June Newsletter Topics:

Mfundishi Tayari Casel Workshop | Special Events | June Chinese Medicine Tips for Self-Healing | Simple Monthly Home Practice | New classes | Schedule Changes | Practitioner Spotlight | Words of Wisdom this month

Special Events

New Classes

Schedule Changes

 

Deepening Your Practice Workshop with Mfundishi Tayari Casel

	Click here for larger image

Group photo of students with Mfundishi on the opening night, May 5 2006. The workshop was a great success. Mfundishi taught Secret Yang Tai Chi as well as stick fighting and yogic movement.

We look forward to Mfundishi's next visit to our school!

http://www.tayaricasel.com/

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June Self-Healing Tips —Traditional Chinese Medicine

written by: Julie Festa, L.Ac.

As we move into the beginning of summer, it is time to allow the Heart to unfold. As a reflection of the soft blossoms unraveling into full bloom all around us, it is time for us to sink our consciousness into our Hearts, allowing insight and love to come into full expression. It is a time for luxurious growth, for travel, for work, for play, and for joy. It is also a time to serve others as an aspect of Heart health.

Chinese Nutrition: Peaches

As the increasing sunlight heats up the earth it is our nature to expand, create, and cultivate luminosity. To harmonize with this exuberance of yang we need to bring some cooling foods into our diets. Peaches are sweet, slightly sour, and cooling; they help lower blood pressure, nourish the yin, blood and yang, generate fluids, moisten the lungs, and calm any kind of gastro-intestinal inflammation. Eating peaches also encourages the skin to glow. Peaches are perfect for the transitional time from spring into summer, as the sweetness opens the Heart, the juiciness cools us, and the sour flavor protects against too much perspiring too early in the summer.

Chinese Acupressure: Conception Vessel 17, “Primordial Child,” Yuan Er

In order facilitate the Heart’s opening; we must first unlock the gate that surrounds it – the Pericardium. CV 17 is the keyhole of the lock, and by massaging this point we can gently unfasten our armor. It is so easy to become a collector of locks, fasteners and chains, creating binding circles around the chest to protect against vulnerability. This tightness can make breathing difficult, or make sleep a challenge; it can raise systolic and diastolic, and make real intimacy really difficult. By treating ourselves at CV17, we can lower blood pressure, relieve anxiety and palpitations, alleviate insomnia, increase circulation, nourish the skin, release shoulder and neck tension, improve our relationships, inspire a sense of peace, cultivate compassion, and nurture what Zen practitioners call “beginner’s mind” – the consciousness of the primordial child.

Try this: Locate CV 17 on the vertical centerline of the sternum, at the midway point between the two nipples. You will know this point by its characteristic tenderness. Press gently on CV 17, massaging it in small circles while closing your eyes. Now breathe deeply – in and out – into the energetic field deep within your chest at CV 17. As you do this, see if you can visualize your mind and your awareness sinking down into this energetic center. You may smile, or laugh; it may bring up sadness, or an immense sense of peace. Whatever happens, this is okay. This is good. This is the summer energy entering your precious heart, allowing for your ever-fuller expression, and inviting you to bloom.

Julie Festa, L.Ac., MTOM, is a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist. Julie is now accepting new patients in her Chinese medical practice at Shakti's Elements. To book an appointment or learn more about it email her at juliefestalac@msn.com or call 310-917-2720. She is also teaching the Meridians Workshop with Paige Olsen, L.Ac. ongoing, once a month. Call or write if you are interested - everyone is welcome!

 

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Simple Monthly Home Practice - Frog Pose

Written by Aras Baskauskas

Frog is one of the best hip and inner thigh openers I know. Its not a FUN pose in that it forces us to deal with one of the most sensitive areas of the body, the hips. For most of us, there is a lot of fear that resides in the hips and when we begin to open them up, almost immediately we get very uncomfortable. It is important that we make friends with this discomfort hang out where there is fear and allow for all of the junk that we've been storing to come up and be released. There is only one way out, and that is through. Most of us would rather go around. Frog is certainly not going to let you take a
detour. It forces you to go right to the heart of the issue.

How to get into the pose:

Practitioner Spotlight

This month we are featuring Aras Baskauskas, who wrote this months Simple Home Practice for us.

Aras teaches yoga Tuesdays and Thursdays at Shakti’s Elements. His teaching is deeply influenced by his Vipassana Meditation practice. He took his teacher training at Mount Madonna and continues training with Master Nzazi Malonga.

We would like to congratulate Aras on winning the CBS Survivor Show this year!

Aras’ Schedule at Shakti’s:
Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:30-12:pm

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Monthly Words of Wisdom:

“May you grow and prosper like the soul in a happy body”

-Mahabharta (Vedic Scriptures)