Healing Matters

6th Chakra- Breaking Through Illusions

2009-09-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

The 6th Chakra is known as “Ajna” in Sanskrit translating as “to perceive and command.” Located between the eyebrows, the 6th Chakra or “third eye” coordinates the functions of the eyes including the gift of sight. Through the physical eyes we take in and perceive images from the outside to create an internal map of the world around us. Our mind’s eye gleans insight from dreams, unconscious images, intuitions and creative visualizations so we may command or create our reality. Seeing fills our brain with the element of light shining the truth of our spirit into our consciousness. The third eye also governs the functions of the pineal gland, a light sensitive organ that monitors our relationship to the sun, to light. We can use light to help us transcend physical limitations or beliefs of the mind. By engaging our intuition with our mind’s eye, we can break through illusions and “see into the windows of the soul”. This chakra challenges us to deeply examine the beliefs we invest our energies in: Can you believe that your life has purpose and meaning beyond what you can see? Can you see the way ahead is clear? Can you close your eyes to see? Can you see auras? Self-doubt often prevents us from seeing what is true--what has always been right there in front of our eyes. Build trust, strength, and compassion for your intuition as you practice opening the 6th Chakra with the following exercises:

Stretching the Eyes
In a seated position close your eyes until you feel relaxed. Once you are ready open eyes and gaze straight ahead. As you breathe in look up and as you breathe out look down. Return your gaze straight ahead, close your eyes, pause and relax. Open eyes again and gaze straight ahead. As you breathe in look left and as you breathe out look right. Return gaze straight ahead, close your eyes, pause and relax. Open eyes and gaze straight ahead. As you breathe in look up and as you breathe out roll eyes toward the right in a clockwise direction reaching the bottom of your out-breath as you’re looking down. Inhale beginning to move towards the left completing the circle at the end of your in-breath by looking up. Repeat three times in both clockwise and then counter-clockwise directions moving with your breath. Return your gaze straight ahead. Clap hands together and rub until warm, place warm hands over eyes, close your eyes, pause and relax as you block all light out with your palms. This exercise stretches the eye muscles, relaxes the optic nerve, and can improve the clarity of your sight.

Color Meditation
Begin in a seated position on the floor or in a chair. Close your eyes and allow your breathe to be even. Imagine a shining disk of bright white light floating directly above your head, holding color which you can pull from.
When you are ready breathe in and pull down a color from the disk through your crown and down your spine. Start with the first Chakra and the color red. For example:
Breathe in and pull the color red down through the top of your head, along your spine and fill the base of your spine (1st Chakra) with red. Rest and notice how this color feels. Energized? Uncomfortable?
Continue for each chakra until all wheels are spinning with light and color:
1st chakra- Red
2nd chakra- Orange
3rd chakra- Yellow
4th chakra-Green
5th chakra- Blue
6th chakra- Indigo
7th chakra-Violet
Once you are complete check each chakra to see if they are retaining their color. Which is brightest? Strongest? Pale? Or weak? The colors that feel easy to see are most likely places of strength. The colors that are most difficult to see may represent areas of challenge. Work at balancing the colors and seeing your body as a continuous rainbow.

“Change how you see, not how you look”-Unknown

The 5th or Throat Chakra - What you Say Matters

2009-09-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

Prana or vital life force flows through the top of the head and down through the chakras, and simultaneously flows upward through the chakras. These ascending and descending currents are inherent to our physical and spiritual growth. As prana passes through us, each center is given the nourishment needed to express, transform and understand our inner landscape and our interconnection with all that is.

“Right thought leads to right speech leads to right action.” -Caroline Myss

Mandala of the 5th Chakra or Throat Soul

Vishuddha or “Purification” is the 5th Chakra found at the throat. This Chakra works to keep the free flow of blood, lymph and prana to the neck, shoulders, arms and hands. It helps balance the energies and functions of the thyroid and parathyroid. This chakra may be balanced or enhanced by wearing the color blue-think bright blue. It expresses itself through the element of sound and works to achieve clarity. This chakra represents the ability to clearly express our truth. Are you speaking your truth? Do you say yes, when you mean no? Do you realize that what you say matters? We are creating the world around us each and every moment with the words we choose to say. The throat soul is a powerful center providing the opening into conscious creation. Let us strengthen our resounding truth by activating the 5th chakra with movement:

Neck Stretch-
Sit or stand comfortably. Take an expansive breath in, and as you exhale gently allow your head to fall forward reaching your chin to your chest. Breathe in and arch your head and chin toward the ceiling. Repeat 3-4 times.
Breathe in; as you exhale gently reach your ear to your shoulder. Breathe in, stretch your ear to the opposite shoulder. Repeat 3-4 times moving from side to side.

Breathe in; as you exhale look to the left bringing your chin to your shoulder. Breathe in and the head returns to center; exhale look to the right. Repeat 3-4 times looking and gently exploring your range of motion from side to side.

Shoulder Stand

Start lying flat on your back legs and arms outstretched. Bring your knees in toward your chest. Lift hips off the floor and allow legs to straighten as you reach them toward the ceiling. Bring hands up to support your lower back. Make sure to keep your head centered as you continue to take full deep breaths. Remain in shoulder stand for up to 10 minutes.

To release the pose first bend the knees in and toward your head. Gently roll the spine back on the floor slowly, one vertebra at a time. Pause laying on the floor to feel the effects of your efforts.

Fish Pose-
Begin by lying down on your back with your legs stretched out along the floor. Bring your hands under your hips with the palms facing down. Strongly press into the elbows lifting your chest up towards the ceiling; allow your head to lift and arch the top of your head to touch the floor. Hold for as long as comfortable taking long deep expansive breathes into your shining heart as the throat is stretched open.

4th Chakra-Smile Into Your Heart

2009-07-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

As we explore up through the chakras, the liberating forces of awareness are emphasized. Each chakra offers opportunities to experience new degrees of freedom and expansion. Activating and opening the lower chakras fuels an upward and outward sensation that is energizing, exciting and personally liberating. Continue to revisit one or two exercises from the lower chakras to assist the opening and activation of the upper chakras. They are interrelated, accessed through each other, and are inseparable. A block in one chakra may affect the processes of the one above it or below it. Practice feeling the effects of opening each chakra physically and meta-physically i.e.; new ideas, different emotions.

Anahata is the Sanskrit name of the 4th Chakra, meaning ‘unstruck’ or the pure energy potential of creation. It helps balance the energies and functions of the lungs, heart, thymus gland, pericardium, arms and hands. This chakra is closely related to the element of air, having to do with the breath and is the gateway between the mind and body.

