Christmas Wish

"May you have 
the gladness of Christmas which is hope;

The spirit of Christmas which is peace;

The heart of Christmas which is love."

~Ada V. Hendricks

Honor the Dark before Calling in the Light

Self-Help Tip: 

“We all walk in the dark 

and each of us must learn 
to turn on his or her own light.”

 ~Earl Nightingale

          And here we are at the Winter Solstice which is both the shortest day and longest night of the solar year. December 21st may be the the longest night but it carries the promise of Spring. The Winter Solstice is the day that the Sun’s light begins to grow again. The diminishing of the Sun’s light ends and the days begin to grow brighter and longer again until warmth and fertility return to the Earth.

         The word Solstice literally means the sun stands still. It is the extreme positions of the sun at midsummer and midwinter, that makes the rising and setting of the sun appear to take place in the same position on the horizon for three or four days in succession. The Sun's path north or south appears to come to a magical stop before reversing direction. It’s also the day, if we are attuned to the rhythm of the seasons, that we know we are heading toward more daylight and this manages to lift our spirits and has been a cause for celebration way back into the most ancient of times.

         In the Jin Shin Jyutsu philosophy, it is not surprising that the color associated with this Winter-time of darkness is blue/black. The attitude of imbalance is FEAR and the harmonizer for fear is LOVE. (Hold your index finger to balance.)

        This moment of transit from the old light to the new provides an opportunity for each of us to reflect on our experiences through the year and to set our intentions for the incoming year. Take this opportunity to embody the light, the love, and the consciousness that is your birthright as a Spiritual Being having this Human Experience. I invite you to embrace the darkness, to welcome the returning light and to share this love with all around you.

"With mounds of greenery, 

the brightest ornaments, 

we bring high summer to our rooms, 

as if to spite the somberness of winter come." 

~Margaret Starkey

Remember, We are the Tree

"We are like the little branch 
that quivers during a storm,

doubting our strength 
and forgetting we are the tree—

deeply rooted 
to withstand all life’s upheavals."

~Dodinsky

     To balance and harmonize our total being we can simply hold the palms of the hand. Holding the palms puts us in direct contact with the energy that determines the blueprint for our manifested form, the human body. As we are burdened with the trials of our everyday life, it is helpful to remember that we are indeed SPIRITUAL BEINGS having a HUMAN EXPERIENCE. With this in mind, I find it easier to deal with the mundane aspects of being human and to remember that I am the tree, rooted to the earth as I reach for the skies.
     Since this energy puts us in touch with SOURCE energy, it is small wonder that throughout human history, people have clasped their hands together in "prayer" position. The ancients knew that this was not just a symbolic gesture but a practical way to connect with SOURCE  and find harmony with the universe.
     As a total harmonizer, holding the palms, one at a time or together, will enable us to feel a profound sense of peace and oneness with ALL. Harmony is bestowed upon diaphragm and umbilicus energy. This energy helps to regulate temperature and breath. It is the source of our personal life energy. Holding the palms can serve as a recharge for your rundown "battery".
     This energy is ours to access at any time of the day or night. Sit or lie quietly with hands held together, either fingertips in palms or palms together in whatever way that you find most comfortable. Breathe. Inhale, Exhale. Relax the shoulders. Allow the shoulder blades the slip down the back any amount. Continue breathing with awareness and feel the pulse of the universe in the palm of your hands. Remember that you are a Spiritual Being having a Human Experience and SMILE. Know that all you need is already there, inside you.

"I am the Cosmic Rhythm, 

which is the Breath I receive, 

all knowledge/wisdom is within. 

So simply BE the awareness/knowledge 

and the understanding/wisdom." 

~Mary Iino Burmeister

Self-Help Tip: Stop the Swirl of Holiday Stress

"The time to relax 
is when you don't have time for it."

~Sydney J. Harris 

         We forget sometimes that the time to take time for ourselves is when we seem to have no time at all! I love this quote and was reminded of it when I offered a session to a stressed-out friend. Her response was, "Oh, that sounds so nice. Maybe when things calm down, I will be able to take you up on your offer." I knew that a session would have helped to calm things down for her.
         In my experience, when we come at things from a place of balance, everything calms down, we cope better and move through our lives with more ease. We need to find ways to replenish our energy, so that we can continue to take care of our kids, spouse, job, family and friends. An indicator that we need to take time is when we feel that we have nothing left to give to the things/people that we care about! When our emotional and energetic bank account is overdrawn life becomes a downward spiral.
So, when you find yourself caught up in the swirl of holiday stress, just Stop. Hit the Pause Button. Remember your Breath. Take a moment in the peaceful center of the storm. And then Go with the Flow.
          I encourage you to remember that peace and calm are indeed possible in the midst of the holiday season.

