Khadro's Seminar

The following are the notes I took at Khadro’s Chi Nei Tsang Seminar at Pure + simple King Street West on September 13^th

Chi is information that is transformed by communications. Information /Chi is useless without transformation.

Symptoms are information and have meaning

A common symptom like bloating is communicating an important message from your body to with you.

What would it look like if you did not look at it through the lens of conventional medicine? If you change your perspective you will change the paradigm.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the pancreas, spleen and stomach, organs of the Earth element, are an important part of digestion. The 5 elements; Earth, Water, Fire, Metal and Wood; are the essential energies of the universe. These 5 elements are the essence of our own make up as the microcosm of our body reflects the macrocosm of the universe.

Earth governs self-confidence and security therefore the pancreas, spleen and stomach along with other body tissue like muscles determine our sense of ourselves.

How does the earth element within us become unbalanced?

As children we believed we were entitled. School, culture, society puts limits on us and we become fragmented causing us to become conflicted about who we are.

Therefore digestion is greatly influenced by our sense of self and of course visa versa. When we don't feel good about ourselves we can affect negatively our digestive organs resulting in poor digestion, bloating, gas, acid reflux and constipation/diarrhea.

Good digestion supplies nourishment for good vibrant health. The stomach metabolizes the food we consume with digestive juices to produce chime, a watery nourishing substance. Chime is further metabolized pancreatic enzymes and bile to prepare it to be absorbed in the small intestines. We assimilate what nourishes us and eliminate what we do not need or what is not good for us in the intestines.

When we do not digest our food and our ideas we have a tendency to either store or eliminate everything indiscriminately. Constipation occurs when we store what we cannot digest. How we digest life determines how well our earth organs function.

When we are constipated it affects the lungs. The lungs are connected to the large intestines and both are part of the metal element. If we breathe properly through our diaphragm we can relieve constipation. The Metal element gives us the courage to get rid of things.

No matter what the quality the food we eat, if we are toxic emotionally we cannot assimilate the food effectively.

Focusing on the symptoms of bloating, constipation or indigestion with natural or pharmaceutical solutions, just masks these symptoms. This delays or cheats us the fundamental healing of the mind body and emotions.

Symptoms are information being communicated to us. Masking the symptoms desensitizes us and therefore ill health remains within us. The result is symptoms intensifying or changing making us feel frustrated with the stubborn and or multiple symptoms. While the symptoms appear to be unrelated, they are really caused by the same root cause.

A person suffering migraines, high cholesterol, arthritis and weakening eye sight; will visit different medical specialists which results in that person taking multiple medication to be free of these ‘diseases’. Without understanding the root cause of these diseases, one will not know that these symptoms are common to a toxic liver. And therefore unaware that the cure to all those symptoms is to detoxify their struggling liver and therefore live medication free. For more information on why organ detoxification go to my past blogs on each organ.

The liver filters out what is not good for us along with producing bile for fat digestion and also stores excess sugar.

Liver imbalance can lead to increased anger and visa versa. Anger can be caused by subconscious patterns. There is nothing wrong with your anger. There is a reason you get angry. To find out why we cannot control our anger by uncovering the subconscious.

An anger pattern can have developed during a moment of emotional crisis. The anger may have allowed one to survive the emotional pain. But now we no longer associate the emotional with the initial pain because we have numbed out to survive the emotional pain/memory. When one senses the feeling one gets angry.

We can reset the reactions of our nervous system once we know the cause of the unwanted reaction.

This is an opportunity to become more conscious of your mental and emotional situation. Wood affects the nervous system. The Liver along with the gallbladder and the nerves are organs of the wood element which influence rational thought. Thinking clearly encourages growth in things. Meditation can greatly improve the liver’s function. Meditation will quiet the mind and aid one to become in touch with the self.

Being in touch means you are taking NOTICE. Consciousness is the beginning of understanding how these symptoms originate in your SUBCONCIOUSNESS . THEREFORE BRIDGING THE CONSCIOUS WITH THE SUBCONSCIOUS.

