Tag: stress management

The World’s Most Advanced Stress Management Technology

The World’s Most Advanced Stress Management Technology

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One of the most important and useful skills one can learn from studying Qigong is that of Grounding.

We implicitly understand the importance of grounding. Think of phrases such as, “She’s such a grounded person”; “This idea is grounded in facts and evidence”; “Twenty-one Quotes to Help Keep You Grounded”; and so forth.

And of course, one of my favorites: Casey Kasem, the American Top 40 Guy, used to close every show with “Keep your feet on the ground, but keep reaching for the stars”.

Most people don’t know how to ground. Practices such as yoga and meditation reference it, as do certain flavors of Western breathwork. I know I’m biased, but…from experience I have found the grounding techniques of Medical Qigong and Chinese Energetic Medicine are the most straightforward and effective. With a little practice, you can learn how to tap into the gentle energy of Mother Earth and, within a few minutes, become centered and grounded. And staying centered and grounded helps you better manage – even transform – stress and anxiety.

Why Is Grounding So Important?

The power of the Earth’s energy, or Earth Qi (pronounced “chee”), exists as the living energy of the entire planet. Each one of us is developed, structured, and influenced by the environmental energy around us. So Earth Qi plays an important role in controlling and influencing the specific pattern and overall quality of our life force energy.

The closer you physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually bond with the Earth, and with Nature in general, the easier it becomes for you to tap into our planet’s energy and vibration. The development of Qi within your body and your body’s connection to the energy of the Earth are mutually supportive. They help create a virtuous cycle of improving energy, health, and vitality.

The starting point for achieving this critical connection involves focusing the mind and placing your breathing inside your Lower Dan Tien (lower abdomen). Once you have established this mind-body connection, you can use simple positions (standing or seated) and intentions to connect into Mother Earth.

The ability to consciously absorb energy from Nature is an important skill in Daoist training (my Medical Qigong lineage is Daoist). It’s a prerequisite for cultivating internal energy at a high level.

Learning how to ground and center is one of the most important skills I have learned over the years. Not only is it a foundation for my being able to treat and help people via treatments, corrective exercise, and/or Qigong prescriptions. It’s also an invaluable life skill! I go outside and ground at least once per day – sometimes multiple times per day. I ground inside too when I can’t get outside due to appointments and meetings.

Focus on Energy Management

I often tell my clients and Qigong students to focus less on “time management” and “stress management” and focus more on energy management. Most people are carrying way too much stress and anxiety. If I could impart only one piece of advice, it would be to “Give yourself the gift of breathing (and grounding)”. Take short breathing / grounding breaks throughout the day. Between meetings and calls; when you are switching from one type of task to another; after you’ve had a tough interaction or prior to an important meeting; while you’re driving home and transitioning from work mode to home mode. All are excellent opportunities to breathe and ground. Within a minute or so, you can collect yourself, purge negative energy or emotions, and feel revitalized mentally, physically, and emotionally.

(Quick plug: My online video course, “Introduction to Qigong and Breathwork“, includes an easy, fun Grounding meditation. Check it out.)

That’s it for now! I’m going to go stand outside for a few and ground…then on to my next to-do for today.

You Can Do It!

Dr. Karen

A Master Key to Success

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I’m fond of quoting one of my favorite martial arts instructors, who used to say – over and over again: “Repetition, repetition, repetition…repetition coupled with enthusiasm is the key to success in all your endeavors.”

When a much younger “me” first heard this, I found it to be a transforming message. I had experienced success in many areas of my life, including my studies, my athletic pursuits, my career, and so forth. Yet I sometimes baffled myself with how impulsive I could be.

If I were more into astrology, I might blame it on being a Pisces. Pisces, a water sign, is symbolized by two fish swimming in opposite directions. There’s a certain duality in the Pisces personality and we are known for our sometimes impulsive tendencies. Or perhaps it’s genetic. Or maybe it’s how I have always handled the stress of having many interests, many things to do, and sometimes feeling overwhelmed.

Whatever the root cause, I have found that impulsiveness can manifest in our lives in many different ways, such as procrastination, a lack of focus on the task at hand, or making a big decision solely based on intuition, without any sort of thought or rational analysis.

