The Stram Center for Integrative Medicine

By: Rebecca Rice, L.AC
Change, whether it is physical through location or state of health, emotional, mental, job related, etc., can challenge our sense of stability and connectedness.  As a simple notion, change is considered growth by some and can be interpreted in a negative perspective as well.  All in all change is a catalyst for the ebb and flow of life, an instrument in the natural cycle of creation and destruction. 
In Chinese theory we look to the yin aspect to ground us, create stability and placidity.  And in the presence of change (yang aspect) this is an exaggerated necessity.  One of the goals of Chinese medicine is to create a balance of yin (grounded-ness/non-changing) and yang (motion/change).  The goal is not to remove one aspect for the benefit of the other. 
   A simple thing to do when having periods of change, whether it is dramatic or ordinary, is to do some grounding exercises for 5-10 minutes/day.  To do this, sit in a chair with your feet on the floor, back straight, hands resting on your thighs.  Close your eyes, sit without fidgeting or distractions, breathe into the lungs so that you can expand your diaphragm to push your belly out slightly, exhale all the air out, and continue breathing this way.  Then imagine roots coming out of the bottoms of your feet and connecting you to the earth….this is home…

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 6th, 2010 at 1:00 pm and is filed under Acupuncture, Mind Body Medicine, Preventative Health, Rebecca Rice L.AC, Stress Management, Traditional Chinese Medicine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.