Mystic Knight

A Mystic Knight
with a Crowned Heart
Practical Guide for Spiritual Warriors
Published by the Mystic Knighthood of the Crowned Heart

In collaboration with F.Lepine Publishing
http://www.MysticKnight.org
2008 publication
ISBN 978-0-9783194-2-7
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« A Mystic Knight is a person engaged in a battle
within. The outcome of the inner battle is always the bettering
of oneself. One day, a group of Mystic Knights will believe in
the necessity of fighting. This day will be the beginning of the
end of the Mystic Knighthood. Until then, learn well how to
fight, well enough to know how to turn away from a fight. »
- François Lépine
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents .................................................................................... 5
The Mystic Knight................................................................................... 7
The Mystic Knighthood.......................................................................... 9
… of the Crowned Heart ................................................................. 10
The Mystic Knighthood Code ............................................................. 15
The Training ........................................................................................... 22
The Body of a Knight ........................................................................... 25

Why We Do It ................................................................................... 25
Train Hard to Live Easy................................................................... 28
How the Body Adapts ...................................................................... 29
General Startup.................................................................................. 32
Cardiovascular Training.................................................................... 35
Interval Training................................................................................ 41
Resistance Training ........................................................................... 43
Sets and Reps ..................................................................................... 45
Exercise Selection.............................................................................. 48
Exercise Description......................................................................... 62
Nutrition.................................................................................................. 86
Kitchen Logistics............................................................................. 107
Recipes .............................................................................................. 117
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The Mind of a Knight ......................................................................... 147
Mental Training ............................................................................... 151
Recognizing the truth ..................................................................... 154
Observing the volcano ................................................................... 158
Resolving a problem ....................................................................... 161
The Spirit of a Knight ......................................................................... 165

Normal and Reversed Breathing................................................... 165
Radial Qi Gathering method ......................................................... 171
Feeling the Flow of Qi ................................................................... 176
Small and Grand Circulation ......................................................... 180
Implication ....................................................................................... 184
Karma and Dharma ........................................................................ 187
Basic Hand Mudras......................................................................... 190
Food, Air and Energy Mudras....................................................... 193
Martial arts ............................................................................................ 195
The Mystic Knighthood in Detail ..................................................... 200

Logo, Sigil and Decree.................................................................... 200
Logo vs. Sigil.................................................................................... 202
Sigil of the Mystic Knight .............................................................. 204
Logo of the Knighthood................................................................ 205
The Mystic Knight's Meditation.................................................... 206
The Mystic Knight's Ritual ............................................................ 212
Hierarchy and advancement .......................................................... 222
Lodges and meeting places ............................................................ 225
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The Mystic Knight
A Mystic Knight is a form of spiritual warrior. It is a personal path

usually composed of martial arts and spiritual development. There
are many variations of spiritual warriors. Some are hermits, others
artists. The trait specific to Mystic Knights is the spiritual warrior
who lives in society and upholds the values of the virtuous heart, in
his relation with society. A Mystic Knight is virtuous and honorable.
He/She behaves with integrity and always elects to act with justice
over all other possible options. This can only be attained by
knowing oneself, and sacrificing the egotistical desire of victory in
favor of the rightful unfolding of events so that justice may prevail.
The way of the Mystic Knight is a continuous path of physical,

mental and spiritual self-development. Choosing to walk the path of
the Mystic Knight will change your life for the better, empowering
you with great abilities and self-trust. It will help you acquire acute
senses, both physical and mystical. You will develop a sense of self-
worth, a cunning mind, impressive physical attributes and a spiritual
energy un-comparable to the simple warrior. It is not necessary to
join a group or be part of an organization. Yet, studying and
practicing with a group sharing the same goal can be very
encouraging and insightful.
To become a Mystic Knight, you must work on many aspects of

yourself simultaneously. You have to take care of your body with
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good nutrition and physical training. You have to practice your
mind to function correctly. While a religious activity is not required,
you must also develop your inner self, spiritually. It is
recommended to practice a martial art of your choice, combining
both mental and physical training at once.
Making progress is the most important part. Whatever level of

strength, competence or spiritual depth you have acquired yet is of
no importance. The main goal of walking the Mystic Knight’s path
is to start at the level you are, and practice your self at becoming
better. You are the one who selects how fast you will travel the
path, and how far you will go.
Mystic Knights usually follow a code. Some codes are rigid,

directing the way without questioning, while other codes are
flexible, requiring a certain level of wisdom to interpret. Such a
code will be provided later in the book. It will be up to you to
evolve its interpretation to discover its full flavor, and understand
what it is to be a Mystic Knight.
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The Mystic Knighthood
Joining a group of Knights is not mandatory. In fact, the base rule

of a Mystic Knight’s path is that he takes care of his own
development, assuming all his responsibilities towards his personal
growth. True strength of the mind develops when decisions are
made alone, without any encouragement from the outside. Yet,
sometimes, we need encouragement. True strength of the heart
develops when virtuous principles are upheld against the opinion of
the crowds, even against one’s own desire. Yet, sometimes, we need
to feel “the same”, part of a group of people who share the same
emotions.
On other occasions on the path of self-mastery, one might need

guidance and resources. The Mystic Knighthood is devoted to this
task, offering training to raise one's level of physical prowess,
mental clarity, and spiritual depth. We exist to guide you on this
path, and offer fellowship when you hit difficult areas in your life.
Guided by the virtuous principles of our sacred Code, we live our
lives for the betterment of the community. The Mystic Knighthood
exists to provide guidance to those engaged in their self-
development, providing the opportunity to help you develop
yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually, all at one place. Our
goal is to serve as shining examples of personal achievement, living
our lives in service to the world around us.
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The Mystic Knighthood of the Crowned Heart is a group of people
who gathered to give encouragement and guidance to those
engaged on the path of the Mystic Knight. While some level of
training is suggested, a Mystic Knight should keep on caring about
his own training, in the specific fields of his choice. While martial
arts are encouraged, the exact art belongs to the choice of the
Knight. While spiritual development is required, the faith and
beliefs of the Knight belong to him only. No indications will be
made to point in any direction. The Knight must choose his own
path.
… of the Crowned Heart

There has been hundreds of Mystic Knighthoods thru the centuries.
Although none are called "Mystic Knighthood" by itself, the terms
"Mystic" and "Knighthood" often appeared in their name. We refer
to ourselves as the "Mystic Knighthood", but for the purpose of
differentiating ourselves from other knighthoods that existed before
us, the official name of our Order is the "Mystic Knighthood of the
Crowned Heart", referring to our goal to develop a pure heart of
Humility, Strength, Justice and Compassion.
There was a time when knights were proclaimed by royalty, and

only thru such proclamation could one become a knight, for it was
told that God had placed the king or queen on the throne, and only
by divine intervention could one be proclaimed a protector and
servant of the royal family. Thus, knighthoods were made out of a
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group of knights, all serving under the king or queen of a country.
Today, with almost no more monarchic societies, we remember the
valor and the power that knights represent. The knight is a symbol
of any ideal to attain.
Hence there came a group of people who wanted to share this

opportunity with the world so that all could aspire to reach this
ideal representation of a knight, serving with Justice and
Compassion. Not proclaimed by a monarch, but by the shared will
of a few idealists, the Mystic Knighthood was established in 2004.
Offering training and support to our members, we encourage
physical, mental and spiritual training, and the adoption of a code of
conduct that we call “The Code”, which is a guide of values (that
does not overrule your country’s legal code).
Not every knight would want to join a group or fellowship. Why

then, might someone wish to join such a group? Here are a few
reasons that could help you decide if you wish to join a group or
train on your own.
The training of a knight works on developing all aspects of the self:

body, mind and spirit. You might have questions about one aspect,
and wish to be certain of the competence of the person who
answers. To gain trust, we usually take the time to get to know
someone. But in the case of sharing information, we might want to
have the answer immediately. Thus, we need a way to identify
trustworthy sources of information. Without believing in the
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concept of neither competition nor comparison, the Mystic
Knighthood uses a system of levels that ascertains someone to have
attained a certain experience on their personal path. These titles are
of philosophical nature and are not bestowed randomly. A Knight
must earn every title, which gives all the credit to our system.
Each new member of the Knighthood will receive training support

and guidance from more experienced members. When we speak of
experience, we mean the real life experience as a Knight, and not
the length of time spent as a member of our fellowship. We offer a
platform of communication, a meeting place, but each Knight is on
his own path and his experience counts more than his titles.
There is also a phenomenon that we could call an “egregor”. The

cumulative intention of every member to attain their high goals of
self development will consciously and subconsciously support the
development of every other member, in a synergetic mental and
spiritual energy. Those who wish can even perform a personal ritual
that encourages this link with the other members of the group.
Our members can post support requests. It can be a request of

assistance in training, or help in healing. In any case, the mandate of
our Knight-Priests is to assist on a spiritual level, to help you in
your endeavor. Other advanced members will try to answer your
questions, or offer support in your trials.
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Our multi-cultural approach respects each member’s traditions,
occidental and oriental, in their cultural, religious and spiritual
beliefs. None of the Knights will judge other beliefs that are not
their own. We also encourage the open-minded approach to try to
understand the basis of all spiritual beliefs, and various martial arts.
Although a Knight is responsible for his own training, we offer

training programs suited for members to study alone or in a group.
These training suggestions are there to help the newcomer as well
as the experienced knight.
What our Knighthood is...
Training
Studies
Integrity
Self-development
Helping others
What our Knighthood is NOT...
Role-playing
Fantasy
Power-trips
Comparison
Judgment
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Joining the Mystic Knighthood does not imply anything else than
the sharing of your experience with others. Those who wish to tie
strong bonds are allowed, while those who wish to keep the whole
of their autonomy are greeted with gladness. You may get more
information on the website: http://www.MysticKnight.org .
More information about the Mystic Knighthood will be offered at

the end of the book.
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The Mystic Knighthood Code
Humility
in service to Strength
in service to Justice
in service to Compassion
Our “Code” is a guideline rather than an actual restrictive rule set.

Each member is encouraged to apply the virtuous principles of the
code according to his/her own interpretation, and to remain open-
minded to other interpretation possibilities. You are encouraged to
progressively integrate the “Code” in your daily behavior.
These are the principles upon which our code is built. For those
who join the Mystic Knighthood, all Novice Members should study
the Code while all Knights are expected to act according to the
Code.
Humility
Without Humility, we will restrict our growth in strength.
Regardless of whatever level of strength we believe we may have
achieved, we will not recognize it in any form when one is lacking
Humility. Humility teaches us that no matter how great the man (or
woman) they are still just one person. They still rely on others in
some degree. No matter how wonderful a person is, no matter how
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powerful, they are no greater than any other of our brothers and
sisters. When one cultivates the virtue of Humility, they can come
to understand their own strengths and weaknesses. This will allow
them to have a better understanding of the roles they can play in
the Knighthood, but mostly throughout their daily lives. When one
is ignorant of their own weaknesses they are robbing themselves of
strength by making their weakness even more vulnerable. Through
understanding Humility, one can come to understand and gain
access to the true reservoirs of strength that can be made available
to them.
Strength
Strength follows, being nurtured by Humility. Strength is the
foundation of power. It allows one to act. When one lacks strength
of character, of body, or heart, all of their works will be weak.
When one is strong, everything of their creation, every word and
deed will emanate with power. They will have stability and focus.
Strength is the tool of Justice. When one acts in service to justice
without strength, their action will be weak, and unable to succeed,
often causing more harm than good. When you choose to walk the
path of Justice, you must cultivate Strength. Each day add to it, little
by little. Should you be called upon to serve Justice, you must not
waver, and need to be able to act on the spot. Justice served weakly
is a disservice to not only yourself, but the community at large.
Strength can be manifested in the power of your speech, by the
cunning of your mind, in the overcoming of your fears, in the tone
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of your muscle. Strength is the virtue that allows one to act.
Strength allows free-will.
Justice
Justice rules the heart of a Knight. Born of Strength, you are in
service to something greater than yourself. You seek to better the
community, even the world, with the power of your actions. Not
everyone is strong. To serve Justice, one needs to understand this.
You seek to bring calm to the situation, not chaos. By speaking out
against tyranny, by alerting authorities of wrong doing, you are
serving Justice. Justice serves Compassion. The Code revolves
around this fact. You must be able to look through the eyes of
others. If you would not like to endure what others are being forced
to, you should take appropriate action to help alleviate the situation.
Above all, you need to use your common sense. If you act too
boldly to serve Justice, your efforts can be twisted to further enslave
and defeat the innocent. Actions should only be as bold as you are
strong. Know your weakness. Justice towards one-self is free-will.
Towards others, it is respecting their choices, even if you don't
agree.
Compassion
Justice is driven by Compassion. Compassion is a loving
understanding of the human experience. It shows the lessons
hidden behind what seems to be pain. Compassion sheds light on
anger and fear. Without understanding Compassion, the other
virtues fall apart. Without Compassion, one will misinterpret Justice
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and blind his own heart. One needs to understand the point of view
of all involved, and act accordingly. This is the Compassion that
fuels the fires of our Knighthood. Things are often not as cut and
dry as they may appear at first. It takes a constant development of
Compassion, with unconditional love, to see without bias. Through
the development of Compassion, we understand how to serve
Justice, and how to apply our Strength. Compassion, as great and
powerful as it is, serves Humility, and we come full circle. One will
never have a complete understanding of every situation. You will
never be done learning about Compassion. You’re understanding
won’t ever be complete. This returns us to Humility. We need to be
patient and kind with ourselves, Compassionate, and understand
that we still have more to learn. We still have more to do. The path
of those who wish to become Knights can be difficult at times, for
we are never done. We must constantly polish our character, build
our Strength, serve Justice, develop Compassion, and have enough
Humility to accept that we alone cannot save the world, that we too
have our own flaws and weaknesses.
These are the virtues our Code is based around. There are still more
qualities for us to develop to reach a better understanding of these.
Each virtue that you develop will bring more power into your life.
Each virtue can be developed infinitely. We ask that you work
towards the development of each of these over time.
The most powerful and direct links to power are the development
of virtues. Your energy bodies continuously manifest according to
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the type of person you are. When you develop virtues, your energy
system is more powerful than if you were continuously doing rituals
and spiritual practices. With virtues developed, it is like if you were
in a continuous state of ritual, of meditation, of contemplation of
the beauty of the world. With virtues, you are always in a state of
power towards the universe, and the universe obeys to those who
have developed the means to command it.
Although there are many virtues, here is a brief description of seven

major virtues that have a direct implication with the seven aspects
of our evolution. Some of these repeat parts of our Code.
Temperance
Do not give in to anger. Do not give in to judgment. Be
compassionate. Endure the pressure when it can help others
discover Love. Smile and be happy about what life has given you.
Accept your role in the universe, and work to discover it. Do not be
susceptible. Do not take anything personally. Be careful of your
words when you answer back to some offense. When people offend
you, tell them you are sorry if you have offended them.
Justice
Integrity, honesty, truth. Act in ways you know are right. Do your
best to respect the human laws of your country. Over that, do what
you think is best according to the laws of the universe. It can take
some time to understand the laws of the universe, but deep within,
all of us know what is right or wrong. Do not make decisions that
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would lead you to abuse. Do not be abused by anyone. Accept to
earn less when it is right to do so, and defend your right to profit
when it is right to do so.
Strength
Move! Do not stop unless it is necessary. Determine yourself to
peaceful actions. Make a plan and deploy the necessary energy to
accomplish it. Do some physical exercises to enhance your physical
strength. Then, transpose the feeling of strength to a higher level,
with analogy as a tool. This will help you understand the mystic
symbolism of inner strength, of self-empowerment.
Faith
The universe, the great Love of the universe, will take care of you.
Know that you are in a classroom, in an experience to learn to
master yourself. Realize all of your projects with the assistance of
God. Take care of the matters of God, and God will take care of
your human matters. God is without shape, without name, without
any definite identity. He is the absolute truth of the universe, and he
loves you. You are never alone. Thus, all will be fine.
Charity
Give to others without any return. Do not expect recognition or
payback. Give without any expectation. Do not ruin yourself. Do
not give your physical means of subsistence; it would not be
prudent. Give your time, give compassion, take care of others, and
take care of yourself in the process. Give love only to give love.
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Give yourself the opportunity to love others more than you have
done yesterday. Take care of your heart in the process, and do not
play the “savior” game.
Prudence
Think about it before you move. Develop trust, and develop a sense
of responsibility. Make sure of what you are doing. Be careful with
any detail. Do not think that nothing will go wrong, take care of it
personally. Study, set everything in place, and counter verify. Then
act. Do not stop because of fear; hesitation is not prudence.
Hope
A higher version of having a positive attitude, hope is a more
tangible expression of faith and self-trust. It is a determination to
never give in to negativity, never to play the victim of the events
that compose your life. Smile, trust yourself, be positive, and know
that all will be fine. It is easy to keep this attitude alive when you
know, deep inside, that every event that seems negative is only a
lesson to go thru, an experience of knowledge sent by your higher
consciousness.
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The Training
A Mystic Knight's training is done alone or in group, using each

their own means. Consult each training area below (Body, mind,
spirit, martial arts) and practice, on your own, the trainings that are
suggested. Once you log in as a member, new training techniques
will become available according to your level in the Knighthood.
You may train in the areas you feel more comfortable, but you
should at least gain knowledge of every technique offered at your
level, in every training area.
The Mystic Knighthood does not provide official infrastructures or

meeting places. It is up to each member or group of members to
arrange their training area or lodge. The website is the main source
of knowledge and serves as a communication link between
members who are far from each other. Martial artists should follow
class in a martial art school close to them.
Body
The body of a Mystic Knight is his temple, his home. It must be
cared for with nutritious foods and exercises to keep it healthy. In
this section, we will present guidelines to good nutrition and basic
bodybuilding exercises.
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Mind
It is suggested to practice your cunning either by studying various
subjects, or by playing mind games. The more you study, the more
you will become knowledgeable in many fields, either in wisdom or
technical application.
Spirit
Spiritual self-development is the key to becoming a Mystic Knight.
In time, it will help you develop extra-sensory perception, but first,
it will set the grounds for spiritual improvement. Developing your
spirituality will bring concentration.
Martial Arts
The practice of martial arts is the ultimate tool to assist in the
integration of all other aspects of becoming a Mystic Knight. It will
work on your body, mind and spirit. Any kind of martial art can be
practiced. It is recommended you find a school near you.
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The Body of a Knight
A Knight must care for his body, by training physically and having
healthy nutrition habits. In the following pages, we provide basic
fitness concepts to make the body stronger and more endurant, as
well as a guide to help you understand the base of having a good
nutrition.
DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this chapter is

for information purposes only. While exercise is usually
considered a safe activity, we strongly encourage you to
consult a physician before embarking on any exercise
program.
WHY WE DO IT
Running, pushing, jumping, swimming, hiding, climbing, pulling…
There was a time when those tasks were necessary for survival.
Nowadays, they are not as much. In fact, many people find those
activities to be a pain rather than a blessing. And yet…
Our bodies were designed to move. It is only recently that our

modern societies have the ‘luxury’ of remaining relatively sedentary.
Yet, our genetic makeup hasn’t evolved as fast as our lifestyle.
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The reason we chose to include this part about exercise and fitness
has nothing to do with aesthetics, even if your appearance will most
likely improve. It has nothing to do either with performance,
although you will undoubtedly find yourself being able to perform
physical feats you never thought could be achieved before. It is not
because of the well known effects of exercise on mood and energy
either, even if you will feel able to move mountains while remaining
joyous.
No, it is not because of any of those single reasons, but because of

all of them, and many more as you will yourself discover as you go
along. It is a well known fact that the body affects the mind and
vice versa. There is no need to develop an Olympian body to enjoy
the benefits of being fit.
Your body is a wonderful masterpiece that will adapt, within reason,

to any stimulus you submit it to. What’s more, the body will always
know how to adapt to make the job easier. For example, someone
manipulating a lot of rough matter (earth, wood, etc.) with his-her
bare hands will most probably develop calluses so that the task can
be performed more easily. Over time, what was «hard on the hands»
at first will barely be felt. Whatever you do for the first time may
very well seem odd/hard at first, but provided that you give
yourself a chance to adapt (in our case here, recover), you will most
likely find it easier to do eventually.
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Similarly, the body will also adapt to the lack of stimulus. A fit
human body which ceases to be stimulated for this goal will “re-
train” itself to adapt to this new stimulus, or lack thereof. The body
will not hold on to metabolically costly muscle if there is no need to
keep them. Muscular atrophy inevitably results. It will not burn fuel
just for the sake of burning fuel if it doesn’t need to. It will then
store whatever fuel it doesn’t need in the form of body fat. The
heart will not remain strong if it never has to pump harder to
supply the moving body with fresh, oxygen and nutrient rich blood.
And so on and so forth.
Of course there is a limit to the intensity, and duration, that you can
apply a stimulus on the body, but the result will always be the same:
the body will adapt. One thing you need to realize is that YOU
decide what kind of stimulus you subject yourself to. Everyone has
pretty much total control over what they decide to read, eat, talk to,
think about, etc. No outcome should come as a surprise. It’s not
just a matter of looking good. It is a matter of taking care of the
very essence that allows you to live your human life.
Exercising will make nutrient-rich blood flow throughout your

body, oxygen will rush in to feed your brain, specific
neurotransmitters will make you feel good and energized. Your
stress level will go down, your overall energy will be up, your
digestion will improve, your skin will be healthier, you will sleep
better, smile more easily, have a more positive outlook on life,
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tackle perceived negative events with much more confidence and
serenity, etc. Exercising will undoubtedly improve your life many
times over!
TRAIN HARD TO LIVE EASY

To many, the simple thought of beginning a fitness program is
enough to discourage them right from the start. If BEING in shape
is associated with all the wonderful benefits mentioned above,
GETTING in shape is often associated with aching muscles,
shortness of breath, smelly sweat, being tired, etc. In short, the
exact opposite of whatever benefits exercise should deliver! Well, it
may be like that at first. Until you adapt. However, getting there
doesn’t necessarily have to be tough. It’s all a matter of respecting
your own limits and gradually increase the intensity of the stimulus.
Once you have adapted, even just a little bit, this small progress will
fuel your fire to keep going at it. Many will even be looking forward
to their next bout of exercise, awaiting it with joy and excitement
instead of discouragement.
The feeling of your running shoes molding your feet, air rushing
into your lungs, oxygen being delivered to your brain and hard
working muscles. Sweat that starts pearling on your skin to cool it
off while you pick up the pace. Your heart rhythmically pumping
oxygen-rich blood throughout your body. You feel alive.
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Everything will seem easier as you progress. Flights of stairs won’t
be as much of a pain. Moving furniture could become fun. Getting
out of bed won’t be an hour-long process anymore. Playing with
the kids outside won’t be a chore anymore, but a great quality-time
opportunity. In short: the few exercise sessions during which you
will temporarily step out of your comfort zone will enhance and
better everything else in your life, 24/7.
HOW THE BODY ADAPTS

When you exercise, you put a strain on your whole system: muscle
cells are stimulated, then die; joints and ligaments take a beating,
stored fuel (both fats and sugars, along with proteins) are used up
for energy, etc. Your working cells dump waste products into your
bloodstream and they need to be removed by the body’s filtering
systems to keep your blood as clean as possible… The short term
end result is that immediately after exercise, your whole body is
weaker and more depleted than before. However, this “downside”
is necessary in order to trigger adaptation. It is only then that the
recuperative process begins.
Fuel stores, especially glycogen (glucose stored in muscles and liver)

are being re-filled, dead muscle cells are recycled and replaced with
brand new and, most likely, stronger and more resistant ones. Your
nervous system is recharging itself with the proper
neurotransmitters that have been used to trigger muscle
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contraction. Once this recuperative process is completed (about 24-
48 hours later, depending on the intensity, duration and nature of
the stimulus), you are ready for another bout of exercise, and so on.
Just like many other things in life, the body only gets better if it has
a reason to. By being constantly pushed a little further than it is
used to, and given the time to recuperate from the effort, it will
adapt so that the task can be done more easily next time. But next
time, you outsmart it: you push it a little further again. And so on.
Of course, this doesn’t go on forever. Eventually you won’t be able

to keep progressing. It is the point of diminishing returns: for twice,
three times or even four times the effort, the results will only be a
fraction of what they were at the beginning of your exercise routine
a few weeks or months earlier. This is a great thing as it means that
your body has done it’s job: it has adapted to the stimulus. The
fitter you are, the harder it is to improve, just like most things in
life. People may get great results from working out for several
weeks and then hit a plateau, where no progress is possible. Their
bodies have become accustomed to the new fitness level and no
matter how hard one tries to push past this plateau, the body just
doesn’t seem to ‘want’ to get better. So there you are, stuck. Unable
to improve.
Unfortunately, many people, even those people who find great

pleasure in working out and are motivated to no end, can quickly
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become discouraged when they stop seeing results. But here’s
something that should be kept in mind:
Lack of improvement doesn’t mean lack of results.
Suppose a 35 years old man runs a set distance in 30 minutes today.

