latest from the blog
My intention with starting this blog is to share my experiences as a holistic practitioner, educator and as a 61 year old woman. We live in a culture that sets up so many exclusions based on race, gender, size, religion and age. That’s just to name a few! I cannot change what the world feels about who I am, I can however learn to love and appreciate myself. At this age I look in the mirror and I am amazed how parts of my body have moved to places that I did not think anatomically possible. Here are a few things I have learned as I move through my sixties; there is a unique beauty that comes with each age. Every wrinkle, line, grey hair marks and maps my journey through life. A life I am proud of and grateful for having lived so far. These things are my “Gold Medals” so to speak (in an Olympic year) of a life well lived. However, I do love to look good. I will only look as good as I feel. There are many “beautiful people” out there that don’t look so good. Who we are as a human being, the thoughts and feelings we carry will be how we are seen. Be in the present and love yourself, love others, look fabulous.
It may be interesting to try a small exercise. Sit quietly, close your eyes if you like and notice your breath. Let your thoughts go and turn your attention to your senses. Focus your attention to your sense of sound and name, in your mind five sounds that you hear around you at that moment. Next focus on your sense of touch and name five things that you feel physically on or in your body. Then try and find five things you smell. If thoughts come into your mind, look at them and let them move along, turning your attention back to your senses. Finally open your eyes, look in a mirror and name five things that are beautiful about your reflection. As you see that beauty pay attention to how it feels on your body. Let the feeling land and sink in. It is really okay if you are not totally there the first time. Be aware of what you do see and how it feels even if that is not comfortable. Let that part of yourself know it is okay. Practice, be patient with yourself and I promise you will get there.
Wearing Masks
There are many feelings around the wearing of masks due to the Corona Pandemic. Although this has become a very politicized and emotionally charged subject there...
This video blog discusses how to take a holistic approach to the Corona virus. Your health and wellness was entirely your responsibility before the Corona virus, and still is! Learn how to complement the recommendations of the CBC with the principles of Classical Chinese Med...
Healing Sounds Practice
This video shows a practice of all of the Healings Sounds. The sounds can be done individually or combined as a practice. We have explored with each sound how trying to avoid specific feelings, a mov...
The Earth Element
The Earth Element is yin/yang in its most equal and balanced state. The Earth is the foundation on which we establish value-ness of our world, and thus gives the concrete sense ...
The Wood Element
The wood element is rising Yang which is the opposite of the metal element. It is the spring time and the energetic tendency is creation. The aspect of personality is called the ...
The Healing Sound for Fear and the Kidneys
Kidney and bladder are the organs associated with the water element. Winter is the season of water and the manifes...
The Healing Sound for shock and disassociation
Heart and Small intestine, Pericardium and Triple Warmer are the organs associated with the fire element. For the purpose of the healing sounds, he...
Lung and Large Intestine are the organs that are associated with the Metal Element. The manifest aspect of nature for the Metal element is space or vacuity so it is easy to understand the association of these organs whose function is taking in and eliminating. In Classical C...
The Associations of the Fire Element
Many people have asked me to post more associations of the Taoist five elements. Presently we are in the summer season which is the Fire element. In the Taoist 5 element model the fire e...
Chi Kung Movement Routine
This is the last video in this series. It shows all of the movement combined in a simple movement routine that can be done on a daily basis. It is a wonderful way to be present to what we are feeli...
Working with Neck Tension
As we move through life we occasionally encounter obstacles that prevent us from doing what we want to do. Energy rises to the eyes, throat and hands in response so we can remove or move around the...
Working with the Solar Plexus
A knotting sensation in the gut area is often associated with worry. In Chinese medicine this stuck energy can affect the spleen which is responsible for extracting energy from the fo...
Flight or Fight
When we encounter an object or situation that is frightening to us the energy descends very quickly to the legs and feet. This feeling is often described as flight or fight. The energy has descended so...
Being Present in the Body
The next pair of movements we are going to explore are for the heart and pericardium. In Chinese medicine the heart houses our Shen. We do not have an exact translation in English for the word Shen...
Working with Sadness
Feelings are an experience of the movement of energy in the body in response to an object, situation or person. An emotion is the label our minds give to that experience of moving energy, or feeling. It...
Working with Chi
Everything is energy and in Chinese medicine we hear of energy, or chi referred to as Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang does not imply an inherent and unchanging state. Rather it is a label used for energy in a specific st...
Wow, summer is here! It feels like yesterday I was writing about winter skin care and now it’s time to think of the sun. It is interesting to me that in many warm weather cultures the more sun the more clothing people wear for protectio...
What Does Beautiful Mean to You?
A couple of weeks ago I was a speaker at The International Congress of Esthetics and Spa at the Ph...
Happy spring! Those of us in Philadelphia are welcoming spring with yet another snow storm. None the less, it is still spring and I am completely ready. Winter certainly takes a toll on our skin and many clients are asking me about holistic ways to repair and ...
Happy spring! Those of us in the Philadelphia are welcoming spring with yet another snow storm. None the less, it is still spring and I am completely ready. Winter certainly takes a toll on our skin and many clients are asking me about holistic ways to repair ...
Happy spring! Those of us in the Philadelphia are welcoming spring with yet another snow storm. None the less, it is still spring and I am completely ready. Winter certainly takes a toll on our skin and many clients are asking me about holistic ways to repair and renew their ski...
Hello, I have been home all week with a case of Bronchitis and I want to share a great herbal remedy used in Tibetan medicine. Dr Phuntsog Wangmo, a wonderful Tibetan physician trained at the Tibetan Medical College in Lhasa, Tibet shared this with me some years ago. It is a gre...