Zen and Zen Shiatsu Training

THE STORY OF ZEN

Zen began in India as a Buddhist discipline and was brought to China by a sage called Bodhidharma.  Zen came to Japan around the end of the 1100s and quickly evolved beyond the belief system of Buddhism, to influence the way of thinking, their behavior and aesthetics.  Zen gave expression to many forms of cultural life.  Genyu Sokyu, Zen monk and author, says Zen is "Strict yet easygoing".  Two seemingly contradictory approaches.  What springs to your mind when you hear the word, “Zen”?  Actually, Zen is dynamic and free.

Zen developed in China in two discreet sects before coming to Japan.  The Northern School (Hokushuzen) spoke of doctrine and asceticism and the southern school (Nanshuzen)stressed a relaxed approach to oneself over doctrine.  At first, the southern approach was initially accepted and then the northern approach was incorporated over time.

Diversity

In lies the acceptance of two ways, “Ryoko”.  The concept originally developed in Chinese Taoist classic, “Zhuangzi”.  It suggests instead of looking at life in absolute terms; it is more effective to consider its opposite; placing one in relation to the other.  This way of thinking became very popular.

Shinto

Long before, Buddhism’s arrival, the Japanese believed in life in all things animate and inanimate and honored it with various rituals.  Chanting, sound vibration and water purification were just some of the preparation on our paths of development.

The Japanese openness towards diverse values prepared the way for acceptance of Zen’s both sides.

Belief in our Inner Nature

The answer lies in Zen’s belief that every human being is endowed with an original nature at birth that is self-contained.  It does not require the pursuit of something extraneous.  And since humans are born with an innate Buddhahood (the potential to become a Buddha or an Awakened One).  Instead, one was directed to look inside themselves.  However, our true nature is wrapped inside an ego.  It is our Mind that is trapped inside an illusion that the ego has created by knowledge and experience.  To uncover our inner nature; one must work at transforming your mind and unwrap our true nature.

Chinese and Japanese Medicine

Buddhist Monks brought The Yellow Emperor’s Guide to Internal Medicine

The Yellow Emperor’s guide treated organ energy channels which today we call acupuncture or acupressure lines.  There are five distinct regional areas in China.  Each geographic area was treated differently to be effective.

Acupressure was highly effective for regions in Japan and they adopted this practice.  Chinese Acupressure then evolved into Japanese Shiatsu (Shi=finger, Atsu=pressure).  Then in 1972; Shizuto Masanuga added Zen to Shiatsu.  There is acupressure line stretching whilst applying deep pressure on the acupressure points.  This activates a deep internal nervous system within us.  Complete homeostasis is accomplished while flushing these lines of congestion and tension.  In other words, a complete body reset. 

 Zen Shiatsu is gentle and effective, not painful like Chinese acupressure can be.  Zen Shiatsu is preventative medicine at its best.  The Japanese received Shiatsu once a month to effectively prevent illness. 

LIVER and GALL BLADDER MERIDIANS

FUNCTION:    STORAGE, DISPLACEMENT and ENERGY DISTRIBUTION

Function of Gall Bladder Meridian:

Distributes nutrients and balances total energy through the aid of internal hormones and secretion such as bile, saliva, gastric acid, insulin and intestinal hormones.

KYO:  (means   Deficient energy in Japanese)

Psychological:     Emotional excitement resulting in hypersensitivity.  Sudden fatigue after tension, timid, easily frightened, lack of determination, strained nerves, light sleeper, lack of energy, general fatigue and no guts.

Physical:                Tired eyes, no energy due to fatigue caused by improper distribution of nutrients.  Tired legs, dull eyes, weak eyesight, lack of bile, poor digestion of fats, prone to get diarrhea and constipation; neuralgia; dizziness, mucus formation in eyes, pale complexion, anemic, obese in spite of poor appetite, accumulation of fatty tissues without consumption of greasy foods; easily fatigued, gastric hyperacidity, improper nutritional distribution.

JITSU   (Excessive energy in Japanese)

Psychological:       Assumes too much responsibility; fatigued, tendency to push self in work, pays attention to small details, easily upset, impatient, always in a hurry for nothing; tired eyes, too much concentration.

Physical:                  Lack of sleep causing tired eyes, bloated stomach, loss of appetite, glassy eyes, yellowish in white part of eye and skin; pain, tearing and high pressure in eyes; tendency to blink frequently, stiffness in extremities, stiff muscles, pain in rib cage, bitter taste in mouth, burning sensation in chest, gallstones and spasms in gall bladder, shoulder pain, heaviness in head, migraine headache, constipation, mucus stagnation, itching in area of tonsils, coughing, excessive intake of sweet, lack of sour food consumption.

