Musashi Mindstate Tea by Adisa the Bishop

#MusashiMindstateTea 

I want to thank all the HHCF and the BCP Army (Bishop Chronicles Podcast Army) for all

the amazing feedback from my posting of the Cloud Scroll Tea recipe. I am going to share

with you another recipe to help you and your friends and family stay healthy. This is a recipe

I have been using for more than 20 years. However, I strongly caution any and all people on

high blood pressure medicines to seek a doctor's advice before drinking. This tea is relaxing

beyond measure for me. However, it is potent and will impact your blood pressure.

I prefer to share this tea with friends while playing chess at home.

Whenever I have had a long stressful day, or, I anticipate having a rough start to my day I

make this tea the first and last thing I drink. 

Darjeeling tastes good. Like the tea your granny might make for you in the morning or after

dinner. It really is smooth by itself, but with a little honey it is truly divine. I however began

drinking it because of its antibacterial functions. 

Golden Tips Tea website noted: 

1. Provides Essential Antioxidants

Darjeeling tea is abundant in antioxidants such as thearubigins and theaflavins.
Together, these
complex compounds combat free radicals, neutralize harmful chemicals during
digestion, and eliminate toxins. Deficiency in these antioxidants accelerates cellular
damage, raises the risk of chronic illnesses, and speeds up the process of aging.
Drinking Darjeeling tea
bridges the deficit
in antioxidants.

2. Reduces the Risk of Cancer

Darjeeling tea contains polyphenolic compounds that inhibit the growth of cancer in several
ways and stop tumor development. Darjeeling tea also has anti-mutagenic properties
that reducethe frequency of cellular mutations. You can find a more detailed study here

3. Ensures Adequate Hydration

When it comes to combating dehydration, dietician, doctors, and nutritionists recommend
drinking at least eight glasses of water a day. Adding a cup of Darjeeling can contribute
to your total levels of hydration.

4. Relieves Stress

Stress plays a significant role in high blood pressure, skin conditions, heart problems, asthma,
depression, arthritis, and anxiety. In other words, stress leaves your immune system in a vulnerable
state and opens a floodgate of diseases. Darjeeling tea eliminates stress by regulating the
production of a stress hormone in the body called cortisol. That's why drinking Darjeeling tea
makes you happy!

On another note, a single cup of Darjeeling gives your body a tiny dose of caffeine to restore
mental alertness and improve focus. In some cases, you may even experience an energy boost.

5. Boosts Cardiovascular Health

Darjeeling tea increases blood flow and reduces the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Furthermore,
it is rich in quercetin. The compound has been found to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, which
is the buildup of plaque in the arteries that can lead to a heart attack or a stroke.

6 Facilitates Weight Loss

Studies have shown that drinking Darjeeling tea reduces belly fat and speeds up weight loss.
Blends of tea with higher levels of oxidation are more effective in achieving weight loss than their
alternatives. Semi-oxidized Darjeeling tea is highly effective in facilitating weight loss.

Scientists believe this could be due to the high concentration of catechins, which are naturally
occurring antioxidants that increase fat burning and boost metabolism.

7. Lowers the Likelihood of Parkinson's Disease

Many researchers in India believe that certain bio-active compounds in Darjeeling tea, particularly
L-theanine, could play an active role in preventing neurodegenerative diseases such as
Parkinson's. Older adults are more susceptible to Parkinson's than their younger counterparts.
It is because of a combination of stress, poor food habits, and an unhealthy lifestyle.

Half a teaspoon of Cat’s Claw. Cat’s claw is a fantastic tree bark. I first learned about it from
a Japanese friend of mine. Their father was prescribed it to help him treat cancer. Many years
later I was wrongly diagnosed with high blood pressure and ischemia (a problem where the
circulation in the heart. The hospital was trying to put me on meds, but the pharmacist told me
the meds he was trying to put me on were not needed (I was 25 at the time). 

That woman saved my life. I got a second opinion from another Dr. The second Dr. told me I
was fine just lay off salt a bit. In a panic I went online to look for natural remedies for high blood
pressure and I looked it up and BOOM- it said it helped reduce high blood pressure. 

So, I started using it and since that day, I have never EVER had high blood pressure as an issue.
I’m Black. Which pretty much means I’m born with high blood pressure. It is because of this fact
that I am issuing a warning. A stern one. 

