One of the intentional shifts you can make, if you are desiring change in your life, it to follow the cycles of the moon and adjust your activity to it. Why does paying attention to the moon phases make such a difference? And how exactly can we make this shift? Continue reading and watch the video below to learn how living by the moon can make your life truly magical.
Cyclical Energy Of Women And Men
I’ve written many times about how humans are microcosms of nature, but it bears repeating. Usually we’re talking about how to align with the energy of the seasons which cycle throughout the year. But there are smaller cycles we align with as well, such as the day/night cycle of the sun and the cycles of the moon.
Men and their Yang, active nature tend to be more affected by the sun and can reset their energy in a 24 hour cycle. However, women, perhaps because of their Yin nature and more complex hormones, align more with the 28 day cycle of the moon. So paying attention to the phases of the moon is especially important for women to consider.
The Energy Of The Moon Phases
We know the moon has tremendous influence over the ocean tides, so of course it influences the human body. And the energy can affect not only our bodies, but also our emotions and behavior.
We can look at the phases of the Moon from the perspective of Yin and Yang energy. The Moon itself is relatively Yin, emotional, and feminine compared to the Sun. However within the Moon we have different Yin/Yang energy patterns too.
Waxing From New To The Full Moon
As the moon is waxing and building, the activity is considered more Yang. At the Full Moon, we experience the full expression of this energy. It can be very emotional and chaotic, feeling like we’re going to burst. I’ve noticed in my practice that many patients have a harder time sleeping close to a Full Moon.
Waning From Full To The New Moon
Naturally, we feel a strong release at the peak of the Full Moon which is more of a Yin activity – letting go. It can be a more relaxing period if we allow ourselves to go with the flow and not cling to staying the same. We move toward the emptiness of the New Moon. And at that point, we pivot again. The emptiness represents pure potential that can spur new ideas and creations that motivate us to act again.
How To Align Your Activity With The Phases Of The Moon
If all of this makes sense to you, then I recommend you try living by the moon, which will bring more intentionality and purpose to your life. It can also help you stick with commitments and to evaluate how things are working out, month-to-month.
The Full Moon and the waning period after it is a great time to:
Finish up projects, tie up “loose ends”
Notice how abundant your life is and if there’s anything overwhelming your life that may be blocking the flow of more health, wealth, and happiness
Commit to releasing unhelpful habits, time-suck activities, set boundaries with people & let go of shallow or hurtful relationships
Detox & cleanse your living space (ditch toxic home products, processed foods, clutter, clean your car, donate clothes you don’t wear)
The New Moon and the waxing period after it is a great time to:
Dream about a better future and take actionable steps to attain it (monthly or 90 day plan)
Start new projects and endeavors
Visit friends and network with business connections
Develop your intuition and seek spiritual connection (nourish your heart, mind, and spirit)
Make beautiful additions to your home and wardrobe
Have a party
Plan a vacation
Having a mindfulness practice such as Yoga, meditation, walking in nature (without a device), or journaling can be very helpful anytime of the month to help you see how well you’re aligning.
Consider joining my Full Moon Yoga classes online each month through the rest of the year (ending Dec. 2021). We do a gentle Yoga asana practice with a balanced Yin/Yang approach and end with a group energy healing session to help clear your system.
I tend to follow the phases of the moon with home life, creative projects, business endeavors, and my relationships with friends & family. When it comes to my body, I tend to follow the wisdom of my menstrual cycle instead. For some lucky women, both the moon and their menses sync up with the Full or New Moon. But this is not the case for most women.
I may do a separate video & blog post on aligning with your menstrual cycle. Just know that the concept is pretty much the same, considering when you’re feeling more Yin & Yang energy and adjusting accordingly.
Do you have any new ideas of how you can adjust your life to the moon cycle? I highly suggest you try them out now! You may have more success than if you were trying to force situations without considering whether the time was “right”. I’d love to hear about how this works for you, in the comments below. Well wishes…
It’s sweltering here in California, as I write on this late August day. The weather is typical of this time of year here, and continues well into September and even October. We often call this Indian Summer, though most people don’t realize that it has it’s own unique season from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In TCM we call it “Late Summer”, and just like all the other seasons in TCM, there are unique qualities to it. Read on to learn how to adjust your energy, diet, and lifestyle to the season of Late Summer to achieve holistic health and maintain it as you transition gracefully into Autumn.
When Is Late Summer According To TCM?
The existence and the timing of Late Summer can be a little confusing for two reasons.
There is no consensus about the exact dates of Late Summer in Chinese Medicine. Most practitioners who acknowledge Late Summer agree that it covers the last week of August through at least the Autumn Equinox in September, here in the Norther Hemisphere.
Some practitioners believe that there are still just 4 seasons, and that the Earth element (which rules Late Summer) instead has a transitioning/stabilizing role in between the seasons.
I actually appreciate both perspectives. Because this end-of-summer phenomenon is consistent year-to-year here in California, it makes sense to embrace the idea of a Late Summer season. But I also think it’s healthy to pay attention to the transitions between each season, and supporting the Earth element to help with that.
Late Summer is the last burst of nature’s energy to help food ripen before harvest. It’s typically very hot, and in some places, also very humid. And because kids are going back to school and people are anticipating the transition to cooler, crisper Autumn mornings, it can be a surprise when the weather fluctuates back and forth. It can be truly exhausting for some people, and it can make them ill if they don’t adapt and listen to their bodies. It’s natural to want to just lay around to conserve our energy when it’s hot, and retreat inwards. This is helpful with the transition to Autumn since it has a similar slowing-down energy, though the actual temperature is different.
Adjust To The Energy of Late Summer
To stay healthy throughout the season and transition well into Autumn, we need to align with the energy of Late Summer. This is because we’re microcosms of nature and our inner nature is seasonal too. We can adapt to the characteristics of the season in this list below, especially if we are out of balance.
The energy of Late Summer is related to:
The Earth element
“Center” as the direction, and down into the Earth (instead of north, south, etc.)