Centered at the heart, this chakra mediates the lower three and upper three chakras. The heart chakra’s central alignment allows balance between: the mind and body, giving and receiving, and self and other. It is believed the heart is the center of healing, and love is the ultimate healing force. When balanced we radiate love, joy and gratitude. This chakra asks you to create time for a personal ritual in which you “take yourself into your own heart”. Do something to awaken feelings of tranquility and harmony: listen to soft music or meditations, receive a massage, smile into your heart, do yoga.

4th Chakra Movement & Meditations

Chest Opener
Start standing with feet at least hip width apart. Clasp hands behind your back, as you do this allow your arms to rotate and the elbows lock. Doing this will push your chest out and bring your shoulders down and back. Gently fold forward, allow arms to float up behind you, let your head be heavy, and avoid locking out your knees. Hang for 10 breaths. Release arms and roll back up gently.

Sphinx/Cobra Pose
Lay on your belly with your arms bent, your elbows under your shoulders and palms placed face down on the floor. Press evenly into your elbows to lift your chest off the floor. Keep your neck long, shoulders relaxed and your glutes soft. Hold up to 12 breathes.

If you would like to open more deeply into the heart, you can press evenly into the palms to lift the belly off the floor and hold for several breaths.

Deep Breathing
Find a comfortable position to sit and begin to watch your breath. Take deep, full, complete breaths. Breathe in and allow the breath to first fill your belly- then your chest-your shoulders and throat. Exhale and reverse the order: exhale shoulders and throat-then chest-then your belly. Repeat several times. Sit longer than you think, so that you can rest your body and rest your mind. “If your breathing is any way restricted, to that degree, so is your life.”- Michael Grant White.

3rd Chakra: Transformation

2009-06-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

"The greatest illusion of the New Age is that awareness alone heals. Believe me, awareness by itself does nothing! Putting the healing process in motion requires a regular spiritual practice and discipline not just exercise and clean living."
– Caroline Myss

Sushumna in Yoga or Sumana in Thai is considered to be the home of the Chakras. The Chakras are located along the spine like a ‘super highway’ or a channel connecting one to another. Because of where the Chakras are located we can feel there influence over our entire nervous and endocrine systems. The alignment of the spine will help form the shape of the body and determine the openness of each Chakra i.e.; a collapsed chest, ventral drag or rolled in shoulders may indicate an imbalance in the core or 3rd chakra. It is possible to open and balance the Chakras by bringing more awareness and flexibility to the spine.

Manipura is the Sanskrit name of the 3rd Chakra, meaning ‘lustrous gem’. It is located between the navel and the lower ribs, and is often referred to as the solar plexus. It connects us to the pancreas, digestion and our musculature. This chakra is closely related to the element of fire and is expressed through the color yellow. It is here in the 3rd Chakra we understand power, assertiveness, will and transformation. We learn how to overcome inertia, liberate ourselves from fixed patterns and create new behavior. This chakra asks: Do I take time to develop and maintain my own personal power? Do I feel empowered by the choices I make? Do I feel excited about life? Do I feel confidant?

Contemplation and movement can help to clear toxins, raise your internal fire and stimulate the ascending current. Keep these questions in mind as you explore the strength of your solar plexus with the following asanas or postures.

Breath of Fire
This is a pranayama or breathing exercise to help clear toxins from the body. Start sitting in a comfortable position on the floor or in a chair. Rest your hands over your solar plexus. Use your diaphragm to vigorously pump your exhale out your nose. Focus on the exhalation, your body will naturally inhale without force. Repeat this breath several times (perhaps 10-30) quickly until you feel the heat rising. Pause and take deep breaths if you feel dizzy.

The Woodchopper
Stand with your feet about hip width apart, knees soft, hands interlaced over your head, and back slightly arched. As you exhale swing your hands and arms down and in between your legs. Repeat several times. If you like you can make a loud ‘ah’ sound as you exhale and swing downwards. Feel the power of release as you do this.

Bow Pose
Lay on your stomach with your hands down by your side. Bend your knees and reach for your ankles. As you inhale lift your head and pull the ankles backwards to lift your chest and to balance on your belly. Breathe deeply pressing the belly into the ground. Allow your shoulders to relax and your chest to open to the ceiling. Feel the internal fire growing as you try this.

Yoga for the Chakras: Fluidic Movement

2009-06-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

"You could not step twice into the same river; for other waters are ever flowing on to you."- Hercalitus

The chakras interweave the history of yoga with the practice of yoga. The word yoga comes from a Sanskrit word which means to “yoke” or to join. Yoga is the practice in which we can unify personal consciousness with universal consciousness. The origin of yoga and the earliest mention of chakras reach back to the Vedas, a series of hymns, incantations, and rituals from ancient India. Following the Vedas were the Upanishads or wisdom teachings passed from teacher to disciple. The Upanishads are difficult to date because they are believed to have been passed down orally for approximately a thousand years before being written down for the first time between 1200–900 BCE. It is understood in eastern cultural traditions that each chakra holds a unique set of energy's, and when one is blocked it affects all other parts of the body. Practicing yoga can help release, balance, and align the chakras through specific asanas, or postures.

Svadisthana is the Sanskrit name of the 2nd Chakra, meaning sweetness. It is found at the lower abdomen, and is related to the element of water and the color orange. The 2nd chakra connects us to the womb, genitals, low back, kidneys and bladder. It is in charge of our adrenals and helps us understand our feelings. This chakra teaches us how to let go and create flow. This chakra asks: Do you feel comfortable expressing your sexuality? Do you take time to take care of yourself, to fill your own cup? Do you enjoy or take delight in change?

Regular practice of the following poses can help balance the energy of the 2nd chakra:

Goddess Pose
Lay down onto the floor with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Gently allow your knees to part until they reach the floor or until you feel a good stretch in your inner thighs. Hold for 6 breaths. You may place a pillow or bolster under each thigh to provide added support and comfort.

Scissor Legs
Continue lying on the floor with your legs straight. On an exhale lift both your legs 6-12 inches off the floor. On your inhalation spread your legs apart, and on your exhalation squeeze them back together again. Repeat at least 6 times or until you’re tired.

Hip Circles
Begin standing with your feet just a bit wider than your hips. Keep your knees bent slightly as you rotate your pelvis in small and large circles moving clockwise and counter-clockwise. Remember to keep your head and feet stationary and the movement smooth.

All these asanas or postures are designed to encourage the energy to move or open throughout the pelvis and lower abdomen. Take time to nurture yourself through movement, drink enough water, take long hot baths or showers and feed yourself with energy, love and touch. Be well.

Yoga for the Chakras: Grounding

2009-05-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

“What is Rooted is easy to Nourish”- Tao Te Ching

Join us for the next several weeks as we briefly introduce and share a few yoga poses to help activate and balance each chakra. Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning wheel or disk. These ‘wheel centers’ are the point of intersection where the mind and body meet. Each chakra has a specific location related to a specific element and color, corresponding to nerve ganglia, organs, muscles, glands and have their own function. It is the job of each chakra to help us process and understand information and energy from the world around us.