"Every day brings a choice:
 to practice stress or to practice peace."

~Joan Borysenko

Take Charge

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

-Unknown

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 above 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 take charge.

"Could we change our attitude,
we should not only see life differently,
but life itself would come to be different."
~Katherine Mansfield

Philosophy and Spirit

   “Living life becomes art, 

when the phenomenon we call man realizes he just appears 

to be an object in the phenomenal world, 

whereas in fact he is the Original Source, the Divine.” 

~Mieke Berger

       More than just a healing modality or style of bodywork, Jin Shin Jyutsu provides us with a philosophy for life. It gives us tools for living a balanced life and makes us more aware of our connection with Source and with our true nature. Often, it is the philosophy and spirit of the work that attracts clients and practitioners to Jin Shin Jyutsu rather than the technique.

       Jin Shin Jyutsu is the study of the life energy that pervades the universe and gives life to all things, our personal creation story. Through the study of Jin Shin Jyutsu and Self-Help we gain an awareness of the energy centers of our bodies, such that we can consciously utilize our breath and our hands to dissolve the blocks to the natural flows of our energy, and release stress and pain.

       Healing is the process of becoming WHOLE, a harmonizing of body, mind and spirit and a reconnection with Source. The word HEAL comes from the Greek word Holos; to make whole, entire, complete. This Source or power that brings us into being has the power to heal. It is this sense of balance and well being to the whole body-mind-spirit that Jin Shin Jyutsu emphasizes and that we experience as remembering wholeness.  

       Mary Burmeister called Jin Shin Jyutsu a "physio-philosophy". She believed the understanding of Jin Shin Jyutsu by many people would be facilitated by calling the art PHYSIO-PHILOSOPHY - KNOW MYSELF IT IS. (PHYSIO, meaning Nature, or Creator’s Art / One Order; PHILOSOPHY, meaning Effortless Reality, or Being the Non-being). She also referred to Jin Shin Jyutsu as the "Cosmic Artless Art to KNOW (Help) MYSELF", or “NATURE - THE EFFORTLESS REALITY, KNOW MYSELF IT IS”.

      The study of Jin Shin Jyutsu puts us on a path toward understanding ourselves and our relationship to the cosmos while giving us a deeper understanding of the energy that animates our being and brings us awareness of complete harmony within the self and the universe. Through both physiology and philosophy, Jin Shin Jyutsu teaches how to take the physical understanding and apply it to our circumstances.  Jin Shin Jyutsu teaches the wisdom of life, to know myself, to be in harmony. Our health and harmony depend upon the free and even distribution of this life energy throughout the body, mind and spirit. When we live in the moment with the breath of life, we have all the energy we need.

“For those of us addressing existing stress or health disharmonies, 

or for those wishing to participate actively 

in maintaining health, vitality and well-being, 

the Art of Jin Shin Jyutsu is a simple powerful tool, available to all. ”

~Mary Burmeister

Take some "ME Time"

“Don’t sacrifice yourself too much, because if you sacrifice too much there’s nothing else you can give and nobody will care for you.” ~ Karl Lagerfeld