Butterflies - anxiety - heart rate up, shallow breath, sweating and shaking are all symptoms that occur when blood goes to part where it is needed (state of emergency). And they are informing you, you are in state of emergency.

Getting the Chi Nei Tsang Experience

Are you a bit frustrated with a chronic affliction despite your healthy lifestyle and choices? Me too.

From Naturopaths and Traditional Chinese Doctors to educating myself in Ayurveda, I have seen my health improve from severe allergies, extreme brain fog and low energy to my current “almost normal” health. I could carry on with the small inconveniences.

But my inability to digest legumes, grains and dairy make it impossible for me to attain my goal of becoming vegetarian. While I love the taste of meat, I am not so comfortable with the consumption of fellow beings as well as the inefficient cost of it on our already stressed environment.

So on my journey to better digestion I encounter Gilles Marin, Chi Nei Tsang and now to Kadro, a teacher and Chi Nei Tsang practitioner in Toronto..

Kadro, like Gilles is a student of Master Mantak Chia. For more information about Khadro and her classes and treatments go to Khadro's Facebook page

Chi Nei Tsang is not like most healing modalities where the practitioner takes charge of your healing. Khadro encourages my participation during your treatment and between treatments I have my homework.

I welcome this as I want to be in charge of my health and to not depend on the skills or goodness of others. But the real reward is self discovery on all levels of mind body spirit. At least that is my experience with Kadro.

Kadro started with exploration my abdomen and quickly discovered congestion in my stomach/ pancreas area meaning an imbalance in my Earth energy. She further explored and revealed her suspicion that the congestion is very old maybe even from my past life.

My digestive problems have been with me since I remember. And I discovered Chi Nei Tsang when I wanted to touch my pancreas and see if I could influence its function manually. I blogged about this at Chi Nei Tsang

She found that there was blockage in my sigmoid colon. That is the right side descending colon where I have complaining to medical doctors who have prescribed numerous colonoscopies. Their prognosis? Nothing -- I was normal. Since I was not feeling normal I came to the conclusion conventional medicine with all its expensive hi tech equipment, was inadequate in keep us really healthy.

Kadro believed that the imbalance in my earth organs resulted in improperly digested food. And this further resulted in my chronic constipation.

We cannot not eliminate that what we have not digested whether it is food, ideas and emotions. This can result in us hoarding things; mind body spirit. Hoarding is one of the hallmarks of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), which I have been diagnosed with. Hope Chi Nei Tsang will keep me off the reality shows J

Dorothy said that I may tremble if the session assists me in releasing. During the second half of the treatment, I felt I uncomfortable and wanted to conclude the session. But instead I remain still. After that feeling left and I felt a clarity in my body and mind, I realized that I had experience the trembling she warned about.

Kadro said it was a behavioral pattern that was probably created by early undigested traumatic experiences where I used numbness as a solution to avoid emotional pain.

So I left understanding myself more and the feeling that my mind could take my physical health to better digestion.

My homework was to start digesting events in my life and start to make decisions where I sort things etc into things that are beneficial to me that I want to keep, things that are neutral and finally discard things I don’t need. She also advised me to treasure the things I keep.

So what am I doing to improve my digestion?

Daily, I am strengthening my Earth Energy with the help of Earth Chi Kung that is taught on Gilles Marin’s CD. Find it at Harmonizing Our Inner Earth

I am taking the time to consciously eat without distraction and chewing my meals more thoroughly.

I am trying to unclutter my life by making decisions what I want to keep in my life.

Each of us will have a difference relationship with Kadro or any of our healers because we all come from different experiences and have different needs.

Along with working at your health beyond the physical, a Chi Nei Tsang practitioner may make us uncomfortable by revealing what our bodies saying. To put up defenses and ignoring the advice is neither better nor worse than taking the advice and running with it. Chi Nei Tsang teaches us that we can only deal effectively with the information when we are ready.

For the experiences of other CNT clients go to Experiences

How to Detoxify with Tummy Massage

Healthy Modern living requires Detoxification. The core of our wellbeing is reliant on the healthy functioning of our internal organs.

