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

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

Find Relaxation Every Day

"Taking time out each day to relax and renew is essential to living well."
~Judith Hanson Lasater

Nothing like a sunny vacation in the middle winter to illustrate the value of rest and relaxation! Instead of simply slipping back into our everyday routine, my goal is to remember to find relaxation in every day.
Many of us lead busy stressful lives filled with all sorts of demands on our time and energy. We run from one commitment to another, caught in the treadmill of work and family responsibilities. It becomes increasingly important that we remember how rest and relaxation help us to reduce stress and tension. When we hold stress and tension  in our bodies, we get more and more out of balance. And when we are out of balance,  regenerative healing does not occur.
But we are lucky! There are many ways to re-energize and ease stress without taking a vacation all of the time. Consider a daily walk, yoga practice, meditation and/or JSJ Self-Help routine. And on a weekly basis, consider bodywork or energy work.
For me, my weekly Jin Shin Jyutsu Session is like a mini-vacation on an island of balance and bliss. It is an opportunity to unplug and have some nourishing downtime. And as a caregiver, it is a great chance for me to simply RECEIVE! When I had my session this week after returning from the beach, I closed my eyes and imagined that I was on a sunny beach, breathed deeply the salty air and felt rejuvenated once more as my body, mind and spirit harmonized.

"Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day
is the rest we take between two deep breaths."
~Etty Hillesum