I seem to write about the concept of grounding in this space often and for good reason. I believe that getting and staying grounded is one of the most important things that you can do to help maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Staying grounded helps us to weather life’s challenges while staying ‘rooted’ and steady. In the book, “Earthing,” it is also mentioned that grounding the body can reduce inflammation, chronic pain, and stress while improving energy, healing, and sleep patterns. Other studies have shown that maintaining your grounding can improve your circulation and help the nervous system function properly.

As I have mentioned in past columns, we can ground by reconnecting with Mother Nature. Just sitting or being in nature helps us to ground. Walking barefoot in the grass or sand or putting our back against a tree can help us to ground even deeper. Eden Energy  Medicine also offers some other techniques that can help maintain that connection if done on a regular basis.

The Hook-up connects two meridians (energy pathways in the body) which are like our “energetic spine” to help us to ground. The hook-up also helps Radiant Energy (the energy of joy and vitality) flow and helps connect the mind and body. Simply place one middle finger in your belly button and the other one on your forehead between your eyes. Push in, pull up, and breathe a few times.

The Quickie Grounder does exactly what its name says. Do a Hook-Up as described above and take a few breaths. Next, place your hands on your waist with your thumbs in the front and hands in the back. Slide them down your legs with pressure and then squeeze the sides of your feet. Take two breaths while holding the sides of your feet and then trace up the inside of your feet and legs.

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Though I have written about an energy system called the Radiant Circuits a few times before, I cannot bring them up too many times, especially in this day and age. The Radiant Circuit energy system consists of  energy pathways in the body that help us to experience strength, vitality, and exhilaration. When we strengthen this system, we ignite joy, gratitude, and love, and working with them on a regular basis can help create new habits that keep us in a healthy and happy place.

There are many ways to activate these energies that were first described thousands of years ago in Traditional Chinese Medicine texts. Being in gratitude, smiling, laughing, walking in nature, or listening to music naturally activates them, but there are also some Eden Energy Medicine exercises that can help as well.

A great first step in activating the Radiant Circuits is to do a combination of exercises called the Blow Out, Zip Up, and Hook Up. To begin, bring your arms to either side of your body and make fists, imagining that all your frustrations and negative feelings are in your hands. On an inhale, bring your arms above your head, and on an exhale, bring them down quickly and open your fists, either using the “shhh” sound or the name of what is upsetting you. Repeat three times and on the last movement, bring your hands down slowly and deliberately and let it all go. To Zip Up, place both hands over your pubic bone, and trace straight up the center of the front of your body to your bottom lip. Then, imagine a lock and key, and lock the meridian you just traced (Central Meridian) at your bottom lip. For the last exercise in the combination, The Hook Up, place one finger in your belly button and the other between your eyebrows on the bridge of your nose, push in and pull both points up, and take a few deep breaths.

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Keeping our hormones healthy is an essential part of having overall good health. We have over 250 different hormones that are responsible for regulating growth and metabolism along with governing many other processes within our bodies. Our health can be affected when they are out of balance, but we can thrive when our hormones are in balance. The following are a few ways to keep our hormones on top of their game using Eden Energy Medicine (EEM) techniques.

The Hormone Hookup can help to balance some of the glands that play an important role in hormone production and regulation: the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. Place the palm of one hand on your forehead while bringing the middle finger of that hand to the top of your head. Create what is called a ‘three-finger-notch’ by placing the tips of your thumb, first and second fingers together and place that notch on the back of your head behind your eyebrows. Take some slow, deep breaths, and hopefully you will feel a little calmer and a little more balanced.

Adrenaline and cortisol play an important role in how we handle stress. An imbalance in our adrenal glands can lead to depression, exhaustion, and a harder time coping with our daily lives. Buzzing or pressing on the adrenal points, located one inch above and one inch out from the naval, for about fifteen seconds can help these glands. Do this on the front of the body, and on the corresponding areas on the back of the body regularly. You can also work with a meridian (energy pathways in the body) called Triple Warmer to help calm your adrenals. One way to do this is to place your thumbs on your temples with your fingers on your forehead. Hold these points lightly and take some deep breaths.

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There is no doubt that summer is upon us, and according to the Five Element or Rhythm concept in Traditional Chinese Medicine, we are in what is called the Fire Element right now. Many integrative modalities, such as Acupuncture, Qigong, and Eden Energy Medicine (EEM), embrace the Five Element tradition to balance the energy systems of the body in order to achieve good health and wellness.