Stomach & Spleen organs and meridians
The color Yellow
The mouth as the sense organ
Muscles as the tissues affected
Sweetness as taste
Damp & humid climates
Worry or pensiveness when out of balance
Empathy & nurturing when in balance
The Spirit of Yi, or the Intellect
Whether it’s hot or not, this is the best time to “find our center”. This means that we should focus on feeling fully embodied, grounded into the Earth, and create a balance of inner & outer awareness. It also refers to striking a balance between body, breath, heart, and mind. When you focus on your center, you’re also fully present in the moment and trust that what is happening in your life is there for a reason. This is why I like honoring this stable Earth energy not just in Late Summer, but in between all the seasons, as a reflection point and a re-setting of sorts.
Health And Dietary Changes In Late Summer
Digestion is always important, but it would benefit everyone to give extra energy nourishing the Stomach and Spleen organs and meridians this time of year, and in between seasons. Your digestion could be super efficient this time of year because of the relationship between the season and the Stomach and Spleen. But if these organs and channels are imbalanced (too much or too little energy), one may experience:
Nausea
Belching, bloating
Stomach bugs
Loose stools
Weight gain
Blood sugar or metabolic disorders
Borborygmus (stomach/intestinal rumbling)
Phlegm in lungs (coughing) or stools
Water retention
Feeling heavy with sore joints
Inflammation
Candida overgrowth
Fungal infections (nails, genitals, skin, etc.)
Foul-smelling vaginal discharge or stools
Dizziness
Oozing rashes
Nodules and lumps under the skin
Low energy
Worry and overwhelm
These imbalances are mainly from “Dampness” in TCM, which is the disruption of digestion and water metabolism that can arise anytime, but especially in Late Summer.
Foods To Avoid That Cause Dampness
If you’re prone to these Damp conditions in Late Summer or throughout the year, it’s best to avoid these foods:
Sugar and all sweets
All dairy except yogurt (even if it’s raw and “good quality”)
Refined, processed grains, flour, and all starches
Too much raw fruit, especially tropical fruit
Too many raw vegetables
Cold beverages
Too many fermented foods with yeast and vinegar
Alcohol
Deep fried foods
Too much fat and oils
You can just try to limit them. But if you’re really wanting to improve your health quickly, you can do our Nourish To Heal Diet & Lifestyle Cleanse and make the dietary changes here to support the Stomach and Spleen, and to Resolve Dampness.
Foods To Eat To Resolve Dampness
Eat more of these foods that resolve Dampness and help regulate your body, heart, and mind:
Animal protein (organic, grass-fed): yogurt, fish, chicken, beef
Grains (soak first prior to cooking and eat in whole natural form): Corn, millet, barley, rice, rye
Sweets: raw honey only
Teas: Green, chrysanthemum, barley
The dietetics of Chinese Medicine is all about balance and eating close to nature and it’s rhythms. While I typically advise people to prioritize eating protein, if you have an imbalance of Dampness my advice is different. Still make sure you have protein at each meal, but it can be in smaller amounts than usual. It’s best to not overeat anything heavy and hard to digest.
I’m also usually a big fan of fat. However if you’re dealing with the health issues above, it would be a good idea to reduce the amount in your diet since you way be consuming too much for the season or your constitution. Remember that the advice you hear in the mainstream, even among modern-day nutritionists, is very general. What makes TCM super awesome is that it’s a specialized approach to caring for your unique constitution while also aligning to the seasons. So it’s definitely not one-size-fits-all!
The Best Environments in Late Summer
It’s also wise to avoid damp and humid environment if you can, especially if this is your constitution and are prone to having the health imbalances listed above. You would do better with normal humidity or even drier locations. And if that’s not possible, then do your best to adjust the humidity level in your home.
I hope this information was helpful! If you have any health issues that are related to Earth & Late Summer, hopefully you’re inspired to make some changes today.
As always, comment below if you have questions or would like to share your experience. And reach out to me if you’d like any 1:1 support with your health. Well wishes to you …
Have you heard that you need to “raise your vibration”, but don’t know exactly what that means? In the healing arts, we teach how to align internally so that our outer experiences match what we desire (whether that be health, wealth, happiness, etc.). In this post, I’ll be sharing exactly how you can raise your vibrational frequency and improve your life overall.
What Is Vibrational Frequency?
Everything in the world is made up of life force energy. Every person, fish, rock, chair, etc. is able to receive energy from the environment, store it, and emit it back into the world. This energy consists of oscillating atoms that vibrate at a unique frequency, measured in Hertz (Hz).
Human emotions vibrate at particular frequencies (see the chart below), which can flavor our life experiences. But more importantly, communities of people have collective frequencies that impact the world strongly.
If you’re new to this subject, an easy way to understand it is by looking at the chart below. On the bottom are the lower frequencies of shame and guilt which make us feel contracted and small. And as we travel up the funnel, we feel more expansive as we tap into higher frequencies of peace and enlightenment.
I personally don’t like focusing on the actual frequency numbers, but instead like to think about each emotion as having a certain level of awareness which leads us to relate to ourselves and others in a particular way. This is how we think of it in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qigong, and Reiki with our dan tiens or chakra energy centers. As we open them up and take responsibility from the choices we make in life, we reach a more evolved or enlightened state.
What Does It Mean To Raise Your Vibration?
It’s obvious looking at the charts why one would like to “raise their vibration”.
Do you want to live a small existence where you feel like you have zero control?
Wouldn’t you rather feel hopeful and limitless instead?
What about on a community, national, or even global level? How do you want your outer world to feel?
What would the world look like if the collective frequency was courageous, accepting, and loving?
Many people say they want to see peace on Earth in their lifetime. But they don’t understand that it needs to start on an individual level, within themselves. We all need to take responsibility and raise our own vibration to then affect the whole.
Luckily, because of the faster, more expansive nature of higher vibrational frequencies, it doesn’t take a lot of people at this level to make big shifts in the collective.
How Do You Raise Your Vibrational Frequency?
There’s much you can do to lift yourself up out of a lower vibrational state. These steps below can increase the quality of your life and contribute to a more peaceful world.
