Getting Your Breath Back with Easy Self-Help Acupressure
Life can throw us curves of all sorts! We don’t plan on those, and we don’t necessarily see them coming our way. One such event was the October 2017 fires. And no matter how YOU were individually impacted, the experience most likely affected your breath, your emotions, your sense of well-being, and maybe your physical health.
Our Bodies Remember Trauma
As we get closer to the one-year anniversary of that terrible time for Sonoma County and Napa County, your body may be experiencing memories of distress. Also, it hasn’t helped that we’ve had other fires raging north of us.
People are using phrases like, “I’m waiting with baited breath” and “I’m wondering how much more I can take.” Some folks realize that they’re not processing information with ease, similar to what they were experiencing one year ago after the fires. And many are trying to figure out what they need to do to regain their vitality and productivity. Fatigue is running rampant because sleep isn’t restful and rejuvenating.
None of those symptoms are unusual after trauma and chaos. And when we re-experience the memories of the traumatic event, our bodies get even more stuck in the patterns of the symptoms.
Reduce the Impact of Trauma
We can help our bodies let go of the symptoms and the tendency to hold onto those patterns. By balancing our energy, we can create new patterns of balance and ease that our bodies will see as more desirable.
Self-help acupressure is a natural, effortless way to remind your body how to be in breath, how to let go of stress and anxiety, and how not to take on stress. You can relieve discomfort and pain, balance your emotions, boost wellness, and improve performance in your daily activities.
Daily Practice
A daily practice of balancing your energy allows you to become a partner with your body. Rediscover your breath, boost your immune system, improve your focus and clarity, increase your vitality, let go of overwhelming thoughts and handle your feelings. You will find that your body feels healthy and full of life when you get your breath and energy back.
Here are a few energy tips that will help you reach health and vitality: To open the breath and calm the whole system:
▪ Hold thumbs with opposite hands
▪ Hold index fingers with opposite hands
▪ Fold arms across chest and hold opposite upper arms
To relieve respiratory distress, such as holding breath or coughing:
▪ Hold the right base of the rib cage with right fingers
▪ Hold right chest below clavicle with left fingers
▪ Switch and hold opposite sides
To release jaw, mouth or throat tension, such as clenching or holding breath:
▪ Cup sternum directly below clavicle with the right hand
▪ Place left fingertips in a vertical pattern below the navel
I hope that you make use of these suggestions! to get your breath back. They can really make a difference!
Sonoma Strong
And to learn even more, join me at the Sonoma Strong Healing Fair on Saturday, September 29th at the Veteran’s Building in Santa Rosa. I’ll be presenting at 11:30, offering more suggestions on how to get your breath back.
I’ll also be teaching in the Kids’ Area at 1:00 and 3:00. I look forward to seeing you there! In the meantime, wishing you ease.
April is Stress Awareness Month
Isn’t it crazy that we actually have a “National Stress Awareness Month”? Guess that shows a lot of people are dealing with some sort of stress in their worlds.
What is stress?
How do we best define it when it is so different for everyone? What can we do to reduce the effects of it so our bodies don’t go into reaction? And what can we do to actually have a sense of control so stress doesn’t seem to be running the show?
I’ll give you some historical background about how stress came to be recognized as a “condition” in our country. Then, I’ll share some easy-to-use self-help acupressure energy tips for changing how we can transform stress from a negative to positive. Transforming stress is a bit different from how Western medicine suggests we can manage it! And, when we get to that place of management, we truly are partners with our bodies.
Stress Awareness Month
It has been held every April since 1992. Sponsored by The Health Resource Network (HRN), a non-profit health education organization, Stress Awareness Month is a national, cooperative effort to:
- inform people about the dangers of stress
- successful coping strategies
- harmful misconceptions about stress that are prevalent in our society.
Medical Definition of Stress
In a medical or biological context, stress is a physical, mental or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension. Stresses can be external (from the environment, psychological, or social situations) or internal (illness or from a medical procedure). Stress can initiate the “fight or flight” response.
The state of mental or emotional strain or tension from adverse or very demanding circumstances can be so recognizable that others notice. We even hear comments like “he’s obviously under a lot of stress” and “she really needs to figure out how to manage her stress.”