MINERALS and TRACE ELEMENTS

Minerals and trace minerals are the building blocks of all life.  Minerals function as co-enzyme to enable the body to quickly and accurately perform its activities.  They are needed for the proper composition of body fluids, the formation for blood and bone, and the maintenance of healthy nerve function.  All the minerals together comprise only about 4% of the entire body weight, but they are responsible for major area of human health.  Minerals keep the body pH balanced, and are essential to bone formation and to the digestion of food.  Minerals regulate the osmosis of cellular fluids, electrical activity in the nervous system, and most metabolic function. 

They transport oxygen though the system, govern the heart rhythm, help you sleep, and are principle factors in mental and emotional balance. 

Trace minerals are only .03% of the body weight.  Interesting!  But Deficiencies can cause severe depression, PMS and other menstrual disorders, hyperactivity in children, sugar imbalances, nerve and stress conditions, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, premature aging of skin and hair, memory loss and inability to heal quickly.

BURDOCK ROOT- How to prepare as medicinal delicious french fries

Burdock root is known since ancient times as God’s healer stabilizer for the large intestine or colon.  It is the main ingredient of Essiac tea available in many cancer clinic and health food store in North America.

It is an extremely yang root, long and thin…it cleans the blood, liver and restores the vitality to our colons.

*Alkalizes the blood   *Restores Mental Clarity   *Prevents Colds/Flu

*Curbs sugar craving   

Do you remember the days when running through the fields you would get purple burrs stuck to your pants?  Those were burdock burrs.  The plant has huge elephant ear-sized leaves.  You need a tree spade/pic/sharp trowel to dig up the root so you don’t snap off this long root.  If you choose to dig it up, please, do it with respect and do not take all that is there.

If you buy it from Choice’s health food store or an Asian market where it is often called GOBO.

 To prepare the burdock root as medicinal delicious food 
"More delicious than French Fries."

1.  Wash and cut in the heaven and earth cut which is on a diagonal.

     Use a sharp square vegetable knife as this root is dense and solid.

     Cut burdock root in diagonal slices about l/16” thick. 

2.  Prepare a cast iron frying pan by heating on medium until hot.

3.  Add 3 tbsp of toasted sesame oil

4.  Add ¼ tsp of grey sea salt.  Cover with lid that fits inside the      

     Pan.

5.  Cook for approximately 7 minutes. 

6.  Add pinch of grey sea salt.  Add l tbsp of water if burdock root is

     woody or is sticking to pan.  Cover and cook another 7 minutes.

7.  Add pinch of grey sea salt.  Cover and cook another 7 minutes. 

Add 2 tbsp of cooked root to miso soup for a delicious rich flavour.

Add to stir fry or as additional vegetable to your dinner.

My students often say it tastes like a delicious salty sweet potato fry.

Caution: This root is very powerful so no more than 2 tbsp a day or you will find yourself evacuating more than you want to.

It is high in potassium in its raw state so when cutting the burdock root do NOT put your fingers to your eyes or face.  It will cause an allergic reaction.  Be sure to wash the cutting board and knife 
In Edmonton, you can buy commercial GOBO (Burdock root) at Lucky Supermarkets, TNT, and organic at Planet Organic.

BURDOCK ROOT HEALTH BENEFITS

DESCRIPTION AND USE

Long, brown root with a savory-sweet flavor.  Grows wild everywhere.

It keeps for several weeks, wrapped in clothe, brown bag and refrigerated.

Burdock is the main ingredient of most health food store cleansers.

TRADITIONAL BENEFITS

1.      Cleanses the blood

2.      Tones and strengthens intestines

3.      Improves Mental Clarity

4.      Alkalizes and highly mineralized, an excellent booster food when feel run down from a cold or flu or stress

5.      Eat often to help reduce sweet craving

The Health Benefits of Fresh Ginger Root

In Chinese medicine, fresh ginger root is a catalyst or stimulant for our body’s circulation system and blood.  It is used to activate medicines in the roots and foods.  It is delicious in small finely grated form as a topping on salads and foods and will increase your warmth in the cold seasons.

The elder generation use ginger root by soaking their hands and feet in hot water with ginger to stimulate circulation. This helps with treating arthritic conditions.

1.        Aids in digestion                *Perhaps the best root for digestion

2.       .Alleviates High Blood Pressure

**improves and stimulates circulation and relaxes the muscles surrounding the blood vessels, facilitating the flow of blood throughout the body.

**Pregnant Women—ginger treats nausea and Morning sickness.  Ginger root is world re-known for treating sickness. Ginger relaxes the stomach and relieves the feeling of nausea.  Remember, the abdominal area is our second brain.  It is comprised of 20 million neurons behind the stomach.