Fast forward 40 years, and find the same man, now 75, running the
same distance in the same 30 minutes. Has this man wasted his
time because he hasn’t improved (i.e. run a greater distance for the
same time length, or the same distance in a shorter period of time)?
Not at all! Even if his goal was indeed to improve (whether it be
running for more than 30 minutes, or running more distance within
that 30 minutes), he may not have reached his goal, but you can be
sure he has kept all the benefits of being able to run for 30 minutes
straight, even at 75 years of age!
So you’ve been exercising for a couple of month, and now things

seem to stand still, even if you try hard to improve. What can you
do? Well, instead of increasing the intensity (or duration) of the
stimulus, you can completely change it.
What the body needs is to be "kept on its toes" and the best way to
do that is not only to modify duration and intensity, but also the
nature of the stimulus itself. You like jogging? Try swimming! You
like rollerblading? Go for a jog! You usually ride a bike on a track?
Get out in a hilly-mountainous area and enjoy a great hiking
- 31 -
session! Any variation will call upon new muscles or make them
work differently. Changes add up to continued results.
GENERAL STARTUP
CAUTION: Although exercising is a natural and safe activity for
most, we strongly advise you to consult with a physician before
starting any exercise program. If you have never done it before,
beginning an exercise program can be a daunting endeavor. Where
do I start? What do I wear? What do I do, and for how long? How
often?
Here are three basic rules that apply to most people who want to
undertake a physical conditioning program :
- Make it enjoyable: Choose an activity that you like, first and

foremost. There is no use in force-feeding yourself a weight training
routine if you can’t stand the environment of a commercial gym, or
to make yourself go on compulsory morning jogs that seem never
ending if you hate running. The main idea behind it all is very
simple: to move. As long as you do that, you’re on the right track.
The rest is mainly a matter of managing the intensity of whatever
you do to reach the goals you have set for yourself.
- Keep it simple: At every corner you see a new “revolution” in the

fitness industry “guaranteed” to provide results. A new machine, a
- 32 -
new principle, a new way of doing things. I’ll reveal to you an
important secret that is in fact not a secret at all: Everything that
“works” has already been discovered. We are not saying that
exercise science is not evolving (quite the contrary!), but the basics
of getting and keeping fit are very, very old news. There is no
revolution. No need for the latest ‘Ab-Whatever 2000’, the super
program used by the hottest new Hollywood superstar or the
revolutionary meal replacement that is supposed to turn you into a
Venus or an Adonis. They’re not necessarily bad (although some are
definitely useless), but no matter how revolutionary, scientifically
proven or hip a new gimmick/activity/system seems, it is most
likely wrapped in a nice package to get people to buy, but do little
else than imitate something that you can readily do at no or little
cost: move (or eat healthy if that’s the case). One of the reasons
there is so much confusion out there is this: it is human nature to
look for quick fixes. People seek a “lazier” solution to their physical
conditioning needs.
- Some is better than none: As a rule of thumb, 20 minutes 3 times

a week is a good starting point (albeit a very basic one). Any less
than this and it most likely will not be enough to provide lasting
results, and you will constantly have one foot on either side of the
fence, constantly dealing with the effects of detraining, constantly
dealing with soreness and lack of true enjoyment. It would be like
constantly straddling the transitional horse that you ride between
being unfit to fit. This sounds like a perfect recipe for giving up.
The real fun will begin once you pass those first initial few days
- 33 -
(give yourself about 2 short weeks). Let me illustrate the point:
Suppose you exercise twice a week, your first session being on
Monday morning. By the time you get to your second workout (say,
Friday morning, 4 days later), your body will have adapted, and then
reverted back to baseline because the frequency of the stimulus was
not sufficient (remember you recover from a workout in about 48
hours). Working out every other day allows sufficient time for
recovery, but not quite enough time for detraining. Still, if twice a
week is all you can do, then by all means try to make the most of it
by increasing either the time, the intensity, or both, so that the
stimulus is irritating enough to your system that it will take a little
longer to recuperate and get better.
Ideally, try to stimulate the 2 main components of physical qualities

(not counting functionality: balance, precision, etc.) that can be
improved thru physical activity: strength and endurance. Flexibility
is also important, and we will briefly cover it a little later. This
simple classification will be more than enough for our purpose. At
their purest, strength and endurance are at opposite ends of the
same spectrum: very high intensity that last only for a few short
seconds (strength); and very low intensity but can last for hours
(endurance). Just for the record, both are important for optimal
health and both bring complementary benefits. As with everything
under the sun, balance lies in the middle.
- 34 -
CARDIOVASCULAR TRAINING
Cardiovascular training is rather well tolerated by the body.
Recovery from a cardio workout is achieved faster than a strength
training workout, even if you will likely feel more tired afterwards.
Cardio work doesn’t usually damage your muscles nor does it put a
strain on your nervous system as much as strength training does.
Cardio work can be divided in two classes: cardio vascular

endurance and cardiovascular power. We refer to cardio vascular
endurance when talking about activities that are done at a
slower/easier pace but for longer periods of time. Cardiovascular
power is almost the exact opposite: the intensity is higher and thus
one cannot sustain the effort for very long. It is best to train both
qualities (cardiovascular endurance AND power) rather than just
one or the other.
In order to know where you stand when training, you need to

monitor your heart rate, which will tell you if you’re taking it too
easy or training too hard for the quality you have decided to train.
FAT BURNING CARDIO ACTIVITY: I will briefly mention

cardio for fat burning since everybody always asks about it, but it
should not be the focus of your workouts. The theory is that the
lower the intensity, the more you body will use stored body fat as a
fuel source. Now, this is true. So true in fact that when you are
- 35 -
sleeping (which is about as low intensity as you can go) almost
100% of the energy your body uses to keep you alive comes from
fat. The problem is not in the ratio of fat vs other fuel sources but
in the absolute amount of energy used. Low intensity work is so
“easy” to do that it doesn’t require a great deal of energy to be
carried on. So in terms of health or aesthetics benefits, very low
intensity work is not very productive.
Most experts in the know will tell you that cardio work is over rated
when it comes to losing fat and that the most efficient way to do so
is to practice kitchen control (meaning that what you eat pretty
much overrides any kind of training you happen to do). The fat
burning zone is found at about 60-70% of your maximum heart
rate.
CARDIO VASCULAR ENDURANCE: Endurance begins to be

trained at about 70% of your maximum heart rate. When you get to
this level of intensity you will actually begin to feel like you’re
exercising. Still, since the intensity is not yet very high, you can
sustain this level of intensity for longer periods. We don’t suggest
going any lower than this zone in your cardio work (although doing
so will not hurt you, of course).
CARDIO VASCULAR POWER: Cardio vascular power training is

the best kind of training one can do to strengthen your heart. You
will find yourself training in this zone when you reach about 80% of
your maximum heart rate. Intensity being higher, you will not be
- 36 -
able to sustain the activity for a very long time, but this is OK.
There are ways to cumulate high intensity work and reap more
benefits, namely in the form of interval training (we’ll get to it a bit
later on). If you have never worked at such intensities we suggest
NOT to begin working your cardiovascular power right away as it is
a very hard form of training.
DETERMINING YOUR WORKING HEART RATE

How will you know if you are training hard enough? How do you
know if you are at 60 or 80% or your maximum heart rate?
First, we need to determine what your heart rate is when you get to
70, 80 or 90% of your max. Experts have theorized that the
maximum heart rate in humans is 220 bpm (beats per minute)
minus the individual’s age. So, for instance, if you are 30 years old,
your theoretical max would be 190 (220 minus 30). Now, 70% of
your max would be 133.
MAX HEART RATE
220 – AGE
220 – 30 = 190
WORKING HEART RATE

(For 70%)
MAX HR X %
- 37 -
190 X 70 % = 133
So, 133 beats per minute is the “goal” you should aim for when
training at 70% of your maximum heart rate. (Again, this example
has been calculated using a 30 years old individual. Please make the
necessary adjustments using your own age.)
The graphic below should help clarify things for you:
HOW MUCH, HOW LONG, HOW OFTEN ?

There is no rule set in stone as to how much cardio work you
should be doing. A good start is 20 minutes 3 times per week at
about 75-80% of your maximum heart rate, especially when
combined with about as much resistance training.
Here is another graphic to help you understand the dynamic

between cardiovascular power and cardiovascular endurance:
- 38 -
Much like resistance training, there are different intensities of
cardios that you can use depending on your goal. If you wish to
improve your cardio vascular power, (more intense performance
done for shorter periods of time), then a more intense workout is
recommended. If you want to develop your endurance (be able to
sustain a low level effort for longer periods) then a lower intensity
protocol should be used.
WHICH IS BETTER TO BURN FAT?

There is a misconception among most people about what is the best
way to burn fat. Any kind of physical activity will burn fuel.
Depending on the intensity, some will primarily burn glucose
(higher intensity drills), some will primarily burn fat (lower intensity
drills).
The reasoning that one has to go slow to burn fat stems from the
fact that lower intensity burns fat as fuel. This logic is at least
partially faulty when it comes to real world results in that low
intensity activities don’t require a lot of fuel. In other words, yes
you will burn fat if you ride a bike at low intensity for an hour, but
your total energy expenditure will be relatively small.
- 39 -
On the other hand, high intensity cardio, while it burns a lot of
glucose, also happens to use a lot of fuel, even if you cannot sustain
it for as long. Plus, your metabolic rate (the speed at which your
body burns fuel at rest, to keep you alive) will remain elevated for a
few hours after you’re done with your workout.
Now, before any of you start doing bouts of very intense running
like crazy, fat burning has less to do with exercise than diet. You
can really sabotage a lot of physical work hoping to shed unhealthy
weight only because your diet is not in order. Please refer to the
chapter on nutrition for nutritional guidelines. Those guidelines will
go a very long way to manage your weight (whether you need to
lose or gain) and will put you way ahead of the average crowd when
it comes to healthy eating in general.
Just as it is better to try and develop muscular strength and

muscular endurance, you should also strive to develop cardio
vascular ‘power’ as well as endurance. The more balanced you can
be the better. You want to be able to run full bore for a couple of
minutes, but you also want to be able to jog for longer periods of
time.
In short, trying to improve the whole spectrum of physical

performance is the best way to reap as many benefits as possible.
As mentioned, you will probably never reach your true maximum
strength potential, nor will you reach your maximum endurance
- 40 -
potential. To do that, you would have to pick one and train only for
it for years, neglecting the other.
That said, with consistency and effort, you will become quite strong
and endurant by improving both and, ultimately, this is the most
desirable place to be.
As with resistance training, I suggest that you vary the kind of

activity that you do. While it is perfectly fine to jog and only jog,
some will prefer to jog one day, rollerblade another day and ride a
bike yet another day. The more well-rounded and complete you
strive to be, the better.
INTERVAL TRAINING
Interval training is a great way to spice up your cardiovascular
workouts. Its intensity can be adjusted very easily to adapt to
anybody’s current level of general conditioning. Simply put, interval
training is composed of bouts of low intensity cardio alternating
with bouts of higher intensity. It could look something like this
Jog for 55 seconds

Sprint for 5 seconds
This is a «blokc». Repeat this bloc 15 times.
- 41 -
Looks easy on paper, but if you take it for a test drive, you will
notice that you will be jogging for a bit more than 13 minutes
(13:45), and you will be full throttle for over a minute (75 seconds).
Now, 75 seconds doesn’t sound like a long time, but when you’re
running as hard as you can, 75 seconds is an eternity. No human
being could sustain maximal intensity for 75 seconds straight BUT,
with this protocol, you will be able to cumulate it.
By pushing your body into this zone, you will gradually increase it’s
cardiovascular power, raising the bar bit by bit.
There are many ways to do interval training, too. Here are four:
Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Option 4
Walk Jog Walk Walk
Jog Run Jog Run
Run
There are also different ways to increase intensity. For example, for
Option 3, you can decide to keep jogging time at 45 seconds and
increase only running time.
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3
Jog 45 seconds 45 seconds 45 seconds
Run 5 seconds 7 seconds 10 seconds
… and so on.
- 42 -
Alternately, you can increase both:
Yet again, you can decrease one to increase the other:

Note: the more intense the interval, the smaller you should try to
increase its duration. I suggest increasing jogging time by 5 second
increments and running times by 1 second increments, especially if
you decide to reduce your lower intensity interval and increase the
higher intensity one.
RESISTANCE TRAINING
Resistance training is a little bit more complex than cardiovascular
training in the sense that there are many more variables to play with.
Of course, what is outlined here are the very bases.
Many people (especially women) who begin a strength training

program are afraid of becoming too big, or muscle bound, or ‘all
veiny”. There is a lasting myth about using weight training as a
means to strengthen the body which stems from competitive
- 43 -
bodybuilding. Competitive bodybuilders need to combine the
highest amount of muscle mass along with the lowest amount of
body fat, resulting in the striated and vascular look that you see
when a bodybuilder steps on stage.
First of all, developing a lot of muscle mass takes years of very

dedicated, consistent and hard training, training that is planned
ONLY for this purpose. Then, once the mass is built, it takes
weeks, often months of strenuous, very strict and very demanding
dieting in order to shed the fat so that as much of the underlying
muscle is visible to the judges. Very often, for many, many athletes
(even those in the very low amateur ranks), a whole array of natural
and chemical, as well as legal and illegal, compounds are required to
remain competitive. To top it off, not everybody has the genetics to
develop such a physique.
So, in short: you don’t need to even begin to worry about becoming
“too” this or “too” that. It just doesn’t happen this way, no more
than taking up jogging will turn you into a scrawny marathon
runner with boundless endurance overnight.
Resistance training brings nothing but benefits to those who do it.

It strengthens not only muscles, but bones, ligaments and tendons
too. It helps prevent (and even reverse) the damage brought by
diabetes. While it cannot reverse arthritis, it has been shown to
decrease its progression, sometimes even stopping it. It improves
balance and proprioception (the notion of knowing where your
- 44 -
limbs are in space in relation to your body). It helps improve cardio
vascular health (surprise!). It increases basal metabolic rate since
muscles need energy to sustain themselves; an increased metabolic
rate burns more energy 24/7, which means you can eat more while
remaining lean. It makes everyday tasks easier, especially those that
require some sort of physical strength. The list is endless.
SETS AND REPS

In gym slang, a rep is when you do a movement, from beginning to
end. For example, if you do a dumbbell curl where you hold a
weight in your hand, bend your arms all the way up and then bring
it back down, this is one rep. A set is a group of reps done one after
the other, usually until the muscle can no longer contract strong
enough ton overcome the resistance. This is called “muscle failure”,
and you should strive to reach it on every set. A set is composed of
at least one rep, but most sets count between 5 and 20-25 reps,
depending on the goal.
There IS such a thing as too much work (although this limit is

seldom reached but by the most extreme individuals), especially if
nutrition and recuperation needs are not met. Our goal here is to
improve our overall health and physical condition, so while you
should strive to push yourself harder and reach your limit regularly,
there is no need to go overboard like elite athletes do. You cannot
- 45 -
hope to perform as well as an Olympic weightlifter and, at the same
time, perform well in a marathon. Balance is everything.
HEAVY WEIGHT VS LIGHT WEIGHT

Heavy weights - allowing you to do about 5-6 repetitions - will be
better suited to strengthen structures such as muscle, bones,
ligaments and tendons. Light weights on the other hand – which
will allow you to do 15-20 repetitions – will be better to learn new
exercises and to increase your muscular endurance (which is NOT
the same as cardiovascular endurance). Again, the wisest solution
lies in the middle. By this, we don’t mean to limit yourself to sets of
12, but rather that a well-designed program, periodically using rep
schemes from the whole spectrum, would yield the best overall
results in regards to overall development.
Just like cardiovascular training (cardiovascular power and

endurance), resistance training can be divided in two main group:
muscular endurance and muscular strength/power.
The following graphic illustrates this well:
- 46 -
- 47 -
EXERCISE SELECTION
There are literally dozens (hundreds in some cases) of movements
for each muscle group, to strengthen the muscles in your body.
Entire books have been written on this subject alone. We are going
to suggest a few exercises here for the main muscle groups, but this
is by no means a complete list.
Weight training exercises can be classified in 2 groups: compound

movements and isolation movements. Compound movements are
usually multi-joint movements, meaning that more than one joint is
involved when performing them. Common compound movements
include the bench press, the squat, the chinup and the military
press. Compound movements are usually closer to “real life”
movements bringing into action groups of muscle working together
to perform a given task. Those are the lifts that you should focus
on, since they are the ones that will help you most in your daily life.
Those moves are also harder to do, for 2 reasons: First, they are
technically more complex and require some learning. Second,
considering the amount of weight one can lift for compound
movements, they are more exhausting than the smaller isolation
ones. For example, a hard set of squat is going to be way more
demanding for your system than a hard set of leg extension.
Isolation movements are usually movements involving only a single

joint. Common isolation movements include the arm curl, the leg
extension, the lateral raise and the triceps extension. Those
- 48 -
movements are often favored by many (clueless) people because
they are usually easier to perform: technically most of those
movements are very easy, and they usually won’t leave you as
exhausted as compound movements. The fact is, while many
exercises can be interchangeable, compound movements will
usually be superior to isolation ones (More details on this a little
later).
PLANNING THE WEEK
There are countless of ways to build a decent physical fitness

program. There are no rules set in stone for this. Simply put:
How much work you can recover from until your next
workout?
For the sake of simplicity, and given our purpose, we’ll go along
with those very general rules:
- 30 minutes of strength training, 2-4 times per week

- 30 minutes of cardio training, 2-4 times per week
- 1 to 3 days of total rest per week
What’s the best way to organize our workouts in such a way that we
can improve both strength and endurance, and that would provide
us with as many benefits as possible? For our purpose, there is no
best way. Here are a couple of examples:
- 49 -
EXAMPLE 1:
Alternating resistance workout every other day with cardio
workouts
EXAMPLE 2:
Doing one short resistance workout and one short cardio workout,
daily.
EXAMPLE 3:
Doing a resistance workout immediately followed by a cardio
workout, every other day.
EXAMPLE 4:
Resistance training in the morning, cardio at night, every other day
Below is a chart that can assist you in planning your cardiovascular

and resistance training, as well as your recovery periods:
Option 1 Option 2 Option 3

(1 day off) (2 days off) (3 days off)
Monday Resistance Resistance Resistance +
Cardio
Tuesday Cardio Cardio Resistance +
Cardio
Wednesday Resistance OFF OFF
Thursday Cardio Resistance + Resistance +
Cardio Cardio
Friday Resistance OFF Resistance +
- 50 -
Cardio
Saturday Cardio Resistance OFF
Sunday OFF Cardio OFF
PLANNING THE WORKOUT

So, you’re ready to start an exercise program but don’t exactly know
where to start? Fear not, below is some basic information that will
give you a great head start. While not specific enough to make you a
threat to Olympic medalists, the guidelines below are more than
sufficient to help you create a sound conditioning plan, which in
turn will help you improve your level of fitness and keep your
exercise sessions interesting and varied (2 keys to getting/remaining
fit).
A rule of thumb is to work the bigger muscle groups first and the
smaller ones last, and to use the bigger compound exercises first
and the smaller, isolation ones, last. So back, legs and chest would
come before arms and shoulders in the workout, and bigger
exercises such as squats for the legs would come before sissy squats
and leg curls. There exists advanced techniques which involve the
exact opposite (pre-fatigue, staggered sets, etc.) but we will not get
into those. As mentioned, while the subject of getting fit is very
vast, the guidelines below are basic, albeit sufficient for general
conditioning.
- 51 -
We will work the whole body during our resistance training
sessions. Just for the record, it is possible to organize the workouts
so that the body is ‘split’ into individual body parts, or groups of
body parts, each having their own specific ‘day’ (Ex.: Chest and
Back on Monday, Shoulders and Legs on Tuesday, etc.). All this is a
little more advanced and numerous books and articles have been
written on this subject, so we will not expand on it. For a very
complete, well written and easy to understand reference on this
subject, we suggest Christian Thoibaudeau’s The Black Book of
Training Secrets. If you wish to further your knowledge in
performance training, we highly recommend Theory and Application of
Modern Strength and Power Methods, by the same author. Both books
are available at MuscleDriveThru.com as well as in any good
bookstore.
Here is one way to organize a single workout:

