions." 

John Sinclair, The Code of Health and Longevity, 1807

"The great majority of us are required to live a life of constant duplicity. Your health is bound to be affected if, day after day, you say the opposite of what you feel, if you grovel before what you dislike, and rejoice at what brings you nothing but misfortune. Our nervous system isn't just a fiction, it's a part of our physical body, and our soul exists in space, and is inside us, like the teeth in our mouth. It can't be forever violated with impunity." Boris Pasternak

"Everyone who is born holds dual citizenship, in the kingdom of the well and in the kingdom of the sick.  Although we all prefer to use only the good passport, sooner or later each of us is obliged, at least for a spell, to identify ourselves as citizens of that other place."  

Susan Sontag, Illness as Metaphor, 1977

"Men that look no further than their outsides, think health an appurtenance unto life, and quarrel with their constitutions for being sick; but I that have examined the parts of man, and know upon what tender filaments that fabric hangs, do wonder that we are not always so; and considering the thousand doors that lead to death, do thank my God that we can die but once." Thomas Browne

"Despise no new accident in your body, but ask opinion of it.... There is a wisdom in this beyond the rules of physic. A man's observation, what he finds good and of what he finds hurt of, is the best physic to preserve health." Francis Bacon

Live in rooms full of light
Avoid heavy food
Be moderate in the drinking of wine
Take massage, baths, exercise, and gymnastics
Fight insomnia with gentle rocking or the sound of running water
Change surroundings and take long journeys
Strictly avoid frightening ideas
Indulge in cheerful conversation and amusements
Listen to music.
A. Cornelius Celsus

"To be always considering "what we should eat, and what we should drink, and wherewithal we should be clothed," in order to avoid the approach of disease, is the most likely means of provoking its attack. A man who is continually feeling his pulse, is never likely to have a good one. If he swallow his food from the same motive as he does his physic, it will neither be enjoyed nor digested so well as if he ate in obedience to the dictates of an uncalculating appetite. The hypochondriac who is in the habit of weighing his meals, will generally find that they lay heavy on his stomach. If he take a walk or ride, with no other view than to pick up health, he will seldom meet it on the road." 

John Reid, M.D., "Occupation," c.1818

"Every symptom has a story to tell about your life. A fascinating story, that can reveal the complex links between your body, mind, emotions and spirit." 

Kristina Turner, The Self-Healing Cookbook, 2002, originally published 1987

"It is very strange, this domination of our intellect by our digestive organs. We cannot work, we cannot think, unless our stomach wills so. It dictates to us our emotions, our passions.... We are but the veriest, sorriest slaves of our stomach. Reach not after morality and righteousness, my friends; watch vigilantly your stomach, and diet it with care and judgment. Then virtue and contentment will come and reign within your heart, unsought by any effort of your own; and you will be a good citizen, a loving husband, and a tender father—a noble, pious man." 
Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog), 1889

"In the pause between dying to self, and awakening to Self, there is a "limbic" state, a borderland neither here nor there. The body is laid in the tomb, and the resurrection only an inconceivable promise. Letting go of our bodies is no small thing for creatures so deeply identified with them as ourselves. Yet if I have learned anything over these years of study, it is this: I am not my body. Our bodies are but passing iterations, reflections of an inconceivably bright and steady truth, and the parts we play, we also drop as the curtain falls. Let the curtain fall, along with tears, and cast off the role. You will live well beyond the leaving."

Gil Hedley, Integral Anatomy

"Every day we touch what is wrong, and, as a result, we are becoming less and less healthy. That is why we have to learn to practice touching what is not wrong—inside us and around us. When we get in touch with our eyes, our heart, our liver, our breathing, and our non-toothache and really enjoy them, we see that the conditions for peace and happiness are already present." Thich Nhat Hanh

"My definition of fitness is to be able to carry out all of the activities in life that you desire, plus have a physical reserve at the end of the day to do something besides lie down and flip the remote. If you can do all that, if you're functional, then you're fit. It doesn't matter if you have great abs or can bench-press your body weight. Those things have nothing to do with real life." James Glinn, physical therapist, in an interview with Joe Kita for his 1999 book Wisdom of Our Fathers

"Everyone should be his own physician. We ought to assist and not force nature. Eat with moderation what agrees with your constitution. Nothing is good for the body but what we can digest. What medicine can produce digestion? Exercise. What will recruit strength? Sleep. What will alleviate incurable ills? Patience." Voltaire

