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With the exception of mantra or japa practice, most forms of yoga meditation require a bit of silence. Silence is a "teacher," which quiets the mind and helps us focus during meditation sessions.

Yet, how can you maintain control in the heat of the moment? The ancient samurai warriors, of Japan, practiced meditation before and after being battle tested. We do not have to test our meditation skills in this way, but many of us are tested every day by self-control.

Yoga teaches us control, moderation, and timing. There is a time to speak up and a time to be silent. If we are screaming our thoughts out at the top of our lungs, we have not given any consideration to control, moderation, and timing. Shouting may seem necessary, but it tends to escalate conflicts.

This does not mean that you should be silent at all times, or that you should become a door mat. Knowing when, and how to, express your viewpoint, is a vital part of life.

An example of this is when we speak from the ego to protect our own interests. Even when our tone is measured and moderate, self-centered talk does not resolve conflicts. If your objective is to win the argument and prove your point, you will never listen or be silent at the right time.

The ability to listen emphatically to an opposing opinion first, and understand the other side of the issue, does resolve potential arguments before they start. Diplomatic negotiations operate the same way. In fact, if you look at the world today, constructive peace talks make progress - albeit slowly.

paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of yoga teacher training at: Aura wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free Yoga e-Book: "Yoga in practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

Copyright 2007 paul Jerard / Aura Publications

5: Shifting media man
nintendo needs to ditch mini-disks and cartridges and publish games on full size compact disks. It will help get rid of your cute, fuzzy, little kid image.

4: Deadline Driving for 8 Billion Red Coins
Dont hype up a game until youre sure you can release it on time. You get me all worked up about a game like Twilight Princess and then push it back, and back, and back until youve pushed back into another console! It gets old! Stop doing it. Finish the game then tell people about it six month before you release it. problem solved.

3: Footrace with Sony the Quick
Its a little late for this one nintendo, but you need to beat Sony to the market if you can. Get your Revolution hardware out and in our hands and take our dollars as soon as possible because after we buy an X-box 360, 4 controllers, and a hard drive were probably going to have enough money for just one Next Gen system. If you can beat Sony to the market and suck up $250 bucks plus the cost of controllers, games, and memory cards people wont be willing to shell out the $600 bucks plus games and accessory money for play station III.

2. Nintendo's Image lost
You need to fix your image, you have the 3-9 year old market cornered, and nobody can touch you, but now its time to graduate to the big leagues. If you want to survive and latch onto the adult audience I suggest buying a well-known franchise like Grand Theft Auto or create one and make it a nintendo exclusive. Remind people nintendo started the age of multiplayer console shooters with Goldeneye.

1. To the top of the Mountain
Last, but not least, you seriously need to get a better shell for your controller. I personally like it and think it's brilliant, but people aren't ready for it yet. You need to have a more traditional controller for your next gen system. I'm NOT SAYING YOU SHOULD GET RID OF THE MOTION SENSOR, but definitely scrap the remote control look.

Chitosan is a type of fiber which is made from the shells of crustaceans, such as shrimp, lobster, squid or crab. The human body does not digest fiber well, and as it passes through the digestive tract it can bind fats. This causes them to be unabsorbed, too. Since chitosan is a fiber, it was thus hypothesized that it could be effective for weight loss by reducing fat absorption.

The majority of studies done have not confirmed this, however. In fact, in the largest double-blind placebo-controlled study done with the supplement, 250 overweight individuals who received 3 mg of chitosan daily for 6 months did not show any significant weight loss when compared to those individuals in the placebo group.

Are there any adverse consequences to taking chitosan?

Yes.

It has been shown that high doses of chitosan taken over a long period of time can cause the depletion of several important minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, selenium, and vitamins A, D, E and K. Since all these are needed for bone growth, a depletion can set the stage for the development of osteoporosis.

There has also been a report of arsenic poisoning originating from chitosan supplementation. Apparently crustacean shells can contain arsenic which unknowingly can become part of the chitosan supplement. Taken over a long period of time, toxicity and eventually death can occur.

Bottom Line: Short term use of chitosan (i.e., several weeks) is more than likely not a problem. Its not likely to be much help with weight loss. Not for pregnant women and children, however!

Sue Roberts, MPH MS RD/CN is a certified nutritionist and registered dietitian.

Get a copy of her FREE ebook, "The secrets about Weight Loss supplements: What You Need to Know" at http://www.YourOnlineNutritionist.com .