Today we visited Beaumont for another Royal Tuck In and it was one of our best visits yet. We had two new volunteers with us this time, Federica and SWAT Officer Ray. They did a phenomenal job with the children. Thank you Jeremy James for recommending them to our program! We started off in the ICU and visited with 2 little boys. Alexei was there again, as we met him during our March visit and it was a match made in heaven with him and Officer Ray. Alexei had just said before his surgery he wanted to go into something to do with the SWAT team and it was ironic that we brought along a real SWAT member. They chatted and chatted, and Officer Ray showed him some of his equipment and the parents were thrilled. Then we went to the general PEDS floor and visited with 14 children. Children just looked at Officer Ray and a huge smile appeared on their faces. It is really starting to become a rewarding trip each month as we are now seeing children from previous visits coming back for treatments, or surgeries an the parents are really appreciating us taking such an interest in their child’s life.

When some people think of yoga, they imagine having to stretch like a gymnast. That makes them worry that they're too old, unfit, or "tight" to do yoga. The truth is you're never too old to improve flexibility.

The series of yoga poses called asanas work by safely stretching your muscles. This releases the lactic acid that builds up with muscle use and causes stiffness, tension, pain, and fatigue. In addition, yoga increases the range of motion in joints. It may also increase lubrication in the joints. The outcome is a sense of ease and fluidity throughout your body.

Yoga stretches not only your muscles but all of the soft tissues of your body. That includes ligaments, tendons, and the fascia sheath that surrounds your muscles. And no matter your level of yoga, you most likely will see benefits in a very short period of time. In one study, participants had up to 35% improvement in flexibility after only eight weeks of yoga. The greatest gains were in shoulder and trunk flexibility.

Patience is often the key to success in a struggle against a larger opponent. Usually, it is not the person who attacks the most, but the one who exhausts the least who will win. Acting impulsively, aggressively, or without focus wastes energy. Patience also applies to timing. Even a perfectly executed technique will fail if attempted at the wrong time. In life, too, patience and timing enable you to “make your own luck” by calmly watching and waiting until the right moment when you can apply your energy most efficiently.

• Being patient with your friends and loved ones, as well as your enemies, is Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
• Allowing impulses to pass before acting is Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
• Taking a deep breath and considering all alternatives before committing is Gracie Jiu-Jitsu

Patience and timing allow you to know when to commit while efficiency ensures that you have sufficient energy to achieve your objective when the time is right for action.