Why Embracing Your Vulnerability Makes You Stronger

Right now, I’m sure that a lot of you are energetically feeling the overwhelming effects of the Uranus/Pluto square that took place today, which, from what I understand, basically means that there’s a big smashing down of the old to make room for the new.  So, lots of things that have been coming to light (such as triggers, dark parts of ourselves that need to be exposed for the illusions that they are) are getting some closure which is important in our healing journeys right now (read: energies are highly charged, and we may feel strung out and overwhelmed.)  Not to mention that on Saturday, May 25th, the final eclipse of the three that began on April 25th, will occur.  There’s a whole lot of shakin’ going on!

I don’t know about you, but I am feeling the raw effects of all the strobe lights being shone on all the things that no longer serve me!  Sort of like an energetic band aid that has been unceremoniously ripped off with fervor.  Aiyaa!

But feeling naked and without your security blanket can serve a purpose.  And right now, that purpose is being served, like it or leave it!

What, pray tell, are the benefits of what feels like that recurring dream of being in your birthday suit, without a stitch, in front of what seems to be everyone and their mom?

Vulnerability:

1. Exposes us to our truth, we can no longer hide under our usual facades.  As unsettling as this is, it forces us to create new truths in order to adapt.  About as fun as a root canal, but extremely effective in bringing new light into our journey for us to fulfill our highest good.
2. Creates a dynamic within us where we are divinely tested, and we must either rise to the occasion, or fail.  After all that you have worked for, what would you rather choose – illusion or truth?  Even if you wanted to choose the former, this is that kind of time where you are unable to.
3. Reveals your inner strength.  Especially in ways you didn’t realize you had strength!
4. Makes you more creative, because in order to solve the new problems (that have actually been around for a long time, you’re only being made to look them in the eye now).  When you create, you grow, you expand, you connect.
5. Gets us in touch with our Heart and Solar Plexus Chakras.  What do you want?  What do you love?  How bad do you want it?  Do you trust yourself?  Do you believe you can do it?  These are the questions these two chakras are asking us right now.
6. In Chinese Medicine, this could be equated as a test of the Heart – how will you connect with your Self?  The healthy Heart in Chinese Medicine is about appropriate connection, to self and others.  Is your Heart ready to connect?

4 tips to help ease you during this transition:

1. Place one hand over your Solar Plexus chakra (just above your navel), and the other above your Heart chakra (over where your heart beats).  Infuse the area with thoughts of love and support.  Invite your spirit guides to strengthen you and help you transition into strength with ease.
2. Remind yourself that no matter how chaotic things are, you have all the tools you need.  Your best is good enough, and you are exactly where you’re supposed to be.
3. Carry some rose quartz with you (in your pocket, in your bag, around your neck as a pendant is great), and before you turn in for some shuteye, give yourself some time with the rose quartz placed on your Heart.  This helps cultivate self-love, as well as connection and love with others.
4. Send along some love to loved ones.  They’ll feel it and be strengthened by your intention.

These may be hard times, but I wish you ease as you transform!

With trust in Universal flow, and standing beside you in vulnerable strength,

When Healers Get Fibroids (Or: Honoring How We Birth Our Ideas Into The World)

When I first began my practice, I had a difficult time promoting myself as a “healer”.  The reason being, I fully believe that everyone has the innate power within to heal themselves, of their toxic emotions, beliefs, thought patterns, and, many times, their physical manifestations of illness.  I just happen to have the knowledge to help activate their “inner healer” through Acupuncture, Reiki, other modalities, and the strong guidance of my intuition and heart-centered connection.  Nowadays, I do use the word “healer” to describe myself, mainly to keep things simple.  But, I always remind my patients, when they come back to me, thanking me for relief of their symptoms, “You’re welcome, but make sure you thank yourself, since you are the one who really did the work!”

