Don't Worry Be Happy

"Don't chain your worries to your body.  

The burden soon becomes heavy 

and your health will give too much of itself to pick up the extra load."  

~Astrid Alauda, Dyspeptic Enlightenment

   

Worry is engaging in chains of thoughts and images of a negative and uncontrollable nature in which mental attempts are made to avoid anticipated potential threats. It is a preoccupation with past or future bad events. It makes you feel as if you were reliving a past event or living out a future one, and you cannot seem to stop those thoughts from happening. 

   

Worry encompasses depression, hate, obsession, anxiety and self-protection. Worry is the attitude that affects the function of the Spleen, Stomach, and Skin Surface. It inhibits our ability to obtain sustenance. It is associated with an addiction to sweets. 

     

It is interesting to me that Benjamin Franklin said, "Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen.  Keep in the sunlight." One function of the Spleen is that it takes the energy from the Sun and distributes it to all of our organs. IT energizes our organs with the Sun. Indeed, Keep in the sunlight!

     

The opposite of worry is Happiness, the feeling of security in our capacity to be nourished and loved, a confidence in our ability to be sustained in our life. Sustained body, mind and spirit.  

     

To balance worry, HOLD the THUMB for about 5 minutes or until you can feel a gentle rhythmic pulsing. Even and clear. Breath easily. Relax the shoulders and smile from the very heart of you. 

     

As you hold the THUMB, all worries begin to melt away, daily fatigue is unloaded, digestive discomfort, bloating and weight problems are released and you facilitate the flow of life energy throughout the body. Headaches are relieved by holding the THUMB as well as stress in the shoulders and lungs.  Smile. De-stress. Have a great day!

"Worrying is like a rocking chair,

it gives you something to do,

but it gets you nowhere."  

~Glenn Turner

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

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

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 

With an Attitude of Gratitude

Self Help Tip: 

With an Attitude of Gratitude

     
"If you don't like something change it;
if you can't change it,
change the way you think about it."
~Mary Engelbreit
 

As I woke up on Thanksgiving morning, I held my fingers, as I do most mornings,  and thought about the gifts that Jin Shin Jyutsu brings to my life and how easy it is to access those gifts by holding my fingers. In the practice of Jin Shin Jyutsu, we are taught that by holding our fingers we can harmonize the attitudes that dis-harmonize our bodies. 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. Holding our fingers to harmonize limiting thoughts and attitudes is the simplest, most readily available tool we have to cope with whatever life throws at us. This simple act not only keeps us from getting stuck in those limiting attitudes, but brings us in touch with the limitless, positive and harmonious gifts that BALANCE brings to us! 

I wanted to find a way to emphasize these gifts and was inspired to created this Thanksgiving turkey hand as a way to show what we bring in as we harmonize those attitudes! At the same time giving me a chance to express my gratitude for each of these gift that my practice of Jin Shin Jyutsu brings to my life each day.

thumb - worry transforms to into harmony, a healthy sense of self, profound security
index - fear transforms into love, flow, perfect circulation
middle - anger transforms into peace and balance
ring - sadness and grief transform into joy and happiness
little - try-to's/effort and pretense transform into ease, laughter and BE-ing
palm - despondency transforms into equilibrium, balance, intuition and connection to Divine Source

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 and bring GRATITUDE into your daily practice. 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. It really is that simple. We are in charge of our attitudes and nature has given each of us an easy and accessible way to do so.

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

Happy Thanksgiving

As I woke up this morning and held my fingers, I thought about the gifts that Jin Shin Jyutsu brings to my life and how easy it is to access those gifts by holding my fingers. We often talk about how holding fingers harmonize the attitudes that dis-harmonize our bodies-thumb/worry, index/fear, middle/anger, ring/sadness, little/try-to's. So I drew this Thanksgiving turkey hand to show what we bring in as we harmonize those attitudes! Enjoy!

Self Help Tip:

Expect to Be Well and Minimize Winter Woes

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

Wow, it looks like Winter weather is coming to town this week! As I write tonight, the wind is whipping outside but we are snug and warm in our cozy home. As we make our way into winter, I encourage you to Expect to Be Well. I know people who not only expect to get sick all winter but they worry and fear that they will get sick and they do, often.  The attitudes of Fear and Worry dis-harmonize the body and dis-ease of one kind or another creeps in. So set the intention  to BE WELL, it will go a long way to keeping you in Balance.

We prepare our homes, gardens and vehicles for winter by doing regular preventive maintenance. If we are smart we will do the same thing with our bodies. Every Jin Shin Jyutsu session boosts your immune system and prepares your body for whatever life throws at you. Daily Self-Help and Regular Jin Shin Jyutsu sessions will also help you to heal faster if you do catch something and a session when you feel something coming on can often prevent a cold from taking hold. 

Here is a wonderful Daily Self-Help Flow to help you to stay healthy. It is especially helpful if you feel something "coming on." Don't explain the feeling away as tiredness, because chances are if you are tired, then you are more susceptible to whatever is "going around." This self-help is used to build or increase immunity for colds and flu.

Place your left hand on your right neck/shoulder area (the soft muscle area where your neck and shoulder meet). Place your right hand at the fold of your right leg at the groin. Hold until you feel a rhythmic pulse in both places. Then switch: place your right hand on your left neck/shoulder area. Place your left hand at the fold of your left leg at the groin. Breathe and Be Well. 

