Here are more of my favorite Eden Energy techniques that help me find a sense of peace and calm when I need it.

Calming the Triple Warmer Neurovascular Points helps us to relieve stress and worry and is a great way to find a sense of calm throughout your day. Place your thumb, first and middle fingers in a cluster together, called a 3-finger notch, and place 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. 

Connecting Heaven and Earth makes space in the body for energy to move, can help alleviate joint issues, and grounds us. Rub your hands together vigorously and shake them off. Place them on your thighs with your fingers spread and take a deep breath. On the next inhale, circle your arms out and bring them to a prayer position in front of your heart and exhale. On the next inhale, stretch one hand up and one down, stretching as far apart as you can, and hold your breath. Come back to prayer position on the exhale and repeat on the other side.  Do this twice on each side and after the last stretch, bend down as far as you can, letting your arms hang in front of you. Take two deep breaths, and then swing back and forth making sideways figure eights all the way up your body. 

Holding the Main or Frontal Neurovascular Reflex Points seems very simple, but it can have a profound effect on us when we feel stressed or worried. Simply place your hand on your forehead, being sure to cover the points above your eyebrows. I also like to place the other hand on the back of my head. Take some deep breaths and hold for as long as you would like.

Figure Eights are a hallmark of EEM. They are good to do over any part of your body that does not feel well, and they also strengthen our aura and surrounding energy field. Simply move your hands in a large figure eight pattern around your body. There is no wrong way to do this- just trace eights in a way that feels right to you.

Heaven Rushing In helps us tap into the bigger picture and bring more inspiration into 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.

(Originally published in Front Porch Magazine, December 2021)

Here are some of my favorite Eden Energy techniques that help me find a sense of peace and calm when I need it.

Blowing out the Venom is an exercise I do whenever I feel like I need to get rid of negative thoughts or frustrations, and I often do it at the end of the day to release anything I no longer need and get a good night’s sleep.  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 deliberately and let it all go.

Taking Down the Flame is another exercise that I like to do before bed and anytime I feel a need to calm down and take a little pause and regroup. 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, and exhale. Inhale and bring your thumbs to your heart, and then exhale. On the next inhale, bring your thumbs to your naval, and 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.

The Nine Hearts exercise helps bring me into a place of joy and gratitude. Start by tracing three hearts around your face starting at your forehead. Next, trace three hearts starting at the middle of your chest and down to your pubic bone. Lastly, trace three big hearts over your head and down to your thighs or even to your feet. Sometimes I keep going and trace as many hearts as I like.

The 2^nd & 4^th Chakra Hook-up helps me to center, find a sense of calm, and I often hold these two places when I am meditating. Place a flat hand over your heart area and the other hand flat across the area beneath your belly button. Take deep breaths and hold as long as you would like.

(Originally published in Front Porch Magazine, November 2021)

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.

The Grounding Thump is another quick way to get grounded and can also help balance the Stomach Meridian. Simply tap on your cheekbones while taking two to three deep breaths.

Connecting Heaven and Earth makes space in the body for energy to move, can help alleviate joint issues, and grounds us. Rub your hands together vigorously and shake them off. Place them on your thighs with your fingers spread and take a deep breath. On the next inhale, circle your arms out and bring them to a prayer position in front of your heart and exhale. On the next inhale, stretch one hand up and one down, stretching as far apart as you can, and hold your breath. Come back to prayer position on the exhale and repeat on the other side.  Do this twice on each side and after the last stretch, bend down as far as you can, letting your arms hang in front of you. Take two deep breaths, and then swing back and forth making sideways figure eights all the way up your body as you come back to a standing position.

(Originally published in Front Porch Magazine, October 2021)

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.

The Nine Hearts exercise is another technique to help activate our Radiant Circuits and help us to tap into our natural state of joy. Start by tracing three hearts around your face starting at your forehead. Next, trace three hearts starting at the middle of your chest and down to your pubic bone. Lastly, trace three big hearts over your head and down to your thighs or even to your feet. Be sure to breathe and not get too hung up on the specifics of this exercise.

Heaven Rushing In helps us tap into the bigger picture and bring more inspiration into 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 sense of peace, calm, and gratitude.

(Originally published in Front Porch Magazine, September 2021)

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.

An imbalance in cortisol can affect the pituitary and adrenal glands, and lead to blood pressure and immune system imbalances among other things. The Metabolic Breath is an exercise that can balance this hormone. Breathe in and suck in your tummy until you cannot take in anymore air. At that point take in three very quick, tiny breaths. Then exhale while still sucking in your tummy. When it feels like you cannot release any more air, breathe out three quick, tiny breaths. Another way to balance your cortisol is to press and rub points located one inch out and one inch below your belly button for about fifteen seconds.

