Nourish your spirit and sleep well

Nourish your spirit and sleep well

Acupressure Points, Conscious Cooking - Use Food as Medicine, understanding your body with the 5element system of TCM, Energy of Food Blog, Powerful Points and Meridian Flows

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.

Emotional Healing & Community Support

The weight we carry isn’t just on our hips, it’s in our hearts.
 Feeling like you “want to be minded” is your body’s cry for nurture, not discipline.

When you join Chi Flow with Jo, you don’t walk alone.
We move, fast, cook and heal together. That shared energy keeps you accountable and loved through change.

You don’t need to fight your bodyjust listen to her again.
Start with small rhythms: stop eating after 8 pm, massage Liver 13, sip lemon water in the morning, and join our January program to be supported every step of the way.

💗 Ready to Join?

Click here to become a member of Chi Flow with Jo → CLICK HERE

Or drop in for a class and feel it for yourself (sign up below). Join the Chi Flow with Jo community for live sessions, practice, and support.

Self-administered acupressure or Chinese Medicine is not a substitute for visits to qualified healthcare practitioners.

Knowing how to treat yourself and your loved ones with complimentary therapies like acupressure can be greatly beneficial and convenient. However, for serious and chronic conditions, you’ll want to visit an Shiatsu therapist / Acupuncturist or other qualified healthcare practitioner who can develop a treatment plan based on your unique medical history and combination of symptoms.  

The information provided should not be considered medical advice.