Give Thanks

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."
~G.K. Chesterton

    Just for today, I will give thanks for my many blessings. This is the next Reiki Precept that we will examine. When I wrote the article, Principles to Live By, I tied each precept to the Jin Shin Jyutsu practice of holding fingers to harmonize limiting beliefs and bring balance to BE-ing. Read more about each of the previous Precepts,  "I will let go of Worry" , "I will let go of Anger"  and "I will do my work honestly".

   Just for today, I will give thanks for my many blessings. I have always known that cultivating an attitude of gratitude would bring good things into my life but in doing research for this article I found that while many emotions and personality traits are important to well-being, there is evidence that gratitude may be uniquely important.

    According to Wikipedia, "A large body of recent work has suggested that people who are more grateful have higher levels of well-being. Grateful people are happier, less depressed, less stressed, and more satisfied with their lives and social relationships. Grateful people also have higher levels of control of their environments, personal growth, purpose in life and self acceptance. Grateful people have more positive ways of coping with the difficulties they experience in life, being more likely to seek support from other people, reinterpret and grow from the experience, and spend more time planning how to deal with the problem. Grateful people also have less negative coping strategies, being less likely to try to avoid the problem, deny there is a problem, blame themselves, or cope through substance use. Grateful people sleep better, and this seems to be because they think more positive thoughts just before going to sleep."

    Gratitude enhances our sense of satisfaction while balancing the attitudes of greed and entitlement. Practicing gratitude is a workout for the soul: repeated awareness of the blessings in our lives helps us to dwell on the positive and wonderful in our lives. Our positive attitude helps us to master the change instead of being controlled by it.  When we choose to focus our attitudes on the good stuff we find that we indeed have more.

    In the initial article I said that holding your Ring Finger would support this precept. To my way of thinking, this precept relates to the attitude of Sadness and Grief. It is easy to see that adopting an attitude of gratitude will counteract Sadness which corresponds with attitudes of negativity, fear of rejection and grief. These limiting attitudes disrupt the flow of life energy to lung and large intestine functions. It is mucous producing and causes us respiratory distress. When the lungs are overcome by sadness and grief, they are weakened, and this leads to tiredness, breathlessness, depression and dry skin. When we grieve, our ability to release and let go is significantly restricted. Sadness often manifests a smoking addiction which further depletes the lungs.

    The opposite of sadness is the all encompassing feeling of joy and laughter.  When we are in balance, we experience deep trust and the ability to let go of emotions and experiences that are holding us back. It is indeed up to you how you choose to look at life. My hero, Joseph Campbell, reminds us to "Participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world. We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy."  Yes, the choice is up to you. Happiness isn't something that just happens to you, but rather, something you can choose at any time, in any situation. Our happiness is dependent on our ability to feel gratitude for our many blessings.

    To balance sadness, HOLD the RING FINGER for about 5 minutes or until you can feel a gentle rhythmic pulsing. Even and clear. Breath easily. Relax the shoulders and smile from the very heart of you.  As you hold the RING FINGER, sadness begins to melt away, mucous conditions are eased, breathing distress is reduced and you facilitate the vital flow of life energy and joy throughout the body. With the restoration of harmony, it becomes easier to trust, to let go and to appreciate. Smile. Breath easy and revel in your many blessings.

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts
are conscious of our treasures."
~Thornton Wilder

I Will Work Honestly

"Put your heart, mind, intellect and soul even to your smallest acts.
This is the secret of success."
~Swami Sivananda

    Just for today, I will do my work honestly. This is the next Reiki Precept that we will examine. As I was thinking about the precepts as Principles to Live By, I wanted to tie each precept in to the Jin Shin Jyutsu practice of holding fingers to harmonize limiting beliefs and bring balance to BE-ing. The Precepts of  "I will let go of Worry" and "I will let go of Anger" were easy to connect to the corresponding finger. Work Honestly, does not on the surface, talk about a limiting attitude, but with a little thought it was easy!

    Just for today, I will do my work honestly. Look at the definition of Honesty:  1. uprightness and fairness. 2. truthfulness, sincerity, or frankness. 3. freedom from deceit or fraud. TO my way of thinking this precept is about what Mary Burmeister refers to as Pretense, Laughing on the outside while crying on the inside, Try-to's. This attitude was a hard one for me until I realized that its positive attribute is "Speak your truth, be honest with yourself and all others". So it becomes easy to see how this precept relates to the attitude of Pretense!  Honesty is to face the truth in all things starting with your self and the things that you choose to do with your time and energy. It about our potenial to live an effortless reality, to do our work with honesty and  integrity, to speak our truth in all things.

    The attitude of PRETENSE is destabilizing to our skeletal structure, heart and small intestine functions. Pretense includes feelings of insecurity, effort, selfishness, overdoing it, and cover-up (crying on the inside while laughing on the outside). This attitude speaks to our effort, our "trying to" do whatever. The effort that it takes just to get through the day. This attitude tells us that there is a conflict of desire that is incompatible with who we really are.

    Pretense can manifest in a work addiction. The opposite of Pretense is BEING. It means being true to who you really are, not who you think others need you to be. It means speaking your own truth, speaking out. To balance PRETENSE, HOLD the LITTLE FINGER for about 5 minutes or until you can feel a gentle rhythmic pulsing. Even and clear. Breath easily. Relax the shoulders and smile from the very heart of you.

    As you hold the LITTLE FINGER, nerves are settled and the need for pretense is diminished. Stress is eased, bloating reduced, and sore throats are relieved. Remind yourself that we are Human BEINGS not Human TRYINGS. Let go of effort. Allow the universe to unfold spontaneously before you. Revel in the effortless reality that is your life.  
 

