D.I.Y.

In case you have no patience to read through this, this post will eventually get to the point of touting the benefits of self-massage. Go ahead and skip to the bottom if you want.

So, I went to my family doc yesterday, for a long-overdue check-up as well as for some other questions I had.

First, you must know about our doctor. He's based in an anthroposophic community. He is an MD but also a homeopath, and we've been going to him for about 15 years. One thing I've been grateful for is his sane, relaxed viewpoint concerning vaccinations, antibiotics and overuse of medical treatment in general... so much so, that we were actually joking recently that we'd appreciate maybe a little more intervention once in a while. His most common response to what ails ya is, "Are you eating enough vegetables?"

His practice is located in a restored barn, if that gives you a better picture.

But I called anyway, even though I expected I might have to ask, beg, plead for  a round of tests to be done. (Note: yes, I will tell you that I do feel a need, at times, for some degree of western-style qualifying of symptoms. It's a fine line... one that even I'm not sure where it's drawn, but I feel more secure with both an Eastern and Western perspective. Integrative, I believe it's called.)

I was told on the phone that our doc had a new partner, a woman, and would I prefer to see her. Sure! I said, hoping that I clicked with her better than the last woman doc, the details of which I won't discuss here.

So, imagine my delight upon learning that even though she is a western-trained family physician, who worked on an Air Force base for eight years, she is currently studying Ayurveda, practices yoga and meditation and sees the wisdom in the ancient Eastern perspective of body/mind/spirit medicine.

Can I get a whoo hoo?

After a blessedly long and thorough intake process and an agreement to do some blood tests, she diagnosed my dosha imbalance - the one that predictably involves lack of groundedness and my head being in the clouds - and gave me some recommendations, such as an almond drink recipe, a breathing exercise and instructions for self-abhy.

Abhyanga is a self-massage routine that involves rubbing the entire body (gently or vigorously, depending on the imbalance) with oil... in my case, vigorous and using warmed sesame oil, as I have a tendency toward being cold.

I've talked before about the benefits of self-massage, as we have a similar practice in shiatsu, called Do-In.

As stated on the Chopra Center website:

"When stimulated through therapeutic touch or massage, the skin releases a pharmacy of healing chemicals that have health-promoting effects on the physiology. In addition to feeling good, regular massage and loving touch detoxifies the body’s tissues, increases circulation, calms the mind, and enhances immune function."

I tried it this morning, and I was indeed amazed at how warm and vibrant my body felt afterwards, even after my shower. Not to mention how thrilled I am to have a doctor that I think I can work with.

Here are the Chopra Center's instructions for self-abhy.

And here, again, is my blurb on Do-In, with a downloadable PDF.

Oh, and here is my post about my previous ayurvedic experience. Good stuff.

For the Love of the Game

So, I went off on a little tangent yesterday when writing about my sudden interest in baseball, that had less to do with the game, and more, shall we say, with the players.

But, seriously, with the help of my husband's commentary, I gained a huge appreciation for this cliché American pastime.. one could even say, I totally GOT it.

Far from what for most of my life appeared to be a hell of a boring activity to watch, it was actually filled with intrigue, strategy, tension, mind games, and the fascinating interaction of dynamic personalities in a very highly-pressurized situation.

I marveled at the rhythm of compression and activity, the yang and the yin... as the intensity would build between pitcher and batter, and then be released with a whack of the bat, exploding into activity out in the field.

Like the one-on-one of tennis or martial arts, it would all come down to two guys (or three, if you count the catcher, who also held a crucial place in this part of the dance)... and a momentary but intense interplay; a meeting and clashing of training, skills, and ego.

But then with a swing and a crack, the rest of the team, already focused and ready to come into play, would spring into action, working together seamlessly like a finely tuned machine.

Simply glorious.

As I watched, I tried to contemplate what lessons I might take away from this experience.

I imagined that there were already a great number of metaphors between baseball and life... such as the wisdom in playing the short game, instead of trying to hit it out of the park every time... blah, blah, blah.

So, I took it to a more personal and somewhat spiritual level.

It may have been a coincidence that the first game I got into was on Halloween night. There had been several twitter conversations about costume-wearing being a mode of psychological healing... the act of dressing up and temporarily but completely embodying an estranged aspect of yourself.

I walked around the neighborhood that night wearing a Phillies cap, disguised as a fan.

Funny how complete the transformation had become. Suddenly, with a piece of branded headwear, I now became identified with a certain group. And by implication, I was also in direct opposition to another group. 

Which was weird and somehow arbitrary. But also a little exhilarating.