On the darker side, it can appear as addiction and compulsions that are extremely difficult to overcome. Like eating too much, drinking too much, drug abuse, etc.

The cure for impulsiveness – or, at least, one of the best ways to control it – is consistency. This brings us back to my instructor’s advice. Repetition means consistency. It means doing the things that are good for you every day, and making them a habit. For example, exercise must be consistent to be effective. This is the first and foremost precept of physical conditioning and health maintenance. Lack of consistency leads to the erosion of your health and fitness foundation. And without a solid foundation, no structure will stand.

Too many people who begin exercise, or healthy eating habits, or a qigong and breathwork practice, give up and quit too soon to realize their amazing benefits. Don’t be one of them!

If there is one overall secret to success, it’s consistency…consistency and enthusiasm. In other words, doing the right things, and having fun while you’re doing them.

You Can Do It!

Dr. Karen

Heaven & Earth and Yin & Yang

Heaven & Earth and Yin & Yang

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The postures and simple movements of the Between Heaven and Earth form help condition us to the vital cycles and rhythms of life.

For example, in our Qigong practice, we devote a lot of time to centering and grounding. These two skills are so important in our Qigong – indeed, they are critical life skills. Life throws a lot at us. Centering and grounding can help you take the incoming fire or stress without overreacting, enabling you to deal with it more effectively. These two skills can also keep you younger.

As the saying goes, “A mind that can control its response to stress is the world’s most advanced anti-aging technology.”

When we ground, we focus primarily on our lower dan tien or energy center (lower abdomen) and on connecting through our feet to the Yin energy of Mother Earth.

However, when we ground, we also enhance our ability to take in Yang energy from Heaven.

Think about it: most buildings and homes have a lightning rod typically located on the roof of the building or in the area where the electrical and other wiring comes into the house. The wire of the rod connects to a metal base that is implanted or stuck into the ground. The rod serves to attract any lightning strike that might otherwise hit the building or house and carry the current into the ground.

Likewise, when we stand and ground, we are attracting heavenly energy or Qi into our bodies, without even having to think about it.

Which Connection is More Important?

With Between Heaven and Earth Qigong, we are more targeted and intentional on accessing energy from Heaven as well as Earth. The postures are representative of the ways we naturally connect to Heaven and Earth in our daily lives. At all times, we maintain a strong connection to Earth through the feet and Hui Yin (point on the perineum). We can also connect quite strongly through our hands.

On the other hand, the connection with Heaven through the Bai Hui (crown of head) typically is not as strong. You can really feel it when the Bai Hui opens – it’s a clear sensation. However, the feeling is like a funnel through which the energy pours, resulting in a smaller stream coming in and down through the point. Therefore, in certain postures we lift our hands and face toward Heaven to help strengthen the connection.

It would seem that our connection with the Earth is the most important. As we move through our day-to-day lives, we deal with the material, the substantial, the daily cares of living, and the to-do’s from our task list. However, every now and then, we should to connect to Heaven to recharge and renew with that heavenly yang energy. This is where our inspiration and creativity come from.

These cycles of Earth and Heaven – yin and yang – work and recharge – activity and rest – doing and creating – mirror the universe around us. Through reflecting these cycles, the Between Heaven and Earth exercises provide a wonderful way to recharge. They activate the Eight Extraordinary Meridians (the “8X”) which in turn strengthens our natural energy matrix and helps us stay healthy and resilient.

How Do I Get Started?

If you’re interested in learning more about Qigong, Breathwork, and related energy disciplines, a great way to get started is with the introductory course, Breathing & Qigong for Health and Energy. In just four weeks, this course provides you with a wonderful introduction to these ancient and vital practices. I bypass all the “woo woo” stuff and focus on the foundational elements of a successful practice, so you can reap the benefits from your first day of learning. It’s like taking private lessons with me (but at a much lower cost).

So, from now on, anytime you stand, breathe, and ground, place a little bit of your awareness on your Bai Hui point at the crown of your head. See yourself as a lightning rod, allowing Yang energy from Heaven to gently funnel into the top of your head and diffuse and settle down into your body, energizing you from head to toe. At the same time, maintain your connection to Mother Earth and enjoy the Yin energy coming up from the soles of your feet into your lower abdomen.