3.       Lower LDL Cholesterol* reduces (bad) cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart dysfunction.

4.       Helps treat ulcers

5.       Anti-inflammatory

6.        Helps arthritis

7.        Colds, Flu
8.        Immunity Boosting.

hhttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/diet/8-health-benefits-of-ginger-tea/articleshow/27715978.cms?gclid=CjwKEAiAgvyxBRDmuviAj67g-XQSJABTLMcHijr5HkfMbzBcoA9a8lAEP_W8XgdJ215hCufLY7mnqxoCm_7w_wcB

Sugar Blues-The sweetest poison of all.

This will astound you...




https://www.quantumbalancing.com/news/sugar_blues.htm

Depression/Mental Illness-Autumn Chinese element of Metal

Hello friends…Welcome to Autumn!  I promised you more on Depression.  In Chinese medicine, Grief and depression are a part of the Autumn or Lung and Colon Season-Autumn.   The seeds we have sown, now we shall reap.

Autumn is a season of gathering nature’s product before winter’s rest.  Autumn marks the beginning of a cycle of personal turning within; its first official day is September 23.  The equinox day, when’s night’s darkness equals the length of day.

Metal element in Chinese Five Element theory is associated with autumn and represents the mineral ores and salts of the Earth.  These function in creating structure and communication.  For instance, metal wires establish connections and conduct electricity.  Your brain and nervous system is analogous to electrical wiring.  Metal in Chinese system is similar to aspects of Air in astrology.  Both Air and Metal energies are expressed in the inner workings and activities of the mind, developing ideas, writing and speaking.  Degrees of mental clarity can be compared to Metal’s varying forms, which range from crude, impure and dense or to a shining, crystal clear gem.  Whiteness in the facial pallor can represent a metal imbalance, mainly seen in the skin around the eyes and cheeks.  This may be especially noticeable in someone who has had a bad cold, or acute or chronic lung problems or in someone who has recently been experiencing great worry, grief or sorrow, the emotions corresponding to the Metal element.

These feelings can be a healthy response, but if extreme or prolonged may injure the lungs or large intestine, the Metal organs.  Worry may cause poor, shallow breathing or the holding back of proper elimination, both important functions of the lungs and large intestine.  The sense organ for the Metal element is the nose and associated sense is smell. 

Metal’s body fluid is mucus and the climate is dryness.  However, extreme dryness can injure this element, as can its opposite climate, dampness.  The mucous membranes contain 2 types of cells:  serous-producing a watery fluid and mucous cells, which produce a thicker secretion.  It is the mucus that protects and coats the mucous linings, while the serous fluid helps wash debris and bacteria from these sensitive membranes.  Normally, there is a higher percentage of serous cells along the linings.  Excessive mucus is actually a relative state of dryness from inadequate water intake, too much mucous producing food or a Metal imbalance.

You have a choice, you can be open and joyful, welcoming each breathe and each change in life by looking toward the new experience and growth it will bring.  Or if you dwell on sadness, you are open to injure the Metal element and in turn to colds, lung ailments and digestive problems.  Your bowel habits reflect your approach to change; you hold on to fecal matter until you even experience pain or you can freely let go of your waste products.  The “holding on” occurs not just in the rectum but throughout the body, involving muscular tightness, mental tension and other restrictions of bodily functions.  If you are “holding on” please re-train yourself to more easily and efficiently process your foods, thoughts and emotions.

Regular bowel movements occur naturally after eating a meal since the gastrocolic reflex causes contraction of the rectum in response to distention of the stomach.  This is true particularly in children.  Congesting diets high in meats, dairy and refined foods and poor eating habits, like fast foods interfere with our regular bowel movements.  Congestion of the large intestine often leads to the displacement and loss of tone of this organ and is the cause of many pains and illnesses.  General abdominal discomfort and low and mid-backaches are often referred from the distention of the large intestine.  In the Chinese metal system, congestion in the large intestine manifests in the neck, head, nose and sinuses.  Pressure in the head and sinuses, headaches, sore throats as well as crankiness, lack of energy and even lack of enthusiasm for life can come from a back-up in this organ.

This is exactly how I developed cancer.  My large intestine was not releasing the waste products so my blood became highly acidic.  Within 2 years of changing my diet and life perspective, my blood was restored to alkaline and I loved life.  You must be aware by now that cancer cells cannot form in alkaline blood.  We are designed to be 7.3 ph alkaline.  We are healthy and happy.

This Depression/mental illness information will continue so in the meantime:

1.    Detox your body-In Autumn, the body automatically goes into detoxification   whether you realize it or not.  Why not support this process and recover your mental clarity.  Please see YOU ARE ALL SANPAKU (brown rice fast) ebook on karencruickshank.blogspot.ca

2.    For detoxifying yourself of negative emotions stay posted for the Behavioral Barometer as it is such a quick and easy tool to eliminate these past negative experiences.

3.    To regain the tone of the large intestine, please chew at least 32 times.  Please read Power Eating by Muramoto on the blog.