"To live in truth is to be aligned with your inner knowingness and is the simplest,
least complex way to live."
~Unknown

Take up Yoga!

  "Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are."
~Jason Crandell

     I love my yoga classes! Practicing yoga along with Jin Shin Jyutsu is a perfect combination for keeping a sense of balance in my life. In many of the restorative poses, I can do some simple self-help holds or mudras at the same time clearing blockages and restoring balance and well-being. I often suggest yoga to my clients as a support for the healing work that we do together. The practice of yoga brings with it a blissful peace in body, mind and spirit.

"Yoga, an ancient but perfect science, deals with the evolution of humanity.  This evolution includes all aspects of one's being, from bodily health to self-realization.  Yoga means union - the union of body with consciousness and consciousness with the soul.  Yoga cultivates the ways of maintaining a balanced attitude in day-to-day life and endows skill in the performance of one's actions."  ~B.K.S. Iyengar

     In his writing, 'The Meaning and Purpose of Yoga', Bhole Prabhu says that "Yoga defines itself as a science--that is, as a practical, methodical, and systematic discipline or set of techniques that have the lofty goal of helping human beings to become aware of their deepest nature. The goal of seeking to experience this deepest potential is not part of a religious process, but an experiential science of self-study. Religions seek to define what we should believe, while a practical science such as meditation is based on the concrete experience of those teachers and yogis who have previously used these techniques to experience the deepest Self. Yoga does not contradict or interfere with any religion, and may be practiced by everyone, whether they regard themselves as agnostics or members of a particular faith."

     There are many forms of yoga, so I suggest trying several until you find one that works for you. Many yoga studios have special deals for new students to try out different classes and instructors. Add yoga to your daily self-care routine and you will be surprised by a new peace of mind, sense of graceful movement and ease of breath!

"Blessed are the flexible,
for they shall not be bent out of shape."
~Author Unknown

Let Go of Anger

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else;
you are the one who gets burned.”
~Buddha

    The graphic image that I used last week about Worry was so powerful for so many of you that I searched out this Flow Chart of Anger to go with today's article. I love how the chart brings us from the feelings of powerlessness that leads us into Anger to the "situation changes" and back to Powerful and Healed! It also indicates that if we do not change our strategy, we recycle the anger and so the vicious cycle continues. Which just goes to show you that Letting go of Anger is the path to Healing. Here are some statistics about ANGER for you from the Web. When it comes to anger, studies have shown that:

• Almost a third of people polled (32%) say they have a close friend or family member who has trouble controlling their anger
• More than one in ten (12%) say that they have trouble controlling their own anger
• More than one in four people (28%) say that they worry about how angry they sometimes feel
• One in five of people (20%) say that they have ended a relationship or friendship with someone because of how they behaved when they were angry
• 64% either strongly agree or agree that people in general are getting angrier

     Wow! While anger is unpleasant, we must remember that it is a completely normal emotion. As a normal emotion that you simply pass through, letting the feelings flow through and away from you, anger is not particularly harmful. It is when we allow ourselves to fill with anger that it becomes harmful to our being and our relationships.
     The attitude of ANGER is destructive to balance and harmony in the body. IT is the feeling of "I'm not getting my way and I don't like it!" ANGER is a force that can separate the soul from the body as it creates such an intense, destabilizing energy within.
     According to a study of more than 1,000 people at a Western Electric factory in Chicago, over a 25-year period, those with anger management problems were at a high risk of dying from coronary problems, as well as cancer. Chronic anger is also linked with weakening of the immune system, leading to life-threatening illnesses.
    Anger affects the function of Liver and Gall Bladder Energy in the body as well as Blood Essence and can manifest in alcohol addiction.
    The opposite of ANGER is Harmony & Balance. To balance anger, HOLD the MIDDLE FINGER for about 5 minutes or until you can feel a gentle rhythmic pulsing. Even and clear. Breath easily. Relax the shoulders and smile from the very heart of you.
    As you hold the MIDDLE FINGER, the destructive feelings of anger begin to dissipate. The Middle Finger is the General Harmonizer of the body. It is powerful for the respiratory system and promotes good digestive function while releasing tension from the knees. As we come into balance, we increase our capacity for compassion and reinstate harmony.
    Hold your middle finger whenever you feel "out of balance." As Tomas Merton once wrote, "Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony." Holding the middle finger will remind you that balance is where you really want to live. Funny, isn't it, that often the middle finger is used to express Anger!  Why not use it to balance and clear anger?

"Two things a man should never be angry at:
What he can help, and what he cannot help."
~Thomas Fuller

Then Don't Worry

"Worrying is like a rocking chair,
it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere."
~Glenn Turner

    The graphic image above has been floating around on Facebook recently, and I just had to share it with you as a follow-up on last week's article. I love how all paths lead to "Then don't worry." Here are some statistics about Worry for you from the Web. When it comes to worry, studies have shown that:
   *40% of what we worry about never happens – so in essence we are wasting our time by worrying.
   *30% of what we worry about has already happened. Learn to “let go” and forgive yourself and others.
   *12% are needless worries, such as what someone else thinks about us.
   *10% are petty and unimportant such as we worry about what’s for dinner, we worry about being late, we worry about what to wear.
   *8% of what we worry about actually happens. Of this percentage:
   *4% of our worries that happen are beyond our control. These worries may include our health, the death of a loved one or an impending natural disaster. Often times the reality of these events are more bearable than the worry.
   *4% of what we worry about we have some if not all control over the results and are the consequences of our actions or inaction on the problems and challenges we face.

