November Self-Healing Tips

Invest in Loss

One of the things I’ve learned in my training at Shakti’s is that great physical, spiritual, and mental health comes from staying in the flow of life.  Stagnation leads to pain and illness.  So how do we get unstuck? – Stress, poor diet, overwork, physical injury all lead to stagnation.  In order to keep our Qi moving, we have to continually remind ourselves to let go.  We learn in Tai Qi over and over to invest in loss.  Until we understand experientially how to do this, it can be difficult – nearly impossible – counter intuitive, and unappealing.  The secret of letting go is being present, being fully in the moment – like a surfer on a wave – and being fully with whatever it is that has us stuck. 

Restoring Flow – Lung 7, Lie Que
To assist the body in the release of stagnation we turn to the Luo (or “Connecting”) vessels in Chinese medicine.  In Autumn, the Metal element rules – so this month we will look at Lung 7, Luo point of the Lung channel, the Yin aspect of Metal.  This point, as a Luo point, invigorates the flow of blood, which releases obstruction and moves old stagnant blood along the Lung channel and organ. The Lung channel traverses the line from the side of the thumb that isn’t next to the pointer finger, up the inner forearm, through the crook of the elbow, up along the bicep, all the way to the outer part of the upper rib cage right next to the shoulder.  Lung 7 is found on the thumb-side of the forearm, about 1-2 inches up from the wrist.  It is felt as a little depression in the bone, so to find it trace the radius (bone) up the arm from the wrist and your finger will sink into it. 
To invigorate the blood and activate the Luo point, rub vigorously 1 time every other day on the left Lung 7.

Sending Qi to the Interior – The Healing Energy of Olives
Olives are salty and help the energy to descend.  For this reason they are very good to eat in the Autumn to support the body’s natural energetic response to less daylight and cooler weather.  Just as the trees send their fluids to their roots in the Autumn, so we need to allow our Yang energy to move deep within so that we can consolidate our energy during the Winter.  Olives help with this and they also invigorate the blood, which we as learned above, helps restore flow.  Olive oil can be rubbed into the skin and tissues to quicken the healing of strains, bruises and sprains because of its blood moving nature. 
Try adding black or dark olives, tapenades, and extra high-quality organic olive oils to your diet for the next month.