The irony being that I've been spending a lot of time and energy on cultivating my awareness of one-ness, and now I just threw myself headlong into one of the most divisive mindsets of our modern society... beside politics and religion: I became a sports fan.

Suddenly one of my favorite twitter buds became an 'enemy'.. playfully of course, but still, there we were, hurling public insults at each other.

And as I watched the other team, because of my recently-acquired loyalty to my own, they appeared to me to be aggressive, ugly, and obviously worth defeating. Preferably shamefully.

Even though I was well aware that if they were my home team, or even playing anyone else, because of their obvious skill and fortitude, I would be totally rooting for them and celebrating all of those previously undesirable qualities.

How interesting. To now have preferences and aggression and emotional investment and hotly debated opinions and concern over outcomes and a willingness to lose sleep -- all because of a choice to identify with a group of people.

A game for the ego to revel in.

A game which I have the luxury of easily divesting myself from.

But, then, it's all a game, really.

Isn't it?

Brace Yourselves

I've been thinking about you, and about the many of you who have in come in seeking relief from those places where you hold all your tension.

I have those places too. Neck, shoulders, sometimes my stomach.

And so my question is, if we weren't holding it there, or anywhere, what might that feel like?

I'm guessing the first response would be, "Well, it'd feel great! Duh.."

But here's the thing. There's a reason why we do that. Why we tense up, clench up, brace parts of our body.

It feels safer. Yeah, I know. Weird. This has been referred to as 'body armoring', and without going into huge detail here, the term was coined by controversial psychotherapist, Wilhelm Reich, to describe conditions in the physical body where repressed childhood memories are chronically held.

Psychological trauma aside, I have also read that we tend to tense up as a means of creating a sense of stability in our bodies when faced with difficult situations. Like someone yelling at us. Or driving. Or dealing with any kind of stress, until this becomes an automatic and ingrained response and condition. It's as if in response to the external chaos we're facing, we create solidity in our bodies so as not to feel blown over or swept away.

While we can imagine experiencing tremendous relief in having those tension-holding muscles released, we may also feel strangely vulnerable and insecure. Especially if we were to be in those trigger situations again, without the response of bracing ourselves.

So, again, what might that feel like?

Maybe it's helpful to remember that our nervous systems and bodies are responding to every day situations as though they're more threatening than they are, because they remind that deeper part of our selves that feels like something life threatening. Being yelled at as a kid was scary. Seeing adults out of control was terrifying. Overstimulation and invisible monsters under the bed can still affect us as adults.

What might it be like to pay attention to the breath and the body and maintain a state of relaxation in the face of stress (provided it wasn't endangering), and fully felt the emotions that arose, no matter how uncomfortable?

Maybe it would help to remember that we're adults now. Maybe it would take some practice in bringing awareness to the situation and directing your focus in a different direction.

Like on your feet. Feeling yourself rooted in the earth. Gracefully poised and relaxed, but stable and secure.

Or on your core and center. Secure in the unshakable truth of who you Really are.

Both of these require some practice and mastery outside of stressful situations so that they can be called upon easily in times of need. And like with anything, awareness is the key. Notice when your shoulders tense up, your jaw clenches. Breathe into those places and let go.

So, now let me ask, where do you hold your peace?

Like this? You may also dig:

Under Pressure - Turtle Syndrome

How Does Your Life Feel?

Under Pressure - Grounding

The Fifth Element

3 Unrelated Lessons That Have Little To Do with Shiatsu

I'm going to start out this post by stating something highly controversial.

I love Comcast.

Well, more specifically, I love their customer service. In my 8, 9, oh, I don't remember exactly how many years since we've switched over from another unnamed phone/internet company, I haven't had one negative contact experience with them.

Aside from the high prices, as if I even have any context by which to determine that number, and a sneaky move they pulled six months ago of offering a "loyal customer discount" while at the same time adding on services we didn't ask for and raising the prices just slightly above that discount (got that taken care of just by asking)... they've been a joy to deal with.

One helpful guy, upon determining that our modem had fried, not only looked up and gave me directions to the nearest Comcast office so I could get a replacement, he called back twice (twice!) when I returned to make sure I got it up and running. After I thanked him, he shared his perspective that why shouldn't he have fun and enjoy doing his job well? What would be the point otherwise?

Indeed.

So, there are several points I'm trying to make in this post... a typical blogging no-no.

One: sincere and actually-helpful customer service is worth paying for. For me, anyway. And it usually works out nicely for everyone involved.

The second lesson was to examine the source of negative expectations.