1. Make the intention to lift your consciousness
This is a challenging first step. Most people who live in fear, who blame others for their circumstances, have no concept of what it’s like to be any different. They think that people who speak of positivity about peace and love – are delusional and not living in reality. It’s actually true that there is a divide in reality between these people and ranges of frequency! Their lives and outlooks are completely different.
What’s unique though, is that people who have achieved higher frequencies have an easier time relating to those who are vibrating lower because they have experienced it before. And they are making the intentional choice over and over again to continue to evolve so that they spend more time in a higher vibrational state. They recognize that they’re doing this not only for themselves, but for the benefit of all beings.
2. Be grateful for everything in your life
Expressing gratitude for your life every morning can set you up for having a more pleasant day ahead. It will start you off in a higher vibrational state where it’s easier to fluctuate from instead of starting low and trying to rise up throughout the day.
Gratitude helps us see that every human experience and all the emotions we feel are completely acceptable. There are lessons from challenging experiences. There are huge growth and healing possibilities from trauma. We don’t necessarily want to welcome them into our lives. Chances are these challenging experiences happen when we’re vibrating lower (like attracts like). But these experiences if looked at mindfully, can show us that there is room to grow.
3. Meditate
Mindfulness meditation teaches us to watch how the mind creates our reality. We can see how our intentions, thoughts, feelings, and our actions are responsible for what is showing up in our lives. And to make it different, we need to change the way we relate to ourselves and others.
A regular meditation practice will help us experience mindfulness in everyday situations. And with time, we have less fluctuation in our vibrational frequency when the mind is constantly checking our experience.
4. Remove yourself from lower vibration situations and relationships
Eventually, you’ll have insight about how your relationships with others is affecting you. Especially if you’re meditating, you’ll start feeling the divide between your reality and others. If you’re not able to continue your pursuit of positivity, especially if your friends and family are trying to keep you on their level and are being mean about it, then it’s best you create some distance.
“If you’re not helping me evolve, you’re a distraction.” Ralph Smart, Infinite Waters
https://ralphsmart.com/
This goes for our work, school, and recreational environments. If they’re not supportive of your growth, then why are you supporting them?
We might mistake this for compassion, but if you really take a close look you may be caught up in the vibration of fear. Are you afraid that no one else will love and accept you? I would bet that is absolutely not the case, which brings me to the next step…
5. Hang out with high vibe people who inspire you
Finding friends and mentors who inspire you to develop yourself and grow are the best people to hang around, in my opinion. They’ll support you on your journey, continue to inspire you to greatness, and remind you of what is possible.
It’s not usual for these people to initially trigger us. If we’re caught up in a lower vibrational state where we’re constantly comparing ourselves to others, as I mentioned in the beginning, it may seem like they’re not relatable to us. But as we continue to develop, it’s interesting to see how they become our best teachers and friends.
6. Clear blocked centers with energy medicine
In order to speed up the process of raising your vibration, it’s helpful to work with Acupuncturists, Qigong practitioners, Reiki masters, Light workers, or Shamanic practitioners to clear your energy field and heal trauma. You can find a practitioner in your area to see in person, but much of the energy work can be done through distance healing sessions since energy has no boundaries. I do a combination of all of these modalities in my distance sessions. The process is essentially to unblock trapped energy which shows up as intense emotions & physical pain, tonify weak energy, and regulate to distribute the energy evenly. Energy healing is truly transformational since we’re working with the root of imbalances. I love incorporating into my holistic health coaching work too since it can be a strong foundation for any personal development.
7. Nourish your body with higher frequency foods and plant medicine
Everything we take in with our senses affects our vibrational frequency. One aspect of health that’s easier to control is which foods we choose to consume and the other ways that we nourish the body to heal. Processed foods, conventional produce laced with herbicides & pesticides, low quality animal products, sugar, alcohol, and greasy fried foods are all considered low vibration since they can lower your quality of health. When we eat crap, we generally feel like crap, right? That’s because of the energy we’re consuming that is becoming part of us.
Organic, fresh, local fruits and vegetables vibrate higher, so it’s better for everyone to add more of these foods into our diets. Of course we don’t need to be super strict about this! Just like the emotional state of being that we’re trying to stay in, we can to eat these higher vibration foods most of the time. They should make up the greater part of your diet to achieve the highest degree of wellness.
How foods are prepared is important too. What’s the environment they’re made in? What’s the emotional vibration that meals are cooked in?
This also holds true for how we care for our bodies when we’re ill too. Are we taking medicine that is unrecognizable to the body, far removed from nature, which was made with the intention to help you ignore your body’s natural signals? Or is it natural medicine that’s familiar to your body, that’s made with the intention to heal you on all levels? This is something to ponder.
Essential oils are know for being extremely high vibe (rose & spruce are the highest). This is not only because of plants reverent nature in the world, but also because they’re highly concentrated. A little goes a long way to help you heal, and the aroma uplifts your mood as you’re using them.
8. Spend time in nature
You know I’m always preaching this, because it’s so healing. We must spend more time in nature. Being among the trees and with other animals can lift us up into higher vibrational states. But to stay lifted, we must reflect on our relationship with nature and constantly remind ourselves that it’s symbiotic. We are a microcosm of nature too. When we align with it, we are healthy on all levels.
I hope this concept of raising your vibration is more clear now! And I hope it’s inspired you to make some positive changes in your life. Please comment below if you’d like to share your experience of energy vibration. And feel free to reach out to me if you’d like my personal help!
We’re at the end of summer, with Back-To-School around the corner. Usually at this time I’m helping families boost their immune systems to prepare for viral illnesses that come up in the Fall and Winter. However, we’re seeing a surge of sickness here in the Summer, while still dealing with Covid-19 and it’s variants. I feel that right now people need reminders of how to treat themselves at home if they do get sick. I’ve counseled families a few times this week about how to manage a fever at home, which is a main concern when sick. So that’s what we’re going to be focusing on in this article.
My advice as a Chinese Medicine practitioner is likely different from what your doctor may advise because of my emphasis on natural solutions. I do believe this is a safer and more effective way to deal with the situation and to help your body heal quicker. Whatever you decide to listen to is up to you though! Trust your gut. Read on to learn how to manage a fever at home naturally with Chinese Medicine, acupressure, essential oils, and other natural health techniques.
