Feel your energy follow your breath

We are all made up of energy...everything is. When our energies are out of balance or stagnant we get sick or feel pain. It is within our abilities to get our energies back in balance and unblock stagnant energy. Jin Shin Jyutsu, Qi Gong, T'ai Chi &acupuncture are all physical ways that allow us to do this. The one unifying element in these practices is the breath. Our breathing habits are extremely important. Most of the day we walk around breathing shallow chest breathes. In order to send oxygen to every cell in our bodies thus keeping them healthy and making sure our bodies are not ripe for infection or disease we need to breath deep belly breathes. To do this inhale through the nose deep so that your belly rises and exhale deep either through the nose or mouth so that the belly deflates like a balloon. Keeping your hand on your belly for a minute or two while practicing this will help you to better be able to visualize the breath being taken in, used and released. This practice of being aware of the breathing is key to meditation and energy work. It is relaxing and a nice way to focus your mind and become aware of yourself in the present moment. These practices play important roles in my husband & mine lives. If you want to do something positive for yourself that is healing and self aware learn one or more of these practices. They might be new to you but people have been using them for years. I am no expert in any of them so I am not going to give histories or attempt to explain them. I trust them and know that for us they work wonders. In the past 2 1/2 years we have needed something to work wonders and we always come back to these practices. What is so nice about them is they introduce us to the idea that we posses the power and ability to heal,calm,relax and focus our minds. Where in this modern western world are we taught or told that about ourselves. Instead we are bombarded with advertisements selling us a new pill or drink. We are guilted out of control not realizing that we have it the entire time. It is an amazing feeling to be aware of that. What is so cool is that when you practice and allow yourself to believe in the practice you can feel your energy. It might be in the form of heat, tingling, a little jolt through the body, pulsing and there is no other feeling quite like that. You are feeling your energies. These aren't just terms or images that new age or eccentric people throw out there. It is you!
Finding others, a teacher, books, to help you get started is not hard. All you have to do is look. We came into our practices through a place in KC called Turning Point the Center for Hope and Healing. Turning Point is a place for people living with serious chronic illness and their supporters to come to take free classes, support groups, etc. in a supportive setting with people who get it. Turning Point has been a port in the storm for us as it has for many others. I encourage you all to try one of these practices and see how it fits now. Don't wait until life hands you a bunch of lemons to get in touch with yourself in this way. It can open your mind to amazing insights and be just what you need in hard times. It is empowering and wouldn't you rather do some gentle moves or touch and deep breathing to get you through a tough moment of hardship than taking a pill and hoping that it works fast? Now if you need certain meds for an illness I am not suggesting that you trash them for one of these practices but I am suggesting that you use these practices adjunctively. That is how we started out.
I leave you with a simple meditation breath...on the inhale say I am calm to yourself and on the exhale say I am at ease to yourself... inhale "calm" and exhale "ease" try this for 36 breathes ...If "calm" "ease" doesn't do it for you try to inhale saying I receive vital life energy and exhale with I unload so inhale "receive" exhale "unload"
Namaste!