Embracing Aging, Releasing Fear, and Thriving Through Hormonal Changes

Embracing Aging, Releasing Fear, and Thriving Through Hormonal Changes

Energy Update

As we age, there’s a powerful shift that occurs—one that invites us to embrace our wisdom, release fear, and step fully into our wise woman power. This transition, often marked by hormonal changes, can be a challenging yet deeply transformative period. By embracing holistic practices, we can navigate this journey with grace, vitality, and empowerment.

Today, I’m excited to share insights from a conversation with Julie Williams, a practitioner of Consciousness Medicine, who brings a deep understanding of energy work, ancestral healing, and holistic well-being. Our discussion focused on how to age well, move through life’s changes with ease, and embrace the potent energy that resides within us, particularly during the menopausal phase.

The Power of the Pelvis: Reclaiming Our Root

Julie and I delved into the importance of the pelvic region, an area deeply connected to our power and vitality. In both Chinese Medicine and Consciousness Medicine, this area is recognized as a crucial energy centre. In Chinese Medicine, the kidneys and bladder, associated with the winter season and the salty flavour, are seen as the roots of our body’s energy. 

As we age, nourishing these organs with grounding practices, such as consuming mineral-rich foods like miso, and engaging in bone-building Qigong, can help us maintain strength and vitality.

Julie described the pelvis as the seat of our power, anchored in the sacral chakra. This energy centre governs our creative and sexual energy, and by connecting with it, we can tap into a wellspring of strength and wisdom. This connection is vital as we navigate the changes of menopause and beyond, transforming what might be seen as a decline into a period of profound personal growth and empowerment.

Releasing Fear: Embracing Conscious Ageing

Fear often resides in the kidneys, according to Chinese Medicine, and as we age, it’s essential to release this fear to step fully into our power. Julie shared a powerful breathwork practice rooted in tantric traditions that can help release fear and ground us in our bodies. By consciously breathing into the pelvis and releasing energy up the spine, we can create a sense of rootedness and safety that allows us to face life’s challenges with confidence and ease.

The journey through menopause is not just a physical transition; it’s a spiritual and emotional one as well. As Julie emphasised, our consciousness exists outside of linear time, and while our bodies age, our consciousness can continue to grow and expand. By harnessing the power of our mind-body connection, we can embrace ageing as a time of deepened wisdom and limitless potential.

Ancestral Healing: Letting Go of Generational Burdens

Another profound aspect of ageing well is the release of ancestral patterns that no longer serve us. Julie has extensive experience with Family Constellation work, a therapeutic approach that addresses the ancestral entanglements we carry. These patterns, often rooted in fear, guilt, or unresolved trauma, can manifest in our lives as physical or emotional pain. 

By acknowledging and releasing these patterns, we can free ourselves and our descendants from these burdens, allowing love and life force energy to flow more freely.

This process of ancestral healing is particularly important as we age. Our bodies store the wisdom and experiences of our ancestors, and by releasing what no longer serves us, we can step into our true place within our family and society. This not only brings healing to ourselves but also to our entire family line, allowing us to age with a sense of peace, empowerment, and connection to our roots.

Daily Practices for Empowerment and Well-Being

One of the keys to ageing well is establishing daily practices that nurture our body, mind, and spirit. Julie shared her morning and evening routines, which are designed to keep her grounded, centered, and connected to her inner wisdom. In the morning, she engages in movement practices such as walking or mindful breathing, which help to clear the mind and connect with the present moment. 

This sets a positive tone for the day, allowing her to navigate challenges with grace and ease.
In the evening, Julie turns to deeper meditative practices, such as yoga or listening to chakra-balancing music. These practices help her unwind, release the stresses of the day, and prepare for restful sleep. By integrating these practices into our daily lives, we can maintain a strong connection to our inner power, even as our bodies change with age.

 

Embracing Our Wise Woman Power

Ageing is not a process of decline but a journey into deeper wisdom and empowerment.

By releasing fear, embracing our pelvic power, healing ancestral wounds, and establishing nourishing daily practices, we can move through the changes of life with grace and vitality.

Incorporating Chi Flow with Jo’s Morning Qi Gong into your daily routine can be a powerful way to release fear and ground your energy. Through gentle, intentional movements, this practice helps to open and connect with the pelvis, lower Dantien, sacral, and root chakras—energy centres vital for stability, creativity, and inner strength. By aligning with these areas, you can cultivate a deep sense of safety and belonging, allowing fear to dissipate as you anchor into the present moment. This connection not only fosters emotional resilience but also nurtures a profound sense of well-being, setting a positive tone for your day.

Let’s celebrate the wisdom that comes with age and step fully into our wise woman power, knowing that our journey is not about resisting change, but about embracing it as an opportunity for growth, healing, and profound personal transformation.

