Itās easy to think that weāre all at the mercy of invading microbes, but it isnāt that simple. There are so many factors that influence our bodyās capacity to defend itself against disease.
Some of the factors fall under our personal influence. And this is where our power lies.
True, I cannot completely control my environment and circumstances, although this doesnāt prevent me from doing my best. Just because I canāt achieve 100% success doesnāt mean I sit on my hands and do nothing.
My definition of empowerment is doing everything that I am able to cultivate the life I desire. If I want optimal health, Iām going to address every factor that is within my power.
While the chaos happening in the world is beyond my scope of influence, I do have a fair amount of sway over how it lands in me. I canāt escape stress entirely (although I take a good stab at minimizing it as best I can!), I am all about metabolizing it so it doesnāt leave me in a state of chronic fight or flight.
Not only is that uncomfortable given the resulting tension and anxiety, but living in survival mode drains the bodyās resources, rerouting energy that would otherwise be used to keep ourselves healthy.
Sure, there are supplements you can take to boost the immune system. If youāre forever in super-stressed-out mode, though, your digestion and assimilation is impaired and you wonāt be able to absorb them and they wonāt be particularly effective.
There are tons of ways to address chronic stress. My favorites are spending time in nature, bouncing on the rebounder, laughing, meditation, tai chi, mantra, and Reiki. These practices all soothe my nerves and help me to move the energy so it doesnāt get stuck in my system.
So before you go spending a small fortune on vitamin C and such, find a way to release the tension held in your body and cultivate an internal sense of peace and safety so your nervous system can relax.
If youād like some support, Iāve created a remote Reiki treatment exactly for this.
Itās easy to think that weāre all at the mercy of invading microbes, but it isnāt…
The school year has already begun here in Philly. And summer is definitely winding up.
While these things arenāt a surprise, many of us can use some support transitioning from one season to another to maximize wellness.
With the cooler temperatures and shortening days, our bodies are challenged to find a new equilibrium.
For those of us who are students, teachers or work for the school system, or have one of these in their lives, there can often be extra stress as new routines are implemented.
Add to that the germ factories that pop up when kids gather together, itās a common time of year for illness to thrive.
Just because a bug is going around doesnāt mean you need to catch it!
Itās the perfect time to make yourself inhospitable to all unwelcome guests, bacteria and viruses included.
Iām launching a campaign of unavailability for invading microbes by offering an immune boosting remote Reiki special.
Iāve made this is as accessible as possible so you can get a hefty dose of life-force energy and give your body a jumpstart to face whatever cooties lurk around the corner.
This is a 40 minute remote Reiki session focused specifically on your immune system for only $77. Iāve trimmed down the duration by eliminating the pre-session phone call to save you some cash. And since you neednāt go anywhere for the appointment, itās super easy to receive the healing energy with minimal effort.
There are countless ways to boost your immune system. Resting at home while at getting an infusion of stress-reducing, immune boosting Reiki might just be the simplest, most effective and most enjoyable.
The school year has already begun here in Philly. And summer is definitely winding up. While…
Holistic healing means addressing all the various parts of ourselves, including our emotions. Even the ones that are uncomfortable, unpopular and chaotic convey messages that support our overall wellbeing.
Often when I bring this up, I meet resistance, even in people who are engaged in healing work. Cue glazed eyes and impromptu change of topic.
Most of us have been conditioned to avoid expressing our feelings so we donāt make others uncomfortable and are well practiced in the arts of suppression and numbing so we need not deal with the messy nature of feelings.
As a result, the unexpressed emotions get frozen in our systems, blocking the flow of life-force energy while also lingering like a powder keg, just one errant spark away from KABOOMING.
Itās not a good system for creating a healthy, productive life or intimate relationships.
It seems to be a big secret that it doesnāt have to be this way. Maybe thatās because emotional suppression is a great cash cow for the pharmaceutical and alcohol industries?
In between stuffing it all down and erupting at the worst possible time is alternative approach, one I would describe as more mature and effective.