    Worry is engaging in chains of thoughts and images of a negative and uncontrollable nature in which mental attempts are made to avoid anticipated potential threats. It is a preoccupation with past or future bad events. It makes you feel as if you were reliving a past event or living out a future one, and you cannot seem to stop those thoughts from happening.
    Worry encompasses depression, hate, obsession, anxiety and self-protection. Worry is the attitude that affects the function of the Spleen, Stomach, and Skin Surface. It inhibits our ability to obtain sustenance. It is associated with an addiction to sweets.
    The opposite of worry is Happiness, the feeling of security in our capacity to be nourished and loved, a confidence in our ability to be sustained in our life. Sustained body, mind and spirit. 
     To balance worry, HOLD the THUMB for about 5 minutes or until you can feel a gentle rhythmic pulsing. Even and clear. Breath easily. Relax the shoulders and smile from the very heart of you.
     As you hold the THUMB, all worries begin to melt away, daily fatigue is unloaded, digestive discomfort, bloating and weight problems are released and you facilitate the flow of life energy throughout the body. Headaches are relieved by holding the THUMB as well as stress in the shoulders and lungs.  Smile. De-stress. Have a great day!

"I vow to let go of all worries and anxiety in order to be light and free."
~Thich Nhat Hanh

Principles to Live By

  "Smile, breathe, and go slowly."
~Thich Nhat Hanh

    Many years ago when I began my study of the Japanese art of Jin Shin Jyutsu,  I was introduced to the idea of a Universal Energy that animates everything. One of my favorite quotes became this George Leonard quote:

“At the heart of each of us,
whatever the imperfections
exists a silent pulse of perfect rhythm
which connects us to the universe.”

Ahhhhh, I just love it!

   Over the last few years, in addition to Jin Shin Jyutsu, I have begun studying other forms of Energy Healing and ways to access this Universal Life Force Energy (Cranio-Sacral, Chakra Balancing, Soul Focused/Esoteric Healing, Clearing Ancestral Lines, Reiki, and others). I am loving the deeper understanding that grows in me about how the layers of our BE-ing interact with each other and the universe. I will always first be a Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner, but both my own personal practice and my healing practice are informed by these deep studies of Universal Energy.

     Today I wanted to share with you the "Reiki Precepts" which are so applicable to life for all of us. As Reiki Practitioners, we are given these Precepts as principles to live by. For me, they are an expanded form of the traditional "Golden Rule".



     The precepts invite us to be mindful, to let go of worry and anger, and to learn to honor and appreciate the wonder of our lives. I especially love the reminder to live in the moment, "Just for today". Somehow, focusing on the precepts on a day to day basis makes it easier to dwell in the present rather than obsessing on the past or future. I always say, "NOW is what we KNOW we have, this very moment." The Reiki Precepts help me to remember to honor the NOW, and to live a conscious lifestyle by taking small bites instead of looking ahead to all of life where it is easy to be overwhelmed. They remind me to treat others as I would wish to be treated myself.

     I invite you to take some time with these precepts each day, perhaps on waking in the morning and just before bed in the evening. You could start with one and gradually add on the others. Say the precept to yourself or out-loud. Say it over and over again and feel its vibration in your BE-ing. Use the precepts in your meditation practice.

     You could use the precepts in conjunction with holding your fingers as we are taught in the practice of Jin Shin Jyutsu to balance the limiting attitudes that disharmonize our bodies and support balance and transformation. (For more information on the Jin Shin Jyutsu practice of balancing by holding the fingers, READ THIS.

I will let go of WORRY. Hold the THUMB.
I will let go of ANGER. Hold the MIDDLE FINGER.
I will do my work honestly. Hold the LITTLE FINGER.
I will give thanks for my many blessings. Hold the RING FINGER.
I will be kind to every living thing. Hold the INDEX FINGER.

     I invite you to see what a difference the Reiki Precepts can make in your life and your ability to return yourself to BALANCE.

“The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance and even our very existence depend on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life.”
~Albert Einstein 

Time

“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.”
~Albert Einstein

Happy Labor Day

"Tension is who you think you should be.
Relaxation is who you are."
~Chinese Proverb 

Here's wishing you a happy Labor Day filled will relaxing and rejuvenating activities. Bertrand Russell said, "One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important."  While I know that our work is important to us for so many reasons, it is also important that we take the time to nourish ourselves so that we have something left to give to our families and our work.  I always say that if I don't take care of myself, no one else will. So I make sure to schedule regular time for ME, to de-stress and enjoy the pleasures that life has to offer and to remember that I am about ease, not tension! I encourage you to find ways to do the same. 

Inner Peace

"Peace comes from within."
~Buddha

      Inner Peace awaits. It is always amazing to me how often a client gets up from my table at the end of a session with new insights and clarity about a particular situation/decision or about their life direction. As a healer, I am the "holder-of-space", giving you the opportunity to go deep within to see the divine unfold before you and to connect to that calm, centered, place of knowing. 

Calm In the Eye of the Storm

“The secret of success is to be in harmony with existence, to be always calm to let each wave of life wash us a little farther up the shore.”
~Cyril Connolly

It is said that you cannot fully appreciate the tranquility of a calm sea until you have lived through a raging storm. Over the last few weeks, my family has been in a whirlwind of activities: packing, traveling, camping, music making, dancing, working, gardening and just plain dealing - everything has been back-to-back with little time to switch gears and just BE. Throughout this crazy time I have marveled at my ability to find moments of calm and remain in balance!  I simply imagined myself in the eye of the storm. Allowing it to rage and swirl all around me while I maintained a sense of calm deep in my BE-ing.

