(Episode 25) How to Manage Stress to Experience More Joy

July 21, 2021

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. & Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac.

Enrollment for the From Surviving to Thriving online course reopens for a limited time on August 1-18, 2023. Click here to join the VIP waitlist and get your FREE eBook, 3 Toxic Beliefs That Keep You Stuck in Survival Mode.

In the previous episode we discussed the perils of excessive Heart Fire, but the Heart is also associated with other powerful emotions like joy, passion, love, creativity, and altruism.

We experience these aspects of an open Heart through a calm and centered presence, which can sometimes seem unattainable or unreachable.

In this episode we discuss a powerful way to help you achieve a balanced state in your Heart, and in doing so, you’ll experience more joy.

The main stressors of life are ever-present and stress is a natural and necessary part of our livelihood. In the morning, the stress hormone cortisol helps us wake up and fuel the start of our day, although high levels of cortisol can cause anxiety and discomfort. Stress in general can trigger and enable us to accomplish and move so it is needed to a certain degree.

The question becomes how we can manage this stress so it doesn't dominate our life?

One key aspect is the Heart-Kidney relationship (discussed in a previous episode) that’s usually affected by an imbalance of stress in our lives. In order to harmonize the Heart-Kidney relationship, the in-between Wood element needs to be addressed.

Wood is a very reactive energy that needs to be tempered with harmonization of the Liver and relaxation of the nervous system.

Since the associated Liver organ of the Wood element helps with the smooth flow of Qi or energy, it essentially tempers the stress response, allowing you to settle your Heart and experience more joy.

Calming your Liver Qi changes your reactivity and allows you to cultivate peace that improves the quality of your life.

Want to learn easy ways to calm your Liver so you can bring more joy & calm to your life—even during the most turbulent times?
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(Episode 12) The True Secret to Healing

March 17, 2021

Once you’ve listened, let us know in the comments below — how is the metaphor showing up in your journey to healing?

Today we’re discussing the topic of healing — what does it really mean to heal?

In Western medicine, the focus is on symptoms whereas in Classical Chinese Medicine the focus is on so many different aspects, including diet, lifestyle and habits.

So healing goes far beyond just removing our symptoms. It’s more about a total recovery or a shift.

Anytime you experience an illness or dis-ease, it’s an opportunity to change something. Illness arises in the physical body most often during times of crisis or stress or when we’re not paying attention.

Sometimes the stressful circumstances are not in our control, so there’s no shame about not being well. But when you’re not well, it’s an opportunity to look closely at all aspects of wellness — your mind, your body, your spirit; your total health.

Western medicine focuses on the eradication of symptoms, which is especially important for crisis and emergency. But Western medicine has shortcomings when it comes to the treatment of chronic degenerative diseases like diabetes, arthritis and conditions where the body’s breaking down. Western medicine’s focus is to attack the pathology or to suppress the inflammation whereas Classical Chinese Medicine looks at where the imbalance is rooted and how to build up the body.

In order to heal you have to examine what’s happening in the body, mind and spirit.

Hippocrates was a Greek physician often recognized as the father of medicine who established the Hippocratic School of Medicine through which the practice of medicine was established in the world.

Hippocrates believed that diseases occurred through natural causes and not just because of superstition as many before him believed.

He stated: “It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know what sort of disease a person has.”

This is the foundation of healing but is often not the focus of Western medicine, which focuses on the disease state itself.

Our teacher, Dr. Jeffrey Yuen, often mentions that it’s important to look at the metaphor when you have an illness. For example, if you’re having throat problems, is there something you’re not expressing in your life?

The important thing when you’re examining the metaphor is to make sure you’re not feeling shame or guilt but rather using this new understanding to become empowered as you become aware of the patterns.

Getting diagnosed with a condition is an opportunity to awaken to how we’ve been living our life, so it’s an opportunity to change and have a better life.

In order to heal, you have to become different from the person who contracted the disease.

You have to change your behaviors, your diet, your mindset, and your lifestyle. And this is one of the main challenges with healing.

In the process of healing, it’s common to experience a healing crisis in which things get worse before they get better. This is especially common with skin issues, which can erupt during the course of treatment.

Listen to the episode to learn more about the true secret to healing, as well as examples that can help you understand the root of your dis-ease and the gifts of the process so you can unveil a healthier, more empowered state.

Once you’ve listened, let us know in the comments below — how is the metaphor showing up in your journey to healing?

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(Episode 8) Follow Your Bliss: Dr. Setareh Moafi's Journey into the Healing Arts

February 17, 2021

Once you’ve listened, let us know in the comments below — what inspired you most about Dr. Moafi’s journey?

Today Salvador Cefalu interview his wife and partner, Dr. Setareh Moafi about her journey into practicing Yoga & Classical Chinese Medicine.

We think you’ll find many surprising insights and inspiration about what’s possible for you when you take a chance to follow your bliss.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Details of Dr. Moafi’s personal story — the journey that led this first generation immigrant to the moment that changed her life forever and guided her to follow an unconventional path
How doing less and letting go of physical and emotional stress can help you achieve more
Why it’s so important to follow your heart, even when the path it’s taking you on doesn’t seem clear
What to focus on if you’re still unsure about your life purpose

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(Episode 1) A Path to Purpose: Salvador's Journey into the Healing Arts

December 19, 2020

The pandemic and accompanying challenges of 2020 have changed so much, and have forced many of us to really look at what we want and don't want in life.

One thing we've realized is that we want to find new ways to empower and inspire your journey to wellness.

That's why we've decided to start a podcast so we can start a conversation with you about natural healing.

Click below to listen to our very first episode, in which I interview Salvador about his journey into the healing arts.