Join the Chi Flow community

May you be happy, safe, and well, and may your journey to balance and health bring you peace and joy. Let’s embrace the flow of Qi together!

 Join us in Chi Flow for a FREE CLASS❤️

With Love and Chi,

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.

Hot flashes, sore joints, low energy? – Rediscover your power

Hot flashes, sore joints, low energy? – Rediscover your power

Energy of Food Blog, Recipes

As we pass the Spring Equinox, Yang energy is on the rise.  Shoots are sprouting and bulbs that have lain dormant over winter are bursting forth with colour.  This is the upward energy of the season.

But perhaps you are left with post pandemic exhaustion. Emotionally burnt out after two years where there was little or no control over every day life.

Or perhaps you developed Long Covid with symptoms similar to that of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome where every time you get the energy to move ahead with new plans, you are floored with symptoms of fatigue, anxiety, shortness of breath, brain fog or muscle and joint pain?

“There is growing evidence*2 that fragments of the virus, such as protein molecules, can persist for months, disrupting the body functions even even if the virus is not infecting cells.”*1

In Chinese medicine, the Wood element is linked to the time of spring, when new shoots begin to emerge and wind their way up to the light. The organs of this element are the Liver and Gall bladder which ensure the detoxification and smooth flow of blood and emotions. In Western Medicine this also includes the metabolism and distribution of energy.

Usually we work to clear the liver and aid toxin elimination to encourage the upsurge of spring energy by using sour foods such as lemons, limes, vinegar, Umeboshi plum, rhubarb, plums and gooseberries. This would also encourage flexibility through the tendons, sinews and joints but if this isn’t working and you are still experiencing lethargic dragging energy, stiff joints, sore cramping muscles, cloudy foggy thinking then it’s time to look deeper.

In the Five Element cycle of Chinese Medicine the Kidney/Bladder system is the mother of Liver/Gallbladder. By treating this energetic system we can build energy so that any lingering pathogen or virus can be expelled either by the Liver, or by pushing it out to the exterior gates of the body.

The Kidney/Bladder system is related to winter and hibernation, where the soil humus is being prepared for the new spring growth. If the ground is depleted the seeds cannot sprout. If the Kidney energy is weak the Liver will struggle to flourish, detoxifying and energising the body.

In our modern lifestyle we can all too often deplete the Kidney energy through overwork, over-achieving and competitiveness. Kidney energy “can be described as determination, our will to survive, our will to succeed, our will to procreate and leave our mark on the world. Fight or flight, thrive and survive; These are basic instincts and they are all governed by the energy of the lowest organs in the body, the bladder and kidney.”*4

Kidney will power is amazing, completing projects, building houses, planning cities and creating families but if it is driven by fear, our Kidney energy will soon become exhausted and we may experience some of the other symptoms of Long Covid and Fibromyalgia such as hot flashes and anxiety.
Depletion of Kidney energy creates a knock on effect of not supporting the Liver in expelling the heat and toxins from the body. So before we begin manipulating the body or pressing the acupressure points to move the energy we need to nourish and build the roots of the body by supporting the Kidney.

The Kidney loves the salty flavour with foods such as seaweeds, spiriulina, oysters, oats, miso, tamari and of course because Kidney is of the water element ensuring hydration with plenty of water is key. But not all water is equal. In my previous blog post I share one of my favourite recipes for supporting and building Kidney energy – Barley Water. (scroll down for ingredients and instructions or watch video)

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When a stress response happens in the body either created by an external pandemic or an internal virus, the body tissues can become acidic. This stress response is perfectly normal and the acidity can help to kill or expel the internal bacteria, pathogen or virus. However if the stress response, acidity and inflammation remains prolonged, conditions can become chronic.

Studies suggest that “lingering inflammation and/or virus-induced damage to the endothelium (lining of the blood vessels) or immune system might be to blame”*3 for the symptoms of Long Covid, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue.

On a physical level, Barley water can help to alkalize the urine and maintain the pH balance in the bodily fluids. Energetically it slightly salty flavour supports the Kidney/ Bladder system, hydrating, moisturising and lubricating; restoring the cool, calm Yin balance and preparing the ground for the Yang energy to rise.

Save the cooked barley to use in some of the other recipes from my Good Food Cookbook such as Avocado Salad or Chilli Con Barley.

Throughout the month of April I will be sharing Kidney & Liver foods, guiding with gentle Qi Gong exercise movements that open the body and release viral fragments and other old patterns that can become lodged in the body causing pain and fatigue.

We will spiral the energy through the meridians smoothly with Chi Flow with Jo exercises, hold and tonify points, work with the deep marrow essence of the body and remember;   All action comes from stillness.  There is a time to be still and a time to move.  In Chi Flow with Jo you can find both.

