Tattooed Aikidoka - Gary's Story

-Guest post by Gary Fox

I saw this piece as a computer-painted image about 3-4 years ago on a website called Deviant-Art. When I finally decided to get the tattoo I had searched for the user who produced the art to gain their consent to have it tattooed but I was not able to find the user or the piece on that website, I'm still looking for him/her. As for the piece, there was something about it that caught my eye. I had been training for a few years already when I stumbled upon it and the theme correlated with my life so much so that I printed it out and hung it from my wall. It reminded me of how challenging the art of Aikido is, to take years of naturally acquired psycho-motor functioning that is gained from growing up and playing, pushing, pulling, shoving, fighting and then learning to just "let it all go" is one of the most challenging and ongoing internal conflicts that I face. It's almost as if I was reborn when the concept of blending with energy finally clicked. This piece spoke of the just how ominous some of these negative energies that we face in life can be and the oni reminds me of how much of a struggle it is to overcome myself at times. 

A few years back I finally had the opportunity to test the art in a real situation. Shortly after receiving my Ikkyū (brown belt), my little brother (Nikyū or green belt for us) and I were jumped at a concert by 8 guys in the middle of a mosh pit. I had never been in a fight before so I was scared at first but as soon as that first punch was thrown it became a game to me, all of the sudden it was randori with 8 attackers who had no training haha. After dealing with a few of my attackers and being pushed down by somebody in the crowd I looked up and saw my little brother getting wailed on by 5 guys who had a good hold on his sweater. I jumped over there and somehow managed to get 4 of them off of him. He went down with one guy on top of him and I just rolled my forearm across his forehead and the guy peeled right off. We just so happened to end up next to my friend Jace who picked up my brother who was a little dazed from being kicked in the face. After seeing that my brother was being taken care of I turned around and dropped in to hanmei (ready stance) waiting for the next attacker but they had all disappeared. I don't know why, maybe because I wasn't striking anybody and in between all the commotion they forgot that I was the one they jumped initially. We were essentially able to dog-pile all of them and diffuse the fight without performing atemi (strike), name a single martial art that can do the same. It was at that moment that I thought to myself "Holy shit, this is the real deal!" I came out unscathed somehow and my little brother got away with a busted lip, but we were kept out of the hospital and that's what mattered to me. 

Colors used

So earlier this summer after staring at this picture on my wall for about 3 years I decided to find an artist who could make this mine. About an hour away from my home an artist named Joshua Newman out of Fresno, Ca caught my eye after a referral from my cousin who has work done by him and after looking at some of his work on Instagram. I contacted him and got him the original photo and after about a week he had a sketch ready for me. It took me 3 sessions and 16 hours to finish it and I love it. It's helped me. These past few years have been a struggle for me, going through a complete lifestyle change, recently single from a long-term relationship and starting a undergraduate RN program with my ex would have broken me if it weren't for Aiki. It's given me the tools to blend and adapt with whatever struggles life throws at me. Hopefully with more time and practice I will learn a grace about it, just as those before me. So now everyday that I wake up and look at this piece of the mirror I am reminded that the training never ends, you cannot put a number to something that is infinite. Masakatsu agatsu.

The dojo where Gary trains

How Diet can Influence your Skin

We all want truly fabulous, glowing and vibrant skin. My cosmetician told me that most of my skin problems had an internal and not an external cause. The functioning of internal organs is key and one of the ways you can influence that is having a ballanced diet. In conclusion I started researching on the web what one should and should not eat in order to have a beautiful skin.
However one should keep in mind that there are several factors that might influence the appearance and health of your skin. All of the following factors should be taken into consideration:

1. genetic
2. diet
3. skin care
4. enviornment
5. exercise

So let us focus this time on the diet. What are those foods you should avoid and what are those of which you should introduce more into your diet in order to have a gorgeous skin.

What to add to your list

1. Fish:  contains oils that will help nourish your skin, adds luster and softness to your complexion. 
2. Antioxidants protect your skin against the harmful effects of earth's environment.   

• Vitamin A: you can get it from dark orange vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash) and dark green vegetables (broccoli, spinach, kale
• Vitamin E: hazelnuts and almonds 
• Vitamin C:  strawberries, oranges, grapefruit, cauliflower, snow peas, asparagus and celery
• Blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and plums all have high antioxidant content
•  Beans, peas and lentils

     3. Cereals
     4. Natural Sugars like unrefined sugar or honey


What to avoid

1. Alcohol should be avoided as it is dehydrating and can can also lead to erupted capillaries when consumed in excess. 
2. Dairy products are also bad for one's skin. On the one hand hormones milk cows produce can lead to acne, on the other, drinking milk might also lead to "atopic dermatitis" (eczema) and "urticaria" (hives). Bad news for a big milk and dairy products fan like me (T_T). However if you cannot live without them, you can chose low fat diary products.
3. Caffeine- because it destroys all your vitamin intake.
4. Simple carbohydrates, such as are found in pasta, white bread, rice, potatoes and sweets, can increase insulin levels, which also contribute to inflammation.

Also don´t forget to drink plenty of water to hydrate your skin. You can also add some green tea to the fluids intake which is even better than plain water, as it contains a lot of anti oxidants.

The Chocolate Myth Busted 

Chocolate is not bad for your skin. You can check out the results of this research.

Five normal subjects ingested two enriched chocolate bars daily for one month; this represented a daily addition of the diet of 1,200 calories, of which about half was vegetable fat. This excessive intake of chocolate and fat did not alter the composition or output of sebum.

 You can now lay down relieved on the chocolate couch. By the way, it is edible. Check out the article here.

Source: odditycentral.com

In conclusion a ballanced diet can do wonders to your skin. On of the diet types I have newly discovered is the alkaline diet. Check out more about it here.

Sources:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/269131-a-skin-friendly-diet/#ixzz1X4vt52PE
http://www.ivillage.com/eat-wellness-better-skin-diet/4-a-108230#ixzz1X4EcabU6 
http://www.naturalnews.com/030937_beauty_diet.html
http://www.webmd.com/healthy-beauty/features/skin-food
http://www.edelbioskincare.com/lifebeautiful_foodtips.php