Cat's claw is a wood vine that grows wild in central and South America, particularly in the
Amazon rainforest. ... Cat's claw has been examined for its effects on sleep-wake disturbances,
fatigue, anxiety, and depression in patients with cancer. I used it here with the darjeeling tea
because it is antiviral as well. By combining these we have a drink that is antibacterial from
darjeeling and antiviral from cats claw. Be sure to buy the cats claw that looks like shaved bark
DO NOT get the powder.

Parasites such as Babesia and bacteria such as Bartonella cannot withstand the strength
of cat's claw.I encourage you to research it extensively, as the benefits of it are many.

Directions for Musashi Mindstate Tea by Adisa the Bishop

Take one tea bag (never more than 1 teaspoon) of darjeeling and teaspoon of cat’s claw into a pot of 8 cups of water. Use honey and lemon to taste (it is my understanding that lemon and lime juice help activate the best what is in the cat’s claw). But I don’t like the lemon in it too much. Add honey to your taste if you like, but very little. Remember if you triple sugar up your tea you ruin a lot of its potential to help you heal. 

Be healthy, read books, exercise and stay positive until next time.

WARNING: CAT’S CLAW CAN HAVE REAL EFFECTS ON YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE. DO NOT USE THIS IF YOU TAKE BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICATION, OR HEART MEDICATION OF ANY KIND. USE THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK. I SUGGEST GOING TO A MEDICAL DOCTOR BEFORE USING IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. FDA HAS NOT APPROVED ANYTHING I HAVE WRITTEN

Cloud Scroll Tea, Created by Adisa the Bishop (For weight loss and immunity help)

Cloud Scroll Tea (for weight loss and cleansing) By:Adisa Banjoko: 

 Cloud Scroll Tea is a tea recipe I developed. I was looking for a legitimate way to use tea to lose the most weight possible, but not sacrifice flavor. The original Cloud Scroll itself, is a book of jiu-jitsu techniques that came as a companion of related movements to the Iron Hook Scroll. Both books are jiu-jitsu an illustration of positions that came to me after a series of powerful experiences practicing transcendental meditation at John O’Connell High School many years ago. None of the positions were a product of my own tactical thinking or creativity. This is one of the reasons I believe meditation is such an important habit of creating.

The moves work gi or nogi and are respected by black belts around the world for their effectiveness and clarity of purpose. Techniques from the Iron Hook Scroll make you lockdown and be heavy to your opponent. The Cloud Scroll techniques are meant to lighten the opponent from being oppressive with their weight when you have them in a position called the closed guard. The Cloud Scroll is meant to lighten your mood in the moment and your physical frame over time. I am telling you this to help you understand the intention it was created with. 

In any case, what a lot of people don’t know is that I have been a diligent student of teas and the healing properties in them for no less than 25 years (I am 50). I have found tea to be one of the fastest and most cost effective ways to help our body heal itself. 

This tea came into fruition about year ago. I had seen a study that wanted to know did green tea or oolong tea (known as Tea Kuan Yin) help you lose faster. The result of the test showed that both helped, but that combining the teas was best. So, I immediately went to work on making a tea using those as the base. I scoured Chinatown in San Francisco (folks know that is my favorite part of SF) and I also found some other healing herbs to help you out. I have a booklet of teas I have made over the years. I don’t even keep them in my Google Drive because I keep them secret. None of them though do I trust in like Cloud Scroll Tea. I have lost a lot of weight using this tea (more than 15 lbs!). 

I do not care what brand of anything you use to make this tea. Get it wherever it is cheapest. I know there are vast differences in tea quality, flavor, processing etc. For me however, it is just important that you begin drinking it as soon as you can. 

Cloud Scroll Tea 

By: Adisa Banjoko aka The Bishop

Teaspoon oolong (tea kuan yin)

Benefits: It contains a variety of minerals such as carotene, calcium, copper, selenium, and vitamins A, B, C, E and K. Additionally, oolong tea contains detoxifying alkaloids such as folic acid and niacinamide

Teaspoon jasmine green tea

Benefits: A study was done and it showed people who drank 1–3 cups (237–710 ml) of green tea per day had a 19% lower risk of heart attacks and a 36% reduced risk of strokes, compared to people that drank less than 1 cup (237 ml) daily

Teaspoon Siberian rose petals

Benefits: Roses are known to be high in vitamin C, one of the most important vitamins in our body. Vitamin C is an essential part of our immune system as it stimulates the production of white blood cells and functions as an antioxidant, effectively lowering oxidative stress. 