Stress can cause or influence the course of many medical conditions. These include psychological conditions such as depression and anxiety. Medical problems can encompass poor healing, high blood pressure, headaches and migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, and many others. We now have “stress management” recognized as an effective treatment for many medical conditions.
To read more about stress and how the Western medical world defines it, go to
https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=20104.
Transforming Stress
Articles that include tools for self-assessment, resources, and programs, can be found on the website for The American Institute of Stress. The organization is all about awareness, education, and collaboration.
Go to https://www.stress.org/what-is-stress/.
Stress as a Project
Personally, I like to look at “stress” as a “project that can be transformed.” The term stress was coined by Hans Selye in 1936. He defined it as “the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change”. If we look at stress as “the rate of wear and tear on the body,” it makes sense that increased stress can actually accelerate the aging process.
And who wants that? I don’t know about you, but I’d rather walk around in a body that does not have major reactions to stressful situations. All of the experimental and clinical research confirms that the sense of having little or no control is always distressful, and that’s what stress is all about.
Energy Tips to Manage and Transform Stress
Here are my self-help acupressure energy tips that you can use to manage stress. They will allow you to be a partner with your own body. Because stress can take the breath away and cause us to wait with bated breath, follow along to learn how you can have full expansive breath. You’ll be way ahead of stress and its ability to affect you.
To help let go of stress, open up breath, release tension and increase vitality:
1. Hold upper arms by folding arms across the chest
2. Right hand — cup sternum directly below the collarbone
Left hand — hold fingers in a vertical pattern on your tummy
3. Right hand — hold the base of the right front ribcage
Left hand — hold fingers on the right chest below the collarbone
4. Gently cup thumbs
More than an Ounce of Prevention
The Daily Clean Your House Flow helps you stay in balance and get in front of stress. Doing the Daily Clean Your House Flow prepares your body for what you’re going to ask it to do now and for what might come at it (even major stressful traumatic events). Do the Daily Clean Your House Flow at least once a day. It will create a strong foundation for you to be able to be the best partner you can be with your body. I have been doing it daily for more than 20 years, as have many of my clients, friends, and family. This one practice is the best antidote to stress and you can do it anywhere, anytime. The more you do it, the better you will feel.
Do your part to Make Stress Awareness Month Obsolete
Share this post about the Daily Clean Your House Flow with the people you care about through your social channels, like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. You’ll be glad you did your part to lower the stress in the world.
From Stress to Success – Creating the Miracle of Abundance and Prosperity
Have you ever felt that you’re not receiving all that you want and desire and that you’re not going to be able to be all you want to be? Maybe what you’re searching for seems to be right around the corner, or perhaps it flits in and then it seems to disappear.
There is a trick to setting intentions and attaining your goals. It’s about creating a state of balance and harmony within your body by allowing your body to experience the movement of energy. When that shift is happening your body will naturally want more of the same, and it will let go of any stuck, stagnant energy that has been blocking your ability to make changes and move forward.
REMOVE THE BLOCKS THAT ARE IN YOUR WAY
A blockage of energy is just something in the way, like a traffic jam or a beaver dam. The beauty of this process is that we don’t have to break out the big equipment and get all stressed out by working too hard to make changes. We can gently break apart the blockages and allow the flow of energy to happen and do so without effort. And that flow is what creates the space to receive all that you want to gain.
DISCOVER BALANCE AND FULFILL YOUR DREAMS
That is prosperity, whether you’re searching for health, financial abundance, happy relationships, or a fulfilling career. Your goals could include letting go of self-judgment and self-sabotage, increasing productivity and having the vitality to do all you want to do. Anything is possible in this state of balance because nothing is in the way of fulfilling your dreams. For that matter, your intention could be receiving all of those! And then you are on the journey of creating miracles!
Without that vibration of balance in the body, what we want will not come towards us. The vibrations of the body must match the energy you are trying to attract. Otherwise, it just does not show up.
Another step on your journey towards abundance and prosperity is to spend time each day being in thankfulness and gratitude for all that is coming your way. In that state of being you will easily be able to continue to attract all that you want because you are in alignment.
It is easy to follow your dreams and keep those New Year’s resolutions when your energy aligns with your goals and desires. Create miracles this year! You have abundance and prosperity at your fingertips.
