Time for a New Chapter

"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

Happy New Year. Here we are at the start of a new year, the time for New Years resolutions, setting intentions and taking positive steps toward a path of  well-BEing and an empowered life.

One of the traditional Jin Shin Jyutsu ways of getting a fresh start-body, mind and spirit, is to schedule yourself a Week-long Healing Intensive.

This special accelerated healing process involves having three or more Jin Shin Jyutsu treatments in a week. 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.

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.

You know that it takes awhile for us to get out of harmony. 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. 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.

Jin Shin Jyutsu is cumulative, so having several sessions in over a short period of time is a dynamic way to move energy, to clear out, deep clean, and harmonize our total BE-ing. This 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 find balance, we set into motion the power of our innate ability to heal which brings about profound changes to our vitality and sense of well-being

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.

I invite you to experience this rejuvenating and refreshing treatment, that brings balance, harmony and clarity to the many layers of your life. A week-long healing intensive brings the opportunity for deep cleaning and gives you access to the benefits that come from having a number of appointments in close succession. 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 of coping with whatever life brings.

Schedule your sessions Online, By Email or give me a call. Pay just $55/session when you schedule 3 or more sessions in one week and pay in full at the first appointment of the week. Repeat as often as you like through February 28th .

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


~Marcus Aurelius

Longevity Wisdom

"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.

“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

Deep at the Center of Your BE-ing

"I want you to be everything that's you,


deep at the center of your being."


~Confucius

The Source of Life Force Energy for our bodies is known, in Jin Shin Jyutsu, as the Main Central Vertical 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.


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. All of our body energies 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.



The Main Central Flow:
Follow the steps in the above picture.
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.

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.

Step 2a: Move left fingers to mouth area... hold one finger above mouth, other fingers below mouth on chin. (optional step/not pictured)

Step 2b: Move left fingers to hollow space in middle of collarbone. (optional step/not pictured)
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.

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.

Step 5: Move your fingers to the top of your pubic bone. Stay there for 2 to 5 minutes, or until the pulses synchronize.

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.

Note: The right hand remains on the top of the head while the left hand moves down the body until the final step.



For me, the Main Central is 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.

“At the center of your being
you have the answer;


you know who you are
and you know what you want.”


~Lao Tzu

Recharge and Rejuvenate

 “When was the last time you spent a quiet moment just doing nothing, 

just sitting and looking at the sea, or watching the wind blowing the tree limbs,

or waves rippling on a pond, a flickering candle

or children playing in the park?”

~Ralph Marston 

     Wholeness or "health" is our natural state of being, our birthright. But many of us spend our lives burning the candle at both ends. We allow ourselves to get worn out and run down, and then we wonder WHY nothing is working with ease. We give, give, give without a recharge and then wonder why we struggle with burnout. Just like our cell phones and other devices, we need to pause and recharge to ensure that we maintain a healthy balance for personal well-being and harmony.
    Jennifer Louden, a life coach,  is quoted as saying, “Self-care is not selfish or self-indulgent. We cannot nurture others from a dry well. We need to take care of our own needs first, then we can give from our surplus, our abundance.” My regular clients find that their sessions are an important part of recharging and maintaining their well-being. The treatment calms the body and helps relax the mind which in turn helps to reduce stress, recharge energy stores and return to harmony and balance.
     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 supporting ourselves during times of stress. It will make everything you do so much easier.
     For me, it is all of the good things that I do for myself regularly that recharge my batteries-yoga, daily meditation, eating good healthy food, fresh air, mindful breathing, loving my family, reading uplifting and inspiring books, daily self-help, etc. And to really recharge my batteries, regular Jin Shin Jyutsu gives me a jump start back to harmony and balance. I love that I have so many ways at my fingertips to bring balance to my BE-ing.
  A Jin Shin Jyutsu session is likened to a pair of jumper cables applied to a dead battery. To restore the natural flow of energy and release the safety energy locks, our hands are used as jumper cables. The battery comes to life when the “jumper cables” are attached, and our engine can run once again.
    There are many ways to recharge your battery.
    •    Take time for you.
    •    Take time to relax, to enjoy life, to interact with your community.
    •    Take time to take care of yourself with self-help and with regular Jin Shin Jyutsu sessions.
    •    Take time to get outside, to get some exercise and to smell the flowers.
If you don't take the time to take care of yourself, how can you take care of anyone else? This is always the question I ask myself. I know that when we are working with a "full charge", we receive what we need from the universe with ease and we can achieve our own true potential.

“When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another-and ourselves.”

~Jack Kornfield

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

Inhaling the Purified Breath of Life

"Breath is the bridge which 
connects life to consciousness,

which unites your body to your thoughts." 

