(Episode 75) Essential Oils for the Cold and Flu Season

October 18, 2023

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In the last episode (episode 74) we discussed how important it is to keep your Lung Qi strong, especially during Fall as well as ways to boost your immune system through lifestyle and dietary changes.

In this episode you’ll learn how to use essential oils to fortify the Lungs to keep the immune system strong for Fall and year-round, as well as how to use essential oils to support your emotional well-being.

In episode 38 we discussed five of the most powerful essential oils to boost your immune system. Some of the information we discuss in this episode will be a review of that earlier episode, but we’ll focus on strengthening the Lungs to make the Fall transition a little bit easier.

These essential oils will help you clear the Lungs, break up phlegm, and help you get rid of a cough. You can use these essential oils as a powerful protector as well as powerful treatment.

In Chinese Medicine, Wind Cold is an early stage of a cold. You may have a stuffy nose and thinner mucus. If you start to feel a postnasal drip, this is an early sign that you should use essential oils to treat the cold before it gets too serious. Cold phlegm can turn into a hot phlegm, developing into a bad respiratory condition with yellow mucus.

These essential oils, like all essential oils, are more than just helpful to the immune system, however, they are a multifaceted approach to holistic healing. You can use them to treat the physical and the emotional ailments we all face. Essential oils go directly to the brain, to the limbic system, or your emotional brain.

An imbalance in the lungs can be related to grief or sadness which can cause us to feel really stuck in our lives. You can use these types of oils to help you break these emotional patterns where you feel you are trapped. Oils help to instigate this change in a therapeutic way. It’s a good idea to keep these essential oils in your medicine cabinet at all times of the year.

The safest way to administer the essential oils is with an essential oils diffuser.

Essential Oil #1: Eucalyptus Radiata

Eucalyptus Radiata is a primary ENT oil (ears, nose, and throat). You can use this oil for both viral and bacterial conditions. It also works well for both hot and cold phlegm. You can use this oil alone or in combination with Essential Oil #2.

Essential Oil #2: Eucalyptus Citriodora

Eucalyptus Citriodora is great for wind-heat conditions, whether you have allergies, inflamed sinuses, or you are sneezing in general.

Essential Oil #3: Bay Laurel

Bay Laurel is also great to cook with; you can drop a leaf into what you’re cooking up and it will help your immune system. As an essential oil, you can use this to break-up phlegm. It will help open your sinuses.

Essential Oil #4: Sweet Marjoram

Sweet Marjoram treats hot phlegm, asthma, or wheezing. This is a relaxant and therefore it does wonders for sore or stiff muscles. This is a great oil to use in your bath. You can also use it to help ease headaches, to cool the Liver, to reduce fire in the body or to help relieve stress and hypertension. This oil is Liver Lung compatible and will help relax the diaphragm which will deepen your breath.

Essential Oil #5: Thyme Linalool

Of the different kinds of Thyme essential oils, Linalool is very gentle. You can use this oil for a cooling and relaxing effect. It is drying so you can use it to break down mucus in the body. You can also use this oil for both Wind Cold and Wind Heat. This is a great oil to use when you notice an infection start to penetrate the throat; you may have a sore throat, sinuses inflamed, or a headache.

These five essential oils can help you ease into the Fall season by protecting and helping you heal from cold or flu symptoms.

Once you’ve listened, let us know which of the oils you’d like to try in the comments below!

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Strengthen your immune system, restore your gut health, and improve joint mobility and circulation with our unique line of expertly formulated probiotics, digestive enzymes and proteolytic enzymes at www.aharabotanics.com. Use promo code HEALTHY10 for 10% off your first order!

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(Episode 74) Supporting Your Immune System During the Fall Transition

October 4, 2023

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In this episode you’ll learn about the different ways you can strengthen your immune system as we head into the Fall or Autumn season. These methods can also be applied to any seasonal change by focusing on some of the body systems, like the Lungs, Colon, Skin, Spleen and Stomach.

These tips will help with digestive issues, and can even be useful for improving weight management and restful sleep.

Hydration

Fall is a time of the Lungs and the climate is drier, which will most impact your Lungs, Large Intestine/colon and skin systems. It’s important to strengthen your Lungs and to combat dryness during this time.

During the day, Wei Qi provides a protective layer along your skin to protect you from the external environment.

If your skin is dry you can use oils to bring back hydration into the skin. You can use sesame oil, shea butter, or coconut oil. These are strong hydration techniques, so be cautious if your skin gets oily quickly, as these heavy oils can clog pores.