Use at least one compound movement for each major muscle
group.
In the chart below you will find 2 compound movements and 1

isolation movement for all the most common muscle groups in the
body (exercise descriptions can be found at the end of this chapter):
- 52 -
Muscle Group Compound Isolation
(multi-joint) (single-joint)
movement movement)
Legs Front squat Sissy Squat
(quadriceps Lunges
dominant)
Legs Stiff-legged Leg curl
(hamstrings deadlift
dominant) Hip raises
Back Pullups Pullover
Bent-over rowing
Chest Flat pushup Flyes
Declined pushups
Shoulders Military press Lateral Raises
Upright Rowing
Biceps Barbell curl Concentration curl
Hammer curl
Triceps Close-grip Kickback
pushups
Bench dips
Abdominals Jack knives Reverse ½ crunch
Twisted crunch
Since you will work the whole body during your session, limit the
number of sets to 20-25 to avoid overtraining.
- 53 -
TRAINING VARIABLES
As mentioned earlier, your body will adapt to any stimulus you
subject it to. Keeping this in mind, you will quickly find out that
eventually you will need to change your training program around a
bit in order to keep improving and to keep things interesting. There
are many variables that can be modified. The following chart shows
the most common ones:
Strength Muscle Endurance

building
Number of sets 4-5 2-4 1-2
per exercise
Number of reps 4-6 8-12 15-25
Speed of Down: 4-5 Down: 2-3 Down: 1-2
execution* secs secs. secs
Up: Explode Up: 1 sec Up: 1 sec.
Rest between 2-3 minutes 1 minute 30-45 secs
sets
Total sets per 10-12 15 20
workout
*Down: When the load is being lowered towards the ground
Up: When the load is being lifted
- 54 -
Add to this exercise selection and cardio workouts, and you can
vary almost indefinitely your exercise sessions. As previously
mentioned, the idea is to work in the whole spectrum of stimulus:
from strength to endurance, from cardiovascular power to
cardiovascular endurance. As a rule of thumb, try to focus on one
goal at a time, and change every 4 to 6 weeks. For example, you
could increase your strength for 4 weeks, then work on building
your muscle mass for 4 weeks, and then increase your endurance
for 4 more weeks, and start over. The idea is to keep changing
things around, but still giving the body enough time to adapt to the
new stimulus. Below are sample workouts for each goal: Strength,
muscle building and endurance. All three workouts use the same
exercises, only the above training variables vary:
Strength*
Muscle Exercise Sets Reps Speed of reps Rest
group
Legs Lunges 4 6 Down: 4-5 secs 2-3
(quadriceps Up: Explode minutes
dominant)
Legs Hip raises 4 6 Down: 4-5 secs 2-3
(hamstrings Up: Explode minutes
dominant)
Back Pullups 4 6 Down: 4-5 secs 2-3
Up: Explode minutes
Chest Flat pushup 4 6 Down: 4-5 secs 2-3
Up: Explode minutes
Shoulders Upright 4 6 Down: 4-5 secs 2-3
- 55 -
Rowing Up: Explode minutes
Biceps Barbell curl 4 6 Down: 4-5 secs 2-3
Up: Explode minutes
Triceps Close-grip 4 6 Down: 4-5 secs 2-3
pushups Up: Explode minutes
* You may have to split your body in 2 days, since the total number
of sets will be rather high.
Muscle building
group
Legs Lunges 3 10 Down: 2-3 secs 1 minute
(quadriceps Up: 1 sec
dominant)
Legs Hip raises 3 10 Down: 2-3 secs 1 minute
(hamstrings Up: 1 sec
dominant)
Back Pullups 3 10 Down: 2-3 secs 1 minute
Up: 1 sec
Chest Flat 3 10 Down: 2-3 secs 1 minute
pushup Up: 1 sec
Shoulders Upright 3 10 Down: 2-3 secs 1 minute
Rowing Up: 1 sec
Biceps Barbell curl 3 10 Down: 2-3 secs 1 minute
Up: 1 sec
Triceps Close-grip 3 10 Down: 2-3 secs 1 minute
pushups Up: 1 sec
- 56 -
Endurance
group
Legs Lunges 2 20 Down: 1-2 secs 30 secs
(quadriceps Up: 1 sec.
dominant)
Legs Hip raises 2 20 Down: 1-2 secs 30 secs30
(hamstrings Up: 1 sec. secs
dominant)
Back Pullups 2 20 Down: 1-2 secs 30 secs
Up: 1 sec.
Chest Flat 2 20 Down: 1-2 secs 30 secs
pushup Up: 1 sec.
Shoulders Upright 2 20 Down: 1-2 secs 30 secs
Rowing Up: 1 sec.
Biceps Barbell curl 2 20 Down: 1-2 secs 30 secs
Up: 1 sec.
Triceps Close-grip 2 20 Down: 1-2 secs 30 secs
pushups Up: 1 sec.
RESISTANCE VS CARDIOVASCULAR TRAINING

While both seem quite different (and in fact, they are), they both
can be brought down to a single wide spectrum, as presented
below:
- 57 -
So, while an Olympic lifter would be very powerful, his
cardiovascular endurance would be rather poor. The same can be
said about endurance athletes: they can last for hours on end, but
their strength is usually minimal.
CIRCUIT TRAINING
The lazy man’s approach to training… NOT! Don’t let the word
‘lazy’ fool you: properly done circuit training is no walk in the park.
On the other hand, it is a fantastic way to work every physical
quality at once, albeit in an incomplete way. If you had to chose
ONE kind of workout that would cover everything, Circuit
Training is it.
Circuit training combines both resistance and cardio training

wrapped into one single approach. Time saving, no guesswork,
relatively efficient, but brutal. The basic principle behind it is
simple: do a few weight training moves, back to back without any
rest.
You can either do complete sets before moving onto the next
exercise in the circuit, or you can do one rep per exercise and keep
rotating exercises until you REALLY need to take a break.
Alternately, you can squeeze in some quick bouts of cardio work,
too, such as jogging in place or rope skipping.
- 58 -
Example 1 Example 2
Legs X 10 Legs X 1
Chest X 10 Chest X 1
Back X 10 Back X 1
Skip rope (30 secs) Abs X 1
Abs X 10 Triceps X 1
Triceps X 10 Shoulders X 1
Shoulders X 10 Biceps X 1
Skip rope (30 secs) Triceps X 1
Biceps X 10 Repeat until exhaustion
Triceps X 10 Rest
Rest.
We suggest you try to use light rather than heavy weights at first,
and then adjust them to your level of perceived effort. As you get
used to it, you will find the correct weights to use to be able to
complete the whole circuit. The idea is to build exercise ‘complexes’
that allow you to smoothly move from one exercise to the other
with as little preparation as possible in between exercises.
Even though you will be using what is considered resistance

training exercises, your heart and lungs will work overtime to supply
all of your muscles with the blood and oxygen they need. For circuit
training, you can forget about the guidelines regarding sets and reps
- 59 -
presented above: simply push and pull until you can no longer do it,
rest a little, and start over.
QUICK NOTE ON COMMERCIAL GYMS

We will not expand too much on weight training in a gym since this
matter is beyond the scope of this book. We suggest using either
calisthenics (body weight exercises) or exercises that can be done
with regular household items. However, there are many advantages
to joining a commercial gym, such as variety of equipment,
knowledgeable staff (usually), social environment, as well as
sufficient loading, etc. If you train without conventional free
weights or machines, you will quickly find that you may be limited
in the weight you can use for certain exercises such as squats. If you
can afford it, we encourage you to at least visit a few gyms in your
area and maybe try one or two of them, and then decide whether
this is for you or not.
FREE WEIGHTS VS MACHINES

Again, there are countless pros and cons to whether free weights
(barbell and dumbbells) are better than machines when comes the
time to begin a strength training program. Again, the truth lies
somewhere in the middle. Free weights match perfectly the human
body’s strength curves and motor pattern, and they stimulate all
those little stabilizing muscles necessary to assist the big prime
movers. On the down side, they require a bit more attention since
one has to balance them and keep them under control at all times,
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but this can easily be learned (remember: the body will adapt to the
stimulus…), just as you learned to stand up and walk.
Machines are ‘self-guided’ and as such, maybe a little less hazardous

to use since the weight is stabilized by the machine itself. Their
main drawback (as far as health benefits go) is that they don’t
stimulate your stabilizer muscles, which will eventually create
imbalances between them and the prime movers. Machines ‘lock’
you into the same motor pattern, thus strengthening only this angle.
What this all means is that your big prime movers will easily be able
to, say, lift this huge shovel filled with heavy snow, but your smaller
stabilizers, made somewhat lazy by the machines doing the work for
them, won’t be able to keep up with your prime movers. This is an
injury waiting to happen. This is like learning to ‘drive’ a powerful
car on a track (like a train), and then expect to be able to keep the
wheel under control on the freeway. The engine is powerful, but the
driver just isn’t used to steering the car. In short: bluntly put,
machines keep you somewhat safe in the gym, but “prepare” you to
get hurt more easily outside the gym. In most cases, a properly
designed resistance training program should never be designed
exclusively with machines.
A WORD ABOUT TRAINERS

You don’t need a trainer to improve your health and fitness levels.
HOWEVER, just as there are construction workers to fix your
roof, mechanics to fix your car, trainers are very often a goldmine
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of information that can help you achieve your goals faster and
probably in a safer manner than if you play ‘coach’ with yourself.
Of course, if all you do to remain fit is jog every two days, do
pullups on some public park’s monkey bars and a few pushups
upon awakening, you won’t really need a trainer. If you wish to
push things a little further though, a trainer can be a good
investment. The best advice we can give you is to try and decide for
yourself.
EXERCISE DESCRIPTION
Legs (quadriceps)
Front Squats: Start with your feet shoulder width apart. Your toes
should be pointed slightly outwards, never inward or knee strain
will result. You should look straight ahead, without tilting your
head. The body tends to follow the eyes, so if you look down, there
is a chance that you lose your balance. If you squat with a lot of
weight, this could be hazardous.
If you use a barbell, it should be placed high on the chest, resting

on the shoulders. Ideally, you should cross your arms in front of
you and always always always keep your elbows up, otherwise there
is a high risk of loosing the bar, which will roll down your arms. If it
doesn’t feel uncomfortable, you’re not doing it right. You will most
likely feel some discomfort in the front of your neck, because the
bar will slightly push against your throat, this is OK.
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Keeping your heels firmly planted on the floor, inhale and move
your hips back as if you were going to sit down, but keep your back
as straight up as possible. Remember: this exercise is hip-driven,
this is where the main power comes from. Focus on your hips.
Continue downward, by bending the knees. Make sure your knees
follow your toes, and don’t let them buckle inwards. Keep both
heels firmly planted on the floor.
Go as low as you can WITHOUT rounding your back in ANY way

(this is very important). Always keep your back flat. Rounding your
back will put tremendous pressure on your lower back, especially on
the intervertebral discs. Go as low as you can (the deeper you go,
the more the hamstrings and glutes will be activated) in order to
bring as much of the legs and hips muscles into play, making it a
more complete exercise.
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The Front Squat
Lunge: Stand upright with your feet shoulder width apart. You can
hold a pair of dumbbells in your hands. Take a 2-3 foot step
forward and begin bending both knees, as if you were kneeling on
one leg. It is important to keep the torso straight and to make an
effort to shift as much of the weight on the back leg as possible. As
the set progresses, you may have a tendency to bend the back leg
less and less, and to bend the torso forward more and more, which
you should try to avoid. A good trick is to imagine your face hitting
a wall, and then slide down. Better yet: do the exercise in front of a
wall, so that your front foot touches the wall. That way, when your
front knee touches the wall, you will have no choice but to shift
your weight on the back leg. Lower yourself down until your back
knee almost touches the ground, then return to the starting
position. You may do several repetitions on a single leg before
switching or alternate legs.
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The Lunge
Sissy Squat: Don’t let the name fool you: this exercise is rather
hard on the legs! Place your feet shoulder width apart and grab a
solid object for balance. You can hold a weight close to your torso
with your free hand. The idea is to bend the knees while keeping
the hips as neutral as possible. Allow the body to lean back as you
bend the knees. Let your heels come off the floor. Go down as low
as you can, striving to go lower as you progress. Return back to the
standing position by extending the leg, again keeping the hips as
neutral as possible. Make sure the toes are pointing forward and
that your knees don’t buckle in nor out.
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The Sissy Squat
Stiff-Legged Deadlift: Stand with feet slightly narrower than

shoulder width apart. Very slightly bend your knees (just so they’re
not ‘locked’). The knee angle should stay like that as much as
possible during the whole set. The movement is initiated at the hips.
You bend the torso forward by bending at the hips, NOT the lower
back. Bending the lower back will put a lot of pressure on your
lower back, and the risk of injury increases greatly. So keep your
back as flat as possible during the whole movement. A trick that
will help you do this exercise correctly is to imagine that you are
pushing your butt backwards, as if you were trying to touch an
imaginary wall behind you. Most people lack flexibility in the
hamstring area, so they will feel a deep stretch at the back of the leg.
This is what you are looking for. Go down as low as you can (again,
WITHOUT bending your lower back, keeping it as flat as possible),
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then drive the torso back up, again straightening the body at the
hips.
The Stiff-Legged Deadlift
Hip Raises: This exercise is done on your back. Lift your feet and
put them on a solid surface that is about 2 feet high. Very slightly
bend your knees and keep them at this angle. The idea is to lift the
hips towards the ceiling using your hamstrings. Make sure you push
up with the muscles at the back of the legs and that you do not end
up bending the knees, pushing yourself up with the quadriceps.
Lower yourself down without touching your hips to the floor
before the set is finished.
The Hip-Raise
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Leg Curl: This exercise will require a machine. Lie face down on
the machine and place your feet (at the Achille’s tendon)
underneath the padded roll. The legs should be straight, and the
knees should clear the pad you are lying on. Point your feet towards
you (if you point them away from you, you will most likely get a
cramp) and bend your legs until the pad touches your buttocks.
Return to the starting position without letting the weight down.
The leg curl
BACK
Pullups: You will need a bar that you can lift yourself up with.
Grab the bar at shoulder width, palms towards you. An alternate
grip, which is harder but isolates the back better, is to grab the bar
with the palms facing away from you, a bit wider than shoulder
width apart. Pull yourself up, focusing on using the back muscles
instead of the arm muscles. Your arms will most likely give out first,
but make a conscious effort to bring the back muscles into play.
Avoid kicking and swinging yourself up with your legs as this will
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most likely result in your body balancing back and forth, which will
ruin your tempo. If this exercise is too hard for you, you can use a
pulldown machine, which is essentially the same movement, except
you pull the bar, attached to a weight stack, towards you.
The Pullup
Bent-Over Rowing: Bend the knees slightly and hold that angle,
while keeping your back as flat as possible (imagine yourself
pushing your buttocks against a wall). Grab a bar (or any heavy
object) using a grip that is about twice shoulder width, palms
towards you. Pull the bar towards your hips, rowing it using your
upper back muscles. Bring the weight back down, without touching
the floor, nor bending your knees, nor rounding your back.
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The Bent-Over Rowing
Pullover: Lie on a bench (or on the floor) and grab a heavy object
in your hands, that you will bring above your torso, keeping your
arms straight. Take a deep breath, and hold it in, then bring the
weigh back as far as you can. Bending the arms is acceptable, but try
to limit this as much as possible, as it would take the stress off the
back muscles (which is the goal of the exercise) and shift it onto the
triceps.
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The Pullover
CHEST
Flat Pushup: The pushup is probably the most known exercise in
the world. To make sure you hit the chest muscles as much as
possible, make sure to use a grip that is wide enough, about twice
shoulder width. A narrower grip would put more emphasis on the
triceps, which is not bad, but it is not the purpose of the exercise
here. Be sure to always keep your body as flat and straight as
possible (don’t let your hips dip before your shoulders). To make
sure the pectorals work as much as possible, make sure to keep your
elbows out.
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The Pushup
Declines Pushup: The declined pushup is harder to do than the

regular flat pushup, since it shifts the stress on weaker parts of the
chest-shoulder muscle structure. The same guidelines apply here
(wider grip, body flat and stiff, elbows out, etc.). The only
difference is that it has to be performed with the feet elevated. Use
a bench or stool or any surface that is about 2 feet high.
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Flyes: The flye is done in a supinated (facing up) position. Hold 2
objects of the exact same weight in each hand, just above your eyes,
arms almost straight. It is important not to lock your elbows
straight as you do this exercise to avoid undue strain. Begin the
movement by lowering the weights away from you. Try to bring
them as low as possible and, at the bottom position, you should
have your hands brought as much as possible to ear level, to
maximize the stretch in the pectoral muscle.
The Flye
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SHOULDERS
Military Press: From the dawn of time, humans have lifted objects
above their heads as a demonstration of their strength. It can be
hard to do, especially if you lack flexibility in the shoulder area. It
can be seated or standing, although extra care must be given in this
latter case to the lower back to avoid hyperlordosis (excessive curve
of the lower back) which could lead to injury. If you chose to do it
standing, make sure to tilt your pelvis forward to help flatten the
lower back (although it cannot be completely flatten), which will
create a much stronger support for the load that you hoist
overhead. Use a grip that allows your elbows to create a 90 degree
angle when the hands are just above ear level.
The Military Press
Upright Rowing: This is an excellent movement for the whole

shoulder musculature, although it targets mainly the trapezius and
lateral head of the deltoid. Hold a bar at about shoulder width.
Begin lifting the bar using your shoulders, NOT your biceps. To
help you create the mind-muscle connection and make sure that the
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work is done by the shoulders and not the biceps, imagine two
ropes that pull on your elbows, lifting them up. The hands and
forearms are used only as hooks to hold the weight, but the work is
done by the shoulders and traps. The elbows should always remain
above the bar. If your elbows end up below the bar, you are pulling
with your arm muscles (mainly the biceps) and this defeats the
purpose of the exercise.
The Upright Rowing
BICEPS
Barbell curl: The barbell curl is probably the first exercise one
thinks of when hearing the words “weight training”. It is very easy
to do, although there are some points to keep in mind to perform it
properly. Start with a shoulder width grip, palms facing away from
you. Simply bend the arm to lift the weight. Most people will have a
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tendency to move the elbows forward to complete the lift, making
it easier towards the end of the range of motion. This is a mistake,
since not only the front deltoid comes too much into play, but the
resulting shift in levers releases way too much tension off of the
target muscle (the biceps). To do the curl correctly, glue your
elbows to your side for the duration of the set. If it helps, imagine
that your elbows rotate around a single axle.
The Curl
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Hammer curl: The hammer curl is quite similar to the barbell curl,
save for the grip. The hands are in a semi-supinated position (palms
facing each other, as if you were holing a hammer, hence the name).
The elbows still need to remain on either side of the body without
going forward. The shift in grip brings the a lot of the forearm
muscles into play.
The hammer curl
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Concentration curl: This exercise is done seated. You need to rest
the elbow of the working arm on the inside of your thigh. Grab a
weight, palm facing away from you. Lift the weight up, avoiding to
swing or to use momentum by “pulling” with your torso. Make sure
that it is your biceps that does the work. Also, you may have a
tendency to recline back a bit to complete the reps as the set
progresses, which you should avoid.
The Concentration Curl
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TRICEPS
Close Grip Pushup: Very similar to the regular pushup, which
targets the pectoral muscles, the close grip pushup shifts the stress
on the triceps. To make sure you hit the triceps as much as possible,
make sure to use a grip that is narrow enough, at most shoulder
width, ideally narrower. Be sure to always keep your body as flat
and straight as possible (don’t let your hips dip before your
shoulders). Keep your elbows as close to your body as possible.
The Close Grip Pushup
Bench Dips: This exercise can be done with the feet on the floor,
or on a stool. To do it, sit on the edge of a chair or bench (make
sure the surface is solid and stable enough so that it doesn’t tip over
or slide away). Put both hands on either side of your hips, and lift
the hips away, just in front of the bench. Keeping your elbows as
close to you as possible, begin dipping as low as comfortably
possible. You will feel a stretch, which is OK. You can put a weight
on your lap for extra resistance.
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The Bench Dips
Kickback: The kickback is done while the torso is as parallel to the

floor as possible. The elbow is lifted up alongside the torso, and the
upper arm is parallel to the floor also. Hold a weight in the working
arm’s hand, and make sure to never bring your forearm forward
anymore than 100 degrees (just short of being perpendicular with
the floor). Doing so would completely take the load off the triceps.
Lift the weight by “kicking” it back until your whole arm is parallel
to the floor. Do NOT lower the elbow, as this would reduce the
loaded range of motion.
The Kickback
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ABDOMINALS
Jack Knives: This exercise is excellent for the abdominal muscles,
but it does require a little bit of balance and practice. Lie on a flat
surface (it can be done on the floor). Imagine that you are trying to
get the ribcage and the pelvis to touch, “rolling” yourself. You will
end up in balance (or lack thereof!) on your buttocks. Do not rest
completely on your back upon returning, as this would release the
tension on the abdominal muscles.
The Jack Knives
Twisted Crunch: The abdominal wall is a simple, yet complex

muscle structure. What is commonly referred to as “the abs” is in
fact composed of layers of muscles, each with their own function:
bend the torso forward, bend it sideways, or bend it diagonally. The
twisted crunch works nicely the upper part of the muscles
responsible for the twisting of the body, and it is relatively easy to
do. Lie on your back (on the floor or on a workout bench), bend
your legs to insure proper support and to alleviate the tension on
your lower back. Simply lift the torso in a twisting manner, as if you
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were trying to bring the shoulder towards the opposite hip. Return
to the start position without resting on the floor and do the other
side.
The Twisted Crunch
Reversed Crunch: When working abdominals, most people have a

tendency to overwork the upper part of the abdominal wall, and
neglect the lower part. The lower part deserves at least as much, if
not more, attention, since it is it that mainly support the inner
organs, fighting gravity that pulls them down and out. The way to
do it is almost the same thing as the twisted crunch described
above, except that instead of moving the upper part of the trunk,
you lift and twist the hips.
The Reverse Crunch
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This is by no means a complete exercise list, FAR from it! There are
several variations of the exercises described above, and there are
hundreds of other exercises for the same muscle groups, plus their
own variations. The above selection is just to give you a head start.
A great book on this precise subject is called Getting Stronger, by Bill
Pearl. It lists dozens and dozens of exercises that can be done for
every muscle groups, each of them accurately illustrated.
A WORD ON STRETCHING
Stretching is also a very important component of fitness, yet it is
very often done haphazardly, if at all, after a 45 minute weight
training or cardio session. We will not discuss it in great length here,
but we strongly suggest that you do some research on it. As a basic
rule of thumb, if you weight train a muscle, you should also stretch
it. Many experts recommend to stretch a muscle for as long as you
train it. As with resistance training, stretching can help correct
posture problems, imbalance, undue tension caused by faulty
compensation by the muscle structures, etc. The subject is too vast
to cover here, but you should try to remain limber enough by
stretching regularly. An excellent book on this subject, similar to
Bill Pearl’s Getting Stronger, is called Stretching by Bob Anderson.
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A WORD ON POSTURE
Posture is also very important. Again, improper posture often
results from years of overuse of certain muscles, or simply by not
paying attention to it. Excessive lordosis (the curve in the lower
back), hyperkyphosis (rounded shoulders, the ‘caveman’ look), lack
of tone in the abdominal muscles, poor feet positioning, faulty
walking pattern, etc. are usually the visible consequences of poor
posture, from which may stem unnecessary pains and ailments that
could have been easily prevented.
As a very basic rule of thumb, and by taking into consideration the

most common posture mistakes, you should try to walk tall: lift
your chin up a little, hold your head straight, and look ahead (as
opposed to down). Imagine that you are a puppet and that you can
stand up only because of a string attached to your head. The same
applies when you are sitting. You should make an effort to throw
your shoulders back and to tilt your pelvis forward (pulling the
buttocks in) while pulling your lower abs in. If you try doing this,
you will already be on your way to greatly enhance your posture.
All this said, correcting a faulty posture pattern requires in depth

analysis where many variables are taken into account. Some muscles
are usually too weak, others too strong; some are too tight, others
too limber. A skilled trainer will be able to analyze this and
recommend the proper stretching and conditioning program.
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NUTRITION
Don’t have the time to eat right? Tired of eating the same old food
day in day out? You don’t know which expert to listen to when it
comes to nutrition? Yet, eating well is so simple and the “rules” of
proper and healthy eating are already known to all.
Many people are looking for the very latest discoveries made
yesterday in the field of dietetics, and yet neglect the basics. The
following pages go back to those basics, take all the guesswork out
of preparing varied, healthy meals and, most importantly, present
you with a method on how to do it in record time!
Light a fire, sharpen your spears and re-discover how easy sound
eating should really be!
Would you have the necessary endurance and physical strength to

go into the woods or atop a mountain to harvest your food or to
hunt it? Many will say: "Why? We don't need to do that nowadays
to survive!"
They're right. They don't need to harvest nor hunt nowadays to

survive.
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The modern man survives, even if he is less and less active and even
if the quality of his nutrition has deteriorated quite a bit over the
last decades. In fact, he survives so well that, despite poorer and
poorer health, the modern man's lifespan increases. It is very sad,
however, that those extra years aren't always quality ones...
No, to survive, we don't need to run anymore, nor do we need to

swim, climb, work hard physically, nor to eat healthy food.
However, to FULLY live, our bodies still need to remain active and
to feed off quality food, rich in good nutrients.
Imagine yourself back in a time when grains weren't refined like