~Thich Nhat Hanh

     I love exploring the 8 Mudras of the Jin Shin Jyutsu Tradition. They are an important and easily accessible tool for balance and well-BEing. Mudras are the birthplace of what we now call Jin Shin Jyutsu. One hundred years ago, when Master Jiro Murai was diagnosed with an incurable illness, he asked to brought to the family cabin in the mountains of Japan. His family was instructed to come back in 7 days to see the outcome. It is said that the intense use of mudras while sitting in meditation and fasting turned his life energy around. He passed through fevers and chills during those days before losing consciousness and subsequently coming back to himself, feeling that he was free of whatever had caused him to be so ill. Murai believed that the simple act of joining right hand with left hand brings about a unity between body and mind.
     Unlike animals who primarily use their noses and mouths to experience their environment, we explore our world with our hands. Touch is important to our human experience thanks to 17,000 tactile receptors on the hand. We have about 4000 nerve endings at the tips of our fingers, giving our fingertips one of the densest collections of nerve endings in the body. The nerve endings connect with the energetic pathways of our organs and can influence them, relax, stimulate or balance them. Our hands are therefore an energy map of our consciousness and health with areas of the hand corresponding to different systems of the body as well as our various attitudes. By curling, crossing, stretching, and touching the fingers and palms, we can effectively talk to the body and mind. All of this is what makes mudras effective tools for balance and well-being.
     Anywhere you are, while on a break, sitting at a red light while in your car, waiting at the checkout, at your office or home, stillness can be yours. Mudras are easily learned and with a little practice you can do them at any time and place. A knowledge of these mudras allows us to send energy to any part of our being.
     The mudra pictured above is one of the 8 mudras that are part of the Practice of Jin Shin Jyutsu. It is known in our tradition as "Inhaling the Purified Breath of Life." This finger pose relieves asthma, back tension/stress and brings general well-being to the whole body. It aids in easier breathing allowing us to receive the purified Breath of Life. This pose helps us to bring harmony to our total being.
     Cynthia Broshi, International Jin Shin Jyutsu teacher, says, "Through their relationships the Mudras excavate, untangle and dissolve tensions. Singly and as a group they work with the relationship of Exhale and Inhale, building and breaking down. Some poses emphasize one or the other aspect of Breath, and utilizing each pose with the left and the right hand amplifies and blends these actions of Generation and Regeneration."
     Our power to harmonize, balance, and heal is literally in our own hands. Learn more about this practice and awareness in MUDRAS and MINDFULNESS, an ongoing weekly class held at the Sunshine Institute.  Join me for this study of harmonizing our energy channels through fingers and toes and the 8 Mudras of Jin Shin Jyutsu.

"Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary

to which you can retreat at any time 
and be yourself."

~Hermann Hesse 

Empowered Health and Well-BEing

"Begin doing what you want to do now.

We are not living in eternity.

We have only this moment,

sparkling like a star in our hand 
and melting like a snowflake."

~Marie Beynon Ray

Empowering people through self-help is one of my missions as a holistic practitioner. Each of my clients receive self-help routines to do on their own, tailored to their particular needs and abilities. This enables them to extend the benefits of the work that we do together by developing a personal daily practice. 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. 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, peeling the deep layers and clearing the way for balance and healing.

Here are some tips to help you in your personal self-help practice:

• Relax- just be as you are.
• Use whatever position is most convenient, practical or comfortable for you.
• Ideally, apply each step or connection until a rhythmic pulsation can be felt. But if time is limited, hold for as much time as you have available.
• All sequences can be adjusted to suit you.
• Be comfortable. If you can not reach a step, you can skip it and go on to the next step that you can reach without straining.
• Jin Shin Jyutsu works effectively over clothing, bandage, brace or cast.
• Use your entire hand, one finger, or several fingers, your  palm or back of the hand whatever is easy, comfortable and convenient at the time.
• No strength is required. It is not necessary to apply pressure, to rub or massage.

Mary Burmeister encourages us to "...Simply adjust the sequence to your own convenience and comfort. If for instance, a "step" feels most revitalizing to you, just get into the habit, in your art of LIVING, of utilizing that step as your own 'special' quickie revitalizing exercise. The art of LIVING is simple. You are the artist."

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 20 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, peeling the deep layers and clearing the way for balance and healing.

To help you on your healing path, consider taking a self-help class. The guidance and confidence that you gain by taking a class will help you to establish your personal habit of self-care.

"Your body is precious.

It is our vehicle for awakening.

Treat it with care."

~Buddha

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

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

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

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.

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

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
 

Good Food = Good Health

Self Help Tip: 

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."
~Hippocrates

     It has been a long journey to cut out processed food from my family's diet, but these days we rarely give in to convenience foods. I find that if I keep plenty of healthy handy snacks available, it is easier to avoid grabbing just whatever! Making homemade granola snack bars is fast becoming a weekly activity for me. These bars make a great grab-and-go breakfast or snack. I especially love knowing exactly what is in them. I find that making food from scratch is empowering! Cutting out the processed, convience foods and making things from scratch with good quality food stuff is the best way to take charge of your healht.  Knowing what you are putting in your body is the first step. You truly are what you eat!

