“…every building on the General Mills campus there is a meditation room, equipped with a few zafus – or cushions for sitting practice – and yoga mats”

“Mindfulness is an idea whose time has come,” says Google’s Tan. “For a long time practitioners knew, but the science wasn’t there. Now the science has caught up.”

“Other companies have found that such programmes can generate both health benefits and cost savings. Aetna, partnering with Duke University School of Medicine, found that one hour of yoga a week decreased stress levels in employees by a third, reducing healthcare costs by an average of $2,000 a year.”

The benefits of mindfulness practices that Gelles portrays in his article are not just reserved to eastern medicines and wisdom.  There are medicine modalities rooted in western shamanic traditions that have also proven to be powerful tools for enhanced awareness and creativity, deep therapeutic healing and rejuvenation, and healthy management of emotions and relationships.  As practiced at Luminous Warrior, there are more active meditative practices, such as Mindful Journeying and Guided Movement with Meditative Journeying, that are more suitable for active minds that find it too difficult to settle into the stillness of prototypical meditation.  Also, Luminous Warrior has the unique combination of traditional practices of western energy medicine with scientifically proven therapies such as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) visualization.

“This may sound like New Age mumbo-jumbo, but a growing body of academic research provides a scientific explanation. Meditation is shown to reduce levels of cortisol, a hormone related to stress. When cortisol levels drop, the mind grows calmer and gains the stability to become more focused.”

It’s not just the mind and body that work together to maintain health, but also the spirit.  Nurturing yourself at each level (mind, body, and spirit) is important to general health and raising overall well-being.  The integration of various modalities in mind-body fitness regimens and energy medicine practices can generate more holistic mindfulness, health maintenance, and profound rejuvenation.  You can read more at these articles: Raising Worker Wellness; Health, Wellness, and Balance in Tech Driven World

Go to Corporate Wellness and Personal Safety to discover how Luminous Warrior can bring mindful leadership, organizational health and wellness, and empowerment to your organization. Make sure you sign-up for the Luminous Warrior mailing list and “like” our Facebook page to get the latest events happening at the Luminous Warrior Center.  Also, take a look at the rest of the website to find out which classes and services may be a fit for your goals and personal journey: Warrior Self Defense; Warrior Fusion; Private Consultations and Training.

No matter what your assessment is of the actions taken on the part of the law enforcement officer, the footage is an excellent example of the dangers in using a handgun as a blunt-force or cold weapon.  The choice to use the handgun as a blunt-force weapon and the manner in which it was used could have resulted in even more catastrophic consequences for the suspect, the police officer, and/or anyone else close enough to be in range of the discharged bullet.

Handguns are prevalent weapons utilized in violent assaults and robberies. Understanding how to redirect the line of fire and disarming the attacker is only half the skills and knowledge you need in dealing with attacks from handguns. When training to defend against handgun assaults, there should also be understanding in the fundamentals of firearms operation.  For instance, when using a firearm as a cold weapon, there is the potential of the weapon actually firing and discharging a live round.  Constantly being conscious of the weapons line of fire is critical at all levels of this dangerous scenario.

In addition to understanding basic firearms operations, there are a plethora of other factors that need to be addressed in a weapons defense class (Weapons Defense Tactics).  Not only in firearm scenarios, but any weapons-based scenario training.  Some of these are highlighted below (Armed Assault and Weapons Defense Tactics):

•  When do I fight and how (Self Defense Options Against Armed Assault and Robbery)?
• What are some of the myths, and what are the realities?
• What do I need to be aware of before, during, and after an armed assault occurs?
• If I have the capability to defend myself, do I have the capacity to do so?
• What are the potential legal implications (Martial Law: The Legal Gauntlet of Self Defense Training)?

In self defense and personal protection training, weapons can complicate many scenarios and situations.  Reality-based self defense training for street-level violence should be comprehensive; hitting every aspect of the dynamics involved in defending against armed assault and robbery.

Make sure you sign-up for the Luminous Warrior mailing list and “like” our Facebook page to get the latest events and training programs happening at the Luminous Warrior Center.  Also, take a look at the rest of the website to find out which classes and services may be a fit for your goals and personal journey: Warrior Self Defense; Warrior Fusion; Private Consultations and Training. If you would like to discover how Luminous Warrior can improve wellness and empowerment at your organization, go to Corporate Wellness and Personal Safety.

Whether the area is urban or rural, or set in an office, a home, or any other type of enclosed space, understanding how the environment impacts personal safety is a critical skill to have for self defense.  Through proper training, you can learn how to recognize and avoid spaces conducive to violent encounters, identify avenues of escape, and, if it becomes necessary, how to USE your environment in a fight for safety.

Understanding the dynamics of spaces and the layout of its features can play an important role in risk reduction, and crime prevention and deterrence.  In the article “District Police Embrace Concept of Preventing Crime Through Design” featured in The Washington Post website, Peter Hermann profiles the proactive measures the Washington DC Metro Police Department is taking through urban planning to reduce the incidence of violent assaults, robberies, and other potential street-level hazards in new neighborhood developments.

“Chief Cathy L. Lanier is embedding police commanders with developers in the belief that the way things are built can influence the behaviors of criminals and potential victims, much as speed bumps can slow cars.”