And, as healers, we are often perceived as being impervious to all illnesses, negative thoughts forms, and the typical trappings of being human.  Not so!  Just because a person is a healer does not mean that we do not experience fear, sadness, anger, health challenges, or are saved from going through the energetic muck in order to reach enlightenment, joy, and love.  I know many healers who often feel bad for feeling bad, and get upset with themselves for being angry.  I don’t have that problem!  We all experience similar things, and it’s up to us how we handle them and interact with our world.  I know this, which is why I am so grateful to have found meditation and Reiki, both of which I practice every day.  I eat mainly organic food, drink herbal infusions and Chinese herbs to nourish and tonify and balance, do interval training and practice my arnis/eskrima/kali, surround myself with positive people and things, and am constantly working on maintaining proper Qi flow in my life, thoughts, actions, and spirit.

So, you can imagine my surprise when I found out last week that I have two large fibroids on my uterus!  What??!  I’m a healer.  How could I not have caught this before they grew so large?  Smaller fibroids are treatable with Acupuncture, Herbs, and Reiki, but these two are large – one is the size of a pear, the other the size of a tennis ball.  These babies have to be removed by surgery.  Interesting choice of words, since the uterus is in the area of the Second Chakra, the energy center that focuses on relationships, emotions, money,  femininity, sexuality, pleasure, addictions, and Goddess Consciousness.  Soon enough, I became hellbent in understanding the energetic meaning of my fibroids.

According to the Mayo Clinic, as many as 3 out of 4 women have uterine fibroids sometime during their lives, but most are unaware of them because they often cause no symptoms.  In my case, they caused sharp pain, hence my visit to my gynecologist who confirmed my large fibroids during ultrasound.

No one really knows what causes fibroids.  But, according to WomensHealth.gov, the following factors can increase a woman’s chance of getting fibroids:

• Age. Fibroids become more common as women age, especially during the 30s and 40s through menopause. After menopause, fibroids usually shrink.
• Family history. Having a family member with fibroids increases your risk. If a woman’s mother had fibroids, her risk of having them is about three times higher than average.  I found out soon after I got my results, that my mother also had fibroids.
• Ethnic origin. African-American women are more likely to develop fibroids than white women.
• Obesity. Women who are overweight are at higher risk for fibroids. For very heavy women, the risk is two to three times greater than average.
• Eating habits. Eating a lot of red meat (e.g., beef) and ham is linked with a higher risk of fibroids. Eating plenty of green vegetables seems to protect women from developing fibroids.

Aside from the fact that I possibly inherited my obviously astounding fibroid-making ability from my genes, I knew it represented something deeper.  My awareness of my fibroids came around the time of the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse and the New Moon Solar Eclipse.  Talk about strongly releasing that which does not serve you!

Upon further research, I found that fibroids could be energetically seen as a difficulty with “birthing” new ideas, and fibroids can be a physical manifestation of fear or blockage about birthing our new ideas out into the world.  Energetically speaking, fibroid tumors can be a tumorization process of old, negative, toxic thoughts, emotions, or feelings that are clumped together and proliferate.

In addition, Caroline Myss, Ph.D., teaches that fibroid tumors represent our creativity that was never birthed.  Fibroids can also result when we are flowing life energy into dead ends, such as jobs or relationships that we have outgrown.  Fibroids are often associated with conflicts about creativity, reproductions, and relationships.  Fibroids can also be seen as anger that your creative energy has been blocked.

After some tears of anger (mostly at myself), I thought hard about the reasons why I cultivated these fibroids, and I looked within deeply during my meditations.  I have been so open to my work, within and without, how could this have happened to me?  I gave myself space to allow my grief, dismay, and anger.  And then I got in touch with my Higher Self, who told me that I was releasing many old relationship issues, and some blockage of birthing my new ideas into this world.  And, frankly, some of this energy felt really old, like, probably left over from a past life kind of old.

