one of the many of my favorite green things

Dandelion Greens are making a comeback! These super-nutritious leaves are one of my favorites and local chefs are catching on.

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Calm amidst the Chaos

Where do I begin! I generally touch on time-for-oneself around the Winter holiday season when we are pulled in all directions – family gatherings, hosting and attending parties, thinking of gifts, finding those gifts, in addition to the regular daily routine. We are all feeling the additional stresses in this time of economic and social change, so it feels aptly appropriate to discuss me-time at present. I am reaching out in different directions and feel on the precipice of change. I am constantly mentally aware of all signs and opportunities, bringing into focus anything in the periphery, turning these over in my brain for their meaning to my current state. Really? This means my energy is all on the surface and I am really not present at all.

I recently asked for a sign and received a dream of a tornado. In reality I have only witnessed three tornadoes. Directly in its path, one hopped over the house; one gained momentum through a field of crops as I rode along side on a motorcycle; and the other raged in the opposite direction in the distance. In the past, dream tornadoes elicited fear in me, either the funnel passed in front of me or I woke before it approached. This time, wider than my vision, it whirled toward the building. I calmly though quickly sought shelter but was turned away, I clung to the steel stair in the hallway as I was pulled into the funnel, eyes shut, aware of the tension in my arms, only to observe as the dream ended I now clung to the wing of a jet safely landing on the tarmac.

A tornado is considered "the finger of God", so I think He personally provided me with the sign. Unfortunately I wanted clear direction when I requested a sign, but I only asked for the sign not the clarity. Tornado, a combination of wind and water, can be likened to a combination of change and emotion. Yes, I am experiencing that! Feng shui – a technique of harmonizing external/environmental qi – translates to wind and water. So I need to change my environment, but does this mean finding the new apartment I am in pursuit of, a new position, or take a jet to a new location. I don't know! All dreams are a service to our health and wholeness, provide opportunities for self-knowledge and evolution. All I know is I need to chill out because this is chaotic.

Now comes the me-time. Studies show that even a few minutes to relax and unwind can decrease stress and increase productivity. I have plenty of time on my hands, but it is busied with simultaneously walking down all the avenues unlike the ordered path of a tornado! So here is what I have to do and what we all should do. First catch the chaos before it is out of control. Prevention is key. Just like any mode of transportation needs tune-ups, so do we. I am well aware that calming the mind, giving the autonomic nervous system a break, mindfully exercising the body will provide clarity or at least a little added insight. Once I stop the energetic and mental chatter, I will 1. Learn more from that dream, 2. Gain clarity for my direction, 3. Boldly move with the change.

Taking some time each day to focus on your needs allows you to:

• Have the energy you need to continue caring for everyone and everything else in your life
  
• Become a healthy role model to those around you.
  
• Experience less stress
  

If you are committed and have the time, take a yoga class or practice daily meditation. Don't sabotage yourself if you don't have the time; just follow these easy suggestions that only take minutes of your day.

• Start your day with a morning walk.  10 minutes up and down the street will do. This is NOT the hurried dash to the train but a calm walk.
  
• Close your eyes and take 5 deep breaths. This takes about 1 minute. If
  you are having a particularly stressful day, set your alarm for the top of each hour and breath in renewed energy and exhale the old .
  
  
• Take a lunch time stretch break.  First TAKE a lunch break! Reaching your arms up over your head or a few neck rolls are a good place to start.  1 to 2 minutes.
  
• End your day quietly snuggled up with loved ones, reading a good book, listening to soft music or indulging in a warm bath. Do this one as long as you like. Keep the TV off as long as possible, it depletes energy.
  
• Practice gratitude by taking some time to be thankful for the new day you've been given and for the people around you to love and care for. Gratitude helps keep life in perspective. Do this one for a lifetime.
  

Allowing yourself these minutes of me-time will lessen the effects of stress, and calm will emerge.

© 2009 Lisa Reichert

 

 

Spring

Seasonal changes affect everyone on some level. Our responses to the shift, thanks to being an individual, can be varied, subtle or frustrating. Some of us know the seasons are shifting by our allergies and others by a change in sleep patterns or changes in energy or moods.

