Happy Passover

Passover to me is about remembering to be free, to release yourself from (not be a slave to) old patterns and habits.
It is about the spring: new creation and rejuvenation.

Enjoy the season and enjoy your family and friends.

During Passover, Point-A Place of Wellness will be closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (4/5-4/7) and will resume regular clinic hours on Thursday.

I hope you have a happy and healthy Passover.

Happy Holidays!

I appreciate the trust you place in me and am happy I can share my knowledge and experience. Giving you the tools to create your own wellness is very satisfying.

Just a reminder, I am here during the holidays. My clinic hours are:

Monday Dec 21 thru Wednesday Dec 23
8:30 am - 3:00 pm

Monday Dec 28 and Tuesday Dec 29
8:30 am - 3:00 pm

We resume normal clinic hours on Monday January 4 2010.

Enjoy a safe, healthy, happy holiday!

Create Wellness Qigong Workshop is Thurs. Sept. 24 @ 7p

Tomorrow (Thursday, 9/24/09) at 7 pm, Point-A Place of Wellness will host guest instructor, Antoinette Rohner for an informative and relaxing workshop and invites you to join us.

Antoinette is a Qigong Master, teaching since 1999. In her classes she blends different forms of Qigong such as Element/Organ Meridian Qigong, Golden Marrow Qigong (for the joints), Chi-Lel Qigong and Zhineng Qigong to improve mental and physical well being of all practitioners.

Qigong [chee ghung] is a 5000 year old Chinese tradition using specific, easy, slow flowing movements and poses, both sitting or standing, and visualizations to stimulate blood circulation, fortify immunity, quicken healing, release stress. Completely non-impact, Qigong can be practiced by anyone, regardless of age or physical fitness.

Wellness is an active commitment to live a balanced and fulfilled life. To help you get the most out of the workshop session, wear loose, comfortable clothing.

This workshop is $10.

Please share the gift of wellness with others; INVITE A FRIEND.

Qi Gong Workshop - Wednesday May 6 at 7pm

Point-A Place of Wellness invites you to join us for an informative and relaxing workshop on Wednesday, May 6 at 7 pm with guest instructor, Julieta Ortiz.

Julieta has been practicing and teaching Qi Gong for more than 8 years after studying several disciplines including gymnastics, ballet, dance, Yoga and Tai Chi.

Julieta finds in Qi Gong “the essence of human movement.”

Qi Gong helps enhance energy, balance and coordination. It improves blood circulation and releases tension. Completely non-impact, Qi Gong can be practiced by anyone, regardless of age or physical fitness.

Wellness is an active commitment to live a balanced and fulfilled life. To help you get the most out of the workshop session, wear loose, comfortable clothing.

This workshop is $10.
Please share the gift of wellness with others;
INVITE A FRIEND.

CREATE WELLNESS: Qi Gong Meditation

We held our monthly meditation last night. Thank you to all that attended.

The focus of the meditation this time was to “open the spine”. By opening the spine we are influencing the nervous, endocrine and immune systems.

When opening the spine, I would like to emphasize the importance of the neck area. There are many lymph nodes located here to engulf pathogens that invade the body. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the area of the upper back and neck correlates to respiratory function which influences immunity. By stimulating the energy flow in this area; you allow more lymph drainage and give your immune system a boost.

One of the techniques we used was Qi Gong [pronounced: chee kung]. Qi Gong means “Breath Cultivation” and refers to exercises that increase energy, health and longevity. Qi Gong is a self-healing art that combines movement and meditation. Regular practice of Qi Gong can prevent and treat illness, has been proven to reduce stress and improve immunity , and can integrate mind/body/spirit.

We started with opening the low back and traveled up the spine towards the neck area. I taught the meditation participants Qi Gong exercises for the neck and shoulder areas and then we explored the meridians along the arms.

The Lung meridian travels from the chest down the inside of your arm to the tip of the thumb. Energy traveling this meridian then moves back up the arm along the Large Intestine meridian on the backside of the arm, over the shoulder, up the side of the neck, and then crosses the face under the nose to just under the cheekbone. Stimulating the points on these meridians stimulates the immune system.

We incorporated face massage to open (drain) the sinuses and used eye exercises to, well, because I like it (they reduce tension in the eyes) and then incorporated Mindfulness Meditation observing our thoughts (mental images and self-talk) and sensations (physical and emotional). After “scanning” the body and mind this way, we transitioned to opening the spine some more with Chakra meditation.

This was a really good meditation. We were able to create a free flow of energy. I am happy I was able to incorporate different techniques from various teachers into a single practice. It proved to be uplifting and energizing for all of us.

Meditation is a great practice for this season. Enjoy your holidays.
_____________________

1
See: Candace Pert “Molecules of Emotion”

2
“Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to prevent relapse in recurrent depression.”
Kuyken, Willem; Byford, Sarah; Taylor, Rod S.; Watkins, Ed; Holden, Emily;
White, Kat; Barrett, Barbara; Byng, Richard; Evans, Alison; Mullan, Eugene;
Teasdale, John D. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. Vol 76(6),
Dec 2008, 966-978.

3
“Assessment Of Immunological Parameters Following A Qigong Training Program.”
Manzaneque, JM; Vera, FM; Maldonado, EF; Carranque, G; Cubero, VM; Morell, M;
Blanca, MJ. Department of Psychobiology and Methodology, Faculty of Psychology,
University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos, 29071 Malaga, Spain.
Medical Science Monitor. 2004 Jun;10(6):CR264-70. Epub 2004 Jun 1.