It takes a fair amount of compassion, courage and curiosity to turn towards our feelings, both those that are unfolding in the moment and those stored in our archives, but itās the only way to reclaim wholeness.
We arenāt whole if we reject any part of ourselves, and that includes our emotions.
Ugh. How inconvenient! Sorry, not sorry, thereās no skipping over this.
Iāll add here that feelings need to be witnessed and felt, not rationalized, analyzed, figured out or otherwise compartmentalized. This is a huge, sneaky bypass attempt. I say āattemptā because it doesnāt work- this supposed bypass just leads to a parking lot where you sit and stew in perpetuity.
Thinking about your feelings is not the same as feeling them. Believe me, I tried. For almost a decade, I thought I was doing emotional healing work by sensing and naming my feelings, but I was still avoiding the painful, messy experience of anger, grief, disappointment and fear. Guess what? Those energies remained active within me, waiting to be felt, growing impatient and more and more disruptive over time.
Letās take anger as an example. When I get angry and suppress it, it lives on within me, eating me up on the inside, leaking out sideways as passive aggressive behavior and sarcasm, or exploding outwards, causing collateral damage when the pressure exceeds my capacity for containment.
Iām sure youāll agree thatās not healthy.
Donāt think that Iām saying you shouldnāt get angry! Iām not. First of all, I canāt tell you how you should feel. Second, there are loads of reasons to be angry. Anger, rage even, is justified sometimes. Itās a sign that a boundary has been crossed and perhaps that some sort of action is needed to protect our values, if not our safety.
So if you donāt want to store anger and you canāt avoid it altogether, then you must need to hurl it back to the person or event that activated it?
Nope. Iām not saying that either. As you likely know, impulsively reacting in the heat of anger can also have harmful consequences.
Iām suggesting a more masterful, mindful approach. One you may not have even knew existed.
You can metabolize that anger in private, without involving anyone else, including the activator of that anger.
Which doesnāt mean you never need to have a conversation with a coworker or partner about crossed boundaries, but doing the inner work first gives access to our inner wisdom and power so we are more likely to remain connected with our values and be heard because we havenāt just called someone a big fat stupidhead and run off sobbing. Donāt look at me like that- you know exactly what I mean!
Reiki is tremendously helpful for doing this work. It helps me find the motivation and courage to dive in, the clarity to recognize what needs to be done, the energy to stay with it, the compassion to prevent self-condemnation or blame.
If youāre looking for some support with metabolizing your emotions, I have a few different suggestions to offer. It depends on how much you want to participate.
If you are willing to witness and allow feelings to emerge and be felt, Reiki sessions can help. This is a long-term project, especially if youāve been accumulating painful emotions for an entire lifetime, but it is doable with a commitment to showing up on a consistent basis.
You could take a Reiki class and learn to give yourself daily treatments as your primary strategy or as a supplement to receiving sessions from a professional. This is more affordable, as youāll be doing a significant part of the work yourself.
If youāre stuck and floundering, it might help to have a Reiki+Coaching session, where I can shine some light into the shadows where youāve stored the dark stuff. This will only work if youāre willing to witness whatās there, donāt project your anger onto me and truly want some help getting started addressing your issues.
If youāre wanting to go on pretending that your emotions are not wreaking havoc from the sidelines, I recommend never getting a Reiki session. Reiki is always working in your highest good and is not going to allow you to continue storing toxic waste in your psyche and body. There are plenty of ways to avoid your feelings- you only need to watch TV for ten minutes to see one of them displayed.
If you want to rebel against the repressed/suppressed status quo and activate the full flow of life-force available to you, I do hope youāll join me in one way or another and let Reiki do itās magic on your behalf.
Holistic healing means addressing all the various parts of ourselves, including our emotions. Even the ones…
Just yesterday I was thinking about getting a class on the calendar. Today someone emailed me to ask when the next class starts. For someone who operates on intuition, it doesnāt get much clearer than that!