The following yoga exercises work on stimulating and releasing energy from the chakras. By clearing each chakra thru movement, we become aware of the liberating and manifesting currents moving us towards wholeness.
As you do each exercise tune into that area of the body. Ask yourself how each area feels i.e.; tight, tense, relaxed, painful? Notice the quality and quantity of emotion felt in each area: is it what you want it to be? Breathe into the area, acknowledge each area and notice how it changes.

1st Chakra

Muladhara is the Sanskrit name of the 1st Chakra, meaning root support. It is located at the base of the spine, it is related to the earth element and the color is red. The first Chakra connects us to our legs, feet and our large intestine. It is in charge of our adrenals and helps us understand our personal security and stability. This Chakra teaches us how to survive and how to stay grounded. This Chakra asks: Do I feel safe? Do I give myself what I need? Do I have the right to be here?

Knee to Chest
Begin lying on your back with the legs outstretched. Interlace your fingers or arms around one knee and gently hug that knee into your chest. Hold your knee towards your chest for 4-16 long, deep breathes. Repeat for the opposite side. Now hug both legs into your chest and hold for another 4-16 long, deep breathes.

Grounding
Now stand up and stomp your feet, one at a time, 4-16 times.
Jump up and down off the ground with soft knees 4-16 times: push off the earth, and then sink into the earth to energize your legs and your connection with the ground.
Jog inside or outside

Enjoy and practice feeling the benefits of your efforts. If you have any questions or comments about your experience with the Root Chakra please add your comment. Namaste’

Neti Neti

2009-04-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

Thank Goodness for the Neti Pot! Performing the Neti on myself throughout the week has saved my life this spring allergy season . . . no more runny nose, sneezing fits, sinus headaches or mad sniffling. I didn’t realize how exhausted I was trying to keep my nasal passages clear until they were clear. If you are a fan of Oprah, I am certain that you have at least heard of the Neti Pot. If not let me share with you the wonderful practice of nasal irrigation or “jala neti”:
Originally part of a millennia-old Indian yogic tradition, jala net is performed with a small pot that looks like a cross between Aladdin’s lamp and a gravy boat. To use the Neti pot mix about 16 ounces (1 pint) of lukewarm water with 1 teaspoon of mineral salt. Once you've filled the Neti pot tilt your head at about a 45-degree angle, place the spout into your top nostril and gently pour the saline solution into that nostril. The saline solution will flow through your nasal cavity into and out the other nostril. If the fluid runs into your throat no worries, spit it out and you may need to tilt your head further. Blow your nose to get rid of any remaining liquid, (breathe of fire usually works really well) then refill the Neti pot and repeat the process on the other side.
This ancient yogic practice works by clearing the overloaded hairs and mucus membranes in the nasal passage. Everyday exposure to pollution, chemicals, fragrances, pollen and dust can overload the nasal passage causing chronic sinusitis and allergies.
I have to admit at first I avoided using the Neti Pot mostly because it sounded gross and the first time I tried it I thought I was going to drown. However, my allergy symptoms were getting the best of me and I had to do something about how I was feeling, so I picked the Neti Pot up one more time and haven’t put it down since. I did have to practice getting the right head angles and the perfect salt to water ratio until it felt more comfortable. Now, my nose is the nose that knows that the Neti Pot saves your nose! Happy windy Spring !!

Stay in Touch

2009-03-17T17:13:00.000-07:00

Touch is so powerful and universal that we sometimes take it for granted. There is a biological need for touch, an actual skin hunger, which can be met only with contact with another human being. When touching is denied or severely restricted, people die. Children abandoned at birth and transferred to foundling homes, died by the thousands during the 19th century. They literally wasted away, despite the fact that they were fed, kept clean and protected from danger. The condition, known as “marasmus” (Greek- meaning wasting away) claimed the lives of nearly 100% of the infants under the age of one in US foundling/orphanage hospitals, as late as 1920. What these children lacked was physical contact. Other infants, raised in their own homes, were cradled and fed at their mothers’ breasts. These orphans weren’t. When this connection between life and touch was realized, doctors and nurses in many institutions cooperated in a plan to supply mothering for these children. It consisted of holding, stroking, speaking to the infant, and allowing significant periods of cuddling the child, especially at meal times. The results were dramatic and immediate. Infant mortality rates dropped within one year of adopting these touching procedures.
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary provides over 30 definitions for the word touch. Touch may be used as a noun or a verb, and is referenced to many favorable and unfavorable experiences . . .
– S/he’s got a nice touch
– Wouldn’t touch it with a 10-foot pole
– Never touches alcohol
– A smile touched her lips
– His actions touched on treason
– The instructor touched on many points
– A touch of the flu
– A touch of Spring in the air
– Apply the finishing touches
– Lost touch with her family
– Let’s keep in touch
– Out of touch with reality

We just returned from a visit with our families in Florida, and this reconnection “touched us deeply.” Our reunion reminds us of the opportunities we have in our profession and in our life to expand positivity through our touch. As we practice touching through bodywork, or simply stay in touch with family and friends, we remember how healthy it is to be in touch.

For Just A Moment

2009-02-18T18:14:00.000-08:00

There just seems to be a lot of fear roaming in and out of the doorways of our homes and hearts lately. Not to say its unwarranted when we find ourselves as a country engaged in wars and an economic downturn. Maybe it’s the price to pay for keeping ourselves contained in our little boxes on our street and in our city. Lately, I find myself circling the neighborhood walking the Queen (our dog) and humbly doing her bidding in front of strangers who are my neighbors—hoping they are alright, hoping they are happy and not overly stressed. This week’s cover of Newsweek says I need stress to keep me alive and Eckhart Tolle suggests in A New Earth that it’s my relationship with the form that’s keeping a girl down. Can I really live and believe in the formless . . . an existence where I am not overwhelmed by bills, deadlines, family, and other responsibilities, but rather find myself in the present moment, unattached to the outcome of my actions? I guess asking that question excludes me from the company of the enlightened. I am lucky if I’m really paying attention a whole 7 minutes of my day . . . the rest . . . tangled in the web of distractions that I have weaved. Those precious 7 minutes in heaven (no I am not hiding in the closet with Heath), I am usually alone in my backyard paying attention to my breathing. Weird, I know. Sometimes it even feels weird. A 7 second count in, “in I am breathing in”, hold my breath 7 counts and squeeze my perineum (you have to be aware in order to do that) followed by a 7 count breath out, “out I am breathing out.” For some reason, maybe you can tell me why, it makes me feel less stressed and like everything is going to be OK and sort of happy for just a moment.

Beautiful Soup!

2009-01-26T19:11:00.000-08:00

Beautiful Soup

"Beautiful soup, so rich and green,
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Beau--ootiful Soo--oop! Beau--ootiful Soo--oop!
Soo--oop of the e--e--evening, Beautiful, beautiful Soup!

