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

Sleeping for Beauty

Sleeping for Beauty

Most of us “alternative healthees” accept the importance of healthy diet, exercise and natural skincare as precursors to good health and personal beauty.

For my seasoned clients, holistic skincare also includes rest and relaxation.

On entering the age of wisdom or Vata (spirit), did you expect to be free of the need to look "good"?

Actually taking care of our looks can be beneficial to our overall health.

Personally without the growing signs of aging on my face, I would probably inadvertently overwork my body to poor health. i.e. I am writing this at midnight; fueled by an organic green coffee happily consumed too late in the afternoon.

I follow healthy diet, exercise and grooming regimes but my lifestyle is negatively impacted by my workaholic tendencies. So my understanding of "Face Mapping" from Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine helps me to listen to my dehydration wrinkles, my overly sensitive skin and my puffy eyes, so that I begrudgingly schedule in rest and relaxation.

While my diet and skincare helps me cover up short term abuses – my haggard face screams at me, when I over do it; so my long term health is not irreparably affected.

When my feet are swollen, it’s "just" edema but when my eyes are puffy, I listen and curtail my nights at the computer so that my Kidney energy can regenerate. While I need to address the immediate needs of my eyes' dry delicate skin with a good eye cream;-- only adequate sleep will revive my kidney function and relieve my edema (get rid of my puffy eyes) before it becomes a diagnosable disease.

When I was diagnosed with digestive problems, I merely avoided the foods I was allergic to. I experienced some relief but nothing close to good digestion. But when I learned that the stubborn red, puffy cheeks and adult acne could be caused by a weakened spleen and low kidney energy; I finally found dramatic improvement to my poor digestion and my skin’s appearance.


One more example. I have had dry hands and feet since I was young. It was so unimportant to me that I did not even regularly apply cream to moisten them. But the dry skin on my face finally had me pursuing relief. Again it was my poor tired kidneys. So I finally listened to my dehydrated skin, ---relaxed and rested my mind body spirit more often.

But workaholics and high stressed people can experience poor sleep. And for those of us going through peri-menopause, decreasing Estrogen can intensify poor sleep and dehydrated skin.

So how can we end the cycle and increase our ability to get a good night’s sleep?

Lets start with what we suspect could be affecting our sleep.

If you have a tendency to overdo it with work; your over worked adrenals can disturb a good night’s sleep. The adrenals can also be the problem if you consume too much coffee or white sugar. So using coffee or sugary snacks to force your body to work longer will make your adrenals weaker in the long run.

If you are awakened by being too warm or in a sweat and you are in your forties of fifties; then suspect peri-menopausal symptoms. There are studies that indicate that in many cultures that eat a vegetarian based diet experience fewer or no peri-menopausal symptoms. I found that a vegetarian diet reduced my hot flashes and my resumption of meat comes with corresponding degrees of hot flashes. My TCM advised me that my hot flashes affected my kidney energy, so more incentive to change my diet.

Other problems that could disrupt our sleep are stress related. Chronic dehydrated skin; waking to urinate or waking with a thirst ; --can indicate low kidney function. The kidneys determine the body's hydration levels. Overwork and aging can weaken Kidney function. I recommend getting the help of a naturopathic doctor or TCM to boost Kidney function. But in the mean time make sure you consume enough healthy clean fluids like water fresh juices, soups and herbal teas to keep the kidneys in good working order.

Those of us who abuse our bodies with over work and then in our fatigue give into cravings for refined and fatty foods that challenge our liver can also experience disrupted sleep. Again I recommend getting the help of a naturopathic doctor or TCM to help us detox our livers and other elimination organs. But in the meantime eat a liver friendly diet of low fat and no refined foods.

While you explore how you can improve your sleep, you can give you body some rest and relaxation with exercises like yoga, tai chi and a meditative walk.

So – you see-- “Nothing moisturizes our skin like a great night's sleep”.

Get Connected

Get Connected

Feeling connected is good. It is believed that feeling connected has many psychological and emotional benefits like lessening stress – if you want more details go to - http://www.susankramer.com/Connection.html http://www.youmeworks.com/ca.html.