they are today, when the plants we ate were naturally grown and the
meat came from animals that were vigorous and leaner which lived
free and needed to be hunted down. Human beings needed to
move and perform, and so our bodies became the very tools needed
for our survival.
Well, those times aren't that far behind us considering the history of
mankind, and our genes haven't really evolved since those last
couple thousand years. What HAS changed way faster than our
genes is our lifestyle. The modern man doesn't walk for long
kilometers looking for food anymore. He doesn't climb trees to
escape predators. He doesn't really have to make much effort to
push, pull or move objects. He doesn't work hard physically at all.
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Modern life is easy. It sedates us. We seldom move, we seldom
explore, we are much less resilient than we used to be. There are
escalators everywhere despite the fact that 95% of those who use
them could very well do without. We don't even have to get out of
the house to get our food: we can have it delivered!
The mere fact of walking seems like torture to many, despite the
fact that our physiological make up is surprisingly well adapted for
that exact purpose. Our bodies have gotten soft and, with it, our
will and strength of character. Is it really that surprising that the
modern man has a tendency to eat for fun rather than for healthy
nourishment? Balance is off.
Back to the 21st Century
It is no big surprise that nutrition and physical activity are two

components of healthy living that are probably the easiest to
manipulate and put into practice.
What's more, it is nutrition which has the greatest impact on overall

health and on quality of life in the short, medium and long term,
and it is also nutrition that will yield the greatest gains for those
long hours you spend exercising.
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Unfortunately, it is this component that is most often neglected,
either by ignorance, by lack of know-how or by pure laziness.
This booklet addresses these issues precisely. One can still remain
ignorant, incompetent and lazy if such is his/her desire, by simply
follow what's in this booklet verbatim, that person will have all
his/her nutritional needs covered.
Joking aside, not only will you learn how to eat healthier and more
efficiently all the while keeping an eye on your athletic goals without
having to cook for days on end, but I have added a bunch of
recipes that you will be able to prepare in 5 minutes or less!
This guide is divided in 3 sections:
BODY-PLATE SYMBIOSIS : A no-nonsense discussion about

nutrition and food. The few general guidelines contained therein
will allow you to kiss goodbye to all those never ending and
complicated theories and recommendations about how to eat.
KITCHEN LOGISTICS: Time for a plan of attack. Take out your

stopwatch, I'll show you how to hop in and out of the kitchen in
less than 120 minutes to take care of all your food for the week, all
that with less than 10 basic foodstuff!
MAY I TAKE YOUR ORDER? Here you will find a bunch of

recipes, easy to prepare in less than 5 minutes, which will allow you
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to eat healthy without being labeled as a "granola health nut" by
your colleagues.
BODY-PLATE SYMBIOSIS
The human way of feeding is the one that has changed the most
compared to that of any other animal species over the last 10
thousand years, and even more so during the last century. Taking
into account that human genetics has very slightly evolved during
mankind history, 10 thousand years is very little time.
A while back, the meat that was eaten by men came from healthier
animals. Those animals were more active than today's, since we
force them to overeat and stay as immobile as possible (much like
modern men, in fact). Those ancient animals' meat was leaner than
the one you find in groceries nowadays. Without over blowing the
issue, we can't ignore either the "supplements" given to modern
animals. Last time I checked, syringes loaded with anabolics and
other chemicals didn't grow on trees 10 thousand years ago.
Back then, people ate more whole plants, which provided a wider
range of nutrients and more fiber. Soft drinks didn't stream down
rocky walls, the beverage of choice was water. Sweets like honey
were scarce (and you had to face whole armadas of bees to get it)
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and available only shortly in the year. So the ancient man ate
healthier more by necessity than by choice. With all those
"restrictions", one could believe that it is the perfect setup for
healthy eating, right? Not so fast. Even if the food was more natural
and less "poisoned" and transformed, life was not easy back then.
In order to eat, one had to work hard! No nicely saran-wrap pre-

packaged juicy steaks. No buckets of fruits preserved by pesticides.
No oatmeal by the pound. No protein powder. Only plants (some
of which were poisonous) and undomesticated animals who
probably thought that, you too, could be a nice meal.
Not enough protein? No problem: go chop some fresh meat from

that cave bear while it sleeps and, if you succeed to rip it off and
escape, you can either eat it as is (raw, bloody and with a bit of
hair), or cook it on an open fire: burnt on the outside and still raw
on the inside.
Scared of bears? Well, there must be some buffalo carcass laying

around somewhere that hasn't totally rotted yet, which you can
share with a few hyenas, if the stench doesn't make you puke too
much.
A bit low on blood sugar? Not enough carbs in your diet? Easy
solution: guess which one of those colorful berries isn't poisonous
and help yourself.
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You lack some minerals? No need to panic! Just reach down to the
ground, cup some dirt and eat it. It contains all the minerals you
need.
As you can see, our ancestors’ lifestyle didn't have only advantages.
However, today, we can take advantage of many good sides of this
ancient diet as well as do without much of its inconveniences. The
main "rule" we should strive to follow and imitate from back then is
to eat a lot of nutritionally-dense foods, but which provide less total
calories (the modern man does the exact opposite: few nutrients
and way too many calories).
Nothing in our environment is dangerous or bad in itself. A

computer, a gun, a TV set, alcohol... EVERYTHING that
surrounds us is totally neutral. The root of many problems is the
misuse or abuse of those things.
Of course, the same applies to food. I am not breaking any news to

you by saying that our industrial world's diet is way too high in bad
(trans and saturated) fats and refined carbohydrates (often
accompanied by excessive calorie intake in general), while the
amount of fibers, water and micro-nutrients is sorely lacking.
Seldom did our ancestors have the luxury to eat 1 500 calories in a
single meal, while we can do it easily (and many do so regularly).
Add to that the increasing number of sedentary people and you
have the two main factors for the current obesity crisis.
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It is a fact that we don't have to work very hard to eat. The whole
tedious tasks of hunting, killing, butchering, cooking, harvesting,
preserving, etc our food has already been done for us. No more
milk? Butter? Chocolate chip cookies, potato chips, soft drinks?
The only effort we need to do is to drag our feet to our car. Want a
meal already prepared, which includes all the dressings, drinks and
even those little paper napkins? You don't even need to walk to
your car: a simple phone call and you're set!
Very often, after a big meal, not only do we feel lethargic and
sleepy, but our blood is loaded with glucose, fats and insulin, a
devastating combination for whomever tries to remain healthy and
lean. The body simply cannot use this much energy in one single
"dose", so what does it do? It stores it.
There is such a thing as essential amino acids (amino acids are the
building blocks of protein). There also exists what are called
essential fats. But there is no such thing as an essential
carbohydrate. There are many ways to look at this issue, but to keep
things simple: the amount of energy, especially in the form of
carbohydrates, should be dictated by our level of physical activity.
The less an individual is active, the less he will need carbohydrates
in his daily diet.
Carbohydrates (carbs for short) have a humongous impact on

appetite and food intake, which makes them a double edge sword.
Fats and proteins affect blood glucose levels only slightly. Carbs
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however, especially if they're of the high-glycemic kind (most
refined carbs are), can send your blood sugar levels soaring. Zig-
zaging blood glucose is not an optimal situation to be in.
Please don't get me wrong: carbs are NOT bad, far from it! See
them as a source of fuel, which is what they are. Many experts will
recommend up to 55% of calories from carbs (sometimes even
more!). Others will claim that such a number is a bit high for most
people (and I agree), even those moderately active. Again, it
depends on the total amount of energy consumed.
Effects You Can Expect from Proper Nutrition
First, you should keep one thing in mind when you "hunt" your
food: Your health. To be intensely active, you need to be healthy,
right? Even if your sole goal right now is your looks, or your
performance, and that your health is not a priority for you at this
moment, it would be sad if your progress came to a halt, or was
delayed, because your health is not optimal or suffers from any
given deficiency.
Your diet should also contribute to keep your metabolism high,

provide you a steady flow of energy and increase the amount of
energy spent in the form of heat thru digestion. A diet high in
protein, fibers and essential fats will go a long way towards reaching
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these goals. Those macro-nutrients slow down digestion and energy
is then slowly released into your bloodstream. The impact they have
on blood sugar is thus less important, which allows for much more
stable energy levels.
To process proteins, the body must spend about 25% of the

calories that they provide, making them the most "costly" nutrient
to metabolize. In fact, proteins are the LEAST susceptible to be
stored as fat.
Because of this, proteins allow you to eat more (up to a point),

making you feel less like you're depriving yourself, as well as
limiting the amount of energy available for storage. This is a great
advantage for those trying to control or lower their body fat.
Indeed, many people trying to lose weight and who give up do so
because of the constant need to deal with hunger.
By eating a variety of lean proteins, essential fats as well as

vegetables in their most unprocessed form possible, it is almost
impossible to eat too much: the urge is simply not there. Blood
glucose is stable, so is energy, and hunger is easily managed. Portion
control follows naturally without having to think about it.
Very often, here is what you will see if you analyze someone's diet
logbook:
- Chaotic meal schedule

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- Protein deficiency
- Essential fats deficiency
- Excessive carbs (very often of the high glycemic kind)
It is not only a question of how many calories are eaten. The source
of those calories is a cornerstone for any diet or nutritional
program. In fact, many people could even lose weight by eating
slightly more calories than they currently are by simply manipulating
their macro-nutrient (protein-carbs-fats) ratio.
Below is a summary of the advantages mentioned above. You have

the right to request that your diet delivers all this, which would not
be the case if you followed the "average man's" current diet:
- Lower caloric density

- Lower glycemic index
- Lower consumption of chemicals
- Increased energy expenditure thru thermogenesis

- Increased feeling of satiety
- Increased consumption of fibers
- Increased consumption of micro-nutrients
- Increased blood glucose stability
- Increased or maintained metabolic rate
- Increased or maintained muscle mass
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You can also pretty much forget about calculating portions. Your
appetite will be linked more to your level of activity rather than
being slave to an uncontrollable blood glucose roller coaster. The
more you are active the hungrier you'll be. The amount of food you
will eat will reflect your needs, not your gluttony.
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How Many Times per Day?
This subject is beaten to death, but since so many people still

inquire about it (influenced by the traditional "3 square meals a
day") we'll briefly talk about it here.
Meal frequency is a key element that has a huge impact on your

progress, and it is easy to manipulate. A while ago, people "in the
know" discovered that eating more frequent, smaller meals was
better than eating fewer, bigger meals, and this applies to ANY
physical goal (performance OR aesthetics). What we're looking at
here are 5 to 7 feedings per day.
By reading these words, many will be surprised, wondering how it is

possible to ingest that much food in a single day! The reason they
are doubtful is because they thing according to their old habit
patterns. For many people, eating to satiety means eating until one
is filled up to the lid! HOWEVER, the 5 to 7 meals I'm talking
about here are rather light meals. The idea is not only to eat less,
but to eat less MORE OFTEN. (Keywords: less more often).
If you follow this "less more often" nutrition philosophy, you will
never really go hungry (since you will be constantly providing
nourishment to your body). By having more stable energy levels,
you will be able to perform at a steady rate thru out the day, and
your training goals will be easier to be met, whether they be to lose
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weight, to maintain your weight, to gain weight or to perform
efficiently in the field.
Prepare the Hunt
Just like your neanderthal ancestor, you are about to go hunting. In

the following pages, we will discuss what "preys" will best serve
your interests.
The method I suggest you to adopt is surprisingly simple, and yet

surprisingly efficient and beneficial. Forget what you have read in
the "Nutritional Food Guide" (which is as influenced by true
science as it is by lobbies).
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Foods can (should) be categorized in 5 main categories:
- Fruits and vegetables

- Beans
- Nuts and seeds
- Meats and eggs
- Dairy Products
That's it. And if you can forget whatever you learned from
"modern" eating habits, those 5 "food groups" probably look a lot
like the ones our ancestors have eaten for thousands of years, those
on which our very species has evolved and developed. Fruits,
veggies, nuts, meats, and sometimes eggs and milk.
Think about it. Potatoes and rice (we're not even talking about
pasta!) were probably available, but not by the kilo, and not every
day, like we have now. Sweets (like honey) were seasonal
commodities, IF you could find it.
Bread as we know it has been invented only around 3 000 BC, and
even then, the flour to make it must have been pretty coarse indeed
(not as refined). So, if you MUST have bread, downsize your
servings and choose multi-grain products. Rule of thumb: the more
your food seems to be containing woodchips, the healthier it is for
you.
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Beans are also great and are excellent sources of complex
carbohydrates and fiber. Also, we find whole varieties of them at
the grocery store, pre-cooked and canned, very easy to prepare.
Vegetables are also a must. The main thing that seems to discourage
people with vegetables however is their preparation. Washing,
cutting, peeling, cooking... In fact, it can be very simple. In the next
section, I will tell you about how to prepare a week's worth of food,
including salads and vegetables.
Mixed nuts also have many advantages: they taste great, are easy to
carry around, are loaded with essential fats, vitamins and minerals.
They can very well be used as a quick snack, and their glycemic
index is very low, which prevents blood sugar peaks and crashes
that are so common with most refined snacks. Given that they are
still calorically dense, it is wise to consume them in moderation. As
a rule of thumb, a handful of nuts is a reasonable amount.
Fruits, nuts, meats, vegetables, eggs and milk or cheese. If you only
have those food stuff handy, you won't be tempted by "glow in the
dark" or other "radioactive", overly transformed foods, like pizza,
chips, candies and cold cuts. (Please note: those foods are not bad
by themselves, abusing them is). For some of you, the cultural
shock may be a bit harsh; before long however, not only will you
notice that you're not dying because you don't have your usual junk,
but I guarantee you will get to appreciate your new way of eating
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and you won't want to go back to your old habits of your own free
will!
So, let's summarize: healthy foods, more protein, more vegetables

and fruits, less bad fats and less concentrated carbs. All this is very
neat, but preparing all this can become a real nightmare, right?
Nope. Enters the "magic" with this little method here. The
following infos are a real goldmine for those pressed by time. Also,
you will find a whole slew of quick recipes classified by source of
protein (chicken, tuna, eggs, etc...). All those recipes are ultra
simple, low in bad fats, rich in proteins and made with healthy
foods. While it is not a gourmet menu, if you use your imagination
just a little you can spice and season your meals to make them
perfectly palatable.
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The Hunt
I will pretend that your fridge and cupboard are both empty and
that you're just about to leave to do the groceries. Of course,
quantities will depend on you. Based on your experience, estimate
how much you need to buy and prepare.
Grocery List
PROTEINS
- Chicken breasts
- Extra-lean ground beef
- Water packed tuna
- Eggs (and or egg whites, in cartons)
- Lean cheese
VEGETABLES
- Onions
- Peppers
- Hot peppers
- Crushed tomatoes (canned)
- Tomato sauce
- Tomato paste
- Frozen and or dehydrated vegetables
- Salad vegetables (celery, carrots, radishes, spinach, cabbage,
cucumbers, etc.)
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CARBOHYDRATES
- Pasta
- Rice
- Potatoes
- Pita bread
- Tortillas
- Whole wheat (or multi-grain) bread
- Fruits (varied)
SEASONINGS
- Salsa
- Ketchup
- Relish
- Mustard
- BBQ Sauce
- Tomato paste
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Tips on How to Choose Your Game
Proteins
Buy skinned and boned chicken breasts. Choose the leanest ground
beef that you can get your hands on, or you may have to remove
the fat from it (here's how to do it*). For tuna, choose the water
packed version.
For cheese, you have some choices: there are quite a few relatively
lean cheeses to choose from in grocery stores. However, the leaner
they are, the more rubbery they get, save for cottage cheese. That
said, it's easy to get used to the taste and texture, and the advantages
are worth it.
For eggs, I suggest you to buy whole eggs as well as egg whites that
come in cartons. Both will be handy for you.
Carbohydrates
Do not choose the pre-cooked variations, ideally pick brown or

wild rice. For pasta, pita breads and tortillas, choose the whole
wheat or multigrain variety. Read the labels! A quick look to the
ingredient listing will show you if it's genuine multigrain bread or a
junk bread "disguised" as a healthy one. Is the main ingredient (first
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or second one on the list) ENRICHED wheat flour? If so, leave the
bread for someone else to buy it: you deserve better nutrition than
this, even if the bread's color is brown. It's too easy to add coloring
to bread and call it "brown bread", giving it a healthier look. See it
this way: the softer the bread, the softer it makes you.
Vegetables
Save for canned tomatoes (crushed, paste, sauce...) other vegetables

should ideally be bought fresh. That said, frozen vegetables are very
handy when pressed for time or there's no other veggies left. You
can buy them in big bags in grocery stores: California mix, Asian
mix, peas, carrots, green beans, etc. A cup or two tossed in water
and brought to a boil in the microwave and ta-daaa! A nice helping
of hot vegetables! In some dishes, dehydrated vegetables are also
handy and quite tasty, and can sometimes even be used as seasoning
because their flavor tends to be stronger.
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*How to “Defat” Your Beef
If you couldn't buy very lean beef, there's an easy way to take the fat
out of it. Once it is cooked, throw it in a big bowl filled with very
hot water. Stir a little and let sit for about 30 seconds. Notice what
rises to the top: this my friend is saturated fat, almost identical to
the one that graces society's midsection. Please give our warmest
regards to your arteries who won't have to deal with it, since all you
need to do now is to drain the water the same way as you would
pasta. You can repeat the process once if you wish. Once this is
done, throw the beef back into the pan, pepper some garlic over it
and cook it a couple more minutes. This step is not essential, but it
will GREATLY enhance the meat's flavor and won't give you the
impression that you're eating boiled meat.
KITCHEN LOGISTICS
Grinding, Cooking, Preparing…
OK, now that you're back from a generous hunting quest and that
you have everything handy, let the fun begin. Choose a time when
you have two free hours at your disposal (you won't believe how
quickly they'll go by!) Those two hours will not only save you a lot
of time later in the week, but they'll also save you a lot of hassle.
The goal is to prepare and cool enough meat, vegetables, rice, pasta,
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etc., to last the week. With some coordination, preparation and a
test-drive or two, you will easily be able to do all that all at once.
You will need 4 boiling pans, one frying pan and a big cookie tray.
Save a little meat, some potatoes and vegetables as is, in the fridge
or the freezer: you never know. Pop in your favorite CD (whatever
inspires you). Ready?
1- Pre-heat the over at 350 degrees Farenheit. Drop the beef in the
frying pan (if you don't have non-stick pans, use some cooking
spray).
2- Fill 3 boiling pans with water and turn up the fires to the max. In
the first pan, put your eggs while the water is still cold. The best
way to hard cook eggs is to start them in cold water and as it begins
to boil, turn off the heat. The water will remain quite hot for a while
and the eggs will keep cooking. Once the water has cooled down,
you'll have perfect hardboiled eggs.
Not too hard yet is it? Soon you'll be able to join your fellow
nanderthal buddies and play at guessing what the weather will be
like tomorrow by throwing squirrel bones on the ground. But for
now, take out your stone cutting board and ivory knife (or food
processor): time for some chopping!
3- Wash your potatoes and slice them in thick slices (do not peel
them).
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4- Display the chicken breast on the cookie tray, without butter nor
margarine nor oil. The oven should be hot enough now, throw the
chicken in. it will need to cook for about an hour to be ready.
5- In theory, the water in the boiling pans should be boiling (or

about to). Once it is, throw in your potatoes and rice (We'll do pasta
last).
Make sure nothing spills over, burns or sticks to the pans!
6- Fill your sink with water and throw all your veggies in it to wash
them. Simply rub all accessible surfaces either with a soft brush or
with your hands.
7- Peel your onions and chop them. Chop some peppers. Store
them in the fridge in separate containers.
8- Do the same with your various salad vegetables: radishes, carrots,

cucumbers, etc. A food processor comes in handy here, but it can
be done with a knife too (practice makes perfect, and perfect is
pretty quick!) Throw them all together in a big plastic container and
store them in the fridge.
9- Potatoes should be cooked by now. Drain the water and put

them in a container to let them cool (don't burn yourself!) Put some
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water back into this pan and set it to boil: when it does, throw in
the pasta.
10- When your pasta is cooked, drain it.
Almost done! The remaining step is to store the food.
Storing
Now that everything is cooked, we'll need to store the food, but not
any ol' way. You'll need to let everything cool down first, otherwise
the food that goes into the freezer will have a tendency to get floury
and mushy when you'll de-freeze it. Place your food in several small
containers, ideally one or two servings per container, instead of one
big one. That way, you can take out only what you need at any
given time, as you need it. Empty 250 grams cottage cheese
containers are great for this, and will allow you to pack about 1
serving of food. Leave a few servings in the fridge for the next
couple of days, and put the rest in the freezer. If you want to be
picky, pasta, rice and potatoes should be measured at about a half
cup, and meat at about 2/3 of a cup.
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WELCOME TO NEANDERTHAL NUTRITION!
MAY I TAKE YOUR ORDER?
At last! The step many were waiting for. In the following pages you
will find quite a few quick and easy to prepare recipes that should
help you answer the eternal "What are we eating?" that drives mums
crazy.
Keep a head of lettuce (ideally make it Romaine lettuce) in the

fridge. With most meals, chip off a couple of leaves and throw in a
handful or two of the vegetable mix you did earlier. With a little
light salad dressing (better yet: balsamic vinegar and some olive oil)
you'll be able to make yourself pretty decent, vitamin and minerals
packed, fiber rich salads daily, and very quickly at that.
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About Ratios and Quantities
What seems like too little for someone may seem like a lot for
someone else. Don't go believe that those general guidelines are
tailor-made for everyone, BUT, for the needs of most moderatly
active people, try to keep an equal ratio of protein to carbohydrates
for all your meals. Again, for the sake of simplicity:
1 portion of carb: 1/2 cup of rice, pasta or potato; 1 slice of bread,

1 pita; 1 tortilla.
1 portion of protein: 2/3 cup of lean meat. A cup of uncooked egg

whites, an ounce of cheese.
Again, keep your goal in mind. As mentioned earlier, the amount of

carbs that you consume should reflect your level of activity. If you
are into physical performance, you should increase your carbs
slightly (2/3 cup or about). If you are VERY physically active
(marathon runner, etc.) you can double your carb intake.
If, however, you are training to lose weight and maintain your
muscles but don't do much more activity than that, you can go by
the general rules outlined therein.
Lastly, if you have a lot of bodyfat to lose, or if you gain fat easily,
you can start with the guidelines given here, and see what happens.
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You "should" lose fat (since your weight is probably the result of
foodstuff not recommended here, combined with lack of physical
activity). If not, try reducing slightly your carb intake.
There is no such thing as eating too much salad vegetables, so

indulge at will. The more the better (within reason). 2 nice, big
salads a day is a pretty good start!
About Dressings
There is a limit to the amount of dressing you can "safely"

consume. Since they're usually made with sugar and/or fats, they
can easily supply a lot of the wrong kind of calories. Here are a few
suggestions.
- 113 -
GO EASY WITH: GO MORE FREELY WITH:
Ketchup Pickled beets, onions, etc.