Once I discovered this, I realized how wonderful my body is – instead of creating a malignant cancerous tumor to indicate to me all of this toxicity I had created, my body instead chose to consolidate all of my old stuff that no longer serves me into these pockets that are ready to be snipped away.  When people strongly release, it comes in many forms.  I believe that in my case, there’s a part of me that wanted “physical evidence” of my release.  And, that’s what my body produced.  Although I’m not crazy about having surgery, I am thankful to my body for alerting me to bringing attention where it’s due in a non-malignant way, so that I can address it more fruitfully.  And, luckily, my two large fibroids are exophytic leiomyomas, which essentially means they’re on the outside of the uterus, and are, thus, more easily removable (vs. an intramural leiomyoma, which is within the lining of the uterus, or a submucosal leiomyoma, which is within the uterine cavity.)

At first, I was hesitant about sharing this experience on this blog for various reasons.  But, I soon learned that I have been given a gift – to be in greater touch with myself, and, although I don’t know how yet, it’ll help me serve even better as a practitioner.  And I’m sharing my story with you because if I am just 1 of the 3 out of 4 women out there effected by fibroids, there are at least several others who can benefit by knowing that they are not alone.  Most of the time fibroids are small enough to be asymptomatic and not cause any problems.  But, sometimes they require surgery, such as in my case.  I am already keeping my body healthy and strong with Reiki, herbs, infusions, and possibly, Acupuncture, in preparation for surgery, which will be either via laparoscopy, through a small incision near my navel, which would be ideal for shorter recovery time, or abdominal, which could take a few weeks to fully heal.  Either way, I intend to have a speedy and complete recovery, with a mended 2nd chakra that’s ready to birth ideas fully, completely, wonderfully, fiercely, fabulously, and with ease!  Needless to say, my 2nd chakra’s getting a lot of love nowadays with rose quartz, Reiki, flaxseed meal, nourishing herbal infusions, Chinese herbs, healthy eats, an increased awareness, and lots of self care.

Have you been experiencing any difficulty in birthing your ideas?  If so, what are they?  

As always, I’d love to hear what you have to say, so please leave me a comment, below.

Ready to birth new ideas with full creativity, and in honor of Goddess Consciousness,

Traditional Chicken Bone Broth: A Recipe To Build Qi And Blood For Immune Building, Fertility, And Postpartum

Bowl of Kidney Jing, anyone? Fresh bone broth straight from my pot.

Bone broths are a staple in many cultures, and when done the old-fashioned/traditional way, you really reap the benefits.  And, on a Chinese Medicine level, bone broths have been popular for being bigtime Qi & Blood builders.  Why?

Traditional bone broths are nutrient-dense, and include calcium, potassium, magnesium, and incorporate the marrow of the animal.  Marrow helps our Jing essence (essence from the Kidney).  Bone marrow is produced by Kidney Jing, so infusing it in bone broth is like drinking a cup of Jing.  This is why I always recommend a cup o’ Jing daily to my fertility patients, since Kidney Jing is crucial to boosting a woman’s chances of getting pregnant!

Why do Chinese Medicine practitioners like myself make such a big wahoo about Kidney Jing?  Because we are all born with it, the essence we’re given from our mother and father, and as we grow older, we dip into this “bank” of energy essence we’ve received.  When we work too hard, when we party too hard (especially with the hard drugs), when we go for days without sleep, when we’re majorly stressed from work, our partners, or our lifestyle, we make a Jing energy withdrawl from our “bank”.  This is when our Kidney essence becomes deficient.  We feel exhausted.  Women expend much Jing giving birth, and, for men, they lose Jing when they ejaculate.  As a side note, this is why male martial artists have traditionally disciplined themselves from ejaculating, in order to retain strong Kidney essence.  So, yes, developing strong Kidney Jing, and making constant deposits into our energy bank, is a good thing!

We can make a deposit into our Kidney energy bank by eating well and cultivating Qi (though Qi Gong, Tai Qi, meditation, etc.)  There are even Kidney Qi building foods!  Every Chinese Medicine organ has their own kind of Qi, and the Kidney Qi/Jing controls growth of bones, teeth, hair, brain development and sexual maturation.  In addition, the Kidney is involved in building Qi and Blood in the body, and when the Kidneys are out of balance, we are more prone to fear and depression.