I love Soup!!!
We eat a lot of soup and this is by far, a favorite. This recipe comes from the Adventure Cuisine Cookbook, from the Red Mountain Spa in Southern Utah.
The Adventure Chefs at Red Mountain Spa have put together a great guide for the kitchen. This recipe is easy, simple and delicious. Give this one a try; I don’t think you will be disappointed. Enjoy!

Creamy Broccoli Soup
Ingredients:
1TBsp Olive Oil
4 oz Sliced Onion
3 oz Diced Celery
1TBsp Minced Garlic

1Cup Chopped Broccoli
1/2Tbsp Crumbled Bay Leaves
1LB Sliced Potatoes
1QT Spinach
1QT Vegetable Stock
1Tsp Pepper
Directions:
* Sautee Onion, Celery and Garlic in Olive Oil just until flavor is released
* Simmer all ingredients until volume is reduced by approximately one-third
* Blend in a food processor
* Season
Serves 8, yields about 1Qt

"Little is nobler than presiding over a kettle of homemade soup."
-Marty Martindale

Inner Smile Organ Meditation

2009-01-01T15:15:00.000-08:00

This meditation provides us with the opportunity to cleanse, rebalance, and recharge the energy of five major internal organs. Just as we take steps to clean our bodies and brush our teeth, this exercise gives us an opportunity to wash away any residual stress, tension or emotions we may be holding on to. Espoused by Mantak Chia, a Qi Gong Master, this meditation may be done daily, and with practice can be completed within 5-10 minutes at the beginning or end of your day. According to Five Element Theory and Taoist philosophy, 5 major organs are each associated with a sound, color and other specific qualities like emotions.

If you have attended one of our workshops you may have experienced this meditation in part or in its entirety. Based on popular request, the following is one of our favorite and most often practiced meditations. Enjoy and may the chi be with you!

Beginning at the lungs:
Place your hands on your lungs while standing or sitting at the edge of your seat. Begin to rock from side to side on your sits bones (ischial tuberosities) and allow your gaze to follow the same side-to-side movement with your eyes closed. Imagine your eyes are like giant erasers sweeping across your lungs erasing any grief, sadness or depression. Once that feels complete take a deep breath in and create the sound SSSS as you exhale out 3X. After your 3rd exhalation hold the breath out and stretch open your chest as you tapote your lungs until you can’t hold your breath any longer. Raise your hands above your head as you suck the breath back in. And then press your palms down in front of you while breathing out the SSSS sound. On your next inhale float your hands back to the lungs and visualize the lungs filling up with white light. Continue to fill your lungs with courage, strength, and right action. Finally, smile (a gentle Mona Lisa smile) into your lungs.

*For each of the remaining 4 organs, repeat this sequence: 1. Hold over each organ releasing associated negative emotions or memories 2. Exhale the “sound” of each organ three times 3. Tapote all over the organ while holding the breath out 4. Raise the arms up on a strong inhalation and lower them in front of you with the sound of “Sssss” 5. Hold over the organ while visualizing the “color”, restoring positive qualities, and a gentle smile into the organ.

Lungs
Release sadness, depression and grief
The sound is SSSS (tongue behind the teeth
The color is white
Restore courage, strength and right action

Kidneys
Release fear and anxiety
The sound is Choo (as when blowing out a candle: lips form an 'o')
The color is blue
Restore calm, stillness and gentleness

Liver
Release anger, jealousy and frustration
The sound is SHHH
The color is green
Restore forgiveness, acceptance and kindness

Heart
Release hastiness, cruelty and arrogance
The sound is HAW (mouth is wide open)
The color is red
Restore gratitude, patience, joy, love and sincerity

Spleen
Release doubt, worry and negative speak about self and others
The sound is WHOO (from the throat, guttural)
The color is yellow
Restore trust, fairness and openness

Once you finish the healing sound for all five major organs, ground, center and assimilate the benefits of this meditation by making the sound of the Triple Warmer. Inhale and raise your palms up, and then exhale the sound Heeee while pressing the hands down in front of you from your head towards your feet. Repeat this two more times to complete the Smiling Organ Mediation.

You can find this meditation in greater detail in Mantak Chia’s book, Awaken Light of the Tao. You may also find more about Mantak Chia at his website

Wall Clock

2008-09-19T14:26:00.000-07:00

The shoulders and arms are associated with the fourth chakra, “Anahata” meaning unstruck. Commonly called the heart chakra, it is associated with the element of air and when it is open, it feels as though we are “walking on air”, it is easy to “air out our feelings” and you may feel “lighthearted”. Conversely when the arms, shoulders and heart are stuck we may feel “suffocated”, as if you need “more room to breathe” or have the need to “lighten up”. Physically there may be pain or numbness in the neck, shoulder, and arm or even in the hand. This may due to a compression on the brachial plexus in one of three musculoskeletal locations: 1) Between the clavicle and first rib, 2) Between Pectoralis Minor and the Coracoid process of the scapula and, 3) Between the Scalenes. Once the brachial plexus impingement is released, we can use stretches, re-patterning exercises, or strength training to help maintain a pain free state. One of our favorite stretches to help support the heart, and to keep the shoulders and arms open was introduced to us by Kat Myers and is called Wall Clock.
The Wall Clock:
• Stand about 1 foot away from the wall with your side-body along the face of the wall.
• Reach the arm closest to the wall up so only the palm is resting on the wall. (actively press the palm into the wall, feel like your shoulder is plugging itself into the shoulder joint) Feel the stretch for approximately 30 seconds.
• Reposition your palm approximately one hand width behind you, as though you’re arm was a hour hand of a clock, and you’re moving onto the next hour’s position (Maintain a relaxed lower back, jaw, and shoulder)
Continue to move the hand/arm backwards along the wall until your arm is as close to parallel to the floor as feels comfortable. (Pausing and feeling the stretch at each new “clock” position for at least 30 sec)
• Once the arm is parallel gently turn the palm up towards the ceiling while pressing the pinkie edge of your hand into the wall. (Allow the breathe to circulate from your heart into your hands)
• Repeat on the other side. If you like, mentally scan your body or notice in the mirror the difference between the right and left side before switching sides.

Feel free to download and copy this exercise to give to your clients and/or to use for yourself. Let us know what you notice and how well this stretch is working for you and your clients.