Sweet Relish Salsa
BBQ sauce Light "clear" salad dressing
Light "creamy" salad dressing Mustard
About Seasonings
Like dressings, they aren't necessary but greatly enhance the taste of
the food. The difference with dressings is that they don't supply
much calories at all. They can be, however, loaded with salt, so
moderation is still key here. Also, only small quantities are needed,
so they can be used relatively freely (save the salty ones).
"Liquid spices"
Worcestershire sauce, tabasco, soy sauce, vinegar (balsamic, etc.)
"Dry spices"
Garlic, basil, chili powder, curry, oregano, pepper, parsley...
- 114 -
Other Tips
- I have purposely avoided the subject of food supplements as

supplementation is not the subject of this booklet, nutrition is. It is
true that milk that has been lactose reduced, vaporized, dried up,
powdered and flavored is not the most "unrefined" foodstuff there
is, but if you have the choice between one such protein shake and a
half dozen glazed donuts, the pick is easy. Very decent protein
shakes are available nowadays and can be pretty convenient when
traveling or when time is really short (even for those with a week's
worth of food already prepared!)
- Even with all this food already prepared: prepare in advance! It's
too easy to take 5 to 10 minutes the night before and prepare meals
for the coming day. That way you won't have to rush in the
morning (as is the case with most people.) The next day, all you'll
have to do will be to grab your thermos bag and leave for school or
work (I suggest getting dressed first however.)
Another bonus of this is that the food will taste better! You
probably already noticed how sometimes re-heated dishes taste a bit
better than when they were just prepared, as if the various
ingredients "shared" their respective flavors, making the meal taste
richer. This is particularly true for beans since their taste is rather
bland and a bit hard to cover.
- 115 -
- Marinate meats, even if they're already cooked. Cover them with
some light salad dressing, tomato sauce with balsamic vinegar or
some other dressing (lemon juice, hot mustard, etc.) The meat will
absorb some flavor.
- You know that tuna is an excellent food but you can't stand the
taste nor the smell of the canned variety? No problems: here's a
little trick that will make the smell and the taste vanish. Simply boil
it for about 2 minutes, then drain it and let cool or rinse it with cold
water. You'll end up with extra lean protein that's almost tasteless
and odorless.
- 0% Cottage cheese is great with almost any recipes.
- For a lean "mayonnaise", mix some plain yogurts, garlic powder, a

few drops of vinegar and a little sugar. You'll be surprised with the
taste, and it can be used with about any recipes.
- For cooked meats, always choose roasted meat over fried meat. If
you absolutely need to cook your meat in a frying pan and don't
have the non-stick kind, use a little cooking spray.
- 116 -
RECIPIES
You are now ready to make any of the following recipes in 5

minutes or less! You'll quickly discover that with a little imagination,
you'll come up with a whole array of your own recipes, and you'll be
able to make up your own varied menu containing very tasty,
healthy meals, even if your grocery list doesn't contain cream
cheese, chocolate spread, hot dog sausages or the like.
1- Chicken Fajita
Chicken
Tortilla
Sweet peppers
Onions
Tomato sauce
OPTIONAL : Cheese, hot peppers, lemon juice
Cut all ingredients in strips, heat and place in a tortilla.
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2- Soup Chicken & Noodles
Chicken
Pasta
Sweet peppers
Onions
OPTIONAL : Chicken broth.
Finely dice all ingredients and put them in a bowl of water. Heat in
microwave.
3- Chicken Cajun
Chicken
Rice
Tomato paste
Chili powder
OPTIONAL : Hot peppers
Dice chicken. Heat ingredients in a pan.
4- Chicken Sauce Potato

Chicken breast (shredded)
Onions
Chicken broth
Potato
Mix chicken, onions and chicken broth in a frying pan. Place on a
sliced potato.
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5- Chicken Creole
Onions
Canned tomatoes
Rice
OPTIONAL : Chili powder
Mix ingredients in a pan and heat.
6- Chicken Marinara Pasta

Canned tomatoes
Tomato sauce
Pasta
OPTIONAL : Oregano, basil and garlic
Mix ingredients in a boiling pan, pour over hot pasta.
7- Chicken Sandwich
Onions
Pita
OPTIONAL : Vegetables, salad dressing
Place ingredients in pita.
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8- Chicken & Tomato Rice
Onions
Canned tomatoes
Rice
OPTIONAL: Cayenne pepper, garlic
Mix ingredients in a boiling pan and heat.
9- Chicken & Fries

Chicken breast
Potato
Slice potato in strips and place on cookie tray. Broil in oven until
brown.
10- Sloppy Joe Chicken Pita

Chicken breasts (shredded)
Onions
Tomato sauce
Pita
OPTIONAL: Chili powder, hot peppers
Mix chicken, onions and tomato sauce in a pan (along with spices)
Heat and place in pita.
- 120 -
11- Chicken Burrito
Onions
Hot peppers
Tortilla
OPTIONAL : low fat cheese
Heat ingredients and place in tortilla.
12- Italian Chicken & Potato

Chicken breast
Potato
Italian dressing
Marinate chicken and potato in dressing for about an hour. Heat.
13- Chicken & Rice Soup

Onions
Rice
Chicken broth
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14- Spanish Rice & Chicken
Rice
Canned tomatoes
OPTIONAL: Chili powder
Mix ingredients and heat in a pan.
15- Hot Pepper Chicken Stew

Onions
Potato
Hot pepper
Chicken broth
16- Pasta & chicken salad

Pasta
Onions
OPTIONAL : Dressing and vegetables
Mix ingredients in a bowl.
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17- Chicken paprika
Onions
Tomato sauce
Rice
Paprika
Heat ingredients and serve on rice.
18- Egg & Chicken Soup

Chicken broth
Egg whites (in carton)
OPTIONAL: Onions
Bring broth to a boil, pour in egg whites white stirring vigorously.
Add chicken.
19- Chicken & potato casserole

Potato
Onions
Chicken broth
Heat ingredients in a pan.
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20- Sauteed Chicken Pita
Potato
Onions
Pita
Heat ingredients in a pan and place in pita.
21- Spanish Omelette

Onions
Canned tomatoes
Tomato sauce
Egg whites
Pour egg whites frying pan and cook as an omelette. Add other
ingredients and fold.
22- Chicken Casserole

Onions
Canned tomatoes
Rice
OPTIONAL : Cayenne peppers, garlic
Mix ingredients in pan and heat.
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23- Chicken Enchiladas
Onions
Hot peppers
Tortillas
OPTIONAL : Low fat cheese
Place ingredients in tortilla, then roll and eat.
24- Spicy Chicken Dish

Onions
Potato
Pasta
Canned tomatoes
Chicken broth
Cayenne pepper
25- Potato and Sauce

Onions
Canned tomatoes
Tomato sauce
Potato
Mix ingredients and pour over a baked potato
(4 minutes in microwave), sliced and opened.
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26- Garden Chicken Soup
Dehydrated vegetables
Rice
OPTIONAL: Vegetable broth
Place ingredients in water and bring to a boil. Add shredded
chicken.
27- Simply Chicken & Rice

Chicken
Rice
OPTIONAL: Basil, Olive oil
Mix ingredients.
28- Turbo Chicken and Beans Salad

Chicken
Beans
Light dressing to taste
Mix ingredients.
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29- Pepper Lemon Chicken
Chicken
Rice
Lemon juice
Pepper
OPTIONAL: Garlic
Place ingredients in as small a container as possible and leave in
fridge overnight. Heat in pan the next day.
30- Mediteranean Chicken

Chicken
Pasta
Diced Tomatoes (canned)
Diced onions
OPTIONAL: Pesto, garlic, olive oil
Mix ingredients in a pan.
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BEEF
1- Meat loaf
Ground beef
Potatoes
2 egg whites
Onions
Tomato sauce
OPTIONAL : Worcestershire sauce, pepper.
Dice potatoes and mix all ingredients and make into a loaf in a
Pyrex pan. Cook in oven until eggs are cooked.
2- Steak-Fries
Ground beef
Potatoes
OPTIONAL : Ketchup (better : Tomato sauce)
Slice cooked potatoes in strips, put them on a cookie tray and put in
oven until golden. Eat with steak.
3- Pasta sauce with meat

Ground beef
Pasta
Tomato sauce
Tomato paste
Sweet peppers
Onions
OPTIONAL : Basil, Parsley.
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Cook onions and parsley in frying pan. Add other ingredients.
4- Pasta With Meat Sauce

Ground Beef
Onions
Sweet Pepper
Canned tomatoes
Tomato sauce
Pasta
OPTIONAL : Oregano, basil, garlic
Mix tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef and spices and pour over pasta.
5- Country Pie
Ground Beef
Potato
Sweet pepper
Onions
Diced tomatoes (canned)
Low-fat cheese
Place ingredients in a microwaveable pan, in layers in the order in
which they appear above (meat at the bottom, cheese on top). Heat
until cheese is melted.
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6- Chili
Ground beef
Kidney beans
Tomato paste
OPTIONAL: Chili powder, cayenne pepper.
Mix ingredients in pan and heat.
EGGS
1- Egg sandwich
Hard boiled egg (1 yolk for 5 whites)
Sweet peppers
Onions
Pita bread
OPTIONAL : light mayonnaise (better : the one described earlier)
Dice sweet peppers and onions. Put ingredients in pita bread.
2- Hen’s Burrito
Egg whites
Tortilla
Onions
Hot peppers
OPTIONAL : Chili powder.
Slightly cook onions. Add in egg whites and stir. Put in tortilla.
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3- Huevos Picantes
Egg whites
Rice
Hot peppers
OPTIONAL : Tabasco
Cook egg whites in a pan while stirring. Add rice and hot peppers.
4- Egg Dish
Potatoes
Egg whites
Onions
Tomato sauce
Mix ingredients in pan until eggs are cooked and cover with tomato
sauce.
5- Egg Enchilada
Egg whites
Tortilla
Salsa
Low fat cheese
Cook eggs while stirring lightly. Put ingredients in tortilla.
6- Garden Omelette
Egg whites (1 yolk)
Mix of varied vegetables, diced.
Cook ingredients in pan. Flip to cook evenly on other side.
- 131 -
7- Egg Dip
Pita
Egg whites
Salsa
Hot peppers
Diced onions
Broil pita in oven until crispy. Cook eggs and mash. Add other
ingredients.
TUNA
1- Tuna Giovanni
Tuna
Pasta
Tomato sauce
OPTIONAL : Olive oil, basil, parsley.
Mix ingredients.
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2- Pepper Tuna on Bed of Rice
Tuna
Rice
Hot peppers
Sweet peppers
OPTIONAL : Lemon juice
Mix tuna and peppers and place on rice.
3- Pasta and Tuna Salad

Pasta
Onion
OPTIONAL : Light Italian salad dressing or light mayonnaise.
Mix ingredients in a salad bowl.
4- Tuna Burrito
Tuna
Onions
Hot peppers
Tortilla
OPTIONAL : Low-fat mayonnaise, low-fat cheese
Heat ingredients in pan and pour over tortilla.
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5- Tuna and Rice Casserole
Tuna
Rice
Onions
Optional : low-fat mayonnaise
Mix ingredient in pan and heat.
6- Tuna & Pasta Salad

Tuna
Onions
Pasta
OPTIONAL : Vegetables, low-fat Italian dressing or mayonnaise.
Mix ingredients in salad bowl.
7- Tuna Sandwich
Tuna
Onions
Pita
OPTIONAL: Low-fat mayonnaise
Place ingredients in pita bread.
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8- Tuna on Rice and Pepper Bed
Tuna
Rice
Hot peppers
Sweet peppers
Put tuna on rice and peppers.
9- Tuna patty
Tuna
Potato
Onion
Egg white
OPTIONAL: pepper, parsley
Mix ingredients and make into patties. Cook on both sides in pan.
10- Akino Tuna

Tuna
Tortilla
Onions
Mustard
OPTIONAL: Low-fat mayonnaise
Mix ingredients. Place in tortilla.
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11- Tuna & Beans
Tuna
Beans
OPTIONAL: Olive oil
Heat in pan while stirring.
12- Sweet & Sour Tuna

Tuna
Pita
Onions
Celery
Mustard
OPTIONAL: Lemon juice, artificial sweetener
Mix ingredients and place in pita.
13- Texan Tuna

Tuna
Tortilla
Onions
BBQ sauce
Mix ingredients and place in tortilla.
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14- Roma Tuna
Tuna
Pasta
OPTIONAL: Olive oil
Heat ingredients in pan.
15- Atlantic Fried Rice

Tuna
Egg (1 whole)
Rice
Diced onions
Mix ingredients, except tuna. Spray non-fat cooking spray in pan
and heat ingredients while stirring often, until the egg is almost
cooked. Add tuna and finish cooking.
16- Tuna Fiesta

Tuna
Potato
Onions
Hot peppers
OPTIONAL: Lemon juice
Mix ingredients.
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CHEESE
1- Cheese Mexican sandwich

Cheese
Tortilla
Hot peppers
Onions
OPTIONAL : Tomato sauce
Put ingredients in tortilla and microwave until cheese has melted.
Careful : it’s hot!
2- Amino Fruit Salad

Cottage cheese
Diced fruits
OPTIONAL : Artificial sweetener to taste
Mix ingredients in a bowl.
3- Country Salad
Cheese
Salad (various vegetables)
OPTIONAL : Light salad dressing
Dice cheese and mix with other ingredients.
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4- Potato Dressing
Potato
Cottage cheese
Spices (to taste: parsley, oregano, basil...)
OPTIONAL: Lemon juice
Mix ingredients, serve on cooked, sliced open potato.
5- Cottage Cheese Pasta

Cottage cheese
Pasta
OPTIONAL : Basil, garlic and olive oil
Mix and heat. Place on pasta.
6- Turbo Yogurt
Cottage cheese
Yogurt
Diced fruits
OPTIONAL : Artificial sweetener
Mix ingredients.
7- Fruit Dip
Cottage cheese
Diced fruits
OPTIONAL: Vanilla, cinnamon and artificial sweetener.
Mix cottage cheese in blender, dip on fruit pieces.
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8- Lasagna
Cottage Cheese
Pasta
Ground beef
Tomato sauce
OPTIONAL: Low-fat cheese, spaghetti spices
Place pre-cooked ingredients in layers in over suitable pan.
9- Cottage Pancakes
Eggs
Cottage cheese
Oatmeal
OPTIONAL: cinnamon, vanilla
Mix ingredients in blender (in that order) until texture is smooth.
10- Nachos
Cottage cheese
Ground beef
Tortilla
Sweet peppers
Onions
OPTIONAL: Tomato sauce.
Place tortilla in over. Mix cottage cheese and tomato sauce in
blender. When tortilla is crispy, break it into pieces and pour
cottage cheese mix over it. Add other ingredients.
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11- Cheese Chocolate
Cottage cheese
Cacao
Artificial sweetener
OPTIONAL: Vanilla, ground nuts
Mix with hand mixer.
12- Cotta-jell
Sugarless Jell-O
Cottage cheese
Mix equal part of either with a fork.
13- Indu Cottage

Cottage cheese
Beans
Shredded spinach
OPTIONAL: Curry, garlic, pepper
Mix ingredients and heat in microwave.
14- Cottage Desert

Cottage cheese
Apples, diced (as finely as possible)
OPTIONAL: Artificial sweetener, cinnamon
Mix ingredients.
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15- Tapioca Pudding
Cottage Cheese
Vanilla
Artificial sweetener
OPTIONAL: Field berries
Mix fruits in blender. Add other ingredients, mix with fork.
16- Bruschettas
Low fat cheese, grated
Pita
Diced tomatoes, canned
OPTIONAL: Parsley, basil, olive oil.
Mix tomatoes and spices, place on tortilla, ad grated cheese. Grill.
MIXED PROTEIN SOURCES
1- Chicken Omelette Tortilla

Egg whites
Onions
Hot peppers
Tortillas
Cook eggs and place in tortilla. Mix other ingredients and place on
eggs. Roll.
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2- Hot Chicken Omelette
Hot peppers
Onions
Tomato sauce
Brown onions and chicken. Pour in egg whites. Place omelette in
plate, pour some tomato sauce.
3- Olé Chicken
Eggs
Onions
Tomato sauce
Tortilla
OPTIONAL: Chili powder
Brown chicken and onions. Beat eggs and pour over chicken,
without stirring, until eggs are cooked. Flip over with spatula, add
grated cheese until melted. Place on tortilla.
4- Calypso Eggs
Cottage cheese
Egg whites
Beans
Sweet peppers
Onions
- 143 -
OPTIONAL: Pepper or Tabasco sauce, brown onions and peppers.
Mix other ingredients with hand mixer and cook with onions and
pepper.
5- Egg Casserole
Egg whites (1 or 2 yolks)
Cottage cheese
Rice
Mix and cook in pan.
6- Presto Breakfast
Oatmeal
Eggs
Mix eggs and oatmeal and cook in pan. Flip over, ad grated cheese
until melted.
7- Oriental Eggs
Eggs
Tuna
Rice
OPTIONAL : Soy sauce
Mix eggs and tuna and cook while stirring. Place on rice.
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8- Amino Shreddy
Hard boiled eggs
Beans
Vegetables
OPTIONAL: Ultra light mayonnaise
Shred all ingredients. Mix.
The Fitness and Nutrition parts of the book are written by

Simon Lacouline.
Simon has pursued University studies in Kinesiology and has been

working in this field since 1991, for major health clubs and gym
chains at first, as a trainer as much as a manager. In 2000 he
launched his own fitness consultation and training business, buying
his own gym equipment. In January 2005, having always had an
interest in publishing and graphic arts, he has co-launched and
developed Drako Medias and it’s numerous networks in various
fields.
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- 146 -
The Mind of a Knight
Mental development is every bit as important as physical. The traits

of clarity and discipline can carry over into all areas of life. In
martial arts, one needs to cultivate discipline to maintain a calm
mind when faced with danger. When your mind is unbalanced, your
body becomes unbalanced. The opposite is not necessarily so.
When you have this calm mind, you can see the attacks coming in,
you can move more efficiently. Even if you have perfect technique
and timing, when your mind is unbalanced, your technique will fall
apart.
When you are seeking to develop your physical or spiritual power,

you need to have discipline, or else you're severely limiting your
growth. With a lack of discipline in physical training, you will not
push yourself to grow. In spiritual training, you will stop doing
"boring" or "simple" exercises, cheating yourself of the
development those practices offer.
When faced with uncomfortable situations, we call upon our mental

strength to see clearly, to solve the problem, to evaluate our
options. When our mind is clear, without doubts, or fear, all of our
actions will be more focused, powerful, and effective.
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Mental clarity is a key to spiritual practice. You cannot have a stray
thought in mind, or you will be robbing your operation of its
power. Some spiritual practices invoke powerful forces, and a lack
of focus is a disservice to these mighty forces, sometimes with
negative results.
When you begin to cultivate these wonderful qualities of the mind,

your workouts will be more beneficial, your operations will be more
powerful, and your day to day life will be easier to handle with
comfort and grace. Mental training is also a tremendously healthy
practice. It will greatly reduce, and possibly eliminate stress. In
today's go-go-go world, we all could use less of that.
When you lack training, on any level, it drags down your

development in all fields. If your body is sick, it will be mentally
draining, rob you of focus. If your body is weak, it will cut out a
valuable avenue to develop discipline, coordination, and confidence.
When you lack mental training, your physical actions will easily be
unbalanced, your spiritual efforts will lack effectiveness (i.e.: your
meditations will be less profound, you will waste more time trying
to stay on task). When spiritual training is ignored, you miss out on
your intimate connection with the world around you, the upper
limits of your development of other fields is restricted.
On the opposite side, when you are developed on all levels, in

harmony, you can begin to tap into your extraordinary potential.
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When your body is strong and healthy, you are more confident,
your energy is not drained by the efforts of healing. When your
mind is focused and clear, your physical training can be more
productive, and your spiritual efforts become more powerful. When
you have developed a level of spiritual depth, you will be in touch
with levels of wisdom and might that otherwise would have been
out of reach.
It is also vitally important to develop your knowledge. The more

knowledge you have that can be applied, the more powerful you
become. The more skills you have developed to a higher level, the
more valuable you become to the community. I'm not saying you
need to be everyone's Mr. Fix-it, however, being able to fix a car
when you break down, knowing how to administer first aid, how to
tell which plants are poisonous to eat, and other skills could prove
life-saving. You're not always able to rely on someone else, so it is
important to have at least basic level skills in a lot of areas.
However, when you know too little, you can do more harm than
good, so make sure your information is well founded before you
apply it.
Knowledge is nothing if not practical, practical knowledge is

worthless if not applied. This is another key to power. Seek
knowledge in your fields of interest, it will give you power. Even if
you never have the occasion to use a certain skill set, or knowledge,
you can have conversation about it, if done in a non-bragging way,
you can give your guests a favorable impression of you.
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Comprehension is a key. Did you ever read a book and come across
a word you don't know? Did you ever hear a song lyric you don't
understand? Understanding information that is being conveyed to
you will help you get more out of it. It will make life and
communication much richer. You'll be able to express yourself, and
perceive expression on a much deeper level.
Memory retention is important. We've all forgotten a name,

directions, what have you. But without memory retention, your
knowledge will fade, especially without use. Some people naturally
have a great memory, others can only remember things of interest,
and some others still have a hard time recalling the previous day.
This is fine, wherever you're at, training mental clarity can help with
this. However practicing memory games can quickly build this area.
Take a deck of cards. Lay each card face down, flat on a table.
Shuffle their order. Then pick two, flip them over and try and get a
match (two aces, for example). If you don't match, flip them back,
face down. Keep going, and try to remember where the previous
cards are located. This can be frustrating, but little games like this
can boost your recollection greatly.
Mental training is a valuable, often neglected part of self-

development. Do not think it is a waste; it is a key to unlocking
your potential. Do not judge yourself with the level of knowledge,
memory or mental abilities you have. Accept yourself as you are
now, and work your way to learn how to better use your mind.
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Mental Training
The following is a series of exercises to train your mind. Do all of

these at least once, to understand their principles. If you wish to
attain good results, you should do these often, until you can observe
results clearly.
#1 To start, you need a small white object, preferably a rock (up to

an inch in size) and a square black cloth, no larger than a standard
sized wash cloth. Place the object in the center of the cloth. Next,
stare at the white object, trying to keep your eyes from blinking or
roaming about the cloth. Just relax, breathe normally, and look at
the object in the center. If you catch yourself thinking, just label it
as "thinking", try to clear your mind, and go back to focusing on the
white object. If you can stare unblinking for 3 minutes or more,
you're making excellent progress. The purpose of this drill is to
develop the ability to focus your mind on a single thing, and to be
able to direct your thoughts without distractions.
#2 This technique builds discipline. Simply move your back up

against a wall, and slide down until your thighs are parallel with the
floor. Cross your arms over your chest, breath naturally and relax.
While being a great physical exercise, this is also a good way to
develop discipline. Combine with focusing on your white pebble.
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#3 For this exercise you need to find a trail where you will be able
to safely walk for a good distance without risk of injury. (Example,
do not do this in the city where you could walk into a person or
traffic). Relax your gaze, breathe naturally. Stare towards the
horizon. Now, just walk. Do your best not to let your eyes focus on
anything. Just relax, take an un-focused wide-angle of vision. As you
walk, simply try to be aware of the world around you, without
thinking, or focusing your vision.
#4 You can practice this while you get things done around your
house/office. If you're cleaning, or straightening things, this is
perfect for this exercise. Relax, and breathe deeply. Count your
breaths from 1-108, and then backwards. This should take awhile if
you are breathing deeply. If you lose count, don't worry about it,
just simply restart the exercise. This will stimulate concentration on
multiple tasks.
#5 To get used to stressful or chaotic situations, one must break

routine. If you brush your teeth with your right hand, use your left.
If you take a certain route home from work, take another (don't get
lost.) If you always put your clothes on in a certain order, change
the order. If you always eat the main dish, then one side dish,
followed by another, eat them simultaneously. By breaking routine
like this, you will more easily be able to deal with stressful or
extraordinary situations. This will allow you to remain more calm
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and flexible in life. Change makes the mind uncomfortable, so this
drill is designed to make change a comfortable part of life.
#6 For this drill, you will need to go to a public place. Perhaps a

mall. Then, pick a trait, perhaps "green eyes" or a certain type of
sneakers. Walk around, with wide angled vision, and try to spot
these things. It is important that you are discreet. Don't bother
people. If you stare at others, it will make them uncomfortable, or
make you seem suspicious. That's not what we're shooting for. This
will develop awareness, and observation skills. A slightly more
advanced version (after the previous is no challenge) you can look
for quirks in body language. Some people slouch their shoulders
when they walk, some people look upwards while they walk.
Practice, but above all, be courteous.
#7 Advanced concentration. The goal of concentration is not really

to focus on something, but to eventually to be able to stop focusing
on anything at all, which is the great ordeal of such an undertaking.
Obviously, the first step is to develop your concentration on a

single thought. Set yourself in a relaxed position, so that you can
focus on a single idea, and set your eyes on a single simple item that
will not be likely to trigger more thoughts; like a pebble or a crack
on the floor. Calm your mind so to remain mentally unwavering for
at least 10 seconds. Once you achieve a few series of focused 10
seconds, try with longer periods. Your mind might fight with the
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process at first. In fact, not only is it inevitable, but it is also healthy
for your mind to have time to clear itself out.
When you achieve focused thought and focused gaze, drop the
thought process completely and try to lose yourself in a gaze.
During this process, start by paying attention to what your
consciousness is, as abstract as it can be, and then drop the thought
of it progressively so to transcend in an open-eyed gazing
meditation.
Recognizing the truth
Truth, honesty, integrity. To recognize the truth, you must first

understand it. And as we will explain it, you'll understand that it is
hard to grasp. Truth refers to a state of mind, while honesty refers
to the communication of facts. Integrity refers to respect of self.
Truth, the philosophical truth, is beyond the physical reality of

facts. It is the absolute expression of what IS, both at a spiritual and
human level. It is a place without doubt, without darkness, where
there is no communication between two parties. It rather is a
completeness, a communion. Recognizing the truth has nothing to
do with affirming actual facts, confirming physical events. It is the
recognition that we are "all", that we are everything, that we ARE.
- 154 -
Down to earth, recognizing the truth means that we accept every
possible aspect of the human existence as a part of us, as a
possibility, and not necessarily as an actual fact. You must not judge
what is Truth. If you can say to yourself "I am a liar, I am
egocentric", then you are in truth. It does not mean that you lied,
right now, about a particular subject, but that you recognize the
truth. If you lied only once in your lifetime, you are a liar. You must
also be able to accept that you are honest, since you told the truth at
least once in your lifetime. If you lacked charity and goodness at
least once in your lifetime, you are egocentric. Of course, you are
also charitable and kind if you helped out someone for free at least
once. Without actually hurting anyone, can you recognize that "I am
a killer"? Again, do not judge truth. Truth is everything. You might
have killed a living creature in your life.
If someone asks you if you just told the truth, don't answer "I am a
liar" if you did not lie. Truth has nothing to do with what others
perceive of you. In truth, we both know that you are a liar, and it
only concerns your personal open mindedness towards your own
acceptance of self as a whole. In the same line of thought, we also
know you are honest. To answer someone with honesty or not, if
you told the truth or lied, concerns your integrity and does not
mean you should tell the truth, but rather respect yourself. Usually,
telling the truth is encouraged.
With each truth follows a manifestation in each plane of existence.

