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robininthelabyrinth · 3 years

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The Quiet Room

- Chapter 6 - ao3 - (previous tumblr pt 1, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5)

The Lan sect’s rules said Learning comes first, and that was because learning was the root of all things.

Humans were changeable and ever-changing, molded by their heritage and their environment; it was through careful education that they learned to comprehend goodness – it was only through constant learning that they could keep themselves walking on the path of righteousness.

Learning from books, learning from others, learning from one’s own mistakes; it didn’t matter.

What was important was that you couldn’t stop learning.

You had to keep moving forward.

Lan Wangji had for some time entertained the thought that his life had stopped when Wei Wuxian’s had. It had felt as though it had: it felt as if his heart had been irrevocably shattered, like a priceless vase that had once contained all his tender feelings – all those feelings that, lacking their container, would now slip through his fingers forever, leaving him as empty as a soulless puppet. He’d thought he was doomed never to love again, never to learn again, all his mind consumed with nothing by memories.

He’d been wrong, of course.

Even with Wei Wuxian gone, he was still learning.

There were his recent meditations on the subject of silence and noise, for one.

There were his wards, for another.

Lan Sizhui was a polite and thoughtful child, inquisitive but a little shy and hesitant, a little fearful to assert himself – a little too quiet, in a way that Lan Wangji was starting to be able to recognize as being not good, a silence and reticence born of concern and anxiety rather than genuine introversion. Luckily, there was also Lan Jingyi, who was and had always been the liveliest and most spirited of children, and yet he, too, was just a little bit too loud in a way that reflected his own method of displaying anxiety, another startling realization that was brand new.

Lan Wangji had always associated quiet with reserve and self-control, noise with carelessness and recklessness, but being in the controlled chaos of Qinghe and really sincerely listening to it, accepting it, came with its own set of revelations. He found that there were people who were naturally loud and those that made themselves be loud, just as there were those who were quiet and those who were forced into quietude. Lan Jingyi worried just as much as the next person, but he displaced those feelings through distraction rather than through the force of his willpower, taking on the role of clown or hero as suited each moment, unafraid to cast himself in the role of aggressor if it would allow Lan Sizhui the chance to play the mediator. The subconscious division of roles allowed Lan Sizhui to feel useful and in control, reducing his anxiety, while Lan Jingyi got to feel taken care of, which reduced his own – it was good, in a way, but after some consideration Lan Wangji carefully took them both in hand and told them that they would need to be more thoughtful about it.

Lan Sizhui could not, should not, always have to be the peacemaker, always yielding and kind and gentle and quiet: he deserved to be loud, too. He deserved to be assertive, to be heard, to feel entitled to take up space regardless of his utility to those around him. He should never feel like he had to pay in service for the right to exist.

And by the same token, Lan Jingyi shouldn’t feel burdened to always have to be the one to take the first step, always acting as the driving force, the loud and opinionated one. He should have the opportunity, and the obligation, to think through what he was doing or saying, to be thoughtful and careful, to sometimes yield if he wished; he should be granted space of his own to make sure that his actions were what he wished them to be rather than some impulse.

Lan Wangji only wished he’d had the wisdom to tell Wei Wuxian the same thing while he’d been alive.

He’d been so short-sighted when he was younger, at first unable to recognize how he felt about the man and then unable to figure out how to speak with him – he’d been unable to break his own habitual silence, and equally unable to see the depths concealed in Wei Wuxian’s brash arrogance, especially towards the end. Like Lan Jingyi, Wei Wuxian’s reckless courage was genuine, especially in the happy days of their youth; like Lan Jingyi, when things got bad, Wei Wuxian had taken refuge in more of the same, building himself walls made of noise that were designed to keep everyone out.

Wei Wuxian might have been noisy and loud, right to the very end, but in his own way he’d been just as alone as Lan Wangji in his excess of quiet.

The next generation, Lan Wangji thought fiercely, would do better.

He felt comforted by that thought.

The children were chewing over Lan Wangji’s words as they walked along the outmost ramparts of the Unclean Realm, already inured to the glittering barrier that hung in their sky, full of arrays and inscriptions – they were accompanying Lan Wangji on his daily walk.

The Nie sect’s doctors had a very different regimen for curing illnesses than the Lan sect’s, he’d found. Thirty-three strikes of the discipline whip: in both places he’d gotten stitched back up, but while the Lan sect doctors had allowed him to retreat into seclusion, prescribing medicine and rest and self-reflection, the Nie sect doctors insisted on coupling medicine and meditation with exercise. Intermittent and gradual exercise, meant to increase flexibility and reduce muscle atrophy – it wasn’t really that different from what Lan Wangji had been left to do on his own back at home, but he found that it was easier to struggle against his stubborn body when he had company to encourage him to take that extra step beyond his limits, their voices pushing him when his own willpower was insufficient. Even the silent presence of the two children, walking beside him, helped him find the reason to keep going.

Truly, there was much to consider on the subject of quiet and noise, of loud and soft, of loneliness and isolation and how no amount of either introversion nor extroversion could alone save you from them.

Lan Wangji was still thinking it over when he heard a new noise.

It was also an old noise, painfully familiar from all those days of war – before he even consciously identified what the sound was, his back had straightened, his legs sinking into a prepared pose, his mind already summoning his spiritual energy to the forefront in case he needed to defend himself.

Cultivators, flying on swords at speed.

Lan Wangji looked up and saw them: men and women both, a small group – a forward scouting troop, small enough to be subtle and sneak ahead to see what was happening but large enough to ensure someone would be able to return to the main force and warn them if they did find something.

They were dressed in the colors of Yunmeng Jiang, and it was Jiang Cheng leading them.

Lan Wangji’s back stiffened.

He had not seen Jiang Cheng since the massacre at the Nightless City, although he’d heard the stories of how he had turned against his own shixiong and led the greatest of the forces that besieged the Burial Mounds. He’d decided then that he’d never wanted to see Jiang Cheng ever again – he hadn’t been able to comprehend how Jiang Cheng could do a thing like that to Wei Wuxian, who he’d loved.

He still didn’t understand, but he thought, perhaps, that he ought to be a little less hasty in judging others by his own standards.

He’d done enough of that.

“Hanguang-jun!” Jiang Cheng called, seeing him, and pulled ahead of all the other Jiang sect cultivators, leaving them hanging back warily. Lan Wangji turned to face him, conscious of the two young children still clinging to his hands and now half-hiding behind his robes – conscious, too, of the shimmering but translucent barrier that divided them from Jiang Cheng, the barrier that had been raised to protect the Unclean Realm from Lan Wangji’s own brother and all the mistakes he had made, well-meaning as they were. “Hanguang-jun, good, you can tell me, what is the meaning of…”

Jiang Cheng trailed off, his eyes suddenly wide and almost bulging from the force of how hard he was staring at Lan Wangji.

“Jiang Wanyin,” Lan Wangji said politely in greeting – or, well, politely enough.

“Lan Wangji,” Jiang Cheng said in return, his voice sounding strangled. “What…happened?”

Far too much to explain, so Lan Wangji didn’t, just waited for Jiang Cheng to continue with a more specific question.

“I mean, uh. The beacon went off,” Jiang Cheng said. He was still gawking, looking as though he were about to fall off his sword any second. “The – you know the one, the one that shows when a sect’s barrier defenses have been activated. I thought...”

He’d assumed there was an invasion, Lan Wangji realized, and had rushed over at once to try to help forestall it. It was a reasonable assumption, and a noble response: having once lost everything without being able to rely on the help of others, Jiang Cheng now sought to be the help that he had not had.

It was the sort of thing a righteous person would do, and in line with what Lan Wangji thought he’d known of Jiang Cheng’s character.

And yet…Jiang Cheng had still turned his back on Wei Wuxian.

Time and time again, he’d turned away fro him.

“I came to find out what happened, why they put up the shield,” Jiang Cheng continued. “I brought people with me to help, though I left them back a ways so it wouldn’t be an insult. And now I’m here and – and you’re here – and you’re…just…it’s…Lan Wangji, what happened to your forehead ribbon?”

Lan Wangji arched his eyebrows. “Is that your primary concern?”

Jiang Cheng waved his hands around, almost flailing, and Lan Wangji couldn’t quite help but feel a sudden stab of amusement – and then of sorrow, because the flailing was almost painfully familiar. He had seen Wei Wuxian do much the same when he encountered something unexpected, whether some threat or some new maneuver by the Wen sect or, in one notable instance, the unanticipated appearance of a fish in a place where one would not normally expect fish to be.

“I have taken a leave of absence from the Lan sect,” Lan Wangji finally explained, deciding to be magnanimous and take pity on his former comrade in arms. “The Nie sect has permitted me to remain with them while I determine my next course of action. As for the shield, there is no imminent invasion. The situation is – complicated.”

Jiang Cheng huffed. “You don’t say!”

Still, the explanation seemed to help steady him, somewhat, and Lan Wangji observed that Jiang Cheng did not look his best: tired, with circles under his eyes and an unhealthy skin tone. Too much work, too little rest, and probably nightmares…because of what had happened to Wei Wuxian, perhaps? But if so, why had he done it in the first place?

“I cannot let you in,” Lan Wangji added, even though technically he had one of the only remaining guest tokens that still functioned. Jiang Cheng nodded, seemingly having expected that. “I can escort you to the sect leader’s quarters to have your request for admission approved.”

That the person approving the request would probably be Nie Huaisang, Lan Wangji did not say – not so much out of caution, which would probably be justified, but rather out of a completely inexplicable urge to see Jiang Cheng start flailing once again upon finding out.

Was this how Wei Wuxian felt all the time?

Interesting.

He began to walk again, the children at his sides slowly coming out, and Jiang Cheng did him the courtesy of not mentioning how slow and stiff he was, although Lan Wangji thought he remembered enough of Jiang Cheng’s mannerisms to interpret the twisted grimace on his face as he glanced over time and time again as a look of concern.

After a little while in which Lan Wangji walked and Jiang Cheng floated alongside him on his sword, the Jiang sect cultivators lagging behind by a respectable distance, the children getting over their fear to start looking around again, Jiang Cheng finally cleared his throat.

“There’s a medicinal blend of herbs that can counteract the anti-clotting effects of the discipline whip,” he said. Lan Wangji glanced at him: Jiang Cheng was staring forward, not looking at him at all any more. “It makes it heal faster. I can pass the prescription along to the Nie sect’s pharmacists, if you like.”

Jiang Cheng had also been struck by the discipline whip, Lan Wangji suddenly remembered. It had been a matter of deep embarrassment for him during the war, making him reluctant to remove clothing even when they were rancid with blood and poisonous fumes.

“Thank you,” he said, and for some reason the children took that as their cue that Jiang Cheng was actually all right and burst out in a flood of questions.