When do you need to build Qi & Blood?:

1. When you’ve been working yourself ragged, and are exhausted
2. You have partied hardy way too much
3. When you’re sick (yes, Momma was right!  Although, this version packs an extra punch, due to including the chicken feet, head, long cooking time, etc.)
4. When you need to strongly boost your immune system (such as during recovery from cancer procedures)
5. When you want to get pregnant (and may be having difficulty doing so)
6. When you are recovering from postpartum (it helps speed recovery)
7. When you feel the need for deep nourishment

I got this recipe when I took a class through The Traditional Nutrition Guild, to which I belong.  Hannah Springer conducted the class.  She is chef of The Oliver Weston Company, a home delivery service of traditional prepared foods.  She used the following recipe for chicken bone broth, based on the one found in the book, “Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats”.  I first learned about this book during my graduate studies at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, and have learned much from it ever since.  In general, I recommend this book for getting nutrient-dense food into your diet!  It is that much of a rockstar.

Warning:  Chicken heads and feet pix to come!  (If this kind of stuff makes you squeamish, don’t say I didn’t warn you!)

CLASSIC CHICKEN STOCK

• 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
• 2 large carrots, coarsely chopped
• 3 ribs of celery, coarsely chopped
• Several sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2-3 fresh bay leaves
• Bones from at least one whole chicken, supplemented with 1 lb. chicken feet and several chicken heads, if desired. (You may also buy only the bony parts from the farmer – try for 2-3 lbs. of bones and feet for a very large pot of stock (8-10 quarts), or use one whole stewing hen. You may also use the carcass from a roasted chicken, or roast the raw chicken parts before using. Using heads will impart your stock with great benefits from the thyroid of the animal, and using feet will make your stock highly gelatinous and nutritious.)
• 2-4 tbsp. vinegar (approx. 1 tsp. per quart of water)
• You can also include some Chinese Herbs (this is not in the original recipe) – a good one to include is Gou Qi Zi/Goji Berries (which you can get in Chinatown or a local health food store, since they’re so popular now they actually stick it in trail mix!).  This herb will help build blood and Yin, so it is a Liver/Kidney tonic.

Onions, carrots, celery, sprigs of thyme, and bay leaves… check!

Extra pound of chicken feet. We Chinese Medicine practitioners love chicken feet!

Make sure to clean chicken feet, parts, and head thoroughly!

Place everything in a large stainless steel pot and add cold filtered water to cover (keep in mind that if your pot is completely filled with bones you will not end up with much stock; it’s best to use a large pot and make sure the water covers the bones and veggies by at least 4 inches). If you have time, let stand 30 minutes to 1 hour; otherwise skip this step.  At first, I was concerned that I didn’t chop up the chicken carcass.  But, after 9 hours of cooking, that meat was thoroughly cooked and falling off all on its own!

My broth almost runneth over! Bringing my pot to a boil.

Removing the scum that rises to the surface upon boiling.

Bring to a boil uncovered so that you can see the scum that rises to the top and remove it. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer on very low heat for about 8 hours (the proper temperature will just make gentle bubbles rise to the surface; do not allow the broth to boil vigorously or it will be very cloudy and not appetizing).

9 hours later – nutrient-dense bone broth. Voila!

Remove all solid pieces (you may give your dog or cat the skin). Strain the stock into a large bowl(s) and allow to cool on the counter so you can add salt to taste. Store the cooled, salted stock in pint- and quart- sized containers in the refrigerator (glass) or freezer (plastic), depending on when you plan to use it. To thaw a frozen plastic container of stock, simply hold the container under hot running water for a minute, turning to allow all sides to loosen. When the frozen block of broth is no longer stuck to the sides, put it into a pot and thaw over low heat. Chicken broth stored in the refrigerator will last 1-2 weeks; simply reboil for a few minutes before using if keeping it longer than five days. If stock develops a sour flavor it is past its prime and should be discarded.

In addition to my large bowl, I have amassed a collection of containers for my stock, some of which I will enjoy this week, and others to freeze.