“Suspended Between Heaven and Earth”. There’s no better place to be.

You Can Do It!

Dr. Karen

Be In the Moment

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Are you present in the moment?

Or are you doing one thing and thinking about something else? Or thinking about what you’ll do next? Or worrying about some future event that may or may not occur?

A fundamental teaching of the major religions – especially Eastern traditions such as Daoism and Buddhism – is to be present in the now. Fully live and experience life by being present with whatever you are doing.

This is wonderful advice if you are looking to improve your performance in any area of your life. Whether at work, developing a new skill, spending time with one of your kids or grandkids, or doing something simple like washing the dishes…being fully present and doing ONE THING AT A TIME is a secret to doing that thing better, AND enjoying it more.

And how many times have you worried or ruminated about someone, something, some event that might occur or that you might have to deal with. Only to find the event or terrible thing did not occur as you had feared. How many wasted minutes and hours have you lost doing this…have I lost doing this?

As Mark Twain famously said, “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened. Worrying is like paying a debt you don’t owe. I have spent most of my life worrying about things that have never happened.”

Pets Are Great Teachers

I find the best teachers of the principle of being in the moment are our pets. Dogs and cats provide wonderful examples of being fully present, giving unconditional love to those around them, and being fully invested in whatever they are doing. Could be walking, could be playing, could be taking a nap. Doesn’t matter, they are 100% there! And they usually are having a jolly good time too!

We are blessed with two dogs and four cats. Here is our youngest – the baby of the family – Ciara (which means “Dark-Haired One” in the Celtic language):

Here is Miss Ciara on the move in our back yard. She’s practicing her scary face as she, through play, learns her hunting skills. (So far no kills!) She runs and climbs and plays with her sister cats – what experts call “The Zoomies” – for a half hour, hour at a time. Then…

Time for a nap with big sister Stella. And she is OUT for an hour or more.

It’s Even Biblical

Jesus taught the importance of being in the moment and fully present. In Matthew 6:34, Jesus tells us “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.”

Being fully present in the moment is a skill or capability you can develop. When we practice our Qigong, do some deep breathing, or engage in deep prayer or meditation, we focus internally and fully inhabit the present. When we find our thoughts drifting to “What’s next?” or “What should I have for lunch?” or “How the heck am I going to deal with X problem?”…we gently coax our thoughts back to our practice – our breathing, our intention, our movement.

Yes, you can be happy and content TODAY. You can be grateful in this moment. You can inhabit the present and invest your attention and energy in such a way that you feel relaxed, you feel the flow, even as you allow yourself to experience FREEDOM from anticipating and worrying about what’s ahead.

The Faster, Easier Way to Balance Your Energy

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What’s a surefire way to turbocharge your Qigong or Breathwork practice? The fastest and easiest way to balance the energies in your body?

It’s what we call “Tree Qigong” (or “Tree-Gong” for fun).

Your overall constitution, which is a huge driver of your health, resilience, outlook, energy levels, and how fast you age (or how young you remain), is a compilation of your three main energy centers or dan tien:

-Lower Dan Tien: Physical

-Middle Dan Tien: Mental and Emotional

-Upper Dan Tien: Spiritual

When you practice your Qigong and Breathwork, you are building up your constitution so you can be healthier, enjoy more energy, have a more positive attitude or outlook on life, and just generally be more adaptable and roll with the inevitable punches and problems of life.

And making Tree Qigong a regular part of your practice or self-cultivation is a wonderful way to fast-track your development. You’ll increase your awareness of energy and improve your ability to remove blockages or stagnation and open the energy channels that flow throughout your body.

When I provide my clients or patients with prescription exercises, I often recommend performing centering, grounding, and basic breathing exercises in the vicinity of trees. (For a wonderful introduction to these practices, as well as several other foundational energy exercises, check out this course. It will help you transform stress, center yourself, and improve your health and energy in four short weeks!)