"The deviation of man from the state in which he was originally placed by nature seems to have proved to him a prolific source of disease." Edward Jenner

"The cause is within us. The cure is within us. When we know this our concept of disease is no longer that of something fixed upon the body cells which must be purged, cut or burned away. It is not something coming in from the outside which we cannot prevent. Rather it is a change from within, and we must find the reason why the body changes its perfect pattern to vibrate to discord rather than to harmony." Rebecca Beard, 1951

"Illnesses which occur because of physical causes should be treated by doctors with medical remedies; those which are due to spiritual causes disappear through spiritual means. Thus an illness caused by affliction, fear, nervous impressions, will be healed more effectively by spiritual rather than physical treatment. Hence, both kinds of treatment should be followed; they are not contradictory." 'Abdu'l-Bahá

"The root of all health is in the brain. The trunk of it is in emotion. The branches and leaves are the body. The flower of health blooms when all parts work together." Kurdish Saying

"From the bitterness of disease man learns the sweetness of health."  Catalan Proverb

"Health is a large word.  It embraces not the body only, but the mind and spirit as well;... and not today's pain or pleasure alone, but the whole being and outlook of a man."  James H. West

"In later times wise men were never wanting who endeavoured to restore among their contemporaries primitive habits and ways of living, to bring mankind back to the observance of those simple and rational rules of life to which the ancients owed their health and strength." Sebastian Kneipp, 1889, translated from German, introduction to Thus Shalt Thou Live  [Kneipp (1821–1897) was a pioneer in naturopathic medicine and was known for his strong beliefs in "water cures" a.k.a. hydrotherapy. —tεᖇᖇ¡·g]

"What some call health, if purchased by perpetual anxiety about diet, isn't much better than tedious disease". George Dennison Prentice, Prenticeana, 1860

"In minds crammed with thoughts, organs clogged with toxins, and bodies stiffened with neglect, there is just no space for anything else."  Alison Rose Levy, "An Ancient Cure for Modern Life," Yoga Journal, Jan/Feb 2002

Wishing you health, balance and harmony today and everyday. Thank you for visiting.

For more information about In the Flow Studios ~ Body 

goto the website at http://intheflowstudios.com

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In the Flow Studios ~ Body Pinterest

Aurora's "Speak Your Art Blog Hub" combines posts from seven of her other blogs: In the Flow Studios Arts, In the Flow Studios Body, I Love Shelter Dogs, Mana Keepers, PaaMano Eskrima & Performing Arts, Self-Actualization thru Women's Empowerment and Speak Your Art Poetry. It brings her organizations together and offers her readers an easier way to follow new posts in one convenient location. 

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Some of the Benefits of Walking

Image credit AnswerThisCo

For thousands of years bipedalism has been a defining human characteristic. Our ancestors traveled upright through African savannas, the snow covered ice age and into the 21st century. While most of us already know that walking is good for our health most of us are unaware of the unique and powerful physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits it offers human beings. 

Until relatively recently in our human history walking was a daily part of our existence. While our society has made incredible advances in medicine and technology in the past 150 years we are still experiencing individual and societal health problems. Some of which are do to our modern sedentary life style. There are many options in modern societies to get some for of exercise but commonly walking is overlooked as a fundamental component of many fitness programs. Walking is a unique form of exercise providing multiple health benefits simultaneous as well as enhancing quality of life. Regardless of your age or physical fitness level walking is crucial in building a foundation for health and vitality.

human evolution.
(Image by Peter80, GFDL)

Walking played such an integral roll in our human development that we have a specific classification for the first known observance in our human evolutionary story with the discovery of the Hominid aka Hominin dating back 5 million years. 

One of its offshoots became Homo Erectus, the fore-bearers to the modern Homo Sapiens...us. The human body and brain have been shaped for millennia by refining the ability of walking. Simthsonian.com offers Hominid Hunting’s new series “Becoming Human,” which periodically examines the evolution of the major traits and behaviors that define humans, such as big brains, language, technology and art. Here they look at the most fundamental human characteristic: walking upright. Becoming Human: The Evolution of Walking Upright. For a different and more controversial perspective on the human evolution of walking upright read Savanna Theory Versus Aquatic Ape Theory of Human Evolution . (Those that enjoy anthropology, human evolution and/or developmental anatomy will want to take a look.)