“Consciously or unconsciously every being is capable of healing himself or others. This instinct is inborn in insects, birds, and beasts, as well as man. All these find their own medicine and heal themselves and each other in various ways.” –Sufi Inayat Khan

Pelvic Clock

2008-06-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

I recently read an article in Dr. Weil’s, Self Healing June 2008 issue that piqued my interest regarding back pain. According to John Sarno, M.D, a rehabilitation specialist at NYU, most back pain is caused by the “mind’s interference with normal functioning and blood circulation to muscles- a condition he calls tension myositis syndrome.” This article is suggesting that though back pain may be caused from herniated discs and nerve compressions, most back pain occurs because we are experiencing such intense emotions like grief, anger or anxiety. He goes on to say that chronic emotional stress leads the unconscious mind to create a diversion. The diversion is described as chronic back pain. Dr. Sarno showed that those patients who experienced chronic back pain and then received treatment for their emotional issues reduced their pain, reduced medication use, increased physical activity and improved the quality of their lives.

It’s interesting to consider that emotions are associated with pain when approximately 90% of Americans report experiencing low back pain. We as massage therapists and/or yogis understand that pain is very subjective. Although pain may arise from very tangible places, it’s helpful to consider that pain may also develop from an intangible or “meta-physical“ realm. It’s always a positive step worth recognizing when modern medicine remembers to consider and treat the whole person—mentally, emotionally and physically—not just an isolated pain. We will be on the look out on how Dr. Sarno’s work evolves. In our recent workshops we have had the time to introduce, share and remind our bodies how we can reeducate the nervous system, particularly for a healthy low back and hips. One of our favorite standbys is “Pelvic Clock”. The following is a talk through of the pelvic clock:

Lay on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor about hip width apart. Allow your arms and hands are relaxed either resting on your lower abdomen or on the floor. Imagine your sacrum is clock, the tailbone is 12 o’clock and the base of the sacrum (the part that attaches to the lumbar) is 6 o’clock.

Inhale as you begin to tilt your pelvis so that the tailbone is pointing to the floor and your low back arches off the floor as you move toward the 12 o’clock position

On the exhalation tilt your tailbone towards the ceiling so the base of your sacrum is touching the floor at the 6 o’clock position. As you do this you will feel your lower back flatten onto the ground.

Continue to roll from the tailbone (12 o’clock) on the in breath to the base of your sacrum (6 o’clock) on the out breath for approx 5 minutes drawing your attention to how this feels in your lower back. Pause in the center of your clock for a breath or two, perfectly centered between 12 and 6 o’clock.

Next imagine your right and left SI Joints are located at the 3 and 9 o’clock, respectively.

On your in breath, gently press your right SI (3 o’clock) into the floor and on the out breath, shift to press your left SI Joint (9 o’clock) into the ground. Repeat rocking from side to side as you follow your breath, with little to no movement in your knees. Do your best to initiate all movement from your pelvis.

Continue to press into 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock slowly for approx 5 minutes. Notice how this movement feels in your lower back. Pause at the center of 3 and 9 o’clock for a breath or two when you feel complete.

Now we can begin to explore all the numbers on the “clock”. Begin to move slowly into the spaces between 12, 1, 2, 3, etc. all the way around the clock. You will be creating pelvic circles in a clockwise motion. After a few minutes, pause and begin to press each number of the clock into the ground in a counter-clockwise motion. Become aware of the tension and allow your breath to flow naturally into those areas. Resist the inclination to move your knees to create the movement-rather allow all the movement to arise from your center. Use your breath and movement to create greater awareness, relaxation in the surrounding muscles and new possibilities for your range of motion to emerge.

I hope this helps “back up” your practice.

Peace,

Nicole

God Is

2008-03-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

My friends!!! I just celebrated the 3^rd Anniversary of my 29^th birthday, and had the ass-kicking, name-calling, eat-dirt time of my life. Did I mention there was an element of illegality? So I wake up, and my Eternal Love Queen says, “I have an optional birthday ritual prepared if you’d like to take part.” Rhetorical (though if you know Nicole, trickster-twinged) question, right?

On the kitchen counter I see some dirt, a lighter and a dollar bill, as she reads, “Eat a pinch of dirt to show your solidarity with the Earth.” So I toss it down the gullet and chase with a gulp of water. Pleased with my performance, she continues, “Kick yourself in the ass to affirm your ongoing intention to discipline your shadow.” I hesitated, though obliged. She adds that my loved ones will continue to spank my buttocus 32 times today while announcing a new name. She initiates me, proclaiming, “Shameless Shaman! Helping Head! & He who glows suspectingly like a laser beam!!!” So I got the first 3 ass-kickings out of the way, with more to come.

The day progressed brilliantly with a yoga class, Boba tea, and Oriental foot reflexology. When our friends met us at our favorite neighborhood Middle Eastern restaurant, Doobies (Doobie is an Israeli guy about our parents’ age and wears a shirt that says, I’m the Doobie, and No, you can’t smoke me), my cohorts continued the birthday ritual. I was lovingly smacked many times while learning I was to be, “Gilligan Guru, Father McFrugel, Eagle Sunrise, Syrupy Baby, and he Who loves without Shame and loves with all his Brain!” among others.

Nicole finally told us about the lighter and dollar bill, saying “Burn this money to purify your relationship with wealth.” I said no problem. Then she paused and realized she had to up the ante so it’d be a greater sacrifice. On our way back home CG donated a ten and I was renamed again, “he who Wishes to be Cleansed and is Shiny.”

At home, I ripped the $10 bill into pieces, set it afire and dropped it in our abalone smudge pot. As the end of the flames puffed out, I spied in the remaining ashes and asked my friends to see what is left after I’d purified my relationship with wealth. Todd was the first to see the only legible word that remained and enthusiastically answered “’God’ is!” ‘God’ was quickly grabbed out of the ashes and placed under a magnet on our refrigerator.

This, my greatest birthday yet, reminds me of a line from the movie, Into the Wild, “Happiness is not real unless it is shared.” Thank you for reading this and sharing my happy memories.

Metta Put to the Test!!!

2008-03-03T12:20:00.000-08:00

We recently had the most sumptuous opportunity to stay in and train the therapists at the Mayflower Inn and Spa in Connecticut. An exquisite spa surrounded by old world style and nestled within a natural preserve. The location is remote and the staff here helps to create an exclusive and luxurious experience.

It was here that my metta practice was put to the test.

Upon leaving, we had a one-hour trip from the spa to the airport with a very, very talkative driver. In this time both of us were doing our best not to engage . . . nevertheless he had a story to tell and he was going to tell it. All I wanted him to do was Shut-Up!! (did I mention this was at 4AM). He told us he was a recovering alcoholic (now scared for my life). He explained he had to make some difficult choices, and that sometimes the hardest choices to make are the ones that we know are the best ones for ourselves. Choosing to be sober was and still is a struggle for him, but the lasting happiness and joy is worth it all, he said.

After he dropped us off at the airport I finally realized how important he was and how invaluable the lesson he was trying to convey. Soon after that I picked up a book by the Dalai Lama and opened it to this sentence: “Treat everyone as if they were a close friend.”

My heart melted and I immediately felt like a selfish idiot . . . was I really that tired? Could I have done more? Listened more closely with compassion? Remembering what my father once said “It is what it is”, I understood I can’t really change the people or events I meet, but I can change how I treat and respond to them.

