The Role of Your Spirit in Healing

Have you ever had the experience of going on vacation and finding that whatever aches and pains you had been experiencing go away?

You’re freed of responsibility, given time to enjoy yourself and suddenly you feel healthier.
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This is your spirit, alive and well. 

East Asian Medicine refers to the spirit as an essential part of our being.  In this system of medicine, all the organs have a physical, emotional and spiritual element.  The heart is the ruler of the different spiritual elements.  It houses the Shen, translated as mind or spirit.  It is our consciousness and vitality.  When the Shen is in balance, there is ease and joy in our lives.  This sense of ease then spreads to all of the other organs.

The spirit isn’t some woo woo thing.  It’s one of the most powerful aspects of our being. 

And the spirit isn’t just something that we are given at birth.  It can be strengthened at any point in our lives.  In the next few emails, I’ll talk about practices that make our spirits stronger.

I had to lean into these practices while I was waiting for a kidney donor.  I would notice the sunshine coming in through the window, moments when I was able to feel at peace, times when friends and family reached out to offer support.  I had to keep telling myself that things would work out okay.

The easiest way to access your spirit is to close your eyes. In your mind take yourself to a place where you feel fully alive and at peace.  You may need to scan your life to find this place. Think of moments when you were truly happy.  When you have found this place, notice all the details in your surroundings.  What is the weather like?  What do you see?  What do you feel?  Is there anyone with you?

Then check in with your body.  Notice how you feel when you imagine yourself in one of your favorite places.  Remember that you can return to this place in your imagination whenever you want to.

In your favorite place, it becomes easier to feel the rhythm of your heart.  When you feel this rhythm, you create an opening, a safe place, for healing to happen.  Your spirit comes alive.  You may feel a sense of hope and possibility.

Interested in deepening your relationship to your spirit and learning practices to heal when you are in need surgery or medications? 

I’m offering an online workshop with River Valley  Coop, “An Acupuncturist’s Approach to Integrative Care” on April 17th at 6:30pm.  You can register here.

In your most difficult moments, may you find light and strength. 
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With you on the journey,
Bonnie

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