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

Kapha Time : Balancing health and beauty to Winter's energy

When is Kapha Time?

There is a Kapha time of day which is 6:00am to 10am and again in the evening at 6:00pm to 10pm.

There is the Kapha time of our lives which is from birth to about 20 years old – for some it is 18 for others 25. As in everything Ayurveda or Asian; – it depends.

The weather can be Kapha anytime of the year but the season that is considered Kapha is winter to the beginning of spring. Now again this depends --- on geography.

In Toronto, Kapha Season is usually around end of December to about May. That is winter to early spring.

In San Francisco, due to the difference of temperature of the breezes of the ocean being forced together with the air of the land, Kapha season can seem continuous.


What is Kapha Time?

Kapha Time occurs when the energy of Kapha is dominant in the environment. In Toronto it is commonly cold and high humidity weather. Secondary characteristics are heavy, slow and unchanging.

In Toronto Kapha energy’s dominance is felt in winter when it is cold and with wet heavy snow.

In other locals like water front cities like, San Francisco and London, the fog is a very visible and constant Kapha feature.

How does Kapha Times affect us?

Well it depends. We all have dominant Doshas; Vata, Pitta, Kapha. For Dosha characteristics go to http://our-metamorphosis.blogspot.com/2009/04/ayurvedic-doshas.html

We can all have Dosha imbalances. This means that when a Dosha whether it is our dominant one or not can dominate causing symptoms reflecting the negative characteristics of the Dosha.

Then --- we have all different degrees of all the Doshas so while we have dominant Doshas and we can have imbalances, at anytime another Doshas can influence our behavior , attitude and health.

So to use the following effectively you need to know yourself and understand the relativity of the influence Kapha will have on you at any given situation and time in this season.

Generally it is the following.

Vata:

The high humidity environment will allow Vata’s to indulge in those dry foods which those of us who easily dehydrate avoid. These foods will have less impact.

The external moisture will give Vata skin a break. While circulation can be slowed by the cold, skin is less dry than in the previous months.

Kapha energy can slow Vata’s down and Vata may sleep more. All good things for this very frenetic and busy person.

Pitta:

The cold temperature can allow Pittas to indulge in the spicy foods that tend to give them heat, redness, inflammation and irritability.

The cold may reduce inflammation of the skin. But for Pitta Kaphas or Kpaha Pittas this may be a time that is ripe for blemishes and flare ups from accumulation.

Kapha’s patient energy can lower Pitta’s stress level by lessening competitiveness and the desire to overachieve.

Kapha;

Kaphas need to balance the environmental influences with diet and activity.

Kaphas need to eat stimulating foods so adding spices like ginger, cinnamon and peppers is helpful. They need to avoid heavy, sweet and fatty foods like dairy, grains, nuts and red meat.

To keep their complexions beautiful they need to stimulate blood flow with exfoliants and light serums and moisturizers.

To prevent depression, lethargy, over dependency, over possessiveness and feeling stuff with energetic exercise like aerobics, martial arts and running.

Balancing Vata in Autumn

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Dry Skin and Absent Mindedness are part of middle age because they both are the result of the same energy.

The days are getting shorter. The weather is telling us to sleep longer. While you are beginning to become more absentminded or feeling spacey your Vata is becoming unbalanced and sleep is an excellent way to regain groundedness.

It is harvest time for hearty ground vegetables like potatoes, carrots yams and for nourishing gourds like squash and pumpkin. These are excellent food to nourish and moisten our insides.

While you may be oblivious to your internal dehydration and the lapses of mental acuity may be overlooked or forgotten, excess Vata in the windy turbulent autumn environment gets you right in your face. There in your mirror is dry dull skin that looks years older than just a week ago.

My secret to the fountain of youth is to wear a hydrating gel mask to sleep. Night time is rejuvenation and repair time. While skin is in protection mode in the day time it is hard at work repairing damaged skin cells and producing new ones through the night.

Make sure you wash your skin of pollutants and dirt first. A real convenience is Pure + simple Skin Smoothing Collagen Mask. No need to fuss with toners and serums before apply it. Just apply it straight after you cleanse and you wake up looking fresh and your skin looks plump.

During the day, apply a high quality serum like Collagen Elastin Plus before a richer moisturizer like Martina Gebhardt’s Evening Primrose Face Cream. This cream is natural, rich and great for those of us loosing our Estrogen,

For a skincare routine that is customized to your skin’s needs and to your personal preferences, visit one of Pure + simple’s 4 locations and enlist the help of a natural skincare specialist to create your own special routine to beautiful skin even in fall and winter.

Whether you follow my routine or develop one more suitable to you, commit to keeping it until next March. If you don’t waste energy second guessing your decision you will have one less thing cluttering up your active mind.

Now that you feel better about yourself, you can look at ways to balance the excess Vata in the environment and in you. No matter what Dosha is your main Dosha, you are in the Vata stage of your life (forty plus years old). This strong creative energy can lead you to increased spiritualism but also contributes to your forgetfulness, indecisiveness and dryness.

Increase your time for healing metabolism and energizing with more sleep as days grow shorter. After September 21 days are proportionally shorter with intensity of sunlight

Create more routine in your life. Vatas need to discipline themselves in conserving energy with less change and impulse with regular routines.

I have taken more time away from work. I found that somehow there is no great urgency over this. Hmmm, so I am not so indispensable.

You will find that planning is easier once you edit the list of activities on your to do list. Trying to plan them all in is so Vata.

Rest and eat a hearty meal before you make your choices as excess Vata will increase your indecisiveness.

Then after you have completed your plan, warm and hydrate yourself by treating yourself to a steamy hot sauna.