Whether your symptoms are irrational behavior, excess moodiness, acne or muscle soreness; the source of your condition is toxic organ(s).

Organs can become overloaded or fatigued from physical, mental and emotional stresses. And visa versa. Physical conditions like blurry vision; mental disorders like attention deficit; negative emotions like excess anger or lack of self confidence can be the result of poor functioning organs.

In my pursuit of "fixing" my allergy to healthy foods with high sugar content and high blood sugar, I stumbled onto an ancient healing modality called Chi Nei Tsang.

Literally translated "Chi" means your internal life force. And "Nei Tsang" means internal organ massage. For my earlier blog entries of about Chi Nei Tsang go to http://our-metamorphosis.blogspot.com/2011/01/chi-nei-tsang-what-is.h

Gilles Marin defines Chi Nei Tsang more elegantly in his book "Healing from within with Chi Nei Tsang ". http://www.chineitsang.com/cnti/Healing_From_Within.html.

He writes, "Chi Nei Tsang translates into working the entry and programming of the internal organs" or "transformation of the visceral attitude". A wholistic approach to massage therapy within a Traditional Chinese Medicine paradigm, it integrates a person's physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energy.". To learn more about Gilles and his courses go to http://our-metamorphosis.blogspot.com/2011/01/gilles-marin.html

Gilles' Master, Mantak Chia's description may shed more light for those of us, who are less knowledgeable of Taoism and Traditional Chinese Medicine. He reveals that, "The Taoists discovered that most maladies could be healed once the underlying toxins and negative forces were released from the body. They developed the art of Chi Nei Tsang to recycle and transform negative energies that obstruct the internal organs and cause knots in the abdomen. Chi Nei Tsang clears out the toxins, bad emotions and excessive heat or heat deficiencies that cause the organs to malfunction."

Therefore a happy healthy harmonious life is greatly affected by the health and purity of your internal organs. And that Chi Nei Tsang is a holistic way for you to maintain them.

Learning to be a Chi Nei Tsang instructor means learning about the affects of the body on the mind and the emotions and visa versa. Advance training includes learning how the energy of each emotion can affect another emotion. Yes Einstein would have loved it because it makes the concept that "we are energy" more approachable to those of us with less scientific or mathematical minds.

I have been practicing on staff and clients and no stomach massage happens without discussions of how we can revive the balance of our internal organs mentally and emotionally along with diet and exercise. Somehow the tummy massage makes us more susceptible to healthy advice.

On the CD " Harmonizing Our Inner Earth", found at http://www.chineitsang.com/cnti/Inner_Earth.html , Gilles shares how you can strengthen the pancreas to better digest food and metabolize sugar. He also teaches how we can customize our diet and do meditations that help you ground so that you can increase your feeling of security and self esteem while decreasing the need for approval.

At http://our-metamorphosis.blogspot.com/2011/01/normal-0-false-false-false.html, I share Gilles' advice on how to not to fear or hide from the sun and become more healthy. The sun's energy is so vital to us that the skin colour we consider characteristics of of ethnicity is really just our bodies response to sunlight and the geography of our ancestors.

I will share more about my experience with Chi Nei Tsang and go through the ways you can detoxify each individual organs slong with their affects on your physical, mental and emotional health in subsequent blogs.

I also finally got an appointment with Dorothy Ramien, of the Khadro School of Chi Nei Tsang http://www.khadrochineitsang.com/content/who-khadro. It was quite a feat as she is busy with international teaching. I have had treatments from Gilles and Cynthia in San Francisco but Dorothy is the only certified practitioner in The Greater Toronto Area so I would like to share that experience with you in July after my treatment.

I would love to say I can share an experience at Master Chia's Tao Garden resort in Thailand. But no such luck. But if you are looking for a very reasonable, exotic and healthy vacation explore http://www.tao-garden.com/. If you are so fortunate to visit, please share your experience with us

Is your Pancreas Worrying You?

Conventional wisdom says, “You are what you eat.”