A truth brings up a thought; a truth brings up an emotion. It might
- 155 -
motivate action, but we will look at the emotional aspect for now.
With a calm deep breath, remember that you are a thief, and feel
what emotion it awakens. Recall from your past events where you
stole things, time or space. Take your time to think about it, and
feel the emotion rising up. Don't go playing a victim game here
because this kind of practice will inevitably bring up emotions of
guilt. However, don't think you are invulnerable to stealing.
Recognize the truth and feel what you are. Accept the emotions
linked to your Truth.
Once you felt, once you are aware and conscious, forgive yourself
and admit that you are a thief. There is a space that will liberate
within you when the guilt smoothly dissolves, while you breathe
softly. After taking a few minutes to elevate the emotion, fill this
space with joy and compassion, the fruit of forgiveness. This will
not change that you are a thief, but it will fill the hole where guilt
took place before. You are what you are, recognize the truth.
If you react strongly towards this practice, then you need to develop
humility and open your mind. Smoothen your heart and accept all
that you can possibly be. Expand the limits of your perception of
self. The stronger you react to a truth about yourself, the deeper
you are in bullshitting yourself away from truth. You cannot be
complete while you flee emotions deep with yourself. You cannot
go further without accepting the truth that you are everything.
- 156 -
After you finish one step of the process, take time to remember that
you are honest, kind, charitable, happy, young, relaxed, and joyful.
If you find it difficult to accept your positive truth after this
exercise, you are playing a game of "victim" (O, poor you). Be
humble and accept your virtuous beauty, without transforming this
acceptance into vanity.
Do the same with lying, being arrogant, hypocrite, aggressive,

pretentious, egocentric,…
1- Think about a truth

2- Call back some clear memories or faded impressions from the
past
3- Feel the emotion, breathe the emotion
4- Forgive yourself with compassion
5- Uplift yourself with your beautiful truth
Repeat this experience often, so that you will deepen your

sensibility to perceiving the truth, rather than perceiving the simple
facts of coincidental events of life. With time, you will not perceive
good and evil, beauty and ugliness, but simple consecutive
experiences of life. Be happy simply because you live. You are not
great because of what you did, or bad because of what you did. You
are great simply because you live.
The goal is to be conscious. Be aware, focused, honest with

yourself, and recognize the truth. Forgive yourself your mistakes,
- 157 -
since you are here to experiment. You can be sorry for a while,
then, you have to take command of your emotional life and be
happy, while still being aware of the depths of your human
experience.
Observing the volcano
Anger plays a big part in our reactions towards other people, our
environment, and our own life. As we awaken the energies of
power within our body, and as we unveil the hidden abilities of our
subconscious mind, we will be more tempted to become angry.
Therefore, it is important to understand anger and to master it.
Master your anger and you will be able develop yourself quicker.
The emotion/energy of anger is exactly the same as joy. It comes

from the same source and goes in the same direction, but it simply
is not of the same emotional polarity. Anger and joy come from the
perineum, at the base of the spine, and it rises into our body to
produce an exterior reaction. As you gain self-confidence, you will
be more and more tempted to express your joy outwards, as well as
your anger. It is important to develop self-confidence, and it is also
important to be aware of the consequences and to master the way it
is expressed. Trust yourself, and remain aware of yourself.
- 158 -
Anger is a fire that rises into your body, to give you the moral and
physical power to defend yourself in case of attack. In the polarity
of Joy, it is a power that can feed your energy bodies to manifest
into exterior effects. It will give you more strength, more speed, and
faster reactions. It will enhance your occult practices. Anger will
most likely overwhelm you and bring upon yourself your own
defeat, causing you more pain.
Although it comes with pain from inside, anger is not to be let

loose; it must be mastered. Look at anger like a spring of lava
coming from the earth. It erupts like a volcano, and it takes great
courage to sit beside it and relax. But this is exactly what you should
do. Even if you are standing up, within yourself, sit on the ground,
right beside the lava river and contemplate it. Breathe deeply.
Contract your abdomen and relax it. Give further attention to the
moment your abdominal muscles release themselves in the
relaxation part. Notice how your body does it. The same way you
can relax your abdominal muscles, you will now relax your anger. It
will still be there, it will still be painful, but it will stop being active.
Relax your “anger muscle”. Relax the tension within you. Do not
try to become comfortable, because in this moment, you can’t be
comfortable. Just relax, sit by the lava river, and contemplate the
anger volcano erupting, without doing anything. Breathe deeply and
calmly. On the outside, make like if nothing was happening, in the
inside, know that it is happening and contemplate it.
- 159 -
By mastering this technique, you will be able to master the anger
within, and the power will be able to rise within you even more. It
will push some more anger and joy. Express your joy aloud, anyway
you wish, with respect for others. But you know what to do with
anger. Calmly, peacefully relax it.
Some people try to do this technique, but the only thing they do is
build up more and more anger within them, refraining its
expression and causing themselves damage on the physical and
nervous level. If you feel a buildup inside you, you are not relaxing
the anger, but only containing it. You should let it out without
hurting anyone including yourself, without breaking anything. Do
not keep it inside. You will know when you are successfully
contemplating the volcano. There won’t be anymore pressure
inside, even if there will be conflict and pain, and you will feel the
energy available from anger without the destructive aspect attached
to it.
The virtues of compassion and humility will help you master the
technique, and you will be able to raise your power level even more.
If you fail just once in this technique, you cannot pretend to be a
master, since you cannot even master yourself. Do not discourage
yourself, all masters were not born with complete control of their
emotions. The real war comes from within, the real power comes
from within, and the real Joy comes from within.
- 160 -
Resolving a problem
When facing a challenge in life, our human ego is always tempted to

react quickly according to a preset conditioning that promotes
conflict and failure. With time and practice, we can develop new
reflexes that are virtuous and focused on peaceful resolution and
mutual success. Although these positive reactions can register
quickly in our mental processes, at first it will take some patient
observation of our innate behaviors.
The first step is to learn how to refrain the instant destructive

reactions. We call this virtue Temperance. By temporarily stopping
the inner impulses that are strongly calling forth from within to
destroy all the people associated with the subject of conflict, and by
using an equal force to maintain a peaceful attitude, you are also
developing willpower, which will be very useful in the development
of your own inner power. While deep breathing is recommended,
you may also want to develop forgiveness and compassion.
As long as you keep the false thoughts that “I can’t forgive him” or
“it’s his fault, not mine”, you are fleeing your inner power. A
powerful master is one who can choose to forgive if he wishes to,
even the most outrageous offences. This virtue is called Justice and
reflects goodness of heart. It does not mean the other had the right
to oppress you, but it means that you are powerful enough to be in
charge of the situation, and that you have faith that all will be
- 161 -
resolved according to the Divine Justice. Faith is also a virtue to
develop. Know, deep within, that all will be fine.
There are three roles used by the human ego in a situation of

conflict, and they are usually used to attract attention. These are the
roles of persecutor, victim, and savior. The persecutor takes pride in
its superior but false strength, by oppressing the victim who seeks
attention, hoping to attract a savior, in this deceitful dance of the
human drama. Without the intervention of Virtue, only suffering
will come out as a result.
We recommend you stop playing the role of the victim when a

conflict occurs. Do not silently wish for the pity of others. Be
strong and assume your responsibility in every situation. Strength is
a virtue that will lead you out of any conflict, without anyone
getting hurt. Strength is the will to act according to the ways set by
Justice. In the same manner, you should stop playing the role of the
persecutor and you should not use Strength to oppress others. This
would only be the vice of anger and pride. Finally, do not play the
role of the savior when acting according to Justice. The role of the
savior only serves the human ego, seeking attention and credit for
the application of Justice. In most cases, the savior behaviors are
not done according to true Justice and serve only the vice of pride.
When facing a conflict, as you master your temper with

Temperance, process the situation with intelligence and seek the
solution that is right, according to Justice. Be humble enough to let
- 162 -
go of your end of the stick. Without kneeling before injustice, make
sure that it is not your own envy, avarice or gluttony inciting you to
act in any way. Once you have identified the true Justice in a
situation, express it and act according to it; but is it always the
wisest way to act? Another virtue is Prudence. Do not put yourself
in danger even if Justice would incite you to “take back that gun in
the hand of that thief!” Do everything you can to live long enough
to develop your virtues.
Many times, we would like to confront any and all injustice we see
around us, but that would only be pride, as virtue is not intended to
make you lose your wife or husband, your job, or even your life. Be
grateful for what you have, make sure to protect it, but be humble
enough to kneel before the events of life, and think twice before
you act, even when you feel you are accompanied by Justice and
Strength. In some cases, should you be developing the virtue of
Charity and Faith?
When you see fit to discuss a problem, do it with peace and all
parties should give a chance to each other to express their own
point of view. If a war is at hand, calculate if the possible casualties
are worth the fight. It is rare that Divine Truth will agree to any
kind of war, but it will always encourage the application of Justice.
- 163 -
- 164 -
The Spirit of a Knight
The spiritual training of a Mystic Knight is a long process that

cannot be covered in a single book. It sometimes is necessary to
meet a competent teacher that will be able to guide you on your
path. However, spiritual practices all have a few things in common,
and this will be outlined in the following pages.
The spiritual training of a Knight starts with the training of proper

air breathing, followed by the training on Qi breathing, or the
gathering of Qi, the energy that pervades the body. Once the Qi
flows in the body, more advanced practices will lead to the
development of spiritual abilities.
Normal and Reversed Breathing
Normal Breathing:
Normal Breathing is very different from the automatic breathing
cycle that keeps you alive when you are not thinking about
breathing. The reason is simple: no one really breathes correctly
without thinking about it. Most people take in only 11 ml of oxygen
per minute, far below the minimum oxygen your body needs to be
healthy. A Normal Breath is a healthy breath.
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An inhalation should fill your lungs almost completely without
straining your abdomen or diaphragm. The breath should naturally
fill your abdomen, without raising your upper torso. A deep breath
should not even make your upper ribs move. Place your hand over
your heart, where your ribs connect to your sternum, between your
solar plexus and your throat. Take a deep breath and feel to see if
your ribs are moving. If they do, you are filling your upper lungs
too much, and not enough air is getting to the bottom of your
lungs. Although it is impossible to keep your rib cage totally
immobile (which is not the objective) it should move as little as
possible without requiring too much effort.
When you exhale, let your abdomen rest until the air doesn’t come
out naturally anymore, and then pull your abdomen in slightly
without force. It won’t completely empty your lungs. If your ribs
are moving inward or downward too much, it means you had to lift
them upward when you inhaled, or that you filled the upper part of
your lungs too much.
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Breath in Breath out
Abdomen out Abdomen normal
Upper chest normal Upper chest normal
When you breathe normally, it is your abdomen that pushes out

slightly and pulls in slightly, (as you inhale and exhale). The
breathing cycle should not require excessive force, but it should fill
your lungs up to 80% of your maximum capacity. To fill your lungs
to 100% of their capacity requires effort, and it is not natural.
Breathing out with force and pulling in your abdomen slightly at the
end of the breath empties your lungs to 10% or 20% of their
capacity. Just as it is not healthy to fill your lungs to 100%, it is not
healthy to empty them completely; to empty your lungs totally
requires the application of more force than to bring them to a
natural state.
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To learn this for yourself, try filling your lungs completely (without
hurting yourself), while keeping your rib cage as immobile as
possible. Then, hold the air in for 10 seconds and breathe out
completely, holding your breath out for 10 seconds. Let all your
muscles relax and allow your body to breathe without influencing it,
while you think about the difference between these two ways of
breathing. Now, take in a Normal Breath, filling your lungs down to
your abdomen with only a slight effort. Hold the air in for 3
seconds, and then let it out without any other effort than a slight
pulling inward of your abdomen at the end of exhalation.
This is what is meant by a “Normal Breath”. Normal Breathing will

be used in all of the techniques that focus on the elevation of self,
such as meditation, mental and Spiritual training. The Reversed
Breath is used in physical development, to open the channels of
energy in your body and to enhance your ability to manifest your Qi
on the physical plane.
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Reversed Breathing
To clearly understand the principles of Reversed Breathing, you
must first practice accurate Normal Breathing. It is important to
keep your rib cage almost motionless while doing the Reversed
Breathing. You should also understand the principles of Jin, Qi and
Shen in order for this practice to be effective.
The Reversed Breathing cycle is used to concentrate or compress

your Qi in a way that will make it denser, compressing it, so it can
become available on the physical plane. It is used to produce Jin
from your Qi. When you compact the Qi, you will feel heat. This is
the Jin.
To clarify this for you, forget about the Normal Breathing method
for a moment and let yourself breathe instinctively. Imagine
yourself in a situation where you are very alert, perhaps needing to
defend yourself, thus requiring that you are ready for immediate
action. While closing your fists, take in a quick, deep breath without
thinking. Most people will notice that the abdomen automatically
pulls in when you are breathing in, and it pushes out slightly when
you exhale. Experiment a bit with this breathing.
When in Danger, the body automatically does a Reversed Breath,

getting ready to pour energy into physical action. The quick breath
mentioned above was only meant as an example. For the Reversed
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Breath method, the breath should be drawn in as smoothly as the
Normal Breath unless stated otherwise.
Breath in Breath out

Abdomen pulled in Abdomen let out
Upper chest normal Upper chest normal
When we are working with methods that focus on manifesting
physical phenomena, we will be doing Reversed Breathing. The
upper rib cage still doesn’t move, and you should still breathe slowly
and comfortably. As you breathe in, contract your abdomen, pulling
it in slightly. As you breathe out, release your abdominal muscles
completely, pushing out slightly at the end of the exhalation,
without force.
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Radial Qi Gathering method
Before you do anything that utilizes Qi, you must have Qi reserves
to work with. Working without reserves of Qi will deplete your own
life force, which should be avoided at all cost. Gathering Qi is quite
simple, and you can do it just about anywhere and anytime as long
as you aren’t doing something that requires concentration. For
example, don’t do this when you’re in a moving car. When you
gather Qi, you and everyone around you will get a little bit more
prone to lose their concentration. For example, everyone could get
sleepy, or hyper, or feel strange sensations in their body, especially
if they are not used to feeling Qi. Moreover, you will need to be
able to use your concentration for the visualizations that are
necessary to successfully gather, store, and move Qi. The energy
that you envision is real and it will follow your concentration. As
you visualize it traveling with your breath down to the area below
your navel, the Qi will be moved to your Dan-tian. When you
visualize compressing it in your Dan-tian, this too will actually
occur. You may use the pictures as a guide, and you will find it
useful to think of the energy you are moving as a white cloud which
flows like a stream wherever you direct it.
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Storing Qi in your Dan-tian
To reify this for you, place you palms on your Dan-tian, which is
just below your navel (fig. 1). Men should have their left palm
inside, touching their Dan-tian, with their right palm over their left.
Women should have their right palm inside, with their left palm
over their right. If you are standing, bend your knees slightly. If you
are sitting, try to keep your spine straight, and do not cross your
legs.
As you inhale, visualize white light

coming from all around you, penetrating
all the pores of your skin, flowing into
your body and filling your inner Dan-tian.
Remember that what you visualize is
actually occurring. As you exhale, all of
this white energy is condensed into a
concentrated ball of light in your inner
Dan-tian, in the middle of your body just
below the level of your navel. Gather Qi
by breathing normally, deeply, and calmly.
Take in Qi from all around you and
concentrate it in your inner Dan-tian.
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Active Gathering
Stand up, take a few Normal Breaths and relax. Slightly bend your
knees and begin.
As you breathe in, imagine a white light coming from above you,
which enters through the top of your head rather like a white wind,
descending in a continuous flow to your Dan-tian. Please refer to
(fig. 2) below. You may use this figure as guide for your
visualizations. As you breathe out, the energy remains in your lower
abdomen and becomes a ball of light. Take nine relaxed breaths,
absorbing Qi (the white light) from the area above your head. You
may find that you tighten the muscles of your abdomen and arms
when you try this for the first time. That is a normal reflex. Practice
using just your will to draw the energy down, while keeping your
muscles relaxed.
Fig. 2
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In the next exercise, you will draw energy into both hands, through
the trunk of your body, and down into the Dan tian. You will
inhale, and draw energy in through both hands simultaneously. To
do this, extend your arms out to your sides, with your palms facing
away from you; absorb the energy through the middle of your
palms, drawing the energy through your arms, the trunk of your
body, and down into your Dan-tian. Repeat this sequence, (inhale
and draw the energy down to the Dan-tian) nine times. Relax your
body and make this entire process as effortless as possible.
Next you will repeat this process with both of your feet, drawing
the wind-like energy up into the soles of your feet, and up through
your legs, directing the flow to your Dan-tian. When you have the
energy centered in your Dan-tian, visualize the white energy ball
growing stronger and stronger with each of the nine breaths.
Once you’ve taken nine breaths, while drawing the energy into your
Dan-tian through each of the 5 centers, (filling your abdomen from
the area above your head, and from both of your hands and feet),
you will proceed to draw energy through all 5 centers at the same
time, using all five entry points simultaneously, and filling your
Dan-tian with nine breaths of energy. (fig. 3)
Finish this exercise by placing your palms over your Dan-tian and
taking a few Normal Breaths. This will help to store the energy you
have gathered.
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Fig.3
- 175 -
Feeling the Flow of Qi
While your body is taking in oxygen and circulating it, it is also

naturally circulating bioelectric energy. This energy is used to
manage bodily functions and to sustain life. The calmer and more
smoothly this energy flows, the healthier we are and the more
clearly we think. Our emotions are influenced by this bioelectric
energy flow as well as by our hormones.
In the same way that we have learned to draw energy into the
Dan-tian by concentrating on our breathing and visualizing the
bioelectric energy as it follows our breath into our Solar Plexus, we
can also concentrate on our breathing and direct the bioelectricity in
other ways. For example, we can make this energy flow through our
body simply by desiring it to do so. When we wish to lift an arm, we
don’t need to know how the blood flows in the veins and the how
the neural energy stimulates the ADP of the muscle fibers to make
them contract… all we need to do is “will it” and the arm lifts. A
baby can lift its arm as well as a scientist. It only has to desire to do
so.
In order to cause this to occur according to your desires, you simply

need to imagine where the energy is and where you want it to go,
and the Qi will behave accordingly, following the motion of your
mental image. With time and practice, you will be able to feel this
movement of Qi as if it was a wind flowing through your body.
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Some people describe this as a feeling that water is flowing from the
source of the Qi to wherever they direct it. The traditional name
for the art of causing this energy to flow in accordance with your
desires is Qi Gong, meaning “the practice of moving Qi.”
Breathing will enhance the movement of Qi. Visualization alone

will also cause Qi to flow, but not enough to make your practice
truly efficient. In order for this practice to be truly effective, you
must breathe properly, mentally visualizing the flow, then you must
desire that the bioelectric energy move to the specified location.
This is similar to wanting to move your arm; you desire it and it
occurs, even though the rest of your body remains motionless. It is
an isolated action, affecting only that part of you that you desire to
move. Breathing normally is essential to the development of your
energy channels and to the use of Qi in its many applications. When
you breathe in, you are drawing energy into you, and when you
breathe out, that energy will flow to wherever you direct it. Clear
visualizations, proper breathing and the proper use of desire are
crucial to effective movement of the Qi.
It is important that you follow the basic training process outlined

here so you can correctly train your mind to visualize the good
energy moving according to your desires. We strongly recommend
that you never imagine any chaotic or disordered energy moving
through your body, because it might disturb your regular bodily
functions.
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A step by step approach is necessary to develop your mental ability
to control Qi in your body. As you acquire the necessary knowledge
and experience in the art of directing this energy flow, you will be
able to feel the effect of your training and understand the different
applications of Qi-Gong more quickly and more completely.
Technique for Learning to Sense Qi:

Once you’ve practiced the Gathering Qi method, your body has a
little more Qi than it normally does, and this makes it easier for you
to feel the Qi. Never do any Qi exercises without filling yourself up
with Qi beforehand, otherwise you could use up your basic life-
force or Bioelectric reserves and this can lead to undesirable side-
effects, such as fatigue or illness.
Take a few natural breaths. Put your right palm over your left arm
without touching it, maintaining at least a distance of one inch. You
will now use the Reversed Breathing technique. As you breathe in
and contract your abdomen a bit, fill your right hand with Qi by
imagining that your hand is filled with white light/wind. As you
breathe out, let your abdomen relax, visualize the Qi emanating
from your right hand to the surface of your left arm. Use your
will/desire as well as your imagination to achieve this effect. Move
your right hand over the skin surface as you begin to notice a light
sensation emanating directly from your right hand.
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Qi can trigger sensations of heat, cold, a windy sensation, a tickling,
or nothing at all when you are first trying this. After taking a few
breaths, and using your palm to emanate the Qi, try to emanate Qi
by pointing with your fingers. To do this, keep your right arm
straight and point the fingers of your left hand at your right arm,
moving your left hand over the fingers of your right arm and up to
the elbow, then very slowly back and forth while you continue
Reversed Breathing and the visualization. Eventually, you will feel
the Qi flowing.
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Small and Grand Circulation
The following is a limited summary of the Small and Grand