In a hurricane, the "eye of the storm" is quite still, the fastest winds are in the wall surrounding the eye and the further out the lesser the winds become. But in the center, the 'eye of the storm’  everything calms down. The wind decreases in strength and a sense of tranquility exists over the place that was just enraptured in the throes of a storm. The eye remains calm, immune to what happens around it.

Nature provides us such wonderful metaphors for life. The ultimate challenge is separating oneself from the stresses of everyday life, to  live and work from a place of peace, centeredness and balance. To think our best thoughts or create our best ideas, to solve our problems in the most resourceful way, we need to operate from a place that’s “centered” and calm. A peaceful mind is essential, it keeps us calm no matter how crazy the situation is, and it allows us to stay joyful and present.

For me, it is my practice of Jin Shin Jyutsu the helps me to be the calm in the eye of the storm. This connection is achieved through daily Jin Shin Jyutsu self-help and a deep awareness of my breath in the midst of the raging storms of my life assisted by my new mantra,  “I am the calm in the eye of the storm”.

Developing a daily Jin Shin Jystsu self-care routine will help you learn to be the Calm in the Eye of the Storm. Regular Jin Shin Jyutsu Sessions will bring you to a place of balance, growth and enlightenment. Learn to let the the winds swirl around you, while you maintain that calm stillness in the center of you, your place of power.

“He who is of calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age, but to him who is of an opposite disposition youth and age are equally a burden.”
~Plato

Reconnect to the calm inner you with a relaxing Jin Shin Jyutsu healing treatment.

Awaken Your Inner Healer

  "…each patient carries his own doctor inside him. We are at best when we give the doctor
who resides within each patient
a chance to go to work.”
~Albert Schweitzer

      It is clear to me that my very first Jin Shin Jytusu session back in 1998 woke up my inner healer. Up to that point in my life, I was unaware that I even had an inner healer. In our culture, we are led to believe that we need a doctor to "fix" us. But when I found a holistic approach to wellness, it set me on the path to clearing long standing dis-ease in my body and restoring balance in ways that I never thought were possible. My inner healer was reminded that she had work to do, revealing to me the power that is within us.  We each have an innate ability to heal and being whole is our birthright.
      Think about it, for our entire lives, we have healed cut fingers and skinned knees, mended broken bones, overcome colds and flu without even thinking about it. Healing occurs without conscious effort, as does every breath and heartbeat and body function. The Innate Intelligence of our bodies has the ability is to maintain the body, to take the food, sunshine, water and air that we consume and turn it into what our bodies need to heal and become whole.  It maintains our bodies and is a creative force in our lives.

“You have within you right now,
everything you need to deal
with whatever the world can throw at you.”
~Brian Tracy

      Wholeness or "health" is our natural state of being.  Our Innate Intelligence provides us with all of the tools needed to heal ourselves. The assistance that we get from a practitioner or doctor merely provides support for our own bodies’ natural healing abilities. And when we attend to the cause of the disharmony, rather than masking the symptoms,  our inner ability to heal is supported.
      With Jin Shin Jyutsu Energy Work, we seek to clear the energetic stagnation that produces dis-ease in our bodies. When the stress that is held in the body is removed, our inner healer is able to get to work returning balance and harmony. This enables us to tap into our natural ability to create the healing we need in our life, to help the body to fulfill its innate functions harmoniously, and to produce health.

"The reality is that you are a powerful being,
fully capable of things that may lie far beyond
your wildest dreams at this point."
~Bradley Nelson

Our Deepest Fears

  Recently we went to an evening of Mystical Poetry and I am inspired to share one of those poems with you today. "Our Deepest Fears" by Marianne Williamson. In my observation, the attitude of FEAR does the most harm to our bodies and our world. The simple Self-Help for FEAR is to hold your index finger. As the pulse returns and harmonizes, the impulse of fear is redirected to a sense of well-being and love.   

 

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually who are we not to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

~Marianne Williamson     

A Hero

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself."
~Joseph Campbell

How Many Sessions Does Healing Take?

"Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity."
~Hippocrates

A common question people have when they first set off on the healing path is, "How many sessions will this take?" Well, it varies depending on the nature of the your project and what you want to achieve. Each of us is unique, so consequently, there is no set number of required sessions that works for everyone.
Know that the body wants to heal itself. The amount of time it takes to heal depends on how long and how elaborately your energy system has been adjusting to the disharmonies in the energetic pathways of the body and how out of balance you are - body, mind and spirit.   

"Habitual recurrence to the harmony will increase your mastery of it".
~Marcus Aurelius

It takes awhile for us to get out of harmony. The goal of each healing session is to focus on the harmony and to return the body, mind, and spirit to a place of balance. By releasing the blockages of your flow of energy, the life-force energy in your body is increased. Each healing session allows us to find and release energies that you may have tied up in a specific project, such as health issues, relationships, emotions and attitudes or anything else you wish to work on to bring more joy and harmony into your life.  It is in this place of balance and free flowing energy that healing occurs.
The process of change and transformation can happen quickly but it does not run on a fixed schedule. The rate of improvement is specific to you and may include a reduction in pain, deep relaxation, an increase in energy, or an improvement in overall health. If the condition is acute, it will usually resolve in fewer treatments, while chronic conditions may take longer. Your rate of healing is also dependent on how much energy or change that your body/being can withstand at any given time.  Jin Shin Jyutsu energy healing meets you on your own terms, never pushing you more than you are ready for. Each session builds on the last since the healing process works in layers. As some parts of your body begin to heal, new underlying patterns become exposed and can also be addressed. Over a period of time, we clear more and more issues and learn how to operate in a new and healthy way.
When more time is spent receiving healing, the healing patterns are set more strongly, so your body begins to heal faster. The effects of regularly returning your body to balance are cumulative and lead to deep and sustained changes in the your life. These effects can become long lasting with a program of regular Jin Shin Jyutsu sessions paired with daily self-help.

"Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn't you - all of the expectations, all of the beliefs - and becoming who you are."
~Rachel Naomi Remen
 

Compassion

"A human being is a part of the whole called by us UNIVERSE, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." ~Albert Einstein

The Art of Longevity

"Anti-aging requires an understanding of longevity wisdom. Your Creator has given you built-in body wisdom to keep you forever young and healthy. Essentially, it is an innate awareness of not only your body’s basic needs but also all the signs and signals by which your body warns you of what is wrong with you. So, invoke and embrace that wisdom."
~Stephen Lau

     When Master Jiro Murai revived the ancient art of Jin Shin Jyutsu around 1920, one of the terms that he used to described Jin Shin Jyutsu was the Art of Longevity: Live fully, experience each breath fully.
      Most of us are raised to believe that growing older means a progressive decline in health, wellness, mental and physical ability.  I feel lucky to have had the most amazing Young Grandmother! She passed a few years ago at over 90 years old but throughout my life she  has been an inspiration in vitality. I have vivid memories of her smiling and living life fully. In her 80's she was encouraged to participate in the local Senor Center activities.. but she declined saying "Why would I want to hang out with those old people?"  She ran her own antique shop into her 80's, active and fun-loving. This woman had life to LIVE! She always made such an impression on me that for as long as I can remember, I would tell her that when I was as old as her, I wanted to be as young as she was! For me, she set the example that a study by researchers at North Carolina State University in 2009 concluded-that you really are only as old as you think you are. Thank you Grandma!

      "While scientists have to date largely focused on the biology of longevity, the secrets of living to an exceptional age lie more in our personalities, attitudes, support systems and life experiences than our genes." ~Leonard W. Poon

    Regular Jin Shin Jyutsu sessions and self-help provides a valuable support system as it is aids in restoring the body's energy systems to a balanced, efficient, functioning state. It's practice helps us to take charge of our negative attitudes and to change the self-defeating belief of inevitable aging. It teaches us to master the art of living and to seeing aging as an opportunity for greater peace of mind, wisdom, creativity and happiness. Jin Shin Jyutsu brings to us a new awareness of our limitless life energy and of our ability to partake of the effortless reality, which is our birthright. We can then expect the best results by learning and practicing good health habits for staying healthy and reducing stress. Jin Shin Jyutsu brings to us a new awareness of our limitless life energy and of our ability to partake of the effortless reality, which is our birthright. We can then expect the best results by learning and practicing good health habits for staying healthy and reducing stress. Ultimately, Jin Shin Jyutsu will restore you to a knowledge of yourself and of your long dormant innate ability to improve the quality of your life.

"Controlling mental and physical stress is the key to a long, healthy and happy life." ~Nicholas Perricone, M.D.

Our Energy Centers

"All Creation proceeds from unity."
~Mary Burmeister

      This week I want to introduce you to the energy centers of the body that Jin Shin Jyutsu refers to as "Safety Energy Locks". I am sure that many of you are familiar with the Chakras from Yoga and other healing traditions. A chakra is defined as a wheel, or vortex of energy. There are seven major chakras that flow through a human’s energetic system. All of these major chakras are on the Main Central Flow Pathway and make up our energetic blueprint connecting us to Source energy and our soul purpose.
      Interestingly, Safety Energy Locks have the same definition! They are  defined as vortices of spiralling energy. To my way of thinking, they can be considered "minor chakras" on our energy map. They mark the locations of intersecting energetic pathways or meridians often at skeletal junctures.
      I have many clients ask about this curious name-Safety Energy Lock. Jin Shin Jyutsu recognizes 26 pairs of these energy centers in our bodies. These areas are much more than fixed points and encompass and area approximately the size of our hand. Each one of them has a specific meaning that is expressed through its number and is closely related to its placement on the body. They act like the circuit breakers on the electrical system in our homes and lock when the flow of energy in a pathway is too much, too little or stagnant-to warn and protect us from further disharmony. When one or more of these safety energy locks become blocked, a local disruption can occur, eventually resulting in disharmony of the energetic pathway completely. Just like in your home electrical system, if an outlet is overloaded, it blows the breaker that feeds that outlet, but does not shut down the whole electrical system. If the breaker is not reset, you can just shift the plugs to another outlet. This outlet will also break as it becomes overloaded and the process will continue until the entire system shuts down. A single breaker switch shutting down is a warning that you have overloaded the circuitry and attention must be paid to what you are doing. It is just the same thing with the energy system of our bodies. These twenty-six Energy Locks serve as breaker switches. If enough are blown over a period of time, disharmonies will occur in your physical, emotional, or mental well-being.  Another picture that describes for me what happens in the body, it to imagine our highway system of roads. Where many roads intersect there are overlaps and junctions, referred to in many cities as "malfunction junction". All it takes is one accident at the junction to slow traffic from coming and going in many directions!
     Jin Shin Jyutsu teaches us to heed the warning of pain-which is our indicator that something is out of order and energy locks are shutting down. By simply holding the stuck energy center we can unlock the flow of energy and return ourselves to harmony. It really is that simple: Hold the pain and clear the stagnation!

"Smile, breathe and go slowly."
~Thich Nhat Hanh

Your Letters

Hi Beth,

Currently using main central, and finger holds but can you recommend other flows for fibromyalgia?