The health benefits of walking are impressive and vital to longevity. Walking can not only strengthen your muscles and cardiovascular system it can also help decrease or eliminate he need for certain types of medications by balancing chronic health problems.

Harvard Health writes about the general health benefits of walking, "the cardiovascular benefits of walking are biologically plausible; like other forms of regular moderate exercise, walking improves cardiac risk factors such as cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, vascular stiffness and inflammation, and mental stress. And if cardiac protection and a lower death rate are not enough to get you moving, consider that walking and other moderate exercise programs also help protect against dementia, peripheral artery disease, obesity, diabetes, depression, colon cancer, and even erectile dysfunction." 

Walking is a low impact way to get the synovial fluids flowing by the articulation of our joints, encouraging greater range of motion and healthier joint functions. 

Arthritis Health writes about the function of synovial fluid and why it is important to move those joints. "When a healthy joint moves, its bones glide against one another with little or no friction. This ease of motion exists because the boney surfaces are buffered by:

Synovial fluid's primary job is to provide cushion and lubrication for joints. A joint's synovial membrane produces substances called albumin and hyaluronic acid that give the synovial fluid its viscosity and slickness. In addition, synovial fluid delivers nutrients to the cartilage and removes waste from the cartilage.

When the joint is at rest the cartilage absorbs some of the synovial fluid. When the joint is in use the synovial fluid is squeezed out of the cartilage, much like how water is wrung from a sponge. Consequently, joint use is essential to circulate the synovial fluid throughout the joint." 

Meditating while walking provides
greater results in stress relief.

White Wind Zen Community explains Kinhin or the walking meditation. The word kinhin means sutra walk in Japanese. In traditional Buddhist cultures there's a customary practice of circumambulating. Walking around sites designated as sacred and reciting mantra or sutra. Sutra are records of a talk or discourse by the Buddha. A talk about practice. More generally, sutra can mean a presentation of Awakened Mind. As we step forth in kinhin, we are embodying that presentation of Awakened Mind. 

Julie Garden-Robinson of North Dakota State University writes, “Getting moderate exercise such as walking can enhance our mood while it strengthens our hearts and reduces our risk for diabetes, cancer and numerous other health issues,” says Julie Garden-Robinson, food and nutrition specialist with the North Dakota State University Extension Service.

Research has shown that walking promotes the release of brain chemicals called endorphins that stimulate relaxation and improve our mood. Walking does not have to be done at a fast pace to have stress-relieving benefits. Even a stroll at a comfortable pace promotes relaxation, studies indicate.

Meditating while walking had the greatest impact on mood enhancement, according to a 16-week study that involved 135 volunteers divided into five groups. The different groups walked quickly or slowly. Some groups meditated while they walked, and some groups did not meditate.

As their meditation, the walkers simply counted “one, two, one, two” as they walked. The meditation was designed to have them focus on their steps instead of thinking about other concerns. Regardless of the speed of their walking, the meditating groups experienced the greatest impact on stress reduction and mood enhancement."

Whenever possible, walk outdoors, nature is an incredible healing balm. 

Wishing you health, balance and harmony today and everyday. Thank you for visiting.

For more information about In the Flow Studios ~ Body 

goto the website at http://intheflowstudios.com

or to follow us on fb goto In the Flow Studios ~ Body 

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In the Flow Proprio - Longevity, Vitality and Movement Classes

In the Flow Proprio Adult Program

This program is about prevention and redemption. The focus is on understanding our bodies and their needs through mindful movement, proprioception exercises, self-release work, breath and understanding. 

This class is open to adults from beginner levels to advanced levels of physical fitness. It is a foundational course created to help the student develop or recapture greater physical vitality and strength through developing greater mobility, balance and breath. While the work we will do is beneficial at any stage or fitness level, one need not be in prime shape to participate in this class. 

In the flow Proprio is not a supplement to fitness or cardio training it is the body/mind foundation that lets us participate in these other forms of exercises/movement for a lifetime. 

