Summer time is travel time. Whether you’re traveling to visit family, go on a retreat, or have an adventurer, the experience can have a stress factor. Sometimes the symptoms can manifest as jet lag, motion sickness, or sleepless nights.
Having traveled the globe, these are remedies I recommend:
For jet lag I suggest taking melatonin supplements if you’re moving though three or more time zones. Drink plenty of water. Avoid drinking alcohol, which has a tendency to be dehydrating. Moisturize your skin. Exercise your wrists and ankles with a rotating movement.
For motion sickness I recommend ginger. Whether it be drinking ginger tea or eating it crystallized, ginger can sooth a queasy stomach.
For sleepless nights I recommend the homeopathic remedy “calms forte.” Herbal tinctures that help promote sleep are hops, valerian root, and passionflower. Follow the directions on the bottle. Lavender essential oil sprinkled on your pillow can also support peaceful dreams. A few drops in your bathwater can also help you relax. Or a few drops in sesame oil massaged into your skin before bedtime can promote a goodnight’s rest.
Drinking a cup of chamomile tea can be soothing or taking the flower essence of dill can help if you feel over-stimulated by new experiences.
The 23rd annual Chincoteague Blueberry Festival held last week-end was the largest fine arts and crafts event on the Eastern shore of Virginia with exhibitors from 10 states including local artists. The net profits from blueberry sales were donated to the Chincoteague Police Department.
The event hosted live music, pony rides and face painting for children, and a variety of blueberry confections. The vendors offered a variety of wares including oil paintings, photography, woodcarving, jewelry, quilts, clothing, wind chimes, and much more.
Tai Chi is a system of circular, flowing movements based on martial arts. It used by people of all ages as a graceful, meditative exercise.
Regular practice of this ancient art promotes health, strength, confidence, longevity, and peace of mind. It has been noted that T’ai Chi practitioners live 30% longer than non-practitioner.
Tai Chi has been shown to increase balance control that results in a reduction of falls, especially among the elderly.Studies show it is effective for arthritis and pain, osteoporosis, strength and flexibility.
Research has also found Tai Chi to be equivalent to moderate aerobic exercise, but it is much easier on the body. The health benefits of practicing tai chi are many.Tai Chi can reduce cholesterol and blood pressure, and can also improve cardiovascular functioning and the capacity of the immune system.
Master Jingshan Tang is President and founder of the Oriental Fitness Institute, LLC located in Philadelphia. In addition to offering a broad range of classes and programs at the Fitness Institute, Master Tang is active throughout the Philadelphia/New Jersey region, delivering specialized workshops and demonstrations. Master Tang is a phenomenal teacher known for his sense of humor, patience with children, and in providing the expertise for adults who are serious in expanding their skills.
Reflexology is a natural healing technique that works on specific pressure points on the feet. This technique is based on the premise that reflex areas on the feet correspond with all body parts. The feet are like a microcosmic map of the body’s organs and glands. So by applying pressure to relevant reflex points, one can stimulate good health to the entire body. It can help improve relaxation, promote peaceful sleep, eliminate toxins, increase energy and perk up circulation. I recently had a session with Catherine Carter. After ten minutes of receiving gentle pressure on points of my left foot, I felt relaxed and peaceful. At the end of the session I felt completely rejuvenated.
If you love the mysterious ocean, you can find a treasure tucked away in Pocomoke City, Maryland. Old Neptune’s Bookshop is the only maritime bookstore on the Eastern Delmarva Peninsula with contemporary, rare, and out of print books. This shop has over 3000 books with topics pertaining to the sea, or areas around the sea, ranging from fishermen to sea creatures. You can spend hours browsing the numerous books containing information on bottom glass sponges to Elephant slides of Coney Island. And you can also find curios and DVD’s related to the beach. Bookseller, Robert Richards will chat with you about local history of Chincoteague, Assateague or Pokemoke or recommend literature or poetry inspired by the ocean. Catch him before he goes surfing. The store hours are 9AM -2PM or by appointment 410-957-0518. 203 2nd Street in Pocomoke City, MD.
This past Saturday I took part in Philadelphia’s “Art in the Open” project. Giovanni Casadei taught a landscape painting class in the a la prima style. This method teaches to finish an oil painting in one sitting. Bartram’s Gardens provided the perfect setting for numerous inspirational views of gardens, ponds, the cityscape and the river. Even though the temperature was in the eighties, being outdoors was a lovely experience.