Thank you.
South Carolina

Fibromyalgia Tender Points

Hello SC,

What you have been doing is a good start and always a good choice...

I find it interesting that the "tender points" used to diagnose Fibromyalgia are all located on or near safety energy locks!
SO for starters I would be holding those tender points... ideally a tender point and Safety energy lock 1 (Whichever side 1 is easiest or feels best) as the 1's bring "stuff" out of the body.

More things that you can do...

~Hold 5 and 16. Good for pain and is specific to fibromyalgia. Right hand always on the 5 and left hand always on the 16 no matter which foot you are doing.

~Mediator flow - for left side R hand on Left 11, Make a ring with left thumb over left ring finger and Right foot on Left 1. Reverse for other side.

~Hold the backs of you knees. This is a powerful, simple flow that clears through the entire body.

I am attaching an image with the Safety Energy Locks and also the "tender points"...
Just keep doing your self-help as often as possible. No one can control the amount of time it takes to clear things from the body.. but know that everything that you do is helping on some level!

Let me know if you have any other questions~

Thinking about Attitudes

I honestly can't say this any better than Charles Swindoll does in the following quote. SO this week, I simply share his quote with you as food for thought. I first ran across this quote at the bank of all places! I was opening a new account at our local bank and the bank manager had this quote framed on his desk. I got him to make me a copy and it has hung over my desk ever since.

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past-we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you-WE are in charge of our Attitudes.”
~Charles R. Swindoll

Take charge of your ATTITUDES. Remember that the simple act of holding your fingers will balance all of your Attitudes and transform them into the positive emotions that we all thrive on. Refer to the image below for the finger to hold to balance each attitude. If you don't remember which finger to hold, I suggest that you take a quick inventory of your fingers... hold each finger for a second or two, as you go through each finger see which one REALLY wants to be HELD. Then go back and hold THAT one. It really is that simple. We are in charge of our attitudes and nature has given each of us an easy and accessible way to do so.

"The day always looks brighter from behind a smile."
-Unknown

 

Mediator Flow: the Birthplace of Attitudes

"Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open." ~B.K.S. Iyengar

Through its direct connection to Universal Source Energy and the energetic blueprint contained in the Main Central Flow, our very essence is manifested into our total being. The Main Central sets in motion the two Major Vertical Supervisor Harmonizing Energies that supervise the development of each respective side of the body. The next flow set in motion by the Main Central is the Diagonal Mediator Flow. The Diagonal Mediator is the weaving princess and ensures that all the flows within the body will cross at the Main Central so that they may constantly receive revitalizing life energy from the Source.

I will always remember my first 5-day Jin Shin Jyutsu seminar and my teacher's explanation of this trinity of flows. She was so animated as she explained how the Main Central was the ONE and it existed in peace at the center of everything. Then the Supervisors came into being, the TWO. And when there are two, disharmony becomes a possibility. With the existence of TWO there is then a need for the THREE and with three, mediation becomes not only possible but necessary.

I have begun to think of these three flows, as they relate to our personal three-fold nature of Body, Mind and Spirit. I see that the Main Central Flow is the Spirit flow, the source of our existence, the essence of our Being, the primordial fire. The Supervisor Flows are the Body flow, the reflection of each side becoming physical, the essence of duality with the responsiblilty for converting the unmanifest potential of the Main Central into the physical form. And finally the Diagonal Mediator Flows are of the Mind, the mental/emotional component of our being. The Diagonal Mediators give us the ability to connect, to move, to create action and are the birthplace of our emotions and attitudes.

We know that the body is affected by the air, food, activities, thoughts and stresses that we experience each moment of living. Our attitudes dis-harmonize the flow of life energy in our bodies and disrupt the pathways which deliver the limitless supply of life energy to every part of our physical being. Attitude is the way you mentally look at the world around you. It is how you view your environment and your future. It is the focus you develop toward life itself. Attitudes keep us from freely being all that we have the potential to BE. Remember that divine feelings are love and disease feelings are attitudes.

The Diagonal Mediator Flows start at the left and right shoulders and travel through both sides of the body, from back to front, side to side, and top to bottom. They end at the knee on the opposite side of where they started. They harmonize the left and right Supervisor Flows with each other and with the Main Central Flow, and are important to our overall supply of energy. The Mediator Flows make sure that all the flows in the body are revitalized by the Main Central and help balance both sides of the body.

When it is out of order, the Mediator Flow is the main cause for malfunctions in the body energy circulation patterns. On the other hand, when it is in balance it mediates energy flow from one side of the body to the other and helps us to get out of our minds.  Mediator is great for frozen shoulders, finger numbness, nose bleeds, clearing arm and shoulder projects, elimination, respiratory projects, reproductive projects and reduces fatigue, tension and stress while eliminating the negative effects of our attitudes. The Mediator Flow is a great assistant to bringing our BEing into balance-body, mind and spirit. 

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes."
~William James

Diagonal Mediator Flow
The Self-help for the Mediator is simple and consists of doing the following three things together. You may find this flow is easiest to do while lying down and is very nice after doing the Supervisor Flow described here.

Right side:
1. right thumb over the right ring fingernail;
2. drape your left hand over your right shoulder-where neck and shoulder come together;
3. rest your left instep on the inside corner of the crease of the right knee or simply bring the knees together.

Left side:
1. left thumb over the left ring fingernail;
2. drape your right hand over your left shoulder-where neck and shoulder come together;
3. rest your right instep on the inside corner of the crease of the left knee or simply bring the knees together.