I have had the great opportunity to experience high levels of physical fitness and vitality as a martial arts instructor at Kadan Martial Arts & PaaMano Eskrima Performing Arts and a teacher/coach in Self-actualization thru Women's Empowerment as well as experience the challenges of injuries and health problems. I have had to walk the road to recovery and healing on more than one occasion. I find myself at this crossroads once again. First my back injury, then shoulder injury, knee injury and then health problems knocked the wind out of my sails creating a sedentary life-style for years. I am 48 years old and I haven't spent time rehabilitating my previous injuries or nurturing my mind and body in years. I am ready to walk the walk back to physical fitness and vitality of spirit and I invite you to share my walk and make it your own. 

We will...

Gently wake muscles that may have been over looked as well as relax the muscles that may have been over worked by the challenges of modern living... 

Encourage balanced body systems and better neuroplasticity through proprioceptive movement and centered mind exercises...

Increase our mana/chi/prana (eternal life force - vitality) through the ancient breathing practices of Tibet, India and Japan...

Open the flow of our bodies to encourage vitality and longevity of movement through promoting free moving joints, increase in synovial fluid production, and lymph drainage techniques. 

Combining Pilates mat and modified chair work, proprioceptive (balance) exercises, breath work, Earthing, Reiki, self massage, continuing education and mind-centered movement this class focuses on promoting longevity of movement and revitalizing the mind, spirit and body. 

In the Flow Proprio classes are perfect if you are looking to make your body stronger from a previous injury, gently ease yourself back into movement or increase your body's resilience to injury and improve biomechanics. 

Our movement and breath work not only strengthen our vital organs and our muscles but also promote a more open flow of our lymph, endocrine, meridian and circulatory systems. 

Class size is extremely limited so students must pre-register every month to ensure their space in the class for the following month. Pre-registration is open now for Introductory In the Flow Proprio Foundation Workshops on Sat., Feb. 27th or Sun. Feb. 28th. This workshop is a prerequisite for registration in the March Class. 

In the Flow Proprio March Class Schedule:

Class meets twice a week for four weeks in La Mirada, CA.

Tues,   3/1/16          7:15pm - 8:30pm 
Thurs, 3/3/18         7:15pm - 8:30pm
Tues,   3/8/16         7:15pm - 8:30pm
Thurs, 3/10/16        7:15pm - 8:30pm
Tues,   3/15/16        7:15pm - 8:30pm
Thurs, 3/17/16        7:15pm - 8:30pm
Tues,   3/22/16       7:15pm - 8:30pm
Thurs, 3/24/16       7:15pm - 8:30pm

If you live in Southern California and are interested in participating please email info@manakeepers.com for more information. 

Wishing you health, balance and harmony today and everyday. Thank you for visiting.

For more information about In the Flow Studios ~ Body 
goto the website at http://intheflowstudios.com
or to follow us on fb goto In the Flow Studios ~ Body 
and the In the Flow Studios ~ Body Pinterest

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Health Benefits of Rose Hips

Most people don't realize that their roses are fruit bushes. If we leave the flower to wilt on the plant it will become a Rose Hip. Rose Hips are packed with a multitude of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Here's a brief overview of the nutritional powerhouse that is the Rose Hip and some fun and interesting information about their metaphysical properties. Thank you Mana Keepers' for the metaphysical information. 

Roses are a nutritional powerhouses, all parts of the rose, and especially the hips, are storehouses of Vitamin C and other important nutrients. (Compared to the nutritional content of oranges, rose hips contain 25 percent more iron, 20 to 40 percent more Vitamin C, 25 times the Vitamin A, and 28 percent more calcium.) In addition, rose hips are a rich source of bioflavonoids, pectin, Vitamin E, selenium, manganese, and the B-complex vitamins. Rose hips also contain trace amounts of magnesium, potassium, sulfur and silicon. Rose hips can be found in dried form in most health food stores, but why not gather your own fresh supply? All roses are edible, a rose hip is the fruit of the rose plant. In spring wild roses produce lovely blossoms. As the petals fade, a green hip, or hypanthium, begins to swell at each blossom's base. When they are fully red and ripe you can gather them for making soup, wine, syrup, jelly, and tea. If you live, in a temperature zone that's too cold to grow citrus fruit, rose hips are an excellent alternative food source of Vitamin C. Rose hips don't have much flesh beneath their skins. Instead, they are filled with tiny seeds covered with silky hairs. The skin of the hip is where most of the food value and nutrition lies. 