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When To Reduce A Fever
First, consider not reducing the fever at all!
Fever is one of the body’s best defenses for dealing with infections. The heat kills microorganisms and prevents them from multiplying in the body. The heat also increases our circulation so that they are expelled quickly from the body through our elimination pathways. We need to keep this in mind when we get sick!
A strong fever response is indicative of a strong, healthy immune system, and we don’t want to diminish it. Reducing a fever and slow the body’s ability to heal and allow more time for the pathogen to replicate in the body.
The thing is, we’ve all heard scary stories about people experiencing febrile seizures, which are usually associated with viral infections (and even vaccinations!). No one wants to have a seizure and they fear that brain damage will occur from that (which isn’t even true). So they want to immediately bring the fever down or keep it below a certain temperature. But the fear around this in the medical world is diminishing as we dispel some myths and learn more about the benefits of fever.
Some doctors are saying that people shouldn’t even be concerned about the actual number indicated on the thermometer. And that the only reason someone should try to reduce their fever is if they’re extremely uncomfortable.
Why you should avoid using Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen
Now if you decide to reduce the fever, you can do it with medications or with natural alternatives.
I prefer managing fevers naturally because of the side effects of fever-reducing drugs like Tylenol (acetaminophen), Advil (Ibuprofen), and Alleve (Naproxen).
But there’s even more complications that can arise, especially around Covid-19 infections:
Fever is more serious when accompanied by a stiff neck, hallucinations, and confusions. Please seek emergency care if you encounter any of these symptoms.
Natural Ways To Manage A Fever
I have several methods of managing a fever naturally that I turn to when my son is sick. These have worked so well for my family, that not once have I bought any fever-reducing medications. I recommend these methods to my clients too, who always have great success.
It’s important to note that these natural methods work in the following ways, which is different from fever-reducing drugs. These natural remedies:
increase one’s comfort level while their body is feverish
actively fight the infection, thereby reducing the body’s need to spike a fever
support the body’s ability to heal
These methods do not prevent your body from doing what is natural, with mounting a fever to protect itself.
Peppermint Essential Oil & Cool Washcloth
This is my #1 go-to when I’m dealing with a fever. A cool washcloth on the forehead and/or on the back of the neck will help one feel cooler. I always do this to help my son relax enough to go back to sleep. Adding 1-2 drops of high-quality peppermint or spearmint essential oils will increase the cooling effect.
Acupressure
Several acupoints have the ability to regulate the body’s response to pathogens and manage fever. See the video above for a visual of the points.
Popular body acupoints to mange fever
LI4 – on outside of hand at the corner of the crease between thumb and 1st finger
LI11 – at the end of the elbow crease on outside of arm
Du14 – below the 7th cervical vertebra
UB11 – bilateral, in the center of the paraspinal muscles in line with the 1st thoracic vertebra.
Auriculotherapy (ear acupressure)
Auriculotherapy uses points mapped on the ear to help regulate body function. When dealing with a fever, you can use your fingers, a small probe, or ear seedsto stimulate these points a few times a day:
Ear apex – the upper most part of the ear
Hot – on the upper part of the antihelix in line with the ear apex.
Plant Medicine
Chinese Herbs
Chinese herbs actively work to weaken the pathogen while strengthening the body’s ability to expel it. It’s a complicated process that should be monitored by a Chinese Medical Practitioner, Herbalist, or Acupuncturist. The herbal formula needs to match your symptoms and constitution. Otherwise, minor side effects may arise or they just may not be as effective.
Note that sometimes you may feel temporarily worse before you get better. It’s important to stick with the course of herbs until symptoms are gone, otherwise. But usually fever is an early symptom that tends to resolve within a couple of days, depending on the illness.
Essential Oils For Immune Support
Many essential oils have antiviral function. You can choose a one or more to apply topically to the body. Diluting with a carrier oil keep the essential oil on the skin longer so it’s better able to be absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream. Essential oils are able to penetrate into the lipid membrane of cells, helping to stop viral replication in our bodies.
My favorite blend to use on kids is the Stronger essential oil blend from doTERRA. It contains Frankincense, Rose, Litsea, and Cedarwood. You can roll it along the spine or place on the soles of the feet.
You can check out this Back To School Kitof essential oils that I’ve curated myself. It includes the Stronger blend as well as many other products to keep your kids healthy (includes wholesale account starter fee).
In Conclusion
I hope these pointers help you feel less afraid and more confident when one of you has a viral fever. The goal is to stay comfortable and rest while your body heals! You want to stay out of the hospital with secondary infections, so let the body heal completely the way nature intended to prevent any relapses!
Have you tried any of these natural remedies for fever? I’m interested to hear about how they worked for you, in the comments below. Well wishes to you and your family!
Are you caught in a cycle of unwellness? Are you constantly getting sick, unable to achieve optimum health, or have a chronic issue that’s keeping you down? Or is the unwellness more mental and emotional? Are you replaying dysfunctional stories, ending up in the same toxic relationships, unable to achieve success, or feel like you’re plagued with “bad luck”? Sometimes challenges to our body, heart, and mind occur over and over to get our attention. Let’s talk about how to stop the cycle of unwellness and truly heal.
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Recognition Before You Can Heal
Of course the first step to stopping the cycle of unwellness is to realize that you’re not well! What you’re dealing with is not normal, just because it feels normal (you got used to it) or you see others with the same issue. You also need to acknowledge that healing is possible. Until you have that awareness, you might be saying things like:
“I was born this way”
“It’s my genetics”
“I just have bad luck”
“All the good ones are taken”
“There’s no cure for this; I just need to manage it”
“There’s something special about THEM and that’s why they have success and I don’t”
You might believe that things just happen to you and that you have no control. You may even have an underlying belief that you deserve to be unwell and unhappy! All of these examples are going to cloud your ability to understand your situation completely and know that you can heal.
It took me a long time to realize my chronic sinus and urinary tract infections were a problem I needed to deal with. Once I was aware, I was eager to make changes to improve my health. (And I was very successful in stopping those cycles for good – I haven’t had an infection in over 15 years!)
