Tag Archive for: stress relief

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Loving Kindness Meditation to Feel more at Ease…

Loving Kindness Meditation helps you feel better.

You start out by showing love and kindness to yourself…

Then to others whom you care about.

From there you move to neutral others, like mail carriers or people you have seen in the community, though you do not really know them that well.

Eventually you can even feel kindness, even love for your enemies!

 

Pretty powerful, eh?… Let’s get started…

First, be sure you are in a safe space to do this (no driving now)!

Sit in a chair with straight and relaxed posture. 

Shoulders are relaxed. Hands rest comfortably in your lap.

Close your eyes.

 

Recall a pet you love(d) or a special person that you felt unconditional love for.

Maybe a special person in your life showed you unconditional love. If not, perhaps Nature has been there for you unconditionally.

You may feel sensations in your body as you bask in the gratitude for this love and acceptance.

You may feel warmth on your face. 

You may feel a smile widening, naturally.

 

Breathe in and out, feelings of peace and acceptance. 

No need to control the breath.

Just be aware of it.

 

Recite a Mantra.

You can say a short little mantra of words to yourself to help guide you (there are many examples).

This is one that I like to use often:

 

“May I be Safe.

May I be Healthy.

May I Easily Take Care of Myself.

May I Feel at Ease Wherever I Go.”

 

I repeat this Mantra over and over, as needed.

Waiting for the doctor’s prognosis? 

Going through divorce or a death of someone close to you?

Maybe you lie awake at night, unable to stop thinking.

 

After a while (maybe a few weeks) of saying this mantra over and over (or another similar mantra of your choosing),

you can replace the “I” with “She” or “He” when you do Loving Kindness on a Loved one.

Eventually you can widen your scope to communities, nations, the entire world,

This may help you find the kindness to feel toward someone whom you may despise or even possibly feel hatred for and…it can save your nervous system from too much stress!

 

Science and Loving Kindness Meditation

Looking at fMRI on those who had logged 10,000 hours of Loving Kindness Meditation…

Evidence Based Practice has shown Loving Kindness Meditation lights up the areas of the brain responsible for Empathy.

The more one practices, the more these brain areas light up.

 

Oh, yeah and this type of Meditation actually helps increase EMPATHY. 

Now that is something we all NEED right about NOW!

 

Pema Chödrön has a book called Start Where You Are. It uses a type of meditation that helps you familiarize yourself with Loving Kindness meditation, as well. She is a Buddhist nun. She grew up in the western world and is very humble in her dialogue.

 

John Kabat-Zinn goes into Loving Kindness Meditation a great deal on YouTube.

He also has many great books, including a great parenting book!

This can be a great journey toward moving from reactionary living to living more mindfully. It truly is life changing stuff.

Find More resources from Jon Kabat-Zinn and other meditation experts Here

 

Written by Aleesha Kaplan, LAc

Aleesha is a certified and state licensed acupuncturist with a Master’s degree in acupuncture. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree from Hamline University.

 

Aleesha owned and operated Aleesha D Acupuncture clinic for Pain and Women’s Health in Anoka, MN.

(She now travels with her husband around the USA).

They return home to MN a few times per year to visit.

She became interested in acupuncture and holistic medicine when acupuncture cured her of debilitating migraine pain after an auto collision with a semi-truck.

Aleesha specializes in treating acute and chronic pain and Women’s Health. Women come to her everyday with issues such as stress, hot flashes, mood imbalance, low energy and for Cosmetic Acupuncture for wrinkles, crow’s feet, laugh lines and improvement in overall skin tone . Read more about Aleesha and what she specializes in Here.

 

Those who work with Aleesha say they feel listened to and taken care of.

They are happy to get the much-needed pain and stress relief.

Feel Better, Move Forward!

 

DISCLAIMER

This article is not intended to replace any health care. No information on this site should be relied on to determine medical diagnosis or treatment for a medical condition. As with any health concerns, always be sure to consult your health care provider with any health concerns.

Licensed Acupuncturist in Anoka Serving Andover, Anoka, Big Lake, Champlin, Circle Pines, Columbus, Coon Rapids, Dayton, East Bethel, Elk River, Forest Lake, Fridley, Ham Lake, Isanti, Lino Lakes, Maple Grove, Minneapolis, Now Then, Oak Grove, Osseo, Ostego, Ramsey, Saint Francis, Saint Paul, Shoreview, Spring Lake Park, Vadnais Heights and White Bear Lake.

Zip codes we treat: 55304, 55303, 55309, 55014, 55316, 55433, 55448, 55327, 55330, 55432, 55040, 55401, 55402, 55403, 55404, 55406, 55407, 55408, 55409, 55410, 55411, 55412, 55413, 55416, 55418, 55419, 55421, 55422, 55011, 55311, 55369, 55102, 55103, 55104, 55105, 55106, 55107, 55108, 55101, 55109, 55110, 55111, 55113, 55114, 55116, 55117, 55120, 55124, 55125, 55115, 55118, 55119, 55121, 55122, 55123, 55126, 55129, 55130, 55146, 55127, 55128, 55133, 55144, 55145, 55155, 55164, 55165, 55166, 55166, 55168, 55170, 55175, 55187, 55188, 55171, 55172, 55014, 55025, 55371, 55398, 55308, 55960

 

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EFT Tapping Acupressure Points for Anxiety (Yes! Same Points as Acupuncture)

EFT Tapping Acupressure Points for Anxiety (Same Points Used in Acupuncture)!