Too much exposure to the elements this time of year, especially with the strong winds and cold temperatures, can cause you to contract Wind Cold. The phrase “catching a cold” comes from this idea! Wind Cold can transform into Wind Heat, which is a more infectious and more serious condition.

Since Stomach fluids are a big part of Wei Qi production, hydration is essential.

The water you drink is important because most water sources are stripped of their minerals (like potassium & sodium) and electrolytes. You can make sure the water you drink have these minerals by putting them in your water yourself. You can add a pinch of Celtic sea salt.

Food and Nutrition

Wei Qi rules your immune system and is produced in the Stomach. You can make dietary changes to strengthen your Wei Qi and reduce dryness, or for some people to reduce dampness during the Fall season, and all seasonal transitions.

If you have any skin issues you’re going to want to avoid nuts, and eat more seeds instead. Almonds are great for the Lungs, it strengthens and nourishes them.

However if you need to hydrate the Lungs, eat fruits such as citruses, apples, and pears - pears are the best.

How you cook your foods is important in terms of how this affects your wellbeing.

For instance, to increase the hydrating effect of fruits for the Lungs, you can steam, poach, or even just let the fruit sit in a pot to simmer for a little while. If you bake these fruits instead, this would be more drying.

When cooking fruits, there’s no need to add sugar, but do add spices like cardamon, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. This will introduce the Earth element and it warms some of the cold nature of the fruit.

Even though this is a season of dryness, some people have a dampness problem and not a dryness problem. This could be caused by what they are eating (dairy, sugar, processed carbs) creating mucus and phlegm. Avoid these foods if you do have too much dampness.

To nourish the Earth Element during any seasonal change, eat regularly, don’t skip meals or eat haphazardly.

Intermittent fasting is best suited for those with a lot of Stomach Fire, hypertension and high blood sugar levels. If this is you, having a break from food - a period of cool down - is helpful to your health.

If you are insulin resistant and have poor digestion on the other hand, smaller meals eaten through out the day is the way to go. This is because larger meals can stress the Spleen and weaken the Qi.

You can take digestive enzymes to help break down the food, which helps prevent stagnation and accumulation of heat in the Stomach which can cause constipation. And due to the dryness this time of year, constipation can be more common.

You can order our personal line of digestive enzymes (Ahara Botanics) directly through our store.

If you’re fatigued, your lower back is aching, or you’re prone to burnout, consider eating more seeds. Pumpkin seeds specifically are high in zinc which helps the Kidneys and your immune system.

Rest & Exercise

During this time of season which is moving from Yang to Ying, your energy is shifting from being outwardly expressed to going more inward. This is a time to minimize your relationship with the external world, a time to reset.

This time of year you should be getting more rest to support your immune system.

Eating small amounts of the cooked fruit towards the end of the day can help aide your sleep because it anchors your Lung Qi.

While rest is important this time of year, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t exercise. Exercise keeps the Lungs strong. You should do cardiovascular exercise to get your heart rate up. During the Fall, this can be in the form of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts in as short as 8-10 minutes. In addition to the HIIT workouts, we recommend gentle exercises, such as Tai Chi, Qi Gong, or Yoga.

Once you’ve listened, let us know your experience in the comments below!

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

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(Episode 73) Solutions for Brain Health and Happiness with Lance Schuttler

September 20, 2023

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In this episode you’ll learn about the wonders of natural healing for mental health and physical well-being with repeat guest speaker, Lance Schuttler. If you missed Episode 60: How to Optimize Your Brain Health with Lance Schuttler, you can listen to that episode to learn even more.

Re-Introducing Lance Schuttler, Founder of Ascent Nutrition

Lance Schuttler graduated from the University of Iowa with a bachelor's degree in Health Science and is the CEO and owner of Ascent Nutrition, a unique, holistic nutrition company. He is also contributing health and wellness writer at the Epoch Times. His work also includes the topics of regenerative agriculture, resource based economies and quantum technologies. He's a facilitator and collaborator of big ideas, visions and projects that spark creative and healing solutions in our world.

Getting Empowered through Natural Healing

While we don’t discourage pharmaceutical drugs, we discuss in this podcast episode the nuances of using both pharmaceuticals and natural healing herbs and foods in combination for a more holistic journey to self-healing. This empowers you to take charge of your own health and well-being.

You’ll learn about how spices can help lift your mood, in particular we delve deep into a spice that’s commonly used in Persian cuisine, known as saffron, which comes from a flower.