The Autumns of Our Lives

It is still August but the weather has turned cool and dry. This Vata energy affects how we feel and look. Vata time is about change and transformation.

Those of us who are naturally dehydrated know how to cope with the dry skin. But those of us entering this time of our life may resist the change from youthful adulthood to midlife maturity can learn from Plato who advises, “He who is of calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age, but to him who is of an opposite disposition youth and age are equally a burden.”

While those of us, who are naturally more Vata, welcome change, the cooler, lighter fall energy can create unbalancing affects our physical body, our thinking and feelings. Fall can cause Vata skin to look more dehydrated, thin and dull.

For the younger oilier Kapha skin types, this cooler weather can cause more congested and blemished skin.

And for the sensitive Pitta skin types the internal dehydration can trigger outbreaks of Rosacea and eczema.

Get immediate relief with a change in your skin care. Increase skin cell hydration with the regular use of serums and slow down the moisture loss by increasing the richness of your moisturizer
Then change your diet. The physical nourishment of richer foods and skincare can help balance that spacey feeling and hydrate our bodies. Eat warm moist foods to lubricate from inside out. In this transitional time eat warm salads and grains. Choose nourishing stews with root vegetables.
To further rejuvenate take strengthening herbs like Ashwaganda and Ginseng. You can get individualized formulas from your Ayurvedic or Traditional Chinese Doctor. You can take Ashwaganda in tablets alone or in formulas like Healthy Vata

If you prefer Ginseng, you need to both understand your own body constitution and the different types of ginseng. The safest one to take without advice is Canadian Ginseng. The smaller sweeter roots are best for Pitta types. The larger, older roots are best for Vatas types. The best way to get them is to go to a Chinese herbal store and select your roots and have them cut into slices. Then you can make tea by dropping 4-6 slices into a cup of boiling water and let it steep for 20 minutes.

If aging or Vata imbalance is a concern then Autumn is also a good time to detox your kidneys. In Ayurveda kidneys are considered a Vata organ and can influence our emotions negatively with worry and fear. According to Caroline Marie Dupont in her book, Enlightened Eating, we can support our kidney function by developing our ability to process fear, letting it flow through us while retaining the lessons.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine the kidneys determine how well you age. My Traditional Chinese Doctor recommends caring for the Kidneys start in your Thirties to ensure healthy aging.

Kidney detoxifiers are available at most health food stores. My favourite is Kidney Support from Alpha Science Laboratories . It is very effective and easy to do. Just take 2 tablespoons until the bottle is done.

Caroline Marie Dupont advises on maintaining kidney health with a diet high in vegetables and low in fat, salt and animal protein. Drink an average of 8 glasses of water - pure spring water, or purified water from distillation or reverse osmosis.

Time for Self Transformation

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September is approaching. While it is not the beginning of the New Year, it is a popular time for self transformation.

After a couple of months of detoxification, I have experienced emotional transformation. Along with the surfacing of repressed emotions, I have been also wizened up to new habits and behaviors that are more suitable to my new awareness.

My annual visit to Steven Dao has confirmed that becoming more succinct in my communications is my home work for the next year. I go to Steven not so much for future predictions but his uncanny ability to tell me what I am ready to hear.

Steven foretells of increase of negations and warns against my regular verbosity. (This is the only time I am quiet so how did he know! ;) My “long form” of communicating has endured through a cousin in law telling me that “while I don’t consider you a big mouth, you sure talk a lot” and to the constant dismay of my more reserved daughter.

So I preparing for September with a new look to solidify the revamped internal me. I will cover my grey hairs with a natural but convenient hair colour, a more conservative -- so longer hairdo from Sharon at John Steinberg (because she can give me a hairdo that is pretty but not boring) and I will save my usual yoga chic dressing for the weekend. ( a lovely site with menopausal tummy)

I have committed to a look that takes more maintenance and is more appropriate to my half century age. I still wanted natural and easy to care for but now it will take more time and money.

While I believe that many of my habits, like over activity, lack of routine and lack of sleep, have sped up my aging , my ability to reflect on my past behaviors and to embarking on new ones have rejuvenated me.

So what are you plans for yourself the next year?

If you are looking to do some self renovation here are some great ideas.

Rejuvenate your appearance with better care for your skin. Fall is a great time for sun sensitizing treatments like Microdermabrasion and Intense Pulse Light. Intense Pulse Light is an excellent way to erase lines and plump up your skin tone. But don’t neglect your daily care routine to help you maintain your youthful appearance. See a video of our Microdermabrasion Treatment. While you are there look over at the sidebar for our other facial treatment on video.

If you are over 35 years old – invest in a good serum. I may be bias but I totally recommend our most popular product, Collagen Elastin Plus for the job. It's like my child as I dictated the ingredients in this seaweed based serum. It will give your face an improved day to day appearance while helping you lessen long term expenditures on skin rejuvenation.

To help you update your fashion statement with accessories consider the advice of Jezebel.com. an e-news for alternative minded women’s http://jezebel.com/5616391/dress-code-accessories-101?skyline=true&s=i.

If your health seems sluggish, you may need to detox. After reading Gilles Marin’s book Healing from Within with Chi Nei Tsang, I would advise against any detox products that contain alcohol. Alcohol, according to Gilles, intoxicates our organs thereby needing to be detoxed. You can visit my past blogs for some ideas. Just avoid the liver detox if you want to avoid alcohol.

If you need some help in deciding your future, you can call Steven Dao at 416-846-0588 and get a objective reading. See my past blog for more on Steven.

An now for a deserved feel good break -- go to Jezebel.com to see the controversy over untouched photos of Jennifer Aniston. While she looks older I believe she looks more beautiful without the touch ups.

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.