Break-ups!

Hello and welcome to the fresh, beautiful days of spring! Last month, I promised I would talk about Liver/Gallbladder (Wood element) and the planet Jupiter. Of all the elements, Wood is my favorite. Perhaps because it's the spring, and is ritualized by the planting of new seeds, and promises new growth and new beginnings. I feel most alive starting the middle of April and love the birdsong and blossoms that greet me on my springtime walks

The liver relates to growth in the sense of personal growth and the ability to change with ease. People who feel stuck in life or a bad situation, often suffer from Liver Qi Stagnation. Liver gives us the capacity to plan, to grow, to step outside that situation that no longer serves us. Back to spring and new beginnings!

Wood qualities are bold actions, planning, initiating new projects, idealism, imagination, compassion, and competition. Wood types possess decision-making skills and the ability to create change. The challenge for a wood type is to learn to control anger and channel it into positive work that benefits all people.

The emotion associated with wood is anger. Other wood emotions are tension, criticism, discouragement, regret, excitement, dislike of self and others, negative judgment, and repressed anger related to thwarted affection.

Like its governing planet Jupiter, the largest planet in our own solar system, Liver is the largest yin organ. Its yang organ is the Gallbladder. According to Western medicine, everything we eat or drink undergoes a process through the Liver and impacts what the cells and bloodstream have to work with. A healthy Liver stores the blood (up to a pint) and ensures smooth flow of chi. Liver is sensitive to overeating and indulging in too many rich, fatty foods and drinking too much alcohol. Unlike us, Liver is not happy about the holidays! An over-taxed liver can become sluggish, causing fatigue and making it easy to gain weight. Some extreme symptoms of Liver/Gallbladder imbalance are Jaundice or Gallstones. Liver controls the sinews (ligaments, and tendons). The outgrowths of liver sinews are finger and toenails and are influenced by Liver Blood. When Liver Blood is deficient, the nails show it. They become dark, indented, dry, cracked, brittle. Dear-dear, do I ever have indented nails. I've gotta get crackin' on lovin' my liver!

Liver Blood nourishes and moistens eyes and provides capacity for healthy vision. When Liver Blood is deficient, we can get blurred vision, myopia, "floaters", color blindness and dry "sandy" eyes. If there is excess heat in Liver, eyes are bloodshot, sore and burning. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, beautiful hair starts from the inside. Generally, the Liver regulates the quantity of Blood and the Kidneys store the essence (Jing) of life. These two organs are interrelated and both are responsible for major aging signs, which include hair graying or hair loss.

Liver/Gallbladder and Jupiter are powerful and the reading is fascinating! Read more here if you're curious and want to learn more, like foods to eat and those to stay away from:http://www.chinesemedicineliving.com/blog/medicine...

Break-ups? Yes I can take care of them! Chinese abdominal massage is great for breaking-up abdominal and uterine adhesions/scar tissue from injuries, surgeries, repetitive stress or emotional build ups that create barriers to growth. Here's an excerpt from a great article about scar tissue: “It's never too late to work on your scars, no matter how many years have gone by since the trauma. You can still improve flexibility around the scar tissue and have a positive impact on your movement and wellbeing. Be aware that many scars can also hold emotions from our past, so don't be surprised if while working on releasing your scar tissue, you feel an emotional release as well.”

I want to add an update regarding Philip Shepherd's workshop! Here's my take-away. With having done well over 50 health and well-being workshops over the past few years, I love when I can take away new information that I can apply in my daily life and in my business for my clients. What I gained from Philip's workshop was a sense of internal wholeness that allowed me to feel safe with others and the certainty that we were all one. I found I was comparing myself to others (a lifelong habit) far less. This act alone allowed the bandwidth or space if you will, to simply open up and to love more.

Here's another attendee's experience: "This is simple and yet deep emotional work. I had a meltdown on Monday bringing up emotions from childhood related to work I needed to do. However after the release of emotion, I began to see where a lot of my internal conflict was coming from. After practicing yoga for over 20 years I have recently felt there was something missing, for me this workshop has closed the circle and brought everything together to become whole." -Christine B. of Santa Barbara

The shares at the end of the workshop were all similar in nature, with no exaggeration or over-emphasis, but rather true, clear, peaceful expressions of the depth that was achieved by attendees. I can say we all came away with a new sense of self. If you missed it and are curious about the work, there are more workshops coming up. Follow the link to upcoming events.
Link: http://philipshepherd.com/events-3/

Love and Grace, ~Jada

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