By the time I was diagnosed with a thyroid condition years later, I was already primed to know that I didn’t need to accept this. My doctor presented my condition and medication plan as a life sentence. But having the experience of healing so many other areas of my holistic health, I knew it was possible with this too! I found stories from other people with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis who were able to bring it into remission. I now have my situation under control, for the most part!
Partner With Healing Coaches & Practitioners
Though I love teaching all about self awareness and reliance, as I mentioned above, it can hard for us to see our situation objectively when we’re in the middle of it. It’s wise to partner with a health coach, energy worker, therapist, acupuncturist, or other practitioner who fits the need of the condition you’re trying to heal. They can create a safe space for you to explore self growth and healing.
When I was having one dysfunctional relationship after another, some loving friends suggested that I see a therapist to help me. Not only did this therapist help me break out of the cycle of bad relationships. But in that 5 year period, she also helped me:
make life changing decisions to study TCM
leave my biotech job
build a functional relationship with my husband
heal deep-seated family trauma
support my mental/emotional health when pregnant & post-partum
and so much more!
The time and money I spent on those therapy sessions were priceless.
She didn’t do the work to make shifts in my life – I did. But I needed her to support me as I moved through some very huge transformations. I needed to bounce ideas off of her. I needed her to assure me that I wasn’t crazy when I felt the world pushing back on me to remain the same when I wanted to bust out of all of it. And I needed her to tell me the truth when I was “the problem” and needed to change my outlook on life and my actions.
Of course how much the practitioner or coach does with you hands-on is dependent on the scope of their practice. But I feel like more work is done when practitioners have a hands-off approach and work through your emotional and mindset issues that may be at the root of your problems.
Be Open To Constructive Criticism And Reflection
If you’re receiving help to break your cycle of unwellness and heal, it’s important to stay open to criticism and be willing to change. As I mentioned before, that was one of the major roles of my therapist in our time together. And as an Acupuncturist and a Health Coach, I make sure that my clients understand that this is my role too – to reflect back how they’re caring for themselves and what their energy is that they’re putting out into the world. Sometimes that process doesn’t feel good, but it’s necessary.
This story will help illustrate what I mean:
A friend went to an acupuncturist for fertility treatments. The acupuncturist told her that she was “too intense” and that she needed to make major changes in her lifestyle & attitude to increase her chances of conceiving a baby naturally. The client left feeling really upset. She said the acupuncturist was too harsh on her. She wanted my opinion on whether she should keep seeing this acupuncturist or to find someone else.
I told her first that the #1 thing that’s important in a healing relationship with a practitioner is that she feels safe to share what’s on her heart and that the practitioner really cares about her. If there’s no rapport, then find someone else.
However…
In this situation I felt like the biggest problem was that the client was not open to criticism. As a practitioner myself, I don’t think the practitioner was harsh at all. I would have said the same thing if I felt her lifestyle habits were making it challenging to conceive!
That’s a super important point for people to realize when they’re breaking out of an unwellness cycle.
Doing what you’re doing now is not working.
You need to try a new approach or change something in your life that’s keeping you from being well.
The practitioner is trying to help you with that!
If you can’t see that, then it just feels like you’re being blamed and the practitioner is being mean.
You need to take responsibility for how your life has unfolded and get out of a victim mentality if you’re to have any hope in healing.
In Conclusion
This information I’m sharing is not going to land well with everyone. And not everyone is ready to heal. There needs to be some self-motivation and a willingness to look at the situation honestly & then change.
If you have that inner drive to break out of your unwellness cycle, I hope this helps you move forward! Comment below if you have any questions, or want to share parts of your wellness journey. And if you need my personal help, know that I can work with you 1:1 with Holistic Health Coaching to really move the dial in your life!
Energy healers can help you resolve mental, emotional, and spiritual imbalances that may be at the root of physical ailments. It’s important for humans to realize that energy is what animates us and connects us to everything on this planet. However, many people still have a skeptical mind and don’t believe qigong healing, shamanic healing, reiki, and even classical acupuncture & yoga practices can heal acute illnesses and chronic disease. In this blog post & video, we’ll talk more about why and how you can open your mind to receive energy medicine for deeper healing. And we’ll cover the 4 main limiting beliefs that may be keeping your mind closed off from accepting these powerful healing energy therapies, and how to move past them.
I came across a thread in an Acupuncture Community forum a few weeks ago that inspired this week’s blog post. The author was complaining that Massage Therapists who practice Reiki are making their profession seem “like a joke”. The author asked that we Acupuncturists stop talking about or doing energy work. He said we seem less professional when we include energy-work.
Eeek.
This was confronting & confusing, because the practice of Acupuncture is based on vital energy!
It took a lot of strength to not argue with the author (as many in the community were doing). I chose instead to write this article to educate about energy-based medicine in general. These energetic modalities can help people in ways that physical-based biomedicine cannot. I feel that it’s important people know enough to avoid making sweeping judgements against them.
Energy is the Basis of Eastern Medicine
Vital energy is called “Qi” (pronounced “chee”) in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). With Yoga, it’s “Prana”, which is linked with the breath. In Reiki, it’s called “Ki”. In Star Wars they refer to it as “The Force”!
All of these modalities have Shamanic roots that address healing on physical, emotional, mental, energetic, and spiritual levels. The energy is one in the same. It’s what animates us and everything around us. Practitioners harness the energy differently, depending on the modality.
Energy Work With Yoga
Mobilizing Prana with the breath is central to a Hatha Yoga practice. With Pranayama , Prana and breath are controlled directly. It’s a more advanced practice. Pranayama extends one’s life as you slow down the breath and expand the capacity for Prana within ourselves.
TCM, Qigong & Reiki Energy Healing
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we balance Qi with tangible methodologies like acupuncture, herbs, massage, and/or nutrition. But Qigong can be used as well, which is an invisible art. Practitioners are able to build up their own Qi with a personal practice. They can also channel energy from the Earth and Heavens and project to a patient to adjust their Qi too. Reiki is very similar to Qigong, with origins in Japan.