4.   If you want a quick way to establish your Acid or Alkaline level of your body; you can buy Litmus paper strips either at the drug store or at a nursery.

Sending you Divine Love and light til next time.

Acid and Alkaline in Life

Acidosis

Acidosis is the tendency towards over-acidity that arises in certain dis-eases.  Acid is always developing in the body but it is usually carried away in the body’s excretions.

There are some conditions affecting the digestion in which acidosis develops either because of increased acid production or because of the loss of alkaline substances by way of the bowels.  This happens when there is much loss of fluid from vomiting or diarrhea.  The treatment is to replace the lost fluid and to hinder the production of acid substances by giving water and salts.  Macrobiotics recommends the following drinks to treat diarrhea or vomiting.

1.    Sho-ban -  soya sauce and bancha or barley tea

2.    Umeboshi plum, ginger soya sauce, bancha or barley tea

3.    Kuzu, umeboshi plum, bancha or barley tea

4.    Miso soup with wakame

5.    Sea vegetable soup

Diabetes is the most common disease which cause acidosis.  In diabetes, the body is unable to use glucose so that fats are incompletely burned and acid substances are produced.  The acid becomes accumulated if there are not enough alkaline forming substances in the blood.

Power Chewing by Muramoto

POWER EATING PROGRAM

YOU ARE HOW YOU EAT

When people experience imbalances in their health, they often try counseling, divorce, relocation, pills, herbs, and surgery. Only as a last resort do they consider changing their eating habits, in the hopes of regaining their health.

When we eat food in a conscious manner, we may, as Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine taught "Let food be our medicine, and medicine be our food."

 Eating is a primal desire, the basis of our survival instinct. Eating is a simple act, yet vastly underestimated as a major influence on health. If you question the importance of food, try fasting for several days, or notice the behavior of a hungry infant. As with all basic human functions, eating can be a greedy indulgence or a spiritual experience. How we eat can merely fill us up and comfort us, or it can heal and transform us.

In many traditions and cultures, eating is considered a crucial, even sacred act. I was told by Lebanese friend that a peasant is not required to stop eating even if a king enters his house. Ancient Jewish law states that if a piece of food larger than an egg is eaten, one must sit down and say grace. Eating with a reverent attitude is recommended in many religious and spiritual ritual practices.

These days, we casually interrupt our meals for the phone and a thousand other hectic, chaotic influences of modern life. While we eat, we jump up and down, talk, read, scurry around, grab a bite, and then grab a digestive tablet.

 According to Consumer Spending Report, Americans now spend over $1 billion on digestive medicines each year Take a good look at your own lifestyle.

If foods are the building blocks of our health, then our stressful mealtime habits are causing us to crumble. Americans are overfed and undernourished. For too many people, food has become a form of entertainment rather than the means of nourishment. Grinning clowns sell high-fat, sugary non-foods. Cartoon characters, film stars and athletes convince Americans to eat junk food.

Yet a growing number of North Americans now are changing their eating habits. Unfortunately, some who eat a healthy diet fail to achieve satisfactory results largely because they focus on what, rather than how to eat. Very few people I observe know how to glean the full power from their food. The effects of even the most healthful meal can be minimized or nullified if eaten improperly.

We each choose what we want for our lives. With PEP, you will derive the maximum benefits from the foods you choose to eat. As you begin to take more care with your food choices, eating manner, breathing, exercise and contemplation, and as you practice directing your energies, you will focus your life more swiftly on where you really want to be.

REALIZE WHY YOU EAT

    Develop an awareness of your motivation for eating. Discover if the reason you are eating is:

1. Mechanical: a spontaneous response to hunger without thought about the quality or effects of food. "I'm so hungry, I could eat anything." "I could eat a horse."

2. Sensory: Eating for the taste, texture, fragrance, visual appeal of the food. "I eat this because it's delicious." "The food looks so pretty." "I love creamy foods."

3. Sentimental: Eating motivated by emotions or memories. "This dish reminds me of childhood, my homeland, the ethnic foods I loved." "I want cookies and milk before bed."

4. Intellectual: Influenced by diet, experts, and scientists. "I eat this because the book says to." "The speaker said these foods are low in calories and high in vitamins."

5. Social: Eating while conscious of the earth and its people, with empathy for others. "I eat food which supports the earth and can feed everyone." As Gandhi said, "I eat simply so that others may simply eat."

6. Ideological: Eating according to religious discipline or spiritual teaching, for development and transformation. "Exercising discipline and care, I eat the food of my spiritual beliefs."

7. Supreme: Freedom in eating deriving from inner wisdom and understanding of self with an awareness of all seven levels. "I eat to support my dream. I know the power of food. I eat to live, not live to eat." (Adapted from George Ohsawa's Seven Levels of Judgment.

READ MORE: http://macrobiotics.co.uk/pep.htm