Nurture Yourself to Nurture Others

“If you nurture your mind, body, and spirit,

your time will expand.

You will gain a new perspective

that will allow you to accomplish much more.”

~Brian Koslow 

Empowering people through self-help is one of my missions as a holistic practitioner. This empowerment enables us to NURTURE ourselves so that we have more to share with the world. It is the time one puts into self-help/self-reflection that strengthens the pathway for healing.

I find that the most effective self-help is self-help that is done with the least amount of effort. It can be as easy as holding a finger or doing a one-step "quickie". You can do an entire flow or just the steps that feel good to you. Whatever you do for yourself will be beneficial, it will nurture your body, mind and spirit.

The only time Jin Shin Jyutsu is not effective is when you are not using it. So pick something simple and do it every day. Make a daily goal of 10 minutes to start with and build up to more time eventually. The time spent with self-help need not be continuous, but can be 5 minutes here and 10 minutes there. Make it work for you however you can. Do not be discouraged. Remember that the results are not always immediate, nor do they always come in the form that you are looking for, but on some causal level they are working for you - nurturing your essence, peeling the deep layers and clearing the way for balance and healing.

“Be the one who nurtures and builds.

Be the one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart

one who looks for the best in people.

Leave people better than you found them.”  

~Marvin J. Ashton

Greens for Springtime Health

"But each spring a gardening instinct,

sure as the sap rising in the trees,

stirs within us.

We look about and decide

to tame another little bit of ground."

~Lewis Gantt 

      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 longer sun-filled days.
     I am drawn more and more these spring days to be out in the garden among the fresh growth and delicate flowers all brimming with possibility. Small wonder that the color for harmonizing the body in Spring is GREEN. The seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter, like the tides, have an affect on our body's energy flow. Each season has a connection to a pair of organ functions. The organs of Spring are the liver and gall bladder. The attitudes of imbalance are anger, frustration, and insecurity. When in balance, there is harmony and well being. Imbalances of the liver and gallbladder as well as the associated attitudes can be harmonized by simply holding the Middle Finger.
     In addition to holding your middle finger for balance, it is wise to eat plenty of greens to help the Liver detoxify from the long winter. I am finding that I have great cravings for greens of all kinds at this time of year. As I work in the garden, I munch on the bitter greens and pungent garlic and onion tops that always manage to make it through the winter, a hopeful bit of green showing through the snow. The abundance of the color green in Springtime should be a reminder to us about the need for these greens in our diet.
      I love knowing that eating local, in season foods work with my body to keep the organs of the season in harmony. Nature is so intelligent, it is a shame that science thinks that it can do any better by engineering our foods.
     Here are some tips for getting the most out of Spring to bring harmony to Body, Mind and Spirit:
    •    Eat lots of green foods.
    •    Eat Local, In Season.
    •    Eat Organic.
    •    Get outside and play in the dirt.
    •    Plant a garden.
    •    Get plenty of exercise.

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” 

~Michael Pollan

Get Rid of Worry FAST

 “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”

~Winston Churchill

     In Jin Shin Jyutsu, 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.  Attitudes keep us from freely being all that we have the potential to BE.
    MY DESTINY IS IN MY OWN HANDS: One of the simplest ways to utilize Jin Shin Jyutsu on ourselves is to hold each of our fingers, one at a time. To reverse the affect that attitudes have on our bodies and our lives, we simply need to HOLD our fingers.
    Each finger harmonizes an attitude as well as the organs that are affected by that particular attitude. Hold your fingers not to suppress attitudes but to express or release them. HOLD each 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.
     Take charge of your attitudes. It will make such a big difference in your life and in the amount of stress that you allow to accumulate in your being. Holding your fingers to harmonize limiting thoughts and attitudes is the simplest, most readily available tool you have to cope with whatever life throws at you.

“Choosing to be positive and having a grateful attitude

is going to determine how you're going to live your life.”

~Joel Osteen

Designed to Heal

”There is deep wisdom within our very flesh, 

if we can only come to our senses and feel it.”  

~Elizabeth A. Behnke

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.
    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.
    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.
   Let's get you back on the path to relaxation and wellness.Experience deep relaxation.Harmonize body, mind and spirit. Boost your immune system. Let go of Stress!

“Give your stress wings and let it fly away.” 

~Terri Guillemets

Take a Break and Regenerate

Oh My! It is Spring Break for my daughter's school this week and it is such a welcome break for all of us. It has been an intense few weeks for her at school and she is SO in need of this break. I am again reminded of the absolute importance of regularly giving yourself a break! Running on Empty is no way to go through life. We must take the time and care to refuel. We'll function SO much better that way! But so often we tell ourselves that we don't have the time to take the time. Interesting, isn't it?! The bank won't allow us the overdraw our account without penalty, neither does our body allow us to keep going without a exacting price! This week's Self-Help Tip shows you how to quietly regenerate Everyday.

“There is more to life

than increasing its speed.”

~Gandhi 

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.

“If you are renewed by grace, and were to meet your old self, I am sure you would be very anxious to get out of his company.” 

~Charles H. Spurgeon