A fire was lit and the next class has been scheduled. Everything fell together so easily.
Iāve decided to make this a 5 class series as students always want more time to practice and I donāt like to rush.
So if youāre interested in learning how to access spiritually guided life-force energy (AKA Reiki) for healing body and mind, heart and soul, this is the starting point.
Weāll meet on 5 Thursday evenings, 5:30-7:30 at my studio, in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philly.
September 4, 11, 18, 25 & October 2.
Iām offering a $25 discount off of the $400 price through Sunday 8/10. Use the code EARLY-BIRD at checkout.
If you want to read more about the class, hereās where to find all the details.
Just yesterday I was thinking about getting a class on the calendar. Today someone emailed me…
In the past week, Iāve seen 3 clients who are recovering from car accidents and the resulting injuries. Whiplash, neck pain, brain fog and headaches often go hand in hand to create suffering that ranges from uncomfortable and annoying to downright debilitating.
While Iāve worked with whiplash and co. quite a lot over the years, this clustering of clients makes me take notice. I suspect there are more people out there who can benefit from what I have to say.
The body has an innate ability to heal from acute injuries such as this. Yet, this particular group of maladies can linger indefinitely despite getting immediate and ongoing medical attention.
I believe itās because of the damage to the emotional body and strong feelings of being unsafe in the car or near cars, and how the body tenses up reflexively, attempting to protect from potential harm.
Alas, this protection only adds to the suffering, causing the muscles in the neck and shoulders to lock up, putting pressure on nerves and diminishing blood flow to and from the head. Which is quite problematic as Iām sure you can see.
Treating the muscles can provide relief until the next seeming āthreatā causes the overactive defense system to tense, activating the whole cascade of physiological responses.
Chiropractic adjustments tend not to hold because the muscles keep pulling the bones out of alignment, sometimes coming into contact with nerves and triggering a pain-tension-more pain cycle.
Until a sense of safety is reestablished on a somatic level, the loop tends to continue and suffering lingers. By āsomaticā, I mean a felt sense of safety. Feeling safe and not just thinking about it.
While our sympathetic nervous system responses are great in times of crisis, they can get stuck in emergency mode, pulling the fire alarm when there is no fire, just a small puff of smoke from the toaster.
We need to speak directly to the body and that requires a compassionate presence, gentle touch, patience and a slow, steady pace. I approach whiplash clients the same way I would a feral cat. Cautiously, with no sudden moves and a soothing voice.
Reiki is a brilliant remedy for this conundrum as it both activates the bodyās relaxation response (the antidote to overprotective fire alarms) and floods the system with healing life-force energy.
It encourages the muscles to relax, not because they are pummeled into submission, but because when the body feels safe, there is no cause for undue tension. This allows blood flow to normalize, proper oxygenation of the brain and removal of cellular waste from the head and neck.
Itās a way of working with our biology and instinctive responses rather than trying to override them. The former can succeed with consistency, while the latter is doomed to fail.
Once the hyper-vigilance and pain start to diminish, we can then work on the fear that is so common when clients get back in a car or walk along a busy street and deactivate the startle reflex.
One of the most significant benefits of Reiki is that it can be administered remotely, so the recipient need not drive to a session if they are unwell, unwilling or without wheels.
If youāve been suffering from whiplash and its unpleasant effects, I hope this information is helpful for you. There are numerous ways to work on releasing trauma from the nervous system, but Reiki is the one I know to be both safe and effective regardless of the severity of injuries and the other treatments and medications taken.
I think yoga nidra would also be helpful if youāre looking for a DIY approach. You can find many guided sessions on the free app Insight Timer.
In the past week, Iāve seen 3 clients who are recovering from car accidents and the…
Weāre reaching that part of summer when Iām just over it. My resilience for heat and humidity has dwindled and Iām ready for falling leaves and pumpkins. Instead, we have winds that feel rather like standing in front of my blow dryer. š
Every morning I go out onto the porch for a sunrise meditation. Lately I feel like Iām entering a swamp when I step outside. At 6am!