4
See: Shinzen Young “Basic Mindfulness”

Create Wellness Workshop 7p Tonight!

Create Wellness: Qi Gong and Meditation Open Sit
Wednesday, December 3 @ 7:00 pm
5301 Laurel Canyon, Suite 247, Valley Village, CA 91607

Just a reminder that tonight is Point-A Place of Wellness's monthly meditation and we will incorporate Qi Gong practice in tonight's session.

Wellness is an active commitment to live a balanced and fulfilled life.
The "Creating Wellness" system is designed to help you achieve and maintain balance between goals and needs at work, school, or home.

To help you get the most out of the workshop, wear loose, comfortable clothing.

This event is free by reservation only. DONATIONS are greatly appreciated. Please share the gift of wellness with others; INVITE A FRIEND.

Creating Wellness – Meditation Part 1

Every one knows that exercise is good for our body. By exercising regularly with a program over time, you can achieve strength and flexibility. What can you do to achieve strength and flexibility of the mind? What “exercise” helps you achieve clarity, focus, purpose, and understand deeply who you really are? What do you need to practice to increase your ability to be conscious about yourself and your actions?

The answer for that is meditation.

While your body needs movement to function well; your mind needs stillness and relaxation to stay focused and in the moment.

• What is getting between you and a better job?
• What is getting between you and better relationships?
• What is getting between you and a better life?

To answer these questions, examine your behavior patterns. Can you break them down into Beliefs, Judgments, and/or Emotions? Feelings and Sensations are the building blocks of Beliefs, Judgments, and Emotions. Can you describe these as they manifest in your body? Start in the building blocks: focus on the feeling and where the sensations arise in the body or you can focus on the images in your mind or the conversations in your brain about what ever is going on. All of this is subjective.

• Can you separate your identity from your body and mind?
• Can you break free into a deeper, broader sense of identity?

Turning your intention inward to your thoughts and emotions and monitoring them as sensory events is a way of detecting when you are on “autopilot” -- your brain is actively pulling you into memory, planning/fantasy or judgment and away from the here and now.

As we interact with our environment, we develop strategies for processing information and overcoming challenges. If we are not mindful, these strategies become our conscious and subconscious response to everything. We become fixed in our routine, even when it is no longer the best strategy; this stress is how frustration develops.

Mindfulness practice trains your nervous system to know itself better and interfere with itself less. You would have the freedom to ignore your brain pulling and stay true to your original intention.

Why do we need to know when our brain is pulling us away from “the moment” and into memory, planning/fantasy, or judgment? A common trait of people who are seen as and see themselves as “happy, lucky, fit, or successful” is their ability to live in “the moment.” We all have internal monologues that can boost our performance or sabotage our best laid plans.

Next week I will give an example how meditation supports a mindfulness practice to create wellness in your life.

Review: Young@ Heart

I recommend the uplifting documentary movie “YOUNG AT HEART”.

I found the documentary touching and honest. It's funny, amusing, sad, and inspirational at the same time. It deals with the wonder of life found so close to the presence of death.

Filmmaker Stephen Walker handles the sometimes difficult-to-film private aspects living and dying with respect. This film isn’t about old people singing; it’s about human beings who sing and happen to be old.

The Young@Heart Chorus website states:

“It is possible to grow old gracefully.
It is possible to grow old without growing boring.”

The chorus members truly are “young at heart” and have the ambition required to inspire and help others. The chorus proves there should not be a limit in whatever a person decides to do with his or her life, no matter what your age. On the group’s website, Chorus Director Bob Cilman says,

“The current performers in Young@Heart range in age from 72 to 88. There are some with prior professional theater or music experience, others who have performed extensively on the amateur level, and some who never stepped onto a stage before turning eighty.”

The documentary (like the chorus) is a tribute to life. In the film, we meet an unusual choir: senior citizens in Massachusetts who tackle contemporary music with gusto and sophistication instead of interpreting the usual standards.

“None of the current performers of Y@H were part of the original group that formed in 1982, but they have kept alive the spirit of the early pioneers and continue to push the group into glorious new directions.”

The YouTube clips don’t do this group justice; you need to see this film. I myself am adding it to my home collection to watch it again and again.
----
Choir Website: www.youngatheartchorus.com
Documentary Website: www.foxsearchlight.com/youngatheart/

Creating Wellness Workshop: Guided Meditation July 23

At Point – A Place of Wellness, wellness is an active commitment to live a balanced and fulfilled life.

At our "Creating Wellness" series of workshops and presentations, Sigal Meyuhas, L.Ac. can guide you through her Three Step Wellness System to improve your physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing.

The "Creating Wellness" series is designed to help you achieve and maintain balance between your goals and needs at work, school, or home. The workshops are held at our office and start at 7:00 pm.

Our July 23 Guided Meditation Workshop focuses on using meditation to create and maintain wellness in your life.

To help you get the most out of this workshop, wear loose, comfortable clothing.

This event is FREE. Please share the gift of wellness with others; INVITE A FRIEND.

Click to RSVP: http://www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/GDDDGZYYHJQHHTWTTYAT/meditation.
(If the link does not work, copy and paste it into your browser.)