JUne FP

Summer is upon us and that means vacations, spending more time outdoors, and a little more relaxation in our lives. This month, I decided to pull out some of my favorite Eden Energy Medicine (EEM) techniques to help us relax a little more and bring some extra balance to the next few months. The following exercises help to bring a sense of calm and peace into my life, and I hope you will try one or all, and see if they do the same for you.

Whenever I feel overwhelmed, the exercise Heaven Rushing In brings me back to noticing the bigger picture and gives me inspiration to move forward with more balance. Place your hands on your thighs and take a few deep breaths to ground yourself. Then on an inhale, raise your hands up and bring them together above your head. On an exhale, bring them down to a prayer position in front of your chest. On the next deep breath, open them wide to the sky above your head and stay there as long as you need to. When you are ready, bring your hands to your heart and breathe a few times knowing that all is well. Repeat this as many times as you need it.

Summer is represented by Fire in the Ancient Chinese Medicine Tradition of the Five Elements. To balance the Fire Element, an easy technique is to place one hand over the Main Neurovascular Points on your forehead above your eyebrows and put the other hand on the back of your head behind your eyebrows. This will also calm any feelings of panic.

Taking Down the Flame also helps to balance the Fire Element, calms emotions, helps to create a sense of well-being, and can also lower blood pressure if it is done regularly. Take a deep breath in and out with your hands on your thighs. On the next inhale, raise your hands on either side of your body and connect them above your head so that your fingers and thumbs meet.   Bring them down to your head, touching your thumbs to the top of your head, and exhale. Inhale and bring your thumbs to the middle of your forehead, exhale. Inhale and bring your thumbs to your heart, exhale. Inhale and bring your thumbs to your naval, exhale. On the next inhale, flatten your hands on your thighs and move them down your legs, and off your toes. Then trace your hands up the inside of your legs, finishing in the same spot you started.

Another technique that you can use to find some peace is to Calm the Triple Warmer Neurovascular Points. Place your thumb, first and middle fingers in a cluster together, called a 3-finger notch. Then put those fingers at the “V” at the bottom of your throat above your collarbone. If this feels funny, you can use a flat hand over this spot. Place the other hand on the side of your face with your fingers flat at your temples. Take some deep breaths and then switch sides.  This hold will also help to calm the Stomach Meridian which can be involved with any feelings of worry.

(Published in Front Porch Magazine- June 2018)