¿Puede uno olvidarse del idioma materno? (BBC)

Bob Bergdahl incluso aprendió a hablar pashto, la lengua de los captores de su hijo, y cuando se confirmó el intercambio del sargento por cinco prisioneros de Guantánamo, Bob envió un mensaje en esa lengua a Bowe y a la gente de Afganistán.

La doctora Monika Schmid, profesora de Lingüística de la Universidad de Essex, en Reino Unido, le dijo a la BBC que algunas personas pasan décadas sin hablar o escuchar su lengua materna, pero conservan la capacidad de hablarla rápidamente si la circunstancia lo exige.

Pero otros pierden la fluidez de entender y comunicarse en su propio idioma.

La profesora de Lingüística sostiene que es muy extraño que alguien pierda completamente el manejo de su lengua, pero reconoció que algunas personas sufren una suerte de "desgaste de su lenguaje", es decir, tienen problemas para recordar algunas palabras o utilizan estructuras gramaticales extrañas o anticuadas.

Cuestión de edad

Una vez que uno pasa la pubertad, indica la doctora Schmid, el idioma de la infancia se ha estabilizado y cualquier efecto que tenga este "desgaste" se puede revertir si la persona vuelve a integrarse en un círculo donde se hable su lengua.

Pero niños de incluso 10 años no necesariamente tienen la capacidad de retener el lenguaje de su infancia.

En un estudio realizado en Francia con personas de 30 años que abandonaron Corea del Sur en su niñez y fueron adoptados por familias francesas, se descubrió que tenían la misma posibilidad de reconocer el idioma coreano que cualquier francés nativo que jamás escuchó el lenguaje de ese país.

Bowe tiene cientos de mensajes -en inglés- esperando por él en EE.UU.

Pero no se trata solo de una cuestión de edad.

La doctora Aneta Pavlenko, de la Universidad de Temple en Filadelfia, Estados Unidos, opina que a medida que nos sumergimos más profundamente en el estudio o el uso de un segundo lenguaje perdemos habilidades de manejar el primero, debido a que nuestras capacidades cognitivas son limitadas.

A pesar de que ella enseña ruso en la universidad estadounidense, recuerda que al regresar a su comunidad ruso parlante en Kiev, Ucrania, se había olvidado de cómo iniciar una conversación en su propio idioma en la oficina de correos.

Situaciones traumáticas

Es conocido que lesiones cerebrales pueden tener un impacto en la pérdida del lenguaje, pero traumas emocionales también pueden tener esta clase de efectos.

La doctora Schmid recuerda que entre los judíos alemanes que abandonaron su país durante el Holocausto, la pérdida del idioma alemán era más dramática cuando el dolor y el sufrimiento era peor.

Días atrás, tras pronunciar su mensaje en pashto, el padre de Bowe Bergdahl volvió a hablar en inglés para referirse justamente al trauma de su hijo.

"La complicada naturaleza de su recuperación nunca va a ser realmente comprendida", manifestó Bob Bergdahl.

Lo que se puede anticipar es que la capacidad de volver a hablar su propio idioma jugará un papel clave en esa recuperación.

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/noticias/2014/06/140604_soldado_bergdahl_lenguaje_materno_mz.shtml

EXERCISE NATURALLY - DENNY WAXMAN

 

Do we need to exercise? I often wonder. I watch my children play, they are having fun. Are they exercising or just making balance for what they are eating? When they eat foods outside the macrobiotic diet their play and behavior changes. When they eat macrobiotic foods they play nicely together, not much fighting. After sweets at school they fight and whine more. Maybe they are just trying to burn off the excess. Without concepts, they naturally make balance.

 

Everything is balance. When we are close to the center we are naturally attracted back to the center to create a balance. However, once we get too far off center there is a tendency to go to the extreme first before returning to a balance. I have often observed this in the way people choose food.

People who are too yang often choose more yang foods rather than the yin foods, which would return them to balance. The same is true in reverse for yin people, they like more yin foods. With exercise it is the same. Yang type people are attracted to more yang types of exercise, which make their condition increasingly more yang. Yin type people tend to choose more yin types of exercise and make themselves more yin. When they finally reach the extreme of yin or yang, they make a radical change toward the opposite to create balance.

