For the last few weeks I have been training in new methods of delivering information about how to repair the body easily and effectively. I have been trained in Touch for Health techniques for almost a decade, and I have taught these techniques for over 5 years. I have created a very well received workshop called “Tender Tootsies” that helps people to reconnect with their feet and strong, supportive posture. I repaired my body using these techniques and went from an inability to walk to rebuilding all my muscles from the floor up. I have been an avid Tai Chi enthusiast for almost 15 years, and the benefits of Tai Chi and Qi Gong have become a daily practice for me as well. Now I am adding the expertise of a program called “Circuits Alive” that balances all of the muscles in the body for better functioning, better performance, and better competitive edge for the elite athlete. I am also launching a new program called “Dancing to the Rhythms of the Cosmos” that combines music, dance and song to balance the muscles in the body. This program is fun, engaging and something that people can share with each other in a compassionate and energetic group setting. All of these techniques have something incredible – the ability to make a difference on your own body, to alleviate pain and suffering, and to find joy in moving. What puzzles me is why so few people know these techniques and use them to promote their own health and power of wellness.
I am always curious about techniques that are quick, simple and most effective and “how can I do it myself?” I am truly amazed when I introduce such techniques to people and how many people have no body awareness and just use their body as a vehicle to get to their mental goals. When their physical body lets them down, these people are so quick to confirm: “They are getting old”. How did this disconnect happen? Why are we so blocked for understanding our body, its mechanics, and its needs? Why do we want someone else to fix us, and why do we concede so easily that we are not fixable?
Many people spend several minutes or hours a day grooming for the public and preparing their public image. There is the long, hot shower; the hair gel; the blow dryer or curling iron or straightener; the deodorant products; the makeup; the clothes; the jewellery; the cup of coffee; and the minutes of time staring into the mirror; and the berating of the body for the extra pounds that are staring back. How much time is spent meditating or reflecting on the type of day you would like to have, the goals you wish to achieve, the dreams you wish to move towards or the people who need a few minutes of your compassion for the challenges they may be facing in their lives? How much time is spent cooking a really nutritious breakfast that nourishes your body for the day? Equally, how much time is spent preparing and cooking the lunch or dinner as well? How much time is spent thinking about breathing, and assuring your body that it is getting full deep breathes to nourish itself? How much time is put into exercises and activity to move, challenge, feed and heal your physical body? And, finally, how much time is spent nourishing the spirit throughout the day? (– And coffee doesn’t count!)
Many of us spend so much time in our heads that we believe we are very active because our brains are active. At the end of our busy work day, we are mentally tired, and this translates into physical fatigue as we neglect to nourish and feed ourselves throughout the day in a mental, physical and spiritual way. So, are we getting old? No. We are neglecting and abusing our most precious gifts.
If you have the opportunity to make a change for yourself today, think of what it would be. What could you do to bring balance to the Triangle of Health: Spirit, Mental and Physical Wellbeing? Start with a few minutes of deep breathing. Allow yourself to relax and breathe from deep down in your belly. Feel all of your muscles relax, your head clear, and your body move to a simple state of just being. Breathing for up to 15 minutes at a slow and deep rate of 6 breathes per minute can completely change your day and your body’s ability to react to the day. Next, find one change to your dietary routine that will allow you to feel the benefits of being nourished. Perhaps you add drinking 6-8 glasses of water throughout your day rather than filling up on caffeine drinks or sugar drinks. Perhaps you sit at the table and talk as a family while you eat your dinner. Perhaps you prepare your food from scratch rather than pulling it from a box. Lastly, find some way to exercise and enjoy your body each day. We have lost the ability to walk to work, take the stairs, play outside, or engage in a physical activity rather than going for a coffee to chat. Enjoy the outdoors as you walk around the neighborhood; put on some of your favorite music and dance in your living room; or challenge your children to a game of ball or soccer.
Below I will list a few of the techniques that I have learned from Specialized Kinesiology that I use every day to assist me in my quest for finding balance in my life and honoring the physical vessel that helps me to accomplish my goals each day.
1) De-Stress: Emotional Stress Release is as simple as putting your finger tips on your forehead lightly and taking some slow, deep breathes. This process brings the body out of survival mode and helps the brain to formulate ideas and tactics for dealing with challenges.
2) Energize: Cook’s Hook Ups bring the energy into alignment and a free flow. Cross the right foot over the left, and then cross the right hand over the left and link the fingers. Put the tongue on the roof of the mouth and breathe deeply for one minute. Then, put the feet parallel and touch the fingertips together as you place the hands in front of the belly button. With the tongue still on the roof of the mouth, continue to breathe deeply for one minute.
3) Walk with Ease: Rub between the bones on the top of the foot and the side of the foot. If there is a spot that aches, give it a little more rubbing until the ache subsides. This will assist the body in finding strength in the muscles of the feet and coordinate the muscles for ease with walking, running or exercises.
4) Decrease Pain: If there is a spot that is bothering you, place the hand or hands over the spot. Very often the hands will heat up as the blocked energy is released through your touch. Leave the hands over the spot until you feel them cool off. Or, for arthritic pain or swelling over joints, place the fingers over the joint very lightly in the shape of an X (the pinky finger will be an extra). Hold this square position over the joint for several minutes. With time the swelling may lessen and the pain may subside.
There are so many ways to find balance in your life. What is holding you back from being the best you can be? Do you have the tools to help yourself? If you don’t have the tools, perhaps you could add some of the suggestions added in this article. When will your body be important enough for you to remember it each day? When will you stop growing old?