There are four meridians (energy pathways in the body) associated with the Fire Element: Heart (HT), Pericardium, Triple Warmer (TW), and Small Intestine. When we work with points associated with these meridians or perform EEM exercises that calm them, we can balance the Fire Element, and feel more inspired, playful, and joyful in what we do.

Taking Down the Flame not only helps to balance the Fire Element, but it also calms emotions, helps to create a sense of well-being, and can help to 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, and on an exhale, touch your thumbs to the top of your head. Inhale and on an exhale, bring your thumbs to the middle of your forehead. Inhale and on the exhale, bring your thumbs to your heart area. Inhale and on the next exhale, bring your thumbs to your naval and flatten your hands. Inhale, and on the next exhale, bring them to their original position on your thighs. Finally, on the next exhale, move your hands down your legs, and off your toes. Then trace your hands up the inside of your legs, and finish with your hands over your heart. If you want to add even more balance to this exercise, you can exhale each time with the “Haaaa” sound.

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As we see the light at the end of this pandemic tunnel, we still need to take good care of ourselves in order to stay healthy. One way to do that is to pump up our immune system with Eden Energy Medicine (EEM) techniques. EEM combines aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine with other modalities to balance the energies of the body so that you can achieve wellness and good health. The following are just a few of the many EEM exercises that you can use to help your immune system run in an optimal way.

The Thymus and Spleen Thumps are part of the EEM Daily Energy Routine (video is available on my website) which by itself can do wonders for your immune system and health. These two thumps help to metabolize anything that threatens your health and help to protect you during stressful times by pumping up your immune system. Simply tap on the points with your fingers or your knuckles. The Thymus point is located at the center of your sternum, and the Spleen points are on both sides of your body on each side of your ribcage at the base of your ribs.

Balancing the Spleen and Triple Warmer Meridians (energy pathways in the body) can also be extremely helpful in keeping the immune system balanced. The Triple Warmer/Spleen Hug will help those systems maintain balance and give your immune system a boost. Place your right hand on the left side of the rib cage, and the left hand on the other arm with the pinky finger at the tip of the elbow. Wrap your hand around the elbow and breath. Switch sides after a few breaths.

Working with the Source Point of Spleen can help balance both the organ itself and the Meridian, and also help our immune system. Rub or press on the point on your foot near your bunion area that is noted in the diagram. Work this point on both feet. You can also place your hand around your foot and squeeze the sides of it, being sure to cover this point.

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            If  you are like me, sleep has been a little more difficult to come by lately. In fact, I recently read about a new word related to sleep issues that many of us are having these days: coronasomnia. I am sure you know the normal advice to help with sleeping better: cut back on caffeine, have a bedtime routine, or use supplements like melatonin or magnesium among other things, but there are also some Eden Energy Medicine (EEM) techniques that can help. EEM combines aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine with other natural modalities to balance the energies of the body so that you can achieve wellness and health.

            Hooking Up some of the various acupressure points in the body can balance many of the energy systems in our body, therefore helping us meet the sandman earlier than later. One way to do this is to place one middle finger in your belly button and the other one on your forehead between your eyes. Push in, pull up, and breathe a few times. Another type of ‘hook-up’ involves placing a flat hand on your forehead and the other flat hand on or a little above your bellybutton. Connecting these two areas settles the adrenals down and calms you. One more way to ‘hook-up’ your energies for a better night’s sleep is to make a three-finger-cluster with your thumb, second, and third fingers together and place it on the indentation at the bottom of the front of your neck (right above your collarbone). Place your other hand flat on your belly.  Use all of these techniques, or whichever ones feel right to you.

            Clearing stagnate energy from our face can also help us to not hit the snooze button so many times in the morning. Start at the bridge of your nose and rub out to your cheekbones and then to your ears in small circular motions. I also like to rub over and behind my ears. With those same small circular motions, move across your forehead and out to your temples, as well as along the hairline to break up any other tension left from the day.

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One energy principle that Donna Eden teaches through Eden Energy Medicine (EEM) is that energy needs space to move. You may have heard of the practice of Feng Shui, which aims to harmonize us with our environment by changing the space we live in. One major part of this practice is to make space for new energy by clearing out old energy in the form of things. Our bodies are no different. In order for energy to move it needs space, but because of the stress that we may experience in our daily lives, we often become tighter and more restricted. Holding onto that old energy can lead to physical and emotional imbalances. Fortunately, some EEM techniques can help us make space so that our energy flows more smoothly. 

