Evoking the Spirit While You Relax

When you are marching in place, it is easy to evoke the spirit of the warrior. And when you are performing graceful Qigong moves, it is easy to evoke the spirit of whatever animal the move is based on. But when you are doing a relaxation, it is harder to get that inspiration for what your mind and soul should embody in that moment.

The best way to jumpstart your spiritual progress during relaxations is to do them in a natural area that has a spirit of its own. For my money, the best place for this is the Dead Sea. People have been visiting the Dead Sea to experience its healing powers for a very, very long time. Science has only just begun to study the effects of the Dead Sea on the people who visit, but there is no doubt that the combination of Earth's lowest land elevation, very dry and clear air, extremely high level of mineral salts, and long history can be felt.

But you don't have to fly to Israel to feel the spirit of an area! There are countless parks, forests, lakes, mountains, and so on that are probably near you. And it doesn't have to be a place that scientists are interested in studying. All that matters is that you connect with the area and can achieve a greater level of relaxation there. Perhaps there is a pond by your childhood home that holds many great memories of simpler times and sunny days. If you feel at home somewhere, and can ease your mind for a while, then you are 90% of the way to healing already.

Something else you might try is looking for natural products from these special places, such as a sea salt. Incorporating a special mineral salt into your Hot Foot Bath is a great way to take your healing routine to the next level. Some people call it the Placebo Effect, I call it the power of the mind. Either way, if you aren't using it in your mind/body routine, you're missing out!

Happy Stretching and Deep Breathing!

Foot Bath for Health

It is very beneficial to soak your feet in salt water for a few minutes a day, especially if you are constantly walking due to your job. It can be done in front of the TV, while reading a book, or (my personal favorite) while practicing your meditation and deep breathing. Enjoy!

Going Barefoot For Health

Shoes weren't around when humans first began to walk the earth. In some places, they still aren't used much. But an important question that many people who wear shoes their entire lives don't often ask is: how do these shoes change the natural movement of my feet?

Depending on the shoes, the answer could be: quiet a lot. Many shoes available in American stores do a number of things to the movement of the foot, typically by adding materials of various thickness into the body of the shoe.

For example, many shoes today, especially athletic shoes, are advertised as providing "arch support." Interestingly, arch support shoes, or arch-supporting orthotic inserts, are prescribed to people with high arches, and people with low arches. But no matter who is wearing them, nor what problem they say they are treating, arch-support shoes are really just "arch-paralysis" shoes.

The arch of the foot is full of ligaments and tendons that bare much of your weight as you walk. When the foot comes down, heel first, then the outer ball quickly followed by the inner ball, the foot does a motion called pronation. During pronation, the arch sinks slightly toward the ground (though not all the way), and the ankle rolls in very slightly as well. Think of it like a wave of force that moves through your foot. This movement leads the force of the step naturally into the ball of the foot, propelling you forward for the next step.

But when there is a big piece of rubber and plastic keeping your arch from pronating, that force gets sent through other parts of your body, like your outer ankle and knee. Just like I spoke about in my video on common walking issues, any misalignment in your walking posture can cause problems all the way up to your head and neck.

So does this mean you should throw all your shoes in the trash? No, of course not. Wearing shoes while you are out and about is perfectly fine. But what you need to do is make sure you take those shoes off once you are at home, and move on your bare feet. In the following weeks I will be releasing videos showing you all kinds of foot health exercises and stretches, which you should be doing barefoot for maximum movement and flexibility.

When it comes to buying new shoes, try to find ones that are as flexible as possible, especially through the midsole where most shoes are too stiff. Your feet should feel great in your shoes, almost like you aren't even wearing any. That's how you know you've got shoes that are good for you.

Proper Walking Posture

Before we go into detail about incorrect walking postures and how to fix them, we are going to show you briefly what correct walking posture looks like, and teach you how to monitor yourself while walking to make sure you have it down.

Recovery is About Balance

In America, very often doctors will tell you that complete bed rest is necessary for a healthy recovery from an injury. If you have a pulled muscle, or bad inflammation from arthritis, they recommend that you put no weight on the injury, and if possible, totally immobilize the area.

In my experience, this philosophy is only half of the whole picture. I have seen arthritis sufferers who moved their affected joints too much, causing more inflammation and difficult recovery. But I have also seen people with arthritis who moved their affected joints too little, and ended up losing much of their mobility and making their arthritis worse in the long term.

In recent years, western style medicine has incorporated healing movement into some areas, such as physical therapy after accidents or surgeries. That is all great, but it isn't enough. The body was not meant to be immobilized, and moving is an important part of the healing process for nearly everything.

For example, I have treated many people who suffered from chronic pain, such as fibromyalgia. These patients had severe pain in their soft tissues, especially when they moved or were touched. Most of them took this as a sign that they just shouldn't move or make physical contact until they found a medication that could treat their symptoms. But research that I co-authored showed that staying in bed and immobilizing painful areas was less effective at treating their pain than gentle movements like those found in Tai Chi. 

This principle can be applied to many skeleto-muscular issues, such as lower back problems, shoulder problems, foot problems, the list goes on and on. According to eastern philosophies, moving is one of the primary ways to cultivate healing energy.

So remember, if you are having issues with pain or mobility, especially chronic ones, and your doctor can only suggest lying in bed or taking a new pill, make sure to get a second opinion from a mind-body or physical therapy professional. You never know what a little gentle movement could do.

Happy Stretching!

Common Walking Issues

This week we talk to you about some common walking problems, many having to do with improper alignment through the feet. In later videos, we will go into detail about each of these problems individually and help you correct them.