Congratulations Donna Eden & David Feinstein!

Both Energy Medicine and Energy Medicine for Women have won in their categories in the USA Book News Best Books Awards 2008.  To quote Donna when she heard the news, "Wow....hip, hip hoooray".

From the USABookNews press release:

USABookNews.com, the premiere online magazine and review website for mainstream and independent publishing houses, announced the winners and finalists of THE NATIONAL “BEST BOOKS” 2008 AWARDS (NBBA) on October 20, 2008. Over 500 winners and finalists were announced in over 140 categories covering print and audio books. Awards were presented for titles published in 2008 and late 2007.

Jeff Keen, President and CEO of USABookNews.com, said this year’s contest yielded an unprecedented number of entries, which were then narrowed down to over 500 winners and finalists.

If you don't have copies yet, then get yourselves on over to Innersource to put your order in. They're such excellent health and self-help references to have in your library. I wouldn't be without mine.

Self-care tips: Keeping your Feet on the Ground

Today's self-care massage and energy tip is a follow on from the Crown Pull. Clearing the head so that we can think straight and allow energy to move through the crown chakra goes hand in hand with making sure we stay grounded.

How easily we walk on the earth, both figuratively and literally, is determined by how well we are grounded. We pull energy up from the earth and empty it back out through the feet. When we are not sufficiently grounded, this ability is severely impaired, causing us to feel "spacey", out of sync with our environment and others, tired and just not quite all there and present in the moment. When a lack of grounding continues over time and energy backs up in the system, physical symptoms can ensue, sciatica and hip problems being two that I see a lot in my practice.

Retraining your energy system on a daily basis to be grounded and stay that way can be accomplished through some simple exercises.

• Walk Barefoot - spend some time everyday with your shoes and socks off, walking on a natural surface
  
• Be Like a Tree - stand planted on the earth and imagine yourself as a tree, with roots extending into the earth through your feet
  
• Spoon Your Feet - rub a stainless steel spoon along the length of the sole
• Reinforce the Grounding Wire - place a piece of hematite on Bladder 66 (in the dip on the outside of the baby toe
• Swish your bare feet through dew-dampened grass
  
• Wiggle your toes in the sand at the beach (it doesn't have to be at the ocean - Oak Creek works just as well)
  
• Dance - put on some music with a good beat and stamp your feet into the earth
  
• Massage - work the spaces between the toe tendons on the top of the foot
  
• Stretch - use both hands to stretch the sole in all directions

Above all, have fun! Self-care doesn't need to be a chore. The more enjoyable the experience, the greater the benefits.

Energy Medicine Self-Care Tips

How would you like to have some simple, easy to follow techniques and exercises that will only require a few minutes of your time, and will help you to go about your day with a healthier, happier body and a spring in your step?

Starting today (because, quite honestly, what better time is there than right now?), I'll be posting regular self-care tips, focusing on different areas of the body and addressing those common, niggling complaints that keep us from being fully productive and full of zing in our daily lives.

If you're familiar with Donna Eden's book Energy Medicine (buy your copy here if you don't already have one - you'll be so happy you did!), the exercises and techniques will act as a reminder for what you already know. If the whole Energy Medicine arena is new to you, then you'll find you can start building your own toolbox of vital techniques to take care of your health and well being. In fact, these exercises are so easy, you won't even need a toolbox - you can keep them right in your back pocket!

Today's tip: How to Clear a Fuzzy Head or The Crown Pull

The Symptoms: You know the feeling. It's like your brain's been working overtime and there's just too much stuff in there. You really need to be able to think clearly, but the harder you try, the more slowed down you feel.

What to do: Stop right now! Take a deep breath (in through the nose, out through the mouth), and continue with deep breaths throughout the exercise.

1. Bring your fingertips to the base of the skull (where the head meets the back of the neck). Massage and rub deeply from the center of the ridge out to the sides. Do it a couple of times.
2. Bring your fingertips to your forehead. Starting at the eyebrows, curl your fingers in at the center of your forehead and drag them with pressure out towards the temples. Do 2 -3 passes, working your way up to the hairline.
   
3. Continue this movement in increments from the hairline over the top of the head, digging in at the center line and pulling the fingers apart 2 - 3 inches, just as if you're opening up your head.
   
4. Continue down the back of the head and neck to on top of the shoulders.
   
5. (Optional) Comb your fingers up through the hair to the top of the head. Grasp the hair at the roots and tug it slightly away from the scalp. This helps for those of us with very tight scalps. If you have a sensitive head, you may want to leave this step out. 
   