Better yet, find a tree that resonates with you and get close to it. Standing in the vicinity of its roots and under its canopy helps create an energy capsule of protection and good feelings.

IMPORTANT: Don’t just walk up to a tree and begin doing your thing! Take a little time to “introduce yourself” energetically to the tree and see if you can sense how receptive it is (or is not) to your approach. If it’s not receptive, no worries, just find another tree (or come back another time). If it is receptive, spend a few minutes just sitting or standing with the tree so you can begin to pick up on its energy.

What Type of Tree Works Best?

Depends on what your current needs are. If you’re feeling down, lethargic, a little under the weather or blah…or you just can’t seem to get moving on important projects or work…work with a tree that is more YANG in nature.

Generally, this means trees that are fast-growing. Aspens, Weeping Willows, Poplars, and Cedars are all fast-growing trees. Here in Texas, the Sugar Bush or Hackberry tree is an excellent YANG companion. The Cedar (or Juniper) tree is a close second.

On the other hand, if you need to improve the health and energy of your internal organs, especially due to chronic issues or after surgery, chemo, or radiation…or if you’ve been feeling too scattered or hyper, ungrounded, and/or can’t seem to settle down and focus… work with a tree that is more YIN in nature.

Yin trees include most Oaks, Hickory, and Beech trees. These trees are slow-growing and take years to establish a tap-root and build their root structure before they begin to grow to any significant height. Therefore, any medium to large trees of this type (I’m thinking of the beautiful oaks and live oaks that are prevalent here in the Austin area) will make for an excellent YIN companion.

Here are a couple of MY favorite trees (friends) with whom I share energy and “Tree-Gong” on a regular basis:

This beautiful willow tree lives near Lake Travis in one of our more natural park settings. A stream and wetlands area are just to her left in the photo, so there are always a lot of birds and other critters around. When I’m feeling a little blah or like I need a pick-up, I hang here. The combination of the tree’s YANG energy and proximity to the lake combine to help energize and balance me.

This lovely, stately lady is one of my favorite trees. Her energy is just incredible, you can feel it walking toward her. She exudes calm, cool, healing YIN energy and is very receptive to sharing energy. For many years, she has provided a home and shelter to birds, squirrels, and other critters. I love to hang with her when I’m into serious cultivation or simply need a quiet space for reflection.

I encourage you to find your own tree or trees with which to practice your Qigong. It’s likely to become one of your favorite things to do!

Want to Live Longer? Live Near Green Spaces…

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...AND make friends with a tree

The Washington Post published an article yesterday titled, “Living Near Green Spaces Could Add 2.5 Years to Your Life, New Research Finds” (you can read the article here).

They go on to discuss an article in the journal Science Advances which suggests long-term exposure to more greenery where you live can add an average of 2.5 years to your life. The study looked at long-term exposure to surrounding green spaces among a group of more than 900 people in four U.S. cities. They found that being near green space causes “biological or molecular changes that can be detected in our blood”.

Well, I’m happy that modern science continues to catch up with ancient medical wisdom. For centuries, our Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM) paradigm has educated us on the importance of staying close to nature. Taoist practices have had a major influence on CCM and Taoism is all about simplicity, staying close to nature, and following nature’s rhythms and cycles.

In CCM, we teach that the blood and the Qi are synonymous and how important it is that both flow without obstruction or stagnation. Blood and Qi are energy, information, communication, and alimentation (i.e., nourishment) for every structure in our bodies and brains. One of the wonderful benefits of our Qigong practice is an increase in the circulation of blood and qi along with a concurrent decrease in stagnation or blockages. So it’s interesting to hear of a study that identifies actual markers in the blood that indicate a younger biological age due to living closer to green spaces.

When I teach Qigong, I make sure that the participants and I center and ground in every single session. It’s such an important skill, not just in our energetic work – it’s an essential life skill too! As the students in my group and private classes will tell you, I often encourage them to go outside in their bare feet and engage in a few minutes of conscious breathing, centering, and grounding. It’s much easier to feel or become aware of the Yin energy coming up from the earth and to get into a grounded state when you connect directly with the ground. It’s such a pleasant, wonderful feeling too!