Hermann’s article profiles the collaboration taking place between Metro Police and the real estate development firms designing the new layout of district neighborhoods.  As new development projects get underway to revitalize areas of Washington DC with new housing, shopping centers, commercial office space, and event centers, there is a focus on addressing crime abatement and security at the early planning phases of development.  The goal of the collaboration is to avoid the design flaws in earlier development projects that have now made neighborhoods prone to violence, crime, and traffic problems (pedestrian and vehicular).  The costly extra policing efforts for the Gallery Place area is often cited as an example of planning that has achieved commercial success, but is full of security failures.

“People pile out of the (Chinatown-Gallery Place) Metro station; they stream in and out of movies and restaurants; they try to walk where others want to hang out. They are everywhere. It’s a recipe for trouble, where a bump can turn into a shove that can turn into a punch that can turn into a fight.”

Learning from the mistakes of Gallery Place, the article quotes Daniel P. Hickson, commander of the department’s First District, as saying, “…we’ve realized that we can be predictive rather than totally reactionary.”  Hermann’s article is an interesting portrayal of how environmental security and safety can be proactively enhanced, and provides some additional insights on neighborhood features that can make an urban block a personal safety quagmire.  The interests of the Metro Police and the development companies do not always align. Hermann quotes Monty Hoffman, chief executive of the development company Hoffman-Madison Waterfront, as saying “Restaurants want romance, safety wants lights.”  But there seems to be mutual understanding on the need to include security factors in development planning.

“Bernard Melekian, director of the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, says such efforts take “community policing to the next level.”

Self Defense or martial arts training for self defense should address environmental factors in the program.  Whether you are in your home, at work, exploring new places to live, you’re traveling for business or vacation (Personal Safety and Security for Travelers), or just out for the day, skills in environmental awareness and how to use your environment are invaluable assets for personal protection.

Make sure you sign-up for the Luminous Warrior mailing list and “like” our Facebook page to get the latest events happening at the Luminous Warrior Center.  Also, take a look at the rest of the website to find out which classes and services may be a fit for your goals and personal journey: Warrior Self Defense; Warrior Fusion; Private Consultations and Training. If you would like to discover how Luminous Warrior can improve wellness and empowerment at your organization, go to Corporate Wellness and Personal Safety.

  “Solo travel can be exhilarating, freeing, and helpful in learning new things about yourself. But solo travelers, especially females, can also be more vulnerable while alone on the road.”

Five of Caroline’s tips are summarized below.  Go to her blog post to view all ten of the “safety mistakes” featured in her piece.

1. Taking an Unlicensed Cab. Taxis have licenses for a reason—you’re getting in a car alone with a stranger. Don’t be tempted by illegal cabs, even if they’re cheaper. Not Having a
   
2. Backup Plan. Evelyn Hannon, Journeywoman, says, “It’s very important [for me] to have a good backup plan if I am robbed or if I lose my credit cards.
   
3. Telling People Where You’re Staying. Whether you’re filling out a form that asks for the address of where you’re staying, asking for directions, or just making conversation, be sure to guard the location of your accommodation from prying eyes. Try not to let on that you’re staying alone, as well.
   
4. Accepting Food/Drink from Strangers. “Accepting food from strangers is not always the right thing to do,” says Hannon. Understand that drugging is always a possibility. You don’t want to wake up to find your friendly neighbors gone along with all your belongings.”
   
5. Answering Your Hotel Door. Whether it’s someone claiming to be hotel maintenance, room service (that you didn’t order), or even housekeeping, don’t open your hotel door when you’re alone in the room (especially without checking the peephole first). If there’s someone telling you about an emergency or a maintenance issue and they need access to your room, be sure to call down to the hotel’s front desk to verify their story.

Whether you are a man or a woman(alone or with a group), these are some very useful safety points to remember while traveling, but they can also be adapted and applied to improving safety while at home as well as abroad.  Additionally, there are a number of other critical factors and elements to personal safety that can be applied in your home-life and life further afield (Top 5 Elements for Personal Safety and Security on Campus).  For instance:

• Be conscious of how your behavior with technology and social media impacts your risk of encountering violent crime and assault (Technology, Safety & Personal Security).
• Understand the importance of awareness and avoidance skills in reducing risk (Critical Awareness; Self Defense and Awareness vs Rising Crime).
• Pre-fight preparedness (Self Defense and the Decision to Fight) and Post-fight awareness and self-care (Private Consultations and Training) are just as important to personal protection as having the capability to defend yourself.

Additional skills and knowledge can also be gained through personal safety and self defense courses.  There are training programs available that focus on preparing you for specific environments and conditions, such as domestic and overseas travel, and specialized courses that address risks specific to particular occupations (Global Journalist Security).  No matter which class or program you choose, there are fundamental elements critical to understanding the entire continuum of self defense and personal protection that are universal across all demographics and settings.

Lastly, from Caroline’s article, there is one mistake that travelers should avoid making from the very beginning:

“Letting Fear Hold You Back. We’re not trying to scare you off solo travel. Just be careful. Laura Walker, A Wandering Sole, says, “Do your research and don’t be afraid to engage locals…I have found that locals want you, as a visitor, to enjoy their country…”

Make sure you sign-up for the Luminous Warrior mailing list and “like” our Facebook page to get the latest events happening at the Luminous Warrior Center.  Also, take a look at the rest of the website to find out which classes and services may be a fit for your goals and personal journey: Warrior Self Defense; Warrior Fusion; Private Consultations and Training. If you would like to discover how Luminous Warrior can improve wellness and empowerment at your organization, go to Corporate Wellness and Personal Safety.