If you’re curious to learn more about spices in particular, you’ll definitely want to check out Episode 4: Spice Up Your Life: Using Culinary Spices & Essential Oils to Increase Your Zest for Life to learn how spices can affect your mood.

In this episode, we go into detail on how taking Saffron, Lion’s Mane and Agarikon mushrooms can greatly heal your brain health, mental health, respiratory system, immune system, nervous system, and even boost your motivation.

You’ll hear the scientific explanation, as well as the Classical Chinese medicine perspective, and the spiritual perspective for how all this healing is possible just from taking different herbs and foods.

Once you’ve listened, let us know your experience in the comments below!

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Click here to visit Ascent Nutrition & enter the promo code NH10 at checkout to get a special discount off any of the products we mention in this episode!

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(Episode 72) Ancient Secrets for a Healthy Immune System

August 23, 2023

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In this week’s episode we discuss the Classical Chinese medicine perspective on the relationship between the Heart and Kidneys. In past episodes we’ve discussed the Water and Fire paths and the relationship between these two organ systems in terms of movement and in terms of discovering and living out your life purpose (Listen to episodes 67, 69, and 70).

In this episode we talk about this important relationship in terms of your immune health, and how a healthy immune system is in large part determined by the health of your immune system.

Stress is widely known to cause health problems but the nuances of stress levels matters. Too much stress is not good for you, but also too little stress is equally not good.

Eustress is a type of stress that leads to a positive response and can refer to any type of beneficial stress, whether physical or psychological. Eustress tends to be short-term and often feels exciting, and people perceive it as manageable and even motivating.

Major health problems arise when there is chronic stress that taxes the nervous system, debilitating the adrenals.

To contrast the effects of stress, it’s important to rectify your Qi.

To prevent chronic stress from creating chronic health issues, it’s important to practice more mindfulness as well as exercises that calm anxiety and relax the nervous system. This will help resolve your unhealed wounds, including your psychological wounds.

You’ll learn an easy and short breathing exercise that will help reduce stress in your body and mind at [9:03], as well as help you draw the energy of the Heart down into the Kidneys to deepen this communication.

Learn more why this exercise is so helpful [8:20] and practice this exercise anytime [9:03] whenever you need to rectify your Qi and to restore balance between your Heart and Kidneys.

In this way, you’ll be able to bring the Fire of the Heart into the Water of the Kidneys in order to cultivate self-love.

By bringing this love into your Heart and down to your Kidneys, you can radiate from yourself into the world and to the people around you.

Once you’ve listened, let us know your experience in the comments below!

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(Episode 71) Scalar Light Healing with Tom Paladino

August 2, 2023

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In this week’s episode we speak with Tom Paladino and take a deep dive into the relationship between the heart and the kidneys in relation to Chinese medicine and a healthy immune system

Once you’ve listened, let us know your experience in the comments below!

Resources Mentioned This Episode:

Sign up now for Dr. Setareh’s free LIVE webinar 3 Secrets to Getting Unstuck in Uncertain Times.

Experience a life of endless possibilities by downloading this free audio guide.

Gain exclusive insights and support so you can begin your journey From Surviving to Thriving. You’ll get your copy of Dr. Setareh’s new eBook FREE when you sign up.

Click here to start your free trial of Scalar Light Healing.

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(Episode 70) Unleashing Your Power

July 19, 2023

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In episode 67 you learned how you can use the Water Path to ground yourself and in episode 69 we discussed how the Fire Path can help you to lighten up. In this episode, you’ll learn how you can use the Water Path to generate energy to tap into your power and potential.

The Fire Path creates short term energy bursts, while the Water Path gives you endurance and stamina. But in order to have more energy, you have to rest.

You’ll learn a special Water Path breathing exercise to help you generate power and realize that you’re much stronger than you think [06:10].

We often think we have to exert a lot of energy to achieve our goals (Fire energy) but if we rest and use intention (Water energy) we become more powerful than we ever believed we could be.

There is unlimited potential within us, but we often don’t tap into it because we try to do it through striving instead of through cultivating ourselves. The actions we do or want to do are just as important as the intentions behind those actions.

Water Path breathing is stabilizing and is a great practice for any standing or movement activity.

It’s important to have intention around your posture because not paying attention to where your energy is going can lead to burnout.

Awareness is the first step to healing and the first step to maintain and build your energy. When you do the Water Path breathing exercise while you’re sitting or standing, you’ll not only cultivate your Qi, but you’ll also strengthen your Spleen, which is a major component of your gut health.

