Wood

In the blink of an eye spring is upon us. We are sailing at full speed into summer and as the energy mounts we feel ready to take on new challenges and get back out there.

We have been shut away for many months and now with excitement and anticipation we head out into that glorious sunshine.

The same can be said for wood, the element of this season. Having been at rest, storing it’s energy under ground through the winter, the first signs of spring begin to appear. New buds emerge once more. Wood is the energy of youth and growth. New beginnings, the start of a whole new cycle.

So it can really be of no surprise that it is in spring that I cannot contain the urge to get my acupressure business up and running.

It can come as no great shock that this blog went into hibernation through those long winter months only to reemerge in spring with all the life force and energy that you would expect at this time of year.

Spring arrives and the weather gets warmer, we seek out this warmth, not just physically but emotionally as well. We form new relationships and strengthen old ones.

And whilst this wonderful energy of spring encourages our growth and change it is not uncommon for many of us to feel some discomfort at this time.

The wood element of spring is associated with the liver and gall bladder meridians.

The liver meridian is also know as the Official of Strategic Planning, it is the creator of our vision of the future. It sees the directions we must take in order to live peacefully in nature and life.

The gall bladder meridian gives us the abiliy to make decisions wisely.

Wood gives us the vision and the plan as well as decision and direction to make thing happen. When wood is not functioning correctly much frustration can be felt.

Wood covers our sense of vision, the emotion anger and the sound of shouting.

When in balance the wood element is able to let go of an idea or vision when it is not working, and move onto or try something else without the frustration getting out of control.

If wood is imbalanced a person may be unable to experience growth or rebirth within. They can become depressed or frustrated with the feeling of being stuck, of never moving forward.

As with every seasonal change acupressure can greatly aid the transition.

Here are some other suggestions for spring:

1) Get up early, with the sun.

2) Get outside.

3) Light exercise, such as a morning walk will get your energy going.

4) Eat green vegetables.

5) Plant a garden.

6) Try something new.

7) Create.

My Winter Day

Today I had a wonderful day, embracing everything that winter should be about.

With Victoria under a blanket of snow it felt like many others were forced into doing the same. What could be better for us all than an unexpected day of rest.

My day started early (5.30 to be exact) with a very excited two year old. We made a big pot of vegetable soup, ate a hot breakfast, drank tea and read our favorite books by the fire. Off to daycare she went, with Daddy off to work. The wonderful thing about working from home is that snow days can be both productive and relaxing.

Morning yoga followed by some meditation. Some writing and planning for the new website. Shoveling the sidewalk. A walk in the snow to the ocean and for supplies. Lunch of soup. Some more writing and a little reading. A glorious afternoon nap. Another walk to pick up my baby. A play in the snow. Simple dinner of omelets for my little one and me. Daddy comes home just in time for bathtime. Bed time stories for a little girl. A little blogging. A VERY early night.

What a wonderfully restorative Water day.

Water

What better place to start than the season we are in.

Each of the five elements correspond to many different things. One of the most significant is the seasons.

Water is winter. Today’s weather makes it easy to see why…

Winter is the coldest and darkest time of year. For all living things this is a time of hibernation and introversion. For plants, life is occurring right down deep at the roots. It is a time for survival and courage.

For us as humans winter is also a time to go deep within. To reflect and recollect. Water within us represents a quiet, dark pool where our self-identity resides. The energy of the season can take us deeper into ourselves allowing us to discover the true essence of who we are. Winter is a time for meditation, internal work and conserving energy.

Taking time to conserve and recharge helps to ensure abundant reserves in this element giving strength and courage. However, if these reserves are lacking, fear is the result. Fear is the emotion connected with the water element. When it is balanced we are neither reckless nor paralyzed by our fear. It keeps us safe but does not stop us from living.

The meridians associated with water are the bladder (yang) and the kidney (yin). These meridians are all about energy reserves. There are points on these meridians that can awaken the place within us all where our true strength and courage lie.

It may not be surprising that so many find the lives we lead today to be completely exhausting. Many suffer from low energy, depression, exhaustion and it becomes easy to see why when we think about how we live through the winter. Do we allow ourselves more time to rest? Do we keep our weekends quiet and recharge from a busy week? Do we go to bed earlier? Our society definitely makes it difficult to honour and recognise exactly what our bodies need at this time of year.

