Is Your Health Improving or Declining Today?
It’s a good question isn’t it? Can you answer it right now?
Is Your Health at this moment getting better or worse?
It is undoubtedly a question that can be answered in more than one way. You may say, “My health is improving because I exercised and have been eating well this week” and you would be right. Another day, after a weekend of eating and drinking too much you may say the opposite. You would be right also. But health and vitality is more than eating right and exercising.
In Chinese Medicine health is defined with a wider context.
A healthy person feels ease and flow in the movement and function of their physical body. It is just as important however that we experience ease and flow inside of ourselves.
Here at my clinic many people are feeling hurried, worried and even chronically anxious. Have you noticed it’s common to feel a sense of fear about anything from money concerns and child safety to global threats?
From the lens of Chinese Medicine a person isn’t healthy when habitually in a negative state. Anxiety, worry and fear for security cause contraction in the body which throws the system out of whack. Our bodies have incredible self healing abilities but we must be in an expanded state to harness them.
Overall a chronic state of stress (contraction) creates a lack of coherence and function of the body and mind. Over time this can show up as hormone problems, pain syndromes, digestive issues, headaches and more intense mental challenges.
Do you want a simple way to evaluate the direction your health is going in?
Play this game with yourself at least 5 times a day. See if you feel a tightening anywhere. Of course muscle tightness is an indicator but dare to go a bit deeper. Do you feel a subtle chest or abdominal tightness? Is there a concern sitting around in the back of your mind right now? Are you irritated or feeling a bit disappointed about something?
Alternately, do you feel expanded and excited about the work you are doing or the relationship you are in? Are you pumped to be who you are living your day today? Do you find yourself in a chronic state of gratitude for the good things in your life? After a good workout or yoga class do you feel light and relaxed?
When playing, name the overall hit you get: expanded or contracted?
After you play this interesting game for a few days notice which state you tend to be in more. Of course there are relative states of each but take an overall reading. If you find yourself contracted more of the time this is valuable information to change course.
Here are 3 great ways to move into a vibrant state of increasing health:
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A Feeling Gratitude practice
Thankfulness is talked about more frequently these days. I am stepping it up a bit by asking you to go beyond naming what you are grateful for. Practice breathing gratitude into your heart. You can start with a beloved pet for example.
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Yoga or Physical Exercise
Moving the physical body opens up the physical body but also calms down the mind.
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Acupuncture
I personally got into acupuncture since it healed my long term lung issues. In addition I was blown away by the level of relaxation I experienced during treatments. Here at Frisco Acupuncture, I hear my patients say the same thing. In addition to healing heath problems acupuncture allows deep mind and body tension to release. This in turn allows the body to function in sync…. the expanded state acupuncture creates is impossible to miss!
Life is too short to be in a contracted state most of the time!
Go for expansion….you will not only feel better – your mind will become clearer and success will visit in multiple areas of your life!