Lan Jingyi wanted to know how Jiang Cheng’s clothing had gotten to be such a vivid shade of purple, while Lan Sizhui was more curious about his sword and how shiny it was – the concerns of children, unburdened by the memories or concerns of adults. Their questions made Jiang Cheng smile, and Lan Wangji thought briefly of the orphaned Jin Ling, who had been temporarily given to Jiang Cheng’s custody to pick up some of the traditions of his maternal sect. A fancy way of saying that the Jin sect wanted him out of the way for a few years until he was worth teaching their own ways to, but Lan Wangji suspected Jiang Cheng would have taken any excuse at all to remain close to his kin.

“What, now children aren’t too noisy for you?” Jiang Cheng asked Lan Wangji, and for the first time it occurred to Lan Wangji that the tossed out words, broken off and abrupt, might be meant as a friendly tease.

“I am reevaluating my relationship with silence,” he said, and Jiang Cheng smirked, amused.

“I bet you are,” he said. “Nie Huaisang alone would drive a man to distraction…”

Lan Jingyi laughed and clapped and that, and, inspired, Lan Sizhui followed suit.

And then, suddenly, Jiang Cheng frowned.

“A-Yuan,” he said, and Lan Wangji was suddenly cold from head to toe, the chattering of the children suddenly too loud in his ears: he had forgotten that Jiang Cheng had also visited the Burial Mounds. “That’s – that’s A-Yuan, isn’t it?”

“Jiang Wanyin…” Lan Wangji started, his voice sticking in his throat, then trailed off. He did not know what he could say that would work to convince Jiang Cheng that he was wrong when he was right, but neither could he admit to the truth. Even if Nie Mingjue had been kind enough to allow Lan Wangji to come to the Nie sect to stay, and to bring the two children with him, that had been under the premise that they were Lan sect children. If he ever found out that Lan Sizhui had been born surnamed Wen…

Nie Mingjue would not hurt a child, he was too righteous for that. But he might not be inclined to let that child grow up in his sect, either.

Jiang Cheng’s face was twisted in a strange sort of way, as if he couldn’t decide to be angry or relieved. “I thought he’d died,” he murmured, more to himself. “I thought…what is that?”

Lan Wangji was momentarily confused by the question, focused as he was by the terrifying implications of Jiang Cheng’s discovery, but then he saw that Jiang Cheng’s gaze went further into the distance.

He turned to look, then felt twist of unpleasantness deep in his belly: there was his brother in the sky, flying to the main gate on Shuoyue, and beside him was Jin Guangyao.

Why did you have to bring him? Lan Wangji thought, unhappy, but he already knew the answer to that. His brother trusted Jin Guangyao. Why wouldn’t he bring him?

If only he would trust the rest of them as much as he trusted that liar.

“We can discuss Lan Sizhui later,” Lan Wangji said, careful to emphasize both the surname and the courtesy name he’d given him – painfully obvious now that he thought about it, though at the time it had seemed only appropriate, the only name he could bestow that fit – and quickened his steps. “Now that my brother has arrived, things will become difficult.”

He wondered, a little bitterly, if his brother had even noticed that he was gone, or if he had been so thoroughly forgotten in his enforced ‘seclusion’ that it hadn’t even been thought of as a possibility.

“Lan Wangji!”

Lan Wangji came to a stop at Jiang Cheng’s shout. Suddenly full of anger, he turned his head back – surely Jiang Cheng didn’t hate Wei Wuxian so much that he wouldn’t let the matter of a small child go, even in the midst of a crisis?

Jiang Cheng was pointing into the distance. Strangely enough, it was not in the direction of the main gate, where Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao were even now landing, but somewhere even further beyond.

“Do you see it?” Jiang Cheng demanded, and his eyes were suddenly wild, his breathing disordered; he seemed far more disturbed than he had when he’d recognized A-Yuan. “Lan Wangji, tell me that you see it!”

Utterly lost, Lan Wangji focused his gaze on the far horizon. It was the same scenery as he’d seen there the past few days, the interspersed richness of the low valleys that quickly arced up into the mountains that surrounded the Unclean Realm. There was nothing there that was unusual…

Lan Wangji spotted a very faint glimmer.

Sun, he thought, the reflection of sun – sun off steel.

All of a sudden, he wasn’t on the ramparts of the Unclean Realm but standing beside Jiang Cheng on a rough-hewn fortress barely worthy of the name, watching the horizon grimly as the damned Wen scout’s flare did its work and the amassed forces of Wen Chao’s troops began to move inexorably in their direction. They would come, he had known, and they would kill them all if they could; it would take everything they had to stop them, and to survive long enough just to retreat once again.

For some of them to survive.

“Invasion,” he heard someone say, their voice hoarse, and only a moment later realized it was himself who had spoken. “Invasion…it’s an army!”

“It’s the Jin sect,” Jiang Cheng said, staring blankly as if he couldn’t believe what his eyes were telling him. For once, Lan Wangji understood him completely; he was similarly shocked. “They’re wearing gold, you can see it from here…the Jin sect has sent their armies here? How could they even think to dare? Chifeng-zun will annihilate them!”

Lan Wangji’s throat worked, and for a moment he felt drowned in the quiet once more, his voice not wanting to cooperate with him, his entire being willing or even wanting to return to the solace of seclusion if it would only mean that he wouldn’t have to hear the horrible din of war once more. But he was not a coward, and would do what he must – even speak of things that felt impossible to be spoken.

“That complicated situation I mentioned,” he said, and Jiang Cheng turned to look at him. “My brother has either conspired with or was duped into assisting Lianfang-zun in an attempt on Chifeng-zun’s life through destabilizing his qi and inducing a qi deviation.”

Jiang Cheng’s jaw dropped. “They did what?!”

“Chifeng-zuns remains alive, but is confined to his bed,” Lan Wangji continued, ignoring the interjection. “Nie Huaisang was the one who ordered the shield raised, saying that there might be an attack – I thought he was overreacting, but apparently not.”

“If Jin Guangshan can take over the Unclean Realm while Nie Mingjue is incapacitated, he can say that the incapacitation is worse than it really is,” Jiang Cheng said, abruptly getting it. Lan Wangji had forgotten how much he enjoyed working alongside those from Yunmeng Jiang, Wei Wuxian most of all but also in his absence Jiang Cheng, who was smart and did not require too many words to understand. “Everyone knows Nie Huaisang’s a good-for-nothing – it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for the Jin sect to claim that they came here at the invitation of the Nie sect to ‘rescue’ them, and remained in order to manage the sect on their behalf. Better that than have Chifeng-zun recover and come after you in vengeance!”

Lan Wangji nodded.

“But surely they didn’t think they’d be able to get away with it? Even if they could manage it for a while, as soon as the confusion cleared up, all the other sects would throw a fit…”

“Jin Ling,” Lan Wangji said, and Jiang Cheng blanched, seeming to realize the problem at once. His beloved nephew legally belonged to the Jin sect; if he dared to protest their actions, wouldn’t they be sure to take him away? As for the Lan sect, Lan Xichen would have been implicated through his actions – they could hold his participation over his head, forcing him to pick between supporting them and losing face for the whole sect, which would in turn weaken it. And that was assuming that Jin Guangyao didn’t somehow manage to talk Lan Xichen into thinking it was all for the best regardless…

There were only four Great Sects left, now. If the Lan and Jiang did nothing, who would be left to stand up for the Nie?

“I have to get inside. Nie Huaisang will need my support,” Lan Wangji said, but instead looked down at the children beside him.

“Go,” Lan Sizhui said, releasing his hand and stepping back away from him. “I’ll take Jingyi and hide in the room we’re staying in. You won’t need to worry about us – go, do what you need to!”

Jiang Cheng flinched as if he’d been struck.

Lan Wangji glanced at him. “The Jin sect army,” he said. “However unlikely, there’s still a chance that we are misinterpreting their motives.”

“I’ll go find out what I can,” Jiang Cheng agreed at once. “How many there are, what can be done…I’ll find out and report back.”

Lan Wangji tossed him the guest token he’d been given. “Be cautious,” he said. He still hadn’t forgiven Jiang Cheng for what he’d done in the Burial Mounds, but he was willing to wait until a better time to talk it over with him – now was not the time to try to gain understanding.

Jiang Cheng nodded and left at once, and Lan Wangji saw the children off, then hurried to do the same.

By the time he made it to the main hall, his brother and Jin Guangyao were already there, and Nie Huaisang was confronting them with nothing more than a fan gripped in white-knuckled hands and a glare.

“– dare you talk as if he’s gone mad, as if he can’t be trusted?” Nie Huaisang was shouting. “You should know how seriously we take such words here!”

“It is because of that that we are worried,” Lan Xichen said, and now it was Lan Wangji’s turn to flinch. His brother’s voice sounded just the way it always did, comforting in its familiarity: he sounded calm and patient, thoughtful and wise, sure of himself. He sounded as if he knew better than anyone else what was right and what was wrong. “Huaisang, you don’t know how much your brother has been worried about suffering the way your father did. He knows that qi deviations can be subtle as well as harsh – he understands that his reason might be the first to go –”

“And so you took it upon yourself to decide that for him?” Nie Huaisang sneered. “You keep saying that he understands, that he would understand, all that. But that’s a lie, isn’t it?”

“Huaisang, please,” Jin Guangyao said, his voice just as gentle as always. “You know we only want what’s best for your brother.”

“Do you?” Nie Huaisang said, but he was still looking at Lan Xichen. “You knew he hated the quiet room, er-ge. You knew that he’d never wanted anything to do with it – it’s not like that was anything new! That was something he’d said repeatedly, year after year, month after month, for his entire life. You knew how he felt about it, and you decided to ignore what he wanted in favor of what you wanted. How is that wanting what’s best for him?”

“I was only concerned for his health,” Lan Xichen said, sounding injured by the accusation. “I had nothing but good intentions…”

“Your intentions are immaterial compared to your actions,” Lan Wangji said, and they turned to look at him, both of them surprised – maybe they really hadn’t noticed he’d left the Cloud Recesses.

Well, he thought bitterly: they’d notice now.

He took a step into the room, then another.

“Your actions are this,” he said, ignoring the way his brother stared at his forehead, unadorned by the ribbon that had been there ever since he’d been a small child, receiving it for the first time from his uncle as a precious gift. “You did not trust or respect your elder brother’s word. You disregarded his decision, treating him like a child who can’t be trusted to make up his own mind – you put your own desires ahead of his, and in doing so, betrayed him. Did you really think he’d thank you for it?”

Did you think I’d thank you one day for authorizing our sect’s attack on the Burial Mounds without ever having to explain yourself? Even our uncle respected me enough to tell me at once what he had done and let me decide how I felt about it, accepting the consequences of his actions!

“Wangji,” Lan Xichen murmured. “You’re still healing, you shouldn’t be wandering around…where is your self-restraint?”

Where is your forehead ribbon, he meant, and Lan Wangji shook his head.

“Wangji, you don’t understand,” Jin Guangyao said, and Lan Wangji stiffened at the unasked-for intimacy of the address. “Whatever da-ge said to you, whatever he did, you cannot allow others to guide you by filling your heart with incomplete echoes of what you have lost. You will never forgive yourself.”