Improving your gut health or maintaining your gut health is essential to your mental clarity. Many of the neurotransmitters and hormones we once thought were produced in the brain are actually produced in the gut.

When you sit or stand for long periods it taxes the Spleen, as does overthinking, and all of this eventually impacts your body’s ability to produce neurotransmitters. This can cause you to feel more depressed or feel off in some way. You won’t be able to focus, and it effects your immune system. 70% of your immune cells are produced in your gut.

The other important thing to remember is hydration which is discussed in depth at the end of the episode.

Once you’ve listened, let us know your experience in the comments below!

Resources Mentioned This Episode:

Gain exclusive insights and support so you can begin your journey From Surviving to Thriving. You’ll get your copy of Dr. Setareh’s new eBook FREE when you sign up.

Sign up now for Dr. Setareh’s free LIVE webinar 3 Secrets to Getting Unstuck in Uncertain Times.

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(Episode 69) Lighten Up: How to Cultivate your Fire Energy

July 5, 2023

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The burden of stress can create tension in the body and mind. By learning how to work with the Fire Path, you can learn how to use this breathing method to relax and loosen chronic tension patterns and ease the burden of mental and emotional strain so you can lighten up. This is especially important if you struggle with anxiety and depression, and generally it’s for all during the Fire season of Summer.

While it’s important to be grounded and to practice earthing, which we discussed in Episode 67, it’s also important to have buoyancy in life, and to be able to lift your mood when life feels heavy.

You’ll learn specific exercises you can do right at home, or anywhere, to release stagnant Fire energy and bring lightness to your body, heart and mind.

Dr. Setareh and Salvador share about the power of shaking, dancing, and finding other ways to express your Fire energy, as well as a visualization exercise to open up the Fire Path in your body.

Harmonizing the Fire and Water Paths is essential and in this episode you’ll also learn which of the paths to focus on at any given time to ground yourself and lighten up.

Once you’ve listened, let us know your experience in the comments below!

Resources Mentioned This Episode:

Gain exclusive insights and support so you can begin your journey From Surviving to Thriving now. Sign up now and receive a free eBook written by Dr. Setareh

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(Episode 68) Demystifying Internal Martial Arts with Brandon Gilbert

June 28, 2023

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Click here to download a transcript of our conversation with Brandon.

This episode we welcome back previous guest speaker Brandon Gilbert (Episode 58). In the last episode, Brandon shared about medicinal mushrooms and tonic herbs, but today he’s going to share more about his personal cultivation practices, including the ancient practice of Nei Gong.

Meet Brandon Gilbert, Founder of Hyperion Herbs

Brandon Gilbert has been deeply interested in studying Eastern philosophy since the age of 14. A serial entrepreneur, he started his first business in 2006 after going deep in the alternative health field to resolve his own health issues.

Brandon felt motivated to share his views and experiences with a larger audience. He created the YouTube channel HyperionTv.com in 2009, built up a following, then founded Hyperion Herbs in 2010 to share purely potent tonic herbs and make them accessible and easily available like never before.

Brandon has taught many classes and workshops both online and in person on a wide variety of subjects, ranging from alternative health and healing modalities, herbalism, internal arts and Eastern philosophy.

In addition to running Hyperion Herbs and Hyperion TV, Brandon spends and invests many hours every day training internal arts like Qigong, Neigong, Tai Chi, Chuan and various sitting practices.

Introduction to the Internal Martial Arts

In this week’s episode you’ll learn all about the nuances between similar (often mistakenly interchangeable) terms of internal martial arts such as: Qi Gong, Nei Gong, and Tai Chi.

Many of these internal martial arts believe that our spiritual self, qi, is interconnected with the physical body, shen. If you benefit one the other can benefit, and if you degrade one, the other can degrade as well. In this episode you’ll learn how they are similar and how they greatly differ with one another.

Unfortunately, in our modern-day society it’s the norm to always be stressed, to always be in conflict, and to be overstimulated. This creates blockages in your channels, creating physical and mental ailments. If you slow down and practice these internal arts, your body and mind will heal.

Be sure to listen in to hear the warning Brandon gives about jumping head first into these practices. If you jump into these seated practices before cultivating your body health issues can arise. You also may feel spacey or ungrounded as a result.

Often times, when you work on the body, feeling more internally comfortable and at ease in your physiology, your mental problems like anxiety or depression, naturally ease. It’s like your mind is taking a sigh of relief, releasing these heavy weights of mental problems.

Minds are stubborn and it can be really challenging to change them. Instead you can use your body to change your mind. It’s very empowering when you do these mindfulness practices through the internal martial arts.