Acupressure can be done before the change of the season to ease the transition. It is also important that for us to be balanced we must follow the natural laws and all that this means with each season.

Here are few suggestions:

1) Get more rest.

Try switching off the TV, the computer, whatever keeps you up at night. Allow yourself time to read, rest, meditate, sleep, whatever you need.

2) Choose warming foods

Soups, stews and caseroles made with seasonal ingredients

3) Use acupressure to ease this transitional time.

Here is a fascinating article called The Spirit of The Water Element; Why Weren’t We Taught This In School, By Neil Gumenick.

Not So Sweet

Today’s post is a nutrition post.

I recently completed a 15 day cleanse (The Wild Rose Cleanse). It is not too intense and I actually really enjoyed it. They refer to it on their website as “the low crap diet”. That pretty much sums it up. You eat as much as you need from the extensive list of recommended foods removing only the foods that are overly processed and leave you feeling less than wonderful.

I noticed several major things as I went through this process. The following, in particular, stood out in my mind;

1) I give in to cravings far more than neccessary.

2) 90% of my cravings are for sugar.

As we learn more about the style of acupressure I am studying I will talk more about The Five Elements. For now I will say this; The Five Elements are, wood, water, earth, fire and metal. This philosophy of chinese medicine suggests that every person is predominantly born as one element (known as the causative factor or CF) and that this element can be the one to cause imbalance as we are drawn in certain ways to satisfy it.

I have been told that my CF is likely Earth.

The reason this is importanrt in this post is this; Earth is the nurturer and nourisher. It is easy for the earth sign to give, give, give to anyone and everyone around them, sometimes beyond what is even required if there is an imbalance there. Earth, however, also needs to be nourished and this can often be forgotten or done in less than healthy ways if the individual is not taking care of themselves.

Food is obviously a huge part of nourishment for us as humans and it is particularly easy in this day and age, with food so readily available for us, to “use” of food as nourishment beyond what is needed physically. The Earth individual or anyone with an earth imbalance can be especially prone to this. Often it is the sweet and sugary foods that an imbalanced earth element will crave.

So hopefully you see where I am going with this…

Assuming my element is Earth it makes sense that I crave sugar when I crave nourishment beyond the physical. There is endless research showing the negative impact of sugar on our health and that it can also cause the same addiction responses and drugs and alcohol. Therefore, just giving into cravings and satisfying those cravings with sugar will do very little to allow you to truly regain balance with in yourself. Breaking this cycle is key.

Over the next 30 days I am challenging myself to break my reliance on sugar but cutting it out as much as possible. It is not enough however to just go cold turkey. In order to succeed at this it is vital to gain nourishment in other ways.

Here is a list of my favorite ways to nurture and nourish myself.

1) Yoga

2) Tea

3) Clean diet full of fresh fruit and vegitables

4) Meditation

5) Long, candle lit soaks in the bath

6) Sleep

7) Giving an acupressure session

8) Receiving an acupressure session

9) Chatting with inspiring friends

10) Walks by the ocean

The list could probably go on and on but that will do for now.

The other important thing to emphasize with this challenge is that this is not about perfection. It is about noticing where you are right now, accepting it and then deciding to make better choices. Sometimes it will be easy, sometimes it will be hard, sometimes there will be a bump in the road. It’s about moving forward to greater awareness of yourself. Just like acupressure, yoga and so many other modalities the mind/body connection can be strengthened by listening to yourself and pushing slightly beyond your comfort level. This is how change happens.

So join me if you like, ignore this if you like. I will let you know how I get on now and then and in 30 days time maybe I have learnt something worth sharing with you.

That’s all for now,

Amy

Five Element Acupressure

The acupressure I do is based on Worsely’s theory of the Five Elements Acupuncture. The Five Elements Theory comes from centuries of ancient Chinese tradition. It was more recently adapted for our modern world by J.R Worsley and is a unique system of medicine used to diagnose and treat the cause of illness.

The ancient tradition uses the five elements; wood, fire, earth, metal and water to observe life’s natural order. As with the world around us we too are comprised of these elements. When each element with in us is balanced we experience well being on all levels; spiritual, emotional, physical. Now more than ever, with the extreme stimulation of our environment, the emphasis placed on material gain and all the other mounting pressures of daily life, we are seeing many health problems originate at a spiritual level.