But more accurately, my Ayurvedic Teacher Dr. Shanbhag says it is, “You are what you digest.”

But if you really want to get to the root of your digestive problems you need to heed, Chi Nei Tsang Master, Gilles Marin, who takes us deeper into the significance of our organs of digestion. The stomach and pancreas are organs of Earth Energy. Earth energy within in us creates a sense of stability and when in balance can strengthen the function of our other organs and when in imbalance can amplify their dysfunction.

According to Master Marin in his book, “Healing from Within with Chi Nei Tsang” he tell us that, “Symptoms are usually an attempt from disregarded parts of ourselves to be heard: alarm signals telling us to pay attention to very personal needs.” Pg 53 “Chronic symptoms are generally a sign a part of ourselves has been repeatedly shut out, isolated and /or mistreated to the point of dissociation, breakdown and revolt.” Pg 55 “Symptoms that appear unrelated very often are different expressions of the same meaning. pg 56

When things are not well with these Earth organs, more than poor nutrition occurs. Symptoms start in the skin first. Congested skin can be the first signs of poor digestion.

As symptoms intensify; acne, rashes, and wrinkles can appear around the mouth. Evidence that I have pancreatic issues is seen on the corners of my mouth. At times it is a inflamed eczema and at other time a dark almost black pigmentation.

You can also experience nausea, hiccups, acid reflux, bloating and tightness in the abdomen. Many of us have large bellies due to gas and bloating and not over eating. Your appetites can also become dominated with cravings.

With poor digestion, you can also experience mental muddiness, blurry eye sight, gum disorders and negative emotions like anxiety, insecurity, worry and a sense of disconnection.

So while detoxification by other means like fasting and herbs can be helpful, Chi Nei Tsang can also help you begin to listen to your body.

When Earth energy is balanced you feel secure and become more in touch with yourself. This leads to spontaneous, sharing behavior, fair mindedness and the ability to be in harmony with others.

And you will notice your Earth energy in flux when you start to become obstinate, possessive, disconnected and envious. You will find your other negative traits like worry or insecurity more pronounced.

Clammy hands are a symptom of unbalanced Earth energy becoming stuck in the body’s extremities.

Problems with the stomach and pancreas can be varied and complex. I recommend you find a good naturopath or TCM to start you on your way to recovery. I found that it starts with eating a diet that is best for you. This would be a diet that includes foods that increase your energy and immunity and avoiding foods that you are allergic to and foods that inflame your organs.

We are fortunate, at least in the major cities, as people no longer react negatively to people who do not eat what is considered a “normal” diet.

Supplement stores have much that can help improve the functioning of our digestive organs. But without understanding the root cause of our uncomfortable symptoms we can purchase digestive enzymes, probiotics and other expensive supplements with little real results.

After over 40 years of poor digestion, I have found good results with changes in diet and in some physical therapies like massage and exercises like yoga and meditation. But since my symptoms of bloating, indigestion, acidic stomach persisted, I discovered the ancient and little known healing of Chi Nei Tsang.

While Chi Nei Tsang is an overall healing for the whole person using mainly Abdominal Organ Massage, it an ideal healing method for those of us with digestive problems.

The abdomen’s organs do more than digest food- they also digest emotions and thoughts and I am amazed at how much my organs can teach me about myself.

My first appointment I learned that my inability digesting thoughts and emotions were being reflected in my congested pancreatic/stomach area and my indecision in choosing what was beneficial for me caused the constipation in the left descending colon.

Because Khadro, had to go to Australia to teach Chi Nei Tsang for a couple of weeks, I have enough time to practice sorting out things in my life and in the basement of my house. Yes, I practiced making choices.

My second appointment taught me more. My poor digestion is due to the congestion in the triangle area where my ribs meet but also the area where the ducts of the liver and pancreas deliver digestive enzymes and bile to the stomach and small intestines to digest food.

While my digestion has improved I have much to improve in making clear judgements in my daily life. To supplement my mental and emotional growth, I am using my Tummy tool to massage the diaphragm area concentrating in the triangular area to help keep the ducts of the pancreas and liver clear so that the digestive enzymes and juices are able to get to my stomach.