I say this all of the time, "If I don't take care of myself, how can I possibly take care of anyone else?" But HOW do you find the time to take some ME Time? It is so easy to allow the needs of our family, mate, jobs, clients, co-workers, and everything else to take the lead in our lives! But when we neglect ourselves, the result is additional stress and an empty well. For a lot of people, "me time" simply doesn't exist. It is often hard to see beyond the tasks on the to-do list each day. Randy Kamen Gredinger, psychologist and life coach specializing in women's issues, says "There's a tremendous amount of stress and pressure put on women: being parents, being daughters, mothers, wives, professionals. All of these roles combined leave many of us not taking adequate care of ourselves -- which is what sustains us and gives us the energy to take care of all these other responsibilities that we have." So then the question becomes, "How can I NOT take time for ME?" We MUST make ourselves a PRIORITY and make ME time a HABIT! Schedule some ME Time every day. Even if you only take 10 minutes a day to recharge, you will feel a difference. And if you start by taking 10 minutes a day, I bet you'll soon be able to find even more time for ME time as you get better at it! What exactly is ME Time? The Free Dictionary says that me time is "the time a person has to himself or herself, in which to do something for his or her own enjoyment." ME Time gives us the opportunity to caretake our inner world, to tune in to what feeds us and to reconnect with ourselves. When we take the time, we find that we are more productive and motivated throughout the rest of the day. How do you make ME time a habit? Here is what I am doing… Because it is my plan to make ME time a priority, I have begun to keep a ME Time Journal, similar to the idea of a gratitude journal, and often including the things I am grateful for in my life. Each day I write down 1-3 things that I did for ME. Sometimes it is as simple as "I asked for help in the kitchen." And sometimes it is that I had a JSJ Session or a Massage, took a walk, meditated or did some yoga! It is my goal to come up with 3 things each day that I did for ME. I have to admit that some days, it is really hard… but because I have this commitment to write it down each evening, I am working towards creating a Habit of taking time for ME. I encourage you to join me in keeping a ME Time Journal. Let's check in from time to time with each other and see how we are doing.

“There are days I drop words of comfort on myself like falling leaves and remember that it is enough to be taken care of by my self.” ~Brian Andreas

On The Healing Path

On The Healing Path 

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

    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.
    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.  

    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. 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 maintenance program of regular Jin Shin Jyutsu sessions paired with daily self-help.
    You might even consider having an INTENSIVE series of treatments. An “intensive” consists of a series of several treatments over a short period of time...Your intensive can be tailor-made for your own situation/schedule/needs. It could be 2 sessions a day over a week, 2 sessions a day for a few days, 1 session a day for a week or 2, every other day for a week or 2, or any other combination that works for you.      
     Receiving a series of sessions close together brings harmony on a continued basis for the week and allows us to affect a change in patterns of disharmony, and the habits and attitudes that create imbalance.  This is a dynamic way to move energy, to clear out, deep clean, and harmonize our total BE-ing.
     An intensive treatment series can breathe new life and energy into our depleted physical being and bring about a reconnection with our essence. The goal is to bring about deep relaxation, to restore a sense of beauty and harmony into body, mind and spirit and to unleash the inner healer.
    When we have an opportunity to keep the body’s systems clear and balanced without the time in between to fall back into unhealthy patterns, we actually give ourselves a fresh start on a clear path, we bring to our BE-ing a mindful, go with the flow way coping with whatever life brings.

Send me an email or give me a call to schedule your Healing Intensive. 

"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

The Peace Mudra

"Every day brings a choice:
to practice stress or to practice peace."
~Joan Borysenko

On this day of remembering, I found myself focusing on the need for  peace in our world. This led me to think about the peace sign we make with our hands.

from Wikipedia

"It has various meanings, depending on the cultural context and how it is presented. It is most commonly used to represent the letter "V" as in "victory"; as a symbol of peace (usually with palm outward); as an offensive gesture (palm inward); and to represent the number 2. It was adopted by the 1960s counterculture movement as a sign for peace."

 As a Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner, I am always interested in anything that we do with our hands. I am especially fascinated by the tradition of healing mudras (hand gestures) and after my ponderings today, I have come to think of this peace gesture as the "peace mudra".

Think about it....This gesture involves all of the fingers of the hand, either holding them or extending them with intention. 

• The index finger balances the limiting attitude of FEAR and brings LOVE. 
• The middle finger balances ANGER and brings PEACE. 
• Holding the thumb to the ring finger opens the lungs and trades sadness for happiness while clearing our tendency to get stuck in worry-mode, which in turn allows us to be present. 
• And the little finger enables us to let go of pretense and be true to ourselves. 

I can't think of a better way to bring peace to our inner being while projecting a positive force in our world. So now as I perform my daily practice of holding  fingers to clear limiting attitudes, I do it with a new way to think about peace and harmony.  