A prayer by the Dalai Lama:

May I become at all times, both now and forever

A protector for those without protection

A guide for those who have lost their way

A ship for those with oceans to cross

A bridge for those with rivers to cross

A sanctuary for those in danger

A lamp for those without light

A place of refuge for those who lack shelter

And a servant to all in need.

No Hate in 2008

2008-02-11T13:49:00.000-08:00

It’s a new year and we are off to a booming start. Our schedule is filling up with classes and the excitement of traveling to meet new therapists and yogis from all around the nation. This year our adventure began in Santa Fe, New Mexico at La Posada. A beautiful city filled with art, music, hot springs and gracious people. If you ever get the chance to visit Santa Fe you must soak in the healing waters of 10,000 Waves and/ or Ojo Caliente.

It was here we were reminded that Metta or Loving Kindness is not just a practice saved for the mat or the table. According to Thai therapist Pierce Salguero, Metta is “The feeling that all beings are our friends, and holding a sincere desire to benefit all beings through our words, thoughts and actions.” A Thai student who is a former corporate power broker is considering a reentry into the corporate world. She asked if she could still practice Metta even in the midst of corporate bureaucracy. A very Wise teacher once said to us that the ‘Question and answer always appear together.’ During her questioning, she realized that YES, though it may be a courageous challenge to practice metta in a formal institution, it just may be the challenge that she is now ready for--only after her experience of cultivating loving kindness practicing Thai massage.

This year I have made a personal resolution to practice Metta on and off the mat. The Dalai Lama says that “compassion is one of the principle things that make our lives meaningful; it’s the source of all lasting happiness and joy.” By caring, loving, telling the truth and treating others fairly we ensure personal and societal benefits. I invite you to practice with me in this wish for this new year. . . no Hate in 2008.

Joint-Free

2007-10-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

Mukunda Stiles created “structural yoga therapy” in 1976 after training at America’s first professional yoga school. He has since created a series of “joint freeing” movements to help check in with the body and to systematically loosen all joints. Each movement represents all the basic motions of the body starting at the feet and ending at the neck. This is a gentle series that has helped alleviate pain and restore joint mobility for our friends, family and for ourselves.

We often share this series with our students attending a Thai Massage I class and often have requests for copies of the series. So upon request following is the Joint-Free series. Keep in mind as you move through each movement to * Perform each movement at least 6 times. * Move with your breath, inhale as you extend through a joint and exhale as you flex through the joint.

For more about Mukunda Stiles and Structural Yoga Therapy check out his website: www.yogatherapycenter.org

Read This

2007-07-04T15:44:00.001-07:00

I am currently reading Shantaram, an epic story telling of one mans journey of life after an escape from prison.

“Guilt is the hilt of the knife that we use on ourselves, and love is often the blade; but its worry that keeps the knife sharp, and worry that gets most of us in the end.” -Excerpt from Shantaram

It’s a crazy tale winding and unwinding you through the streets and hearts of India.

“We are made out of stars, you and I” -Excerpt from Shantaram

Throughout the book together with the main character you question and explore some of life’s questions and answers.

“People say the money is the root of all evil. Evil is the root of all money” -Excerpt from Shantaram

In this story you are saddened and enlightened.

“Men reveal what they think when they look away, and what they feel when they hesitate. With women, she said, it’s the other way around” -Excerpt from Shantaram

You can’t help but talk about this book, or at least I can’t. Don’t let the 900 pages intimidate you…it’s a tale you don’t want to put down. We would love to hear what you think and about any other stories that you are reading.

Chakra Balancing Flow

2007-04-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

The following is exercise is to energize, harmonize, and/or relax our chakras. As massage therapists, it’s important to receive as much as we give . . . and sometimes it means taking the time to give to ourselves. You can follow the directions as they are to achieve a more sedating, calming effect (we have used this flow to help us fall asleep). Or you can follow the directions in reverse for a more stimulating, energizing effect. Listen to your body and give yourself what you need as it varies from day to day.

The sequence of hand positions is as follows:

Hold Sahasrara with the right hand and Ajna with the left hand
Hold Sahasrara with the right hand and Vishuddha with the left
Hold Sahasrara with the right hand and Anahata with the left
Hold Sahasrara with the right hand and Manipura with the left
Hold Sahasrara with the right hand and Svadhisthana with the left
Hold Svadhisthana with the left hand and Muladhara with the right

Hold each position with your palms, finger tips or finger pads from two-five minutes. Feel as though you are jumper cabling two points at a time. You may notice heat, tingling and/or pulsing happening underneath your hands. Perhaps you’ll see colors or notice changes in your mood. Let us know how it goes. What’s your experience?

Share the Love

2007-02-26T10:28:00.000-08:00

We recently had the chance to be witness and celebrate the union of two beautiful couples’ marriages. Sure we danced, ate, and had a drink or two . . . and yet the best part was to watch two people come alive when they decided to join together, with the intention of wanting the best for one another.

“Happy couples drink each other in. The healthy union grants its partners liberation from the confines of the self, release from the prison of ego. . .When we become part of something larger than ourselves we can be released from the need to worry constantly about our own needs and failings.” excerpted from -If the Buddha Married

Our relationships can help empower us to be better people because we are loved. Personally I am better off knowing that I am loved and that someone out there has my back, my grieving heart, my monkey laugh.

We are not alone out there floating around in a giant world. Rather we are intricately connected because I matter to someone besides me or my mother. This support helps me take care of and consider others whether or not I am in a massage. It becomes a mellow joy to share all the love I have as often as I can remember to share it.

Change Your Mind

2007-02-10T14:34:00.000-08:00

If the first weeks of 2007 are any indication how the rest of the year is going to go. . . well, then my year is going to be full! I have been filled with family connections, personal retreats and growth, and work in new places.

Moving into a new year, we find ourselves leaning towards a fresh start. It feels like there’s a chance to recreate ourselves and to change our minds about something. I feel I have done just that! A familiar “visitor” has graced me with yet another opportunity to heal my relationship with my left knee. In the past, this reoccurring knee injury has been a royal pain in the arse consuming me with sulking tears and the repetitive mantra, “why me?” This time I just couldn’t get that angry, frustrated or sad. Maybe its all the yoga, or maybe its my new meditation practice, or perhaps the weekend spent at the Esalen Institute. Who knows? One thing feels pretty different, though. I realized from my repeated knee-pain visitor that I couldn’t necessarily change my body—but, I could change my mind.

Somehow, for some reason I changed my mind and it feels good. I am healing faster than ever and now I’m consumed with practicing loving kindness for myself. In this process I find myself having tea with my pain and am reminded by the wisdom of Rumi.