“Every action of our lives
touches on some chord
that will vibrate in eternity.”
~Edwin Hubbell Chapin

A Jin Shin Jyutsu Session:

    Our bodies are designed to heal themselves, we need only find ways to bring the body back to harmony and balance so that healing can happen. For a session, the fully clothed client lies face up on a very comfortable treatment table. Jin Shin Jyutsu is gentle with hands placed over the client's clothes and does not involve manipulation, massage or rubbing.
    As the energy pathways are cleared and energy flows freely, the body will heal itself from everyday stress. It boosts our own profound healing capacities and thus promotes optimal health, well-being and vitality.
    Jin Shin Jyutsu is highly recommended both before and after surgical procedures. It can minimize bleeding and swelling during the procedure, and promotes rapid healing and detoxification of medications/anesthesia.
    A Jin Shin Jyutsu session generally lasts an hour although half-hour children's sessions and mini sessions for busy adults are available. Benefits extend well beyond hands-on sessions with the practitioner, as clients are taught the application of self help geared toward their individual needs.

"At the heart of each of us, whatever our imperfections, there exists a silent pulse of perfect rhythm, which is absolutely individual and unique, and yet which connects us to everything else." ~George Leonard

Creating Balance

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Through its direct connection to Universal Source Energy and the energetic blueprint contained in the Main Central Flow, our very essence is manifested into our total being.  The Main Central is the energy flow that created and sustains us, setting our other energy flows in motion and becoming a strong regular force for our bodies when it is allowed to flow freely down the front and up the back.

The first energy flow set in motion by the Main Central Flow is the two Major Vertical Supervisor Harmonizing Energies. These two flows create and maintain our physical form and are the birthplace of the pairs of energy centers that Jin Shin Jytusu refers to as Safety Energy Locks. The Supervisor Flows monitor or supervise the development of each respective side of the body.

"Unity can only be manifested by the Binary. Unity itself and the idea of Unity are already two." ~Buddha

The Main Central Flow is where life begins - the beginning of One and serves as the bridge between unmanifested blueprint spirit energy and the manifested physical energy. The energy of the Supervisor Flow is responsible for converting that unmanifest potential into the physical form. These two Supervisor Flows, create a duality, each side a reflection of the other creating a balanced symmetry of complementary polarities.

Left and Right Supervisor Flows
The left and right Supervisor Flows are like two vertical ovals of energy, one on each side of the body.

Right side:
Left hand over right shoulder where neck & shoulder come together.
Right hand on right "sitting" bone.
Right hand on right hip crease/groin.

Left side:
Right hand over left shoulder where neck & shoulder come together.
Left hand on left "sitting" bone.
Left hand on left hip crease/groin.

Do these flows daily to create and maintain a balance between each half of the body. These flows are especially useful to clear the head, improve breathing, aid digestion, and reduce stress in the back.

"Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless."
~Jamie Paolinetti

More Main Central Flow

“At the center of your being
you have the answer;
you know who you are
and you know what you want.”
~Lao Tzu

The Source of Life Force Energy for our bodies is known, in Jin Shin Jyutsu, as the Main Central Universal Harmonizing Energy Flow or the Main Central. It is the primary harmonizer for all body functions and is responsible for renewing, maintaining and sustaining our manifested form on all levels-physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. This energy pathway runs down the center of the front of the body and back up the spine.

The Main Central can be compared to a sensitive antenna as it connects us directly to Universal Source Energy, maintains our connection to Source and serves as the energetic blueprint for our total being. It is the energy flow that created and sustains us, setting our other energy flows in motion and becoming a strong regular force for our bodies when it is allowed to flow freely down the front and up the back.

When energy circulates easily and abundantly, body, mind, and spirit are all nourished. But when the flow becomes blocked, constricted or stagnant, disharmony results.

Whenever there is an imbalance from one side to the other side of the body, doing the Main Central  Flow can harmonize it and bring it back into balance. All other flows in the body connect with this main source of energy in the body, returning to the Main Central to connect back to Source and to recharge. By following the simple directions each day, we can strengthen this flow in ourselves and bring about an increased state of well-being.

Harmonizing the Main Central regularly helps you to feel centered and ensures that you will have plenty of energy. Some people find it calming and use it to fall asleep, while others use it to clear their minds upon waking.

I see the Main Central as my primary self-help tool. It has become my daily basic energy tune-up.  I love to do this flow in the morning before I get out of bed and at night before falling asleep. When I am abusing my body (gardening, dancing, painting, computer work, etc) during the day, I will take a break and do this flow. It re-centers me and takes the kinks out of my body.

I am so completely fascinated by the value of doing the Main Central Flow every day, that I wanted to dedicate this issue its benefits. I shared my Thyroid Success Story with you a few weeks ago and included in that issue the steps for the Main Central Flow. The Main Central Flow is super for balancing the endocrine system, but I wanted you to know how valuable it is for so many aspects of our lives. As you follow the steps below, you will find that I have included the functions of each step.

Follow the steps in the above picture. Start with Right hand on top of head and Left hand between eyes, Left hand moves down the body through each step, then at the end, Right hand moves to tailbone. Do these steps in whatever manner is easy for you-sitting or lying down.
 