"Each of us by our daily acts of peace and our commitment to building a better world can inspire others and help create a groundswell for peace too powerful to be turned aside."
~David Krieger

Stay at the Center

"Stay at the center of the circle and let all things take their course." ~Tao Te Ching   The Main Central Universal Harmonizing Energy Flow (the Main Central) is the Source of Life Force Energy for our bodies. 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 becomes 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. The Main Central is a valuable daily self-help tool as basic energy hygiene.  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. Harmonizing the Main Central regularly helps you to feel centered and ensures that you will have plenty of energy.  For me, the Main Central is my primary self-help tool. It has become my daily basic energy tune-up. Most days, I 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 take a break and do this flow. It re-centers me and takes the kinks out of my body.  It is simple self-help. Follow the steps in the picture...  1. Right hand (RH) on top of head.  - Hold till last step.     Left hand (LH) between eye brows (3rd eye)  2. LH on tip of Nose. 3. LH on Throat  4. LH on Top of Sternum.  5. LH on Base of Sternum.  6. LH on Pubic bone.  7. RH on Coccyx. Hold each step for 2-3 minutes, or until the pulses you feel at each hand synchronize with each other. "I want you to be everything that's you, deep at the center of your being." ~Confucius

Nurture

"The best way to nurture children's inner lives is by taking care of our own inner selves  for their sake." ~Sylvia Boorstein Nurturing ourselves may well be one of our greatest challenges in life. As women, we tend to put everyone else first, thinking that our role is to please and accommodate our loved ones and our jobs before tending to our own emotional, physical, or spiritual needs. For many, it takes a "special" day like Mother's Day or our birthday to allow others to DO for us! But when our habit is to put others first, the result is that we are stressed out and depleted and have little left to give. However, when we make the time to take care of our own needs, we have so much more to share with our families and our jobs!  Eda LeShan says, “When we truly care for ourselves, it becomes possible to care far more profoundly about other people. The more alert and sensitive we are to our own needs, the more loving and generous we can be toward others."  It is important that we find ways to nourish ourselves, to listen to our bodies and to tap into healthy resources like Jin Shin Jyutsu to maintain a sense of balance and to nurture our spirit and well-being. It might be helpful to think of caring for yourself as if you were your own child.  According to Lauren Mackler, author of 7 Steps to Nurturing Your Inner Self, "A great technique for treating yourself better is by developing your Inner Nurturing Parent. Imagine you had a little child in your care. You'd make every effort to keep her healthy and safe; to love and support her; to be forgiving of her mistakes, her inevitable slips; and to let her know how precious and important she is. That's what a loving parent does. Only, in this case, you're the parent and the child." Mary Burmeister, the mother of Jin Shin Jyutsu encouraged her students to, "BE your own testimony." Think of nurturing yourself as setting the example for your children and those you care about by giving to yourself at least as much as you give to others. Love is the great healer. The capacity for self-love and the ability to self nurture is bigger than you and me, it will bring balance and peace to the world.  "We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it." ~John Lennon

Finding Balance

Finding Balance  

“Life is like riding a bicycle.
To keep your balance,
you must keep moving.”
~Albert Einstein

      Over the last month or so, we have been working with our daughter who is learning to ride a bicycle. It has been an interesting journey in remembering. It has been so many years since I regularly rode a bicycle that it was hard to even remember what to tell her so that she could "crack the code" and find the balance necessary to ride.
     But like they say it was "like riding a bike" once learned it is never forgotten! I would have to get on a ride a bit myself to remember what to tell her. 

     As we develop the skill of Finding Balance, we find that it too, is something not forgotten.  Balance has become a big focus in my life and as I first explored the idea of balance, I thought of balance more as a destination, a place I wanted to be...
In practice, I have come to realize that balance is THE journey.
Balance is that sense of harmony, a feeling of wholeness. But it is not a static place. As Einstein said, "to keep your balance, you must keep moving." Balance requires movement.
      When we understand that balance has a fluid quality, we realize that the advice to "go with the flow" is especially apt. Being fluid, balance is flexible and changeable, and going with the flow is the only way for this journey to unfold. 
     It is said that "The key to keeping your balance is knowing when you've lost it." So true! Riding a bicycle is a wonderful analogy for the journey of finding balance in our lives. When we lose our balance on a bicycle, it is impossible not to know that it has been lost. In life, we must develop our awareness for our personal balance and find ways to keep moving, keep pedaling and go with the flow. 