Once you’ve listened, let us know your experience in the comments below!

Resources Mentioned This Episode:

Gain exclusive insights and support so you can begin your journey From Surviving to Thriving now.

Balance your yin and yang energies to shift mental, physical, and emotional patterns that would otherwise lead to accelerated aging, illness, and disease — click here to learn how with the Microcosmic and Macrocosmic Orbit meditations.

Experience a life of endless possibilities by downloading this free audio guide.

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(Episode 67) Grounding: The Secret to Longevity

June 7, 2023

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According to the Chinese luni-solar calendar, Summer began on May 6th in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s important to cool down both physically and energetically at this, as well as if you tend to feel anxious, restless or have inflammation in general. In this episode, you’ll learn how to achieve this by doing a variety of easy daily practices.

Many people think they should exercise vigorously all year round to be healthy, however it is best to live life seasonally. As Dr. Setareh says in this episode to be healthy year round is, “to live with the rhythm of nature.”

Summer is associated with the Fire Element, which can cause us to feel more stimulated, anxious, restless, distractible, and emotional.

To ease these seasonal effects — and if you tend to generally be anxious, restless or have inflammation — it’s important to cool your body down by grounding, rather than by overexerting with vigorous exercise.

There are many ways to ground yourself. A few examples are by practicing qi gong, meditation, yoga, mindfulness, and by being in the moment and not living in the past nor future.

By focusing on the cooling aspects of these practices, you can help anchor the Fire from this season within yourself.

You’ll learn two go-to exercises Dr. Setareh and Salvador recommend for grounding in this episode!

Once you’ve listened, let us know your experience in the comments below!

Resources Mentioned This Episode:

Experience a life of endless possibilities by downloading this free audio guide.

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(Episode 43) Shadow Work as a Path to Wholeness with Sandra Ally

March 30, 2022

In this episode of The Natural Healing Podcast, we converse with Sandra Ally about illuminating the shadows to find your light and your whole self.

(Episode 42) 3 Strategies to Find Your Center in Trying Times

March 16, 2022

Once you’ve listened, let us know in the comments below — what will you do to ground and recenter yourself in these transitional times?

Getting grounded is essential during periods of global and personal transition. While people often rely on deeper cultivational practices like meditation, it can turn into a way to escape reality rather than getting centered within the body. However, there are also ways to ground the self without drifting away from reality.

In this episode, we explore three key strategies to find your center during transitional times, regardless of external circumstances.

Tip #1: Improve your Gut Health

Getting grounded is related to the Earth element in Chinese Medicine, which rules over all transitions. As the central element in the Five Element system of Chinese Medicine, it is the core of your being and the center of your health.

Your home is your Earth, the kitchen is the Earth of your home, and the digestive system is the Earth of your physical body.

Therefore, gut health is fundamental to centering yourself, achieving clarity of mind, and focusing on your life purpose.

There is a bidirectional communication between the brain and the digestive system, meaning that digestive upset can disrupt and decenter the self and impact mental health. What you eat affects how you think, and what you think affects how you digest.

In response to stress, it’s common for people to either lose their appetite or feel the urge to stress eat. In Chinese Medicine, loss of appetite during stressful times is related to Spleen deficiency. This results in weakened enzymatic activity, and those with a Spleen deficiency may have soft stools, indicating that they are not assimilating or absorbing what they’re eating.

Eating smaller meals more frequently, as well as adding protein to your diet, can help stabilize blood sugar. Furthermore, those with a Spleen deficiency should consume soft foods that are more easily digestible, such as congee, soups, and stews.

A raw food diet might be harmful to those with weakened enzymatic activity, as raw foods can be difficult to digest for those with weak Spleens. In Episode 10 of the podcast, we delve further into the reasons why smoothies and salads can actually impede weight loss and damage gut health.

For those who respond to anxiety by stress eating, the Liver creates heat in the Stomach that causes hunger to flare. A Cooling diet is recommended to balance out excess Stomach heat. Those with excess heat in the Stomach, Spleen, and Liver may experience high blood pressure, fat accumulation around the waist and hips, and high blood sugar. One way to treat this excess state is to try intermittent fasting, or fasting for longer periods of 12 to 16 hours.

Nourishing the gut microbiome is also essential, and this can be achieved by getting adequate probiotics, which build up the microbiome, as well as prebiotics, which help the microbiome accumulate in the gut. Digestive enzymes help take care of the gut microbiome, and we recommend our prebiotic/probiotic combo, Ultra Pro SFO, and our digestive enzyme, Digestion Ease, which aid and improve gut health. Both are available for purchase here, and you can read more information about them here.