Lan Wangji was so furious that he could not speak. Was Jin Guangyao implying that Nie Mingjue had, what, seduced him? That Lan Wangji held his love for Wei Wuxian so cheap that he would have his head turned by the first person willing to make up to him in such a fashion?

“I should hope you know my da-ge better than that, er-ge,” Nie Huaisang said coldly, still speaking only to Lan Xichen. “Or is this something else where you will believe the words of that lying dog over everyone else and the evidence of your own reason to boot?”

“Huaisang, that is unwontedly cruel, and uncalled for,” Lan Xichen said, tearing his eyes away from Lan Wangji. “Whatever Wangji has decided, I do not blame Mingjue-xiong for it.”

Implying, Lan Wangji supposed, that it was Lan Wangji that was to blame for it.

“Put the blame where it belongs,” he said stiffly, staring at his brother as if looking at a stranger. “Was I to leave Chifeng-zun where I found him, half-dead and dying in our jingshi where you left him at Lianfang-zun’s incitement?”

“You think I don’t recognize that I’ve done wrong?” Lan Xichen demanded. “I will speak to Mingjue-xiong and apologize – I will explain my reasoning and let him decide how I can make it up to him. But please, there is no call for you to be cruel to A-Yao. Do not blame him for my mistakes.”

“What about for his lies?” Lan Wangji asked. He took a breath, sharp and unhappy, and suddenly it was desperately, urgently necessary to know the truth. “Brother, tell me you didn’t know. Tell me you weren’t in on it – that you didn’t try to kill Mingjue-xiong in order to cover up your affair.”

“What, kill, you think I would try to…Wangji! Affair?” Lan Xichen exclaimed, and he seemed genuinely shocked. “No, Wangji, you’ve misunderstood entirely! It’s not like that at all. Mingjue-xiong and A-Yao, they were once lovers –”

“No, we weren’t,” Nie Mingjue said.

They all turned at once. He was standing at the door, all but clinging to the doorframe to keep himself standing; he was swathed in bandages and still stuck with needles. None of them had heard him or seen him approach – he must have heard them shouting and dragged himself over.

He sounded tired. He sounded quiet.

He looked at Lan Xichen.

“I was never Meng Yao’s lover,” he said. “Not now, not before, not ever. And Xichen…you knew that, didn’t you?”

#mdzs #lan wangji #lan sizhui #lan jingyi #jiang cheng #lan xichen #jin guangyao #nie huaisang #nie mingjue #my fic #my fics #the quiet room #you may want to reread previous chapters to get caught up

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rigelmejo · 3 years

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I don’t know if this extensive reading has helped but I FEEL like it has helped lol. When I started 小王子 how long was it taking a chapter? Just under 5 minutes per page right?

Well I know I got faster than that. Today my Internet was down so while waiting for things to restart and load and stuff I read like 5 chapters of the book. I read them out loud (just a handful of words I didn’t know how to say out loud). I was reading at slow but steady speaking speed so that’s still faster than 5 minutes a page. Ok I just timed myself to test it and I am taking 2 minutes to read a page, and I would guess 3 minutes if I slowed down to consider a bit more on the sayings/less familiar hanzi. That’s better then the 4.5-5 minutes I started at! So I must’ve picked up some words from this book. So I would say... yes a little extensive reading seems to be helping reading speed. Also! I have 16 pages to go! This story is so short. It is sweet and odd and so human though maybe that is why it’s remained loved like Alice in wonderland. (Fun fact I also read 2 chapters of Alice in wonderland in French this week and it is just as bizarre to me as when I watched the movie as a kid, But I do think in book form if I were 6-9 I would’ve related more since Alice’s POV in the story is pretty relatable... and when I was a kid and watched the movie I just did Not relate aha).

Anyway from 4.5 minutes to 2-3 is great!

What I did with graded readers/extensive reading this month, that I am hoping is why this helped:

Read graded reader (butterfly lovers, Pleco, 500 unique characters) - not hard but very satisfying to finish it and read it quickly when it used to take me 40 minutes to read a few Pleco pages of it). So that was a few thousand words comprehensible extensive reading.

Read another graded reader, chinese short stories. While I think it’s good as a study companion, a lot of very specific words which I tripped on (antique coins, being scammed). Which was fine I just think it was not the funnest reading material? It was mostly graded reader though I had to look up a couple handfuls of words.

Read a little of my 500 character Sinolingua reader (2 stories). Also read through the back of it which has all the words in the book, and the HSK 3 words included in the book - I knew all those words but it was a nice refresher. Mostly it was just nice to see how much easier these stories were to read compared to when I first got the book. (I would recommend these books as readers if you want something for adults and in short segments, the short stories are simplified prose from established authors, and the quality of storytelling can therefore be felt a bit. They feel more meaningful as short stories and therefore enjoyable if a bit basic (since they’ve been simplified). You can tell though compared to the Chinese Short Stories book above, which was probably written by a teacher/language textbook maker and not necessarily a literary writer.

Read mandarin companion journey to the center of the earth. 450 unique characters. Another easy read that felt really nice, compared to when I first read a mandarin companion book.

Started reading 小王子 on paper, so extensive reading with little word look up (I’ve looked up less than 10 words so far when reading on paper - notable words I looked up because it frustrated me I didn’t know them: 悲伤，惊奇，惊讶，匆匆，逐渐，观察，测试 a lot of these because I know I’ve seen these Hanzi before I just never remember specifically like 惊讶惊奇 what the difference is or guan pronunciation 观察 or 测 I tend to forget when it’s not in 测试). I started reading it because it’s supposed to have around 2000 unique words (so not too many), and be pretty easy reading level (so a bit easier than 活着 which is the novel Chinese learners often get recommended). Basically, this was the extensive reading book choice step up from graded readers - it’s got a bit over 1000 unique hanzi, not an overwhelming amount of unique words, but it is not a graded reader so if it goes well I could jump to other stuff of similar or slightly less “ease” while still having it feel this “easy” to read (and hopefully take days to read instead of months).

Started reading 笑猫日记之会唱歌的猫 in Pleco, so clicking words I didn’t know (though this one only had a word or two a page unknown). I saw it recommended on a Chinese learners form as easy reading material after graded readers, and I agree! It’s very easy to read! I could understand it without clicking words but it is nice to understand fully since it’s convenient, and look up the pronunciation etc. I read 8 chapters so far. I also listened to a few chapters after reading, but idk if it helped at all.

15 ish chapters into 小王子 I found it online and reread 4 chapters with a click dictionary for unknown words. It was nice just clarifying the word pronunciations and fuzzy bits, also the online translation was different so seeing the difference on how they decided to word it (mostly just seeing synonyms used instead or different sayings for certain parts). I listened to a couple chapters audio afterwards, idk if it helped.

Unrelated, but I did listen read to 5 chapters of 默读 mainly following the Chinese text so, idk if that would’ve helped my overall reading at all (I want to say no but I did notice in general much more general gist comprehension of lines in MoDu then last time I read a couple months ago - although listening to the audio and being able to glance at the English for unknown words of course also makes things much more comprehensible that’s why listen reading method is the structure it is ahh).

Listened to some audio for 小王子 during work because I happened to find it, for chapters 1-4. Just playing in the background. I looked at the text while listening to one to match pronunciation to some words, since the chapter was like 5 minutes long in listening. Again interesting to see their word choice since It was yet another translation (I think I like my print books translation best).

Back to reading print 小王子 today and I think the audio beforehand did help me with being able to pronounce more of what I’m reading. Read like 4 chapters in one short break, another 3 chapters just now. While I don’t know how well the reading speed will translate to reading harder stuff like guardian (which was oddly also taking me 5 minutes a page? Why is that my default speed?), my reading speed doing extensive reading on “stuff mostly easy” to me has increased noticeably. (Fun fact when I read English technical text like psychology and physics books and educational etc I think my reading speed is it’s like 10-20 pages an hour... I do not read non fiction very fast).

So anyway, my goal with extensive reading easy material this month was to see if I could push UP what my starting base level “easy” material is.

What I used to do is practice with an “easier text” (which was still pretty hard for me tbh) and then once it got bearable (took 30-40 minutes to read instead of an hour), I’d switch to a harder material that took me 1-1.5 hours to read. Then when I’d burn out, I’d go back to that “easier” text until it got easier at 20-30 minutes to read. Then I might pick a harder base reading text (usually what used to be the hard one that would now take 30-40 minutes to read), and find something even harder. Lately that has been 寒舍 as my “easier” text, taking 20-30 minutes a full chapter (2 mini chapters), and 天涯客 as my harder text at 30-40ish minutes a chapter. And yes, at this point I could pick something harder but they’re both hard enough I was just sticking to them. You might notice none of these were actually easy for me though, my actual base easy materials were still graded readers, and manhua. So I want to push that upward until there’s some “easier” material below 寒舍 that I can be built up to and read easily Without a dictionary aid. So I can have a solid base that’s reliable. Hanshe is an “easier” practice material but it’s not necessarily something I can read extensively with ease. But if I keep pushing up the difficulty of what I can extensively read, bit by bit, I will eventually Get it to hanshe (or a little below it realistically but still firmly in regular-webnovel-exist at the reading level). I will not get faster at reading these hard things unless my base level of reading is both higher and already a reasonable speed. (I’m guessing anyway??).

Well happy to say this plan is working. I guess the advice articles I read were right somewhat. I knew graded readers could drag you from 0 beginner to some reading ability, since It’s what I originally did with Chinese (and even French sort of). But I was very quick about it because I’m impatient and easily bored by too-easy things apparently lol. I read 1 mandarin companion graded reader (the 300 word Sherlock Holmes one), a couple chapters of 2 other graded readers, then started on a random webnovel (the bl 他们的故事 which somehow thankfully is on the easier end for novels) and looked a lot of words up to get through. But I did not think to try to “match my reading level and increase gradually” in regular novels, even tho if it works for graded readers it probably works for regular stuff!

And in school in our native languages, that’s why our elementary schools had libraries, and we read books for our age group and the chapter books we read were much easier than what we read as teens or what adults read! I remember bunnicula and cat wings those were not hard but they were chapter stories. Then I remember Dracula and hg wells and mark Twain in high school and how they felt a bit Hard despite me being one of those kids rated at college reading level in 3rd grade. Now as a kid? I had the same tendencies I do now, so I’m not surprised I always jump in the deep end and Try to read hard stuff (and it must help since it’s part of why I got good at reading my native language, and definitely has helped my chinese and french). I would be like 7 and pick up a mitchner novel of My dad’s (is that the author of stuff like Alaska etc?) and I’d read a couple pages and feel drained trying to follow it and give up. Or the huge The Witching Hour by Anne Rice, or HG Wells History of the world, or the biography of benjamin Franklin, I never finished any of these or had any idea what they were about I just got curious and opened up a couple pages every now and then. Yet somehow that must’ve been part of why my reading level so early on was considered “good”? I’m guessing.