"Life is like riding a bicycle:
you don't fall off unless you stop pedaling."
~Claude Pepper

Awaken your Inner Healer

Awaken your Inner Healer 

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

      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. When I had my very first Jin Shin Jytusu session back in 1998, my inner healer woke up! Until that point in my life, I was unaware that I even had an inner healer. My inner healer was reminded that she had work to do, revealing to me the power that is within us.
      Because it is a common belief that we need a doctor to "fix" us, there are many among us that do not realize that we each have an innate ability to heal and that 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.  

      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 and EASE.
     Awaken your inner healer by developing a daily self-help practice as simple as holding your fingers to transform the negative effects of our attitudes and regular Jin Shin Jyutsu sessions. 

“You have within you right now,

everything you need to deal

with whatever the world can throw at you.”

~Brian Tracy

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. 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.

About Beth Molaro: 

    Beth Molaro is a gifted energy healer who specializes in Jin Shin Jyutsu, a healing art with a history of over 5,000 years. This gentle touch healing art is based upon our own natural, innate ability to harmonize ourselves. Our bodies are designed to heal, we need only find ways to bring the body back to harmony and balance so that healing can happen. This work is very gentle with hands placed over the client's clothes and does not involve manipulation, massage or rubbing. As the energy flows freely, the body will heal itself from everyday stress. Benefits extend well beyond hands-on sessions with the practitioner, as clients are taught the application of self help geared toward their individual needs. As a Jin Shin Jyutsu/Reiki/Energy Healing Practitioner, Beth serves as assistant to her clients to gently clear and re-align the body’s energies which in turn brings about healing.

    She is an avid student of Energy Healing and continues to study various approaches to healing that enhance her understanding of the holistic/spiritual model  and that add to her own unique abilities. In addition to her ongoing study of Jin Shin Jyutsu and Reiki, studies in Cranial Sacral, Soul Focused/Esoteric Healing, Chakra Balancing, Clearing Ancestral Lines, Polarity Therapy, Meditation and Yoga all help to enhance Beth’s natural and unique healing strengths even more and enable her to empower individuals to take charge of their health and well-being.  Beth will always first be a Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner, but both her own personal practice and her healing practice are informed by these deep studies of Universal Energy.

    Beth's background as visual artist, potter, dancer and avid gardener gives her a comprehensive understanding of how the human body is affected by use and abuse. She has reversed years of her own back stress with Jin Shin Jyutsu and eight years after a partial thyroidectomy, she maintains balanced thyroid function not with medication but with Jin Shin Jyutsu! She has devoted her healing work to helping clients learn how to bring their bodies back to balance through regular treatments and personalized self-help routines to practice at home. Beth's goal as a holistic health practitioner is to help people balance and energize body, mind and spirit, and erase pain and stress so that they can heal and dramatically improve their quality of life.

    Beth is a certified Jin Shin Jyutsu Self-Help Instructor. Self-Help classes can be scheduled to accommodate a group of friends, family or co-workers.

    Beth is available for a few Week-Long Healing Intensives each week. During this special accelerated healing process you typically receive 10 Jin Shin Jyutsu treatments in 5 days (or 10 treatments over a 2 week period-Treatments can be tailor made to suit your schedule). On each of the five days you receive two treatments, usually one in the morning, and the second in the evening.  Email to schedule your personal Week-long Healing Intensive Retreat.

Nature's Calendar

"Let us love winter,
for it is the spring of genius."
~Pietro Aretino

          Ah, Spring, that transition period between winter and summer, the season of rebirth, renewal and regrowth. The birth of new ideas, inspiration, and creativity restored by the longer sun-filled days. Will it ever arrive?
We seem caught between winter and spring, as the weather switches back and forth between cold days and warmers days, the symptoms of both Spring Fever and Cabin Fever abound! 

         It is good to know that the seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter, like the tides, have an affect on our body's energy flow. And what we eat has a powerful effect on our ability to find balance not only in each season, but especially during the transition from one to another! 

 from http://strengtheninghealthinstitute.blogspot.com/
         "To be healthy we need to follow nature’s calendar and begin to change when she does. In the winter, we tend to eat more well cooked and warming dishes, things that will keep us warm and energized. Generally it is not a good idea to overdo it on ice cream and other foods that make us feel more sensitive to the cold. We still need lightly cooked vegetable dishes and raw salads that are mildly cooling to keep us fresh throughout the winter.