There are three basic types of exercise:

1. Harmonious or life-related.
   Whoever does this type of exercise returns to balance. Walking is the most universal, harmonious exercise. If you are tired, walking will energize you. When anxious, walking calms you down. If you are depressed walking will pick you up. Walking clears a cloudy mind. Cleaning, housework, gardening, singing, social dancing and hobbies are other examples.
2. Ki-related exercise.
   This type of exercise develops your Ki energy. It is mentally and spiritually refining and creates greater sensitivity and awareness. Martial arts, yoga, Do-In, breathing exercises, chanting and meditations are in this category. They are generally yin but can still be divided into yin and yang. Tai-chi is a more yin type martial art, Karate is a more yang type and Aikido is balanced. In Do-In there are stretching, rubbing and pounding movements. Stretching is balanced, rubbing is yin and pounding is more yang.
3. Physically, emotionally related exercise.
   This type exercise stimulates blood circulation and muscles. It makes you warm and develops physical strength. All types of sports and calisthenics are in this category. Jogging, aerobics, tennis, golf, baseball, swimming, etc. are a few examples. Exercises you do for fun are more yin, competitive exercise or sports are more yang. Exercises you do in a group are more yang than exercise you do by yourself. This type of exercise makes you feel good physically and emotionally. It’s nature is yang. Jogging is very centering and grounding, tennis is more harmonizing and football makes you very yang.

Diet controls our need for exercise. The more we eat and the richer the foods, the more exercise we need to return to balance. Consider your diet before exercise. This will ensure the best results with the least effort. A grain and vegetable based diet such as macrobiotics is best.

 

To get the best results from your exercise program start with life-related exercise. Make your daily life more active. In addition choose exercise you truly enjoy. Exercise should be like good food, you crave it and can’t wait to enjoy it. Try to choose exercise that is appropriate for your condition.

If you are more yang and socially oriented try some Ki-related exercises. Stress is very yang. To overcome stress, harmonious and Ki-related exercise are more helpful than jogging or sports, which are also yang. If your are a more yin, mental type person and need to strengthen, try the physically oriented exercises. Here jogging, aerobics, tennis or skiing would be appropriate. Choose group type activities to become more socially oriented.

Your mental image while exercising is also very important. To become more yin keep a happy, peaceful bright image in your mind. To become more yang focus on a goal.

Also consider your surroundings when exercising. Outside is more open and yin. For alleviating stress, outdoor exercise where there is grass and trees produce the best results. Don’t push yourself to the limit though. Stop at 70-80% of your capacity. Build up gradually and try to be consistent.

Health is natural, we don’t have to work at it. First, understand your present condition, then set a direction. Review your progress, are you reaching your goals? If not, try a different exercise. And most of all have fun.

Link: http://arizonaenergy.org/Analysis/MakingSense/exercise_naturally.htm

The Theory of Exercise (yinyoga.com)

All forms of exercise share two features in common: first we must stress the tissues, then we must let the tissues rest. Yang tissues do better when stressed in a yang manner and yin tissues do better when stressed in a yin way. Stress has many negative connotations in our culture because we forget the "rest" part of this equation. But to have no, or little, stress in our life is just as damaging as having too much stress. We need to stress the body, and we need to rest it. There is a yin/yang balance here that leads to health. Too much of anything is not healthy. Yang exercise targets the yang tissues: the muscles. Muscles love to be rhythmically and repetitively moved. Any static holds are brief. The muscles are elastic and can take this type of exercise. However, to apply yang exercise to yin tissues could damage them. Yin tissues, being more plastic, require gentle but long-held stresses. Imagine bending a credit card back and forth one hundred and eight times every morning. It wouldn't take many mornings of this for it to snap in half. The credit card is plastic, just as our ligaments are. To rhythmically bend ligaments over and over again, as some students do when doing drop back from standing into the wheel, can, over time, damage the ligaments, just like the credit card was damaged The warning here is … do not apply yang exercise techniques to yin tissues! Applying a yin exercise to yang tissues could also be damaging! Holding a muscle in a contracted state for a long period of time is called "tetany" [1] and may damage the muscle.

Is it better to tighten muscles (yang) or relax them (yin)? That depends on your intention. We tighten our muscles to protect our joints. We relax our muscles so we can exercise our joints. What is your intention in the pose you are doing?

Many health care professionals shudder at the thought of exercising joints; they have the mistaken view that all exercise is yang exercise. Despite this concern it is possible to exercise ligaments, bones, and joints. In fact, it is necessary. However, being yin tissues means we must exercise them in a yin way. And then, please remember the important second part of this equation - we must let them rest! [2]

There is a lot of research proving the importance of stress and rest beyond just developing strength physically, but it is beyond the scope of this journey to go into it further. [3] 

Link: http://www.yinyoga.com/ys1_0.3_theory_of_exercise.php

Benefits of dance (Wikipedia)

Being in general an aerobic exercise, dance brings well known benefits, such as reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, weight control and other ones commonly associated with physical fitness. In addition, a considerable effect of dancing on psychological well-being is noted.