ENERGY TIPS TO MANIFEST ALL YOU DESIRE
Here are two super easy energy tips to help you flow freely toward prosperity without struggle or effort.
Energy movements for expansion of breath and manifesting your destiny:
- Right hand: hold on area of right kidney
- Left hand: hold on area of left kidney
- Right hand: cup sternum directly below your collarbones
- Left hand: hold fingers in a vertical pattern on your tummy
There are other “tricks” to help your journey towards abundance and prosperity be a true miracle. It can be easy, effortless and successful. Join me for my Energy of Prosperity Workshop on Wednesday, January 31st. Follow this link to get more information or to RSVP now.
Photo by Chevanon Photography from Pexels https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-with-arms-outstretched-against-blue-sky-317155/
Holidays bring Joy
Holidays Can Be Filled with Demands and Happiness
Holidays bring us joy and stress. To make sure you have joy, here is my recipe to keep you in balance.
It’s there even though many of us seem to be searching for it this year because of all the chaos that has been occurring for the last few months.
Lucky for me that I love Christmas. I could hardly wait for the Friday after Thanksgiving to decorate the house and bring in the color and lights. Maybe it’s because I grew up in Minnesota where the winter days seemed exceptionally dark! What I do know is that as soon as I start putting on the lights and meticulously placing the ornaments on the tree, I’m in the spirit. And as that transpires, my heart is open to possibilities and smiles and joy. So, as a result, I decide to spend all of Thanksgiving weekend to deck the halls and enjoy the time and the space I’m creating. And then, somehow or other, it seems like I do have time for all of the other items on my list.
Here is what helps me with all of that lifting and climbing and stretching when I’m decorating. Whether I’m placing all of my Santa Claus figures on the shelves or I’m winding the strands of lights around the tree or I’m reaching for the highest limb on the tree to get the absolute best ornament in the space I’ve chosen, I want to have my body easily cooperate and not go into a reaction. I want to make sure that my body will let me do everything that I’ve planned to do.
Daily Clean Your House Flow to Start Your Day Right = Holidays Bring Joy
First, I start the day with the Daily Clean Your House Flow!
Then, off and on during the decoration extravaganza, I do the following:
1. Right hand — cup and hold left shoulder near neck
Left hand — hold fingers at left pelvis/groin area
Left hand — move fingers to left sit bone
Switch and do the right side.
2. Right hand — cup back of neck with fingers on the left side
Left hand — hold base of spine at coccyx
Left hand — hold outside of the left knee (the anti-inflammatory point)!
Switch to do the right side
To make it even easier — watch this video!
I wish each and every one of you a magnificent and joyous holiday season!
Recovering from the Sonoma Fires
Watching and Waiting
Recovering from the Sonoma Fires
I’m one of the lucky ones
Healing and Breathing
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Here are a few of the tips:
- Hold thumbs with opposite hands
- Hold index fingers with opposite hands
- Fold arms across chest and hold opposite upper arms
- Hold right base of rib cage with right fingers
- Hold right chest below clavicle with left fingers
- Switch and hold opposite sides
- Cup sternum directly below clavicle with right hand
- Place left fingertips in a vertical pattern below the navel
Additional Energy and Recovery Tips
How you can speed up recovering from the Sonoma Fires:
- Please wear your masks when you go outside. The air quality is poor after the fire.
- Stay hydrated.
- Get electrolytes into your system (coconut water is a great source, Smart Water, as well as electrolyte powders).
- Take your EFA’s (essential fatty acids) — omegas are a natural anti-inflammatory.
- Consider taking a supplement that will help your respiratory system get clear and stay clear (the ones I like are Dr. Michael Murray’s Lung, Bronchial & Sinus Health and Clear Lungs by Ridgecrest).
- Drink Throat Coat tea.
- Get enough sleep.
Kid Scoop News – Easy To Do Acupressure
I love helping kids, parents, and families stay healthy. See my tip on how to stay healthy during the winter months in the February 2017 edition of Kid Scoop News
Ready for a vacation??
My Winter Vacation
Have you ever gone on a holiday and didn’t want to come back from your vacation? And when you did return, did you have a real hard time being back? Well, that’s my story!