I had a situation come up recently which warranted a call to Comcast. In spite of everything I just said above, I was hesitant to call, and expected confrontation of some sort. The only reason I can see most likely behind this was some complaining I had heard recently from other people who had dealt with them. There was no other reason to expect my call to go badly, except I let these voices get to me.

And I dread making phone calls as it is. See?

I put off dealing with them, even though my issue was time critical. And then I put it off and put it off some more. And then created a contingency plan should my call, when I finally did make it, would not go too badly.

Finally I screwed up my courage, and complained on twitter about having to call them. (See how proactive I am? My passive-aggressive self knew that if I even mentioned their name, someone would promptly respond, ready to help me. Took all of about 45 seconds. And I totally avoided 15 minutes of navigating irrelevant voice mail options...)

I explained to Comcast Twitter Guy my situation in 140 characters or less. He took my phone number, saying he'd look up my account, and then I didn't hear from him again.

Until this morning, when I got a call from Comcast saying they got my tweet, they dealt with my issue and all is now fine and dandy. What the heck was I worried about?

Which brings me to lesson three, in which I'm finding procrastination sometimes works really well for me.

Or, we can call it 'a trust in the natural flow and rhythm of the universe'. Yeah. That's it.

(What does this have to do with shiatsu? Well, not much. Except for a new tact I'll be trying out in the near future in which I not only own up to being a lazy shiatsu practitioner, but create a whole marketing angle around it.)

Heavy Metal

Or, "Why does autumn feel so sad?"

Do you get that too? I mean, fall is beautiful here in Pennsylvania. The rolling hills that burst into bright golds and reds, the slanted sunlight coming through the trees, the crisp air tinged with the smell of firesmoke.

It's gorgeous and yet... I can't help but feel a little melancholy and suddenly connected to every other autumn past.

Peter Jackson caught that feeling perfectly in "The Return of the King"... that scene where Arwen gazes upon her beloved, but dead husband, Aragorn... the dry leaves swirling around her as she disappears into the forest.

Autumn, in all its glory, and in high celebration of the last harvest, is indeed bittersweet.

Traditionally, all would come together to reap the last of the fruits of the year's labors. Partying, working, more partying... a celebration of life, but of death as well. Because after all, everyone was aware that the cold harsh killing frost was just around the corner.

What you scooped up from the earth was what you had to live on through the winter.

Those you were celebrating with would eventually part ways, in hopes of coming together again in the spring. You had to say good-bye for while. You had to let go of the hopes for the seeds you planted in spring to take root. You had to trust that what you had in store was enough to sustain you and yours for the winter.

Here's what's cool.

In Chinese Medicine, Autumn is associated with the Metal element (hence the title of the post). Metal governs the Lung and Large Intestine meridians. Metal is associated with the emotion of grief. And, psychologically, the Lung meridian is about trust, and the Large Intestine meridian is about letting go.

Autumn with its colder, drier air can be injurious to Lungs, which need to stay warm and moist in order to function optimally.

Even the dry heat that we kick on to stave off the chill makes us more prone to colds and other lung conditions when fall arrives. Grief and melancholy, which as we can see are natural to this time of year, can get stuck in the lung area in the form of coughs if we get stuck in those emotions.

See how it all comes together?

So, how to adapt to the season?

~ Keep the natural climate of the lungs and air passages warm and moist with a neti pot and humidifier.

~ Make sure the upper back and neck stay warm. It's believed that Wind and Cold enter the body at points located here which bring on colds and flu.You may have noticed how your upper back muscles tense up when you're coming down with something.

~ Stimulation of the "Bearing Support" points on the back (along the spine just off the upper insdie tips of the shoulder blades) which will stimulate your Wei Chi (immunity).

~ Lung and Large Intestine Makka Ho stretches to open the lungs

~ Incorporate the pungent taste into your diet: garlic, horseradish, wasabi... too stimulate immunity and promote digestion

And emotionally?

As I said this is a time for letting go.

We tend to want to avoid feeling sad and blue, so it's not always desirable to get into that space, but it's an optimal time to grieve if you need to, so that you can move on through the rest of the year and clear the way when Spring comes round again.

Take stock of your internal garden. Clear away the brush, compost the plans that didn't take root so you can start fresh again. Grieve what didn't get realized. Allow yourself to let it all go and trust that what you have right now is just what you need. Give thanks.

(And a note from my herbal dabblings... ground ivy tea, a "weed" that grows in abundance here in PA, does wonders when taken as a tea for relieving coughs deep in the chest manifesting as unexpressed grief...)

Curly Kale as a Metaphor

(What's a metaphor? A place to hold cows, of course... ba dum cha!)