Looking on the bright side, thereās no need to hit the sauna. Getting in the sweltering car a few times every day must have some sort of detox effect, right? And going into most stores has got to have benefits similar to a cold plunge, what with the 30 degree temperature differential.
I joke that I now have a 10am curfew. I donāt love being hermetically sealed inside for so much of the day, so I try to get out to the woods early. Itās a few degrees cooler by the creek.
I took a little video to remind me of this little oasis. May it offer you some relief and a touch of natureās medicine. Imagine yourself being there in person, drinking in the fresh air and cool breeze.
Adapting my routine and bright-side-thinking can only take me so far, though. Letās be realistic, mint tea and coconut water are refreshing, but they arenāt miracle workers.
Eventually my inner rebel emerges.
āYou canāt make me stay inside!ā
(It might help to explain that I give my internal voices a descriptive character name and speak of them as separate beings. Itās just a tool for understanding the workings of my mind. It ends up sounding like thereās a full cast in my head. Because there often is! Can you relate?)
Please note, this rebel is the same character who said, āYou canāt make me go outside!ā when summer began. š
Sheās just contrary. But the thing about rebelling isā¦ thatās not really freedom. When youāre just doing the opposite, breaking the rules, rocking the boat just to be different, youāre still controlled by the status quo.
Last year about this time, she came out and insisted we absolutely could go for a hike in the 95 degree weather. The hike itself was fine, but afterwards, a whopper of a headache erupted. The end result could hardly to be described as āfreedomā.
What I did today was mediate a negotiation. Ignoring, suppressing or overriding the rebel generally fails. At best, itās energy consuming and not much fun.
Same goes for the inner overprotective mother. Sheās the one whoād prefer I remained at a consistent 72 degrees year round. Bah!
So I called upon the inner stern auntie, a role I have perfected in real life with my niece and nephews. Iām fair, but not a softie with them, and this wise, compassionate, mature part of me is best qualified for overseeing arguments between children as well as different aspects of myself.
Rule #1: Everyone has a chance to say their piece.
The rebel wants to go out and itās past our š 10am curfew. Helicopter mom says no, itās too hot.
Rule #2: We donāt rule things out just because they didnāt work in the past. Instead, we workshop ideas to improve them and plan accordingly.
Iāll spare you the details, but I sorted through options of when and where to go, what to bring, what I could do before and after in order to get a proper walk in the woods without ending up dehydrated and decrepit.
In this way of relating, everyone wins. The parent figure gets to keep us safe, the rebel gets to go out and experience some freedom, the auntie gets to play peacekeeper.
This approach works for all sorts of inner incompatibility. When I find myself resistant to doing the thing I promised myself I would or wouldnāt do, torn between two choices or completely clueless about how to proceed, I invite all the characters to a round table session and discuss how to meet everyoneās needs.
This engenders trust in myself and reduces future resistance and outbursts.
I learned this ages ago as an energetic practice of aligning head, heart and gut. Getting thoughts, emotions and instincts all onboard for decisions and actions. Since then, Iāve drawn on the IFS (Internal Family Systems) model. āNo Bad Partsā by Dick Schwartz is a good entry point if youād like to learn more.
The reason Iām using such a minor issue to demonstrate this technique is because I think itās important to begin with the easy stuff. Jumping in to the deep end can backfire and cause emotional distress and a rift in self trust.
Iām happy to report that Iām back from the woods, showered, hydrated and feeling ready to meet the rest of the day. Iāve learned something about myself and am more likely to be self-compassionate moving forward as a result.
Whatever your day brings, whatever season you find yourself in, whatever inner turmoil might be brewing, I wish you harmony and peace. I hope these words can help you cultivate it.
Cultivating peace and harmony internally is essential to cultivating holistic health. Hit subscribe and stay connected for more tips and tricks to enjoy optimal wellness.