A large amount of governmental, health and educational information is available extolling the benefits of dance for health.^[1]

Dance pads have proven useful in tackling obesity in young people and are welcomed in many schools for that reason.^[2]

A report by Professor Tim Watson and Dr Andrew Garrett of the University of Hertfordshire compared members of the Royal Ballet with a squad of British national and international swimmers. The dancers scored higher than the swimmers in seven out of ten areas of fitness.^[3]

An Italian study in 2006 has shown that dance is a very good exercise for heart patients compared to other aerobic exercises like cycling. This may be partly because the patients enjoyed it much more.^[4][5]

A study in New York in 2003 has shown that cognitive activities like crosswords help ward off dementia but, except for ballroom dancing, most physical activities do not.^[6][7]

A recent study done in Perth Western Australia by Debbie Duignan (WA Alzheimers Association) explored the use of Wu Tao Dance as a therapy for people with dementia. It was shown that Wu Tao, dance therapy that works to balance energy in the body, similar to T'ai chi, helped to reduce symptoms of agitation in people with dementia.^[8]

A study at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine in 2007 showed Argentine tango was better at improving the mobility of Parkinson's disease sufferers than an exercise class^[9] (a later study showed similar benefits from T'ai chi). Because of the level of interest a permanent tango class was set up after the study ended.

A study by Dr Paul Dougall at Strathclyde University in 2010 concentrating on older women found that Scottish country dancers were more agile, have stronger legs and can walk more briskly than people of the same age who took part in exercises such as swimming, walking, golf and keep-fit classes.^[10]

 

Another gain of dancing is for those who have high cholesterol, plus drugs and adequate food, dancing can draw. As an aerobic exercise abridged levels of total blood cholesterol, especially LDL cholesterol, acknowledged as bad and helps boost levels of HDL or good cholesterol.^[11]

^{Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_and_health}

Rutinas de aeróbicos para principiantes (innatia.com)

Cómo empezar un plan aeróbico

El comenzar una nueva actividad sin la supervisión de un profesional suele generar dudas y temores por saber si se están haciendo las cosas bien. Si quieres comenzar un plan de entrenamiento aeróbico, con estas pautas básicas podrás entrenar por tu cuenta y realizar una rutina de aeróbicos, acorde a tus necesidades.

Ejercicio aeróbico es toda actividad que realizas por más de dos minutos en forma continua y prolongada, a una intensidad de mediana a baja, que reproduce un movimiento cíclico y repetitivo.
También hay actividad aeróbica en las clases de fitness que se realizan en los gimnasios, pero como es muy difícil poder medir con cierta exactitud el esfuerzo y el tiempo empleado me voy a limitar a los ejercicios aeróbicos tradicionales como: remar, caminar, correr, esquiar, pedalear, nadar.
Programa aeróbico
Elije un ejercicio aeróbico determinado para utilizarlo como base del programa.
Multiplica tu edad por 0.7. Ese resultado se lo debes restar a 208. Ahí tienes una frecuencia cardíaca máxima teórica.
Ejemplo una persona de 40 años.
0.7 X 40 = 28
208 – 28 = 180 (frecuencia máxima teórica)
La intensidad a la que vas a trabajar será entre el 75% y el 90%. Por tanto multiplicando la frecuencia cardíaca máxima teórica (180) por 0.75, te dará la frecuencia cardíaca a la que tienes que trabajar, en el ejemplo 180 X 0.75 = 135 pulsaciones por minuto
El plan por tanto se ajustará a una intensidad de entre el 75% y el 90% de la frecuencia máxima teórica, aplicando la fórmula anterior.
La frecuencia debe ser de entre 3 a 5 sesiones por semana. Sin son tres que sean en días alternos.
La duración del ejercicio será de 20 minutos como mínimo y hasta una hora como máximo.
La progresión de entrenamiento se hará en base primero a la cantidad de tiempo de trabajo. Llegado al límite de una hora se seguirá progresando aumentando la velocidad y disminuyendo nuevamente el tiempo total de trabajo.
Cada tres semanas de trabajo, debes aumentar el tiempo de entrenamiento, la velocidad o el porcentaje de intensidad.

Link:  http://www.innatia.com/s/c-ejercicios-aerobicos/a-rutinas-de-aerobicos.html