The GuestHouse

This being human is a guesthouse

Every morning a new arrival

A joy, a depression, a meanness

Some momentary awareness comes

As an unexpected visitor

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows

Who violently sweep your house

Empty of its furniture

Still treat each guest honorably

He may be clearing you out

For some new delight

The dark thought, the shame, the malice

Meet them at the door laughing

And invite them in

Be grateful for whoever comes

Because each has been sent

As a guide from beyond

You're Grounded!!

2006-12-27T13:08:00.000-08:00

Dr. Chow reminded us how important it is to ground your client. And it is just as important (if not more important) to ground ourselves. Why? After a recent visit with our Acupuncturist, we discovered that not grounding ourselves after each session could lead to physical imbalances of the heart. Makes sense . . . whenever we put our hands on our clients, an energetic connection is cultivated. As massage therapists and bodyworkers, we are constantly reaching out with our hands to help and support people. It has been said that the hands and arms are the wings of the heart. Perhaps there are times we overreach and our hearts grow tired or weak.

Some prefer knowing to being.

Their illness is in their heads.

Some prefer being to knowing.

Their illness is in their hearts.

She who knows her illness is

in her heart

Is halfway home

-Tao of Healing

Creating relationship within and for ourselves is the opportunity to ground. Daily meditations, a practice of stillness, walking, yoga, tai chi all help us to rebalance our own personal energy. After each session a conscious choice to disengage by taking a 6 second breath, bouncing on your heels, stretching, even washing your hands with a grounding intention, can foster a balanced heart. This ain’t your Mama’s grounding!!

I want to go to Beautiful

2006-10-18T14:09:00.000-07:00

We went on a journey this summer. Our journey took us to family celebrations in Ohio, among the red rock and vortex country of Sedona, along the Californian coast of Newport Beach and between the mountains of southern Utah. It was on this Journey we got to meet up with some of you . . . our friends, family and students. Individually we arrived from our own journeys with an opportunity to create sacred space with each other in these beautiful places. These outward journeys to meet together become a reflection of the inward journey to the sacred. Together we practiced the art of bodywork through the eyes, hands, ears and heart of compassion. These journeys reminding me of a story that shares the wisdom gained from a great master.

There were three students seeking the wisdom and power of a great Master. One student was sure he found a great master because this Master could balance the weight of his entire body upon the tip of one finger. Amazing! This student was very impressed and was sure he had found a Master. Another student was sure the Master he had found was great as he told how his Master could walk across a river, striding effortlessly atop the water from bank to bank. Impressive! Surely, this is a great Master. Finally the third student shared the story of how impressive his master was: “My master eats when he is hungry, drinks when he is thirsty and sleeps when he is tired.”

Try it some sometime. Eat when you’re hungry. Drink when you are thirsty. Sleep when you are tired. It may seem like the most natural thing in the world, but its not always as easy as it sounds. Tell us how it goes on this journey to become your own master. When we listen to our innate wisdom and follow our natural power, we nurture mastery through our hearts’ compassion and create sacred space inside and out. The Navaho say “Walking in Beauty” is the path of feeling oneness and walking with all that is. And India Arie sings so eloquently how she, “wants to go to Beautiful.” On our journeys together, we’ll meet you there, in Beautiful.

How to Stay Cool as a Cucumber in the Summer Heat

2006-08-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

One of Chinese Medicine’s “six pernicious influences” cautions us against Summer Heat, which is brought on by overexposure to extreme heat. If you’ve been outside lately, you’re probably all too familiar with extreme heat, leading to thirst, shortness of breath, profuse sweating, weakness, irritability and even heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Here’s a few tips on how to float through an oasis of coolness throughout this summer’s heat.

Try adding any of your favorites to your water bottle: cucumber, lime or lemon. We’ve been particularly enjoying the subtle and refreshing flavor of our cucumber water. Plus, they double as beauty aid tools around the eyes (actually, I don’t know if that’s really true). Nicole thinks they’re especially cooling over the third eye.

In the line of thought that like treats like, consider drinking, or topically applying cactus juice. Use nature’s evolution as your ally: if those aloe plants can withstand the desert, they must be doing something right. A spot of aloe vera juice in a glass of water or juice often takes the edge off heat exhaustion symptoms. Or aloe gel can easily and naturally remedy heat rashes.

Also, take a deep breath…Kundalini Yoga offers us “sitali pranayama”, meaning the cooling breath. With a straight spine and meditative awareness, curl the sides of your tongue upward and allow it to protrude slightly past the lips. Inhale deeply and smoothly through your tongue and mouth. Close your mouth as you exhale through your nose. You’ll usually notice yourself cooling down after about 2-5 minutes, and if you practice in front of a mirror, you can also increase your happiness by making silly faces.

Stay Cool,

Heath and Nicole

What is Present for Consideration?

2006-07-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

July 12, 2006 Thai Seminar in Tempe, AZ

July 19, 2006 Thai Seminar in St. George, UT

Each class we teach…we learn.

Every class has its own energy and expresses a unique voice. A student asked “I have this pain____, How do I get rid of it?” She asked the same question that so many of our clients ask us.

It was in massage school that a very insightful teacher introduced us to the idea that when challenging events show up in our lives we can a) label, diagnose and treat our issues in medical fashion or b) we can forge a new relationship with them and treat them like “projects” . . . something we take the time to work on.

We still gravitate toward this term “project” to relate with our physical, emotional and mental disturbances. Dealing with projects seems to make them much more approachable than a diagnosis or issue we’re stuck with (especially when it’s possible, maybe probable, that we’re living with multiple projects). I decided it was time to look up the word project in the dictionary and it read, “a task or problem engaged in by a group for study; [something] present for consideration.” I can’t think of a time when there’s not something present for consideration. This brings me to one my favorite yogi axioms, also shared with us by another great teacher who said “Everything exists to be acknowledged”.

Acknowledgment of pain in our body, mind, heart or spirit is a first step in healing. As soon as we bring acknowledgment to our project, our relationship to it changes. We don’t have to “do” anything necessarily, to change or get rid of our projects. Just as every person wants to be recognized, so too, does “everything exist to be acknowledged”: even our projects. Acknowledgment without judgment allows us to just witness, listen, or be good company with our project—maybe even sit down and have a cup of tea with our project. In acknowledging projects, we are inherently practicing acceptance. And rather than numbing out, escaping or fighting our projects, we can become friends.