But I wasn’t actually good at reading in the sense of doing it often or fast until my dad started reading to me at like age 8-9 I think it was Harry Potter which at the time worked out since the books got harder each time, and also my dad reads out loud slow just like he tutors slow lol so eventually I read myself so he’d stop boring me (I love him and loved the bonding time I’m sure but truly i just apparently always liked jumping in the deep end). Eventually his strategy Im guessing to get me to read slightly harder stuff each time worked, because by books 4-5 I read each in 2 days. He was so impressed because before that I couldn’t read long books and not fast, and that’s when he thought I got good at reading. Looking back lol it’s actually so funny? How much work he had to do to get me to read and how what ended up working I still sort of do now. He started me on Hop on Pop as a kid as my first book cause One Fish Two Fish bored me and I thought jumping on a dad was funny, and he did that just to do something to get me to pick up a book lol. Then he got me that digital book toy they had back then where you had a real book but it was in a digital holder and if you clicked words with the pen it read them out loud. Literally how I learn Chinese now... he really got me digital equivalent to graded readers back then ToT. And just like as a kid I still pick up stuff way beyond my level and just read a couple pages at random. It’s just. Kind of funny to me how much I didn’t really change that much after all ToT

BACK ON THE TOPIC OF APRIL PROGRESS lol ok. I listened to Guardian ep 1 today just in the background so no subs etc and I was Floored by how much I completely understood. I’ve been listening to SpoonFed chinese again (15 audios listened to this month), but I’m floored if it made a difference?! Since I was mostly listening in the background not focusing and missing some stuff. Idk if it made a difference, or listening reading method just that 1.5 hours I did this month or what. Or if my listening skills have been this decent I just don’t test them since I usually watch shows with hard Chinese subs (and read the subs), or watch shows with English subs. So like. Anyway mejo back in what was it august 2019 when I started studying? Would be so happy. Back when I started watching guardian and only knew ni hao and xie xie and zai jian.

Also I can’t even remember now if I did extensive reading guardian (after reading the English translation), this month too or just last month. But I’m sure that helped and I should test general reading sometime of a priest novel. Like.. literally what kicked off the “I should extensive read more” this month is me Desperately wanting to kick up my reading speed after the horrific 25 page guardian chapter I read that took like 1.5 hours.

#rant #april #april progress #reading progress #to be honest tho truly I’m really happy with my chinese progress so far #it has yeah sooooo much farther to go #and communication wise I’m ahhhh not not anywhere much yet #but listening and reading are already significantly further than Japanese was at 2.5 years #and honestly ‘as slow progress as Japanese’ was my assumption and goal when I started #so I figured I would not read this good for 4 years at least #so just under 2 years? I’m pretty amazed

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selfhelpskillss · 3 years

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How To Get Over Infatuation? Potential Symptoms And Useful Treatments

Some people are very susceptible to infatuation. They meet someone ‘special’ for whom they have strong emotions. These people find themselves falling for others in an intense manner.

Infatuation is a rebellious experience that puts everyone into a profusion of positive and negative feelings. This emotion causes people to become occupied with their admiration and aspiration.

When one person cannot be with this object, infatuation is hurtful. Everyone must overcome it so that limerence does not impact all aspects of their lives.

If you have these symptoms, you may want to know how to get over infatuation. Self Help Skills will help you to tackle the problem.

How Can You Get Rid Of Infatuation?

Your mind is full of infatuation with him, but he doesn’t want a relationship(https://selfhelpskills.net/signs-he-doesnt-want-a-relationship-with-you/). You can escape from these emotions.

You will have to be aggressive in your treatment and refuse the eagerness to keep lamenting over this person.

If you get infatuated with someone and find a way to reclaim your peace of mind, effective methods will completely help you solve “how to get over infatuation.”

Do you want him to pursue you rather than getting over infatuation? Are you eager for his love and care? What do guys look for in a woman they want to marry(https://selfhelpskills.net/what-a-guys-wants-in-a-girl/) will be your answer.

1. Take an ugly photograph of them

Solutions to get over the infatuation

One trick of how to get rid of infatuation is to visualize an image of them that you wish to see.

You have to come back to the harsh reality by drawing them at their worst. If you have your crush’s connections on Facebook, try to find the ugliest photo on the profile. Then, you can portray a more caricatured version from this picture.

However, you may see this trick is not effective and still have a strong attachment to him. The article on infatuation scripts reviews(https://selfhelpskills.net/the-infatuation-scripts-review/) may help you.

2. Laugh at their mistakes

When we get stuck in infatuation, it is normal for us to romanticize everything about our crushes. So how to get over an infatuation? We hardly laugh at their bad personalities or habits. Instead, we often see deep meaning and sincerity in each of their words and actions.

The reason is the trivial difference between crushes and partners. You are so infatuated that your brain is informing you as if you were with your partners.

It is possible to cheat your brain out of this misleading, dopamine-charged circuit. If you can carry out this method, you will find it so helpful: you have to look for humor in a lot of what the crush says and does in an entirely hateful way.

This tip is not effective for your situation, and you even may want him more. For that reason, we recommend you read how to playfully tease a guy(https://selfhelpskills.net/the-best-way-to-tell-a-guy-you-like-him/).

3. Call them a ridiculous nickname

You want to get rid of infatuation.

Many psychologists do not suggest generating a mental ‘character’ depending on the individual you are infatuated with because it can exacerbate the obsession.

However, it can be very helpful if you create a properly silly nickname. You can find another solution for how to overcome infatuation.

Of course, the nickname should be based on actual characteristics and habits that they have. As a result, it will gradually change the way that you see your crush.

Yet, in some typical situations, your crush would like this silly nickname for him. He sees you so adorable and seems to like you. If you want to become her girlfriend, look at how to make him commit(https://selfhelpskills.net/how-to-get-him-to-commit/).

4. Have a carbohydrate-containing diet

In the popular imagination, when you are stuck with infatuation, the level of serotonin in your brain is low. So how to stop infatuation? You need to increase the serotonin level.

A typical way to multiply serotonin is to consume sugary foods. Refined sugar may trigger a ‘crash’ or inflammation, so you should not always eat them. But it will not impair you if you occasionally eat to help you pass this difficulty.

Wholesome rich-carbohydrate foods like vegetables, nuts, and lentils should be in the daily diet to help your blood sugar, and serotonin contents become optimal.

5. Read books to open your mind

Those people who are prone to complicated emotions like infatuation have an analytical and smart brain.

You are caught in the illogical trap for a short time. Yet, letting interesting ideas rush over your mind will do wonders at challenging the limiting belief that you keep in your inner thoughts. Reading books is similar to having some healing conversations with other people.

When reading a pile of books, you may find useful tips to make him yours instead of missing this relationship. Read how to make a relationship better with your boyfriend(https://selfhelpskills.net/how-to-have-a-healthy-relationship-with-your-boyfriend/) for more information.

6. Face your infatuation

Talk to them to get away from infatuation.

Infatuation will exacerbate when you are not facing and handling your crush in real life. It seems that you have generated a perfect version of this individual. You unconsciously embellish all their positive personalities and ignore their bad ones.

The above tips may work to wash over your brain and psychologically support you in getting over infatuation. Still, you have to take a few practical steps towards reclaiming control of your life.

You need to try and involve yourself with your crush in reality. This opinion is based on neuroscience. There is nothing similar to real-life experiences when you want to overcome an obsession.

You may be considering some obstacles to have face-to-face conversations with him. It can be your confidence. You are not brave enough to meet him directly. Then, what features make a woman beautiful(https://selfhelpskills.net/what-makes-a-woman-attractive/) will be a great help.

7. Avoid fun meetings with them like parties

One more method of how to stop being infatuated is to avoid meeting your crush at fun parties at night.

When you get wildly infatuated, it is necessary to make plenty of direct conversations with them in all kinds of moods, even when you are tired, sad, hopeless, or angry.

Encountering your crush overwhelmingly at parties will not precisely show how you think about them, or how important they are to your real life.

The tip is to ensure that you socialize with your crush during any of these boring times. It will build up a more realistic remark of them and, eventually, less infatuation.

8. Take advantage of L-Theanine

You should accept people don’t get what they want.

How to deal with infatuation? I suggest you overlook coffee if you stay in a stage of emotional instability. The reason is that the highs and lows of coffee will deepen all kinds of existential feelings that refer to romance.

Still, getting rid of caffeine is challenging. It can aggregate depression and deteriorate the brain for a short time.

As a result, The recommendation is to choose some milder sources of caffeine like matcha green tea. It is the healthiest and most remedial product.

In neuroscience, the substances we consume can have a huge impact on our perception of real life.

Matcha green tea has a high content of the amino acid L-Theanine. This substance can help to stabilize the neuron system and lift the mood as it slightly increases GABA, serotonin, and dopamine contents.

Final Thoughts

We may be trapped in infatuation full of positive and negative emotions for someone “special” to us.

It is not happy and comfortable to be in such a state of mind. Therefore, one question emerges from your mind “How to get over infatuation.”

There are many ways out there to help you remove the agonizing feelings of obsession with someone, but this post just discuss some of these tips in detail.

You should try one by one to find the most effective or combine several tricks to see the result.

After all, we hope you can overcome infatuation and reclaim your life and happiness. If it may not be the love of one side and you think that he may like you, look at signs he is getting ready to ask you out(https://selfhelpskills.net/signs-he-is-pursuing-you/) to get the right answer.

Thank you for reading!

Credit by: https://selfhelpskills.net/how-to-get-over-infatuation/

#selfhelpskills selfhelpmarriage selfhelpbook selfhelpbooks selfhelpdating

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hlearner · 3 years

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Weight Loss Tips for a "Beautiful Body"

Learn a diet routine and make your diet a success! Introducing routines to lose weight.

There are various types of people who usually keep a slim body, such as those who are originally lean, those who are constantly consciously exercising, and those who "do nothing in particular". ..

However, there are many people who "do nothing in particular" unknowingly adopt "habits to lose weight" in their daily lives.

So, in this article, I will introduce some habits for losing weight = diet routines. It's hard to learn everything, but you can expect a dieting effect just by incorporating a few that fit your lifestyle.

Diet routine [morning]

Many people are not good at morning, but just by incorporating a little thing into your morning routine, it will be easier for you to go on a diet efficiently.

Get up early and soak up the morning sun

Early to bed and early to rise are the basis of a diet.

Isn't it okay to go to bed late and get up late if only to secure sleep time? However, if you get up early and get in the sun, the amount of "serotonin", which is called the happiness hormone, will increase.

Serotonin is a substance that is known not only to provide mental stability but also to control appetite. In addition, the hormone melatonin, which promotes natural drowsiness, is made from serotonin.

To spend the day comfortably and create a regular rhythm of life, get up early and soak up the morning sun.