I was on the beach for a whole week. I was enjoying the sun and spending lots of time snorkeling and glimpsing colorful fish. I also spent every morning watching the sunrise over the water. The new light of the day would wake me up. The sun was in the midst of creating its beautiful canvas of oranges, yellows, and reds. As each second created a new canvas, the calm water would mirror the painting. Oh my! And then the night would bring the full moon rising over the water. No wonder I didn’t want to leave!
I rested a lot. I enjoyed the beach and water. I enjoyed spending time with my family. I ate lots of great food and just felt that space of ease and relaxation.
My Takeaway
Step into the possibilities of having more vacations, no matter where they are or how long they are. Hey! I’m open to that! But until that is a done deal, I have realized that I need to fool my mind and my body and create the semblance of a vacation. Now, granted, there is nothing like leaving for a real destination. But if that isn’t in the plan, we can create restful chunks of time that revitalize the body, mind, and spirit.
Taking Your Experience of Health to the Next Level
I’ve worked with many of you, one-to-one, or in a workshop. I shared easy and effortless ways to help your body grow healthier with a few steps. Easy, self-help acupressure helps you integrate physical, mental, emotional and spirit.
I can show you how to create a vacation for yourself right here and now. As you do your energy balancing, hold each energy balance point, and “pretend” that you are there. Envision where you want to be. See the beauty, picture the experiences, hear the sounds, and smell the scents. Breathe it all in and know that you are there. Some may call it meditation or a soul journey. It is, but let go of labels and just experience the moment and see what happens.
The Power of the Daily Clean Your House Flow
I’ve created what I have just described while doing the Daily Clean Your House Flow. I do it when I awake in the morning and again in the evening. Off and on throughout the day, I’m holding a few energy points as I relive the best vacation moments. I am extending my vacation even though I’m back home! I feel like I’m right back at the beach plus I’m giving myself restful breaks during the day.
I enjoyed taking catnaps on the beach. My secret for getting back to that sense of peace and relaxation: doing the Daily Clean Your House Flow. It helps me feel rested. I sleep more deeply at nighttime too.
I’ve retained the vitality I gained from my vacation. And I’m enjoying those gorgeous sunrises as if they’re still happening.
Energy Balance Points = Mini-Vacation
Here are a few of the energy balance points that I’m holding to get those “hints of my vacation”:
- Let go of mind chatter: With right hand, cup your forehead, so your fingertips are on the left side. And with the left hand, cup the base of your skull, so the fingertips are on the right side. You will create clarity. You can contemplate the possibilities of what you are envisioning.
- Let go of old patterns: With right hand, hold your fingertips on the left elbow. And with the left hand, hold your fingertips on the base of the right ribcage. This flow is about expanding your breath and letting go of old ways and patterns.
- Build new habits: Hold the outside of your knees. These energy balance points will help you create the new pattern of openness. You will be receptive to new ideas.
- Manifest: Hold your fingertips at your mid-back at the area of the kidneys. You will connect with manifesting all you want to receive.
Let me know where your visions take YOU on your mini-vacation! Enjoy!!
Are You Getting Triggered?
Are You Getting Triggered? Are you searching for joy??
It has been a crazy roller coaster ride the last couple of weeks— for everyone. Lots of questions and emotions are jumping around inside of all of us. No matter who we wanted to win the election and how we feel about the results. Now on top of that, we have the holidays when lots of old family issues can get fired up.
You may be experiencing topsy-turvy emotions
You might be feeling:
- Anxious
- Distress
- Sadness
- Uneasiness
- Grief
- Worry
- Unhappiness
- Fear
- Frustration
- Anger
These emotions can trigger feelings of overwhelm for your body. Your body responds to feeling out of balance and ungrounded by creating symptoms.
What are your symptoms?
Have you been noticing shortness of breath, head pressure, loss of equilibrium, erratic sleep? How about increased sensitivity to others’ comments and opinions or close to tears? Or maybe you’re having indigestion, sadness, overall tiredness or just feeling on edge?
Your body is trying to get your attention!
If any of those symptoms are present, your body is trying to get your attention. It wants to be grounded, centered, and in a place of easiness. Are you ready to feel all that AND have your body bubble up with joy and happiness? It is possible even in the midst of whatever is creating your topsy-turvy roller coaster ride. The stuff that is triggering your upset may not go away, but your body can be a lot happier!