Say Hello to Your Big Friend

To turbo-charge your practice, choose a spot close to a tree. Stand with feet about shoulder width apart or in your Wuji posture and follow your

process of breathing, focusing inside, centering into the lower abdomen (or heart center if you prefer), and ground via the Kidney 1 (Bubbling Well) point in the bottom of each foot. Imagine your feet are projecting a tap root down into the earth, so you feel fully rooted. And see or sense your tap roots are becoming intertwined with the roots of the tree.

Feel the energies of your root system commingle with the energies of the tree’s root system. Then inhale deeply into your lower abdomen. At the same time, allow the Yin energy of the earth to come up through your roots and your Kidney 1 point, up through your legs, and into your lower abdomen (lower dan tien or energy center). Gently “fill up the bathtub” in your lower abdomen.

With each exhale, allow the energy to drop back down through Kidney 1 into the earth. As the energy drops, release and purge any unwanted stagnation, stiffness, tightness, blockages, emotional content, or thoughts that are not serving you well. Let it all drop into the earth.

Then take a fresh breath and repeat the cycle.

Obviously, there are some subtleties and finer points to doing this. But don’t worry about that for now. Keep things simple.

As you repeat cycles of inhalation and exhalation, pulling energy in and allowing energy to drop and release, you may get into a profound state of grounding. You are also sharing or cycling energy with your new friend, the tree. This results in profound physical, mental, and emotional benefits, which we will discuss in our next post.

In the meantime, get back to nature, find a new friend – er, tree – and allow yourself the pleasure of interacting in a whole new way.

The Glue Connecting the Conscious and Unconscious

The Glue Connecting the Conscious and Unconscious

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In our last post I promised to discuss the quickest, most direct way to change your thoughts, emotions, and physicality.

This method does not require any special tools or apps. It’s not a hack. It’s not expensive, nor is it time-consuming. It’s the world’s most advanced anti-aging technology. And it’s accessible to you right here, right now, right where you are.

I’m talking about your breathing, of course!

Many people take breathing for granted. They don’t realize that their breathing can be one of the most powerful stress management, performance-enhancing, and anti-aging tools they will ever find. Many people breathe up in their chests. They rarely experience the wonderful, energizing sensations of taking a full, complete breath, one that fully expands the lower abdomen and back, thoracic area and chest. This type of complete breath feels great! And provides the following benefits (this is just a partial list):

  • Enhances your physical and mental energy by bringing vital oxygen into your bloodstream, as well as ensuring you are exhaling more of the CO2 and other waste products out of your system.
  • Releases negative, toxic emotions, memories, self-doubt, as well as tightness in your body.
  • Helps bring your awareness into the present moment so you can focus better.
  • Provides you with a sense of personal control, especially during difficult situations.
  • Entrains other important autonomic processes, such as lowering your heart rate and blood pressure, slowing your breathing rate, reducing the level of cortisol (stress hormones), and facilitating fuller digestion and elimination.

You may think you don’t have time to breathe. You’re rushing, stressed, busy, on the move. But you can breathe any time and any place. Remember, as the Dalai Lama says, if you think you are too busy to meditate, that’s exactly the situation where you really NEED to meditate.

The same goes for breathing. When you “think you don’t have time” is exactly the time when you really need it! All it takes is a minute or two of full, relaxed, complete breathing, in and out through your nose, to completely change your state.

In fact, all it takes is 16 seconds – the time of the typical cycle of inhalation and exhalation – to transform yourself. Transformation not only at the conscious level, but transformation at the autonomic level…indeed, transformation all the way down to the cellular and sub-cellular level.

A wise karate master once said, “Breathing is the glue connecting the conscious and the unconscious”. Through your breath, you connect and ground your conscious self with your true self – that wonderful, fascinating, full-of-potential YOU. Complete breathing helps you transition from being overly conscious and critical of your performance (i.e., how do I look, how am I doing, do I sound dumb, etc.) to unconscious mental control, which is automatic, accepting, and trusting. Which helps you tap into the innate wisdom, energy, and capabilities inside you.