Native Americans have been using rosehips as tea for hundreds of years, and when the tea is finished, the hips were added to stews or soups. There was just too much nutrition in a rose hip to let it go to waste. Here are some helpful hints so that you can do the same. 

Finding and gathering rose hips: 

Wild roses grow throughout the world and most have been part of the human diet. In late summer, rose hips ripen to bright red and are ready for gathering. We can also look to our own gardens. The domesticated roses we find there are rich in nutrients. (Many enthusiastic gardeners never see the development of colorful hips because as soon as blossoms fade they are snipped off to tidy up the garden. Blossoms must be left on the plant to naturally fade and fall for hips to develop.) 

Rose hips as food:

Rose hips can be made into a variety of appetizing, healthy dishes. Turned into jelly, syrup, and wine. Rose hips may be used fresh or dried. To dry them, discard any with discoloration then rinse in cold water, pat dry, and spread on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet. It takes a couple of weeks for them to dry. They will be darker in color, hard, and semi-wrinkly. Rub off any stems or remaining blossom ends. Pour them into jars for storage in a dark pantry or cupboard.

Here are a few recipes:

Rose Hip Tea: they may be used fresh or dried. For fresh brewing, steep a tablespoon or two of clean hips in a cup of boiling water for about 10 minutes. Sweeten with honey and enjoy. To make a tea of dried hips, use only two teaspoons to one cup of boiling water and steep for 10 to 15 minutes. 

Rose Hip Syrup: Can be used for pancakes, waffles, and vanilla ice cream. It is made from freshly gathered rose hips. Rinse and pat dry the hips and place them in a saucepan. Barely cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool and strain the mixture, pressing the liquid off the hips gently with the back of a spoon, being careful not to break them open and release the seeds. If this happens, merely strain the seeds out. The resulting liquid may be frozen in batches for future use in soup or jelly, or turned into tasty syrup. To make rose hip syrup, add one part honey to two parts of the heated, strained liquid. Stir to dissolve the honey and refrigerate. After refrigeration, the syrup will thicken slightly. Rose hip syrup will keep in the refrigerator for about two weeks. Reheat the syrup for use on pancakes and waffles. Use it warm or cold to top vanilla ice cream. Rose hip syrup may be used to sweeten and flavor herbal or black teas, as well. Whispering Earth offer a delicious and simple jam recipe Simplest Rosehip Jam. 

*Caution: If you are gathering rose hips off your property be careful that they have not been treated with pesticides.

Metaphysical Properties:
Zodiac: Taurus
Gender: Female
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Water 
Deities: Venus, Hulda, Demeter, Isis, Eros, Aphrodite
Basic Powers: Healing, love, fertility. Used by young Native American braves to enhance strength and health. 

Wishing you health and harmony today and everyday. Thank you for visiting.

For more information about In the Flow Studios ~ Body 

goto the website at http://intheflowstudios.com

or to follow us on fb goto In the Flow Studios ~ Body 
and the In the Flow Studios ~ Body Blog

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Happy Mother's Day 2014

The Original Medicine

Persistance Hunting forces us to reexamine our history and physiology

Running is one of our favorite pass times. There are dozens of magazines, websites and books dedicated to the subject. Yet is seems that modern society has barely scratched the surface of the human animal's running ability. 

In the 1990s an evolutionary biologist , Dennis Bramble, from the University of Utah, began wondering about the theories of his former grad student David Carrier. David Carrier was the first person to publish a connection between evolution, our unique human physiology and running. Carrier's theory was that our ancestors, the semisimian Australopithecus, became bipedal not to free their hands to carry weapons or to carry supplies but to open their lungs in order to breathe so they could run better. 

Bramble, being a runner, wanted to see if Carrier's theory meant that humans shared unique attributes with running mammals, like cheetahs, rather than with walkers, like chimps. As part of his research, he visited Harvard evolutionary anthropologist Dan Lieberman, who was in the midst of studying animals that run poorly. 

Bramble and Lieberman discovered that pigs and other nonrunning mammals lack what humans, horses and dogs have in their necks: the nuchal ligament that stabilizes the cranium at high speeds. They reveled that the human body has 26 unique morphological in a 2004 paper, "Endurance Running and the Evolution of Homo,". "From head to toe in humans, it all just works," says Lieberman. "We evolved to run."