Shamanic Roots Of Energy Work
Shamanism is the first healing practice in existence, > 30,000 years old! Though Shamanism is performed in numerous cultures, each with their own unique rituals, journey-work is present in all of them. Journeys are done to gain information about one’s health & life path. They’re also the place where we practitioners do deep healing in the world and with people’s souls. Shamanic practices seem very different from the modalities mentioned above. However, the common aspect is that we can also extract unhelpful energy while infusing healing light for people and communities in need.
There are many more energy modalities, but these are the ones I practice and teach. I’m relying on them more and more to really get to the root of issues. Energetic disturbances are linked with physical, emotional, or spiritual trauma – or unhelpful habitual patterns.
What Beliefs Make People Skeptical Of Energy Medicine And How Does One Overcome Them?
Here in the West, there is a great deal of skepticism when it comes to alternative medicine. But this is especially true when it comes to energy healing. Just like the person I mentioned at the beginning of the article here, many people don’t take energy seriously. Or they may claim it doesn’t exist. This is really too bad, since I believe energy medicine is the only way to resolve many of the issues we’re dealing with today. And this is why I believe it’s the medicine of the future.
You’ll appreciate reading on if you’re intrigued about energy medicine, but need to know more before trying it. If you find yourself holding one of these beliefs, try the suggestions I make to move beyond them. I did it and you can too!
These are the common reasons why people don’t understand and appreciate energy medicine…
1. If They Don’t See Energy, They Don’t Believe In It
Energy is hard for people to conceptualize because it’s not tangible. Some of us have trained eyes that can see where there’s energy in one’s body and where there is not. But the majority of people can’t see bodies this way.
So it’s perfectly natural for people to be skeptical of this invisible substance if they can’t tell if it’s working. They don’t want to be taken advantage of.
But there is a way to know that it’s happening. When you become more sensitive, you can feel energy moving through the body. And when you stick to regular treatments, you’ll also see that your symptoms lesson or get completely better.
If you have this belief too, you may want to do self-cultivation practices and work on self-healing before working with a practitioner who projects energy to you. You can do Qigong exercises, Tai chi, or practicing yoga while mindful of feeling energy moving through the body. If you don’t have someone local in your area to practice with, consider my Yoga & Self Healing Practices course. I teach about Qigong and Yogic energy practices in depth for healing on every level.
A lot of this sensitivity work uses your imagination to move energy and as you open up the mind, you open up the whole body to feel. I have a very simple exercise you can try in this video to develop greater sensitivity.
2. They Don’t Believe Energy Medicine Is Powerful Enough (Too Gentle)
Sometimes people believe in energy medicine, but they don’t think Qigong & Reiki are as powerful as more tangible forms, like acupuncture & massage. I used to believe this too!
When I first started doing massage in 2000, I did exchanges with a friend who would give me Reiki. I didn’t think it was an equal trade. While the Reiki was relaxing, it wasn’t as sensually pleasing as massage.
One time when I was receiving a Reiki session, I felt a tickling sensation down at the base of my tailbone. But when I opened my eyes, my friend wasn’t even in the room! I asked her about this when she came back in. She said she kept working on me as she tended to her dog who was needing attention.
I left shortly after since I felt my intestines moving. I completely evacuated my bowels when I got home. (I was obviously constipated. I was very out-of-touch with my body back then and didn’t pay attention to regularity.) Anyway, it had a very powerful affect on my physical body! I realized in that moment that my friend was truly a Master. And I’ve never doubted the power of energy medicine since.
3. Thinking Only In-Person Energy Medicine Will Work
Another misconception is that only in-person energy sessions will work, just like other in-person modalities. So people dismiss distance energy work since they can’t imagine how it’s possible. However, there are no solid boundaries with energy. It can regulated with intention alone, like I mentioned when my friend was doing it on me from the next room.
Again, it may be helpful to work on your own personal sensitivity to Qi through self-cultivation practices first. Or, you can experience group healings first which are usually less expensive, or sometimes free. It doesn’t matter how you get there! Just to find a way to open up your mind to greater possibilities and become more trusting. Then you can experience powerful distance healing from whichever practitioner you want around the world!
4. They Believe Energy Medicine Is “Magic” And “Evil”
Fear is the biggest reason people reject energy medicine. They’re afraid of it’s formless nature. Or their scared because it’s like magic. They’re afraid it can harm them.
These beliefs usually stem from negative programming, usually with religion. And therefore there’s nothing I can say that will help you accept it more. I will mention – my life has only improved since I’ve been receiving and giving energy medicine to others.
Perhaps one day you’ll change your mind! Just make sure that you find a practitioner who you feel completely safe with. That’s all you need – a loving practitioner and an open, receptive mind, body, and spirit. Energy healing can only help move you toward balance, so it’s worth a try.
I hope this has been great food for thought! I’m curious to know if you’ve had energy work before, and how it worked for you. Please leave a comment below! And if you’re wanting my personal help with energy work, feel free to contact me. Well wishes!
Do you have chronic pain in your body that just won’t go away? Or is your body prone to acute painful accidents? Have you considered that this is a physical manifestation of emotional pain? Let’s talk about the causes of pain from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and why you should consider intense emotions to be the likely cause. Better yet, I have a suggestion for the best therapy to process the emotional root of your pain so you experience it less often.
Before we get into it, you may want to pause and download this free guide that contains my favorite acupressure points to relieve stress. If done consistently, this could be another way to relieve or even prevent pain. Get it now, you’ll love it!
Then, either watch the video or read the article below to learn more about how to recognize when physical pain has an emotional root, and my suggestions on how to release it.
Causes Of Pain
Pain can obviously be caused by outside influences such as getting in an accident, or someone hurting you. Most people also recognize that pain can have an internal cause – lack of activity, too much work, and most importantly (because it’s often overlooked) is intense emotions showing up as pain.
In Chinese Medicine, we acknowledge that pain is the sensation we feel when the body is telling us that our Qi – or vital energy – is blocked, stagnant, or deficient in an area. The quality of the pain can indicate an acute or chronic condition, and whether it’s just energy involved or also affecting blood circulation.
