June Self-Healing Tips

I have noticed in the people around me lately the fragility of the human body. We so often forget that are not indestructible, and we are not super-human. Rather, we are spiritual beings in human form, and we have a duty to honor and care for our physical bodies as vehicles through which we can continually transform.

Think about what you do in any given week. Ponder on your work load, your workout regime, your diet. Do you sit in traffic for hours every day? Do you push yourself to do things that don't feel good? Do you work 14-hour days and force yourself to go to the gym or a class afterward? Do you deny yourself proper sleep and food because you think every one does it and because you know you can survive on less food, less sleep, less downtime. This far into human evolution we are no longer here for mere survival; we are really becoming and about so much more.

Our culture fosters a mind-driven attitude of invulnerability. We are taught, told, bought and sold on always doing and being more. What this does to the body over time is that it hardens our bones, muscles, even our arterial walls. It hardens the diaphragm and we breathe more shallow breaths. It tightens the muscles and we lose fluidity and flexibility. It dries out the fluids, and we become agitated and anxious. What we all need is more softness, and more Yin. This spring we are celebrating the gentler aspect of the Wood energy - the receptive, the nourishing, the Yin.

Softening the body comes through softening the mind and its relationship to the body. The Liver is the General of the body. If the General lives on the front lines all the time, eventually it will become less and less able to carry out its true purpose. Therefore, the Liver Qi needs to be liberated in order to flow. Liver 3 is called Tai Chong, or Great Surging. It is located on top of the foot. To find it, trace a line towards the ankle from the webbing in between your big toe and the one next to it. Running up the valley between the bones, Liver 3 is just before the bones connect in the foot, in that depression.

This point is excellent to treat stress, headaches, spasms, cramps, itchy eyes, menstrual pain, insomnia, depression, dizziness, and hypochondriac fullness. Rise early in the morning and massage this point on both feet for 5 minutes before you begin your day. Do this again sometime mid-day to restore a healthy balance and flow.

Young coconuts are everywhere these days. Have you seen them at Whole Foods smiling up at you from the lower shelves of the cut fruit area? The juice inside of the young coconut is wonderful for moving Liver Qi while replenishing fluids and Yin. It is one of the best ways to replenish electrolytes and has tons of potassium and other minerals. Also called coconut water, this amazing liquid taken internally also cleanses the liver. It helps ease joint pain, clear up skin blemishes and discolorations, improves vision and eases menstrual difficulties.

The easiest way to get yourself some coconut juice is to buy a young coconut that has the green outside removed already. These are abundant at whole foods, and appear white and multifaceted. From here it is pretty easy to make a hole in the base by poking it with an apple corer or a carrot peeler. Then pour out the liquid and simply enjoy!