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Mindful Manners on the Road

Years ago, road rage did not exist, not in theory and not in definition. People took Sunday drives, drivers let others cut in front of them at intersections, and people reserved honking for times when safety was compromised. However, as the population continued to boom and peoples' lives became increasingly hurried and stressful, road rage went from being nonexistent to plaguing our city streets. Having been given its own encyclopedia entry, road rage can now be found as an explanation used in courtrooms, news desks, and hospitals.

By definition, road rage is the term used to describe criminally violent behavior by the driver of a vehicle. It's a term that is usually synonymous with "aggressive driving" and one that often results in car accidents. While many people assume that road rage behavior is limited to driving, those who possess it often have underlying issues, a hidden problem that prevents them from remaining under control in stressful situations.

With the recent announcement that the US population has reached 300 million people, it's easy to assume that roads are going to become even more subject to grid lock.. As more and more cars fill up lanes of traffic, road rage will likely continue to fester, making itself an epidemic plaguing our nation's highways.

While road rage can be the reason for accidents, tickets, hospital stays and, in worst case scenarios, death, there is some good news about it: road rage is preventable.. In a world filled with epidemics that have no cures, we have the ability to eradicate road rage - in the form of a steering wheel - literally in our hands: all it takes are some mindful manners on the road.

Yoga and Road Rage

You may think that yoga has little to do with road rage, with both entities residing on separate sides of the cool, calm and collected spectrum. But, yoga greatly has the ability to influence road rage by helping you to minimize stress and practice self control. Yoga provides a vehicle for relaxation, taking away the vehicle filled with rage.

Just Breathe

The term "Just Breathe" has been used throughout the ages, establishing itself as an act used to calm people down. It is a term that has built a reputation based on effectiveness: breathing does facilitate calmness. This is because it helps to remove negative energy and stale air out of the body, replacing them with positive energy and rejuvenating oxygen. Breathing also facilitates circulation, helping the body to rid itself of tension and become more relaxed, less rigid, and far less likely to succumb to the stress of a traffic jam.

A major part of yoga is breathing; it is as essential to yoga as it is to human life.. Because yoga teaches you how to get the most out of each breath, it helps the body to utilize the benefits of oxygen, leaving people naturally more calm and refreshed.. through conscious breathing, a practice taught in yoga, you learn to focus on the characteristics of each breath you take, helping to remove external stress factors, including that car honking in the background.

Be Self Aware

Yoga is a practice that allows you to know yourself, getting in touch with who you are and your capabilities. While this kind of life lesson can help in all walks of life, it can also be helpful in thwarting road rage. When you know yourself well, you are better able to understand when you may be on the brink of losing control, allowing yourself to work at calming down or, if need be, pulling over and letting the stress subside. When you are self aware, along these lines, you are better able to put things into perspective, grasping onto the concept that a traffic jam is just a traffic jam and not the end of the world.

In addition to helping you become self aware, yoga also helps you to become more aware of your surroundings. When on the road, being aware of those around you is essential to safety and driving defensively can save your car and your life. By knowing your surroundings, and anticipating the moves of your fellow drivers, you may be further able to avoid overly aggressive drivers, drivers who probably don't practice yoga regularly.

plan Ahead

Yoga is an activity that transcends several parts of life, making those who practice it more efficient on all sorts of levels. Because it is an empowering activity, those who take yoga are benefited with a new level of control, proactivity, and productivity. These all work together to help you plan ahead, giving yourself enough time to reach your destination.

A main cause of road rage is people rushing to get somewhere and becoming irritated at slow moving traffic or slow drivers. Some people may never experience road rage unless they are at risk for being late for something. Because of this, planning ahead, and giving yourself enough time to get where you need to go can greatly decrease the rage you may feel when traffic rolls to an unwanted stop.

Some road rage may be unavoidable; when drivers around you are driving aggressively, you may become a victim of road rage from no fault of your own. However, for the road rage incidents that lie within, you have the key to turn off the ignition. By practicing yoga, and applying the principles you learn in yoga to life on the every day road, you can do your part at making road rage pull over for good.

About us: TWISTED is a medical yoga studio at the Center for Osteopathic Medicine in Boulder, colorado. Twisted integrates osteopathic medicine, Hatha yoga and mindfulness practices to teach optimal balance between physical, mental, and emotional health. It aims to educate and help people to live a healthy life from the inside out. Rehabilitation programs offer a comprehensive treatment regime for the whole being, empowering each person one breath at a time to stimulate the bodys natural healing potential.

jennifer Jordan is senior editor of http://www.yogatwisted.com. Specializing in articles that not only teach yoga techniques, but also teach techniques on fulfillment and enrichment, she aims to educate students proudly enrolled in the school of life.

posted by 99645 @ 9:03 PM 0 comments

Are Freebie Sites Really Scams?