Circulation. There is an enormous amount of knowledge available
on this subject, and we recommend that you learn more about it
after you learn these basic practices.
There are two main passageways of Qi, and these run down the
middle of the front of your body and up the middle of your back.
The channel in front is called the “Conception Vessel”, and the one
in the back, along the spine, is called the “Governing Vessel”.
Small Circulation
We will use the Reversed Breath for this technique, as we visualize

white light flowing through your vessels. Figure 6 will help you
understand the trajectory for this visualization. Using the reverse
breathing, you will inhale once while you perform steps #1 to #4,
and then exhale at step 5.
Take a few Normal Breaths and relax.
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Begin your inhalation, and visualize white Qi emanating from your
inner Dan-tian. As you contract your abdomen, visualize the Qi
moving down into your Conception Vessel (#1). The Qi keeps
flowing gently down and under your groin as you contract your
sexual organs and your perineum (#2). The Qi flows back into the
coccyx and up as you contract the cheeks of your buttocks. (#3)
Next you complete the inhalation as the
Qi moves into your spine at the level of
your inner Dan-tian (#4). As you breathe
out, letting go of your abdomen, the Qi
moves back in your inner Dan-tian (#5).
Start with a few consecutive small

circulations and try to feel the Qi flowing.
It is recommended that you do nine
complete loops at a time, and then relax.
Perform these exercises slowly and
comfortably. Fig.6
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Grand Circulation
Using figure 7 as your visualization guide, complete one inhalation

while you perform steps #1 to #5. Exhale naturally, without
visualization.
Take a few Normal Breaths and relax.
As you begin your inhalation, contract your abdomen, and visualize

white Qi emanating from your inner Dan-tian and moving down
into your Conception Vessel at (#1). The Qi keeps flowing gently
down and under your body as you contract your sexual organs and
your perineum (#2). The Qi flows back into the coccyx and up your
back, as you contract the cheeks of your buttocks (#3). Keeping
your abdomen, perineum, and buttocks contracted, visualize the Qi
flowing up your back to the top of your head at (#4). Finish your
inhalation as the Qi starts moving back down your forehead and
nose (#5). As you breathe out, let go of all contractions, and the Qi
will naturally move back down the front of your body, through the
Conception Vessel, and down to the point at #1 again.
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Perform nine circulations at a time, then
relax. Always do these exercises slowly
and comfortably.
Fig.7
- 183 -
Implication
The concept of evolving quickly and easily is a common topic in

this “New Age”. Many people wish to develop tremendous power
while taking little responsibility for the consequences of their use of
that power. They want to invest very little time and energy, while
reaping huge rewards. It is possible for you to evolve very quickly, but
it is also necessary that you develop personal responsibility before
you achieve these gains. This cannot be avoided.
Value and a Fair Exchange

It is important to demonstrate your appreciation of the value in the
sacred knowledge that you will acquire here. You must learn how to
cherish this knowledge and understand that you must not give it
freely to someone who might then destroy or mutilate it. This
occult knowledge is too important to be treated as anything other
than your most precious possession. You must keep it for yourself,
and reveal it only when the seeker before you has shown signs of
understanding and respect. There is a Spiritual cost to revealing
occult secrets of great value to someone before they have shown
the mandatory respect. When a monk wanted to learn something
from his Master, he had to work hard all day, and bring some food
with him (to give the Master). Then, the Master would see that
there was a balance in the exchange, and he would reveal some
esoteric knowledge to the seeker. There must not be any abuse in
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this exchange. The exchange must be fair and balanced. You must
never destroy your life to acquire occult knowledge, but you surely
will not acquire any knowledge of great value without some kind of
effort and sacrifice.
You will develop great power only when you feel within yourself
that you value and cherish this sacred knowledge, and when you
behave in ways that will protect this knowledge. We call this attitude
the “Sense of the Sacred”. This “Sense of the Sacred” is a required
prerequisite to the achievement of the greatest power in any occult
system.
Time and Willpower

You will not develop any psychic powers by trying a method once
for five minutes. You will not even attain anything by trying some
technique for an hour, and then immediately quitting because of a
lack of results.
To develop great power, you must practice a minimum of five

minutes per day, every day of the week. Once a week, you must
practice for at least one full hour. Do something everyday, even a
simple salutation to your altar, but do it.
To evolve more quickly, you may practice the exercises twenty

minutes each day. All of those who have acted with determination
to make progress on their own Spiritual path have achieved some
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transformation and elevation from within, with this kind of
consistent effort. If nothing happens inside, you might not be
infusing yourself with a “Sacred” attitude, with respect for the value
of the knowledge you desire. Nonetheless, you should give yourself
time for the results to manifest in you.
Some very uncompromising students, who are very committed to

getting results, have used these techniques for thirty minutes every
day. After only a few months, these devoted students are feeling
intense flows of energy, getting results in their personal life, and
becoming aware of patterns in their behavior they had never
noticed before. In addition to these practices, the most
uncompromising students studied esoteric knowledge, kept a sacred
attitude, and took care of their bodies.
Gather your determination, and then do it. If you practice only five
minutes per day, everyday, you will get results.
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Karma and Dharma
We will not write an extensive essay about Karma and Dharma

here, since a lot of documentation is available on these subjects
elsewhere; Instead of a long diatribe, we will summarize the main
concepts and give you a daily exercise to practice for your own
personal growth.
Karma is the result or consequence of your past deeds. You get

from life what you put into it; you reap from the field in the fall
what you sowed as seed in the spring; you receive an eye for an eye.
Every action you take will result in a reaction in the Universe, and
that reaction will eventually rebound back to you (as Karmic
justice). To perceive your life on a Spiritual level, you must begin to
understand that any action you take, even those you took in a past
life, will reproduce itself in your life today in the form of a lesson
that may include a bit of suffering. These lessons occur so you
become more conscious of the need for compassion in your
relationships. Karma is therefore a tool to teach you whatever life-
lessons will most effectively help you evolve. Suffering is not
necessary in life, but we must accept it when it occurs because it is
designed to help us evolve. At the same time, while we must be
accepting of whatever trials come to us; at the same time we must
learn to free ourselves from negative Karma.
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Dharma is also a tool for learning and personal evolution.
Assuming you did not steal, murder or lie in another lifetime, your
Higher Self may still decide to experiment a bit, perhaps in order to
better understand life as a human being. To facilitate that
understanding, your Higher Self may create trials and events in your
life, so that the desired learning can take place. There is usually less
suffering in the lessons of Dharma than in the lessons of Karma;
sometimes there is no suffering at all.
Even though you are seeking personal evolution, you may have
suffered some trial or injustice that seems unbearable to you. When
this is the case you may wish to call upon the Great Justice of the
Universe to manifest itself in your life and the lives of those directly
around you. We are not talking about invoking simple human
justice here; rather we refer to calling on the Divine Justice that sets
experiences in place so that our Karma will be resolved, in order to
free the soul of its burden. If you believe you have suffered injustice
at the hands of another, you can call upon the Great Justice to set
things right. Then, the Great Justice will cause the occurrence of
events that will definitely force your aggressor into a lesson, to help
him relieve his soul of its Karmic burden.
On the outside, the “target” will probably seem to suffer, and the
events will appear to lead to the correction of the situation so that
you receive the justice you feel you were denied. It might even ruin
his/her life. In truth, these events are set up in a way that is
designed to relieve both of you of the Karma that probably binds
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you together, and this correction might even ruin your own life. If
the (named) aggressor is in the right, and it is you that is in the
wrong, then get ready to experience an unpleasant major lesson,
while the smiling face of your innocent companion mocks you.
High levels of compassion and forgiveness will also transmute your

Karma so it is released without you having to face those difficult
experiences. Developing an attitude of loving compassion will
elevate your Karma until love dissolves your Karma completely,
thereby removing the necessity for unpleasant lessons from your
life. Compassion can prevent painful lessons from occurring; then
again it will also prevent the lesson from being received. Perhaps, in
that event, the lesson was not necessary for you to evolve, and the
events you are experiencing may have just been the extra weight of
your past Karma, from a time when you were less virtuous than you
are now.
The key here is to find a balance between accepting the lessons of

life on the one hand, and forgiving and developing compassion as a
tool to relieve the pain of your existence on the other hand. The
practice of compassion consists of identifying the lessons in your
life by getting a perspective that is external to your normal point of
view; it is as if you were a Spirit flying above your human self. As
you look down on the problems in your life, and the people you are
having trouble dealing with, you must actively work on forgiving
the other parties that you have been angry with, at the same time
seeking understanding of the lesson itself, and its meaning in your
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life. Breathe deeply and do not be afraid of experiencing the
emotions from your past. Replay your life in your mind, and ask
your God to guide you through the steps of your Karmic lessons
and your Dharmic path.
In time, you will learn how to call upon the Great Justice to
manifest itself, without negative repercussions, but don’t do this
technique until you are comfortable in your heart, since it will bring
up old memories and it will manifest events that may cause you to
suffer, if you have not first developed enough compassion, and the
ability to see your life from a higher perspective.
Basic Hand Mudras
A “mudra” is a hand gesture, just as a “mantra” is a sound and a

“mandala” is an image or thought. A mudra is a particular position
of your hands that connects the energy channels in your fingers in
certain ways, in order to produce a precise and beneficial effect.
When the tips of specific fingers touch, this action activates energy
relays which, in conjunction with the normal flow of energy
through your straightened fingers, produces specific desirable
effects in your physical and energetic bodies.
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Some mudras are designed to stimulate their beneficial effects in
your physical body, while others are designed to affect your
Spiritual bodies. Effects of the physical mudras range from
rebuilding your bones and cartilage, to healing your kidneys, to
clearing your mind, to helping you to get up more quickly in the
morning. Spiritual mudras have a broad range of elevating effects
that can enhance your psychic abilities, help you forgive, reduce
anger, raise your energy level, etc. In fact, there are hundreds of
different mudras. From these you may create all the effects you
could possibly wish for, but it is recommended that you learn them
one at a time.
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Prana Mudra
This mudra stimulates the base Chakra, the channels of energies in
the legs, and the minor Chakras in the middle of the feet. This
mudra is called “Mudra of Life”. It elevates the energy level,
reduces fatigue, and clears your eyesight. It will enhance your
determination and self trust. It is also used in conjunction with
treatments for eye disorders.
Straighten your index and

middle fingers; place your
thumb against your ring and
your little fingers at the tips,
forming a circle. Take deep,
slow, Normal Breaths.
Concentrate on your base
Chakra and the soles of both feet. To begin: After a minute of
breathing normally, begin Reversed Breathing and continue for
several cycles. Breathe in and tighten your abdomen, sexual organs,
perineum and buttocks. Hold your breath in for five seconds and
then release everything, except the mudra. Breathe normally again
and repeat this cycle for five minutes.
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Food, Air and Energy Mudras
The Food, Air and Energy Mudras are utilized to improve the
assimilation of the food and fuels you consume. When the strain of
assimilating the food you eat is markedly reduced, your health will
naturally be enhanced. Moreover, your energy level will soar. This
mudra is designed to help you process food, absorb the nutrients
from that food, and then to eliminate the waste products more
efficiently. The Food, Air and Energy Mudras offer all of these
benefits, and they will also help you to resolve digestive problems.
Assimilation Mudra
With the left hand, link your
thumb, middle and ring
fingers. This will link the
circulation of energy with the
assimilation/elimination
process of all your bodies
(physical and Spiritual). With
your right hand, link your thumb, index and middle finger, which
will enhance the assimilation process at all levels. Breathe for two to
five minutes, keeping your hands in this position. Relax and empty
your mind.
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Elimination Mudra
Keep your left hand in the
same position as the previous
mudra, so you stay in touch
with the flow of energy from
the assimilation process just
established.
It is only necessary to change your right hand position, linking your

thumb, ring and little fingers, while keeping the index and middle
finger straight. This mudra will enhance your ability to eliminate
waste and toxins, help to heal digestive illnesses, and is especially
beneficial for intestinal upsets. Breathe for a few minutes with your
hands in this position. Concentrate on the flow of the energy,
relaxing your mind and body completely.
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Martial arts
Few things in life hold as many powerful lessons as the martial arts.
They allow us to develop physically, mentally, and spiritually all at
the same time. Initially, one may not appreciate this, however, with
training over several years, you'll begin to gain a better
understanding of what I mean.
At first, you're learning movement. Making it smooth, breaking bad

habits, understanding the cause and effect of each technique. You
will certainly make mistakes. By continued practice of the martial
arts you'll begin to develop the first of our key virtues; "Humility."
After enduring many mistakes, after getting hit, or landing
incorrectly, you'll start to understand that we all make mistakes,
every one of us. It sounds simple now, but this lesson becomes
more and more profound. You'll become more accepting of other
people, and in the process, yourself.
As you progress, you begin to get stronger. If not in the form of

physical strength (which often you will) then in coordination,
flexibility, balance. The enhanced flexibility will make you healthier,
and allow more energy to circulate through your body. You'll begin
to understand better how the body works, and cause and effect,
deepening your skill in other physical areas. It will carry over, the
better you get, the more it unfolds.
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Time goes on, and your mind develops, as you gain discipline by
holding stances, by sparring, by repeatedly refining your technique
until it is effortless and powerful, and then refining some more.
You will begin to relieve more stress in your life through your
training. You will gain a sense of focus as you repeatedly try to
correct bad habits, try to pick up every little detail. Every move
either makes you better or worse, so you must have awareness, be
alive, alert, awake.
Spiritual lessons will begin to unfold. The principles of martial arts

carry over into all areas of life. Let me give you some examples. The
principle of getting off the line of attack. In martial arts, if someone
is going to try to hit you, throw you, unbalance you, you want to
move in such a way that their original intent is not possible. Let's
examine this principle in depth. If I'm crossing the street, if I'm not
where the car is as it drives, it won't hit me. If I am, it will. But as
we look deeper, we can apply it to non-physical threats. If someone
is speaking ill of me, I can allow it to affect me, upset me, or, I can
change my point of view to something like "they don't mean that,
they're just frustrated" or "I was mistaken to trust them" or "yes, it
is my fault, I should try to correct it so it doesn't happen again." See
what I did? I changed my point of view, I got out of the way. In
doing this, these words did not hurt me.
Another martial arts principle: “If you destroy an opponent's

weapon, they can no longer attack with it.” If my opponent hits at
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me, and I hit his kicking leg in a nerve so that he cannot stand, he
won't be able to kick at me with that leg. So, how can this be
applied? If you are having an argument with people, and they start
to get upset and yell, if you yell back, or simply take a submissive
posture, this will end up hurting everyone, and lead to the issue not
really getting solved. Facing opponents while battling with words, as
you see them start get upset, you need to detach from your
emotions, use that well-developed discipline, and look at their point
of view. Talk in a calm voice. It will immediately begin to take the
sting out of their words. Describe your point of view in a calm
voice, looking into their eyes, this will eliminate aggression. They
will no longer yell at you.
In these last few examples, I showed the development of the rest of

our key virtues. Strength, Justice, and Compassion. Strength was
found in calm, decisive action to find a resolution. Not by shouting,
but accepting. Justice was served as you did not overreact to the
problem, or cause greater chaos in your response. Compassion
weighed in as you took their point of view, understand the truth of
what they were saying, and acted from there.
As you practice the martial arts, you will develop Humility by

enduring mistakes. You will build Strength as your train, push
yourself physically, or endure the uncomfortable. You will
understand Justice when you come to realize that not all attacks can
be met with a lethal response. Sometimes you may need to hurt the
person, sometimes you may be able to stop it without hurting them.
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At times you might be able to stop it before a fight begins at all.
There is no one-size-fits-all to Justice. Through the martial arts you
will build Compassion, it will teach you how fragile you, and
everyone else is. You will become less aggressive and forceful, and
more understanding of other people.
While the martial arts are an incredible part of one's training, we

cannot offer to teach them ourselves. Training through pictures, or
notes, or videos can be tremendous aids to your progress, they can
in no way teach you what you'll need to know. You won't grasp
timing, you'll miss the finer little details that make techniques
effective. I've known people who had great teachers, but still had a
great deal of difficulty grasping what their instructors were showing
them, even after years of training. Even with teachers there, with
immediate feedback, they had a hard time smoothing out their
flaws. Books, DVD's, they can't even correct you, and they're so 2
dimensional. While they could point out a few details you
missed/forgot yourself, you're missing a huge key here.
Many people will argue some people learn by reading, some by

seeing, some by being told something, some by actually doing it.
However, since this is a physical skill, and answers can be yes/no
depending on a situation, it's not so cut and dry as 2 + 2= 4.
We suggest that you embark on some sort of martial art when

possible. Please, don't think we want you to live like an ascetic
monk so you can afford lessons at the best schools in your area,
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that's not what I'm saying. But if you can afford to train, find a style
and a teacher that appeals to you. DO RESEARCH! Research
style/teacher/school. Try an introductory class, if possible talk to
other students. This may not be the place for you. Once you find an
art, be it Kenjutsu, boxing, karate, mixed martial arts, kung fu,
ninjitsu or whatever else, make sure you're happy, and do your best.
The greatest thing about martial arts, they'll teach you a million
things. Most of them are not about fighting.
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The Mystic Knighthood in Detail
Logo, Sigil and Decree
By developing the four virtues of the Mystic Knight in our heart

and mind, we can touch the subtle truth inside us, an unspoken
truth where we become the king/queen of our own experience of
life. The contemplation of the Mystic Knighthood sigil, and
pondering the virtues of The Code will bring you closer to this ideal
of self-mastery and free-will. The sigil will set an image in your
mind to support the concepts of The Code and encourage virtuous
behaviors in your daily life. Affirming the decree will also nourish
the ideal presented by the Knighthood.
The Decree
Humility in service to Strength

Strength in service to Justice
Justice in service to Compassion
Compassion in service to Humility
I am a Mystic Knight of the Crowned Heart
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OR…
Humility
in service to Strength
in service to Justice
in service to Compassion
I am a Mystic Knight of the Crowned Heart
Speak each virtue with a corresponding attitude. Speak "Humility"

with a soft yet decided voice. Speak "Strength" with a powerful
voice. Speak "Justice" with a swift and clear voice. Speak
"Compassion" with a tender loving voice. When you say softly utter
"I am a Mystic Knight of the Crowned Heart", you are focusing on
attaining this goal, and once you are declared a knight, you nourish
the goal it represents. Note that we are not speaking of the
Knighthood itself in the decree, for we wish you to develop
yourself as a knight more than your actual affiliation with the
organization. Speak the decree once, and then gaze on the sigil for a
moment.
Print the sigil and use it as a talisman. Speak the Mystic Knighthood
decree and gaze upon the sigil for a few minutes. This will assist you
in attaining the heroic ideal you wish to attain, and it will also
strengthen the bond you have with the unconscious collective
thoughts of the Mystic Knighthood of the Crowned Heart. If you
wish, you can also use it to pray for the development of all
members of the Knighthood, or use it to invoke the spiritual
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support of the Knighthood when you need it. Specialized Knights
receive advanced techniques to nourish the egregor/collective-
unconscious of the Knighthood, and use its power to amplify their
work.
Logo vs. Sigil
There is a difference between the logo of the Mystic Knighthood

and the sigil of the Mystic Knight. When we address ourselves to
the general public, or to other members of the knighthood, we use
the logo with the enunciation "Mystic Knighthood of the Crowned
Heart". It is used in our activities, on material like clothing, posters,
the website,... anything that relates to the knighthood itself. But
when you contemplate the symbol for personal development, we
want you to focus on yourself, and not the actual organization.
Thus, the sigil contains the affirmations "Mystic Knight" and
"Crowned Heart", nourishing the ideals they represent inside you. If
we asked you to use the logo of the knighthood in your meditative
practice, we would be amplifying your bond with the organization
itself, creating a sectary movement, more than helping you develop
yourself. We promote self-mastery and free-will. You are free to
choose the intensity at which you associate yourself with the
organization.
Consider that the sigil is yourself, or printed on your shirt, so that

the orientation is reversed from when you look at it in front of you.
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All aspects of the sigil are built according to occult rules of talisman
creation.
Virtue Humility Strength Justice Compassion
Orientation Up / Down / Left Right

Forehead Solar plexus Shoulder shoulder
Direction North South East West
Element Earth Fire Air Water
Season Winter Summer Spring Autumn
Texture Cold Hot Dry Wet
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Sigil of the Mystic Knight
Use the sigil to meditate and contemplate the decree.
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Logo of the Knighthood
Use the logo when it is shown to the public or used
for the knighthood activities.
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The Mystic Knight's Meditation
The meditation we practice is a means for our Spirit to inhabit the

body, encouraging the integration of virtuous behavior in our daily
lives. Its regular practice will build up a radiating Mystic Knight's
aura, as you progress in the teachings of the Knighthood. Using the
contemplation of virtues in order to provoke a positive change in
our human self, we allow a passage to take form so that the Spirit
may come into us and merge with our human self.
The Mystic Knight’s meditation is a series of 5 easy mediations. In

order to progress in the Mystic Knighthood, it is necessary to
complete this series at least once, each time you advance to a new
level. It is recommended you do it more often if you wish to
emanate a powerful Mystic Knight's aura, but only once is necessary
for you to follow the progressive spiritual teachings of the Mystic
Knighthood.
You should print the Sigil (not logo) of the Mystic Knight on a
white sheet or poster. It is available on the website. Place the poster
on a wall, at a height where its center is a bit above your eye level,
so that you gaze upwards just a bit while you are seated for
meditation. Sit comfortably, either on a chair or on a pillow on the
floor, at a distance where the important details of the Sigil appear
clearly. Keep your back straight without effort. Simply try not to
bend your back forward too much.
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Each time you do this meditation, you will repeat the name of one
virtue for the duration of the entire meditation. The virtue will
change once per meditation, one after the other, covering 5
meditations in a row. We suggest you have one meditation per day
for 5 days, then change technique or rest for 2 days. Yet, you can
meditate twice a day if you wish. Your meditation should last
between 5 and 45 minutes each (20 minutes is good). Use your
imagination to fill an area of your body with a set pattern of colors.
Keep a special focus on this specific part of the body.
1st
Humility
Forehead and brain
Glowing blue + golden sparkling
2nd
Strength
Solar plexus
Glowing red + golden sparkling
3rd
Justice
Throat and shoulder band
Glowing blue + golden sparkling
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4th
Compassion
Heart
Glowing blue + far blue radiance
5th
Truth
Entire body and above the head
Glowing white + far white radiance
Start by placing your eye focus on the Sigil for a few minutes while
doing a natural, relaxed, conscious breathing. Clear your mind
progressively, without shocking your mind.
Then, let your eye focus become a gentle gaze while you relax even
more. At this point, start repeating the daily name of a virtue, once
every 5-6 seconds. Use the name of the virtue as a mantra.
After yet another few minutes (2-3), close your eyes and focus on
the corresponding area in your body, and visualize it glowing with
its corresponding color. For example, on the second meditation of
this series, mentally repeat the word “Strength” while visualizing
your solar plexus glowing with red light, with golden sparkles. Keep
this visualization as long as you can.
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When you wish to stop your meditation, slowly open your eyes and
gaze at the Sigil again. Softly declare the Decree once, and gaze for
30 seconds. Then, get up and have your body move. If you can, try
to feel the energy in your body.
This meditation series can be done a few times when you join the
Knighthood. It strengthens the principles we teach and it prepares
your physical and energy body for more intense meditations of the
Mystic Knight, that will be presented later on, if you decide to
progress along with the Mystic Knighthood.
Amplifying the aura