The approach of Five Element acupressure is to impart a knowledge and understanding of the body, mind and spirit for each individual. The goal is for each person to live a life of balance within oneself and society. The goal as a practitioner is to aid and educate the individual in finding this balance. 

Image Source

Each element has many specific characteristics which will be explored further in future posts. For now it is important to note that a symptom only alerts us to the imbalance, it does not tell us the cause. We each have a causative factor (CF), it is debatable whether we are born with it or whether it is developed in our early years. The CF is one of the five elements that has been most damaged (by internal and external stress and trauma as well as hereditary factors). It is the weak link in our system and becomes the root cause of suffering.

A person’s CF is determined not by symptoms but by CSOE (colour, sound, odour and emotion). The colour of particular areas on the face, the sound of the person’s voice, the odour of the person and the emotions they present with are all used to diagnose the elemental causative factor.

Space

Space has always been important to me. I seek out open spaces and have often felt uncomfortably trapped living in large cities. While I love being around people and often enjoy nothing more than conversation with inspiring friends and family, I really need alone time.

As I begin to set up my business one of the most important things is having a room that I can make my own. Thanks to my love I now have this. I use it for my yoga practice, meditation, acupressure sessions, work and it is a place that instantly calms and focuses me.

It needs some work. I want to create a calming space with room to breathe. This feeling of space is something I crave and I want to provide that to anyone who comes to see me. My goal is to keep the room minimal and free of clutter.

For now I am putting up with yellow walls and using the massage table as a desk.

I will be sure to update you as I transform this room into my ideal space.

Acupressure Overview

Acupressure is an ancient healing art that uses the same points on the body used in acupuncture. Instead of needles the practitioner’s fingers are used to gradually apply pressure to key healing points. In doing so the body’s energy begins to balance, relieving tension and increasing circulation.

Acupressure works based on classical Chinese medicine theory where energy meridians or pathways run in regular patterns through the body and over its surface. For optimal health energy (qi) must flow freely. Imbalances occur when there is a blockage.

Obstructions in these pathways can occur from physical, emotional and spiritual trauma over our lifetime. It is these obstructions that result in physical pain and disease.

By pressing on specific points along these pathways (acu-points) the energy can start to flow freely and therefore correct imbalances.

Modern scientific research now supports the effectiveness explaining that when the acu-points are stimulated the nervous system releases chemicals and hormones which work to biochemically balance the body and stimulates the body’s own natural healing abilities.

Whichever explanation you prefer the healing benefits cannot be denied.

 Acupressure provides relaxation and relief from pain and stress. Many of our ailments come from a build up of stress and therefore finding something that works for you and allows you to relax is vital. It also works as a powerful preventative measure, boosting immunity and vitality of the body.

Acupressure can also have a profound affect on spiritual and emotional healing. An area of particular interest to me is the deep mind-body connection that acupressure provides. With more and more people suffering from sickness of the mind and spirit we are beginning to realize that it takes more than just a pill to make us better. Physical symptoms are often just a manifestation of spiritual or emotional trauma or stress.

Acupressure can be extremely successful when used in conjunction with many other modalities. A personal example of this was when used with counseling. As a person opens up their problems to a psychologist acupressure can facilitate the release of emotion on a physical level and allow for profound realization to occur. A case study of this will follow in a future post.

The Beginning

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about what it is I really want out of life. What do I want to achieve, how do I wish to spend my days, how can I contribute something to the world?

Clearly these are big questions. And as if to complicate things further I have decided to try and narrow this goal in to one concise, specific objective. Does that sound like an easy thing to do? Well, it’s not.

Having thought long and hard about this I feel that it comes down to this;

My goal is to learn to live life in peace and in balance and as I find what works for me I hope to help others find peace and balance for themselves.

What I mean by this is that as I find what works for me, striving to be my best self, I want learn as much as possible and then pass it on.

I have many goals and so much that I want to accomplish but I feel that if I can always keep this one in mind I can’t go too far wrong.

Right now what works for me is acupressure, nutrition and yoga.

So in the first step towards my goal, I am a qualified acupressurist ready to pass on this remarkable modality to anyone who is willing to try it. I believe it will change your life.

This is the beginning of a new chapter in my life. As I set up and build my business, expand my knowledge, live my life, succeed and fail I will share it all here on this little blog.

Until next time,

Amy