Stress Reduction Technique

The body’s natural relaxation response is a powerful antidote to stress. Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, visualization, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, and yoga can help you activate this relaxation response. When practiced regularly, these activities lead to a reduction in your everyday stress levels and a boost in your feelings of joy and serenity. What’s more, they also serve a protective quality by teaching you how to stay calm and collected in the face of life’s curveballs.

Starting a relaxation practice
A variety of relaxation techniques help you achieve the relaxation response. Those whose stress-busting benefits have been widely studied include deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, visualization, yoga, and tai chi.

Learning the basics of these relaxation techniques isn’t difficult. But it takes practice to truly harness their stress-relieving power: daily practice, in fact. Most stress experts recommend setting aside at least 10 to 20 minutes a day for your relaxation practice. If you’d like to get even more stress relief, aim for 30 minutes to an hour.

Getting the most out of your relaxation practice
Set aside time in your daily schedule. The best way to start and maintain a relaxation practice is by incorporating it into your daily routine. Schedule a set time either once or twice a day for your practice. You may find that it’s easier to stick with your practice if you do it first thing in the morning, before other tasks and responsibilities get in the way.

Don’t practice when you’re sleepy. These techniques can relax you so much that they can make you very sleepy, especially if it’s close to bedtime. You will get the most out of these techniques if you practice when you’re fully awake and alert.

Choose a technique that appeals to you. There is no single relaxation technique that is best. When choosing a relaxation technique, consider your specific needs, preferences, and fitness level. The right relaxation technique is the one that resonates with you and fits your lifestyle.

Hot Cocoa

Hot cocoa is a deliciously warm and comforting drink that I like to serve with lots of little white marshmallows floating on top. Unlike hot chocolate that combines milk with semisweet chocolate, Hot Cocoa starts with good unsweetened cocoa powder combined with sugar and just enough milk or cream to make a smooth paste. Then hot milk (skim, 2%, or whole) is added to this cocoa paste and stirred until it is thoroughly blended. Sometimes I like to place the hot cocoa in a blender (or you can use an immersion blender) to make it nice and foamy. Finish your hot cocoa without a large handful of marshmallows (store bought or homemade) or else a dollop of whipped cream.
You may not know it but cocoa powder was invented back in the early 1800s by a Dutchman named Coenraad Van Houten. He made a press that could extract the cocoa butter from the chocolate liquor, leaving a dry cake. This cake was further dried and processed to become unsweetened cocoa powder. Van Houten then went on to discover that if the unsweetened cocoa powder was treated with an alkaline solution it produced a cocoa powder that was darker in color and softer in flavor than what he began with. It became known as 'Dutch-processed' cocoa powder. The reason I tell this story is Dutch-processed cocoa powder is what I use to make my hot cocoa. While you could use regular unsweetened cocoa powder I find the flavor of Dutch-processed makes for a mild yet flavorful drink. Droste is the brand I use and you can sometimes find it in grocery stores, or else at specialty food stores or on line.

Hot Cocoa: Place the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until it is nice and hot.

Meanwhile in your mug or cup, make a paste with the cocoa powder, sugar, and cream. Pour the hot milk into the cocoa paste and stir until combined and smooth. You can place the hot cocoa in your blender (or use an immersion blender) to make it nice and foamy.

Garnish with marshmallows or softly whipped cream.

Makes 1 - 8 ounce (240 ml) serving.


Hot Cocoa Recipe:

3/4 cup (180 ml) milk (skim, 2%, or whole)

1 tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I use Droste of Valrhona)

1 tablespoon granulated white sugar

2 tablespoons of cream or milk

For Garnish:

Marshmallows or softly whipped cream

Sources

Bigelow, Fran. 'Pure Chocolate'. New York: Broadway Books.: 2004.

Bloom, Carole, 'All About Chocolate'. New York: MacMillan, Inc.: 1998.

Rinzler, Carol Ann. 'The Book of Chocolate'. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1977.

CAPTIVATING DIGITAL LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

Little white cabins in Normandy at sunset landscape.The perspective distortion make it seem that people and cabins are being gravitated by the sun.

Photography

Landscapes are a lot of excitement to capture - from pictures of mountains and rivers to peaceful shots of the setting sun.

Shoot the sky
If the sky is too monotonous consider how you're going to hold this problem. You can change the composition of the photo in very slight if the sky is shown, or possibly leave it out altogether. Another idea could be to come back at a different time and day. Sunrise or sunset are often considered the most excellent times to photograph landscapes.

Shoot for surroundings
Foreground is best place for shooting in a landscape. It also need perfect timing. When the timing was perfect with crack of dawn, the sun was rising and reflecting beautifully in the water edge. Exposure, aperture and focus settings on digital camera were spot on. There, you got the best shoot.

Carry a Tripod
Keep tripod in you, if you're planning on shooting landscape. Even if it is sunny, you really need to use a small aperture to attain a great depth of field. You maybe be using a low shutter speed which can also lead to your camera shake, if your hand is not stable to hold. So, tripod is most essential tool.

Must have a cable release
Carry a cable release is one of a good tip. As an alternative timer function of the camera.At the right timing you can precisely ensure that you can trigger the shutter. This will lead to a beautiful photo if there is a reduced camera shake.

Finding good filters
Taking a landscape photos need filters. There is different type of filters to use; polarizer, graduated neutral density filter and neutral density filter.
Polarizer is helpful for reducing glare this is useful in reflective surface or in water area. It will be better balanced and can create a beautiful picture.
Graduated neutral density filters are a slight variation of Neutral density they are creating a gradual transition with a dark on the top and a clear on the bottom a transformation to a dark to clear. This is use for blocking out the light parts of the scene to keep the picture to more evenly expose.
Neutral density filters can help to specify the light entering in the camera. This is most useful for capturing waterfalls on a sunny day.

Be familiar with about landscape
Taking landscape photos need to do some background research like Negara falls or even the Grand Canyon, do some background research on the most scenic area. It is also best to check the weather conditions of the place.

Wide angle lenses
Bringing a wide angle lenses is the best equipment for shooting landscape photos.

Rule of Composition

Composition rules are still important thing to remember in shooting a landscape photos. It can be a foreground, mid-ground and background to get best shots.

Perfect Right Time
Avoid shooting during mid-day because there is a harsh lighting and bad shadows effect during that period. For best results, better go in the early morning or late afternoon for shooting landscape photography.

Overall
Landscape photography poses with its own challenges. Keep the above hints in taking photos. I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy and happy with the result.