Drink plain hot water

When you wake up in the morning sun, drink plain hot water. Drinking plain hot water warms the body and improves metabolism, helping to build a body that is easy to lose weight. In addition, the gastrointestinal function becomes active, and it can be expected to have an effect of promoting digestion, which improves communication.

I eat breakfast

Eat well while you are on a diet. Especially, please value breakfast. If you skip breakfast, your blood sugar level will rise sharply when you eat lunch or supper, and sugar will be easily taken into your body, which is counterproductive to your diet.

Eating breakfast raises your body temperature and metabolism. Try to have a well-balanced diet with a focus on menus that include vegetables and protein.

Diet routine [exercise]

A diet that only restricts your diet will make it easier for you to rebound. Incorporate exercise into your daily life and aim for a body that is easy to lose weight and hard to gain weight.

Stretch

Stretching loosens muscles, makes your body easier to move, and improves blood circulation. It is recommended to take it as a habit when you wake up in the morning or after taking a bath.

Foot blu blu gymnastics

It is a simple stretch that eliminates swelling and aims for beautiful legs.

1.Sleep on your back and stretch your hands and feet toward the ceiling

If it is difficult to stretch, bend your elbows and knees lightly.

2.Shake your wrists and ankles

3.Do for 1 minute

If you imagine supporting the whole body with the power of your abdomen, you can expect an effect on strengthening the inner muscle.

Stretching the shoulder blades

A stretch of the trapezius muscle around the scapula.

1.Bend your elbows and place the fingers of both hands on your shoulders

2.Keep your eyes straight and keep your left and right shoulders at the same height

3.Move both elbows up and down 20 times, conscious of moving the shoulder blades

4.Straighten your neck and turn your bent elbows, being careful not to raise your shoulders.

5.Last time 10 times, backward 10 times

You can sit down, so take advantage of work breaks. The point is to keep your shoulders down and move your shoulder blades consciously.

Stretching to stretch the muscles of the upper and lower body

This is a standing stretch that allows you to stretch the upper and lower body muscles at the same time.

1.Open your legs slightly wider than your shoulders

2.Align your feet straight

3.Put your hands behind you and slowly lean down from your hips

Be careful not to curl your back

4.When your upper body is parallel to the floor, keep it for 20 seconds

At this time, lift your arm toward the ceiling

5.Slowly return your body and do it twice in total

Be aware that if you curl your back, your pectoral muscles will not stretch. It is a stretch suitable for people with so-called curly shoulders and stoops.

Muscle training

For muscle training, we recommend exercising to train large muscles. If you train big muscles, your metabolism will increase easily, so you can diet efficiently. Here's how to do squats to train your thighs.

1.Spread your legs about shoulder width

2.Turn your toes slightly outward

3.Slowly sit down with your back straight

Be aware that your weight is on your heels

4.Lower your hips until your thighs and floor are parallel and put them back.

5.Repeat 20 times

6.Take a 30-second break and perform a total of 3 sets

Make sure your knees and toes are in the same orientation. Keep in mind that if you continue exercising with your knees inside, you can easily hurt your knees. The recommended muscle training for dieting is explained in more detail in the following column.

Aerobic exercise

Ideally, you should do aerobic exercise for at least 20 minutes for a fat burning effect. However, it is possible to reduce body fat by exercising diligently even for a short period of time.

If you have plenty of time, you'll want to walk and swim well, but if you don't have the time, it's a good idea to incorporate the following into your daily routine.

.Walk with a little wider stride

.Walk for 1 station

.Use stairs instead of escalators and elevators

It is also recommended to prepare a stand of about 10 to 20 cm and go up and down the step for about 20 minutes while watching TV or listening to music.

Incorporate aerobic exercise into your daily life and make it a routine.

Diet routine [meal]

When dieting, it is important that the calorie intake does not exceed the calorie consumption. To do this, you should pay attention to the following points.

Drink water first

Drink water such as plain hot water or tea at the beginning of your meal. Soups with low calories are also acceptable.

It will ease your hunger and prevent you from overeating.

"Eat somehow" is NG

It's okay to eat healthy snacks such as yogurt when you're hungry, but it's a problem to eat somehow by habit when you're not hungry.

If you eat a snack somehow, you will be far from a successful diet.

One workaround is to reduce the amount of food you eat each time and increase the number of meals you eat each day. Review your diet and get rid of the "somehow eating" habit.

Chew slowly and eat well

If you chew slowly and eat well, you will feel full and you can prevent overeating. It has also been found that when chewed well, digestion and absorption consume more energy.

Chew well and eat slowly, with a bite of 32 times as a guide. People who tend to eat fast will be able to eat slowly by putting chopsticks on each bite.

Pay attention to the order of eating

Generally, it is said that the absorption of sugars and lipids can be suppressed by eating from vegetables and seaweeds that are rich in dietary fiber. If you feel hungry with salad, you don't have to worry about eating too much rice or bread.

When you go on a diet, pay attention to the order in which you eat.

In addition, BODY ARCHI, a self-esthetic salon, offers a free genetic analysis advice book for members only for 23,000 yen. By analyzing DNA, it is possible to know the "order of eating" and "ideal meal" that differ depending on the constitution.

If you want to know the diet and diet method that suits your body best, please try it.

Diet routine [night]

Night habits also have a big impact on a successful diet. Use it carefully because it is a relaxing time.

Eat dinner early

After dinner, you don't move much, so eat lightly. Eating more vegetables will make you more hungry, so it's low in calories and less likely to feel hungry.

Ideally, you should finish your meal 2-3 hours before bed, as eating just before going to bed will reduce the quality of your sleep.

Warm up in the bath

When taking a bath, let's not only take a shower but also soak in a bathtub to warm your body. As your body warms, your metabolism increases and your energy consumption increases. Also, when the warm body gradually cools down, you will feel comfortable drowsiness. Warm yourself up in the bath for a good night's sleep.

Relax and not stress

Set a relaxing time to avoid stress. When stress and fatigue build up, the balance of physical functions is lost and the effects of dieting are less likely to appear. Stretching and light muscle training are also recommended.

Sleep properly without staying up late

If you don't have enough sleep, the amount of the hormone "leptin" that makes you feel full is reduced, and the hormone "ghrelin" that makes you feel hungry is more likely to be secreted.

If possible, get 7 to 8 hours of sleep to get a lean constitution.

Summary

There are various diet routines, so let's start with the one that is easy to incorporate. It will be easier to lose weight if you use esthetics along with your diet routine.

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dogtrainingofficial · 4 years

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10 Reasons Why Your Dog Ignores Your Commands

Is your dog giving you deaf ears? When this happens, avoid repeating the command over and over and imposing yourself until you get a response; instead, take a step back and consider the following scenarios which are some of the most common issues encountered when training dogs.

1) Low Value Treats: Are Your Treats Worth Working For?

It’s a romantic and hard to debunk myth that dogs work for us just to please us. In reality, as opportunistic beings, dogs are most likely thinking “what’s in it for me?” according to the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT). The right use of treats can really make the difference between a dog who is eager to work and one who couldn’t care less. The use of low-value treats (such as kibble) can be detrimental if your dog isn’t excited by them, especially during the initial stages of learning or when there are distractions around, so make sure your treats are worthy of attention.

Also remember to stick to treats which are soft, smelly, and in small bite-sized pieces. This allows your dog to quickly gobble up the reward and focus his attention back on you, rather than being distracted by a longer-lasting treat.

A suggestion? Try to use what respected veterinarian, trainer and writer Dr. Ian Dunbar calls the Ferrari of dog treats: Freeze-dried liver.

2) Low Rate of Reinforcement: Are You Missing Out on Rewarding?

In the initial stages of learning or when there are lots of distractions around, your dog may find sniffing the grass, looking around, marking territory and pulling on the leash more rewarding than training. Why is that? It’s probably because there are stimuli that are extra interesting and are worth paying more attention to. If your dog has received little training in the past, he may have been doing this for a good part of his life. Increasing the rate of reinforcement during this time by giving your dog more treats for his training efforts may help to motivate him, and will teach him to pay more attention to you than to the distracting environmental stimuli.

A low rate of reinforcement can also cause your dog to get frustrated and give up trying; remember, during the initial stages of learning you need a continuous rate of reinforcement (giving rewards for every success), and only once your dog shows signs of responding well can you move on to a variable schedule (only giving treats for success every now and then).

3) High Criteria: Are You Asking Too Much at Once?

This is where the saying “be a splitter and not a lumper” comes into play. It is often tempting to try to teach new behaviors all at once in a single evening. When your dog stops working for you, you start thinking: “Am I asking for too much at once?” Truth is, often when dogs fail to respond to a command it is because it is too hard for them. So try not to ramp up the difficulty too quickly; rather, break the objective down into several attainable steps to help your dog succeed. As an example, if you were trying to train your dog to touch the tip of a target stick with his nose, you could reward him for touching ANY part of the stick at first. Over time once your dog gets a hang of this, you could then move on to rewarding him only for touching the rounded tip at the top of the stick.

Try your best to prevent your dog’s progress from stalling, and do not make your training sessions too long – keep them short and sweet!

4) High Level of Distractions: Is there too Much Going on?

Dogs learn best when there are little to no distractions around, so be sure to start your training sessions in a quiet room where there is not much going on.

Once your dog is able to perform the behavior in the quiet room, build from there and gradually start asking your dog to perform the behavior in a noisier room. Then, progress to the yard, a busy street, the dog park and so forth.

If you start on a busy street or at the dog park right away, your dog may not respond because you have not yet built a foundation for the behavior.

5) Lack of Training: Has Your Dog Ever Been Trained Before?

If the handler has a history of being inconsistent and not following through with the dog, there’s a chance the dog may have learned he could get away from certain behaviors and has learned to ignore the handler. Dogs who have never been trained and have been allowed to do as they please for a good part of their lives often find the initial stages of learning difficult, since the concept is entirely new to them. It is up to the handler to become interesting and worth listening to by investing in reward-based training methods, like the ones taught in Adrienne Farricelli’s Brain Training for Dogs course.

6) Unclear Cues: Are You Confusing Your Dog?

Dogs thrive on consistency, so make sure you always use the same command cue and that all other people training the dog are on the same page. If you ask for a command and your dog just stares at you, consider if that command has a history of being used consistently.

In classes, it is not uncommon to encounter a family where the wife uses “come” to call the dog, the husband uses the dog’s name, and the kids just say “here!” Don’t ask for behaviors in multiple ways, and make sure your body language is congruent with the verbal command. Dogs find body language more salient then verbal cues.

Also, try your best not to repeat commands over and over, otherwise your dog will learn not to listen to the first time you say it, but will wait for you to finish your sentence instead!

7) Frustration Buildup: Are you Getting Frustrated?

Dogs are masters in body language and they can easily detect frustration. When the handler’s frustration builds up, dogs often shut down instead of becoming more compliant. In this case, it helps to ask the dog for a behavior he knows well (such as a sit) followed by a reward to end the session on a positive note. You can try the exercise again a little bit later, possibly further splitting the exercise into smaller sections if it was too hard for your dog.