Maintaining a healthy energy system is the best preventive for keeping the body from being invaded by colds, flu and other illness. Jin Shin Jyutsu leads to better sleep, strengthened immune system, reduced aches & pains, reduced depression, minimized effects from stress, improved moods. The benefits of Jin Shin Jyutsu are cumulative. The more regularly you practice self-help and get sessions, the more benefit there is for you. Those aches and pains go away faster, stay away longer or go away entirely.

“Take care of your body.
It's the only place you have to live.”
~Jim Rohn

Boost Your Resistance to Stress

Self-Help Tip:
Boost Your Resistance to Stress 

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

~Joan Borysenko 

Stress is something that we all experience to some degree everyday. While stress can help motivate us to get things done, too much stress can take a toll on our bodies and our emotional well-being. The brain reacts to stress and danger by generating hormones that temporarily shut down the body’s non-emergency functions to help us respond. When we get caught in chronic stress patterns that constant hormonal response degrades our health. It is important to realize that even low-grade stress and anxiety can damage the body’s ability to defend itself against viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens. It is of vital importance that we find ways to boost our resistance to stress in our lives.

"The key to success is often the ability to adapt.” ~Unknown 

This Spring, I began studying herbal medicine and was introduced to the class of herbs called Adaptogens. The term adaptogen is used by herbalists to refer to an herb that increases the body’s resistance to stress, trauma, anxiety and fatigue. Some common adaptogenic herbs are the Ginsengs (Asian, American, Siberian), Ashwaganda, Astragalus, Holy Basil, Licorice Root, Schisandra, Reishi, shiitake and maitake mushrooms. You can read more about these herbs and their actions on the internet. 

These incredible herbs are used to improve the general adaptability of your body by stimulating the body's own self-regeneration process. They are recognized for their ability to increase resistance to a variety of stressors - chemical, physical, and emotional. They also help the body recover from physical stress like lack of sleep, recovery from surgery, heavy manual labor, running long distances, and even high-altitude sickness. To qualify as an adaptogen, it must be completely safe and non-toxic, it must have broad uses for health, and it must specifically reduce stress, both mental and physical.

As I learned about the wonders of Adaptogen herbs, I realized that regular Jin Shin Jyutsu also has an adaptogenic action on the body as it has the same ability to stimulate the body's self-regenerations and self-healing abilities.

One of my regular clients recently said, "I know that my weekly sessions are helping me with my health challenges, but more importantly, these session hare helping me to cope better with the stresses of my busy life!" She has discovered for herself the adaptogenic action of Jin Shin Jyutsu! When we give our bodies the support that they need to deal with stress, we enable them to heal themselves. The combination of daily self-help and weekly sessions can help you to adapt with ease to whatever life throws your way. 

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

Then Don't Worry

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

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

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

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

Principles to Live By

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

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

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

Ahhhhh, I just love it!

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

Thinking about Attitudes

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

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

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

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

 

Which Finger is Which? Harmonizing Attitudes by Holding your Fingers!

     Attitude is the way you mentally look at the world around you. It is how you view your environment and your future. It is the focus you develop toward life itself.
     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.
     In my opinion, the attitude that does the most harm is FEAR...as it governs the development of all of the other attitudes..Worry, Anger, Sadness and Grief, Pretense. Think about it. What is Worry but the fear that something won't go the way we want it to go? What is Anger, but the fear that we are not getting our way? What is Sadness and Grief, but the fear that things will never be the same again and nothing will ever fill the emptiness? And what is Pretense, but the fear of not being accepted for who we really are? Indeed Fear governs them all.
    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.
     The mnemonic device to help you remember which attitude goes with each finger is "Get rid of Worry FAST!" To put this device to good use, start with your Thumb for Worry. Then spell out F-A-S-T with each subsequent finger.

F-Fear
A-Anger
S-Sadness and Grief
T-Try to and Pretense

     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.

Don't Worry Be Happy

Don't chain your worries to your body. 
The burden soon becomes heavy 

and your health will give too much of itself to pick up the extra load. 
~Astrid Alauda, Dyspeptic Enlightenment

    Worry is engaging in chains of thoughts and images of a negative and uncontrollable nature in which mental attempts are made to avoid anticipated potential threats. It is a preoccupation with past or future bad events. It makes you feel as if you were reliving a past event or living out a future one, and you cannot seem to stop those thoughts from happening.
    Worry encompasses depression, hate, obsession, anxiety and self-protection. Worry is the attitude that affects the function of the Spleen, Stomach, and Skin Surface. It inhibits our ability to obtain sustenance. It is associated with an addiction to sweets.
     It is interesting to me that Benjamin Franklin said, "Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen.  Keep in the sunlight." One function of the Spleen is that it takes the energy from the Sun and distributes it to all of our organs. IT energizes our organs with the Sun. Indeed, Keep in the sunlight!
     The opposite of worry is Happiness, the feeling of security in our capacity to be nourished and loved, a confidence in our ability to be sustained in our life. Sustained body, mind and spirit. 
     To balance worry, HOLD the THUMB for about 5 minutes or until you can feel a gentle rhythmic pulsing. Even and clear. Breath easily. Relax the shoulders and smile from the very heart of you.
     As you hold the THUMB, all worries begin to melt away, daily fatigue is unloaded, digestive discomfort, bloating and weight problems are released and you facilitate the flow of life energy throughout the body. Headaches are relieved by holding the THUMB as well as stress in the shoulders and lungs.  Smile. De-stress. Have a great day!

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