Yoga for a Healthy Energy Flow
I tend to think that how I feel is determined by how I think, but this concept leaves something very important out of the picture: body and mind are connected and how we feel mentally depends on how we feel physically. Back in the day, I used to hate exercise and I was usually in bad shape – the way I felt reflected that lifestyle, if you can call it that. When I started doing Yoga, not only did I burn a lot of those useless extra pounds, I also started to feel better, be happier, and be a much more fun person to be around. That positive influence on my feelings felt as though a curtain had been opened that had always darkened my days. It’s amazing how fitness can change our feelings.
Now that I’m aware of these changes, I pay much closer attention to people that seem unhappy or angry all the time. What is their problem, exactly? Are they worried about health or income? Are they stressed in their jobs? Yeah, sometimes! But I find that most people like that are actually missing a proper fitness routine in their lives. Any kind of exercise – not necessarily Yoga – is more important than the kind of comfort our modern life provides us with. The wisdom that a healthy body and a healthy mind go together is ancient, yet so many of us don’t think about it much or pay attention.
I have a friend who used to be the same way I was – overweight, depressed, and overall in bad shape. After I had told him about my experiences with Yoga and how much better I felt, he started to come along to the Yoga classes and within a few weeks, his behavior began to change just like mine did. I don’t think this change was due to the particular fitness program we chose for ourselves, but for doing something at all.
If you think back to what’s natural to human beings, you need to go back all the way to hunter-gatherer societies. In the wild, people have to run after prey all the time, giving them a natural routine of physical activity. They don’t require any kind of fitness, because it is already part of their lives. Nowadays, we don’t need to fight for our food anymore, so we no longer have that kind of natural fitness that we used to have. Whenever we lose or stop to do something that is natural to our species, we end up suffering. In light of this fact, it is no wonder that Yoga did for me what it did, and I never want to stop being fit. The great thing is that you do Yoga burn and lose pounds along the way.
Imagine doing fitness not for the purpose of being lean, but for being happy! If you do that, you’ll get a great looking body along with the experience for free!
The 10 best places for Reviews
People make fewer impulse purchases. Almost every product with a more than negligible value is thoroughly researched and evaluated online before customers buy goods. Here is a list of content review sites that will come in handy when next you search for anything from appliances to a new job.
General
Amazon Customer Reviews
Amazon adopted a user-generated content strategy in 1995 and is a giant in this field. It is the first point of call for many people when they seek information about a product. In fact, Amazon’s reputation in this area is such that even if people buy elsewhere, they still do so based on their online research which started at Amazon.com. This popularity is due not only to the comprehensive product descriptions but primarily because of the extensive user feedback system, as purchasers are encouraged to share their personal reviews with others.
Angie’s List
Users of Angie’s List pay for membership and attracts many fussier users. The reviews are typically more concise and descriptive than those on free user review sites, are authenticated, and never anonymous. Companies may respond to reviews but not review their products. Users tend to regard this system as generally very accurate and fair.
Which?
Which? is another independent review organization with in-house staff to test and review products. They actively encourage suggestions for new products to write about, but they don’t accept free submissions. They specify the methodologies used for testing in their labs which gives the research credibility, and they test almost any product on the market. Although some of their content is free, membership is required to get the full value of their service which includes a consumer legal advice center
Fitness and Health
There are many websites on this topic, but they are mostly run by individuals that attempt to cash in by rating fitness programs better than they should be rated. Here is a review source run by two health coaches from Hawaii that have an extensive blacklist of products and courses that should not be purchased. They are one of the few shining lights cutting through the hype of the health industry.
ConsumerReports
ConsumerReports is an independent non-profit organization for testing and reviewing products. They have published almost 8 million reviews and is trusted by millions of consumers for unbiased reviews as they pay for everything they test – including cars – and they accept no advertising. They are known for their high-quality, well-structured and well-written content.
CNET
CNET is a popular and long-running website for electronics. The in-house staff reviews are enhanced by user reviews and are regarded as a reliable review platform for gadgets and new technology. They use reviews, photos, and videos and share roundups of categories with regular “Best Off” reviews.
