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

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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From Surviving to Thriving (FSTT) is a 6-week online program designed to increase focus, clarity and calm so you can thrive — even in the most challenging and turbulent times. You’ll learn tools and practices rooted in the ancient wisdom of Classical Chinese Medicine, Yoga and Daoism integrated with modern, cutting-edge research in biology, psychology and neuroscience.

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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 15) How Resistance to Change Can Cause Illness: 3 Ways to Temper Wind & Protect Your Health

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

Once you’ve listened, let us know in the comments below — where are you resisting change that could be creating Wind in your life?

The only constant in life is change and yet change is something we all at times resist, however inadvertently. In Chinese Medicine, this resistance is said to create Wind in our life. More broadly, Wind sets the foundation for what is referred to as the “100 Diseases” or the root of most health problems. 

Before delving into the pathogenic factors of Wind, it’s important to define Wind. How is Wind defined from the Chinese Medicine perspective? In nature we observe wind shake trees and rattle leaves. In the same way, Wind causes disruption in our body—leading to tremors, shaking and dizziness, among other things. Associated with Spring and the Wood element organ of Liver, Wind disruption often takes form as nerve irritability. 

Wind related symptoms become more apparent during important changes in our lives. It’s the resistance we experience to the change as we become uncomfortable or uneasy. 

Seasonal change from the very Yin state of Winter to the active Yang season of Spring also introduces discomfort if we don’t adjust well to the shift in seasons. 

Since Spring naturally brings a lot of Wind, we also witness some common health problems during this time. As a Yang and active phenomenon, Wind can cause allergies, itching and dryness. Other conditions like sciatica and pinched nerves are also common problems associated with Wind. Extreme state of Wind can exhibit paralysis or even stroke.

 Because disruptions caused by Wind are so widespread, it’s crucial to temper and remedy Wind.

3 tips to Help Temper Wind & Protect Yourself from Dis-ease

1. Become more aware of your circumstances and how you’re handling life situations. Are you resisting or becoming frustrated in your life? These are important questions to ask in order to increase your awareness. This awareness can help you let go of the urge to control every aspect of your life and become more accepting of experiences with simplicity so as not to allow mental, physical or emotional discomfort. 

2. Temper and manage your emotions in order to avoid extreme aggression. Dietary changes like avoiding coffee, alcohol and other stimulants can help cool down your nervous system as well. 

3. Manage stress. If there are aspects of your life that are causing great stress, learn to deal with them if they’re within your control—such as leaving a stressful job or relationship. For stressful situations out of your control, gather and look for tools to help you feel at ease. This is especially important to control your cortisol level as too much cortisol in the system can lead to development of Wind symptoms that can disrupt your health.

   Acupuncture is also a great tool that’s beneficial in inducing a calming effect on the mind and the nervous system. To learn more about acupuncture, click here.

Once you’ve listened, let us know in the comments below — where are you resisting change that could be creating Wind in your life?

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(Episode 5) Volcanoes & Stone Medicine for Transformation: Insights from the Big Island of Hawaii

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

Seeing the glow coming out of the center of the Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island was certainly the highlight of our recent trip to the Big Island of Hawaii.

As we sat listening to the waves crashing and the birds chirping outside of our condo, we were inspired to share the insights we gained from our time with the volcano and invite you to be a part of our experience.

Evening glow of the Kilauea Volcano just weeks after its December 21, 2020 eruption.

In this episode, we discuss the Fire element of Chinese Medicine as it relates to the Kilauea Volcano and its recent activity as the ultimate expression of Fire in nature.

In Chinese Medicine, Fire as an element has a lot to do with transformation so it's no wonder that this lava forms at the core of the Earth and then comes to the surface to create transformation. It actually is able to create land.

Fire is not only the element that creates transformation, but it’s also the element that relates to unconditional love and to self love. The Heart is related to the Fire element and opening your heart is what allows you to experience these forms of love.

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The importance of that in terms of healing is that when you're able to experience unconditional love and when you're able to give that love to others, that means that you have you can experience miracles and even spontaneous healing.

In Chinese Medicine, vaporizing phlegm through the opening of your heart is what allows you to have this experience, but of course, that seems like a daunting task and quite challenging.

The Lungs support us to let go, which relates to our judgments — letting go judgments of ourselves, of others, of life circumstances, because otherwise the action of holding in the Lungs can oppress the heart from opening. So we need to let go so we can have a more neutral take on life, to have less attachments (Learn more about letting go and the virtue of the Lungs in this article).

As lava cools, it becomes volcanic glass known as Obsidian as well as Rhyolite which is a lesser known stone. Both of these stones are warming and have an active quality in the body and mind. The challenges of working with these volcanic stones is that they can initiate a healing crisis because they can reach deep into your core and pull out your shadows.

As they move this powerful Yang Qi in our body, they can dredge up the shadow qualities that lie deep within, similar to the way the volcano pulls things to the surface from the core of the earth.

Lava and these stones can pull out of our subconscious or unconscious that we don't want to really look at. And they come to the surface that could be quite disruptive and could initiate a healing crisis emotionally.

Volcanoes are the core of the earth erupting and this core metaphorically can relate to the Kidneys, or essence known as Jing; the life purpose or curriculum you hold within your Jing. Your purpose is expressed through the Fire element. The volcano erupts through Fire, through lava. And it's a really beautiful metaphor for how we are in life as well.

However, the Kidneys also store our fears, especially those that are unconscious. So these volcanic stones can really move a lot of our fears, so we have to take a look at those things that really maybe keep us stuck in life from living out those dreams and our higher purpose.

A lot of us might not even know what our purpose is because there's so much trauma that's stored in that same area in the Kidneys that inhibits us from really knowing what it is that we're meant to do in this lifetime.

Coming to places like this or having experiences with natural elements like volcanoes helps us to process a lot of those fears and traumas.

A lot of what happens in the world can ignite fears in our individual lives. Stone medicine can quell these fears and anxiety so you can be more present.

Obsidian and the volcanic stones can really stir things up, so it would be better to use more cooling stones like Mangano Calcite along with a quartz. You can use Amthethyst which is a quartz so it enhances but it’s also a Lithium stone so it calms the nerves along with Rhodochrosite and Mangano Calcite. Amethyst also helps with sleep.

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

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.

You might be surprised that he began on a completely different path, only to find "love at first sight" with his first exposure to Chinese Medicine.

Once you've listened, we'd love to hear from you — let us know in the comments below what you found most intriguing about Salvador's story.

Click here to listen to the episode and follow us on Spotify!

Your presence in this community is the inspiration behind the Natural Healing Podcast.✨

We hope it'll inspire you with hope, insights and possibilities to elevate your wellbeing.

We can't wait to connect with you!

💗Dr. Setareh & Salvador

P.S. Be sure to share this with your friends and family, and follow us on Spotify to be the first to listen to future episodes.

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Thank you!

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