Uses for chicken stock (and other meat stocks) include: gravy for pan-fried and oven-roasted chicken; reduction sauces (flavored with wine, herbs, and butter/cream if desired); for cooking whole grains, potatoes, vegetables, and beans; for braising meat; and for soups and stews, including crock pot meals.

I have to admit that this was my first time cooking with chicken feet and seeing the head of the chicken.  At first it was a little off-putting, but then, I was overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude for the chicken providing me nourishment with its carcass.  I blessed the chicken, as well as the other ingredients, which really brought meaning to this stock.  A dish is more nourishing when it’s made with love and gratitude!

I brought the mason jars to work, and nourished myself as I was performing Acupuncture and Reiki sessions!

Enjoy the recipe, and share it with those you love!

As always, I’d love to hear your feedback, so feel free to drop me a comment, below.

With Kidney Jing love,

When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Acupuncture And Reiki

Photo under creative commons by Leland Francisco.

Whew, is your head still spinning from all the energetic action that has been surrounding us lately?  I’ve almost gotten whiplash from all the movement, myself!  This Eclipse Window, which opened on the Scorpio Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse and recent solar flares have been leaving people feeling more spent and exhausted than usual.  We are all continuing with our energetic cleansing, a necessary time that allows us to say farewell to the past, no matter how bittersweet the vices have been, and welcome light and new love (read into that however you’d like, love for yourself, a new partner, and/or finding new purpose and joy).  We are switching into the kind of multidimensional living that requests we check our luggage at the door, and some of us are still clutching that Samsonite handle for dear life!

It is easy to do one of two things:  either run away from the challenges, or head straight towards it, with battle cry in tow.  I totally get it, even though I focus much on my healing practice, I am still a warrior.  I am more of a spiritual warrior nowadays.  So, I can understand the need to put on the armor, suit up, get ready for battle.  There is a time and place for everything, and there is a time when suiting up and raising our vibrations fiercely, is called for.  But, there’s another option we have when faced with challenges:  to just observe, to not judge what’s occurring.  Here is where surrender yields sweet peace; but for many, that’s the hardest thing to do!

In Chinese Medicine, Spring opens to the Eyes (it is the sense organ of this season), and the stage of development is Birth.  Our eyes are being opened now, blinders off, to see reality in true form.  Some of it isn’t pretty, but some of it reveals gifts we’d never noticed before.  And we are birthing into ourselves, which can explain the painful labor we’ve been experiencing!  When we are connected to ourselves, we are able to see what gifts are being revealed, and are aware that our birthing is a liberation into becoming more fully in our power, on a human energetic level.

When patients come in to experience Acupuncture and Reiki with me, I am all about connecting the physical with the emotional, the body to the spirit.  Because, just like we are all connected to each other, and to all living things on a global and universal level, same holds true on a microcosmic level of our physical form, since our inner world is connected, and how we feel physically is often due to how we feel emotionally and spiritually, and vice versa (outside of actual physical trauma, obviously, but even then, sometimes we hold emotion in areas of chronic pain.)

So, even though I’m all about releasing the pain in your upper back, neck, and trapezius muscles, I’m also all about releasing the emotional triggers that activate that pain on a regular basis.

A perfect example of this is when I treated “L.”  L. initially came into my office complaining of upper back pain, that made her trap muscles harden up like mini boulders under her skin, and had pain radiating into her neck.  As we chatted, I came to understand that, like many who have pain in the traps, she was symbolically shouldering more than she could handle.  And, despite her admirable attempts to just buck up and deal with it and not let the stress get to her, it still did.  I explored her options with her, so she could have resources to draw from when her stressful triggers arose, and I offered certain dietary recommendations to help her balance her Spleen (which was in need of support at the time.)

After I was done with her Acupuncture treatment, finishing it off with some Tui Na medical massage with a Chinese Herbal liniment oil, she was back in her body, and her muscles had released the stuck energy that was causing her pain.  She left with that Qi sparkle in her eyes.  But, part of the release in the treatment was holding space for her during our chat, as she released tears of frustration, and because her inner pain was given voice and was acknowledged.