So I am finally touching my pancreas which was the inital goal that instigated this journey with Chi Nei Tsang.

Gilles Marin :

A great teacher is a treasure. And Master Gilles is a great and humble teacher.

In my evangelistic manner I tried to share my new experience with Chi Nei Tsang and the Way of the Tao to my 27 year old daughter. I felt her "Too Alternative " shield go up.

How do you communicate information that can transform a life for the better when you just barely comprehend the principle of chi as energy encapsulated with information? and have an innately rambling communications style?

My chance encounter with Gilles began with very practical goal of increasing the effectiveness of stomach massage we were giving clients in the Lymphomania Facial. Yes, stomach massage in a facial, but I am rambling.

I got that and I got much more. I learned about the real source of health. Gilles teaches us to not “fix” clients. Real healing comes from awareness and a change in attitude. So with each illness there is the opportunity of life improvement.

At first, the words “Way of the Tao” sounded both quaint and cliché so I had some resistent to his teaching . But Gilles patiently explained the energy information connection with the physical world we live in and finally the connection of mind body spirit became more than a great concept.

Gilles magically helped us who are not scientifically or mathematically inclined understand the intersection of Einstein’s law of relativity and the Way of the Tao.

Learning is not all mental. Classes are dominated with practice of Chi Kung, meditations that helped us increase our health and to increase our hands abilities to heal and with practice of Chi NeiTsang the touched and massaged of abdominal organs for health and detoxification.


Working too much in the mental realm can take us from the present moment so during class Gilles reminds us to feel the earth and ground before each Chi Kung practice.

The 6 days of classes were as much about our own healing as it was about us learning to heal. as he taught us how to sleep better, increase our Chi, energize our Chakras and of course Chi Nei Tsang theory and practice.

Since my time in San Francisco was limited, I supplemented my studies with treatments from both Gilles and Cynthia to better understand both sides of the treatments.

I come home a much better person/therapist/teacher. This is because ;

• I spend time to do my practice.
• I have improved digestion.
• I am more loving towards those I love and myself.

If you cannot visit him – I recommend you buy his books or CD’s at http://www.chineitsang.com/cnti/Books_and_Media.html

I have his CD’s to help me continue with my Chi Kung practices.

You can also get the following books based on his lessons from Amazon.ca

1. Healing from Within with Chi Nei Tsang http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Within-Chi-Nei-Tsang/dp/1556433093/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1295796347&sr=1-1
2. Five Elements six Conditions : A Taoist Approach to emotional, Psychological and Internal Alchemy http://www.amazon.com/Five-Elements-Six-Conditions-Psychology/dp/1556435932/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1295796347&sr=1-3

The Sun is the best medicine

Forget about Prozac and get your serotonin straight from the sun.

There are Chi Kung Practices that can improve your improve your moods and your sleep experience.

Sunning Chi Kung is basically going outside and facing up directly towards the sun and allow your eyes to feel its warmth and light.. All you need is 3 minutes and 3 times a day. I get my 2 for 1 by doing Bone Breathing.

Oops – I know we are all suppose to be hiding from the sun with hats, sunglasses and SPF due to fear of sun damage leading to skin cancer.

Both beliefs can be true. Remember that “it depends”.

Master Gilles Marin explains that we sunburn when we have an acidic body ph. We all know Acid PH is not good for our health. I for one have been drinking gallons of water with chlorophyll and have the greenish tinged teeth to prove it. I alos have been avoiding acidic foods. But all to no avail. My PH tests with PH paper always have me in the acid range and my skin usually burn before those many shade lighter (with less melanin for sun protection).

He also discourages the use of sunglasses which fools our body into believing it is dark out and therefore does not prepare to protect skin with increased melanin production to prevent burning. According to him sunglasses are a potential skin cancer trigger.

Most people who are acidic in nature or have sensitive skin and have light sensitive eyes. My sunning practice has reduced my eyes’ light sensitivity so I no longer need to wear sunglasses.