Weāre reaching that part of summer when Iām just over it. My resilience for heat and…
A new client just left my office. After the session was over, she proclaimed, āThat was crazy!ā
Iām always delighted to hear what people have to say about their time on the table. Everyone uses unique words to describe their healing experiences.
āI was floating on waves of peace.ā Mmhmm, that sounds nice!
A lot of people drop into a deep place, not quite awake, not quite asleep. I suspect they are going into delta or theta brainwave grooves, but have no way of measuring. I just know that itās an altered state that opens the gate for profound healing to happen.
I remember a time when I received a treatment from a friend. Iād been in her space dozens of times before, but on this particular day when the session ended and she left the room, I thought to myself, how did the door get over there?! Iād been so deeply immersed in the spiritual realm that the 3D space seemed off.
Some people see colors or hear music. Everybody is different. Most people just feel a warmth or a sense of calm and relaxation that eclipses their ordinary reality.
I wonder if this is how weād feel most of the time if we lived lives more closely connected to our natural rhythms.
I guess Iāll never know, but itās my goal to help people go there, into their deepest selves, as best I can. Itās like having a two week tropical vacation condensed into an hour- with no sunburn or hangover!
Want to surf the waves of peace? Get yourself some Reiki! And if youāre in the Philly area, go for the combo and try my Reiki-massage combo.
A new client just left my office. After the session was over, she proclaimed, āThat was…
I know it might sound weird, but one of the things Iām most grateful for is the back pain I experienced in my younger years.
Yes, thatās right. Iām expressing gratitude for pain.
Why?
It created a seismic shift in my trajectory.
I seriously doubt I would have learned about yoga, the body-mind connection, food as medicine, bodywork, or Reiki.
I definitely wouldnāt be writing this article, maybe not even writing at all. I wouldnāt have my own business helping others. I wouldnāt even have met most of my dearest friends. š
I cannot fathom my life without these treasures. The tools I collected to relieve pain became the backbone of my very world.
I became an empowered, embodied, mindful woman who takes responsibility for creating a healthy lifestyle that supports optimal well-being. I have come to understand that healing is multifaceted, unique, and unfolds over time.
I cannot fathom who Iād be without the journey Iāve taken. Like the Japanese tradition of repairing broken pottery with gold, I myself am improved and strengthened by the trials and tribulations Iāve experienced.
And for having experienced these trials and tribulations, Iāve learned to open to greater joys as well.
Of course, this understanding took time to develop. Hindsight is indeed 20/20. I didnāt feel this way through much of my life.
Which has me wondering, which of the seeming problems in my life/health/world today are actually blessings, only I donāt yet know it?
I know it might sound weird, but one of the things Iām most grateful for is…
For the past few days, Iāve experienced an intermittent burning sensation on the sole of my right foot.
#$%
I had the great displeasure of living with plantar fasciitis about 12 years ago and Iām not keen to revisit those days. I immediately took action with the intention of tending to body, mind, emotions, spirit, and energy system.
What does that look like? A holistic approach is about recognizing all aspects of ourselves and investigating what is out of balance. I want to address all factors that could be contributing to the imbalance, not just pushing away discomfort at any cost.
Therefore, I did not take Advil or any anti-inflammatory meds. I donāt want to suppress the pain; I want to treat it. At its source. Inflammation is a message of an underlying problem. Squashing it is like shooting the messenger.
Same for ice. I might consider it if the pain was intense, but Iām not there now.
I didnāt try to stretch it out. The connective tissue is irritated, it doesnāt need me trying to force it to lengthen. Not did I go at it with a tennis ball or other massage tool.
I noticed that a low-grade freak out kicked. Thatās an uncomfortable state of being and such a contrast to the inner peace that Iāve cultivated that the shift was obvious immediately.
I checked in- whatās going on? Fear. Fear of pain, immobility, and my life being disrupted.
I let my emotions have some space rather than trying to shut them down. I imagined myself on a mountain top, surrounded by the infinite sky and let out the energetic equivalent of a banshee wail. I live in an apartment, so I turned the volume of my voice way down to not disturb the neighbors but turned intensity all the way up. Quiet anguish. Great for discharging energy without alarming others.