According to the 2004 study published in Nature, elite human sprinters can run 10.2 m/s for about 15 s.  That is about 37km/h.  The same 2004 study found that, horses and antelopes can sustain 15-20 m/s for minutes.  Traveling 54-72 km/h for minutes, not seconds. While we lack the ability to run at high velocities, we excel at running slowly for a long durations of time. We not only excel over long distance running, but we can out endure our competitors when the conditions are harsh; hot and dry.

One of the adaptations that gives us a significant advantage over other members of the animal kingdom is our ability to control our body temperature.  Humans sweat, which allows for heat dissipation via evapotranspiration.  We are also relatively hairless, which decreases heat retention. Bramble and Lieberman explain that we have an additional cooling mechanism built into the distribution of our blood vessels.  They note that an intricate cranial venous system supplies, “blood that has been cooled by sweating in the face and scalp to cool, via counter current heat exchange in the cavernous sinus, hot arterial blood in the internal carotid artery before it reaches the brain.”  In other words, we are adapted to cool down hot blood before it reaches our brain.  Our prey may have been fast, but without this adaptation they were not able to sustain their running as effectively as the human animal.

Another unique adaptation is found in our anatomy. While humans still share 95 percent or more of our DNA with chimps, only human legs and feet are loaded with springlike ligaments and tendons that are essential for running. Chimps don't have much of a gluteus maximus either. Humans however have a  robust behind and it is not only our biggest muscle, it's also primarily used for running, firing at the moment of foot impact as a counterbalance to the chest that prevents us from falling on our faces. This system gives us a relative stride length that's longer than a galloping horse's. Our narrow waist allows us to swing our arms and run in a straight line. Even our short toes are perfect for running. 

Christopher McDougall wrote about this study in his best-selling book "Born to Run", challenging nearly everything we know about movement and the human body. "It's fascinating the way this is all connected," says Louis Liebenberg, one of the leading experts on persistence hunting. "By exploring our past, we are rediscovering new limits to our endurance that we were never fully aware of."

Louis Liebenberg a South African scientist studied persistence hunting firsthand for 25 years in the Kalahari. On one hunt in the late 1990s, Liebenberg saw men who ran down a kudu in three hours 35 minutes and traveling at 35km. As the hunt progressed, the trackers seemed to enter what the scientist calls a "trancelike state." The experience left Liebenberg certain that "the full picture of why we became human must include running, it absolutely must."

Liebenberg says, "When you take all this data in with an open mind, there's just no other explanation: We evolved as runners." Watching the predatory runners of the Xo San tribe in action makes for a moot debate about the existence and effectiveness of persistence hunting. The running men keep their pace effortlessly for hours, across one of the harshest climates on earth. When they see erratic tracks in the sand indicating that the kudu is tiring, they know the kudu's time is drawing to an end. They call themselves "sons of the first people". 

The hunt ends (and is included in the clip below) when Karoha walks up to the animal and plunges a wood spear into its chest. The act that is largely ceremonial as the kudu has already collapsed from exhaustion.  Karoha then kneels and quietly honors the kudu by ritualistically spreading sand over its body, placing a left in its mouth and transferring saliva from the antelope's mouth onto his legs. The reverence and respect Karoha shows the kudu for giving his life is humbling. The kudu's graphic death was feared would be a disturbing part of the documentary, yet it turned out to be touching moment. At the movie's debut, the scene with Karoha and the kudu left many audience members in tears. Foster believes that witnessing a persistence hunt evokes an undeniable connection to our primal, predatory running past. "People were overcome," he says, "because they were seeing a deep, important part of themselves that they never knew existed."

Persistence Hunting Africa - Clip

This is a clip about persistence hunting in Africa. This refers back to barefoot running info. that we covered a few weeks ago. Persistence hunting has far reaching implications to human evolution, the role of females as active hunters and the results of the sedentary lifestyle of modern man. *Warning, an animal will die in this clip, but I find the respect this man has for this animal is inspiring. 

Wishing you health and harmony today and everyday. Thank you for visiting.

For more information about In the Flow Studios ~ Body goto the website at http://intheflowstudios.com

References 
Bramble, D.M., Lieberman, D.E. 2004.  Endurance running and the evolution of Homo. Nature. 423:345-352
Liebenberg, L. 2008. The relevance of persistence hunting to human evolution. Journal of Human Evolution 55:1156–1159 

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