People new to acupuncture sometimes get anxious about whether or not the needles are going to hurt. Some are unable to relax during the entire treatment due to worrying that any slight movement with the needles in them will result in pain. So what strategy do you have for helping a patient relax? I use qigong - either 9 threading breaths or the Inner Cosmic Smile to prepare the patients for their acupuncture session.
We hear today about a lot of organizations hiring mindfulness coaches and mentors. But what are these individuals doing and how does it help with the everyday challenges in life? Mindfulness is being aware of the present and our surroundings. Sounds easy doesn't it? But I would offer everyone a simple challenge - find a quiet space, turn off the lights, light a tea candle and place it 10 feet in front of you. Now take your smart phone and set the timer for two (2) minutes. Now find a comfortable seat, clear your mind focusing just on your breathing and hit start on the timer. GO. If your like a lot of us, your mind is instantly filled with a thousand thoughts, don't focus of any of them, just let them fly through without putting any significance on these thoughts. Wow - just two minutes. Now that it is over - you see just how "crazy" our minds is and how busy a place it is inside our head. If you continue doing this, eventually the thoughts slow down, you breathing will slow down and you will begin hearing the subtlest of sounds in your world. As you stretch your time, start going for 10 minutes, 30 minutes or 55 minutes. As you get you are going to notice other changes in your mental state but more on that later.