Tip #2: Anchor your Qi

If you have good gut health, energy can be drawn into the lower part of the body, the domain of the Kidneys. In Chinese Medicine, the Kidneys are related to the Water element, which can control and balance out the Fire element in the body. The Water of the Kidneys cools the Fire of Heart, which flares up when you experience anxiety and insomnia.

The Pericardium is the part of the body that holds past traumas, which can create chest constructions and Liver issues. It’s important to make sure the Liver is regulating Qi properly, and the diaphragm has to be relaxed and open so that the chest can communicate with the lower body and the Kidneys.

In addition, the Water element starts to decline during menopause and andropause, which can cause an increase in Fire. This flaring results in sudden and severe states of anxiety, as well as a rush of Qi into the throat and chest. Opening up the Heart and chest by breathing deeply can anchor the chest and recenter the body.

Nourishing the Heart-Kidney connection is also important for mental and physical health. By drawing the love from the Heart lower down in the body, love can be returned to the self. If you don’t love yourself, it’s difficult to extend love to the outside world. Establishing the Heart-Kidney connection cultivates a sense of purpose, fostering your desire to live out your destiny and potential.

Your sense of purpose is located in the Water of the Kidneys. If you are unsure of your purpose, it’s important to remember that everyone has a purpose. Everyone is brought into the world at this time for a purpose, and your mission is to connect the Heart and the Kidneys so that the Heart can help you express and foster that purpose.

Our energy is mirrored by the world, whether it’s frenetic or placid. Remaining present in the moment is healing, along with simply being in your power and doing activities that you enjoy.

Tip #3: Return to the Essence of Yin & Yang

When tension is held in the body, check for freedom of movement in the Three Rings. The First Ring is around the collar (neck, shoulders, scapula), the Second Ring is around the intercostal ribs, and the Third Ring is around the pelvis.

Yoga and Qigong practices help open up these three rings, improving rotation and circulation between the Heart and Kidneys. Click here to access a Yin Yoga Integration to help you let go of stress and anxiety.

In addition, returning to the essence of Yin and Yang improves the circulation of energy throughout the entire body and its internal systems. Firstly, there is the Ren Meridian, also known as the conception vessel, which begins in the perineum and runs up the front of the body along the central channel. Secondly, there is the Du Meridian, also known as the governing vessel, which begins at the tip of the coccyx and runs up the spine through the back of the body. Touching the tongue to the roof of the mouth connects these two channels.

The Microcosmic Orbit meditation, and the more advanced Macrocosmic Orbit meditation, are Daoist meditations that improve energy circulation through both of these channels. As you practice them, your capacity to visualize will expand, your physical tension will be released, and your Third Eye will begin to open, enhancing focus, intuition, and clarity. These two audio guides are introductions to the meditations, providing a safe way to explore and integrate them into your life. They are available for purchase here.

Another way to ground the self is to lay on the earth or sit on the ground, drawing impurities out of the system through connection with the earth. One simple way to do this is to step outside wherever there’s grass or dirt, creating a direct connection.

Stones can also provide the longest lasting and deepest form of healing. One example of a stone that can help anchor the self is hematite, which can be worn as a necklace or a bracelet to help with high blood pressure and to warm up the Qi. Hematite has an affinity with the pericardium, which is the storage center for built-up negative energy. Therefore, in times of anxiety and stress, it can ground and settle your energy.

Fluorite is another stone that dissipates negative energy. It can be placed at the front of the home or inside a room, allowing the energy of the home to feel more safe and settled. It also helps calm chaotic Qi and scattered thoughts. Different colors of fluorite have different uses and target different areas. If you’re not sure which color of fluorite to use, it may be most useful to buy a multicolored fluorite. We encourage you to experiment with stones, as well as with the three tips above, as you explore and find your path toward groundedness and healing.

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The Microcosmic and Macrocosmic Orbit Meditations help to circulate energy throughout your body through the primary source channels of Yin and Yang, known as the Du and Ren Meridians, which are also the Fire and Water pathways of the body. In this way, these meditations also connect the Fire and Water energies, cultivating Heart-Kidney communication, which helps you realize and live out your life purpose. To access these meditations, click the button below:

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(Episode 6) How to Relax When It's Hard to Meditate

February 3, 2021

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

Once you’ve listened, let us know in the comments below — what are your fears and/or experiences with meditation practice?

