Blessings and Joy to You

I wrote my season’s message as a guest blogger. You can find it here.

Our heartfelt best wishes for a blessed season and a New Year full of health and happiness.

Penny and Kathy

SCENAR: Acupuncture Without the Needles

Do you resonate with the concepts behind acupuncture of clearing blocked energy channels and enhancing the body’s ability to heal itself, but are uncomfortable with needles? Then the SCENAR might be for you.

Referred to as “acupuncture without the needles” in Europe and Australia, the SCENAR uses the frequencies native to the body to open up blocked energy channels and activate the body’s own capacity to heal itself. My first SCENAR trainer was an acupuncturist in Austin, who used needles for 15 years, but after discovering the SCENAR, quit using needles preferring the gentleness of the device as well as its effectiveness. He found he could accomplish the desired healing more quickly and without “needle anxiety” as he called it.

The SCENAR can identify and treat blocked acupuncture points as well as reduce inflammation and re-educate spasming muscles to relax and return to their natural positions. It is also used to help the body restore its internal balance, just as acupuncture does.

So, if you are hesitant about needles, call us at 337-6854 to schedule an appointment. Mention this post and we’ll give you a 20% discount on your sessions.

What Matters Now

Now more than ever we need to find new ways of thinking, new paradigm interpretations of ideas we think we understand. The latest buzz is about this free ebook collection of ideas written in short essays (10-300 words) by over 70 big thinkers. Each shares an idea from their unique perspective for you to think about as we head into the new year. Just a few of the authors in the collection are Elizabeth Gilbert, Kevin Kelly, Tim O’Reilly, Tom Peters, and Martha Beck.

Go to the Quantumly Curious page to download the book. It is not something you can read in a single sitting, but rather something delicious to be digested bit by bit, enhanced by sharing with others both the book and your thoughts that were stimulated by reading it. Feel free to comment here about essays that you liked or questioned or that surprised you. The intention behind the ebook is to generate conversation…

Teardrop Memorial

This 10-story sculpture was given to the American people by the Russian people. Vladimir Putin officiated at the groundbreaking ceremony on September 15, 2005 at the location on the peninsula at Bayonne Harbor in New Jersey.  It was completed and dedicated on September 11, 2006.  Created by Zurab Tsereteli, renowned Russian sculptor and architect, the central titanium teardrop is 3 stories tall. The base has a wall inscribed with the names of those who died in the attack. It symbolizes the tears wept by the Russian people for our suffering and loss.

Humanity is one family. All the things that separate us fall away in the face of unreasonable, incomprehensible loss of innocent lives.

A Cherokee Legend

A Cherokee grandfather was telling his grandchildren about life. He said, “There are two wolves inside of me who are always fighting. They live  inside of you and everyone. One is full of fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, lies, and false pride. The slightest thing can set him off.

“The other one is good and does no harm. He is full of joy, peace, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

“Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves inside of me always trying to dominate.”

One of the grandchildren looked up at his grandfather and said, “Grandfather, who will win?”

The old man replied, “The one I feed.”

Shackles On or Shackles Off *

Here is a quick guide to navigate the emotions that influence the autonomic nervous system. Try this exercise: take a moment and think of the most frustrating, limiting, personally demoralizing experience of your life. Explore the feelings associated with this. Do they involve feeling trapped, stuck, or ineffective no matter what you do? Where are they located in your body? Would an apt description be “shackles on”? So, now that you have an understanding of what “shackles on” feels like, turn your attention to a time in your life where everything fell together almost effortlessly in realizing your goal or dream; when it felt as if every door opened in front of you and that your life was free and easy. You were in the “flow” or “zone.” Where do  you feel that in  your body? Could you describe that feeling as “shackles off”?

The feeling of “shackles on” activates the sympathetic nervous system which interprets that state as a threat. The feeling of “shackles off” activates the parasympathetic system which interprets the state as being one where healing is possible, and so sets about its work of doing so.

Using these key phrases can guide you as to what system you are in and how to keep the parasympathetic system activated so that you may continue to have health and a sense of well-being. When contemplating anything, ask, “Does this feel like ‘shackles on’ or ‘shackles off’?” If it feels like “shackles on” move on to think or do something else, preferably something that feels like “shackles off.”

Although working with your own thoughts and emotions cannot provide a cascading release of neuropeptides as the SCENAR can, doing so can promote more balance between the two aspects of the autonomic nervous system and improve the quality of your life.

Play with this. Don’t get too involved in it with your intellect. Don’t make it “shackles on.” Treat it as an interesting mental game, and with a playful heart, see what you learn from it and how it affects your life. You may be surprised at the sense of well-being you might find.

* I was exposed to this by a life coach here is Asheville, Morgana Morgaine, and by the book Steering by Starlight written by Martha Beck. The way it relates to the autonomic nervous system comes from my years of observing the response of the body to SCENAR and my research.