Easy Ways to Create Calm
Here are some easy self-help acupressure points to:
- Open breath
- Create calm
- Relieve anxiety
- Let go of fear
- Increase your vitality
See how easy it can be to help your body create new patterns.
- Hold upper arms by folding your arms across the chest
- Shift your fingers so you’re holding the outside edges of your shoulder blades (like giving yourself a great big hug)
- Hold your thumbs and index fingers
- With right hand, cup the sternum just below the collarboneAnd hold left fingers in a vertical pattern on your tummy
- With left hand, cup forehead so fingers are on the right side
And with right hand, cup back of head with fingers on left base of skull
Wishing you lots of ease and comfort! And a magnificent Thanksgiving!!
With gratitude for YOU being a part of my life!
Freaking Out
Is something freaking you out?
It’s the season! The trick is to find ways to get through the “freak out stage” whether the upset is a result of being in overwhelm, information that you just received and can’t wrap your brain around, feeling not listened to, or any number of other reasons.
The trick can easily become a treat. Your body doesn’t like being freaked out so it will easily make good changes when you try to correct the episode by bringing a special treat into the mix. It’s like being offered your most favorite and yummy chocolate or dessert and getting that “oh, my, I’m in heaven” result.
Instead of freaking out when an upset occurs, retrain your body. When you are in stress mode, your breath is often impacted. It becomes constricted and causes your lung and diaphragm capacity to be lessened. So it’s all about helping your body rediscover breath. Then the next step is to re-pattern your breathing, which will also create more fluid movement, even affecting mobility and flexibility. That’s where “the change has taken place” is experienced.
Treat Your Body
Here’s a super easy way (treat) to help your body let go of any unhappy experience and get back on an even keel.
- Give yourself a hug by crossing your arms and gently touching your upper arms. This will open up lung capacity.
- Move one hand to the base of your ribcage (keeping the other hand on the upper arm). This hold will help open up the diaphragm.
- Move the hand that is on the upper arm to the outside of your knee. That connects with helping ease of movement.
- Move the hand that is on the ribcage to the outside of the other knee. You’re now holding the outside of both knees. THAT is all about the re-patterning and helping your body accept the change.
Hope this helps you get through ANY “freaking out episode” you might be experiencing. Just know that it’s a moment in time and the trick is to help your body not take it on as “real.”
Wishing you a super Halloween! And hoping that the season is all about freaking out because of the haunted house, not because of an upset or stress!
Pain Relief is at Your Fingertips
Pain Relief is at Your Fingertips
I recommend doing the Daily Clean Your House Flow at least once a day. There is no such thing as too much self-help! Your body is hungry for wellness. Discover how good you can feel. Do the Daily Flow several times a day. It builds a firm foundation for good health and feeling your best.
Release Tension in Your Neck and Shoulders
Hold these energy balance points for easier movement. Release back and neck tension with this simple energy flow:
- Right hand – cup back of neck with fingers on the left side
- Left hand – hold fingers on the coccyx (base of spine)
- Left hand – hold fingers on outside of left knee
Pain Relief from Your Toes to Your Nose
A gentle touch of these trigger points assists your body release pain and discomfort.
Begin by holding one of your ankles:
Right hand – place fingers on the inside of the ankle
- Left hand – position fingers on the outside of the ankle
And
- Hold hand on area of discomfort/pain/inflammation
- With your other hand – place fingers on outside of knee
Discover how easy it is to be a partner with your body!!
I will share and show you how you can heal and stay well. See easy to learn acupressure flows for pain relief. Sign up today. learn with me at the next
Experience first hand how your energy moves in your body. Study with me at the next Level 1 Health at Your Fingertips Wellness Workshop.
- Reserve your spot soon for the best pricing.
- Three Wednesdays evenings
- 6-9pm
- October 12, 19 and 26
- In Santa Rosa, California
- RSVP Today
Learn How to Listen to Your Body
Your body is amazing. Hear the signals and signs of distress. Learn the language of your energy. You can stop the pain in its tracks.
You can be a wellness superstar.
Wishing you ease of movement. You can have fun, get things done and let go of PAIN!
Let me know what happens. Share your results in a comment on this post.