Meditation has become one of the most popular forms of relaxation in the world. But it may not work for everyone all the time.

While there’s a lot of research to support its efficacy, in this episode we’re going to address some of the dangers of excessive meditation and one of the most common complaints we hear about the practice of meditation — what if just sitting down to meditate stirs up more anxiety than relaxation?

Ashtanga Yoga & Meditation

In his Yoga Sutras, Patanjali classifies Meditation as the seventh of the eight limbs or stages of ashtanga yoga.

The eight limbs are yama (abstinences), niyama (observances), asana (physical postures), pranayama (breath control), pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (absorption that leads to enlightenment) — in that order.

Each stage helps raise your consciousness and bring you closer to samadhi, or enlightenment.

This means that to cultivate a state of dhyana, or meditation, you must already have advanced your cultivation of the mind through abstinence, observance, withdrawal and concentration, and have cultivated your body and breath through pranayama and asana practices.

Most of us are not this advanced, which is why the practice of meditation has a greater potential to wreak a greater sense of havoc than bring on a sense of calm.

When we sit for Meditation without having worked on the other stages first, we may end up feeling scattered and anxious.

And because Meditation has developed such popularity in the West, if you don’t know ‘how to meditate’ it’s easy to feel like there’s something wrong with you. We assure you, there is nothing wrong with you!

Since we’re all wired differently, a person who naturally has a stronger Water energy will find it easier to sit quietly and practice Meditation while a Fire type person will find it creates anxiety despite inexhaustible efforts to make it otherwise.

The reason for this in part is that the mind needs to be calm and cool to sit quietly without feeling so restless.

This often demands that deeper inner work be done first, whether this is with a therapist or hypnotherapist or receiving Acupuncture treatment to clear and cool the body and mind.

Once much of this heat is cleared, it’ll be much easier to feel more settled and therefore be able to sit quietly.

In episode 2 of our podcast, Salvador shared the Waterfall Meditation, which is a wonderful practice to begin to cool and settle your mind. Click here to listen to that episode and learn the practice.

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*A Practice to Calm Your Mind

If you want to try to cultivate this cooling effect on your own, here’s what we suggest…

*You can find this guided practice starting around 13:50 of this podcast episode.

Start by practicing relaxation — let go of the idea that you need to learn how to meditate. Instead, focus on learning how to relax.

A simple way to do this is through practicing a relaxation technique called Counting Down.

This technique relaxes your mind by training you to focus on your breath.

Start by taking three deep breaths.

With your next inhale, begin to count down starting at 50. Your inhalation will be 50, exhalation will be 49, inhale 48, exhale 47, and so on.

Once you reach the number 20, you’ll begin to take an entire breath for each remaining number. In other words, rather than 20 on inhale and 19 on exhale, you’ll count 20 on your inhale and exhale, then 19 inhale and exhale, 18 inhale and exhale, and so on.

Each time you lose count, start over, beginning with an inhale at 50 then exhaling at 49 and so on.

At first, you may not make it past 45. That’s ok. Keep starting over again, and again.

Sometimes you’ll fall asleep. That’s ok too.

In order to relax, you need to first feel rested and oftentimes the thing you need more than anything is to sleep.

Over time, as you practice this technique you’ll find that in five to ten minutes you’ll be able to count all the way down to the number one. When you do, your mind will feel immensely more calm. And even if you don’t, you’ll likely notice that your mind is quieter.

So rather than focus on the trends and the stigma around people who don’t know how to meditate, start as a student of relaxation.

To meditate, you must first learn to relax, and then to concentrate. And it all begins by cooling and calming your mind with techniques like Counting Down.

Once you’ve listened, let us know in the comments below — what are your fears and/or experiences with meditation practice?

(Episode 2) New Year, New Intentions: 3 Steps to Have Your Best Year Yet

December 30, 2020

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

If you’ve already listened to the episode, scroll down to post a comment & please share it with your friends!

Every year on New Year’s Eve for the last several years, we’ve offered a popular New Year’s Eve Yoga-Qi Gong class in which we integrated writing and movement exercises to bring closure to the current year and set intentions and goals for the new year.

This year, we wanted to use our new podcast as a platform to share this experience with those of you listening at home from around the world.

2020 has created a lot of changes not the least of which has been to force many of us into deeper contemplation about our lives. And at the end of a year like this, it’s essential to not only look back and see where we’ve been, but also to look forward to new possibilities.