Wood is the element associated with spring. We are the reflection of nature, we are emerging from winter's hibernation, the seed's vital energy is awakening, and will soon emerge from the ground. With that emergence comes a renewal of energy which sometimes sputters and spurts as it starts or surges or becomes a little unruly. The energy of the Liver is part of the Wood element and controls the free flow of energy throughout the body. That irregularity of movement of energy at this season's start is due in part to the strength and awakening of the Liver energy.

I see Spring coming a little earlier than most. At the start of February, my flower bulbs have fully emerged into new growth and while walking throughout the densest areas of the city I see robins, rabbits, and other creatures that should hiding away. I feel like I am usually a few weeks ahead of the shift. This year I was annoyingly restless between one and three am, wide awake between three and five in the morning, and ready to crash again just as the clock turned to 5:01 am. Some people are unluckier and are wide awake until 3 or 4 am or later. Clients have been coming in with sleep issues for a few weeks, annual exacerbation of shoulder pain, and a few are just starting to arrive with sinus aggravation.

It is at these times that I figure the Liver needs a little love and support. It is time for castor oil packs. If you don't think you have time for this, you are wrong. If you are surfing the web, losing time on facebook, or watching tv, you could be doing that with a castor oil pack. I suggest avoiding using castor oil packs while pregnant, breastfeeding or during menstruation. If none of those applies to you go out and buy some castor oil and tea towels. Ideally "they" would like you to use undyed wool or cotton flannel, but I just use old white tshirts or tea towels. I run hot water over the cloth, wring it out, apply a thin layer of oil to one side and slap it over the Liver region - the right upper abdomen and rib cage. You can place a large piece of plastic wrap on the towel to insulate it and protect your clothes from the oil and dampness. "They" also suggest soaking the cloth in castor oil and keeping the cloth warm with a hot water bottle. You can improvise. You can reuse the pack multiple times. Store covered in the refrigerator.

I also use herbs and essential oils in conjunction with the castor oil packs and will concoct a combination that will also support the Liver energy.

Essential Oils

Spearmint or Peppermint – to vent heat

Fennel, Lime, Spikenard – to mildly detox

Juniper, Lemon, Oregano – to tonify and calm

Geranium or Rose – to quell mood shifts

Herbs

Herbal recommendations from a consultation with a practitioner are ideal, but the most accessible mildest supporting herbs are dandelion leaf, milk thistle, turmeric.

You could just drink a packaged herbal tea – Everyday Detox tea or dandelion tea. You want to avoid any detox or weight loss tea that contains rhubarb or da huang if you don't have issues with constipation. Reduce the caffeine and alcohol, and increase the water, green veggies, and green tea. Increase cardio to assist the consistency in energy flow. Just a short walk through your neighborhood will help or a yoga class.

Happy Shifting into Spring!

Response to Anxiety

Anxiety is a combination of fear and worry. Our central nervous system mobilizes us to respond to danger by setting in motion a complex sequence of biochemical and physiological events. The sympathetic fight-or-flight response should trigger action, but many times we experience the sweating, racing heart, and acute awareness and possibly other physical symptoms yet remain still. Remaining still without action can deeply affect the body's overall function. The adaptive side of worry allows us to take preventative action to perceived or anticipated danger. Some types of fear and certain amounts of worry are healthy. Persistent and escalating sensations with no actual threat are the maladaptive side of worry. And this can have physical and emotional effects.

• Impaired judgment
  
• Increased irritability
  
• Reduced overall function
  
• Depressed immune system
  
• Heart disease
  
• GI disorders
  
• Fatigue
  
• Muscle tension and pain
  

Scientists find a genetic predisposition in some individuals and environmental conditioning in others. From the perspective of Chinese Medicine we have a host of ways anxiety can manifest and how the person will respond based on their particular pattern of energetic imbalance. A Kidney yin imbalance anxiety will manifest differently than a Liver Yang imbalance and the way to adapt the imbalance is also different. Since that will be too lengthy to discuss, I will stick to some general information on coping with anxiety.