“The only problem that ever exists is not accepting things the way they are. This is the cause of all suffering.” Daniel Levin, The Zen Book

New Friends at Yoga Dosha

2006-05-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

Just completed another succesful Thai Yoga Massage workshop. We held it at a new local yoga studio in Tempe called Yoga Dosha. Yoga Dosha is located on the corner of Guadalupe and Rural. The owner Shakara has filled the space with metta (loving kindness) and we are so thankfull to be a part of the community she is creating there. We'll be hosting future workshops here along with mini partner yoga and thai massage workshops. Come visit us and Shakara at Yoga Dosha. In addition, We are so blessed by the new connections and friendships we have made with our newest thai students. "You practice 1oo hour and come back for more"

Om Mani Padme Hum

2006-02-23T12:46:00.000-08:00

This Tibetan mantra has been ringing in my head, heart and resonating in my belly ever since sacred ceremony entered our home a couple of days ago. I was reminded of the beauty of the non-ordinary in the ordinary . . . Mindful preparation of food in this instance. It was sweet to hear friends chanting over, for and with what we were about to eat. Literally food made with love. Om is a way to remember our connection to all that is. Mani is the jewel that helps cut through ignorance with its sharp wisdom. Padme is the lotus that rises and blooms out of muddy waters symbolizing beauty, purity. Hum is the open heart that infuses all with loving kindness. Bring it all together and this chant helps us to remember that when kindness is extended to others we actually receive it back to ourselves. I am thankful to our visitors from New Zealand, Ireland and Australia who have reminded me to bring the sacred into the everyday, that it’s not something that only happens out there at a particular time, place and date. Until next time. . . “May the jewel in the lotus shine forth this light of love and compassion to unite all existences as one”

Namaste’, Nicole

What is Sen? Be like Water. Think like River.

2006-02-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

Thai Massage regards the "Sen" as the main energy lines that circulate the flow of chi or prana throughout the human body. Similar to the energetic pathways called meridians in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the sen carry our vital essence, as well as human characteristics that contribute to our biological and psychological makeup. Likewise, in both traditions there are specific touch therapies to enhance the flow of chi. However, the sen live in what seem to be a parallel universe to the meridians: the sen live in different areas of the body and exhibit different directionalities and qualities.

These differences between the sen and meridians do not mean that one system is correct or incorrect. As the common Thai expression goes: “Same, same, but different.” These two alternative maps of prana simply demonstrate different currents spiraling down the same river. If you came to visit Arizona and asked for a map, the follow-up question would be, "What kind of map?" If you're interested in driving to the Grand Canyon, you might want a highway map or rural road map. If you want to go for a hike, maybe you consider a topography map or a National Park map. If mountain biking was your passion, one of these maps might do, but you might need an entirely different map. All the maps are depicting Arizona, but the map you choose depends on your interest and intention. It’s the same with the sen and meridians: both represent the rivers of chi flowing throughout the human body, but have nuances and are impacted based on your intention.

Intention is paramount in every bodywork modality. It is said, “chi follows intention.” Whereas the meridians are located by a very specific body measurement system (e.g., ST36 is 3 tsun inferior to the inferiolateral border of patella), the sen are fundamentally accessed thru intuition. The sen follow similar pathways in each human, however, their locations are ambiguously defined to allow for the ever changing and flexible nature of each person, and are harnessed through repetitive intuitive practice. Using intuitive intention deeply and profoundly touches your clients. Being that humans are composed primarily of water the following poem flows well.

"Water changes shape and even form,
but keeps its essence.
River changes water and even course,
but keeps its essence.
Trust the unchanging in changing.
Be like water and river.
Moving and staying, changing and unchanging
Know and soften
Soften and change
Change and endure
Be like water
Think like river."

From the Tao of Relationship

Telluride's Ecological Economy (in the yin and yang of things)

2005-11-30T12:37:00.002-08:00

“Man did not create the web of life—he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.” -Chief Seattle

Telluride, Colorado is a quirky, comfy mountain town, hovering about 10,000 feet up on the staggering slopes of the Rockies. We gleefully revisited one of our favorite places in October to host a Thai Massage Seminar and were greeted by yellow autumn leaves, snow flurries and the welcome sign to the city warned: “No Egos Allowed.”
Telluride is a paradox of stunning natural vistas interspersed by multi-million dollar 2nd, 3rd or 4th homes of the wealthy. Mixed in this affluent dichotomy of nature and capitalistic acquisition lies colorful artisans, Victorian era buildings and an apparent liberal bending culture. In the winter, the vacationing snowbums ascend to some of the best powder on the planet while in the summer months, festival after festival offer eclectic venues for everyone: Jazz Festivals, Mushroom Festivals, Fine Wine and Gourmet Food Festivals, and Blues and Brews Festivals, to name a few. During our mountain retreat this October, we were privy to Telluride Institute’s free Ideas Festival, which discussed cutting edge perspectives and actions to encourage sustainability for Earth.
We attended keynote speaker Bernard Lietaer’s conversation entitled “The Future of Money.” Lietaer knows something about money—he helped create, introduce and assure the success of the “Euro” and is currently working with the Chinese government to create a dual economy in the largest population on the planet. Although we didn’t follow all of this economist’s discussion, we thought it was very cool when he codified economies in terms of “Yin” or “Yang.” What was even more impressive was when he asked how many audience members understood the concepts of yin and yang, and EVERYBODY raised their hand: that’s a pretty radical cross section of America!
Imagine if all Americans were familiar with the concept of yin and yang, the interconnectedness of complementary opposites. Imagine if everyone got it! That nothing is purely black or white, good or bad, us versus them. There’s always a greater holistic vision that sees, for example, that a black and white photograph is neither black nor white. Much like life and our experience, the picture is shades of grey. Thank goodness for attitudes of inclusion, cooperation and compassion which help beautify our world with spectacular colors beyond the cut and dry, black or white.
We felt so fortunate to share in Telluride’s natural and cultural beauty exemplified by the autumnal transition and the ingratiating hosts in town and in our seminar. We’re so stoked about our next encounter with this wonderful land, where Mother Earth sings her sweat songs, and her inhabitants are listening.

Two Types of Healers

2005-09-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

There are two types of healers. One type of healer gives their whole character and all that they have to their clients. Sounds benevolent, but imagine how you feel doing this several times, day after day: drained and exhausted.
The other type of healer opens up to a source greater than their singular individuality—an energy beyond their egoic self—and allows that unlimited energy to flow through the session. As long as the power source goes beyond the confines of our personality, it doesn’t matter what language you use. Some common references are Mother Earth, Father Sky, God, infinite intelligence, Tao, the mystery, cosmic self, etc., pick the language that empowers you. Allow a power greater than your own being to surge in you, through you and beyond you. Imagine yourself as a hollow bone, an empty tube, or clear channel for healing energy to move through.
How do you think you’ll feel after you’ve allowed this infinite energy to move through you several times, day after day? Everyone I’ve spoken with talks about feeling more energized, vitalized and inspired. And I believe this is an aspect of the ideal nature of holistic healing: to receive as much benefit from the session (if not more) than you’re client.
Its hard work always giving up and giving away your personal energy (Carolyn Myss speaks about going into energetic debt because you’ve maxed out your daily credit). But when you allow impersonal, universal energy to move through, you become uplifted, energized, and the entire cosmos is the only limit!