The Belt Flow is an EEM technique that not only helps with hormone balancing, but also can help with back pain, and digestion. Reach both hands behind you as far as they can go on your back behind your belly button area. Pull your hands around to the front with a deep pressure and pull the energy off down the opposite leg. Repeat this a few times starting a little higher and a little lower on your back. Do this exercise on both sides. Completing the Daily Energy Routine (DER) regularly can not only help with your hormones but can also keep all of your energies in balance.

(Originally published in Front Porch Magazine, August 2021)

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.

Holding the Heart Meridian Source Point can balance the Heart Meridian (and the Fire Element) and help calm and center us. Simply hold or rub the point called Heart 7, which is located on the inside of your wrist in line with your pinky finger where your wrist and hand meet. Do this on both sides of the body for a few minutes on each side. (see diagram).

The 2^nd & 4^th Chakra Hook-up also helps to balance the Fire Element by working with the HT and TW Meridians. Place a flat hand over your heart area and the other hand flat across the area beneath your belly button. Do this whenever you feel disconnected with yourself and need to feel more centered.

Another way to balance the Fire of Summer is by holding the Neurovascular Reflex Points (NV) associated with this element. Hold the points above your eyebrows, called the Main NVs, along with the area on the back of your head directly behind your eyebrows. Breath into this a few times as you hold these two areas with a light touch (see diagram).            

I hope these techniques bring a little more calm to you and cool down the energetic heat that the Fire Element can often bring during this time of year.

(Originally published in Front Porch Magazine, July 2021)

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.

Harmonizing Triple Warmer as a Radiant Circuit brings the Triple Warmer Meridian into the Radiant Energy of joy. Place 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 so that your immune system can do its job. .

The Cross Crawl keeps our energy moving in a crossover pattern. When our energy becomes homolateral (does not cross over), sickness can occur. 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. Repeat on both sides a few times, and then move to an exaggerated walk as you cross over each hand to the opposite knee. If your left knee is up, your right hand should cross over to touch it. Continue this cross-over march for at least one minute. Try a few or all of these, and see which exercises resonate with you.

(Originally published in Front Porch Magazine, June 2021)

 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.

Taking Down the Flame is another EEM technique that can help us catch a good 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, and exhale. Inhale and bring your thumbs to your heart, and exhale. Inhale and bring your thumbs to your naval, and exhale. On the next inhale, flatten your hands on your thighs and move them down your legs, and off of your toes. Then trace your hands up the inside of your legs, finishing in the same spot you started.

Doing the Daily Energy Routine (DER), as well as keeping your energies balanced with other exercises can help us with a better night’s sleep and also help our overall wellness. (Check out the videos in ‘Exercises to Try).

(Originally published in Front Porch Magazine, May 2021)

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.

Both the Crown Pull and Connecting Heaven and Earth exercises are part of a Daily Energy Routine (see my website for a video). These two techniques also help open up space for energy to flow. To do the Crown Pull,  place your thumbs on your temples and your fingertips in the middle of your forehead. With pressure, stretch your forehead by moving your fingers to your temples. Repeat at your hairline and move over your head, pulling your fingers out about an inch over and down the back of your head until you reach the base of your neck. Place your fingers behind your shoulders and with a deep breath, pull your hands off. I like to add an ear pull to this exercise, as well. Simply pull out and massage your ears by moving up and down the outside of them and squeezing lightly as you pull.

Connecting Heaven and Earth starts with your hands on your thighs and a deep breath. Feel yourself connecting through your feet to the ground, and then on an inhale, circle your arms out and bring them to a prayer position in front of your heart and exhale. On the next inhale, stretch one hand up and one down, stretching as far apart as you can, and hold your breath. Come back to prayer position on the exhale and repeat on the other side.  Do this twice on each side and after the last stretch, bend down as far as you can, letting your arms hang in front of you. Take two deep breaths, and then swing back and forth making sideways figure eights all the way up your body.

(Originally published in Front Porch Magazine, April 2021)

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, check out the Homolateral crossover Exercise in ‘Exercises to try’ at the link at the top.

The Figure Eight pattern is the optimal way that energy moves. They help to create that crossover pattern  and also activate an energy system called the Radiant Circuits (your joy circuits). They are good to do over any part of your body that does not feel well, and they also strengthen our surrounding energy field. Simply move your hands in a large figure eight pattern around your body. There is no wrong way to do this, just trace eights in a way that feels right to you. You can make big eights over your whole body or small eights over parts of it. You can make eights in the air or on your skin. You can make eights between you and someone else and even visualize situations surrounded by eights.

Tracing an eight over your eyes or drawing eights on paper also activates this cross-over pattern. To trace eights around your eyes,  start at the bridge of your nose and slowly, either on your skin or a few inches out from your skin, come up and around one eye and back to the bridge of your nose and then trace a circle over your other eye. Do this as many times as you like.            

Make it a habit to do any or all of these exercises at least one time a day, if not more, and see if they help you to feel more balanced and focused.

        (Originally published in Front Porch Magazine, March 2021)