The sun increases our ability to produce serotonin which makes our moods more positive and lessens depression. It also reduces Body Acidic PH. It also gives us better sleep as the serotonin turns to Melatonin at night.

For those who do not easily fall asleep; no computer work or TV watching 1 hour before bedtime.

To practice this Chi Kung with the teachings and guidance of Master Gilles Marin; get the Sunning Chi Kung CD at http://www.chineitsang.com/cnti/Sunning.html

Chi Nei Tsang - What is?

Chi Nei Tsang is holistic healing by self awareness and change. It focuses physical work on the abdomen is the emotional second brain. All undigested/unprocessed emotions accumulate here. The treatments awaken us to them when we are ready to process them.

The treatments are the physical massage of the organs in the abdomen. The therapist is the facilitator as the client leads the process with the help of the sensations felt.

Chi Nei Tsang is obviously helpful for improving digestion but I have less back and neck/shoulder pain. And there are personal accounts even more remote body parts from the abdomen than mine. It also helps us mentally and emotionally. Gilles Marin, our instructor, emphasizes we cannot "fix" anyone or "heal " anything but we can stimulate the awareness that will help one to learn how to change one's attitude so that one can heal whatever it is one wants in his/her life.

I discovered Chi Nei Tsang by chance when I got tired of going to TCM’s and Naturopaths to find a solution to my poor digestion and increasing food allergies. During my biofeedback allergy treatments with Dana Zangari, a Registered Holistic Allergist and Nutritionist, http://www.pandechiropractic.ca/Dana-Zangari/dana-zangari.html. It became clear my allergies were about sweet (sugar conversion) as sweeteners, grains, legumes and vegetables and fruits with moderate to sugar content.

I was diagnosed conventionally to have high blood sugar. TCM’s have always talked about my spleen pancreas deficiency but all (and there were many ) seemed unable to improve it as my internal heat counteracted their potions.

So I rolled up my sleeves and prepared to touch and hopefully detox and strengthen my spleen/pancreas directly. Since I had only a vague idea where the spleen and pancreas was, I looked for a organ healing book to help me and fortunately found Gilles Marins book “Healing from Within with Chi Nei Tsang” which did much more. Find it at http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Within-Chi-Nei-Tsang/dp/1556433093/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1295796347&sr=1-1

From that chance find, my life changed, my health improved and more importantly less emotional obstruction in my relationships and communion with others.

We use a short version to help detox the abdominal organs in Pure + simple's Lymphomaniac Facial Treatment http://www.pureandsimple.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=101&Itemid=42#LymphomaniacFacial and I become a student of Master Gilles Marin http://www.chineitsang.com/cnti/Gilles_Marin.html .

I believe the biggest impact to how I behave and think came when I was finally was able to strengthen my Base Chakra and create a feeling of stability and security that therapists, life partners and possessions could not do. It was so simple, yet so unattainable until now. The feeling of stability and security brought me increased self-esteem and self love during the second Microcosmic Orbit Chi Kung exercise with Master Gilles Marin.

Yes, my desire to use organ massage for healing came with the side effect of a deep sense of safety. But this is only the beginning.

May your life journey be so fruitful.

For the best definition of Chi Nei Tsang go to Master Mantak Chia’s site at http://www.chi-nei-tsang-official-site.com/introduction.html

Skin -- More than a Thing of Beauty

Taking care of your skin may first be a thing of beauty. But you intuitively understand your skin is connected to the rest of you from the flash of red in your cheeks from feeling embarrassed or eating spicy food.

Your skin encases and protects the body physically. When you sweat it is maintaining your internal temperature.

It holds and influences efficiency of your blood and lymph systems by distributing moisture and nutrient to the rest of your body.

It comes to the rescue of overworked lungs and kidneys in eliminating excess waste and toxins.

According to Gilles Marin Healing From Within with Chi Nei Tsang “Skin is the main storage space of the body, not only of storing excess and waste but also nutrients, vitamins, minerals and chemicals needed to restore metabolic balance.“

Listening to our skin can guide us get more beautiful and healthier skin but it can also help us know our selves better.

