Healing, Yoga and Qigong

The  "Healing Sounds"  practice is one of the most well-known of the thousands of forms of Taoist Qigong . We use this Qigong practice to transform "stuck" emotional energy into nourishment for the "virtues" of the five organ-system described by Chinese Medicine. In this simplified version of the practice, we transform the stuck energy of anger , frustration or jealousy, located in the liver organ-system , into the liver's virtue of loving-kindness . Here is How: Find a quiet place to practice.   Sit upright   on the front edge of a straight-backed chair, with your feet flat on the floor, directly beneath your knees. It's also fine to sit in a cross-legged position on a cushion of the floor, if this is comfortable for you. Take a couple of   deep, slow breaths . As you exhale,   smile gently , which will help to release any unnecessary tension in your face, jaw, neck or shoulders. Feel your e nergy settling into your low...

Find somewhere quiet and comfortable. Now, close your eyes, and allow your breathing to slow and deepen for a couple of minutes. Then make a picture in your mind of a hamster running around inside a metal wheel in its cage. Just like your racing thoughts, the hamster can't stop running on the spo t. Watch him for awhile and note how all this frantic running gets him nowhere. Notice that you can't even see the rungs of his wheel because he is running so quickly . Then visualize the wheel slowing to a walking pace . Slower and slower the hamster walks until the wheel stops turning round... You can see each rung of the wheel in detail now. The hamster is still inside his wheel, but he has turned over onto his back, closed his eyes, and is using the wheel as a hammock ,  rocking gently backwards and forwards , backwards and forwards. Each time an outside thought intrudes into your head, bring your atte...

 SLEEP - What it is; How do we get it?!  All of us know what sleep is and we know how it feels ; however, while much progress has been made by sleep scientists, the essential nature of sleep still remains unknown . Approximately 60 million Americans suffer each year from some form of sleep deprivation. While research continues, sleep still remains one of the body's most mysterious processes. We do know that sleep is absolutely necessary for survival. The lack of sleep for millions of people worldwide is not only a major medical concern , but a major big business. Even occasional sleeping problems can make daily life feel more stressful or cause you to be less productive . Sleep loss affects growth hormone secretion that is linked to obesity and impairs the body's ability to use insulin, which can lead to the onset of diabetes .  To help achieve a good night's sleep the more natural way, numerous tips have been cited in almost every form of advert...