          Starting in early to mid February, it is time to very gradually lessen these well cooked and warming foods and re-introduce foods that are light, refreshing and cooling. This way our body gradually adjusts to the coming of spring and follows nature’s pattern. Add more lightly cooked vegetable dishes, raw salads, vegetable dishes and enjoy some oranges and tangerines. "

         Transitions are helped by a practice of mindfulness. As we move out of Winter, the season of retreat and rest, and into Spring, the season of new growth, rebirth and action, it is important that we find ways to reduce the stressors that keep us from feeling our best. 

"No matter how long the winter,
spring is sure to follow."
~Proverb 

Restore and Regenerate

  As winter made one more blast this weekend, I found myself thinking of the promise of rebirth that is just around the corner. The regenerative cycle that is always at play, all year, everyday, just below the surface... 

"Life stands before me like an eternal spring with new and brilliant clothes." 

~Carl Friedrich Gauss

“Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul
None is more gladdening or fruitful than to know
You can regenerate and make yourself what you will.”
~William James 

     How do you get back to your best self? What is it that recharges your battery? How do you restore and regenerate? It is important that we take the time to know what recharges/refuels us and that we find ways to enhance our well-being by always supporting ourselves and especially during times of stress. 

    The dictionary defines REGENERATE as
1. formed or created again
2. spiritually reborn or converted
3. restored to a better, higher, or more worthy state

     For me, it is all of the good things that I do for myself regularly that recharge my batteries-yoga, meditation, eating good healthy food, fresh air, mindful breathing, loving my family, reading uplifting and inspiring books, daily self-help, etc. And to really restore and regenerate, regular Jin Shin Jyutsu keeps me on the path to harmony and balance.    

   The following Self-Help Tip is a great way to Quietly Regenerate Body, Mind and Spirit.The key to Quietly Regenerating is Safety Energy Lock #25. It is located at the sit bones. Anatomically part of your pelvis (the ischial tuberosity), the sit bones are quite literally the bones under the flesh of the butt that you sit on.

Holding the 25's will relieve bodily tensions, lower back tensions, knee and leg discomfort while helping you maintain alertness and memory. This flow filters out all toxins released during physical activities and removes tiredness from the body to enjoy the benefits of exercise. The 25's relieve mental tension, bring us an energetic mind and a sound body, and takes care of our overall sense of vitality.

It is said that holding the 25's for 20 minutes per day does the equivalent for maintaining the body and mind in good shape as an hour and a half hour jogging session! The 25's can be helpful in appetite balance, to support weight loss and will clear out the colon. 

Simply Sit on your hands (with the palms up or down, which ever is most comfortable for you). I do this simple flow myself most nights while watching TV with my family. If it is too hard on your hands to sit on them, I find that doing this while lying in bed is pretty easy too! The longer you can sit on your hands/hold your 25's, the more grounded you'll feel.

"Be gentle first with yourself if you wish to be gentle with others."
~Lama Yeshe

Happy Valentines Day

"Love is all you need."
~John Lennon/Paul McCartney

Happy Valentines Day to you! I love this quote by the Dalai Lama, "Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive."  I can't seem to think of Valentines Day this year without remembering my favorite moment from our wedding last year. This photo is such an expression of joy and delight! 

Empowered Kids

Empowered Kids

"You are very powerful,
provided you know how powerful you are."
~Yogi Bhajan

     Last week, I got a phone message from my 11 year old daughter. She was as at school and  having a belly ache. She had been having a belly ache before school, so I had given her some self-help to do. When I saw that there was a message from the school, I thought... oh no.. she needs to come home. But her message said, "Mom, I don't need you to come get me, I just wondered if you had something else you could suggest for me to do so that I can stay at school, my belly is really hurting..."
     Wow, I was amazed! It was one of those proud mama moments. One of my goals (both as a parent and as a holistic practitioner) is to empower people to take charge of their own health through Jin Shin Jyutsu Self-Help! and here was my dear one asking for ideas on what she could do to help herself! Pretty cool, eh?!
     Mary Burmeister wrote a children's self-help book called Fun with Happy Hands, which offers a delightful introduction to the Art of Jin Shin Jyutsu and helps children of all ages learn simple and FUN ways to help themselves. My daughter, Rebecca, has owned this book since she was pretty little and has been actively learning Jin Shin Jyutsu Self-Help from me and this book most of her young life.
     I think that it is important that while we are teaching our children self care skills like potty training, tying shoes, making healthy food choices, how to get dressed, and so many others, that we also empower them to actively participate in their own care and well-being. Teaching your child independent skills can be easier said then done, especially if they are accustomed to having things done for them. But if we give them the tools that they need to self-soothe and help themselves, they become empowered with good coping skills and a confidence in their body's ability to heal.
     I  like to think that from an early age that I taught Rebecca about her ability to balance attitudes by simply holding her fingers. But in actuality, she taught me a lot about them! I would watch her at a few months old choosing which finger or toe to suck. Confidently and consciously choosing! It was amazing to watch and taught me so much about the innate nature of Jin Shin Jyutsu. We are all working towards helping ourselves all of the time. The practice of Jin Shin Jyutsu brings awareness to what we are doing and allows us to have a different relationship with our BE-ing.  We literally hold BALANCE in our own hands!