Teaspoon red clover blossom

Benefits: Red clover blossom promotes optimal health of the respiratory system, the lymphatic system, the immune system, the blood, and the skin. I personally believe it is one of the most underutilized herbs in the world for healthy living.

1/2 Teaspoon oatmeal

Benefits: Before you send me a throw up emoji, understand this. Oatmeal has been heavily studied in relation to the immune system’s response to disease and infection. Essentially, because of oatmeal’s unique fiber called beta-glucan, it helps neutrophils travel to the site of an infection more quickly and enhances their ability to eliminate the bacteria they find there.

DIRECTIONS: Place in a pot of 8 cups boiling water. Let it simmer low for about 7-10 min. Add lemon/lime  and honey to taste. For better weight loss do NOT use any sweetener.

You can hear me talk about Cloud Scroll Tea on Bishop Chronicles Podcast on Mixcloud at 43 min in. You can also subscribe there or at iTunes, Spotify, Mixcloud or Libsyn. You can also listen at www.bishopchronicles.com 

The FDA has not verified anything I have written here. I AM NOT A DR. DRINK AT YOUR OWN RISK...

Bishop Chronicles: Thoughts on PE Booting Flavor Flav + Lost Int. w/ Eddie Bravo!

Adisa the Bishop talks about his recent trip to London and his reflections after watching Hamilton while out there. Then he takes a deep dive into the split between Chuck D and Flavor Flav after Flav did not show up for a Bernie Sanders rally. Then he shares a 2014 never before heard interview with American jiu-jitsu legend Eddie Bravo shortly after his rematch with Royler Gracie.

The new episode is up! Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify or Mixcloud right now. Everyone else can visit www.bishopchronicles.com to listen!

How Martial Arts Can Teach Nonviolence

It is a story I told before, but I had not fully considered the implications of the moment I
learned about Bruce Lee. I was 9 years old when my dad brought home spanking
new technology. A VHS machine and tape deck. The first two movies he had were
Alien and an unknown film called Return of the Dragon. After watching the alien break out of a
guys stomach I was happily avoiding watching that film in its entirety. My 9 year old mind just
wanted to know “Who was this dragon?Where did he go? What is he returning to do?”
Boy were all my questions answered. 

After finishing the film and making some nunchucks out of sawed off  yellow
broomsticks and some chains my older cousin Steve let me borrow (he went
onto become a karate master himself). I bonked myself on the head and hands
over and over until I had some half decent skill. I also went
crazy buying any magazines that were connected to martial arts of any kind.
I also took up Judo and, while not being very good at it, I did love it. 

Being a natural born reader, the magazines helped me understand so much of
the mystery behind the men and the motives of their movements. One of the first
magazines I ever bought burned an image in my head possibly forever. The story
was about a Buddhist Monk in Thailand. The monk is in his robes, head shaven
and eyes gently closed in meditation. To his left as a young aspiring Thai
boxing champion cut deep into the heavy bag with his shin bone. The young
students lean cut body was dripping sweat in his display of full force and focused
on the heavy bag before him. The story went onto note that the Monk had created
a space for young poor kids to train and learn about
Buddhism in hope of them valuing peace.

It may appear hard to conceive, but people who train in martial arts are some of
the most peace loving people I have ever met. I think this is because most people
think they want to hurt someone. But people who really know how to harm someone
don't take pleasure in it. This is part of what keeps them calm when things get socially
tense. The truth is that knowing how to choke someone out almost demands that the
person with that skill understand the value of life.

That is how I always understood the picture in the old magazine. Even that that age, I got it,
but I could not have said it out loud. But I understood it. I saw Bruce always try to figure a way
to think things through and help solve problems. He never wanted to fight. I loved his family and his
Because of that unique entry into martial arts, I always had an understanding that the way of the
warrior and the pursuit of nonviolence were eternally connected. I consider these kinds of events
the some of the seeds of what became the
HHCF philosophy on nonviolence. 

