Nourish your spirit and sleep well

Have you had enough of it all? Just feeling sick of your situation?

If you have become tired of the world perhaps exhausted from illness, difficult relationships, overwork or stress you may find yourself loosing heart.
You may find it difficult to sleep or when you do sleep you wake feeling still weary.
In Chinese Medicine, each of the organs is linked to an emotion, a colour, a time of day, a season, a flavour and much more.
The five element system is how we can understand diagnose and treat the body.
The element governing the Heart is Fire and the corresponding emotion is Joy in the positive but bitterness and disillusion in the negative.
So to nourish the emotional and physical heart, make sure you nourish your internal flame and do the things you love and give space and time to explore things that you might find you love.
Your joy is an inside job. External situations cannot bring lasting happiness.
Playing sport, visiting friends, eating a good meal they bring us immense pleasure at the time but what happens when the match is over or dinner is finished, do we cease to feel joy, do we start to feel bitter?

Our culture, society and/or conditioning often asks us not take responsibility for our own happiness. To be distracted or entertained by an outside source.  It can happen, but it’s fleeting. True happiness has to come from within, it comes from a connection to our true being.

“On a deeper level you are already complete. When you realize that, there is a playful, joyous energy behind what you do.” ~Eckhart Tolle

If you are feeling like your flame needs some nurturing, press into this point to reignite your fire.
It’s easy to feel powerless in some situations where you have no control, but you do have power over how you feel.
Connection and touch with your own body is a place to start to feel in control of your body and control of your life.

Heart Protector 8 – Lao gong point – the Palace of Weariness.

Take a breath, breathe as deep as you want to feel well, and press into this point to re-connect with your spirit. Don’t lose heart dear one.
Clench your fist and where the tip of the middle finger falls, give pressure and massage for up to 2 minutes on each hand.
As you press into both hands alternately, feel the point connect with your physical and emotional heart. Find your inner palace and take rest.
The Heart is the emperor of the body, when you are feeling restored to a sense of equanimity all the other organs will follow his lead until the whole body feels balanced and well.
Our hands are especially important in Qi Gong practice, as they help to direct and channel the Qi throughout the body.

Use this point to re-ignite your spirit and don’t lose heart. Relax, press and if you like, let memories of past happier times wash over you with the certainty that there will be more to come.

A great ingredient that nourishes the Heart is Rosemary.

For a good nights sleep, all you need is a small spray bottle, 10 drops of rosemary oil, and 6 tablespoons of water. Mix it well and spray it on your pillows or into the air indoors for a better sleep.

Like most herbs, it is considered bitter in flavour so benefits the heart. For chilblains, Raynaud’s, or cold feet, pop 10 drops of rosemary essential oil into 50ml of sweet almond oil and rub it into the fingers and toes.

Rosemary also disperses cold and phlegm so why not make your own steam bath. Fill a bowl with boiling water, add a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, rubbing them between your hands to release the natural oils. Then drape a towel over your head, close your eyes and position your face over the bowl. Inhale deeply a few times, take a break for a few moments if needed, then repeat. Feel your lungs expanding and your heart relaxing.

For more information on Qi Food Therapy and the Heart in Chinese Medicine see Joanne’s books, full of healthy recipes, acupressure, and advice for a healthy body and mind.

Try a free Chi Flow with Jo class – perfect for a healthy heart and a good nights sleep

Chi Flow with Jo Waitlist