Self-Help Tip:

We can teach our children how to cope with emotionally difficult situations like worry, fear, anger, sadness and the challenges of being true to ourselves (pretense/trying to). If we are always trying to do it all and being burned out, stressed out and overwhelmed, the lesson that we gift our children with is how to be stressed. However when we use these same self-help techniques to enhance your own coping skills, we teach them how to cope and BE. Simple! 

"Happiness is not a matter of intensity 

but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony." 

~Thomas Merton 

Stress-Busting

Stress-Busting

"Life is not the way it's supposed to be.
It's the way it is.
The way you cope with it is what makes a difference."
~Virginia Satir

     Stressed out, out of control, overwhelmed, burnt out, anxious, depressed....The more I learn about stress, the more I realize that if we are to ever find balance and bliss, eliminating the effects of stress in our lives and our bodies must be our priority! None of us can totally avoid stressful situations. Stress is an integral part of our lives, and thanks to its ability to bring about the flight or fight response, it plays a big role in our survival. But continued stress without relief, is the beginning of all disharmony in our health and well-being. As much as stress and its fight or flight response is critical to survival, finding ways of coping with stress is equally essential to our well-being! 

Our bodies have their own way of coping with stress, it triggers the release of a series of stress hormones.  The prolonged secretion of these stress hormones lead to a break down of the cardiovascular, digestive, musculoskeletal, and immune systems. When we allow the day-to-day stresses to pile-up, they have a detrimental effect on our physical and emotional well-being. But the better our coping skills and stress management are, the less negatively affected we are! 

     The number one strategy for to help manage stress in our lives is RELAXATION! Relaxation, a practical coping strategy, has the power to reverse the stress response, calm the mind and relax the body. Psychology defines relaxation as "the emotional state of low tension, in which there is an absence of arousal that could come from sources such as anger, anxiety, or fear." By decreasing muscle tension, lowering the blood pressure and slowing heart and breath rates, relaxation minimizes the effects of stress. 

     Edmund J. Bourne, author of The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook says, “Regular practice of deep relaxation for 20 to 30 minutes on a daily basis can produce, over time, a generalization of relaxation to the rest of your life. That is, after several weeks of practicing deep relaxation once per day, you will tend to feel more relaxed all the time.”

    And the more time we spend in a relaxed state, our coping skills just get better and better. We become more resilient and better able to manage anxiety and stress in general. In this calm state, we are able to think more clearly and effectively problem solve.

     I invite you to add Jin Shin Jyutsu to your stress busting tool box! Discover the restorative nature of JSJ, be it practicing the simple self-help holds daily and/orgetting regular treatments with a practitioner. The benefit of Jin Shin Jyutsu, also known as the Art of Longevity, is relaxation, calming the nervous system, easing the stress response, and bringing about a return to balance and homeostasis. 

"If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity,
I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension.
And if you didn't ask me, I'd still have to say it."
~George F Burns 

Forest Fires and Flu

Forest Fires and Flu

"Fever itself is Nature's instrument.
Fever is a mighty engine which Nature brings
into the world for conquest of her enemies."

~Dr.Thomas Sydenham (1624 - 1689)

You might ask, what do forest fires have to do with the flu?

     When everyone around me is getting sick, I rarely succumb. If I feel something coming on, I boost my immune system with Jin Shin Jyutsu, herbs and Vitamin C and D, and I usually manage head IT off at the pass. In fact, it has been so long since I had the flu, that I can't even remember when the last time was! 