The Blow Out helps to release emotional toxins and can help you let go of built up anger and frustration. To begin, bring your arms to either side of your body and make fists, imagining that all your frustrations and negative feelings are in your hands. On an inhale, bring your arms above your head, and on an exhale, bring them down quickly and open your fists, using the “shhh” sound. Repeat three times and on the last movement, bring your hands down slowly and let it all go.

Energy tends to get stuck on our hands and feet. Opening the hand and foot gaits helps to clear this energy. Simply massage deeply between the bones of the feet and hands and rub and stretch the palms and bottom of your feet. Finish by pulling the energy off of your feet, as well as each of your fingers.

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When I meet clients for the first time or teach an Eden Energy Medicine (EEM) class, I often begin by sharing some of the Principles of Energy Medicine that Donna Eden teaches. Every exercise or technique in EEM is based on these principles, and this month I am focusing on the principle of cross-over patterns.

Energy wants to cross over, and it likes to do so in small and large figure 8 patterns. These crossovers are found everywhere, from the pattern of our DNA to the communication systems between the left and right sides of our brain, and the stronger these cross-over and figure eight patterns are, the healthier we are.

When your energies are not crossing over, we can feel tired, unfocused, depressed, or simply not have much energy or motivation. We can also be more vulnerable to illness. Creating a habit in the body of crossover energies can help us to feel more energetic, enhance our coordination, balance left and right brain communication, and clear our thinking so we are more focused.

We often will create that cross over energy without even realizing it by crossing our legs or arms, or even doodling on paper, but there are also some EEM exercises that can help us to create even more crossover patterns.

To perform the Crossover Shoulder Pull and Cross Crawl, start with a shoulder pull by placing your right hand on your left shoulder. With a little pressure, push in and drag your hand across your body to the opposite hip. After repeating on both sides a few times, move to an exaggerated walk as you cross over each hand to the opposite knee. Continue this cross-over march a few more times to cement the pattern. If this exercise leaves you tired instead of feeling more energetic, visit my website for another way to encourage cross-over patterns.        

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As 2021 begins, one way to start the year off right is to adopt some new habits that can keep us healthy and resilient throughout the year. Eden Energy Medicine (EEM) is one natural way to do that. EEM works with simple techniques and exercises to balance the energies of the body for maximum health and wellbeing. This month’s topic is about the Wind Points and how to balance them using EEM techniques.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), “The Five Winds” or “The Five Devils” are outside forces, or raw energies, that can enter our body through something called the Wind Points. Just as a house may have cracks in windows or doors where the wind or cold can enter, our body has similar places where these forces can cause disruption in our energies and can ultimately be one of the reasons we develop illness.

Depending on the types of external energies or “Disruptive Forces” that enter through our Wind Points, we can experience a variety of symptoms including sudden chills, colds, fever, the flu, joint pain, and stomach aches and pains. We can also develop fatigue, mood swings, sudden anxiety or depression, and skin eruptions among other things. Our goal is to maintain them and keep them strong and resilient so that these energies do not have a place to enter the body.

There are ways that an EEM Practitioner can test the body to find any weaknesses in these Wind Points, but there is also a way for you to work with them yourself. You can simply hold or rub the area on the skin over the locations, and even better, trace figure eights on the skin over the points described below (some are also noted in the diagram). You can imagine that you are sealing them up as you work with each area, and you may notice that it feels pretty good to work with them.

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There is no denying that we all are feeling some added stress these days, but hopefully we are also finding some ways to calm ourselves and relieve any anxiety that pops up. I find ways to cope using a few Eden Energy Medicine (EEM) techniques and thought that this would be a good month to share some of my favorite EEM techniques that help me to find a sense of calm in my life.

Taking Down the Flame is an exercise that can help ground us, relieve stress and anxiety, and is great to do before bed for a better night’s sleep. 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.

Heaven Rushing In helps us to tap into the bigger picture of the moment and find a sense of gratitude in our lives. Place your hands on your thighs and take a few deep breaths to ground yourself. Then on an inhale, raise your hands to your sides and over your head, touching your hands above it. 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 feeling a loving, peaceful energy in your heart area and throughout your entire body.

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