So give yourself the gift of breathing this holiday season. Leave the rushing, to-do’s, obligations, family issues, etc. aside. Take a little time out to breathe and go inside for a moment or two. Get centered, get relaxed. Consider and appreciate the power and the wonder of the season and the holidays.

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! And Best Wishes to you and yours.

Feeling Holiday Stress? Remember This Important Connection

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It’s that time of year again! The holiday season is upon us, and whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or some combination of the above, you are likely already into that annual whirlwind of events, parties, shopping, cooking, baking, etc. etc.

This time of year can also be tough emotionally for many of us. We may miss family members and friends who are no longer with us. Or we may feel nostalgia for past holidays, such as Christmases when the kids were still young, or even for our Christmases when WE were young.

In my work with clients, I often discuss the mind-body connection as an important pillar of human performance. It’s real and you can either use it – like helping you get through stressful or tough emotional times – or you can be used BY it.

Merry Christmas wreath

The term “mind-body connection” first came into use in the West during the 1960s and 1970s, which was a period of tremendous social and ideological change. At first, people associated this type of concept with yoga and meditation, which was becoming increasingly popular. It became really publicized through the work of doctors and scientists, such as Herbert Benson MD’s classic work, The Relaxation Response. Through his studies and experiments, Dr. Benson demonstrated that ordinary people could use their breathing and thoughts to cultivate a calm, serene emotional state, which in turn affected physiological processes such as breathing rate, heart rate, and blood pressure – with significant implications for helping folks stay healthy or even heal faster from surgery or disease.

Dr. Benson’s first book was published way back in 1975. So you think we would all be mind-body experts by now; that mind-body meditation or breathing techniques would be part of the standard school curriculum; and that we would all routinely tune into our physical state and emotions at various times during the day. Unfortunately, some 47 years later, the idea that your state of mind can have significant effects on your physiology, and therefore on your performance, your health – indeed, on how you experience your life – still has not caught on.

Most people ignore this connection. Many numb out to avoid going inside and fully connecting to and feeling what is going on in their bodies. Unfortunately, they are missing out an important fact: your conscious thoughts have a huge influence on your physical state, which in turn influences your thoughts and emotions…all of which affects pretty much everything you do.

There is no neutral or middle ground: your thoughts and emotional state are either positive or negative, which in turn drives your physical state. Wouldn’t you rather spend most of your time in a constructive, positive state? How could this transform your life? Imagine changing from a “getting through the holidays” to an “enjoying and loving the holidays” mentality.

In our next post, I will discuss the quickest, most direct way to change your thoughts, emotions and physicality. So stay tuned…

Are You Focusing Enough on This Critical Area?

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I live in the beautiful Hill Country of Central Texas. (Notice how
I capitalized those terms? That’s how special Central Texans think
this area is.) Our little community on the shores of Lake Travis
is blessed with lots of woodlands and natural beauty.

Along with our healthy habitat comes a plethora of flora and fauna
that never cease to fascinate and entertain.

For example, one of the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen –
and I’ve been to some places like Costa Rica that seem to have
invented beautiful flowers – is the yellow flower on the prickly
pear cactus.

And one of the cutest animals I have ever encountered is the
baby aramadillo that meandered into our back yard one time. Poor
little guy just wanted to dig in the mulch. He dug in, held on
and made little baby grunting noises as we tried to pick him up
and move him to a safer area outside of our back yard (where our
dogs and cats roam).

We also have a very healthy deer population. Many towns and suburbs
are overrun with deer, and I know this can be a topic of
contention for many people who have seen their shrubs and flowers
get eaten, seemingly overnight.

Our yard borders on a well-trod deer path. We have kept the lot
next to our main yard wooded and in a natural state, so the
deer can traverse the area between our neighborhood streets
in safety. So we see quite a few deer moving through our yard.

Yet imagine my surprise when I went out to get the papers one
Saturday morning a few weeks ago, and I saw a baby fawn deposited
on our front lawn, not 15 feet from our front door!

Baby fawn in our front yard
Baby Fawn in Our Front Yard

We’ve seen baby fawns before, including last year when one was
lying under a tree just on the other side of our street. No,
the mama deers are not bad mothers. Apparently they leave the
fawns so mama can go forage and eat. The fawns know instinctively
to stay still and not move. In most cases they are well
camouflaged. And these newborns lack any kind of scent, so they
are actually safer without mom because coyotes and other potential
predators can’t smell them.