My Reiki sessions are similar, in that juicy chats are exchanged, and space is held, except the treatment doesn’t involve physical needles.  However, I do hone into the chakra health, and, at times, I do direct energy to acupuncture points, aside from picking up what is going on in their energy fields.

Both Acupuncture and Reiki strongly assist in cleansing and grounding, clearing your energetic debris so that your light can shine more strongly, and your true fierce self emerges.

So, I’d like to present the question to you:

Where are you holding pain in your body?  And what do you think keeps it there?

I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments, below!

If you liked this post, please share it!

Seeing you clearly,

3 Things You Can Do To Ground Yourself On Earth Day

Photo under creative commons by Felipe Gabaldón.

This Earth Day, we’re reminded of how everything is interconnected.  When we don’t take care of the earth, climates change and impact our ecosystem, our food sources are altered (that is, if Monsanto hasn’t taken care of that already!), and our health suffers.  It is important to tend to Mother Earth and treat her with respect.  There are various things we can do to commemorate Earth Day.  The following are some great suggestions by PBS Newshour Extra:

• Carry a reusable water bottle | According to the Dopper Foundation, 6,000 single-use plastic water bottles are thrown away every four seconds in the U.S., and only roughly 20 percent are recycled. Carrying a personal water bottle that you can fill up with tap water can cut down on waste and save you money.
• Unplug electronics after you’re done with them | Many of your electronics and appliances, like microwaves, televisions and cell phone chargers draw power from the plug even when you are not using them. According to the Stanford University School of Earth Sciences, you can cut down on this so-called “vampire power” by simply unplugging devices when they are not in use, or buying a smart power strip that will do this for you.
• Replace old incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving compact fluorescents | The EPA’s ENERGY STAR program, which identifies power-saving products in the marketplace, says that replacing just one incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent will save $40 in energy costs over the lifetime of the bulb. Compact fluorescents use about 75 percent less energy, produce 75 percent less heat and last at least six times as long as standard bulbs.
• Bike to school or work | According to BikesBelong.org, for every one mile on a bike instead of in a car, you can save one pound of CO2.
• Plant a tree | Planting a tree can help lessen pollution and provide shade to help reduce urban “heat islands” that are harmful to human health. Over the course of a year, a single tree can absorb about 48 pounds of carbon, making them some of the cheapest and most effective means of reducing CO2, according to the Arbor Environmental Alliance.

Even though I didn’t start this practice due to Earth Day, every year, through my yearly contribution to American Forests, I’ve had 25 trees planted in my name in a forest that is in desperate need, to honor a special family member.  My connection to trees comes, in part, from being able to plant my own “Mita Tree” when I was a teenager.  Note:  ”Mita” is my childhood nickname, which has stuck.  This has ensued giggles within my immediate family, since my young nephew has just started to speak, and he accurately calls me “Tita Mita”, since “Tita” is the word for “Aunt” in Tagalog (Filipino).

So, I planted my “Mita Tree” in one of my family’s backyards in the Philippines in Iloilo (a town on the island of Panay), near the hut that my grandparents used to live in.  A beautiful young mahogany tree.  My brother has done the same, and so have many cousins in my family.  Somewhere in Iloilo, there’s an army of mahogany trees thriving, representing each of our family members!

Hence, part of the reason why I have an affinity for trees, and wood.  As I mentioned in a previous blog post or two, Wood is the element of Spring (although many of us are wondering, where is the Springlike weather?  Global warming, anyone?)  One thing I love about trees is their ability to create roots, and deeply earth.  And, although us humans are mobile and dynamic, it is also important for us to deeply root and ground ourselves, too.  This is especially important during these shaky, energetic times – don’t you feel all the movement that is happening?  The difficulty in staying and remaining grounded, amidst all the stimulation and action that surrounds you?