    Here is my granola snack bar recipe.The time involved in making these bars is minimal and does not require baking. It is a flexible enough recipe that you can adjust to suit your taste and diet requirements. Makes a thick dense snack bar that is filling and satisfying. Enjoy! 

Power Packed Snack Bars 
4 cups of "good stuff" (nuts, seeds, dried fruit, coconut, oats, grains, etc)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 - 1/2 cup honey or molasses or mixture
1/3 - 1/2 cup nut butter (sunflower, almond, peanut, cashew or sesame)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted nuts or seeds)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
(I also add some adaptogen and immune boosting powdered herbs 1/2 tsp) 

Mix nut butter, coconut oil, and honey in a pan. Warm on medium heat until melted. Add vanilla, cinnamon, salt, cinnamon and herbs. Stir until mixed well. Remove from heat and stir in the "good stuff" by the cupful and mix well. If using chocolate chips mix in at the end once the mixture cools a bit. Press into an 8" x 8" pan, lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into bars or squares. Store in the fridge. They will become softer at room temperature.
The "good stuff" in my most recent batch is dried apricots, dates, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, currants, pumpkin seeds, granola, coconut. Yum!

 "Health requires healthy food."
~Roger Williams

Sweet Dreams

Self-Help Tip: 
Sweet Dreams 

"Your life is a reflection of how you sleep, and how you sleep
is a reflection of your life."
~Dr. Rafael Pelayo

     My favorite Jin Shin Jyutsu flow to help with both sleep and hormone balance is a simple, one-step flow. In my house, no one is allowed to wake me in the middle of the night, unless they have tried the "Sleep Flow" first... it is rare that Rebecca wakes me up now, and when she does, after I get her settled, I use the "Sleep Flow" to get back to sleep myself. 
     There is a strong relationship between sleep and hormone balance. Sleep is essential to maintain proper hormone balance and health.  For adults a minimum of 6 hours of sleep each night allows the body to re-energize and replenish hormones. Some of the common symptoms of hormonal imbalance - night sweats, hot flashes and sleep apnea -  make getting enough sleep a challenge. So you can see that it can become a vicious circle. 
     Getting less sleep than you need affects at least 10 different hormones causing them to shift and disrupt appetite, fertility, mental health as well as cardiac health. 
     This "Sleep Flow" is also known as the "Hot Flash Flow" as it has the amazing ability to stop a hot flash pretty quickly! It is dynamic for acid balance and serves as a "Natural Tums." Use to fall asleep, and for hot flashes, hormone balance, heart palpitations, coughing and lung congestion, nose bleeding or clogging, snoring, throat discomfort and more. 

Here is the Flow:
Rebecca demonstrates how to do the left side of the sleep flow in the above photo. 
Left Side-With your left fingertips hold below the base of the left thumb on the palm, hang the right hand over the shoulder at the left side of the neck.
Right Side-With your right fingertips hold below the base of the right thumb on the palm, hang the left hand over the shoulder at the right side of the neck.

     When the energies of our body, mind and spirit circulate freely, we enjoy a life of longevity, happiness, and balance. 

“Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.”
~Thomas Dekker

On BE-ing Grounded

Self-Help Tip: 
On BE-ing Grounded

"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair."
~Kahlil Gibran

     What makes you feel grounded? Surely there are things you know that help you to feel connected to your center. "Ah yes, people say, there are things I do to feel good, to bring calm and ease to my life, BUT I never have the time to do them these days what with all the stresses in my life." Well, with all those stresses, it is imperative that we take the time!
     Just like the trees, we need to reach into the earth and up into the skies to nourish body, mind and spirit. We are at ease when we feel connected both upward and downward.   It is our strong roots, our groundedness that allows us to get out of our heads and gives us the freedom to go with the flow. 

     What makes you feel grounded? My idea is that you take a little time to really think about what makes you feel good, what helps you to cope better. Chances are there are a number of things you already know work for you.
     Here are a few suggestions to get you started: take a yoga class, get a jin shin jyutsu session or massage or other bodywork, meditate for 15 minutes, take 36 conscious exhalations, do the main central, go for a walk, lay in the grass, sit on a mountaintop, bake bread, take a bath or a shower, walk barefoot, lean our back against a tree, just stop and be still.
     Make a list of the things that help you. Write each item on a separate piece of paper or index card-put them in a jar or box. Each day, choose one to do and give yourself a grounding break. It need not take very long. Make this a daily ritual and priority and you will be well on you way to groundedness on no time at all! Being present and grounded will give you great resources of energy, improve your overall well-being and help you to feel connected in the big picture. 

 "In your lifetime the most sacred space you will ever need to create is the space within yourself – the place deep within your soul where you go to find peace and serenity."
~Nancy Santo Pietro

The Virtue of Persistence

Food for Thought:

“As long as we are persistent in our pursuit of our deepest destiny, 

we will continue to grow.
We cannot choose the day or time
when we will fully bloom.
It happens in its own time.”
~Denis Waitley