Also, keep in mind that if you start raising your voice, bending down or getting into your dog’s face, you are intimidating him dog and he will feel the need to send you appeasement signals and default behaviors, rather than listening to your commands.

8) Emotional Problems: Are Emotions Getting in the Way?

If a dog is fearful, anxious or nervous, his emotional state may interfere with training. This is because the dog is often in a fight or flight state which affects his cognitive function, impairing his ability to learn. In such a case, you may need to work in areas where your dog is less likely to be frightened and then gradually introduce more and more stimuli in a way which does not cause him to react.

As an example, if your dog was frightened of thunder, instead of immediately exposing him to recordings of thunderstorms on full volume, you should first play them at a very low volume, where he acknowledges the sound but does not become scared. After rewarding your dog while the sound is played, you would, over time and numerous training sessions, increase the volume at which you play the recording. This process is known as desensitization and is a common technique used in dog training.

9) Health Considerations: Is Your Dog in Pain or Uncomfortable?

If your dog ignores you, he may be feeling unwell or uncomfortable. If your dog has always been obedient and is now slacking off, it is best to have your veterinarian rule out any medical problems. Sloppy sits or a reluctance to lay down may be indicative of orthopedic problems.

Aside from medical problems, some dogs may not like to be trained on certain surfaces, or perhaps the weather is too hot, too windy or too cold – there are a multitude of possibilities. Often, a distracted dog may simply need to relieve himself or get a drink of water. Consider how well you could perform in an exam if you were busting to use the bathroom!

10) Are You Forgetting to Brain Train Your Dog?

Many owners are not aware of this, but when it comes to dogs, idle minds are the devil’s workshop. Yet many owners are happy to leave their dogs bored by the fireplace all day, leading to untold behavior problems. The simple secret to a well-trained dog is engaging their mind and getting them thinking.

In the wild, before domestication, dogs would spend much of their lives performing tasks necessary for survival. Even in more modern history, dogs had special roles to perform in their relationships with humans. You can still see these natural drives in dogs today! For example, you will notice how beagles love to follow scents, how some terrier breeds love to dig, and how treeing coonhounds bark upon noticing prey up a tree. Unlike humans who perhaps dread the 9 to 5 grind, dogs actively WANT to work, and when they do not, they become prone to behavior problems, disobedience, and poor psychological well-being. Many owners spend THOUSANDS on dog training when the solution could be as simple as providing Rover with more mental stimulation!

Fortunately, Brain Training for Dogs offers a solution to this problem. Written by professionally certified trainer Adrienne Farricelli CPDT-KA (who’s work has appeared in USA Today, Everydog Magazine, Nest Pets and more), Brain Training for Dogs is one of the first training programs to not only teach obedience, better behavior, important skills and tricks, but to also work on increasing intelligence and engaging the dog’s brain too. Through 21 fun and simple games, the novel and scientifically-proven methods taught by Adrienne are sure to improve the lives of both you and your dog! By the end of Brain Training for Dogs your dog will be able to tidy up his toys, play the piano (yes, really), and identify his toys by name – all while being a better behaved and more obedient dog.

Want to get started with brain training? You can check out my course by clicking here:

>>>Get brain training for dogs today

As seen, there are many reasons why your dog may not be listening to you. Don’t quickly label your dog as stubborn, don’t begin shouting commands like a drill sergeant, and don’t give up training altogether – instead, try to give your dog a break and consider what may really be going on. A better understanding of how dogs learn should pave the path to better training.

Hope this helps!

#dog #dogs #doglife #dogtraining #puppies #puppylife #puppytraining #dogmom

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merlinemryspendragon · 5 years

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Gif Coloring Tutorial

Requested by anon. Sorry for taking so long to post this!

This tutorial goes over how I color gifs, including tips for coloring dark scenes and scenes that are heavily filtered with a certain color (i.e blue scenes, yellow scenes, etc.).

We’ll be going from this:

To this:

Warning: This post is gonna be really long! (if the read more breaks blacklist “long post” or “usermerlin gif tutorial”)

*I’m using Photoshop CS5

1. Gif Making Basics (Note this part won’t include images since the anon specified coloring and avoiding noise I’m gonna focus on that)

First I take screencaps using Potplayer.

In PS I import the frames by selecting File --> Scripts --> “Load Multiple DICOM Files”

Once the images have loaded I go to the drop down menu on the animation window and select “Make frames from layers”.

Then I crop my gif using the crop tool. I put all the layers into a group (select all the layers and press ctrl + g (cmd + g if you’re using a Mac)

Now I sharpen my gif. I’ve created an action to speed up this process using user thepunisher’s action tutorial. I didn’t include the grouping of my layers in the action so that’s why I always group them before starting my action so that it works properly. My sharpening is pretty standard from what I’ve seen. I use smart sharpen:

Now I can start coloring!

2. Basic Coloring

In this section, I’ll be going over a basic, but vibrant, coloring. When making adjustments you have to be careful not to increase brightness or vibrance too much or your gif will become grainier. Same goes with making changes to the colors. It’s better to have more layers with slight adjustments

I always start by brightening up my gif. Sometimes I use curves to both brighten and adjust colors. For this particular gif I didn’t, but I use this adjustment often. User villainelle has a tutorial for using curves to color adjust here and so does user thepunisher here. They have slightly different approaches and I use either depending on the scene. I’ll also be explaining this adjustment more in the next section but I learned how to use it from them.

Step 1:

For this gif, I just started with an Exposure adjustment layer. Exposure allows you to change the tones of your document. Gamma adjusts midtones, offset adjusts shadows, and exposure adjusts highlights. It’s really helpful with brightening up dark scenes or heavily shadowed scenes. I usually only adjust the midtones/gamma. Here are my settings:

I increased the Gamma to 1.12

Step 2:

I then use a Brightness/Contrast layer to adjust the highlights (you could also do this with Exposure but I find Brightness more manageable). At this point, I’m only increasing the brightness. I won’t increase or decrease the contrast bar. Here are my settings:

I increased the Brightness to 34

Step 3:

After adjusting the brightness, I want to bring back some depth (I’m probably using this word incorrectly tbh) to my gif by increasing the contrast before moving on to color correction and vibrancy.

To increase the contrast I use a black and white gradient map and set it to soft light. Then I lower the opacity between 10%-50%, depending on the scene.

You could also use Levels or Brightness/Contrast but I find the gradient map is easy to control while also making the gif more neutral. For this gif, I set the transparency to 10% but could go a little higher because the scene is naturally bright. All these adjustments are really about your personal preference.

Step 4:

Now I can move on to the colors. For basic coloring I usually start by increasing the saturation. I use a Hue/Saturation layer because this way I can increase the saturation of everything. I feel like the Vibrance layer tends to just make the gif warmer rather than making the colors pop- and I have less control over individual colors. For this gif, I increased the saturation for all colors (”Master”) to 27:

Step 5:

After adjusting the vibrancy I move on to color adjustment. This can really vary based on preferences. I tend to prefer to make my gifs cooler in tone. I use Selective Color and Color Balance to manipulate the colors.

I started by adding a Color Balance layer to adjust the colors on Aziraphale’s face:

I increased the Cyan to 4, the Magenta to 3, and the Blue to 1 to make the skin tones more neutral. I’m moving the bars toward the colors I want to add. So if my gif is too yellow I’d move it toward blue and if it’s too red I’d move it toward cyan. Also note that I only made changes to the midtones. If I wanted to make changes to the darker or lighter parts of this gif I’d alter the shadows or highlights but I usually only do that for rainbow gifsets. Typically, I prefer Selective Color to make more drastic color alterations so I have more control over the specific color I’m changing.

*Be careful when making these types of changes. You don’t want to make drastic changes to the natural undertones of a person’s skin. Same goes when you’re brightening your gif. You can easily whitewash if you’re not careful. User amorverus has a great tutorial on avoiding whitewashing in coloring here .*

I also wanted to brighten up the gif more after this so I added a curves layer :

Then I used Selective Color to decrease the yellow tones in the White background:

I decreased it by 26. I almost always do this for scenes with white backgrounds or large blocks of white.

Step 6:

After I make some color adjustments I adjust the brightness and contrast again. I always add another Curves layer to increase the brightness of the shadows by slightly lifting the line on the bottom left:

Then I use Levels to change the contrast of my tones. I usually increase the contrast by moving the left hand point slightly to the right:

After that I add another Curves layer, decreasing the shadow and increasing the highlights like this:

I feel like this adds some nice depth to my gif and brings out the colors more. The amount I decrease or increase the curve depends on the gif itself, so definitely play around with this.

Step 7:

Now I go back to make some last color changes. I added another Selective Color layer and increased the Black on Whites:

Finally, I added another Selective Color layer adjusting the Whites again. I decreased the Yellow again and also increased the Cyan and Magenta to make the blue in the sky pop a little more:

I used a layer mask to erase this layer on Aziraphale so the change is only apparent on the sky.

Now I’m done! Here’s the same method on two other scenes:

And I uploaded the .psds (dl here) so you can take a closer look at what I did in Photoshop. Keep in mind that I don’t always follow these steps in the exact same order. Psd #3 features the curves color adjustment method and has some more adjustments. It really depends on the scene itself and the mood I’m in. Practicing a lot will build your familiarity with the different adjustments and hopefully boost your confidence in making your own coloring!

3. Hard to Color Scenes

Blue/Yellow/Green/Red Scenes + Dark Scenes

These types of scenes can be hell to color but there are some techniques to help balance the colors so that you have something that’s easier to work with.

For general dark scenes, adjusting the Exposure can be really helpful. Unfortunately increasing the Gamma or Exposure too much can make the gif grainy so be careful when using it. Consider using it in combination with Brightness/Contrast and Curves to avoid making drastic changes.

Another helpful adjustment layer is the curves layer. As the tutorials linked above explain, using the midtone or highlight dropper tool can help adjust the presence of red, green, and blue in your gif. Photoshop will balance against the color you select.

Let’s take this scene for example:

This scene is really yellow. Using color balance or selective color to balance it out could help but given how yellow it is, you’d need to use a lot of these layers to gradually change the colors or you’d make your gif too grainy. Using Curves, we can adjust colors with less layers and hopefully introduce less grain (sometimes this type of adjustment can result in too drastic a change, so your gif becomes hella grainy so be careful). I used the midtone dropper around here:

And got this:

Here’s the Curves layer:

The shadows are a little more intense than they were to begin with but that’s easier to adjust. You could also keep messing around with the dropper so the scene doesn’t become darker. You could it make it slightly less yellow and then finish the rest with color balance and selective color. Either way, I’m satisfied with this so now I can continue coloring:

Here’s an example of a dark and blue scene:

Usually for darker scenes, I use the midtone dropper but that wasn’t resulting in a change I was happy with. I used the highlight dropper instead, clicking on the flecks of snow in the bottom right:

Here’s the Curves layer:

And here’s the final gif after coloring:

This method is great for making big changes to the lighting and colors of your gifs.