Here are 3 things you can do to “earth” yourself and ground your energy:

1. Roots Meditation – No, this is not about Questlove sitting in lotus position!  This is a grounding meditation, if you are game for trying.  When sitting on a chair or laying down to relax, envision roots growing from the soles of your feet – and into the cement of the floors of your building, down into the soil, bedrock, underground streams, straight into the magma.  And envision the roots growing and further tapping into earth energy.  Then, just as you went in, drink up the earth energy through your roots and into your body’s marrow and muscles.  Yum!  I especially love this meditation.
2. Get Your Bare Feet On The Earth – If you are lucky enough to be in a warm climate, or even on a beach, enjoy digging your toes into the earth/sand, feel the earth holding your physical body upright.  Get grateful about what the earth does simply by her being there to hold you up.
   

   Kidney 1.

   If you are, like me, in the East Coast during our 48 degree “Spring”, you can either wait a while till the earth warms up so you don’t get frostbitten tootsies, or you can walk barefoot on the floor (as long as it’s not a cold tile floor!)
   If you want to get your acupuncture groove on, focus your energy on the ball of your foot.  This is the point, Kidney 1, Yongquan (English translation: Gushing Spring.)  It is an extremely grounding point, and I’ve used it to treat actual foot pain, to treating schizophrenia.  If you want to get specific about the location (it’s called “acu”-puncture for a reason!), it is on the sole, in the depression when the foot is in plantar flexion, approximately at the anterior third and the posterior two third of the line from the web between the 2nd and 3rd toes to the back of the heel.  Send your energy there, and you’ll feel less in your head in minutes!

3. Eat root vegetables – Mmmm!  Carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, oh my!  Either way you cook it, root vegetables are extremely nourishing, and are particularly grounding to your energy.  A good way to incorporate root veggies in a tasty way is to cube up a bunch of carrots, beets, celeric, burdock, and sweet potato, drizzle them with olive oil, roast them in the oven with a dash or salt and pepper, and viola!  Instant grounding nourishment.

Do you have a favorite way of grounding?  I’d love to hear about it!

In grounding love,

Note:  It was very exciting when MindBodyGreen published my first article with them, “My Experience Using Acupuncture To Treat Addiction” this past Saturday!  Keep an eye out for its feature on the Acupuncture section of the website, All Things Healing!

My Article “My Experience Using Acupuncture To Treat Addiction” Published In MindBodyGreen!

Screenshot of my MindBodyGreen article.

Hello Delicious Ones!

Just a quick note before my weekly post early next week that MindBodyGreen just published my first article with them, “My Experience Using Acupuncture To Treat Addiction”!  It went live this morning.  Please check it out , and leave a comment to let me know what you think!

I love MindBodyGreen’s self description, “Our goal is to make wellness fun and inclusive.  Through MindBodyGreen we hope to give you the tools to make your life better and healthier or inspire you to keep doing the awesome things that you’re already doing ”  I always enjoy reading it, following their stream of articles on their Facebook page, and many of my patients dig it, too!

In wellness,

 

Releasing This Spring?: The Power of a Good Cry

Under creative commons from Pedro Klien.

“But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more.” 
― Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Mermaid

When we think of Spring, we think:  juice cleanses, gut detox (trying out the new probiotics on the market, or colonics, anyone?), decluttering the closet, donating things to Goodwill.  All excellent things to do as we harken in the sunbeams, promise of newness and warmth towards our goals and infusing our dreams with new energy!  But, as we cleanse, it is good to reclaim the power of tending to our emotional garden, as well – detoxing our emotions by releasing stress hormones and toxins through our tears.  According to one of my favorite  practitioners, Dr. Judith Orloff, who combines Western medicine with cutting edge knowledge of intuition, energy, and spirituality to achieve physical and emotional healing, she cites the numerous health benefits of tears in a Psychology Today article, “Protectively they lubricate your eyes, remove irritants, reduce stress hormones, and they contain antibodies that fight pathogenic microbes. Our bodies produce three kinds of tears: reflex, continuous, and emotional.  Each kind has different healing roles… Emotional tears have special health benefits. Biochemist and “tear expert” Dr. William Frey at the Ramsey Medical Center in Minneapolis discovered that reflex tears are 98% water, whereas emotional tears also contain stress hormones which get excreted from the body through crying. After studying the composition of tears, Dr. Frey found that emotional tears shed these hormones and other toxins which accumulate during stress. Additional studies also suggest that crying stimulates the production of endorphins, our body’s natural pain killer and “feel-good” hormones.”