Once you did the introductive meditation at least once, although
the more the better, as an apprentice, we suggest you re-do the
entire set of 5 meditations, in 5 separate meditation periods of at
least 10 minutes each. Although we do not impose the regular
practice of this Mystic Knight meditation, since it is obvious you
already have lots of techniques to learn, practice and integrate, we
do recommend you do them from time to time, so to develop the
Mystic Knight aura, later in your training. This aura will radiate
from within you, and it will touch the people around you. It will
become a blessing for all.
While following these extensions to the novice meditations, do not

be in such a hurry to imagine the rest of the process for higher
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levels. For example, do not imagine that the next step for the
humility meditation would be the blue light emanating from your
body, because it will not be the next step for this meditation. Take it
step by step and do not try to go faster than the natural process.
Humility meditation: Once your forehead and brain is filled with

radiating blue light, let the blue light flow down to fill your entire
body. Once your body is filled with radiating blue light, add to the
visualization, the golden lightly sparkling light. Repeat the word
“Humility” every few seconds, like a mantra. Try to let your
consciousness transcend. Try to let your spiritual self take over,
while your human self rests in this meditation.
Strength meditation: Once your solar plexus filled with the red light,
let it expand up and down, as to fill your entire body. Add the
sparkling golden light. Repeat the mantra “Strength”. Try to remain
present in your body, in consciousness, while the strength comes
from a higher spiritual plane. Don’t try to understand the process as
much as living its experience.
Justice meditation: Once your throat is filled with blue light, let it
expand to fill your body. Add the sparkling golden light. Repeat the
mantra “Justice”.
Compassion meditation: Fill your heart with the blue radiating light.
Then let it fill your body. See the blue light radiate a bit from your
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body. Mantra and attitude, same as the other apprentice meditation
upgrade.
Truth meditation: In the novice meditation, you already filled your

entire body with white light. This time, try to feel the spiritual
vibration of the white light. Try to go beyond visualizing it, but into
feeling it, even only from your imagination. Eventually, your energy
body will awaken its sensitivity.
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The Mystic Knight's Ritual
for Protection and Spiritual Support
Some people would like spiritual protection and support simply by

filling out a form on the web, uttering a few mystic words and
believing it is enough. Well, such a superficial process could have a
drop of effect, technically, but is nothing compared to an entire
pool of resources, spiritual protection and energy amplification. A
bit more implication on your part will provide so much more
helpful results.
The following process is used to anchor the protective and

enhancing effects of the Mystic Knighthood egregor on yourself
and your immediate environment. It takes more than a few minutes
to build the link and acquire the beneficial effects, and this serves as
a filter where undisciplined or un-sincere users will not profit from
the egregor's energy, and only perseverant people will participate,
ensuring efficient results to everyone. The use of this ritual
meditation will not replace your own sense of responsibilities in
your daily life. It will support every action you take, and defend you
against un-welcomed outside influences.
First, print out a copy of the Mystic Knight Sigil, found on the
website. You will use it as a focus image. The effect of this ritual
will be more efficient if you also did the introductive meditation
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process above. Do this ritual each time you need a burst of
protection or spiritual support. It will remain active for a while after
the practice itself, and in time, will become a permanent effect.
Before you start the process, you are asked to choose for yourself a
symbolic name as a Mystic Knight, made out of 2 names like a first
and last name, that will represent you in action. It should not be
your Knighthood username unless it really represents you as a
Knight of Strength and Justice. It should not be your true spiritual
name, but a symbolic name made out of qualifications you aspire to.
For example, François Lépine’s Mystic Knight name is Geburah
Tzedek, which means Strength-Justice in Hebrew. Your name could
sound like Lightning Sword, Dominion Vajra, Humble Rock, Shield
of Valor,… anyway you wish to personalize your way of
representing Strength and Justice. Yet, you should not use a name
like Mamothhead Bonecrusher, since bone crushing is not the
application of Justice, but anger. Select a name suited for you, as a
Mystic Knight.
While you select a symbolic name for yourself as a Mystic Knight,

also select an image where you have a glowing shield in your left
hand and a flaming sword in your right hand. The color of the
shield’s glow and sword’s flame should be symbolic, inspired in the
same way, which will denote your difference and authenticity as a
Mystic Knight. Try to identify your complete looks. Oriental
amateurs could have a Kanata in both hands, and a set of bracers
attached to their forearms. The important thing is that the left side
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will protect and the right side will enact the will of a Mystic Knight,
with compassion. The shield is the shield of Justice that will reflect
any hostile spiritual force back to its author, and provoke the
resolution of the karmic lesson for the author, sooner than
expected, and in a more powerful way. The right-hand sword is a
sword of compassion, with a strike that releases obsolete binds,
ropes, attachments, chains or traps. It is not used to hurt, but to cut
down any limitation of animal and lowly, un-virtuous nature.
All this preparation is the first component of the ritual, for it

amplifies your mental, emotional and spiritual implication in the
process. Do not hesitate to decorate your armor and apparels.
Women must feel comfortable to wear shielded robes of extreme
beauty, while men are encouraged to have full plated armors, or
agile dressings. Let your imagination go, and set yourself upon an
image that you will keep henceforth.
The Ritual
Sit comfortable, and set the Sigil image so that you can gaze upon it
while looking just a bit higher than your eye level. Breathe deeply
and relaxed for 2 minutes, while you gaze on the Sigil itself. On the
Sigil, there are 2 blank spots below the heart, left and right. On the
lower-left blank spot, visualize your first and last name, so that you
can gain compassion and strength in this process. In the lower-right
blank spot, visualize your symbolic Mystic Knight name, which is
the combined effect of Strength and Justice, the name under which
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you actively participate in the process of Protection, Rectification
and Support.
Self-Defining
Close your eyes and visualize yourself as the Mystic Knight you are,
sitting in the same posture you currently have. You are seated on
the Sigil itself; everything else is pitch black darkness. See the Sigil
drawn on the floor, around 2 meters in diameter, with the
humility/upper part behind you, and the strength/lower part in
front of you, thus the justice part on your left and the compassion
part on your right. You are sitting over the crowned heart of Truth,
and your base chakra is pulsing in the middle of the heart. On each
of your breaths in, your left shield (or bracers) glows. On each of
your breaths out, your right sword (or two-handed sword) flames
up higher. The Sigil glows a bit, and its central heart is shining red.
Many believe that Justice is a sword, used for action, but it is a

shield that reflects evil back to its origin, and provokes the
manifestation of karmic lessons. Many believe that compassion is a
shield, but it is a sword that transmutes pain, anger, evil, regret,
guilt, sorrow… into their true form, transmuting them into
unconditional love and forgiveness.
Breathe and visualize for a few minutes. Go over each aspect of this
visualization, one by one, so that you don’t forget any aspect. For
one breathe, remember there is Humility behind you. On another
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breath, there is Strength before you. Justice on your left,
Compassion on your right, and you are seated on a crowed heart.
The crown of Truth aligns with your coccyx and spine, and your
base chakra is in the center of the heart. Your human appellation is
on your front-right corner, while your Mystic Knight name is in
your front-left corner. Behind you is the declaration that you are a
Mystic Knight, and that you have a Crowned Heart. After reviewing
each of these aspects, let the image become a whole, without
concerning yourself if you will miss out bits of it afterwards. The
more you will do this ritual, the more the full image will remain
complete, self-sustaining itself.
The Summon
Now that you have strengthened yourself as a Mystic Knight, You
will create the spiritual bond with other members of the
Knighthood. In your spiritual visualization, stand up in a relaxed
manner. Your breath keeps the alternating glowing of your shield
and flame waves of your sword. Utter in your mind, in a silent yet
decided attitude: “Knights of the Mystic Knighthood of the Crowed
Heart, I Summon your presence”. Immediately, see appearing in the
distant dark, blurry images of other Knights of many shapes, forms
and colors, each standing in their own Sigil manifestation. Do not
pay attention to their exact symbols or names. Keep your full
attention to your own Sigil and Mystic Knight presence. Breathe
now knowing you are not alone. This part of the ritual summons
the energetic presence of the egeregor/collective-unconsciousness
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of each other Mystic Knight of our Knighthood, at the level of
which it is sustained; hence the different levels of clarity and
blurriness since not all Knights are actively sustaining their aura at
the same time. Sometimes, you might see shining white light stream
descending on another Knight. This is the next part of the ritual.
The Joining
The next process is done in about 30 seconds, and nourished for
about 5 minutes. At the next step, uphold your shield and sword
more firmly while you utter mentally in a powerful attitude: “Under
One Truth” and visualize a powerful stream of white glowing light
descending at you, entering your head, but the stream is much larger
than your head and it enters the whole of your body, yet it radiates
even larger, filling all the area inside your sigil with a white glowing
aura. Immediately keep on uttering “We Serve!” while a stream of
white light comes out of your general Sigil/White aura, at the level
of your torso, and beams towards another knight, who will receive
it. At the same time, from a random direction, coming from another
knight receiving the white light from above, a stream of while light
strikes you and nourishes your own aura even more, letting another
stream project out of your Sigil/Aura to another knight, that
continues to another knight, to yet another knight, as you feel
another stream come from somewhere else, throwing out yet
another from yours,… in a continuous manner until all the Knights
you see are receiving a stream of white light from above, and all are
linked together in this collective white web of glowing light of
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Truth. Nourish this visualization for about 5 minutes. You are
collaborating and receiving the spiritual protection and support of
the entire Knighthood, while you are also contributing to it
yourself. The energies exchanged this way are only the white light of
truth that comes from above each Knight. Your own life force and
personal energies belong to yourself, and it is so for every other
Knight.
It is normal that most Knights you see close to you are those who
resemble your own self-definition as a Mystic Knight. As you
progress in the knighthood, you will get to see various images of
Knights, Samuraï, Ninjas, Sorcerers, Priests, Monks, men and
women, that you did not notice before. Some are the projection of
your imagination, and some are real perception of other members,
but all link to a real Mystic Knight.
The Binding
Keep your entire body relaxed but tighten your hands, both physical
and visualized, like you are holding your spiritual tools. You will
now use your willpower to bring this energy in your physical reality.
With a strong intention, bring both your visualized and physical
hands upwards and breathe in strongly. Open your eyes while,
looking down at the floor, you bring your hands down close to your
body, tighten the whole of your body, and breathe out a strong
“Hhhhahahahahahahahahah!!!”. In a single out breath, you tighten
your belly, legs, arms, shoulders, face and willpower, bringing all the
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spiritual and mental energies in your physical reality. Your mind is
still in the meditative state, but your eyes are opened to your
physical environment while you mentally uphold the visualization.
The next breath in keeps the body high with energy, and breathe
out while spreading your arms wide, releasing all the energy around
you, releasing the muscles, letting the energies flow freely. The flow
of white light is continuous, your aura radiates, you may feel the
windy flow of light in your body and around you.
The first breath brings the spiritual energies in your physical body,
the second one opens the doors to let the flow outwards. It is a
process done only once per ritual, to connect the dimensions
together, then the flow can continue on its own for a while. Breathe
strongly a few times and relax. Pay attention to the energy you may
feel. Speak aloud if you can, whispering if you must, or simply move
your lips without sound, but you speak physically a declaration of
yourself as a Mystic Knight, describing yourself and your intentions.
It should be an improvised calling that sounds something like "I
hold up the sword of compassion, transmuting all pain with
forgiveness; I uphold the shield of justice, reflecting all evil;
Humility supports my back; Strength is a my feet; I am a Mystic
Knight, and I declare myself as such in Truth, to serve, for the good
of all mankind".
The energies of the Mystic Knighthood are now available to your

concrete experience of life. This strong process will be required
from time to time, to strengthen the bonds between the spiritual
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Knighthood, and your physical reality. Note that when you open
your hands, your tools, shield and sword remain in your hands,
connected to your palms. They are spiritual extensions of your
actual arms. When you are done with the entire ritual, they store
their own symbolic forms in your spiritual self, and only their
energy keeps flowing inside and around you.
The Salutation
Close your eyes again and relax completely. See the visualization in
a self-sustained manner, and don’t put any more energy into it. The
final salutation is not a request, but a blessing bestowed on all other
Knights. Mentally salute the other Knights in a manner that suits
you, calling a general blessing to every other Knight. Relax and let
yourself dwell in meditation as long as you wish.
The final relaxation is very important, so that the intense energy

summon does not damage your nervous system. It is like doing a
powerful physical exercise, where you give a chance to your muscles
to recuperate afterwards. When you exercise a lot, the muscular
pain you feel is a little damage done to your muscles that will repair
itself so that you will become even stronger. If you don’t mentally
recuperate after such a ritual, the damage done to your nervous
system will not repair itself so that you can become mentally and
spiritual stronger.
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Drink water and eat a little something, if you can, right after the
ritual.
You are invited to post your Mystic Knight name and the
description (or drawing) of your Mystic Knight form in the
member's forum, on the website.
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Hierarchy and advancement
The more a knight progresses in the Knighthood, the more he/she

should be in service to those with less experience. Titles are there
for recognition, not authority. The authorities in the Mystic
Knighthood are the Head Knight and the Head Priest, with rights
limited to the management of the Knighthood's operations. This
organization does not encourage elitism and sectarism. All members
must remain free to act as they wish in every situation. We promote
self-mastery and free-will.
Progress within the knighthood is done with patience and

determination. Members have to train by themselves, and share
their knowledge in group when possible. From novice to knight, it
takes at least 2 years, unless you had previous training in the
concerned areas. Members must succeed in their progress
evaluations to advance to another level. Each knight specialization
requires many years to attain, but we will do evaluations requests
after 1 year of training in each, recognizing those who already had
the competence prior to their participation in the knighthood.
Obtaining 2 specializations will also grant an extra title in the
knighthood. The title "Master of the Mystic Knighthood"* is
granted to members with 3 specializations.
Martial arts training should be done by each member individually, in

a martial arts school of their choice. For this aspect, the
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Knighthood cannot provide sufficient training on-line, and martial
arts are best learned directly from a competent master. Your martial
art certification or fee invoice will serve as proof for your evaluation
of this aspect. Yet, it is not required to be a martial arts expert to
become a member of our knighthood and to progress. You only
need to practice at your rhythm.
Guest: Browse thru the website to familiarize yourself with the

Knighthood.
Novice: Start with the basic knowledge of the knighthood,

integrating the knowledge and practice of all aspects: body, mind,
spirit.
Apprentice: To become an apprentice, you must show some level

of comprehension of The Code. As an apprentice, you will keep
going thru every aspect of the knighthood's training.
Adept: To become an adept, you must show great signs of

integration of The Code in your daily behavior. As an adept, you
will be encouraged to select an area of predilection between body,
mind or spirit.
Knight: To become a knight, you will have to prove you have

integrated The Code in your daily behavior, and you will have to
demonstrate your competence in the training areas you selected as
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an adept. Your title of Knight could be suspended if you act in ways
that are totally against The Code.
Protector: Knights who proved themselves in martial arts.
Scholar: Knights who proved themselves in mental training or

academic knowledge.
Priest: Knights who proved themselves in spiritual depth and

application of competence in handling ritual processes.
Servant: Knights who proved themselves in social implication and

service to their community.
There are special titles given to those who develop more than one
competence:
Keeper Protector + Scholar

Cleric Protector + Priest
Defender Protector + Servant
Sage Scholar + Priest
Guide Scholar + Servant
Minister Priest + Servant
Master * 3 specializations
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* The title "Master" refers to one's own self-mastery, and does not
entitle one to any authority towards others. The Knighthood's
authority is reserved to the Head Knights and Head Priests, and this
authority is limited to the management of the Knighthood's
operations. We are all free people.
Lodges and meeting places
The Mystic Knighthood's lodges are places where many members

of the knighthood decide to meet. Without being secret, it should
have some level of privacy, like any other respectful study
environment. It can be a sporadic meeting in a member's living
room, or a well organized lodge with a schedule and meeting place.
To ascertain the quality of the teaching and the training, only

Knighted members are entitled to uphold the Mystic Knighthood
affiliation in an official lodge. However, remember that we are all
free, and that anyone may organize a study group. Thus, we only
show reserve for the affirmation of affiliation with the Mystic
Knighthood of the Crowned Heart. Members are invited to
organize their own lodges and to handle their meetings according to
the following rules.
A Knight certification entitles a Knighted member to pass on to

other members and non-members (guests), the knowledge that is
- 225 -
pertinent to their level in the Mystic Knighthood. When a guest
wants to become a member of the Mystic Knighthood, you may
guide them in their training up to the level of Knight. A new
member usually starts training from the novice level. If new
members already have some experience either in physical, mental,
spiritual arts, or martial arts, they may enter the Knighthood at the
apprentice level. In rare occasions, a member may start as an Adept,
if he/she shows some competence in most fields of training, and
has at least 5 years of spiritual experience. The Knight title is never
given at start, whatever the reason.
A Knight presents the knowledge of the Mystic Knighthood to

their class, adapted to their own experience, and respecting that
each student will do the same. We do not believe in controlling the
beliefs of our members, yet, a student that shows great sings of
improvisation might find a hard time advancing in the Knighthood;
it is also important to respect the experience and wisdom of elder
members.
Knowledge from the level of Knight and up is to be learned from a

more experienced Knight, or by one-self, following the Mystic
Knighthood training plan. Remember that the Mystic Knighthood
does not provide all the training, but indicates a training plan for
each member to acquire the knowledge by their own means, until
sufficient Lodges are made available. A Lodge lead by a Knight
Priest may not be able to offer martial art training, or the other way
around, a Lodge lead by a Knight Protector may not be able to
- 226 -
provide adequate spiritual training. Knowledge, experience and
guidance are to be acquired from where it is available.
It is not necessary for a Knight of the Mystic Knighthood of the

Crowned Heart, to display their affiliation to the Knighthood, in
any situation. This display is only necessary when activities are held
in the name of the Knighthood. Many teachers will keep on
teaching their knowledge like they did before, not even implicating
the Mystic Knighthood.
A Knight may fill in the on-line application for another introduced

member that is not comfortable with the Internet. Advancements
may be asked directly to the Knighthood, via email, when the
member does not participate to a local Lodge or study group.
Members of a study group should request their advancement from
the presiding Knight of the Lodge or study group.
Lodges or study groups may be organized by Knights only. If there

are fees attached to the organization of the event, the presiding
Knight may ask a reasonable fee to cover the expenses. When a
Knight teaches or gives class, the fee may contain a reasonable
remuneration for the Knight, in exchange for the training, or the
performing of a service. These fees are to be managed and kept by
the presiding Knight. Fees must imply an exchange, and must not
be taken if no training is given, or no service performed.
- 227 -
New members must pay their lifetime membership fee (10$) to the
presiding Knight, who will pass it on to the Mystic Knighthood in
totality. The advancement fees will be separated between the
presiding Knight (for his teaching and evaluation) and the Mystic
Knighthood (for management and certification).
All members, of every level, must be allowed direct contact with the
Knighthood thru its website, if they so desire. Members do not
belong to the Knights, and a teacher-student relationship must be
built on trust. We are all free people, studying together for the
benefit of everyone.
You can see a list of active lodges and study groups on the website.
- 228 -
Terms and Conditions
Legal Implications
Your country's laws always come in priority to the knighthood's
Code. The Code is a suggested behavior, and although mandatory
to progress further within the knighthood, your country's laws will
always have to pass in front of our Code.
Your participation to the Mystic Knighthood can be modified or

stopped anytime if we believe you acted in ways that could be
harmful to another member, or if your actions destroy the
credibility of the knighthood.
You can cancel your participation to the knighthood anytime you

wish. Simply contact us.
All funds invested in the knighthood are non-refundable.
Health and Physical Limitations

If you are physically limited or handicapped in any way, please be
cautious about your training. We do not wish any of our members
to suffer from the physical training we suggest.
- 229 -
Nowadays, it is not an absolute requirement to participate in intense
physical training in order to progress within the knighthood. Many
other aspects can be worked on: mental, spiritual, and social. As
long as you are doing your best, we will consider your physical
limitations while evaluating your advancement requests.
The Mystic Knighthood of the Crowned Heart will not be held

responsible if you go further than what is right for your health. If
you have any doubts, please consult a physician about it.
For more information about the Mystic Knighthood of the

Crowned Heart, visit www.MysticKnight.org .
- 230 -
A Mystic Knight
with a Crowned Heart
Practical Guide for Spiritual Warriors
Published by the Mystic Knighthood of the Crowned Heart

In collaboration with F.Lepine Publishing
http://www.MysticKnight.org
2007 publication
ISBN 978-0-9783194-2-7
- 231 -

Mystic Knight

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A Mystic Knight

with a Crowned Heart

Practical Guide for Spiritual Warriors

Published by the Mystic Knighthood of the Crowned Heart

The Body of a Knight ........................................................................... 25

The Spirit of a Knight ......................................................................... 165

Martial arts ............................................................................................ 195

The Mystic Knighthood in Detail ..................................................... 200

A Mystic Knight is a form of spiritual warrior. It is a personal path

The way of the Mystic Knight is a continuous path of physical,

To become a Mystic Knight, you must work on many aspects of

Making progress is the most important part. Whatever level of

Mystic Knights usually follow a code. Some codes are rigid,

Joining a group of Knights is not mandatory. In fact, the base rule

On other occasions on the path of self-mastery, one might need

… of the Crowned Heart

There was a time when knights were proclaimed by royalty, and

Hence there came a group of people who wanted to share this

Not every knight would want to join a group or fellowship. Why

The training of a knight works on developing all aspects of the self:

Each new member of the Knighthood will receive training support

There is also a phenomenon that we could call an “egregor”. The

Our members can post support requests. It can be a request of

Although a Knight is responsible for his own training, we offer

What our Knighthood is...

What our Knighthood is NOT...

More information about the Mystic Knighthood will be offered at

Our “Code” is a guideline rather than an actual restrictive rule set.

Although there are many virtues, here is a brief description of seven

A Mystic Knight's training is done alone or in group, using each

The Mystic Knighthood does not provide official infrastructures or

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this chapter is

Our bodies were designed to move. It is only recently that our

No, it is not because of any of those single reasons, but because of

Your body is a wonderful masterpiece that will adapt, within reason,

Exercising will make nutrient-rich blood flow throughout your

TRAIN HARD TO LIVE EASY

HOW THE BODY ADAPTS

Fuel stores, especially glycogen (glucose stored in muscles and liver)

Of course, this doesn’t go on forever. Eventually you won’t be able

Unfortunately, many people, even those people who find great

Lack of improvement doesn’t mean lack of results.

Suppose a 35 years old man runs a set distance in 30 minutes today.

So you’ve been exercising for a couple of month, and now things

- Make it enjoyable: Choose an activity that you like, first and

- Keep it simple: At every corner you see a new “revolution” in the

- Some is better than none: As a rule of thumb, 20 minutes 3 times

Ideally, try to stimulate the 2 main components of physical qualities

Cardio work can be divided in two classes: cardio vascular

In order to know where you stand when training, you need to

FAT BURNING CARDIO ACTIVITY: I will briefly mention

CARDIO VASCULAR ENDURANCE: Endurance begins to be

CARDIO VASCULAR POWER: Cardio vascular power training is

DETERMINING YOUR WORKING HEART RATE

MAX HEART RATE

WORKING HEART RATE

The graphic below should help clarify things for you:

HOW MUCH, HOW LONG, HOW OFTEN ?

Here is another graphic to help you understand the dynamic

WHICH IS BETTER TO BURN FAT?

Just as it is better to try and develop muscular strength and

In short, trying to improve the whole spectrum of physical

As with resistance training, I suggest that you vary the kind of