     But as the year turned from 2012 to 2013, I could feel it coming on and even though I used all of my tools to head it off, it was coming. Once the flu hit, it was like being in a long dark one-way tunnel.  So I crawled in bed for the next six days....seems that my body needed a vacation! I focused on keeping hydrated and sleeping. I drank lots of water and herbal teas with lemon, honey and ginger, and Miso soup with garlic and cayenne.  My fever started at 101°F but then hung just below 100°F for 3 days. 

     After recovering, I found that I felt lighter, more expansive as if some of the old junk got burned off! What a great feeling!  

     Most people look at the flu as a bad thing, but Dr Sherri Tennpenny says, "If everything on this planet is here for a reason and there are no mistakes, perhaps an episode of the flu, with the increased mucous, cough, nasal drainage, and diarrhea is the act of cleaning out the internal dross. Supporting the body through this elimination process with homeopathy, herbs, and Chinese medicine, instead of suppressing the symptoms with Western medicine tools may be the key to long-term health and longevity. From this perspective, instead of being the problem, viruses may be part of the solution, the clean-up crew. It should be noted that the human race evolved because of its relationship to microbes, not in spite of it. What a novel thought! Instead of fearing the flu and doing everything possible to avoid it, including spending billions of dollars to create an experimental vaccine, it may be okay to spend a week or two in bed, clearing out accumulated toxicities." 
     Fever is an important part of the body’s defense against infection. Most bacteria and viruses that cause infections thrive at our normal body temperature of 98.6 °F. A fever signals that a battle might be going on in the body. It is considered an ally and a beneficial partner in the healing process.  By manifesting a fever, the elevated metabolic heat can burn off toxins and pathogens at a faster rate. During the higher body temperature the production of immune cells and the blood circulation is increased, sweating helps to eliminate toxins, not feeling hungry saves energy that would be otherwise needed for digestion and the resting helps recuperation and healing. After the fever has served its purpose the body returns to normal. As long as the fever doesn't rise too high or too quickly, holistic practitioners prefer to support the fever rather than suppress it. Fasting, rest, drinking plenty of fluids and beneficial herbs are used to encourage the purposes of a fever.

     All of this has me thinking about forest fires. Like the flu, they are another one of those things that we often think of as destructive and to be avoided at all costs, but recent research shows that forest fires are actually beneficial to soil because they play an important role in helping to maintain the earth's nitrogen cycle and serve important ecosystem functions. Some trees have fire resistant bark and cones that require heat to open and release seeds for regeneration.  Fires typically move through burning lower branches and clearing dead wood from the forest floor which kick-starts regeneration by providing ideal growing conditions. It also improves floor habitat for many species that prefer relatively open spaces. Fever is Nature's instrument indeed! 

     It is not surprising that I felt lighter, more balanced and regenerated after my bout with the flu! 

     Optimal nutrition and hydration, exercise, reduction of stress with Jin Shin Jyutsu, yoga and meditation,  and proper rest are some of the things you can do to boost your immune response. It is recommended to seek medical care if one’s fever is above 104 degrees for over six hours or in any fever in an infant under four months of age.

"The best and most efficient pharmacy is within your own system."
~Robert C. Peale

Jin Shin Jyutsu In the News

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it." 

~Helen Keller 

      The Markey Cancer Center at the University of Kentucky offers Jin Shin Jyutsu (JSJ) free to its patients. JSJ practitioner Jennifer Bradley treats patients in a special therapy room or in their chair in the chemotherapy clinic. Research data from more than 450 sessions with 159 cancer patients revealed that all of these patients reported a decrease in stress, pain and nausea levels after JSJ. Based on this pilot data, Bradley's next study will examine if belief in JSJ, or spiritual beliefs in general, play a role in patient outcomes, as well as the therapy's impact on specific radiation side effects.
     "It was interesting to note that regardless of age, sex or diagnosis, cancer patients received a statistically significant improvement in the side effects from treatment," study researcher Jennifer Bradley, said in a statement. "It is encouraging to note that Jin Shin Jyutsu made improvements in these areas without adding additional unwanted effects that so often occur with medication interventions."

"One of the most sublime experiences we can ever have
is to wake up feeling healthy after we have been sick."
~Rabbi Harold Kushner