I recommend anyone trying to take their wisdom about inner peace and greater global
peace train in jiu-jitsu, judo, kung-fu, boxing, thai boxing- whatever. Read books like
The Art of Peace, The Art of War, The Prince, anything by Marcus Aurelius Clausewitz and others. Play chess casually to add to your understanding of the art of war. If you train and you do that, you will see things others cannot see socially
and do things other cannot do personally. 

For more on Thailand and Thai Boxing catch Fightworld on Netflix.

Learn more about the connections between Hip-Hop, chess and nonviolence by subscribing to the Bishop Chronicles Podcast on Spotify, iTunes, Mixcloud or Libsyn. You can also buy the book  Bobby Bruce & the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess by Adisa the Bishop on Amazon. 

The Mic and the Chessmen (REPOST)

This essay on Hip-Hop and chess was written by Grandmaster Maurice Ashley and I in 2014. It ran in Ebony Magazine in 2014. I just found it sitting in one of my drive files. I figured to celebrate Black History Month I would repost it. Enjoy...

-Adisa The Bishop

The Mic and the Chessmen   

By: Adisa Banjoko and Grandmaster Maurice Ashley 

I don’t play either side or the king, I play God/ Heavenly wars played out on hand
carved boards
- Rakaa Iriscience, 64 Squares in the Cipher 

Thinking Like A King 

About seven years ago I was speaking at San Francisco Juvenile Hall talking to teen boys
about and being an author as a career choice. I was promoting my first independent book
release Lyrical Swords: Hip-Hop and Politics in the Mix. Despite often connecting early
and easy with kids this talk was crashing and burning like no other talk I had given
before. I glanced in my backpack and remembered there was a chessboard in there.
I held the board up and asked, “Who here knows how to play chess?”

To my astonishment, about 75% of the room raised their hand. “OK, that’s good!”
I yelled out with a smile. “But who here is the best?! Only keep your hand up if you
know you are thebest.” Only a few hands went down. “Alright here is what's going to
happen” I declared. “We are going to have a tournament. Whoever wins gets a book.
Circle up, let’s do this.”

The energy in the room became electric. I saw racial and other social barriers fall right
in front of me, because of chess. The entire scene blew my mind. 

I asked myself, “How did these kids know so much about chess?  An avalanche of
rap lyrics from Public Enemy, Wu-Tang Clan, and EPMD collapsed on my brain
simultaneously. Hip-Hop gave methe answer. As I exited the concrete hallways
with the flickering fluorescent lights in the stairwell,I said “This is something big.”
Within the next year, I founded the Hip-Hop Chess Federation
(HHCF) nonprofit 501(c)3 to teach chess and life strategies to at-risk youth.
We use martial arts philosophy to reinforce the lessons that rap and chess teach. 

Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA and Rugged Monk of Black Knights (R) playing Chessmaster Emory Tate (L)
and others 

For some, it might easy to default to the Wu-Tang Clan’s rise as the apex of this fusion between
rap and chess. Yet to start and stop it from Enter the 36 Chambers denies the full scope of the
relationship between the game of kings and Hip-Hop. 

The truth is, when Brooklyn’s own Bobby Fischer beat Boris Spassky in September of
1972, chess was huge. Those games were aired on PBS and the network had it’s highest
ratings ever! In November of 1973 a young gang leader from The Bronx named
Afrika Bambaataa founded the Zulu Nation to cultivate Hip-Hop and promote peace
throughout the city and the world. At that same time the movies from the Bruce Lee
and the Shaw Brothers were taking over America. The strategy
ideas from Eastern Philosophy started to spread into the streets of NY. A perfect
cultural storm was brewing.

Street chess games played on the corner, the parks and those played in prisons would
ultimately serve as the glue between these subcultures. Neither chess, nor Hip-Hop
would be the same again. 

Jay Z is respected for his rap and business skills, playing chess in Italian Vogue

Chess gave Hip-Hop political, social and spiritual symbolism for metaphors no other
game hasgiven them.  RZA, Will Smith, 50 Cent and others represent a growing number
of chess playing rappers who have amazing business minds of the industry.  So its not
just good for the art its good for business.   

