🍁 Greetings & Happy Fall 🍁

Garden Tiger Moth

Waking up to cool mornings sure is a welcome gift after that long, hot Summer. It won’t be too long before me and my sidekick, Mr. Gray (one of our six cats), venture out into the pastures and woods behind our house for our annual forest bathing therapy. From late Fall to early Spring, these "morning walkies" are a vital component of our Mind-Body Self-Care regimen, keeping us balanced, centered, grounded, and connected.

Keep reading past the Announcements if you're interested in learning more about how I use Mother Nature to keep me balanced physically, mentally, emotionally, and energetically during the upcoming cooler months.

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Announcements

1. Out of Town: I will be out of the office from Friday, Oct. 17th - Thursday, Oct. 23rd for some training. I will resume sessions on Friday, Oct. 24th.

2. Gift Certificates and Packages: Please check out my Shop to purchase these items. 3-packs are $10, $15, $20 off, respectively.

3. Cool Cats Pet Sitting: Need a pet sitter while you're out of town? Call/text me for details: 718-415-4610.

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Forest Immersion Therapy 101

Mr. Gray (aka Kray Kray)

Many moons ago, I wrote an article for Massage Magazine about how I reconnected with myself, personally and professionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Part of the self-connection process involved communing with nature by building a backyard labyrinth. 

Like everyone, I had a lot of free time on my hands during the quarantine, so I began exploring the woods and pastures behind my house. Eventually, Mr. Gray fell in beside me (as he is wont), and from then on, our forest adventures really took off. 

We circumnavigated the pond and pastures, followed deer paths through the woods, and eventually created some new walking circuits of our own, stopping now and then to rest and stretch at some of the natural landmarks that began to stand out. Without even realizing it, I discovered that the forest was helping me heal myself on multiple levels. The first method I stumbled upon was some good ole "natural" acupressure.

Grounding in the Bubbling Spring

The Pecan Tree

“Pecan Place” was one such landmark. The multitude of pecans scattered underneath this large pecan tree were always fair game for Gray. He would invariably stop, flop, and roll in a specific spot while I would stretch, breathe, and reflect in another. One day, I caught myself stepping on a pecan and pressing it into the Kidney 1 acupressure point, located on the ball of the foot.

Kidney 1 ("Bubbling Spring") is the quintessential grounding acupoint. Firmly pressing this point stimulates the tibial nerve, sending neural signals to the brain and CNS, telling it to slow down. Sustained pressure creates a feeling of being rooted to the spot. If you're able to press this point by stepping on a natural element directly connected to the earth while breathing fresh air, then all the better.

Pausing at Pecan Place became a ritual and created a rhythm to our walks. I probably would’t have paused in that spot otherwise which means I wouldn’t have stopped to stretch, breathe, and ground myself. Pets have that innate knowingness about nature and what’s good for them. It’s fun having a small, furry spirit guide who can teach you these things while also making you laugh while they're doing it. 😸

I pocketed a pecan, not really thinking too much about it until later on.

Letting Go with The Great Eliminator

The North Pasture

If you ever feel stuck, take a brisk walk.

It occurred to me whilst traversing the large pasture to the north one clear morning, that Letting Go seems a lot easier during and after a walk. With no humans around, you can freely belch, pass gas, talk out loud, cry, etc. and, essentially, release to your heart’s content. It’s so therapeutic.

Letting go physically, mentally, emotionally, and energetically is the perfect counterpoint to Grounding, and it just so happens there’s an acupoint for that, too. 

Large Intestine 4 ("The Great Eliminator"), located in the fleshy webbing between the thumb and index finger, is a potent acupoint that governs the release of what is no longer needed by the body. Stimulating this point helps support digestion, clear blockages and eliminate toxins, stagnation, pain, and negative emotions from the body. It is generally an energy "clearing" point.

Remembering the pecan, I pulled it out of my pocket that day, and each time I spoke out loud something I needed to let go of, I then took a deep breath, pressed it firmly into the point, and exhaled while slowly releasing it. Without even thinking about it, I then took a moment to have gratitude for the ability to heal myself in this way.

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Combining Mother Nature and Acupressure to heal yourself, even in small ways, is such a meaningful way of taking your health in your own hands, literally.

In my next blog, I'll continue the story of how the forest and a little gray and white kitty showed me how to heal myself.

Until then, Happy Fall, Y'all!