3 Energy Tips for Your Spring Renewal
Where I live in northern California, spring is in full gear. The oak trees are showing their beautiful new leaves full of silver and sparkles. The daffodils are almost done blooming, but the iris plants are popping up in all their purple splendor.
It’s so much fun to see what flowers show up next. I allow myself to be surprised even though I really do know what to expect. The plants, flowers, and trees have it all figured out; they always know how they fit into the spring journey.
They are always on track, and they navigate the season with ease.
How about you and your journey?
Are you on track to navigate the goals you’ve made? More significant yet – are you happy with how you’re navigating your life, overall?
Spring is the time of year for renewal. The season puts us in a positive frame of mind for possibilities and growth. It provides the opportunity to rethink and refresh any plans you’ve been trying to move forward, or create new plans to step into.
Bloom into YOUR possibilities
It’s a given – life is a journey. Have you had those times when you felt the need to take a strong look at what direction you were going? Maybe you sensed that you needed to take a different route to get to your destination. These questions could easily relate to business or personal life choices.
Whatever happens in your day-to-day experiences or goes through your head, it’s essential to have the energy and vitality to be on your voyage.
And here’s the key – the navigation will be a lot easier when you have focus and clarity, and you can see your options, make decisions, and determine your action plan.
When you allow yourself to grow and bloom, you will fully discover how many possibilities await you around corners, curves, hills, and mountains. Take a chance and soar!
Three energy tips for improved navigation
No matter what destination you’ve put into your life’s GPS, these tips will help you arrive refreshed.
These acupressure poses are super easy to do. Hold each one with a light, gentle touch for several good breaths. There is no such thing as too much self-help, so do these as often as you think of them throughout the day!
1. Remember to give yourself room for grace. YOU are a super important being on this planet – so give yourself some love. Give yourself a hug!
Cross your arms and hold anywhere on your upper arms. You’re connecting with acupressure points that are all about your respiratory and vascular systems. Giving yourself a hug brings in a deep breath followed by a powerful exhale. And it allows your heart to feel the love and care you’re offering to your whole body.
2. Give yourself a boost of calm and vitality. Those two qualities must coexist for your energetic body to be present for all you want to do and accomplish.
Cup your sternum directly below your collarbone. With the other hand, hold your tummy below your navel.
3. Enhance your awareness of ALL that is happening around you, and you will bring clarity and focus.
With your right hand, cup your forehead and hold your fingers on the left side of your forehead. Cup the base of the skull with your left hand and hold your fingers on the right base of the skull. And, you can easily switch your hands to give an extra boost.
Even though it may not be in full bloom in your area just yet, embrace the renewal of spring and support your body, mind, and spirit with some easy-to-do self-help acupressure techniques.
NOTICE!
And if you want to create your own internal GPS system to map out your wellness journey, I invite you to check out my popular 10-week course starting April 17th.
At GPS for Body, Mind, & Spirit 2024, You’ll discover and practice the principles of energy balancing with Jin Shin Jyutsu and self-help acupressure techniques, so you can enhance self-care and improve your energy level for your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
Get all the class details and registration information here – COURSE DETAILS
Magic in Your Own Fingertips
Have you ever known someone you just can’t get enough of? Someone that’s wise, and funny, and inspiring. For me, that’s Vilma Ginzberg.
I’ve worked with Vilma for over 13 years. She is a retired psychologist, an exceptional writer, and a poet laureate. I relay that information because even though she’s almost 97 years old, Vilma can still express her thoughts and have conversations consistently full of information and insights.
I am inspired every time I see her, and genuinely hope to be like her as I mature into her age.
She’s generous, too. In the beginning of one of my books, “Easy Self-Help Acupressure for Grown-Ups”, she wrote,
“Using Deborah Myers Daily Clean Your House Flow routine is better than being a couch potato. This routine, done daily like brushing your teeth, is easy and rewarding.”