Reflections of the Grandmaster 

At first look, it might seem strange that there may be any substantial connections

between the world’s most intellectually revered board game and the dynamic

musical art form that is Hip-Hop. Chess, an ancient practice over 1500 years old,

often today conjures up images of rich old men on park benches.To blend that high-brow
image with the effervescent rush of inventive lyrics, pulsating, at times rebellious beats can
seem hard to bring together. But that is only if you are looking at the surface.

Grandmaster Maurice Ashley giving play-by-play coverage of Sinquefield Cup

And yet, the stereotypical differences that seem to create a cavern between chess

and hip hop soon wilt under closer inspection. For one, with the advent of the digital

age and ready-made computer instruction, today’s chess is a game for the young.

The best chess players in the world are under 30. Public

school teams are represented in full glory every year at national scholastic chess

championships, with the most accomplished team in the last ten years, I.S. 318,

coming straight out of Brooklyn.

Even the slow grandfatherly pace no longer holds water. The most popular form

of chess, is Blitz Chess, where players compete with less than five minutes
to complete all of  their moves lest they lose the game on time. At that speed,
chess becomes a blendof sophisticated pattern recognition, intense focus and
spirited improvisation.

Watching two players bang out moves with precious few seconds on the clock can

thrill and hypnotize as much as Mike Relm or DJ QBert   slicing up a turn-table.

Magnus Carlsen is putting a youthful face on the future of competitive chess. 

While chess can be coldly analytic, it’s the perpetually creative and individualized

styles that separates the players at the very top. World Champion Magnus Carlsen

plays in the style of Common. He does not care to insert himself into the battle with a

whole lot of ego. Instead slowly enveloping his opponents with subtle ideas

and smooth syncopations they succumb to his skill and assuredness that

somehow always seems totally effortless. On the other hand, Hikaru Nakamura,

America’s top player, mimics NWA with his gangsta’ style. He comes straight for the

jugular with vicious blow after vicious blow, to eviscerate his opponents

with killer movement. He’s not giving a damn what the world thinks about his overly

aggressive style and brash personality. It may say something about the nature of life

and competition that when the two face off, the calm and cool Carlsen almost always

endures. Stylish doesn’t mean a lack of determination.

American chess player Hikaru Nakamura’s attacking style of play is likened to N.W.A’s
aggressive
rap style.

It should then come as less of a surprise that musicians have embraced the art form

of chess as a means of relaxation and creative expression. 

Like music, chess has gone through its evolutionary stages as well. From the

Romantic Era, scientific period, Hypermodern period, to the digital age where
more and moregreed is good- chess continues to change with the times. Hip-Hop
has gone through similar
evolution's. Look at the old school lyrical party styles of the Sugar Hill Gang, to the
intellectual
flow of Rakim to the rage of Eminem rap has changed significantly.
The science ofthe DJ’s mixing and scratching methods,  graffiti,  Bboy’ing 
and all the branches of Hip-Hop dance
have also grown immeasurably from the early 1970’s.  

The fusion of Hip-Hop and chess is beautiful and dynamic on many levels. There is a
mountain ofstill untapped potential in this artistic and intellectual union. The amount of
lyrics about chess in
the rap world can be cool, or dark and often times very inspirational. However, if today's
MC’s are
really going to take the  fusion to the next level they are going to have to raise the bar
on their knowledge of the game. Read The Immortal Game by David Shenk, Chess Bitch
by Jennifer Shahade and Birth of the Chess Queen by Marilyn Yalom. After reading about
the Black Moorish conquerors of Spain taking the game to Europe, algebraic notation,
we should see rappers naming champions other than Bobby Fischer. There is still much
more lyrical work and history breakdowns
to be done! There are still new graffiti murals and DJ tracks to be made. I look forward
to hearing
and seeing more from the chess and rap community as this beautiful phenomenon
continues to grow. 

Adisa Banjoko is the Founder of the Hip-Hop Chess Federation. They fuse music,
chess and martial arts to promote unity, strategy and nonviolence. Maurice Ashley is the
first Black Grandmaster in chess and host of Millionaire Chess in Las Vegas Oct. 9th.
Adisa Banjoko will be at the World Chess Hall of Fame’s Living Like Kings exhibit 
which runs October 9th 2014 to April 26th 2015 in St. Louis Missouri. 

+++++

To learn more about how the fusion of Hip-Hop and chess can improve your life
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