An example is a case of Acne, (you can substitute rosacea and aged-looking skin)

You can merely try to erase the acne with harsh ingredients like retinol cream, harsh cleansers and high tech treatments like Microdermabrasion and Intense Pulse Light.

I am not against ridding the skin of acne quickly but I strongly advise that you deal with the underlying causes of problem skin. It can take courage as it leads to increased awareness of who you are physically, emotionally and mentally. Then and only then can you benefit for the long term from the quick results.

We always start at the physical level by determining what the base skin type is. This information is nonnegotiable. Successful long term results can only be achieved if the solution is individualized to your true physical nature.

Then it is the determination of the external physical cause that has unbalanced the skin. Finding the solution of how to help the skin live harmoniously with climatic conditions is easy but not always successful.

For a person suffering from acne due to oil production stimulated by a lack of skin hydration can be as simple as a few treatments of Sea Salt Microdermabrasion and a regular home routine of hydrating serum and protective moisturizer.

But lets say the problem has improved but not to your expectation, i.e. flawless skin —then we need to look at some internal causes like the digestive system.

If the blemishes are accompanied with dehydration and redness in the cheeks – the problem can be poor digestion or an over acidic stomach – so adding a digestive aid like Pitta Digest could help with digestion and acidic stomach. Or you can visit an alternative healer for solutions to boost digestion.

If acne is mainly along the jaw line – your real problem could be constipation or a toxic colon. You can try a gentle detox program as mentioned in Getting Ready for Detox or get the guidance of an alternative healer . Go to alternative healer to see who we have found to be successful in helping us, the staff at Pure + simple get healthier.

Long term health and healthy beautiful skin reflects a good digestive system. Good digestion relies on healthy clear organs. And healthy clear organs need regular internal cleansing.

So if you are feeling that you need more than digestive enzymes, you are now ready to go deeper.

What is preventing you from attaining good digestion regularly?

Now what was mere acne has started to open doors to self understanding. This non-threatening but annoying physical problem has become your “gateway to your feeling”. (paraphrased Gilles Marin Healing From Within with Chi Nei Tsang)

More information on how emotions can affect your organs go to Detoxing Your Way to Sanity

Detoxing Your Way to Sanity

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Why refrain from eating your favourite foods or forgoing any food for any frame of time?

Or, why have reflexology and shiatsu massage to improve organ function?

Annual and semi-annual bowel, liver and other internal organ house cleaning is widely accepted as beneficial for physical health. But according to Asian health followers it is also good for our psychological and emotional health.

Mantak Chi (it’s hard to define him so follow the link) advocates that psychological treatment with Chi Nei Tsang (Chi Internal Organ Massage) will give clients better results

-->described in his book and that of his disciple, Gilles Marin .

Conventional medicine supports this theory in the New York Times best seller, The Second Brain by Neurobiologist, Michael Gershon

I have personally experienced this while doing Julia Chang’s Liver Gallbladder Cleanse. Even though I have been doing internal cleansing since I was in my twenties, I still experienced facial breakouts and increased anger and irritability in my day to day encounters as my repressed anger is being cleared as well. It is common knowledge in Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine that the condition of the liver and gallbladder can affect the emotions with increased anger, bitterness, irritability and frustration. And excess anger and bitterness can affect the functions of the liver.

“"Sickness of the liver," the Nei Jing tells us, "causes...people... to have fits of anger." Anger causes Qi-and tempers-to rise. Maciocia reminds us that anger can be considered to include irritability, frustration, rage, indignation, animosity or bitterness. Anger, when expressed appropriately, may not cause harm; when chronic or suppressed, it may become pathogenic. (quote from Qi: Journal of Traditional Eastern Health and Fitness”

Other emotional / organ partners are fear / kidneys, grief and sorrow / lungs; worry / stomach; joy / heart. (for more information see the Qi: Journal of Traditional Eastern Health and Fitness)

If you do not like to do internal cleansing with diet, you can do it with massage and exercise. Yoga postures are an excellent way to stimulate and detox the organs. While all Yoga exercise stimulate your organs to detox, I find the meditative, restorative yoga of Iyengar as taught at the Yoga Centre of Toronto may be more fitting for this purpose than the more aerobic or energetic schools..