When I recently saw Vilma, we discussed my work with schools and students of all ages, plus workplace wellness programs. I commented that I love helping others discover how to balance their energy daily so they get from where they are to where they want to be.
As I continued doing the energy flows with her, Vilma said that she felt the energy flowing, and it felt like magic. Then she elaborated,
“You know. We carry this magic in our back pockets all the time. Often, we just sit on it instead of pulling it out and making use of it.”
Vilma had hit the nail on the head!
We both started laughing because, as you may know, one of my favorite comments is that we walk around with our fingers 24/7. We just need to pull them out of our pockets and make use of our fingertips to touch energy balance points and help our bodies find physical, mental, and emotional balance and harmony.
Vilma wanted me to show you our holiday picture. I brought the headbands along because I wanted to see that girl smile!
Yes, Sit on Your Hands!
Vilma and I also talked about how one of the Daily Clean Your House Flow® steps is sitting on your hands. That energy balance point is all about vitality and helps your body discover alignment.
When that point is in balance, we are genuinely pulling the magic out of our back pockets and connecting with all the possibilities that are ready to happen. We just have to give those possibilities a chance to show up.
Then there’s the pose that is sitting on one hand and holding the other hand on the opposite shoulder. That pose helps the body release blocked energy and move the energy throughout the body, allowing the meridians and channels to flow easily and effortlessly.
That is when the organs and body systems can fulfill their tasks, and your body experiences balance, rhythm, strength, health, comfort, stability, and happiness.
Can you see that when you help your body be prepared for whatever you want it to do, it WILL respond by taking you forward?
A Special Gift from Vilma
Here is the poem that Vilma wrote for me after the very first time she came for an in-person acupressure session.
healing hands
for Deborah Myers
© Vilma Ginzberg 09-22-2010
you invite me to your table
padded curved and angled
to accommodate my bone-outlined
flesh-defined body of exhaustion
I spread myself atop it
my yesterdays of try-to’s
planked across its ridges
unfinished have-to’s
making stiffened bridges
of old intent preserved in rock of habit
I hardly feel your first fingers
your touch puff-wing light butterfly-soft
don’t you need something more jack-hammer-fisted I wonder
slow as morning light washes over doubt
melts layers of thought-armor
polishes the rusted jadedness
softly subtly slowly they come
subtle awakenings
stirrings of flesh and feeling
worlds entire fall apart while other worlds congeal
universes faint away
give birth to new constellations
you move soundlessly around this altar to life
where I am both sacrificial lamb and sacrament
soon I am as a sauce spilled on shapeless sheets
our mutual though silent rejoicing fills the empty spaces
outside the nearby window finches feed
gratefully on your thistle-seed
and some small uncaged bird in me
chirps again
Let’s pull your MAGIC out of your back pockets so you can achieve whatever you want to have happen in 2024!
Yes, I do in-person session at my home in Santa Rosa, CA, but I also help people to learn how to do self-help acupressure themselves.
Check my online calendar to see what might work best for you. Go to Deborah’s Calendar!
A GREAT OPPORTUNITY
Start your year off with a gift to yourself
Is there something you want to achieve or exceed at this year? In your business, personal, or school life?
Let’s get you on the right path to manifest your dreams at my new Do Anything Better workshop!
At this 3-session class, you’ll discover easy self-help acupressure techniques. This experience will open the door to better performance, balanced emotions, and overall life improvement by learning how to manage your body’s energy.
How to Get Magic in Your Holiday Season
Have you noticed? Even before Thanksgiving, we were inundated with ads and signs saying, “The holidays are here!” It feels like it’s been go, go, go time for weeks.
Has your stress level been elevated?
If you as an adult are suddenly feeling pressed for time and maybe even a bit overwhelmed with “all that has to be dealt with,” imagine what kids are experiencing.
They also react to all that talk and hype about Christmas and Santa. You might be seeing excitement, but that too can quickly turn into “going into a tizzy.”
Let’s help all of us – children and adults – discover that we can have magic and joy in the holiday season without the stuff called stress and anxiousness.