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We often pressure ourselves to make changes with our new year’s resolutions. But it’s important to keep in mind that since the new year in the West occurs on January 1st, right after the Winter solstice, it’s not an ideal time to create something new in your life.

Winter is the most Yin and dormant season of the year and is related to the Water element, which is associated with introspection and cultivation, and is the most important time for rest so that you can build back the energy of the Kidneys.

When the Kidney energy is strong, you’ll feel vital and have the Will, known as Zhi, to carry out your goals and dreams during the upcoming Spring season.

While wintertime is not the time to actualize your dreams, it’s an important time to clarify your intentions and, through careful examination and meditation, to glean wisdom from the experiences of your past.

It’s a great time to do the inner work necessary to cultivate the vision you have for months ahead, especially as we get into the more Yang season of Spring which has the energy to support manifestation.

Today we’re going to guide you through a writing exercise I like to call New Year, New Intentions.

You’ll want to grab your cup of tea, a notebook and pen.

EXERCISE 1: Offer Gratitude for 3 Things in Your Life

The first thing we need to do to begin anything new is to accept and give gratitude for where we are right now.

Numerous studies at universities like UC Berkeley and Harvard have demonstrated that the expression of gratitude leads to more positive emotions and experiences, improved mental and emotional health, and stronger relationships.

No matter what’s going on in your life, you can always think of a few things to be grateful for, especially if you keep it simple. Perhaps you’re grateful for the gorgeous tree you can see from your office window or the warm bed you slept in last night.

The simple act of regularly acknowledging what’s good in your life can over time make you happier, healthier and more fulfilled.

With that in mind, write down 3 things you're most grateful for/proud of from the past year.

During the time of this recording we’re in the middle of a pandemic and that 2020 was not an easy year for a lot of people, but this is exactly what makes this particular exercise so important.

Pause the audio as you take a few minutes to write those down and then come back.

EXERCISE 2: Let Go of 3 Things That No Longer Serve You

Ok, the next exercise has to do with something we all struggle with at times - and that’s the process of letting go. In order to create space for whatever it is you’re looking to cultivate in your life, you have to let go of what no longer serves you.

You can begin this process with the Waterfall Meditation led by Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac., visualizing first a pool of water accumulate at the crown of your head then flowing down your upper body into your arms and hands, then gathering into your pelvis before making its way down into your legs and feet.

Now that you’re more clear and have released a lot of the stagnation in your body through the meditation, write down 3 things that you’re willing to let go of as you begin the new year (i.e. projects, people, feelings, etc.).

Pause the audio and we’ll meet you back here in a few.

EXERCISE 3: List 3 Specific Desires

The final exercise is to write down your intentions for the new year.

Once you’ve accepted and offered gratitude for exactly where you are and let go of anything that no longer serves you, it’s time to get clear about your desires.

This next exercise is not about dwelling on what you need but rather it’s about weaving together a dream or creating a vision of what you want or desire.

To begin, write down 3 specific desires you’d like to manifest in the new year.

Be as specific as possible. You don’t want to say something like “I want a new car.” Instead, write down the specific make and model of your dream car - don’t worry about whether it’s “realistic.” The idea is to allow joy and imagination to take over.

If you have a goal you’d like to achieve, be specific about that goal and maybe even write down why you want to achieve it.

How will you feel when you have that car or achieve that goal?

And always remember that even though you’re setting goals for a new year, you don’t have to achieve them all in this new year.

Oftentimes we overwhelm ourselves thinking about all that we want to achieve in a year and get discouraged when it doesn’t all happen.

But some dreams take time (and divine timing!) to manifest.

We often overestimate what we can achieve in a year and we underestimate what we can achieve in a decade.

So be clear about your desires, allow yourself to dream a little and write it down.

The simple act of clearly writing what you want activates the energy of the Universe to start bringing those things to you.

Review

Here’s a review of the 3 writing exercises from this episode:

Write down 3 things you’re most grateful for/proud of from this past year
Write down 3 things - behaviors, habits, mindset, projects, people - you’re willing to let go of
Write down 3 specific things you desire to bring into your life

Now, we’d love to hear from you—what did you learn about yourself in doing - or even just thinking about - these exercises? Is there a goal you’d like to share and get extra support with from us and our community? Let us know in the comments below.

Please share this episode with your friends and write us a review.

And finally, we’ll leave you with this quote from Mark Twain as inspiration for the year ahead:

“20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Wishing you a healthy, abundant and magical new year!

Thank you so much for tuning in to the Natural Healing Podcast. Please share it with your friends and family, and leave us a review.

We look forward to connecting with you again next time!

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