Okay, so here is a poem by a friend of mine that was published in a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) newsletter. Having expounded on the joys of kale previously on my site, I thought it should be included here. Plus, it's just sweet. Enjoy!

What to do for Bitterness
(or Curly Kale as a Metaphor)
by Cathy Fornwalt

A woman of uncertain age
who seemed to me part crone, part sage,
laughed as I began the tale
of how I tried to sweeten kale.
She told me, "You just pour it off."
She stopped, as if she'd said enough.
I pestered her for more detail
on how to sweeten curly kale.
Do you add sugar, white or brown,
to try to dampen bitterness down?
She smiled at me, as if she knew
what I was really trying to do.
"You work with it until it's done.
You boil it three times, not just one.
Pour off the old water, put in new,
until your bitterness is through."
I stood there staring at the floor.
Is curly kale a metaphor?
Is that what some of us should do--
Just pour it off until it's through?
Or drown our bitterness with sweets?
Enough of this, let's get some eats!

Blog Action Day 2009 - Climate Change

 I'm excited to be participating in BAD again this year, though eking in my submission SO very last minute.

Given that I'm currently immersed in a course that, while deceptively about business, has really everything to do with relationship...

... my perspective is that this seems to be a question about the state of our relationship to our environment.

Ancient Asian medicine recognized that humankind is not exempt from nature. We live and die between heaven and earth, and our internal climate exists in direct relationship to and is affected by the external climate.

Optimal health was achieved by maintaining a balance between the two, and when the balance was disrupted, food, herbs and manual stimulation were applied accordingly to heal the relationship, bringing the body back into harmony.

Specifically, the variations in geographical climate: high windy mountains, salty sea air, low desert plains.. whatever it may be.. affected the populations who lived in these places, and offered upsustenance that would best nourish the bodies of those climates. For a person who lived in a damp, cool climate to eat hot, spicy foods regularly (most available in a hot country) would be inappropriate, as this would eventually throw their internal climate out of whack, and would manifest as illness.

We're spending a lot of time these days, witnessing the effects of global climate change... talking about who and what is to blame - in some cases, whether it really exists - and how to slow it down. Like most of our attempts to effect change on the larger external factors, this feels overwhelming, and for some, possibly hopeless.

And like in any other area that we hope to make change, especially relationships, we overlook shifting our focus inward. So, to pose a question, how then do we heal our relationship with the environment? How do we heal our relationship with that which sustains us, and which we rely on for our very survival?

I see our relationship, in more recent times, as though we were a small child. We've taken what the earth has provided us, without any concern of how we came by it, and always hungry for more.

We've developed technology to ensure a steady stream of food to all, going beyond basic necessity to indulging our tastes for foods that only grow hundreds or thousands of miles away, or are out of season. Not only has this served to have a huge impact on the environment, but also estranged us from the essential relationship with our only support system... in body and mind.

Healthy relationships require maturity. And awareness. Particularly self-awareness. Willingness to take responsbility for our part in the way things are. Ability to be adaptable. The question facing us is quickly becoming less of how can keep the earth in the state that we are accustomed to, and more about what changes do we have to make in order to live optimally within the environment we are moving into?

I love how this is coming together in my world. That the solutions I need to heal my own personal life, also apply to the world at large... and that the work that I do grows directly out of an age-old philosophy of regaining balance. 

Chinese medicine is about identifying the 'patterns of disharmony' afflicting a person... shiatsu addresses the imbalance of relationship between the meridians... and then, using the larger context in which the person lives, bringing them back into harmony. It's telling that many patterns of disharmony use weather-related terms in description: Heat, Damp, Cold, Wind, and even the meridians have elemental associations.

Whether climate change is man-made or part of the earth's natural cycle, one thing is sure... adaptability is the key for us.  Repositioning ourselves to be in better harmony through what we eat, how we live, how we care for our own beings will go a long way to being able to weather (haha) the changes to come. Taking responsibility for ourselves is a huge step in furthering a mature relationship, no matter who or what it is with. Our relationship with ourselves is representative of our relationship with everything, including the earth.

Where to start?

• Can you take some time to imagine your own body as a human being you are in relationship with? Like a friend? A parent? A total stranger?
• Sinking into your heart, can you imagine what the quality of that relationship is? What is their part in it? What is yours? Do you feel love? Compassion? Indifference? Impatience?Frustration? What comes up for you?
  
• What would you like the quality to be? Can you feel it?
• What would be the next steps to take that would bring you closer to truly embodying that quality?
• And now, try this using the earth as a being you are in relationship with.

Feel free to share in the comments below what your experience is.

And to see more participants in Blog Action Day, be sure to go to blogactionday.org!