HQ GIF Tips:

Save Settings:

I save my gifs with Diffusion because I find that the dithering is usually less noticeable that way, so my gif looks smoother. Pattern can also look really nice though, depending on your coloring. Try out both and see which you prefer! Here are my settings:

Coloring:

Making drastic changes all at once can make your gifs grainier. Be careful not to change a color too much one one Selective Color or Color Balance layer. It’s better to make smaller changes over multiple layers. Same goes for increasing brightness and vibrance.

Source:

Use the highest quality video source you can. That’s an easy way to make HQ gifs. Blu Ray or DVD quality is better than Itunes for example and both of those will be better than clips from Youtube. If the file size is bigger that typically means there less compression so the quality will be better. If you can’t find larger sizes or you don’t have the space or time to save larger files, just make sure it’s at least 1080p. Keep in mind that now that gifs are converted to gifv, your gifs might look grainy or blurry when you post them even if they look fine when you save them. You can go back and mess with the coloring to see if this helps but otherwise there’s not much you can do about the conversion.

Those are all the tips I have for now! If anything doesn’t make sense or you have any questions please let me know.

#gif tutorial #coloring tutorial #photoshop help #long post #usermerlin gif tutorial #I hope this helps!!#sorry this got so long :(#please let me know if you still have any questions or if something doesn't make sense #I get all rambly #my current coloring is really a messy mix of all the tutorials I've ever seen #I'm gonna reblog this a couple of times to make sure it gets seen #I'm gonna go to sleep now lol

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yogaadvise · 5 years

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8 Yoga Poses and a Meditation to Connect You to the Water Element

Understanding the 5 elements-- planet, fire, air, water, space-- and also their results on your body can assist you keep them balanced within on your own, leading to a healthier, better life.

In previous short articles in this series, I reviewed just how to much better connect to the fire element and also earth aspect with a series of yoga poses. Next off up is the water component, or Jala.

The water aspect is associated with the 2nd chakra, Svadhisthana or Sacral chakra, and lies in your hips area. This component and chakra are linked with feelings, passion, pleasure, creative thinking, fluidity, and also sexuality. When the water component is balanced, you are able to connect easily to others, really feel material as well as tranquil, let points go, be open to happiness as well as satisfaction, and also reveal creativity. An unbalanced water element might lead you to feel emotionally unstable, dehydrated, low libido, strained, as well as stuck.

Water nourishes the body as well as linking to it during your yoga technique will allow you to enhance and also relax your hips, release stress, and come to be a lot more flexible as well as fluid. There are lots of means to bring balance to the water aspect during your yoga method, including the following:

Focus on growing your stretches, along with launching tension and also unprocessed emotions

Include circulation (assume "waves") in your sequence

Include positions that target your pelvis (see listed below)

Learn breathing methods, such as the Ujjayi breath-- to resemble the waves of the ocean

Practice the presents and also meditation listed below that directly support your connection to the water element

1. Sequence: Cobra Dance

Creating a continuous and also purposeful circulation of activity with the following postures is a wonderful means to connect to the water aspect. It likewise increases the adaptability, mobility, and lengthening of the back, and also can assist relieve menstruation cramps.

Start in Child's Pose by stooping on the ground and touching your large toes with each other. Spread your knees larger than your hips, resting your weight on your heels.

On an exhale, expand your arms in front of you and also fold your torso so that it rests in the room in between your legs. Carefully rest your hands on the ground.

On an inhale, look in between your fingertips and swim forward into Cobra Pose so that you are hitting the deck on the flooring with your huge toes still touching. Place your hands on the floor with your elbow joints bent and fingertips a little behind your shoulders. As you push your elbow joints toward your upper body, raise your head and top chest.

On an exhale, start to transition right into Cat Pose by rounding your back, putting your chin, as well as launching your head to the floor, ultimately getting here back right into Kid's Pose.

Repeat flow for 5 to 7 cycles.

2. Sequence: Undulating Dog

This sequence of postures is a great means to reinforce your body, relocate to the rhythm of your breath, and also boost your connection to the water element.

From Downward-Facing Dog Pose, round your top back, involve your core, and also find your shoulders over wrists for Plank Pose.

On an exhale, flex your knees, reach your heart back, and afterwards lift your hips high for Downward-Facing Dog.

Repeat circulation for 5 to 7 cycles.

For an added challenge, you can include Sunlight Salutations each time you show up in Downward Pet. Right here is a detailed description of the Sunlight Salutation with image instructions.

3. Low Lunge Pose

Low Lunge present stretches your muscle mass, opens your hips, and launches built-up stress in the body, which is an excellent way to get in touch with the water element.

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and also arms at your side.

Step the left foot ahead as well as flex your left knee until your knee is straight over your ankle.

Lower your right knee to the ground and also tuck your back toe under.

Helpful Modification: Use a blanket or towel below your back knee to take the pressure off the knee.

Inhale and circle your arms open and lift your fingertips to the sky. Breathe out to unwind your shoulders away from your ears, still reaching fingertips for the sky.

Take 5 to 10 deep breaths, and afterwards go back to standing as well as repeat with opposite leg.

4. Bound Angle Pose (Badhakonasana)

Also understood as Butterfly Posture, the Bound Angle position is an excellent method to open your inner thighs, knees, and groin, and also launch tension in your reduced back. If the water aspect is imbalanced, you may feel it in your hips, triggering them to really feel weak or tight. This posture will certainly aid to fix that.

From a resting position, bring the soles of your feet with each other towards your pelvis.

Firmly hold the outsides of your feet with both hands, and also sit up tall.

Allow your knees to fall open up to the sides.

With each breathe out, delicately push your knees and thighs towards the ground. You can utilize your elbows to support this opening.

Hold for 7 to 10 breaths.

For an added challenge, layer ahead and also expand your arms before you.

For a deeper sense of sustenance, try reclining backward in a restful placement for Supta Baddha Konasana.

5. Frog Pose (Mandukasana)

Another fantastic posture to link you to the water aspect by concentrating on your hips is the Frog Pose. This is a basic yet extreme posture so ensure you test the adaptability in your knees before you dive in.

Start in Child's Pose.

Open your knees as vast as you can.

With your arms connected before you, sink down into your hips gradually, first dropping to your forearms. If you're really flexible, you can slowly permit your chest to find closer to the floor.

Hold for 7 to 10 breaths.

For an added challenge, slide your hips ahead and also right into the flooring. When possible, push your feet together.

For sensitive knees, use props like a pillow or folded up blanket under the knees.

6. Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasan)

This is an extreme hip opener pose that functions well to release stress. In return, it might additionally launch any kind of kept up, unrefined feelings that you have actually been hanging on to. Stick with the present and also breathe deeply, releasing any kind of rigid thoughts or suitables keeping you stuck.

From Downward-Facing Dog, glide your left knee behind your left hand.

Extend your right leg straight behind you.

Square your hips towards the floor and bend your left foot.

Walk your hands out before you, relaxing your weight on your lower arms or stacking one clenched fist over the other and resting your temple on your hands. At some point you might be able to unwind your directly the ground.

Hold for 7 to 10 breaths and after that repeat on the various other side.

For an included quadriceps stretch, lift your torso upright, flex your back knee, get to behind you with your hand, and grab your foot.

7. Moving Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)

Bridge Pose enhances the muscles in your legs, hips, and reduced back. Include circulation to your position by turning this into a relocating bridge to assist connect you to the water element.

Start on your back with your arms at your sides, your knees curved, as well as your feet flat on the floor-- hip-width apart and also directly under your knees.

Keep your arms right along the sides of your body, as well as shuffle your shoulder blades somewhat beneath the body.

On an inhale, lift your hips as you prolong your arms overhead.

On an exhale, return your hips as well as arms to the ground.

Repeat flow for 5 to 7 cycles.

8. Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana)

In addition to decreasing reduced pain in the back and opening up the hips and also sacrum, this posture likewise raises mood, calms the mind, and relieves anxiety. When you enter proper placement, you can boost your connection to the water aspect by adding circulation by guiding back and also forth.

Start by lying on your back and raising your knees to your stubborn belly as well as your feet to the air.

Grab the outsides of your feet with your hands. Your ankles should be straight over your knees.

Open your knees a little wider than your torso.

Rock gently back and forth on your back for 5 to 10 deep breaths.

Visualization Meditation

Take a comfortable seat and also close your eyes. Take a few deep, cleaning breaths to center prior to starting the meditation.

Visualize on your own diving right into a body of water-- it could be the ocean, a lake, or a swimming pool-- whatever involves you initially. As you dive in, see just how the water feels on your face and also on your skin.

Notice the temperature of the water and also the feelings you really feel as you dive deeper right into the water. View yourself proceed to dive deeper and also deeper as well as much deeper. Pay attention to how it feels to keep diving deeper into the water.

Then you begin to rise and come near the surface for just sufficient time to obtain a deep breath of air, then you dive back in. Repeat this cycle several times in your mind-- appearing, breathing, and coming down again.

After a couple of mins or when you feel all set to obtain out of the water, begin to emerge once more, this time discovering your way to dry land.

Notice your shift of slowly leaving the water: The awesome air striking your skin, the amazing earth under your feet. As you stroll, observe any type of sounds, scents, or tastes.

Notice the sunlight appearing to warm you up-- your face, your arms, your entire body-- to dry you off.

When you're completely dry, bring awareness back to your breath, slow inhales and also breathes out with the nose.

Understand exactly how yoga can help you come to be extra balanced, resulting in a healthier, better life at Seduction of Spirit, a signature meditation and yoga hideaway. Learn More.

#bikram yoga #iyengar yoga #meditation #pilates #pranayama #restorative yoga #yoga #yoga poses #yoga works

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certainbreadgladiator · 4 years

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Cardio high tech-minus 5 kg in two weeks

The topic of weight loss worries every person throughout life, especially women are not rested – how to lose extra pounds. Yes, not just for a reason, but to make this process faster and easier. From this article you will learn how to lose 5 kg in two weeks.

Cardio or aerobic exercise is a type of physical exertion, in which the number of heartbeats increases. This includes running, jumping rope, Nordic walking, aerobics, high-tech cardio exercises for losing weight. 5 kg in two weeks or 7 minutes a day

This super-effective exercise complex was founded by Olga Vyazmetinova, fitness coach, world champion of bikini fitness. Drawing on her professional experience, Olga discovered a set of exercises that allows you not only to lose weight quickly, but also, most importantly, to maintain the elasticity of the skin. The most attractive aspect of this technique is the duration of training: only 7 minutes a day. According to the coach, a 7-Minute Workout is enough to lose weight in two weeks for 5 kg.