However, right smack in the middle of our front yard seemed
kind of nuts! The fawn definitely was visible.

We resisted the temptation to pick the little thing up and hide
it someplace better. We looked out and checked on it a few
times. Eventually mama deer came back and took the fawn along
with her, down the deer trail.

I’m happy to report that mom and baby are doing great! We see
them every morning and every evening as they make their way
along the deer path. They’ve been joined by a few other does
and fawns too, and we enjoy watching their antics as they
learn the ropes.

As I watch the fawns jumping and leaping, bounding and running,
I’m struck with how powerful they are. That kind of power –
to be able to start on a dime, jump and bound with great force,
and accelerate quickly – demonstrates the tremendous potential
energy they store in their muscles and tendons.

Same thing with our pets. We have two dogs and two cats. (And
they all get along just fine.) Our dogs tend to want to nap
and lay around, in particular they like to lay on their dog
bed here in my office and hang out while I am working.

Our cats are, well….cats! Which means they also lay around
and nap quite a bit.

But rouse any of one of these puppies or cats with something
interesting, like the rabbit that runs through our yard (the
dogs’ current obsession), or a bird or butterfly flitting
by (the cats, of course)….and they fire into action.

In a heartbeat, they can go from resting to full sprint.

Young children demonstrate the same capability. My son and
his friends can go from zero to 60 in an instant – from
laying around reading to sprinting into the back yard with
their nerf guns, ready to attack “the enemy” in their pretend
battle.

They can stop on a dime. They can sit and stretch and hop
without any warm up at all.

The key to this type of flexible power and quick starting
ability is in all of us.

It’s dictated in large part by how flexible we are.

We see this unhindered flexibility in young children. We can
continue to cultivate is as young adults. But then….

It seems to go away. As we get older, we lose our flexibility,
as well as our ability to start fast and accelerate quickly
without a warm up – AND without pulling a muscle or putting
oour backs out.

Our muscles and tendons get tighter. Our joints get tight or
even painful. Our backs ache.

This loss of physical flexibility is echoed in a loss of
mental flexibility and emotional resilience. In fact,
many bodyworkers and energy practitioners have linked
cognitive challenges and moodiness to a lack of flexibility.

Of course, these are unwanted results. I think you probably
agree that you would rather maintain flexibility of both
body and mind. But how best to reclaim your god-given
flexible power?

On the positive side, even if you’ve lost that youthful
flexibility you once enjoyed, you can still get it back. The
human body has amazing regenerative powers.

And improving your flexibility results in a number of
positive side effects, including mental and emotional
benefits.

Dogs and cats, children and fawns actually stretch all the
time. And they stretch in a particular way.

It makes sense to consider this as you work on your own
flexibility.

I think flexibility is one of the most important areas you
should focus on, especially as you get older. But most people
don’t understand how important this is…or how best to
get started.

I’ll devote my next few tips to addressing this important
topic.

You Can Do It!

Karen_signature

“Transform Body Mind and Spirit with Dynamic Energy Exercise!”
www.BestBreathingExercises.com

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2014

I Want To Send This To You – and It’s On Me

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Best Breathing Exercises logo
The Best Breathing Exercises Letter
There’s a lot of mumbo jumbo out there about breathing and energy
exercises, about “secret” techniques and methods, about how you
have to study and practice for a long time before you get to the
really good stuff.

The reality is this: you can pick up quite a bit of technique and
skill by starting at a basic level, practicing and experiencing
at that level, then building from there.

It’s similar to teaching any new skill to anyone, from music to
martial arts to macrame.

First, you provide a basic foundation of knowledge, initial skills,
and a few key techniques.

You then have the student practice these, over and over, so they
actually experience them and therefore learn them. The experience
part is critical. Just reading about something won’t make you good
at it, or allow you to understand it.

Actually DOING THE THING, even if it’s at a basic level, pushes you
forward toward competency and, eventually, skilfulness.