Let’s Work Some Magic
In my opinion, magic is what the holidays should be about. I think it’s important to enjoy the preparation for the season, whatever it might look like for you and your family. That is where the magic begins.
Whether you want to be in a space of contemplation or to step into the traditions that bring your family fun and joy as you prepare and experience the season – it should come with calm and the expectation of the magic.
Positivity Wins!
My family contends I’m a “Christmas nut” with lots of decorations, lights, and sparkle. I think I’m stepping into the magic, so move out of the way!
If you have extended family joining you for the holidays, you might find that you have even more on your plate and that your mind starts wondering which family members may create upset during the time together. That type of thinking can create anxiousness.
Well, we know that positive thinking is essential. Being proactive can stop stress from taking over.
Balance emotions and habits, and you will discover how easy it is to be positive, joyful, proactive, and take control of your own well-being. You can even change any negative patterns, like negative self-talk!
You can potentially help each member of your family be at ease and calm and NOT have stress and anxiousness. You’ll discover that you’ll be less reactive to situations and emotions.
Uncover the Magic
Here are some easy ways to empty the stress and uncover the magic and joy. You’ll also boost your immune system, improve sleep, and help your body avoid burn-out.
- Do the Daily Clean Your House Flow®, a nine-step self-help acupressure flow that’s easy and takes less than ten minutes to complete. As a nine-year-old succinctly told me, “It is the Daily Flow, so of course I do it every day! And I do it more than that!”Get the free animated video to show you all the steps. 👉 https://bit.ly/DMW-video
- Keep your breath open. Feel the expansiveness of the inhale and the letting go during the exhale. In the video you download, you’ll also get some energy tips that will expand your breath. Plan on doing them off and on throughout the day. There is no such thing as too much self-help.
- Give yourself lots of love! The first step of the Daily Flow is hugging yourself. It opens up breath, shows your body you are caring for it and connects with heart health.
Practise this flow daily or whenever you think you need a lift. You’ll experience an energy balance in your body that can change your day…for the positive.
Start building the magic for the weeks to come, and enjoy the holidays!
Let me know if you have any questions! Contact Deborah.
How to make CHANGE easier
Balance your energy and be in connection with Change
No matter what’s happening in your world, it’s all about the change that is taking place. And that is what life IS. Every moment of your day is a transition from what was before to what it is becoming.
Today, I want to share some easy acupressure tips to help you better manage change in your life, AND introduce you to my amazing new Labyrinth, which also supports change.
Whether you use the word change, transition, transformation, transfiguration, or shift, the meaning is “an alteration or modification; the substitution of one thing for another.”
I, for one, have not always stepped into change easily. That is one of the primary reasons I appreciate my daily energy balancing using self-help acupressure and Jin Shin Jyutsu. I want to be in a state and position where I can move through my days easily and calmly. And energy balancing IS all about creating the space in which grounding, centering, calming, and ease want to exist.
How are YOU with change?
How do you handle change? That is THE big question!Your body has energy systems, and energy MUST change. If energy becomes and stays stuck, it will become stagnant. And stagnant energy will affect your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual states. It’s the stuck energy that can create “health problems.”
By the way, instead of health problems, I prefer using the phrase “health projects” because projects have a beginning and an end and are much more fun to work with. ~Deborah Myers
Move Your Body’s Energy
So, here is the key. Move your body’s energy by placing your fingertips on energy balance points to move the energy from one spot to another. Your body will respond by “letting go” of anything in the way of, so that you are:
- being balanced
- feeling ease and calm
- being healthy and pain-free
- having vitality
- being productive
- having focus and clarity
- balancing emotions
- improving the performance of anything you want to do better
You name what you want to improve, and you can create the space to help it happen. The following energy balancing tips are a great place to start.
ENERGY TIP: To release the tension around “old patterns” and help change them, these will also help let go of clenching jaw or teeth and “holding” your breath.