It is also believed that feeling connected can increase cognitive abilities and so we can perform better at work and at school - http://www.healthyalberta.com/HealthyPlaces/660.htm.

Feeling connected also allows us to be more mentally and emotionally balanced helping us avoid depression. http://www.webmd.com/depression/news/20050203/feeling-connected-helps-women-avoid-depression

I have found that feeling connected can also help you look and feel better physically.

Let’s start with what everyone means when they talk about “being connected”.

It is that feeling of belonging. On a very personal level it can include finding a kindred spirit in that one true love and being part of a tight knit loving family. Go to http://psychcentral.com/connectedquiz.htm to see if that special person is really your soul mate.

Our circle can grow beyond friends and family to include political and special interest groups. As our feeling of belonging grows, we find that we can empathize with the needs of and support the causes of those who are not part of our “tribe” or live in distant countries. We can also become committed to global concerns like the environment.

While strong ties to a group can give us the benefits mentioned, our sense of connectedness can rely too much on external forces (other members of the group).

As I pursued self awareness and healing, I have “accidentally” stumble over a feeling of connecting to the universe while practicing Chi Kung.

This feeling of connection to the source can give a strong sense of self, a rock solid foundation - one that is not at the whims of the acceptance or actions of others.

But this profound connection to the universe with its feeling of stability can be attained through many ways.

Those wiser than I, become aware of their mortality and begin to get beyond earthly preoccupations to learn to connect to the universe.

Many of us connect by choosing a conventional religion. All of the major religions have a belief of connecting to that bigger entity as shown in the Hinduism and Buddhism concept’s of Atman, (not Richard Simmons clothng line) each person’s soul, being connected to Brahman, the over soul. You can learn more about this at http://www.hinduwebsite.com/atman.asp

For many, that connection can also be realized through art and music. Most of us have had deep connection to a story, movie or song, even if only for a moment.

We can also find that connection through nature by gardening to walking in the woods.

Due to my personal circumstances (I have ADD), connecting was more of a challenge. But fortunately for me, I discovered Chi Kung and Yoga. Both of these physical practices were designed as a part of spiritual practice and enlightenment. Like most Westerners, I began both these practice without a thought to spiritual enlightenment. I began learning Chi Kung in the hopes of reducing a cyst in my left kidney without surgery or medication. My Chi Kung master constantly reminded us to let go and to let the “chi” flow into our bodies. But with my level of consciousness, it merely meant attaining more energy and getting healthier.

Then one day as I did my daily Chi Kung exercises, I suddenly felt the surge of energy flow through my body. I felt exhilarated and calm at the same time. I experienced the connection between my soul to that of the over soul.

If you would like more information on Chi Kung you can email my Chi Kung Master Jean Li at quimac@rogers.com or you can visit our Grandmaster Wong’s site at http://www.shaolin.org/ . If you prefer, visit an alternative site belonging to a well known Toronto Chi Kung Master, Teresa Yeung at http://www.masterteresa.com/master_teresa.html

From that moment on my Yoga postures were improved as I was more aware of my physical body and energy flow. Less anxiety, fear and more love and empathy for others were permanent benefits of that critical realization. Since I tend to be Vata in outlook, I enjoy a Yoga that has a spiritual element rather than one with a more athletic focus. I hate routine so I need a Yoga studio that allows for my nomadic nature.

My favourite Yoga studio is the Yoga Centre Toronto at Yonge north of Eglinton. Visit their site at http://www.yogacentretoronto.ca/home.html . Each Iyengar Yoga class is done according to the our individual physical abilities with the teachers compassionately pushing us to perform to our best. It is also one of the few nonprofit Yoga studios in the city.

The second most important practice with which I have achieved connectedness is Ayurveda. Ayurveda, like Yoga grew out of Hinduism and Buddhism. Ayurveda, a healing modality from ancient India, is the study of living a healthy balanced life. I daily balance my energies with that of my environment with my skincare and diet. It also can influence my decisions for physical activity. I find that the environment influences my state of mind so with diet and skincare I can neutralize any negative effects like irritability, depression or disorientated.

As I learn to better balance my energies, the more connected I become to my environment and those in it. I also found that I felt and I looked better.

I will show you how to balance your energies (your Doshas) with that of the environment in the next blog entry.