Here’s some photo’s of Giovanni demonstrating the a la prima technique.
Reishi mushrooms have been used in Oriental Medicine for thousands of years to regulate the immune system and restore health. They are also known to help lower blood pressure and alleviate allergies. Taken as a nutritional supplement, they help the body’s organs to function at optimal levels and thereby help prevent disease and maintain good health. They are non-toxic and can be consumed without harmful side effects.
You may want to consult your doctor before taking any supplement, especially if you are taking any medications. In the marketplace, their powders are sold to make tonics, tea, or soup.
This year I witnessed the annual Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby held on Saturday May 22nd. The goal of the competition is to make the wackiest, most interesting, fun contraption, as opposed to winning a race. The Derby resembled parade floats on bicycles, with individual riders or group collaborations on an artistic theme.
Apparently, Kinetic Sculpture Competitions have been taking place all over the world since 1969. The Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby, started in 2007, is a celebration of the creativity and sustainable living that runs rampant in the Kensington and Fishtown area in Philadelphia.
Our reiki group went on a “weed walk” last Sunday to discover some medicinal plants growing right in the city. If you ask a shaman or traditional herbal healer how she/he knows about the medicinal properties of an herb, the response usually is, “I’ve learned everything from the plant.”
While this may sound strange, many traditional American herbalists teach “Talking to Plants.” I experienced this technique while studying with Susun Weed, author of Healing Wise, taking workshops at the Green Nations Gathering, and while apprenticing with a shaman in Peru.
If you can accept the Gaia concept, that the earth is an alive, living being, it’s easy to tap into the intelligence of Nature. It’s a matter of quieting your mind, being observant, and knowing how to ask questions.
When talking to plants, being perceptive is the key to getting results. You can gather information by noticing:
If the plant has flowers, what colors are they? What chakra or energy center do they relate to?
Do the leaves have a particular shape? Do they look like a heart, kidney or lungs?
What kind of environment do they grow in? Are they living on distressed land where a delicate plant couldn’t survive?
Do they seem friendly or look poisonous or threatening?
Befriending the plant kingdom can open a whole new world. Our reiki class includes learning about medicinal herbs that are growing in your back yard. For information http://www.djunaverse.com/workshops.php
As a trained hypnotherapist, reiki master, and shaman, I have incorporated the therapeutic qualities of plants in my healing sessions. I have been using flower essences as healing helpers since the mid eighties and have had outstanding results.
I have found that preparing a remedy for the client to take home accelerates the healing process by supporting changes in old automatic emotional responses and outworn belief systems. The essences can help shift negative personality traits and attitudes into positive ones.
Dr. Edward Bach, a British physician, and scientist pioneered the development of the system using thirty-eight flowers in the 1930’s. Since then American companies, such as FES have researched and developed new essences using native plants.
When you think about it, flowers have always been used to express our emotions. We use them at weddings, celebrations and holidays to express our joy. Sending flowers on Valentine’s Day sends a message of love. A home-delivered bouquet can express congratulations or an apology. A vase of flowers next to a person in a hospital bed sends a wish to recover. A spray sent to a funeral supports our grief and mourning.
Bach discovered that each flower could help a specific emotional or mental condition. What gives them their healing potency is the flowers’ subtle energy. Flowers are picked at the peak of their blossoming and put in glass containers holding distilled water for about three hours while exposed to sunlight. The flowers are then discarded, and the water preserved in brandy. The water’s molecular structure is charged and imprinted with the soul pattern of the flowers’ vibrational essence. It is this ‘plant signature’ that heals.
The essences can enhance one’s inner experiences, help release emotional trauma and self-defeating thought patterns and clear up other problems such as indecision, fear, mental exhaustion, hopelessness, and more. They are non-toxic, and non-addictive and can be used with other medications. It is better to take small amounts of a flower essence over a longer period of time for best results as opposed to taking all at once. Four drops, four times a day is an average dosage. Essences are taken under the tongue, in a glass of water or can be rubbed behind your earlobes.
On Mother’s Day I visited our community garden and found three powerful healers in full bloom.
Bleeding Heart can help release co-dependent emotional attachments, and help one re-align to Source.
Clematis helps those who space out and daydream too much, become more focused and present.