- Right hand – cup sternum directly below clavicle (collar bone)
*Left hand – hold fingertips in a vertical pattern below the naval - To eliminate the “need” to effort and to create a new pattern – use this as a trigger point to create the new pattern
* Hold the outside of both knees using your fingertips - To release the “accumulation” of the old pattern and “consequences of holding on to the old pattern”
* Cross arms holding the outside edge of your shoulder blades
Done daily, self-help acupressure can help bring about transition and transformation by unblocking and balancing your energy, so you can work with change.
A Labyrinth for Change
Even when going through a significant change, like moving from your home of many years, you can help make it easier and calmer. That’s what I’m in the midst of, and though it’s tough at times, I’m mostly staying in a place of hope, faith, and trust that gives me the space to allow and surrender to what the universe has to bring.
Then along comes my friend Lea Goode-Harris to add some magic to my garden with a new labyrinth! Now, one of my favorite places to be, this labyrinth is helping to make a difference.
A labyrinth is a circular curving path that leads to a center. When you walk the path to the center and back, it is known to “provide a path to practice change.”
I’ve always dreamed of having a labyrinth in my garden. Lea is a master labyrinth designer and we mulled over ideas for over six years. The idea of a plan became a “big project” that would’ve taken a lot of time, energy, and funds to make it happen. So, I put the project on the back burner.
A few weeks ago, Lea said, “It’s time for you, your garden, and your property to have that labyrinth. Let’s do it and create a simple and small version of what we had planned so you and your home can step into your next chapters.”
We did just that!
And on one Saturday morning, my garden labyrinth was born! It went faster with manual help from Octavio, my garden and landscape assistant.
If you’ve been with me for a while, you’ll know that I have loved creating my garden as an oasis. And now, the labyrinth is another way to enjoy the space. And whenever my home changes ownership, the new residents will have another beautiful way to enjoy the garden and embrace their own change.
The Joy of Walking a Labyrinth
If you have ever walked a labyrinth – you know how inspirational it can be. It’s a beautiful way to experience grounding, centering, balancing, and joy. As Lea explains, “They are instrumental in providing a path to practice change.”
“Labyrinths are symbols of hope, wonder, and self-discovery. They are a perfect place to plant seeds for the future.” ~Lea Goode-Harris
I have walked my labyrinth several times daily over the last several weeks. I did so with deep thought, prayer, and willingness to accept the challenges and changes the universe and the divine are bringing my way.
As a result, I found it easier to deal with the craziness thrown at me with what could have become a major technical fiasco for my business. After a Zoom account melt down, it’s taken a lot of discussions and strategizing with Zoom, and with fantastic customer service, it appears it’s all working out. A change to move forward.
I also know that the magic of this labyrinth is bringing the space to receive the new owners who will fall in love with my home. The day after Lea and I created it, over 13 couples/families showed up at an open house in two hours. The flow of energy is bringing the new family here soon.
To read more about labyrinths and see what my friend, Lea Goode-Harris, has accomplished in her world, check out her website at https://www.creativelabyrinths.com. Be ready to step into the world of labyrinth magic!
How about YOU?
Do you have ways that help you magically move through life? Help your body and overall wellness with self-help acupressure, and incorporate experiences like labyrinth walking, or other tools. Change is inevitable.
Living in your body with reduced stress, increased mindfulness, and feeling better about yourself will help you transition through whatever change is happening in your life. Change IS happening all the time – so make it easier!
Whether it’s change with your physical body, personal life, relationships, or business – change doesn’t have to be tough. Just be aware that you can ease your way through it.
Get more insights and help to manage change >> Change and Resistance.
Allergy Symptoms Affecting YOU?
Allergy Symptoms Getting You Down?
If so, you are not the only one! This year, more than ever, the symptoms of allergies are running rampant. Allergies are patterns that your body has developed in reaction to allergens. And this year, the allergens from grasses, weeds, and tree pollen are showing up in a big way after all that winter rain followed by heat and then more rain.