Like many, if not all of you, I have seen the ad banners and the popup ads saying "SHOOT THE DUCK FOR A FREE IPOD" or "CLICK HERE FOR A FREE ps3". And like many of you, I thought they were a scam. But unlike many of you, I decided to put these freebie sites to the test. I didn't have anything to lose by trying it out, only things to gain.

I began doing a freebie site in August of 2005. I signed up to the site and was amazed that I received no spam email from them. I then proceeded to sign up to one of their affiliate links. I signed up to Real player Rhapsody, hardly considered to be a site that would scam you out of your hard earned money. The great thing about this is, you do not even have to keep the product after the first month trial.

I was attempting to get an xbox 360 which required me to refer 8 other people to sign up and complete an offer. Now, this of course was no easy task considering everyone and their mother think freebie sites are just another name for a scam site. It took me a few months, but after some time spent convincing a few friends of mine to sign up, I achieved my goal of 8 users.

I then submitted for approval. The approval process usually takes around 2 weeks. During this process the freebie company checks on all your referrals to make sure they are all legitimate and to make sure you haven't just signed up multiple times. Signing up multiple times will cause you problems, such as one account going on hold or all of your accounts going on hold. Basically what going on hold means is your account is terminated and you will received anything. Although this sounds a little strict, take it from their point of view. They want to make money, if you are scamming them or their affiliates, they will not make money and inturn they cannot pay you.

After I was approved, I placed my order for my xbox 360. It did take awhile to come but this was due to the fact that the xbox 360 was a brand new system and it was hard for anyone to get their hands on it.

When I got my 360 it was brand new. It was BRAND NEW. I got an xbox 360 for FREE. I opened my xbox 360 and I played it and it worked. Nothing was wrong with it. Infact, I still have it and it STILL works.

Now, once again, many people think these sites are scams. That is because they have been misinformed and have not tried the sites themselves. Everyone is saying its a scam, so it must be a scam, right? WRONG.

Thanks for reading my article and I hope this or one of my future articles will convince you or some friends to try these sites out. Afterall, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

posted by 99645 @ 5:27 PM 0 comments

6 Tips to Protect Your Home and Health During the Remodeling Process

For anyone looking to take on a large project like remodeling a kitchen or bathroom, or adding a porch or in-law suite, for example - here are six things for the top of your home improvement to-do list, according to Ed Campbell, VP for Nashua, NH-based remodeling firm G.M. Roth (gmroth.com):

Be realistic about the project timeline. Though we all have good intentions and we like to hear the best-case scenarios, life isn't always that simple, and unfortunately neither is a remodeling project. It is important to ask every contractor, from whom you get a quote, for an honest estimate of how long the project will take - with no sugarcoating, no rose-colored glasses.

Better check the weather. Depending on where you live, rainy days may still be frequent in spring and summer months, and depending on the length of time your remodeling project will take, you may need to protect all or part of your home from the elements, as well as, from contractors tracking the elements into your home. Make sure you take this possibility into account before and during the remodeling process.

Don't forget about winter too soon. The weather may be warming up but if your remodeling project requires new doors, windows, or changes to exterior walls, be sure to discuss insulation and energy efficiency options with your contractor. You don't want to be left in the cold come winter time.

Make sure to get it all in writing. Your agreement with your contractor should specify who's responsible for cleanup during and after the remodeling project is done Responsibility for protection of your property from construction damage should also be clearly spelled out, too.

Give your insurance agent a call. Home remodeling often increases the value of your home, so you'll want your insurance coverage to come up to speed with the improvements. Your agent can also tell you if you'll be covered in case of problems like weather damage during the remodeling, injuries to workers, and other unexpected events.

Get out, if you can. during the construction process, there may be times where fumes or dust give you no choice but to stay with family, friends, or a local motel for short periods of time. But some projects, kitchen remodeling for example, often deny homeowners the use of major appliances and drinking water, etc. Rather than setting up a temporary kitchen in the spare bedroom, it might be easier to crash with the in-laws for a couple of weeks, and spring for their groceries as well as yours.

Plan ahead. This key to success, in so many areas of life, is just as important for remodeling projects. Taking time to plan before you start a major home improvement won't just increase the value of your home. It will bring you peace of mind as well.

Learn more about avoiding potential home improvement problems by visiting http://easyhouseremodeling.com, a popular house remodeling website that offers information, tips and free house remodeling resources and home improvement advice.

posted by 99645 @ 1:45 AM 0 comments