Healing Touch in Alaska

I had the great pleasure of traveling to Alaska recently. I don't think there's anything as wonderful as seeing wildlife in their natural habitat and Alaska certainly has plenty of wilderness areas where one can view wildlife acting naturally. One of my very special moments was standing on the bow of the ship early in the morning watching humpback whales breech. There were no sounds to detract from the sound of the whales surfacing, taking a breath and plunging into the depths for food. Seeing this on a PBS special is one thing but when you are right there with the whales, watching and waiting, it's a unique experience.

One of our exploration leaders remarked that whales "breathe consciously." The moment they are on top of the water you can hear them blowing out and taking a breath. They use that breath to dive deep, feed and often stay down for up to ten minutes. In reflecting on this I wondered how often I breath consciously. I do it often when swimming . . .knowing that when my right arm goes up to pull my body further in the water I take a breath. If I don't breathe then, it throws my rhythm off completely. Since I swim for pleasure it's OK to mess around and learn how far I can go without that breath. But more importantly, I ask myself if I am breathing consciously at various times during the day. If I get hyperactive for one reason or another I know that to calm myself down I need to take a big deep breath into my abdomen and let it out very slowly. During a Tai Chi class the master teacher always started with proper breathing. That goes for yoga stretches too. But what has stayed with me from that Tai Chi class is a method of breathing that added another dimension to just taking deep breaths. . .

Although the master teacher didn't call it "contemplating your navel" his method reminded me of just that. When you bring the breath in and the abdomen expands, the extra dimension is consciously thinking of the abdomen contracting. So you have this expansion and contraction (in your mind) going on simultaneously. It's a relatively simple technique but oh so powerful. All other thoughts fall away and if they come back into your mind you just resume this "conscious breathing" once again. I've used this technique when I feel anxious or uncomfortable. For example, as soon as I get on an airplane and get settled in I will
begin this breathing technique. Instead of focusing on the chaos around me, I go inside myself. This not only quells the anxiety but changes the entire dynamic of flying. I don't focus on the bumps, the bells, chimes or constant engine sounds anymore. And although I may be uncomfortable for awhile if I am unable to stretch my legs or arms out the way I like to do so, I am in control of my thoughts, my emotions and my breathing.

I am so glad to learn that humpback whales and humans have something very unique in common.

Detox Ends!!

Hi Again,
Today is Day 21, the last day of our 21 day cleanse and I feel wonderful! I have had so much energy, fit into clothes that were once a memory and my mind feels so clear. I'm sure my hypothalamus is thanking me although my tummy is probably wondering where all the exotic : ) foods are coming from. Actually, the "exotic" foods are none other than. . .you guessed it... vegetables. . .some that I haven't had in awhile such as eggplant and cabbage (plain) and some of the regulars that I love: beets, celery, carrots, arugula, spinach, asparagus, lentils, onions, mushrooms and many more. Things that I've been warned to stay away from are: milk ( I do have an allergy to milk so no prob), wheat (that means bread, baby) and last but not least and certainly foods we all avoid (yeah right): simple sugars. The doc said we must read labels and make sure that we're not consuming foods with chemicals. That makes sense so I'm making sure to bring my reading glasses to the grocery with me. I've discovered two different types of pasta I really love: brown rice pasta and quinoa pasta (keen wah). And when I make pasta it's not a huge plateful like before. . .it's a side dish with vegetables as the main course. We do eat chicken and fish but in moderation.

What does this have to do with healing touch? Healing Touch is a heart centered therapy that manipulates the energy field around the body. It removes congestion from the field so that the body's natural healing mechanisms can work to heal it. So if I'm doing a good job providing Healing Touch to myself ( and others) should I not control what I'm putting into my body so that the food I eat works in harmony with Healing Touch? Of course!!! The better the food, the less inflamation will occurs in the body and the healthier they and I will be. Also just think how svelte those fat cells are now without the extra fat on them.
So I encourage all of you who are so motivated to do a yearly cleanse to go ahead and just do it! But make sure you have supervision from your doctor or a dietition who can offer you his or her wealth of expertise in nutrition. Find yourself a doctor who does a yearly cleanse so that they know what you're about to embark upon. I called the dietition several times and her help was invaluable. Go forward all pioneers!