How Emotions Cause Physical Pain
It’s not necessary to know exactly which emotions are causing an energetic imbalance and why before you can release the emotions & pain. But it is interesting to note how our Qi is affected by certain emotions, especially if this is a habitual way of being for you. In Chinese Medicine, this is also related to the Yin Organs of the body, which we can then target with acupuncture, acupressure, Qigong energetics, and Yin Yoga.
The 5 Emotions and Their Energetic Imbalances:
Anger: Liver (Wood Element) – Causes Qi to rise
Excitement: Heart (Fire Element) – Slows down and relaxes Qi
Worry: Spleen (Earth Element) – Causes Qi to stagnate
Grief/Sorry: Lungs (Metal Element) – Obstructs the flow of Qi
Fear: Kidneys (Water Element) – Causes Qi to descend
There are clues to the physical manifestation of these imbalances that are more obvious with some more than others. For example, Qi rising from Liver/Wood anger causes obvious headaches, red race, and neck tension. Also, certain emotions get held in the body along the organ channels. Like with Fear, this can cause Qi to become imbalanced in the Kidney channel, causing low back pain.
Having this knowledge is helpful, especially for TCM practitioner. But we can still release emotional and physical pain ourselves simply by being present in our bodies. My favorite way to do this is with Yin Yoga.
Yin Yoga For Physical and Emotional Pain
With Yin Yoga, we use long-held postures, breath, and intention to stimulate Qi flow. We’re not able to experience this depth of flow with other types of Yoga or movement practices. It’s basically like a self-administered acupuncture practice. But Yin Yoga weaves in mindfulness meditation that can completely alter the way we view ourselves and the world.
When spending time in the Yin shapes and encountering discomfort, I suggest you go through these steps. Do them over an over again until you can completely let go of the held physical and emotional tension:
Recognize the emotion is coming from inside you (stop blaming others and take responsibility)
Name the emotion
Release it with the exhalation
Infuse the space with more Qi as you inhale, bringing in more love and acceptance
You can seek out a Yin Yoga teacher in your area so help you move through this process. You can learn from me through my online courses. Or consider my 1:1 Holistic Health Coaching, where we can break down negative beliefs that may be contributing to your emotional and physical pain.
In Conclusion
I hope this gives you more to think about! You’re more in control that you may realize with the chronic or acute pain you’re experiencing. Hopefully you’re now determined to get to the root of it and seek help if needed to fully let it go.
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments! I would also love to hear if you’ve been able to release pain consciously, what that was like for you. Well wishes friend…
Do you feel betrayed by your body? Has an injury, trauma, chronic illness, or cancer scare left you feeling confused about how to take care of yourself and what your body can handle? Let’s talk about how to regain trust and begin to heal holistically, on all levels.
Did Your Body Fail You?
Many people have had experiences that threatened their belief in their body’s ability to stay strong and heal. I started thinking about this a few months ago when someone close to me was polling her friends on Facebook, asking them whether she should get the Covid-19 vaccine or not.
Instead of giving her this advice, I asked her why she wants her friends to tell her what to do. She answered that she’s had a few experiences that have left her unable to trust her body: 2 emergency C-sections and also has chronic asthma. She doesn’t understand how this all came to be and so needs a lot of help making medical decisions.
I had an emergency c-section too, which was fairly traumatic. Afterwards, I felt like a failure and was paranoid about building up my baby’s gut flora and immunity, knowing that a vaginal birth is what establishes it. I didn’t understand how I could be strong & flexible with Yoga, but not be able to birth a child. But there were many things that were in my power afterwards that helped me heal my body, heart, and mind around this experience.
How To Befriend Your Body Again
Have you had a similar experience like this too, where your body disappointed you? Did it lead you to stay in your power as you got help to heal? Or did it leave you feeling lost and confused about whether you could ever trust it again? If it’s the latter, I have a few steps you can consider (this is what I did!) to strengthen your relationship with your body so you can continue to make empowered decisions for yourself.
1. Accept That Your Body Needed Extra Support
First, it’s important that you accept what happened to your body. It’s likely that at the time, it wasn’t in your control. Or you may never really know exactly why it happened.
I was hard on myself initially when I had my C-section until someone reminded me that another being was involved who has his own karma. Perhaps my son really needed this birth. Or maybe he just needed more time, but our circumstances wouldn’t allow for that. These things were not in my control and it stopped my obsessive thinking about it.
2. Take Responsibility For Your Body’s Condition
On the flip-side though, there MAY a reason for what happened that you still need to work on. For example, if it’s being around a lot of toxic chemicals that may have caused cancer, or poor gut health that led to a chronic disease; your lifestyle does need to change in order to prevent another occurrence and to help your body heal. Your body may be desperately trying to communicate with you. Sometimes illness, injuries, and disease needs to happen for us to finally listen! Maybe it’s a wake up call to attend to your health better.
Going back to my birth experience, there were clues telling me that my hips may be misaligned which may have affected my son’s position and ability to descend. Even though I’ll never really know what happened, I’m now clued into the fact that my body is limited in this region and attending to it is helping to reduce back pain, digestion issues, and other things I have been experiencing. So I’m very thankful that I finally listened to my body’s message that it was off balance!
3. Recognize The Importance Of Your Wellness Journey
When we can accept the situation and take responsibility for it at the same time, we step into a powerful, aware state that can help you heal on a much deeper level. Recognize that this is the beginning of a wellness journey for you, and that there may be many layers to it.
4. Get Help To Befriend And Heal Your Body, Heart, Mind, and Spirit
The final step here would be to actually get the support you need to heal. Who you go to for help depends on the situation you’re dealing with, of course. Maybe you need a medical doctor or psychiatrist if it’s serious. For most situations, its most empowering to avoid drugs, so to seek a more natural or therapeutic approach. I recommend choosing a practitioner who gives advice while respecting your ability to make informed, independent decisions for yourself.
If you’re interested in working with me closer, I love helping women (especially moms) resolve stress, anxiety, and trauma with holistic wellness coaching and empowerment. I pull from many eastern healing traditions and can offer you energy medicine, yoga & meditation, natural health education, and intuitive guidance to help you find inner harmony again. Reach out to me if you have any questions!