TrustRadius
TrustRadius specializes in software reviews by authenticated users. The reviews may be posted anonymously, but identity verification via LinkedIn is required which adds a layer of trust. This system leverages off existing and future LinkedIn connections. They publish buyer guides in several categories like business intelligence software and social media and allow side-by-side comparisons to help users locate the right product.
Travel
TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor’s contribution to the travel and entertainment industry is almost unparalleled as it was one of the earliest adaptors of content generated solely by users and it leverages off travelers’ eagerness to share their traveling experiences. It is used by many suppliers to manage and improve their brands. They also keep updated content on advice, cheap airfares, special deals and insider info on almost any location in the world.
Employment
Glassdoor
At Glassdoor employees can review their employers and tell of their experience at their company. Companies are rated, and the statistics are made available to employers and staff alike. Some companies actively use reviews to strengthen employment practices and improve their employment brand and say that it helps to attract top candidates from crowds of applicants.
Indeed
Indeed is a job aggregator which leads to more than 100 million unique visitors per month, from over 50 countries and using nearly 30 languages. It offers thousands of reviews submitted by the past and current employees, and some of the listings have more than a thousand reviews.
Goodbye, VBT Rap Battle
This time, for once, there’s no article where we’ll discuss any rappers or clichés. I have always been a fan of Battlerap, until 2015 mainly of Videobattles and since then mainly of Acapellas. Accordingly, I was “sad” when I heard that the VBT will be buried this year. A few years ago, Battlerap had a significant influence on the tournament and made it accessible to the masses.
What once started small and sweet in 2007 with 16 participants reached its peak between 2010 and 2012. In 2013 the tournament even had 1680 participants. Suddenly it was possible for everyone to present themselves to a large audience. MCs had a stage and also the chance to improve through Battlerap. Some (few) of the former artists can hardly be left out of the scene today. 11 years and 13 tournaments later the VBT will be organized for the last time this year. We look back on an eventful history full of mask wearers, splash appearances, label contracts and occasional foreign shame.
The TNM as a successor
The TNM (Tournament) is the successor of the VBT, bringing video rap battle to the next generation.
The VBT at the beginning
For the first VBT 16 participants could be organized. The whole thing was so long ago, by the way, that you could even upload your rounds to MySpace. To my surprise: Myspace still exists? Weren’t they broke? Well, back to the topic: Instead of two to three weeks there was only five days for the rounds, so the tournament was over again very quickly. But at that time nobody dared to think that only a few years later one glossy video with drone recordings would come after the other. Pr!MaR could prevail in the end and was the first and until today probably most unknown winner of the VBT.
Since 2015
The last really cool tournament with many interesting participants was probably the VBT 2015. Jenemy, Frank Hemd, Entetainment, Jaspa, Dima Richman, Cleptomatic, Aytee … The list of good participants is quite long. The range was also there again and in the end a pretty good tournament came out except for a few dubious decisions of the jury. The one or the other RBA head who might have known about it won the tournament and won an album deal including promo with groove attack besides a trip to New York. But Jenemy is the prime example that a good battler rapper doesn’t automatically make good songs. I don’t even know if he’s ever done a track before.
Unfortunately, this was also the last really cool tournament, because while at that time still heaps of unique Battlerap artists formed the field of participants, with a few exceptions today only the same Internet rappers without character are felt, who rap the same boring punchlines on an EPIC CHOIR beat over and over again. After the VBT 2015, an “Elite” version with 64 participants was launched, which, however, didn’t match the Splash! past.
Which is why I can’t say much about all the tournaments starting in 2015: Like probably many readers, I stopped actively following the whole thing. A small reason for this can be found in the previous paragraph. Anyway, rappers.in draws a line with the VBT at the right moment. The VBT was great, brought out lots of talents and rappers and offered a lot of free entertainment for more than ten years. Now that’s really enough. Rest in peace!