It's tempting, isn't it? This is still not 20 minutes of intense exercise, but only 7, although every day. This is very relevant for lazy and busy girls: business women, young mothers, who do not have much free time on themselves, and want to maintain a slim figure. We begin to train on a new technique

Don't be late for Monday and start your workout right now! Promise Me You'll take at least two weeks to see if it'll work. The complex includes 5 basic exercises, which can even be used for a beginner! For each exercise, 1 minute is given, then 30 seconds of rest. Started!

Place your feet at shoulder level, slightly bent at the knees. Perform a run with a high elevation of the knees, the legs are not reduced. It is important – in the process of exercise to keep the back flat. Stand straight and extend your arms in front of you, keeping your shoulders level. Make slots on the sides, first with one leg, then with the other. Don't lean forward. Starting Position, as in the 1st exercise. Now run on the spot with small steps. After 15 seconds, turn left without stopping, then return to the starting position and repeat the same, only on the other side. The initial position is always the same. Now imagine that on the ground scattered a variety of objects that you need to collect and fold in one place. Alternate hands-gather one, keep the other on the belt. Now sit down, arms down between your legs. Start jumping by raising your arms high and high.

High tech Cardio-minus 5 kg in two weeks What is the advantage of the complex and the differences with other methods?

An integrated approach is always better, because it allows you not only to lose weight, but also to improve the skin condition, strengthen health, improve well-being. Of course, who does not like it, spend less effort and time in class with maximum result. In this case, high-tech cardio training combines all this, which is incredibly happy and motivating to start right now!

It is worth noting that, unlike other workouts, this complex is designed in such a way that the exercises follow each other with a short break of a few seconds and fight again! In itself, the exercises are simple. The secret of success lies in the maximum intensity of training. Agree, 7 minutes a day you can devote to sports and shell out 100%! The main thing is not to disturb the schedule and do it every day. Then you will have a good result:

Fatty deposits will melt on the eyes and the weight will disappear as a result. The muscles are sharply tightened. Flabby skin becomes elastic. Strengthens immunity and increases the endurance of the body.

Useful recommendations

In accordance with the numerous reviews of those who are already addicted to this technique of losing weight, take into account some nuances. Then the classes will be even easier and more pleasant, and the result will not make you wait long:

It is best to perform exercises in the morning. Do not overload much, if you are not prepared at all, because the complex requires a lot of strength and endurance. The result will be much better if you follow a diet or eat right during the training period. Gradually you get used to the load, so you can reduce the rest time between exercises to increase their intensity and effectiveness. Carefully read the contraindications.

Like other methods of losing weight, this complex of exercises also has contraindications. Get acquainted with them before starting training, so as not to harm your health. It is forbidden to use the technique if:

Cardiovascular diseases are observed. You feel pressure problems (hypertension). You're in a post-op state. There are exacerbations of some chronic diseases.

Also, if you are a young mom, then do not torment yourself immediately after childbirth with exercises. Let the body rest, so to speak "recover". If you feel that you are ready for training, then do not delay with their beginning!

Well, what aroused the enthusiasm? Do you want to try in a new role and win a slim figure? We hope that this article motivates action, since 80% of the success of any business depends on motivation!

High tech Cardio-minus 5 kg in two weeks

We wish to reach all the heights set, and be happy with yourself!

#sport #health #workout #fitness

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overnightmillionaireprogramrevie · 4 years

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Overnight Millionaire System Reviews

Overnight Millionaire System Review [Wesley Virgin] This Will Shut You Up

Thanks for your visit to my Overnight Millionaire review. But you know what, there's no point in believing what I'm going to say. Believe what Wesley Virgin says. Read on just a little bit and you'll see what I mean.

We don't see many 'legitimate' make-money-online products with the word millionaire in the title. Most of them falsely promise quick success, which would only attract, you know, "think-big-but-do-nothing" dreamers. Whereas many ordinary affiliate marketers (including myself) would often deny that kind of thing without even looking at it. Promoting millionairism? That's so extraordinary that it must be a BS. It's all about building up your business over time. There should be gradual steps to take to get there... Well, who am I kidding? Am I a millionaire? No. Then who am I trying to convince?

Overnight Millionaire System - What Is It?

"Life is not a lottery based on luck", he says.

Wesley Virgin is a multi-millionaire, he calls himself "Billion Dollar Virgin" and one of his well-known products is Fat Diminisher. He teaches his ethos - millionaire mindset - through his other products, and the Overnight Millionaire System is one of them.

"Ah, millionaire mindset. I know all that. If you want to be a millionaire, start thinking like one. It doesn't work. It'll never work." That's it, right there. That's why we (including myself!) are not moving forward much from where we are now.

Of course, this "system" will not spontaneously make you a millionaire. It is a system that made Wesley a millionaire, and he tells you all about it. Is there anything that you can learn from it? YES. This is not a theoretical "how-to" guide by some mysterious seller from ClickBank. Wesley is real, and he will guide you to have the right mental attitude, and teaches a lot of practical tips in selling products as an affiliate.

Overnight Millionaire System is sold for $20, but at your checkout you'll be given a 10% discount coupon code - this 10% will be used on a good cause. I'll tell you about it later.

What's Included?

10 x WHYs

Wesley asks you to write down why you want what you want. People are always after technical know-how. But Wesley says it doesn't matter HOW it's going to happen at the beginning. It's much more vital to clarify WHY you want to become a millionaire.

Audio Files

5-Sets of MP3 audio files "Overnight Mindset Hacks" to listen to for a minimum of 60 days - changes your unconscious mind for success and abundance.

Access to the "Millionaire Mindset Hacks"

The "Millionaire Mindset Hacks" includes video clips that are both motivational and educational, including;

How to come up with all the ideas that could potentially make you $1 million or more, and write them down.

How to visualize and reflect on having $1m in your bank account.

How to become a "high-value person" with a successful skill set that people value and will pay for.

It's important to listen to people who actually have $1 million or more saved up.

Create unshakable belief in yourself to keep pushing forward so you can see results faster.

How to find ways to create multiple streams of income in areas that already are in high demand.

Learn how to become a master at sales, marketing and persuasion as a newbie without reading a lot of books.

What Made Him Determined

Another video within the "Mindset Hacks" is Wesley's own emotional breakthrough story - he talks about his family and when he didn't have money. I know he's a great storyteller, but there was a moment that made him absolutely determined to be successful.

I personally think this 30-minute video is a must-watch. I'm sure Wes's story is relatable to many, and it makes me think, what's the point of life if you don't value yourself high? You are powerful. We all are. With the right mindset, you can do anything.

Upsells

There are plenty of upsells, including;

Affirmation Cash Course ($17) - Affirmations designed to harness the power of the law of attraction and positive thinking, for you to chant them. Wesley's extremely confident about this product, offering 365-day, 100% money-back guarantee. He even says he'd give you 3x your money back if you weren't happy.

Million Dollar Persuasion & Psychology Techniques ($9) - What makes a person buy or not buy. "Cognitive psychological triggers" to get your customer (or anyone, spouse or a child) with you without resistance.

But the most powerful one is "Unrevealed Secrets Of A Millionaire Mind" ($99). It's Wesley's 10-day course with some mind-boggling subjects including;

Day 3 - "Disconnect" - Why your friends and family are the reason you are unable to create the life you deserve. Basically, you may have to cut some people out of your life. You might say "What!? I can't do that to my friends! Who the hell are you to tell me...?" Then fine. You'll be stuck where you are, you see? I can't speak on behalf of Wesley. See what the multi-millionaire actually says.

Day 4 - "When a millionaire speaks...shut up!" - All you need to know about socializing with millionaires, even down to what to wear, what to take and what to trash.

Day 5 - "A Millionaire's Best Kept Secret" - True reasons why you've never been successful in your life. As mentioned earlier, it's not about "how", but it's a "why" mentality that matters.

Day 6 - "Sexual Transmutation" - This is a very interesting one. An ancient method (use your sexual desires to create wealth in life), proven to 95% of millionaires and successful entrepreneurs. With Wesley's personal experience.

Day 8 - "Wealth Fundamentals Were Never Taught In School" - College won't help you become the successful person you deserve to be. I absolutely agree with that. People who have the least knowledge of money are teachers. (No disrespect - I'm from that kind of background myself).

Day 10 - "Be A Giver" - why you must give in order to receive. Why sharing your wealth will make you even richer. This is another one of most wonderful things that Wesley has, and teaches.

Create Better Sales Page

Of course, the product is not just about affirmations, but he will also give you some tips to increase sales. He advises Amazon and ClickBank have the best products, and all the tips he provides are invaluable for every new internet marketing hopeful. For example;

The importance of becoming an expert in your chosen niche.

Wes's "million dollar formula" - address a problem, find out how many people have the problem, and create the solution.

Create ideas instead of having to chase "tricks".

As an affiliate, the key is to make your sales page better than the seller's original page.

Wesley Is Raw

I think the difference between Wesley and other online gurus/tutors is that Wesley talks to your heart from his heart. Don't get me wrong, I know there are thousands of other helpful tutors, who dedicate their heart and soul and whatever. This is hard to explain - Wesley's very raw. He's got nothing to hide. He talks a lot about himself but many of his stories are so relatable to us, he's essentially helping us without consciously trying to help us. Does that make sense? That's how I feel anyway.

By the way he's so pumped up (literally) with so much energy throughout the videos. All of a sudden he would shout "Motivated!!" (#Ahhgg my eardrums.) But I must also add, there's nothing technical, no jargons, anyone can understand it.

He Spends A Lot On Good Causes

Wesley donates a lot of money to the local church and charities. He gives a lot of tips to the waiting staff in restaurants (100-300%!)

Not because he can afford it (well, he can afford it) but because that's what he believes to do. Share and people will share back. Give to receive. What goes around comes around. While you are reluctant to give a 15% tip because you didn't receive a good service... You spend your life forever worrying about "15% of the restaurant bill" level of money.

The Overnight Millionaire System - the price is $37 but he will give you a special $10-off discount coupon code. This discount will help feed homeless people. Wesley's father is a pastor, and he goes to his church every Sunday morning to help them.

Isn't that crazy? They normally ask you to pay 10% MORE to pay towards charitable causes. Anyway that's what he does. He's not making this up, there's a video clip to prove in the link destination. If you don't believe it, that's fine. Then that's what you are - do you see what I mean?

60-Day Money Back Guarantee

If you're not happy, you can ask your money back by contacting Wesley or via ClickBank within 60 days of purchase.

Pros

You'll get all the success tips from a REAL millionaire.

Extremely motivational.

Easy to understand (he talks to you from his heart).

Your money will be partly spent on a good cause.

60-day money back guarantee.

Cons

He's a bit loud (!?)

Not for you if you're expecting an instruction manual type.

Overnight Millionaire Review - Conclusion:

Before Wesley Virgin made his own financial success, he met a lot of millionaires who didn't inspire him. Now being a multi-millionaire himself, he knows how to help you set the right mindset.

If you are a moaner or skeptic but you haven't been successful, perhaps it's about time you considered listening to this guy. Maybe this what you need. I recommend this product to anyone who doesn't want to stay where they are, and take a bold step to make money online.

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