Allergies are reactions to allergens when your immune system is compromised. So, boost your immune system, and you will help your body get on the other side of the pattern of reactions.
If you are dealing with any of these symptoms, you are most likely in an allergy pattern:
- Sinus congestion
- Sneezing
- Headaches
- Itchy water eyes
- Itchy throat
- A stuffy or runny nose
There are ways to reduce the misery of seasonal allergies and help your body reach a healthier, happier state of being. And, when you accomplish getting beyond misery and suffering, you’ll discover that you feel stronger and have more vitality, that your sleep has improved, and that your productivity has increased. One way to enjoy the spring colors and scents more is by using self-help acupressure!
3 Ways to Improve Your Relationship with Mother Nature!
Hydration! Drink lots of water!
Allergies dry out our systems. It’s essential to hydrate your body. Avoiding dehydration will boost your immune system and help maintain normal histamine levels. Read more about it in this article from mytapscore.com, http://bit.ly/2JtBbuM
Lubricate your body adequately with suitable fluids, including electrolytes, and all layers and levels of your body will notice the difference. Your physical, mental, emotional, and energetic levels will all cooperate and bring health.
Eat anti-inflammatory foods!
Beat seasonal allergies the natural way by adding anti-inflammatory foods to your grocery list. Pineapple, which contains the enzyme known as bromelain, fish oil, and fresh ginger, are just a few that will reduce allergic reactions.
Check out a more complete list at http://bit.ly/2Jvs2Sq
To read more about seasonal allergies, go to: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hay-fever/in-depth/seasonal-allergies/art-20048343
Use acupressure to relieve allergy symptoms!
In the 28 years that I’ve been in private practice, I’ve seen many clients who suffer from the effects of allergies, especially spring allergies. Most of them find that when they receive a Jin Shin Jyutsu session, their bodies decide to let go of the blocked energy, causing the allergens’ reactions.
Why do Jin Shin Jyutsu and acupressure work with allergy symptoms?
Our bodies are made of energy. Energy needs to flow. Conditions, illnesses, and injuries are evidence of blocked energy. Acupressure helps energy flow. It allows the body to let go of symptoms and heal.
Self-help acupressure does the trick!
Once your body notices that “it is on the other side of the progression of allergy patterns,” self-help acupressure will help you keep the re-patterning from now on. In fact, your body is reprogramming itself when you spend time helping your body experience energetic balance and harmony. And consistency is the key! So do your energy balancing daily. And since there is no such thing as too much self-help acupressure, do it as often as you think of it throughout the day!
In addition, when you hydrate, eat foods that are not inflammatory, and limit your exposure to the allergy-misery-creators, you will help your body let go of symptoms, heal, and remove the old pattern that has been saying, “I’m supposed to react to this pollen.”
Are you ready to let go of these allergy symptoms?
- Sinus congestion
- Sneezing
- Headaches
- Itchy water eyes
- Itchy throat
- A stuffy or runny nose
I have a Mother’s Day gift to relieve allergy symptoms for you and your family!
You can get a copy of the Seasonal Allergy Relief Guidebook.
It’s more than just “one energy tip”—you’ll have multiple ways to expand your breath, relieve sinus congestion, let go of headaches, and even move beyond throat dryness and ear pressure. Ready for a good night’s sleep consistently? There’s a tip for that too!
Also included in the Guidebook is the Daily Clean Your House Flow. My suggestion—do the Daily Flow at least several times a day. Use it as your foundation to create balance and harmony in your body. You will assimilate all the tips and flows in the Allergy Guidebook much faster, and notice that you are more comfortable and that your body is happier. Take note that your sleep will be much more restful and rejuvenating, so you wake up with more energy and vitality for your new day!
Your Health is Your Choice with Sara Troy
I was a guest on the Self-Discovery Media Podcast with host Sara Troy on December 6, 2023.
Your Health is Your Choice with Sara Troy
I had fun talking with her and sharing self-help acupressure energy tips!