Why the hullaballoo over tears?  Because tears and crying gets a bad rap.  When we hear the word, “tears” or “crying”, many in our society equal that to weakness, not being strong enough, not being able to take what life dishes out.  At least, that’s what I thought growing up!  My family has many strengths, and one of them is the ability of being able to sometimes separate moods and emotions from the linear thought processes of the scientific mind.  Sometimes it was mega helpful, perhaps it’s ingrained in my bloodline, the result of many years of battling conquistadors and colonizers with such conviction, to keep it cool when tragedy strikes to focus on defending only when necessary.  But, because my bloodline is a blending of many cultures (Filipino, Spanish, Irish, and Chinese, to be exact), there is also the dramatic Hispanic side my family may possess, as well.  Not necessarily Telenovela-worthy (well, ok, maybe at rare moments), but suffice to say that in my growth to be the person I am today, many a tear has been shed.  Tears and crying outbursts were not the most popular thing in my family, and because I could pick up on others’ thoughts and intentions even back then, I made sure to keep my tears under wraps.

However, when I entered adulthood, I started liberating myself from many self-induced realities that did not serve me, and holding back on what I was feeling in a given moment was one of them!  I  explored it all – the exhilaration, the sadness, the rage, the fear, the dread, the jubilation, the love.  And, as we all do, we revisit all of these things from time to time.  But, what’s important to remember is that we don’t need to hold things in (which creates dis-ease), or devalue any deep pain we may be experiencing at the time, in a feeble attempt to be “acceptable” or “play nice”. Who does it serve when you devalue yourself?  Absolutely no one!

And, so when I first began to allow myself to feel my tears, I allowed myself to feel all of it, from the tips of my toes, to the top of my head, and all of the emotions that related to my tears and why they flowed.  I embraced it like a long lost friend, I wailed and relished every moment.  It was liberating!  Not only did it release stress hormones and toxins (and, I believe, the essence and source of my pain), but I felt like I’d let a monster out of a cage.  And, then, finding, that, in fact, it wasn’t a monster in a cage, it was just a neglected part of myself that was in need of validating.  And she was just as beautiful as the rest of my essence.

I will never forget the story a teacher at acupuncture school told me.  She described herself as a woman who was previously not very in touch with her feelings, who always pushed down her pain, so that it would never be revealed.  (What is up with women feeling the need to push down their feelings?)  Needless to say, she never cried in front of anyone up until that point.  But, one day, she allowed herself to cry, and found it the most liberating feeling!  In fact, she was so excited about the release the crying gave her, she was crying freely everywhere she went!  By this time, the class started giggling, but we all felt our hearts warm up to her, and admired her bravery for sharing her story of what some folks may consider a taboo act, the act of revealing feelings.

Why were we talking about crying and tears at acupuncture school?  Most likely because we were studying the five elements of Chinese Medicine.  Turns out that Tears are the secretion of the element of Wood, and Wood happens to be the element of Spring!

So, if you feel emotions rise to the surface, don’t fight them.  Acknowledge them, acknowledge your body’s need (because feelings rising to the surface are the body’s way of making you aware of your needs, and if you can get really good at noticing what your body’s telling you, you will notice the signs that are rumbling before they rise to the surface!)  Just allow your emotions to be.  Allow yourself to be.  And if you have finally come clean with yourself about a very deep seated issue, tears of joy, or pain, or simply out of acknowledging what you’ve been through, may arise.  Embrace your ability to feel and be present with yourself.  It validates your human experience.

And even if the problem persists, crying makes us feel better.  I’ve always told myself that I am a stronger woman today because I allow myself to feel all of my emotions, and I allow tears to come.  Ironically, I know that crying has made me more resilient and has strengthened me.  Does this hold true for you, as well?  Embrace the healing power of tears this Spring!

With Spring detox blessings,