First, rule out any medical condition with your primary care physician.

If an anxiety disorder deeply affects the physical body, medications (even for the short term) to reduce the sympathetic stress on organs coupled with a multidisciplinary approach to quell and understand the emotional imbalance and triggers is highly beneficial.

Notice the people who surround you. Individuals who thrive on drama and chaos will trigger a sensitive central nervous system. Distance yourself from either the person or situation and surround yourself with grounded individuals. The Dalai Lama emphasized cultivating compassion and deepening connection with others while maintaining boundaries. His cognitive intervention to overcome anxiety and worry is to replace them with well-reasoned positive thoughts and attitudes. No easy task!

We experience anxiety and fears - fears of suffering or consequences of our negative actions - that bring us closer to being a "good person" and to our right path. Most of the fears we experience are projections of our own feelings onto someone else, a mental projection, and our creative mind manifesting childish fears. Genuine fears of violence are not generally part of our daily lives.

Even the Dalai Lama is prone to performance anxiety. In the book The Art of Happiness, he was asked why he accepts to teach if it elicits anxiety in him. Proper motivation to be of service or to be of some benefit to those attending is the antidote to reduce fear and anxiety. Ego-motivation or showing off knowledge will benefit no one.

I, personally, don't feel the anxiety until just hours before speaking; I acknowledge to the audience that I am anxious or nervous and encourage dialogue both of which breaks the ice and takes the edge off the presentation.

When asked about fear of appearing foolish, a failure or incompetent the Dalai Lama came back to the same response sincere intent, compassion and being of the best service. If you did not succeed and had pure intent then the situation was beyond your best abilities and there is no regret. Also, knowing that even the Dalai Lama will reply "I don't know" to a question is comforting. If the motivation is ego-driven or to cheat someone, you will be nervous if you fail and unhappy if you succeed.

So the Dalai Lama's two remedies

Constant rumination and worry: If there is a solution to the problem, there is no need to worry. If there is no solution, there is no sense in worrying either.

Either it will work out or it is out of your control.

Broad-spectrum remedy: Transform the underlying motivation

Stand back and make sure that your mean no harm and that your motivation is sincere can help reduce anxiety in daily situations.

Two techniques that have helped me when I am anxious or just a bit off, I learned from Aleya Dao.

One technique that helps reduce my low level worries, fears and anxieties is to unplug and reconnect. Let me explain. We reach out energetically on a horizontal plane to those around us (our social field), bring your energy vertical off the horizontal plane, and focus on an internal vertical axis of your energy (spiritual axis). I see it as a column of light and energy that flows through the spinal column from the top of your head to your sacrum. Then I imagine a plug in the socket of an electric outlet, I remove the plug from the electric outlet of mass consciousness where we pick up the sensations and stresses of those around us. I insert the plug into a different electric outlet of enlightened consciousness and the sensations reduce. Enlightened consciousness brings us our resources. Nature and the universe are the enlightened realms – the whales, the dolphins, the magnetic of the earth and the electricity of the atmosphere. See the column of light on the vertical access extending beyond your crown and sacrum to the atmosphere and the earth's core. Stay connected on the vertical, focused on that enlightened consciousness outlet until the calm returns.

Also to reduce the level of stress hormones circulating throughout your body at those anxious times, you can say "I choose to believe that everything will work out". Actively acknowledge, own and accept your current state of lack or unease; don't hold on to a negative outcome; and truly believe that all will work out as it should.

Another technique when I can't make a decision or others are on my mind is to imagine a tiny sphere just a few inches above my head. It should be self-contained, not reaching itself out to anyone or anything on a horizontal plane. Sometimes others and ourselves project out and perceive reality from someone else. I get in organizing mode and bring all my points of perceiving reality back onto myself and energetically give back those that aren't mine. I don't know whose perceptions are on my sphere, I just visualize it going back. Like with paddleballs , the elastic that attaches the paddle to the ball pulls it back to its source. That is theirs and this is mine.

I've learned other techniques from Aleya but work with these and the ideas of the Dalai Lama for now and find your calm.