I think that YOU will have just as much fun listening to us as we had together! Just so you know — we did a lot of laughing!
Be in the Best Mood for the Holidays
Happy Holidays!
Is something going on in your world causing you to feel stressed? The bummer is that stress can affect your mood. And especially during the holidays, your state of mind and emotions can steal the magic right out of the season.
Watch this short video, under 3 minutes, for a tour of my holiday decorations.
I Love Color and Sparkle
I don’t know about you. But for me, I love what the holidays bring—joy, lights, colors, music, special events, gatherings with family, special moments with friends, kids’ excitement. Every single bit of it is magical.
No matter who you are with during this time, whether family, friends, or business colleagues, your mood and emotions can affect your relationships.
Here are a few energy points to help you balance your emotions and let go of stress
- Hug yourself—it will open your breath while you are giving a message to your body that you are taking care of it. It will also help expand awareness about relationships with others.
- Hold the base of your skull—it will increase consciousness and awareness so you can be more mindful and sensitive to those around you.
- Jumper Cable—gently cup each thumb and finger to help calm your emotions. (This is the 9th step of the Daily Clean Your House Flow and you can do it multiple times during the day). Balancing your emotions will assist you to be “more available” when you are with others.
- With one hand—cup your sternum below the collarbones. With the other hand, hold your fingers on your tummy. This will release tension in the jaw and throat, create easy breath, and help you go forward with calm and ease.
I wish you LOTS of joy and magic during this holiday season!
Have fun!!
Happy Holidays!
You may also like these resources:
Articles – Deborah Myers Wellness
Videos – Deborah Myers Wellness
Change and Resistance
CHANGE—are YOU good with it??
Do YOU resist change?
I’m seeing myself having some issues with it.
I thought I was good with change. After all—I love the excitement of adventure, which usually means that there’s a big event being planned that is bringing a smile to my face. Like a zipline or a swim with the dolphins!
But I also know that along the way, it’s not unusual I will find myself in a place of trepidation because of the “not knowing if it’s all going to be okay.”
Am I okay with change?
Then for the change of the seasons. A new love-hate relationship.
I’ve always said that I love that change. Glorious spring brings garden preparation, the phenomenal bright colors of the flowers in bloom, and the vibrant greens. Nothing much to dislike about that change, especially when I know that the garden will consistently show the benefits.
Autumn, with its time of plentiful harvest, beautiful fall colors, and cooler air, usually brings a smile to my face.
But this year I’ve been on pins and needles—the heat, dryness, and wind of the last few months have increased the uncertainties and worries over the fire season.
And we have all been wishing for rain—saying, “Just bring us some moisture!”
Well, Mother Nature listened! And we got the rain—close to ten inches of it over the last few days.
And now we’re asking for the rain to please slow down. Well, that makes sense. Sometimes we can get too much of a good thing and we feel inclined to ask for a change. Understandably so.
Change is “hard” because something new is happening
Are we ever totally okay with that thing called change?
I think it depends on what is bringing up the desire and request for the change.
Mostly—we as humans resist change, even when it means getting something we want in life. Why is that??
Resistance often comes from being in fear of something new.
Our bodies are wired to be afraid of something new, like when I was excited about fulfilling the dream of swimming with the dolphins. THAT dream was doing its best to override my old, deep fear of deep water. How on earth could that dream and that fear even live together?
The new and the fear of experiencing something unknown
Fear is an emotion that we have held dear to our hearts since childhood when we learned what we needed to do to have a sense of safety and security. That said, our brains interpret we need to hold onto the old, learned ways, and that anything new could be something that could be unsafe. (Even though the new could be an unknown safety measure we haven’t yet learned).
As humans, we run away from things that are new, even if they’re something we want or need. Here’s the clincher. If we don’t know this, we’re bound to repeat saying we want something, yet actively avoiding it repeatedly.
This is the reason we often hear (and feel) that change is hard
And that’s why it’s so darn easy to get knocked off track.