While Yoga postures can be customized to your body and flexibility, some people who are not very flexible (many males), who are elderly may prefer to practice Tai chi at the Taoist Centres in Toronto. http://toronto.taoist-tai-chi.org/content/standard_ca_to.asp . Here you will be encouraged and guided patiently through the Tai Chi sequence of over 100 movements. If done correctly these movements are designed to strengthen your core as well as detox the organs. This may explain the popularity of this organization with those who are elderly or recuperating from major diseases.

Those who want to combine organ health with martial arts can learn the original Tai Chi practiced by the Shao Lin warriors. This is being taught worldwide by Master Wong Kiew Kit. He travels over the world and come to Toronto regularly but you can learn from his Canadian group of teachers by going to his site.

If you prefer to detox when completely relaxed then order a Lymphomaniac Facial at any Pure and simple and receive a stomach reflexology massage with your facial treatment. If you ask (nicely ;) the esthetician will help you design a stomach massage routine you can do daily each morning to give yourself a great start daily.

If you are too sensitive for direct stomach massage or would like the added benefit of better foot and leg health, get foot reflexology massage. You can even receive this treatment in the comfort of your home or office with Jean Louie (http://jeanlouiereflexology.com/ . Her rates are competitive with in clinics treatments.

Foot reflexology is an excellent ‘ two for one ‘, for seniors and those suffering from foot problems. I highly recommend foot reflexology for people with high blood sugar and diabetes. It will help to alleviate symptoms and problems from poor circulation like edema, numbness while stimulating the chi to your internal organs.

Stick Your Belly out if you want Good Digestion

There is probably no bodily function we have some influence over that is more critical to our personal success than digestion. We all agree that digestion is the foundation of good health which we are now beginning to link to beauty and ability to succeed.

In Skincare, poor digestion is usually one of the main causes of acne, inflammation and dull wrinkled skin. For more information on causes of skin problems refer past blogs.

During my visit to New York City, I had the serendipitous opportunity to attend the seminars at the New Life Expo (http://www.newlifemag.com/ ).

“Yoga for Healthy Digestion” with Dedee Benrey ( http://www.dedeebenrey.com/ ) was of great interest to me both personally and professionally. I am a longtime sufferer of poor digestion with food allergies and food intolerance and the bad skin that is the result of it.

I had attended a “Yoga for Digestion” workshop at the Yoga Studio at Yonge and Eglinton (http://www.yogastudio.net/home.html ) a couple of years ago with a very supportive Yoga Teacher, named Cat. It was a great 2 hour class that took us through yoga poses that improved different digestive issues. But except for the “Reclined Cobblers Pose” ( a reclining pose I take when my digestive system disagrees with what I had chosen to eat) I have not practiced the many poses Cat showed us. Like many people, I wanted better digestion, I just did not invest the time to achieve it.

So why do we have to bring more energy to our belly’s so we can be relieved of digestive problems? Because we gave the bulk of our body’s energy to our passions and achievements.

Dedee’s seminar demonstrated some convenient poses (Dedee is in the photo above doing the Pigeon pose that extends out our abdomen) that we can do at work or infront of a computer like Spinal Twists done on a chair. – to get more energy to our stomachs to help with digestion.

The big take away here is to do twists and to do poses like “The Bridge” to open up the area of our abdomen so that there is more blood flow to our stomachs.

So if Yoga is not your thing think of other exercises you can incorporate movements that focus on the belly. Concentrate on the belly movements from your favourite activities like dance or floor exercises. Why not take up belly dancing. Most of us type A’s want more from our exercise than physical movement. The great thing about Yoga, Tai Chi and Primal Dance is you can derive spiritual, emotional and mental growth along with physical health.

Physically giving our bellys more bloodflow and energy is just part of the story. Where are taking that energy from? We will discuss this next week.