Why not Register for a free class

Barley Water Recipe

  • 2 large handfuls or 50g of Organic wholegrain pot or pearl barley
  • 2 Litres water
  • 1/2 Lemon
  • Pinch of Salt
  • Sprinkle of Wakame or Dillisk Seaweed (optional)

Barley Malt or honey to taste

Place the barley into a heavy-based saucepan with a good fitting lid. Pour in the water, add the half lemon and pinch of salt. Bring it to the boil and simmer for an hour, make sure the lid is on firmly. After an hour of a slow simmer, use a fine mesh sieve and strain the barley from the water. Using the back of a spoon push on the barley into the mesh to get as much of the white gloopy mixture into the water. This water can be kept in a jug or a bottle in the fridge for about 5 days. Shake or stir the barley water before use as the sediment will fall to the bottom. I usually make a batch from which I take a measure in the morning and in the afternoon.

A measure for me would be 1/3 barley water, poured into a mug topped up with 2/3 hot water. You can use agave or honey to sweeten if you like. Its best to drink first thing in the morning, before eating to clear your system. Treat it like medicine because that’s what it is.

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.

Libido in the time of COVID-19

Libido in the time of COVID-19

Home, Powerful Points and Meridian Flows

Fight or flight? Survive, thrive and procreate, these are the two basic instincts of human behavior controlled by the Nervous system. The first stimulates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) which controls the body’s responses to a perceived threat by stopping digestion, triggering stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol plus prolactin, the celibacy hormone. It shuts down the lateral thinking parts of the brain, it contracts the vagina and releases the bladder. However, the second, parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) is the opposite.  It controls natural balance in the body so it can relax, rest, digest, thrive and procreate.

At this time of COVID-19, most people seem to be falling into the first response section and procreating is the furthest from their mind. This flight or fight response is ok if you are under immediate threat but on a long-term basis, the body and mind will become unwell, causing the very situation that you were trying to avoid. So how can we calm down and replenish joyful love into everyday living? In my last blog, I described how to bring romance back to life with spontaneity and trying new things. But maybe you aren’t there, perhaps there has been too much change and you are feeling terrified in a world that doesn’t seem so certain anymore. Attending to your libido seems the furthest from your mind and that’s ok right now. You have to dig where you stand and take action in a way that suits you. So rather than forcing your sex drive to kick start, begin by simply increasing calm and focusing on relaxation, good health will follow.

The Kidney and Bladder are the organs in the 5element system of Traditional Chinese Medicine that govern the nervous system. Working on these meridians can release tension from the muscles, relax the organs and improve the breathing so that oxygen can feed the body and the mind. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we use food, acupuncture points and Chi Gong exercise to balance and relax the body.  The good news is that it is relatively easy to help the body switch to the parasympathetic nervous system where all parts of the brain are in use, heart rate slows, digestion, absorption and elimination of food happens. It also allows the erection of the penis plus lubrication and opening of the vagina to take place, all you need to do is breathe.

Many practices blend body and breath such as Chi Gong, Ujjayi breathing, Yoga and Tai Chi. Here I share a couple of simple breathing exercises from Good Food: Better Sex.

The first exercise – place your hands on your belly, just below the navel. Take some large breaths. As you breathe in feel your hands rise and as you breathe out feel your hands fall. The belly will decrease as the diaphragm pushes the air out. Focus especially on the out-breath. Breath out as long as possible, right to the end of the breath and hold it for three seconds, let the in-breath take care of itself. Do this at least ten times. Taking your attention along with your palms to the area just below the belly button.

The second exercise – sweep your arms up overhead to gather the energy all around you as you breathe in. As you breathe out, bring down your palms over the front of your face and body, as they come to your belly take them to the back, over the kidneys, sweeping them down the backs of the legs and up the inner legs. Come to rest with your palms holding just below your belly button. Do this ten times and feel your body relaxed, kidney’s restored and nervous system reset.

In the book you will find more exercises including breast and testicular massage, practiced to increase health and longevity, plus beneficial acupressure points and food medicine. https://joannefaulkner.ie/product-category/cook-books/

You don’t need a partner to have Good Food: Better Sex you simply have to be your own best lover. Put your health and wellness first and good things will follow. It is perfectly normal that libido changes especially during times of an unforeseen pandemic and hormonal shifts. Don’t begin to think there is something wrong with you or your relationship. Just breathe, and know that all this will pass.

If you would like to work with me to increase your vitality and energy, to connect with your body, balancing hormones and jump starting your libido – why not book a 1-1 session with me  and I can help you access the innate health of your body, to tune-in with your sexual energy which in Chinese Medicine is at the core of feeling well and ageing slowly.

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.