At the same time, an instructor will work to ensure their student is
progressing in increments or steps that make sense: steps that
challenge the student just a little to keep it interesting, but
don’t overwhelm so much that the student gives up.

I know from experience teaching martial arts and breathing exercises
that too much time spent in explanation is boring.You have to
explain the basics, then let the student work with it and practice.

Once they have some experience, you then add the next layer of
explanation, detail or complexity.

Move the performance level and knowledge base up, step by step….
and you have a winning formula for progress and learning.

(And, as one of my favorite martial arts instructors always says,
“Repetition, repetition, repetition – plus enthusiasm – is the key
to success in all your endeavours.”)

I can teach and explain quite a number of wonderful exercises to
you in these email tips. However, because of the length at which
I have to keep these (so you will actually read them), I sometimes
struggle with how much detail to include.

How best to resolve this?

Well, for one thing, I have created a number of information
products which go into greater depth on specific areas of
breathing, energy cultivation, stress management, and flexibility.
(Visit http://www.bestbreathingexercises.com/products.html to
see a complete listing.)

Here’s another thing I used to do: early on, when I first started
the Best Breathing Exercises website, I published a short, two to
four page newsletter that I sent out each month to my customers.

Yes, a PRINT newsletter which I mailed out.

I know I know, not common in this day of digital everything. But
I tried it out anyways.

And I was pleasantly surprised at the response. My customers
loved it!

They loved that I could devote more space to really digging into
a specific topic, or even cover off a couple of topics, in more
detail than I usually can through a blog post.

And I loved being able to share even more information, insights
and inspiration with my customers.

I eventually stopped doing the print letter. Not sure why, now
that I think of it.

But, I’ve decided to start up me ol’ letter again. And you,
my friend, are the beneficiary.

As I said, the “Best Breathing Exercises Letter” will be written
for you and mailed to you each month.

It’s like a letter I would write to a good friend, one who wants
to learn more about improving health and energy levels,
transforming stress, being more focused and confident, and
becoming more resilient.

And, because it’s a print newsletter, I don’t have to edit
myself at all, like I sometimes do when posting online. So I can tell
you what I really think!

So, how do you get on my list?

Here’s the deal:

I initially planned on including only customers in my newsletter mailings.

However, I’ve got a lot of devoted readers of my blog, and I would
love for you to also benefit from the newsletter.

Therefore, I have also decided to open up this new version of the “Best
Breathing Exercises Letter” to readers of this blog.

If you’ve been reading for a long time, or for just a few days,
and would like to receive the “Best Breathing Exercises Letter”,
simply give me your mailing address and you will be good to go.

Here is the link to provide your current mailing information:

http://www.bestbreathingexercises.com/bbe_nl_signup.html.

(A number of folks have already signed up – if you have already
input your mailing address information, you do not have to do
it again – I’ve got it!)

Only sign up if you are truly interested in receiving and
reading the Letter. I want people who will actually USE and
therefore BENEFIT FROM the information I will be providing.

And I want to hear back from you, including your recommendations
for additional topics you would like me to cover.

I’m betting you are one of those people, Dear Reader. You want
even more information, insights and inspiration to help you live
the full, active, joyful life you deserve! So don’t delay –
take two minutes to type in your mailing information at
http://www.bestbreathingexercises.com/bbe_nl_signup.html.

Thanks for your support!

You Can Do It!

Karen_signature

“Transform Body Mind and Spirit with Dynamic Energy Exercise!”
www.BestBreathingExercises.com

P.S. Yes, you too can receive and benefit from even more breathing
and energy exercises and instruction, and deeper insights
into the physical, psychological and spiritual dimensions of
abundant energy, health and fitness – by signing up for my FREE
monthly print newsletter, the “Best Breathing Exercises Letter”.

In the next few issues, I will be exploring the fascinating
psychological and metaphysical background which informs and
contributes to the effectiveness of breathing and visualization.
And I will share more details on several of the most productive,
yet easy to learn, exercises that I have enjoyed over the years.

To input or update your mailing address info, go to
http://www.bestbreathingexercises.com/bbe_nl_signup.html.

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2014