To attract what we want in our lives, we need to give up old habits and begin new ones. Sometimes we even need to change our environment to move into a whole new way of being.
Now THAT can be super hard to do! So—to open yourself up to limitless possibilities, prepare as if you are going to do something big—like swimming with the dolphins, taking a trip to a dream destination, stepping into a new relationship, creating a program for an internationally recognized humanitarian organization. Maybe you’re contemplating relocating your home. Whatever you’re thinking of, how on earth do you prepare “as if”?
Balance your body’s energy, change the environment, and allow change
Help the environment of your body change and you will more easily allow change to happen. Why? Because you will more easily attract what you want and who you want to be!
Your body is your house – it IS an environment that you live within. Balance it, bring on the harmony, and you will create more focus, clarity, and vitality that draws to you all you desire.
The following are a few energy tips to make sure your body is welcoming and allowing change:
- Do the Daily Clean Your House Flow
- Hug yourself—it shows your body that you’re all about taking care of it
- With one hand, hold your fingers at the base of your skull
-
- With the other hand, hold your fingers on the outside of the wrist (little finger side)
- This shows your body how to feel calm, no matter your thoughts or emotions
- Hold the outside of your knees—connect with energy balance points that are all about re-patterning, reprogramming, and allowing YOU to bring on the changes you want.
So, what IS next for you?
Are you seeing change happening in your life?
Why change is happening, whether you’re planning for it, or whether you’re feeling ready for it—you can help yourself and your body feel and be more prepared.
Let’s help you and your body discover how to process ALL of it—the preparation, the execution, and the integration.
And many of your old patterns and beliefs will let go and you will step into a whole new way of being! See your habits change! And see you and your body let go of “stuckedness” and into a state of balance and ease.
Healing Hands and Vilma Ginzberg
Vilma
How can it be that eleven years have passed since I first met Vilma??
She was searching for ease and comfort and was so ready for her body to let go of old stuff, old patterns. She was open to receiving and learning how best to have a daily practice to be a better partner with her body.
It was no surprise when I discovered she was a poet—her words and conversation flowed like milk and honey. Read on to see what I mean! I’ve included the poem she wrote for me!
By the way, Vilma is not just any poet. She has published seven books of poetry, all since 2004, when she was the young age of 77. Named Healdsburg Literary Laureate for 2008/2009.
I’m lucky enough to say that she wrote a poem for me—right after she got home from her first Jin Shin Jyutsu session in September 2010. I had tears when I first read her poem “healing hands.”
Vilma was excited when I asked her if I could share the poem with all of you. I know you will love it as much as I do! It is also in one of her books, Snake Pit.
To read more about Vilma’s work and check out all her magnificent writing, go to her website at https://www.vilmaginzberg.com.
I’d love to hear what you think about Vilma’s poem!
healing hands
for Deborah Myers
© Vilma Ginzberg 09-22-2010
you invite me to your table
padded curved and angled
to accommodate my bone-outlined
flesh-defined body of exhaustion
I spread myself atop it
my yesterdays of try-to’s
planked across its ridges
unfinished have-to’s
making stiffened bridges
of old intent preserved in rock of habit
I hardly feel your first fingers
your touch puff-wing light butterfly-soft
don’t you need something more jack-hammer-fisted I wonder
slow as morning light washes over doubt
melts layers of thought-armor
polishes the rusted jadedness
softly subtly slowly they come
subtle awakenings
stirrings of flesh and feeling
worlds entire fall apart while other worlds congeal
universes faint away
give birth to new constellations
you move soundlessly around this altar to life
where I am both sacrificial lamb and sacrament
soon I am as a sauce spilled on shapeless sheets
our mutual though silent rejoicing fills the empty spaces
outside the nearby window finches feed
gratefully on your thistle-seed
and some small uncaged bird in me
chirps again
Remedies for Dryness During a Drought
There is no doubt we are in a drought
Drought. Here in Northern California and other parts of the world are experiencing extreme weather: some too hot, others too wet, lots of confusion and shifts in seasonal patterns.