In Conclusion
Hopefully this information reassures you that it’s possible to relate to your body well again in a more deep and meaningful way, and that you can fully heal. I would love to hear if this help you!
Let me know about it, and ask any questions, in the comments below. Well wishes!
Do you love to spend time on long hikes in the forest, sitting by a gentle stream among trees, or having picnics in beautiful meadows? Like me, you may enjoy the sounds of nature, the company of the fauna, and the clean air that you exchange with the flora. There is a huge positive impact on our physical, mental, and emotional health when we spend time in nature. This is true, especially with forest bathing. However, it’s not always possible to retreat to nature when we need it in our everyday stress-filled lives. There are many things you can do to bring forest bathing indoors, to replicate it at home.
Forest Bathing Benefits
Forest Bathing, or Shinrin Yoko as it’s called in Japan, is a very popular lifestyle practice in Asia and Europe. Many peer reviewed studies show the benefits of forest bathing. The results are so positive, that it’s actually prescribed to people who are overworked and dealing with stress and anxiety.
Regular forest bathing results in:
reduced blood pressure
elevated mood
reduced stress hormones
increased focus and concentration
increased natural killer cells which boost immune health
Unfortunately, many of us are not able to go walk in a forest at the end of each workday. And for some, it’s hard to go at all because they don’t have access; are sick, disabled, or injured; or are afraid (seriously, this is the case with some people, and that’s okay). And for this reason, it’s a good idea to try to reproduce forest bathing at home, bringing nature indoors to promote holistic health.
How To Forest Bathe At Home
There are many aspects of forest bathing that you can do at home if you’re not able to engage in the real thing.
Whenever you’re feeling stressed out, or as often as you like to prevent anxious feelings, try one or more of the following:
Diffuse Essential Oils
The visual beauty of a forest is a major reason why so many people experience a greater relaxed state. However the aroma of the forest may be even more powerful in affecting one’s mood. That’s because when we smell, we’re stimulating the limbic area of the brain which processes emotions and holds memories. Inhaling the natural essential oils in the woods or the essential oils extracted from plant parts, are equally effective in enhancing your mood!
To experience the benefits of forest bathing, simply diffuse the essential oils of trees that are present there. Try using:
Cypress
Fir trees (Siberian, White, Douglas, Balsam)
Juniper Berry
Spruce
Frankincense
Cedarwood
Eucalyptus
Tea Tree
Myrrh
Sandalwood
Copaiba
Arborvitae
DoTERRA is my favorite brand of essential oils because of their commitment to quality and purity, their sustainability efforts, and their close relationship with indigenous farmers around the world. Learn more here.
Listen to Forest Sounds
Close your eyes and imagine you’re in the forest as you listen to tracks of birds, wind through trees, a bubbling stream, and other woodland sounds.
Watch Calming Nature Videos
Viewing scenes of nature is better than nothing! Soothing scenes can definitely relax you. Research shows however, that these effects are more temporary than real-life experiences. You’re also dealing with the effects of an electronic device, so I recommend this option the least.
Do Guided Meditations Set In A Forest
The mind is a powerful force! You can use guided meditations set in the forest to create a space for very deep healing. This is whatI often do with coaching clients to support their mental, emotional, and spiritual health. If you do an online search, you’re sure to find a few helpful audio or video tracks. Feel free to reach out to me if you’d like my personal help.
Communicate With Trees Near Your Home
You don’t need to explore a whole forest just to experience the benefits of this nature therapy. Opening up your senses and connecting to the trees around your home may be more convenient as is still very effective. I like to combine grounding with a meditation:
Find a comfortable space outside near a tree.
Take off your shoes & socks and allow your feet to sink into the earth.
Consciously relax your body, letting it sink further with gravity.
Imagine that you’re sending roots down through the center of each foot.
See these roots connecting with the tree(s) around you, like you’re holding hands/roots with them.
As you breathe fully & deeply recognize how you’re exchanging life energy with the tree and how you have a symbiotic relationship with it.
Bring More Plants Into Your Home
Adding lovely ferns, orchids, and other forest plants to your home can create the visual appeal of time in the woods. If you’re serious about stress management, it’s a good idea to surround yourself with plants, especially if you work from home.
In Conclusion
Of course it’s best to experience the forest in real life! I’ve had so many amazing downloads, breakthrough, and moments of deep peace among the trees. But the home lifestyle practices I mention here can still be transformational if you don’t have access to nature on a regular basis.
I’m curious, do you forest bathe? What do you think of these at-home substitutes? Let us know in the comments how these nature therapies support your holistic health!
Eating bad food is not the only cause of indigestion. Did you know gas, bloating, GERD, constipation, diarrhea, and all that fun stuff can also be related to stress? If you’re not able to digest your food, you’re likely not able to digest what is happening in your life. This three-part yoga breathing exercise will help improve your gut health, relax stress-induced tension and help you practice mindfulness when eating too.
How To Do The Three-Part Yogic Breath
Our breath is meant to assist the whole body in resting and digesting as it soothes the body in it’s parasympathetic nervous system state. However in our fast-past, stress-inducing lifestyles that pull us away from body awareness leave us with shallow breathing.
When we’re just breathing in the upper body, the digestive organs are not massaged as they’re meant to be, and of course we’re also dealing with the stress hormones that are released too.
The Three-part Yogic Breath is meant to help you breathe deeply again, to use the diaphragm which increases lymph and blood flow in the belly, increases peristalsis & bowel movement, and soothes the nervous system.
Watch the video above or follow the instructions here to learn this simple breathing technique.
Three-Part Yoga Breathing Instructions:
Come into a comfortable seated position or sit in a chair with the spine straight.
Close your eyes, interiorize your attention to focus on the movement of the breath moving in and out of the nose.
Place one hand on the belly and one on the chest, and bring the breath in deep now, to feel the belly expand.
Now inhale in two parts, first into the belly and then up into the chest. Then exhale completely in one part.
Continue, and as you get comfortable, you can extend out the breath. For example:
2 seconds inhale into the belly, 2 seconds into the chest / 4 second exhale