Effects: Your head is probably starting to feel a little buzzy, tingly or warm, and like maybe there is some more space inside. There is!

Stagnant energy is able to move out allowing energy to flow again. Circulation is increased, as is the pumping of cerebrospinal fluid, and your nervous system starts to calm. With energy able to move through the crown chakra again, you're opening yourself to inspiration and connection to a higher source (God, the Universe - however that is best expressed for you).

Fall Schedule for Energy Classes

There will be only one practice class a week, on Sundays, through the fall season, starting this Sunday, October 5th.

For those interested in going more deeply into the magic that is energy medicine, I'll offer a once a month  class where we study a whole topic from Donna Eden's book Energy Medicine, supported by the DVD. We'll cover a whole area in each class (e.g. meridians, chakras, the five elements) looking at it from all aspects, including hands-on work. This will be a longer, more in depth class that will give everyone the opportunity to gain more understanding and practice of Donna Eden's Energy Medicine. 

Please let me know if you are interested in joining. You'll be required to sign up for each class in advance.

Energy Medicine Practitioners Conference 2008

I'm still riding high on the juice from the Energy Medicine Practitioners Conference that was held in Portland (OR) last month. It was a thoroughly worthwhile experience, jam-packed with interesting classes presented by some of the best EM teachers. Tons of information, new slants on techniques and many new things to try out. 

Then, when we thought we were all full up, Donna arrived with her Razzle Dazzle class! Some profound shifts happened as we went through the Diamond Inlay, and I'm itching to share this and other new techniques with my clients.

Titanya, Donna's daughter, gave us 14 new exercises she has created for the meridian archetypes. In her trademark style, they have wonderfully imaginative names, such as "Cinderella's Wish" (for the Small Intestine), "Merlin the Mediator" (for Gall Bladder) and, one of my favorites so far, "Warrior's Grace" (for Liver). We're slowing introducing them to our Energy for Living class, but it's going to be a while before we have them all down with all the other new energy goodies to try out.

Other exciting Energy Medicine news is the new Energy Collaborative that took off this week. It's a networking and discussion site for anyone involved or interested in Energy Medicine. See the new sidebar button over on the right? Click on it and you'll be taken straight to the Energy Collaborative site. It looks like new groups are being formed all the time, so you're sure to find one that suits your level of experience.

Tips to Increase Afternoon Energy Levels

Prevent the Afternoon Slump by Jerry V. Teplitz

If you're like most people, you've experienced the afternoon slump. You know the feeling -- it's only 2 p.m., yet you feel drained. Fortunately, you can employ methods to reduce the slump's frequency and shorten its duration.

To read this article and view the rest of the latest Magic of Massage In Touch newsletter, go to the website.

Be sure to check the newsletter's back page for my personal message and Special Offer.

                                          

It's late spring in Sedona. Dry Creek, which was recently full of snow melt, is now almost back to the state its name suggests. The desert flowers are abundant and the days are heating up. We had a slight reprieve today, with some welcome rain. Before we know it, the temperature will start its relentless summer climb and the intermittent cool days of spring, when we welcomed an extra layer, will be just a distant memory. 

Energy Medicine Practice Classes in Sedona

Want to create more joy, vitality and health in your life?

Energy for Living - Energy for Life!

A weekly class
Wednesdays - 5:30 pm
Sundays - 10:00 am

All classes are at my home in West Sedona. Please email me (info @ massagesedona.com) or call (928.282.7614) to sign up and for directions

$8 drop in, $36 for 6 classes
1 to 1 1/2 hours per class

We practice simple and effective energy medicine techniques, with the focus on daily, self-care exercises, and ways to identify imbalances in the energy systems. We also learn hands-on techniques that can be used with a partner to improve and balance the flow of energy, restore vitality and increase joy and well-being. It's a class for everyone: from the layperson, interested in better health, to the healthcare professional.

The class is fun, uplifting, and offers a wealth of useful tools based on Donna Eden's style of Energy Medicine. We also draw on Qi Gong, shiatsu and other massage techniques to wake up our energies and bring us back into balance. If you have Donna's book, Energy Medicine, bring it along, as you'll find it useful for looking up points we're working on, or just getting a visual of a certain technique. You can also buy the book at the class for $16. The Energy Medicine Kit is also available for $29.