Then I got busy tending to my nervous system. This was pure fight or flight mode. My body was itching to DO something, to GO somewhere, to tackle this head on. While thatās perfectly understandable, we canāt access intuition or cognition in this state. Rather than just doing anything, going anywhere, tackling whatever, I figured it was better to have a plan.
Normally I use my rebounder and some vigorous movement to release this activation, but that wasnāt feasible given my desire to protect my foot. Instead, I did some vigorous breathing, extending my exhales while shaking my arms wildly.
When calm descended, I began to strategize.
I pulled up on my mental screen everything I know about inflammation. Stress and cortisol are great contributors, and I was already addressing this. Gut health factors in, so I considered how I could plan meals around healing foods like bone broth, sauerkraut, and ginger.
I applied a salve Iād made from essential oils, as well as arnica gel. (Best to buy these things at a health food store to assure quality and the absence of chemicals. I like to be able to pronounce all the ingredients of products I slather on my skin.) Aromatherapy oils help to stimulate the bodyās healing abilities- which is very different from suppressing symptoms.
I reviewed what I know about the fascia system and how it connects from sole to calf to hamstring and spent some time using a foam roller on my calves, hoping to create some slack that would provide ease for my feet.
Iām not exactly an expert on fascia, despite having a good working knowledge. I turned to Foundation Training, an app I use to relieve pain, build strength and balance, and improve posture. There I found some basic exercises for the feet and integrating the rear fascial chain.
All the while I kept a compassionate eye on my emotions. They were very active. Thoughts like ā I should know better. I should have been able to avoid this. How bad will it get? How long will it last? Will I become homeless, live under a bridge, and get eaten by cats? OK, that last one is an exaggeration, but you know how the catastrophising can go!
I welcomed all the thoughts and feelings (vs. suppressing which only pushes problems into the future) and paid attention with curiosity and compassion. I was also careful not to let it snowball into a pity party. Basically, I took the role as the wise, loving grandmother, listening to all the childrenās worries and then taking charge of the situation.
I looked at several metaphysical connections to the feet- dragging the feet, standing on oneās own two feet, sure-footedness, slowing down, etc. to see if any resonated and if there was some work that needed to be done in the realm of limiting beliefs.
I viewed my feet through the chakra lens, as part of the root system and my connection to the earth. I made plans to get to the park soon to put my bare feet on the grass to help ground my energy.
I considered my shoes and whether or not I needed more support or more freedom for my toes.
Perhaps most importantly, I saturated both feet (they work together as a team, and whenever one is affected, it can easily spread to the other via compensation or defensive mechanisms) with Reiki.
In addition to infusing my soles with life-force energy, this began the healing of any energetic, emotional, psychological or even spiritual contributions. Plus itās easy, so I can do it without much effort. Itās portable, so I can practice out in the world, with or without shoes, with or without touching my feet. If you ran into me in public, you wouldnāt even know I was engaged in a powerful healing modality while we chatted over tea.
Essentially, Iām looking for anything that could be contributing to the imbalance and everything I can do to promote healing. It might seem like a lot of effort, but knowing how miserable PF can be and how it usually takes months to abate, I think itās worth the effort.
My friend and I had plans to go for a hike this morning. I debated canceling our outing, but my desire to be out in nature and spend time with someone important to me won out. I slowed down my pace and was more mindful of where/how I placed my feet. Iām delighted to report that I didnāt feel even a hint of that burning while we walked or in the several hours since then.
See how the leaves are in the process of changing color!
So, there you have it! Probably more than you ever wanted to know about addressing plantar fasciitis holistically. If you have any tips or tricks that helped you, Iād love to hear them. The conventional treatment is woefully inadequate and thereās no need for anyone to suffer needlessly if there are any natural remedies that can help.
Luminous Heart Reiki & Massage 