The Main Central Flow:

Step 1: Place the fingers of the right hand on the top of the head (where they will remain until step 6). Place the fingers of the left hand on your forehead between your eyebrows. Hold for 2 to 5 minutes or until the pulses you feel at your fingertips synchronize with each other.
Function: Harmonize blood pressure, nervous conditions; revitalize the brain, dissipate senility; support pineal and pituitary glands; hold for insomnia; hold when there is lack of ambition; ease headaches; aids deep body energy, memory and mind, balance body fluids, tuning into situations.
Step 2: Now move the left fingertips to the tip of the nose. Hold them there for 2 to 5 minutes, or until the pulses synchronize.
Function: Support the pituitary gland; influence rejuvenation and reproduction of cells and life (both partners hold when having difficulty conceiving); aids superficial body energy, reproductive organs, facial
muscle relief, sinus, eyes, hormones, renewing cells and thoughts.
Step 2a: Move left fingers to mouth area... hold one finger above mouth, other fingers below mouth on chin. (optional step/not pictured)
Function: clears jaw tension; supports mental clarity.
Step 2b: Move left fingers to hollow space in middle of collarbone. (optional step/not pictured)
Function: Support thyroid and parathyroid glands; aid reproduction, larynx and speech problems; strengthens artistic expression, creativity; hold when feeling irritable; supports sinus, breathing, ears, expressing feelings, neck/shoulder muscle relief, stroke prevention, calcium balancer, thyroid gland, clear speech: strengthens our defense against environmental allergies.
Step 3: Move the left fingertips to your sternum (center of your chest between your breasts). Stay there for 2 to 5 minutes or until the pulses synchronize.
Function: Strengthen the circulatory system and revitalize lungs (breathing) and pelvic girdle (hip energy); support the thymus gland which is the master gland of the immune system - hold as a prevention against illness; support heart function, growing children, our "inner child",  fertility, emotional balancer; release old traumas and hurts.
Step 4: Move your fingers to the base of your sternum (center of where your ribs start, above the stomach). Hold them there for 2 to 5 minutes, or until the pulses synchronize.
Function: Strengthen builders of the blood and harmonize red blood cell/white blood cell ratio; control secretions of digestive enzymes & hormones; strengthen the lymphatic and nervous system & improve muscle tone of arms and legs; harmonizes spleen, adrenals, kidneys, liver, gallbladder and pancreas; help breathing control; strengthen small & large intestines; physical digestion and assimilation and revitalize adrenal glands; mental balance, all bleeding problems, dispels violent emotions.
Step 5: Move your fingers to the top of your pubic bone. Stay there for 2 to 5 minutes, or until the pulses synchronize.
Function:  Help influence growth, mental competence and the lymphatic system; harmonize reproductive glands and strengthen the spine. Stomach/digestion, (deeper) breathing, physical balance, helping body and mind rid itself of impurities.
Step 6: Keep your left fingertips in place and move your right fingertips to cover your coccyx (tailbone). Hold for 2 to 5 minutes or until the pulses you feel at your fingertips synchronize with each other.
Function: Help balance the reproductive organs, emotional balance, confidence, warm feet and legs, spine, white blood cells, vitality,
energy for physical body.
Note: The right hand remains on the top of the head while the left hand moves down the body until the final step.

“Truth lies within ourselves: it takes no rise from outward things, whatever you may believe. There is an inmost center in us all, where truth abides in fullness and to Know rather consists in opening out a way whence the imprisoned splendor may escape  than in effecting entry for light supposed to be without.”
~Robert Browning

Practice Compassion

 "If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
~Dalai Lama

As I write today, my daughter is busily making Valentines for her teachers and classmates for tomorrow's big Valentine Day Celebration at school. To keep it personal and real, she always likes to make her own cards, one by one, each special and unique like the person they are meant for. I love seeing her work so hard on this project as Valentines Day has become such a retail driven holiday that the honoring of our friendships, love and romance is often overshadowed by its commercial nature.

In honor of Valentines Day, I want to focus on compassion.  It is through developing compassion that we are able to rise above personal feelings and open our hearts to other people and what better thing is there to focus on for Valentines?!

Compassion-from Latin: "co-suffering"-is a virtue, in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy for the suffering of others are regarded as a part of love itself, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnectedness and humanism — foundational to the highest principles in philosophy, society, and personhood.

The Budda is quoted as saying, "It is possible to travel the whole world in search of one who is more worthy of compassion than oneself. No such person can be found."

The practice of Jin Shin Jyutsu is all about compassion. It is through compassion for ourselves and others, that we can walk the path of our true spirit. In Japanese, Jin means “knowing, compassionate human being.”  Compassion is viewed as "the magic key that unlocks the true power of our inner spirit." This principle is a feeling of whole hearted acceptance of the weakness and strengths of the human race without judgment. Shin means spirit, “divine nature” or “creation.” It is through this spirit that energy flows from us to another. This spirit breathes in and through each of us. It encompasses the whole of the universe and sets us on the path of self awareness, in tune with nature and the oneness of all things.  And Jyutsu simply means “the art of.” Thus, Jin Shin Jyutsu can mean “the Art of Divine Creation through Compassionate Human Intent” or "the Art of the Creator through Man of Knowing and Compassion." Jin Shin Jyutsu is the art of releasing tensions and attitudes, which are the causes for various symptoms in the body. As we come into balance, we increase our capacity for compassion and reinstate harmony.

"Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect." ~from Charter for Compassion

This virtue is SO what we are missing in our world and our lives. Our capacity to become better human beings is dependent on compassion, that ability to feel what others are feeling and experiencing, to understand the pain and sorrow that another is suffering, and to accept each other with tolerance and non-judgment. By developing patience and understanding, we find the clarity to know all sides of a story. When we overcome our ego, we clearly see that we are all interconnected and dependent on each other for our well-being.

"Compassion is that which makes the heart of the good move at the pain of others. It crushes and destroys the pain of others; thus, it is called compassion.
It is called compassion because it shelters and embraces the distressed."
~Buddha