You'll enjoy this class and learn lots of valuable techniques, whether or not you have any experience of energy work or massage. It's on a drop-in basis, so you can join at any time.

See you there!

If you need more information, directions, or would like to suggest another day/time (depending on interest, I'm willing to change), leave me a comment with your email address and I'll get in touch.

Latest Sedona Massage News

(L to R) Jyoti with Donna Eden, and Libby, client, friend and diehard Energy Medicine junkie!

We were blessed last weekend to have Donna Eden in Sedona for a lecture and one-day class.

It was organized at short notice, but the 50 places for the Saturday class filled up in no time, and those fortunate enough to attend spent a fun-filled, informative and high-energy day with the world-renowned author of Energy Medicine herself. Donna was joined by her husband and co-author, David Feinstein, whose concise and articulate explanations make the world of energy medicine easy to understand for even the least esoteric among us.

(Left) Jyoti, David Feinstein, Libby

(Right) David Feinstein, Donna Eden, Sandy and her two beautiful dogs, Cody (L) and Tasha (R)

If you missed this class, not to worry, you still have a chance to come and get juiced up at our weekly Energy Medicine practice classes. You're right, Donna won't be there, at least not in person, but her spirit pervades the exercises, and it won't be long before you get the Energy Medicine bug and run off to do a weekend or 5-day class with her, or even the Eden Energy Medicine Certification Program which is now taking place in Phoenix. (Go to Innersource for more details).

Other News

The newly created website is up and running at www.massagesedona.com.
All sessions and Gift Certificates can now be purchased using Paypal, with just the click of a button. Plus, some new sessions and packages have been added. Tod is offering his channeled Soul Readings, and his Soul Songs – you won't find these anywhere else.

My Energy Medicine work has a new name - Five Rhythms Energy Healing. I wanted it to reflect more the way that I work, using the Chinese Medicine model of the Five Elements or Rhythms. I am offering Sedona Solace (formerly the Black Pearl Sanctuary) and a basic Energy Balancing session as ways to introduce you to this work, and give you a taste of where we could go with it. Click on over to the website for more information.

The Magic of Touch

A hug can be the best medicine when we're feeling down or lonely. Stroking a pet brings joy to the heart and a smile to the face. We intuitively clasp a hand to our forehead in times of stress, and the desire to reach out and cuddle a crying infant is an inbuilt human response. No other form of connection is as powerful and universal as touch.

Since 1982, the Touch Research Institute in Miami, Florida has been devoted to better defining touch as it promotes health and contributes to the treatment of disease. These, and studies by other bodies worldwide, consistently show that touch therapy has numerous beneficial effects on the health and wellbeing of all humans.

There is something almost indefinable that happens when one sentient being touches another: an energetic connection that cannot be replicated by machines or massage tools. An electronic shiatsu chair may feel good and provide some relief to sore muscles, but receiving a treatment from a trained bodyworker offers something a non-human tool can't provide. More than simply working out a physical tension, a therapist trained in touch therapies (massage, shiatsu, rolfing), is also initiating a connection with the less-definable aspects of ourselves.

Whether we call it soul, spirit or energy, it adds another dimension to the physical act of touch, opening a doorway to healing that goes beyond the mere alleviation of symptoms. This level of healing not only releases muscular tension, but also nurtures the soul, and provides solace at mental and emotional levels. Touch is a language we use instinctively, and is the first of all the senses to develop. In our society, being deprived of contact with our fellow human beings by being placed in solitary confinement, is one of the worst punishments. Touch means contact and reminds us we are not alone.

Both the giving and receiving of touch is as essential to human survival as food or water. When we are without adequate human touch, our quality of life rapidly diminishes. We become susceptible to depression and illness, and our ability to thrive under stress is severely diminished. There are times in our lives when we may lack touch on a daily basis: following a divorce, when away from friends and loved ones for extended periods, in later life. At these times, turning to the services of a professional bodyworker can help to bring us back into contact with touch and ultimately, with ourselves.

Jyoti Rawlinson is a Sedona Massage Therapist who has over 20 years experience with the magic of touch. She graduated from the renowned Osho International Academy of Healing Arts in Pune, India,  holds certification from the Arizona School of Integrative Studies, and is a Teaching Assistant for Donna Eden's Energy Medicine Introductory Trainings. Visit her website at www.massagesedona.com to find out how professional touch therapies can benefit you.

This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any e-zine, newsletter, blog, or website. The author’s name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.