My garden is my cheerful spot. Reflecting on the water situation in my area made me realize changes to the weather are affecting more than the land we live on. Our bodies, the other critters who inhabit the earth, and plants are responding to these dry conditions. I share my thoughts and solutions to keep you feeling your best and in balance.
I took this video in my garden and runs 6 minutes 41 seconds
Lapping up Sunshine
I am down in my garden, lapping up the sun and the vitamin D. It is a gorgeous day. The mid-afternoon sky is blue. The sun is shining. It’s a little warm, but at least it cooled. We’re lucky where we are. Sonoma County has been giving us the experience of waking up to the fog and starting with cool days.
Everyone is talking about the heat and dryness and the drought. I know we’re not the only ones. The need for rain is prevalent in many places throughout the country and the world.
I’m working on saving water
Just like a lot of other folks, I’m collecting water from my shower and finding other ways to reuse water. In my garden, I’m also determining what changes to make. It’s decision-making time. We are in a drought cycle.
I had to make a hard decision a few days ago. I emptied my fountain. That required that it get thoroughly cleaned to ensure that the pump stays viable when it doesn’t have water.
Oh my. I can’t even believe how much I was used to the sound of the water cascading from one basin to the next. I’m already missing it immensely. And I’m also looking at the plants in the garden and determining what I can keep alive. If a plant is in jeopardy and having a hard time, I need to consider whether it is time to let it go. Water is a finite substance, even when you’re on a well.
Bring fluid to your body
Guess what? Your body needs fluid, too. Are you getting enough good water with electrolytes to feed every cell, so your body recognizes that it has plenty to assimilate? Your body needs to experience a state of sustenance.
So, make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D and enough good fluids that feed every cell of your being. Help your body know that you are consistently nourishing it.
According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, drought can have an adverse impact on people:
“Drought can also affect people’s health and safety. Examples of drought impacts on society include anxiety or depression about economic losses, conflicts when there is not enough water, reduced incomes, fewer recreational activities, higher incidents of heat stroke, and even loss of human life.”
You can find out more about weather and the environment on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) website.
And where would I be without doing a little energy work?
Ready to help your body receive extra fluidity? This self-help acupressure movement will help your body accept and move lubrication to every cell.
Cup the sternum below your collarbones and hold your other hand on your tummy directly below your navel. It’s that easy!
When you do this, it helps your body accept and let go simultaneously. How can the body do that? It’s magic! The body is so darn clever! The energy balance points under your collarbones give your body the signal to receive, gather, and disperse fluid, food, breath, and energy. When you put your hand on your tummy, you are connecting with an energy balance area that brings all of that to every cell of your being.
Have you noticed that your body seems to take on the dryness of your environment? You may have dry skin, sinuses, ears, nostrils, mouth, and eyes. Do this simple self-help acupressure movement to relieve the discomfort. Hold each energy balance point with a light touch for several good breaths. By the way, instead of problems, I call them projects. Projects are more fun to work with and have a beginning and an end!
For left side pressure/tension or “project”
Right hand—hold fingers along the right side of your neck
Left hand—fingers “travel” along the left side of the “centerline”* at top of head close to “centerline”
* then just into hairline
* next, move fingers to the left side of forehead
* and then to the inside of left eyebrow
* place fingers at left cheekbone close to nostril
* and next, rest fingers just below left collarbone, close to your sternum,For a right side “project,” switch your hands
Take Care of Your Body and Your Home
I hope you find you can do these energy flows easily and effortlessly. That’s what this is all about—helping your body remember how to be in flow and at ease.
You’re taking care of your garden and yard so they can more easily come back after they struggle with dryness. Give your body at least the same amount of attention, and maybe more!
Remember, any body needs to be taken care of. So, be good to your garden, and take care of your property. And take care of this body that you walk around in. It’s your house. It’s there for you. Your body deserves it!