Did You Know EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) Tapping uses Acupuncture Points for Anxiety?

It’s True! 

This is Helpful to go along with our AcuPRESSURE sessions (Patients doing the 1-on-1 Free Video Sessions with me during the COVID-19 Pandemic while we Stay-at-Home to help flatten the curve).

These are points you can use at home to help move from Fight-or-Flight back into the Rest and Digest

aka “chilling in a hammock” state of being. 

This can help in all types of situations, not only during a scary, stay-at-home-we are in a Pandemic” kind of situation!

 

For the point of this simple version (and because I do not care for doing the self-talk therapy along with it), we will leave out the affirmation/ self-talking part of the technique.

That is the beauty in most things in life, if ya don’t like part of something or it just doesn’t work for you, you can leave it out. Stick with what works! GET IT? “STICK!” Never mind.

 

You shouldn’t be sticking yourself with needles anyway-unless you are a licensed acupuncturist like me, of course or a phlebotomist or a nurse (by the way, acupuncture needles are not hollow like a hypodermic used by a nurse because it does not need to carry anything like a vaccine into your body.

 

That is why some call it “DRY NEEDLING.” It is also why the needles acupuncturists use do not hurt the way the hypodermic needles do-well that and you can fit like 10 acupuncture needles into a hypodermic! They are about 1/10 the diameter or thickness so WAY more comfortable!

 

So as to not get off track…

EFT Tapping-How to:

To do the EFT Tapping on acupuncture points (OR for you, acuPRESSURE), 

Tap Points: Simply tap lightly with a finger on each point. Be gentle. You don’t have to leave a mark to be effective. More pressure is not better, necessarily. 

 

Sequence of Points: I like to go in order of  outer hand, below pinky finger (at 2nd crease) aka the “karate chop” point. You know, right where you strike when you karate chop all those wooden boards in your garage (or in your mind if not trained), then top of head, going in downward direction to each point, ending at side of torso/ under the arm.

 

# of Taps Per Point: Tap each point 5-7 times. Then go on to next point.

 

How Many Times Should I tap the sequence of points?

Rinse and Repeat.

You can repeat this as many times as needed until you feel more chill. Let your Highstrung-ometer be your guide to how many times to repeat in one session.  Sometimes I like to do this in traffic, like when another driver tries to kill me by cutting me off or  driving so close behind that I cannot see the first 1/3 of their car (and cannot move any further than the bumper in front of me).

Or-like now during a friggin’ PANDEMIC!

—Who is NOT Stressed? 

Some of us, pendulate back and forth between a healthy state of,

“I’m okay, You’re Okay” to “OMG-When will Life EVER Go Back to some type of NORMAL again?”

I digress. Again. What can I say? I’m a story teller. A close friend recently told me that one of the things her husband really likes about me is my story-telling ability!

Wow, that really FELT GOOD to hear!

 

Back to it: So like I said, repeat as many times as possible. Some like to talk about what is bugging them while doing this. I am not one of those. I like to keep things As Simple As Possible. Lots of other stuff can’t be simplified. I believe THIS can be simple.

 

 I DO like to work on breathing techniques. This can cause more anxiety, however if you find you start trying to control the breath or the mind starts to ask you, “Are You SURE You’re DOING this RIGHT??!”

 

Don’t get stuck! Get it? Okay, okay. I’ll stop.

…So, if you find focus on breath is more of a hassle at  first, leave it out. Remember, as with most thing, you gotta do what works for you. We have all self-soothed with a healthy tool, only to start going down a dark rabbit hole of over-thinking!…

There are a lotta tools in life. Use the best tool that works for you. Lefties  don’t like Right-handed scissors for a reason!

Do not Overthink it!

Find Other Meditation/ Breathing Techniques Here

 

Does it Matter Which Side You Do First?

You can do one side, then alternate to the other.

You can do left side a couple times, then right side. 

For some points you can choose the side with the most tender spot (under the clavicle or collar bone). This is often tender while feeling anxious.

Recap: 

  1. Starting with Karate chop point on hand. Then at top of head, progressing down body to last point which is located under arm.
  2. Tap each point gently about 5-7 times each.
  3. Repeat sequence as many times as you need.
  4. Keep reading my posts and leave some feedback here!

Thanks for Reading!

Check back next week for some Qi Gong (“Chee Gong”). If you are a patient of mine, it will pair well with our Free Video 1-on-1’s during the COVID-19 stay-at-home time!

Written by Aleesha D Ackerman, LAc

 

Aleesha Ackerman is a certified and state licensed acupuncturist with a Master’s degree in acupuncture. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree from Hamline University. Aleesha owns and operates Aleesha D Acupuncture clinic for Pain and Women’s Health in Anoka, MN.

She became interested in acupuncture and holistic medicine when acupuncture cured her of debilitating migraine pain after an auto collision with a semi-truck. Aleesha specializes in treating acute and chronic pain and Women’s Health. Women come to her everyday with issues such as hot flashes, mood imbalance, low energy and for Cosmetic Acupuncture for wrinkles, crow’s feet, laugh lines and improvement in overall skin tone . Read more about Aleesha and what she specializes in Here.

Patients at Aleesha D Acupuncture say they feel cared for and listened to. They are happy to get the much-needed pain and stress relief from their treatments!

Why wait? Start Your Relief Today- contact Aleesha D Acupuncture in Anoka this summer to schedule!

Aleesha D Acupuncture is located in historic downtown Anoka at 229 Jackson Main Street just off Highway 10 with free parking.

Get in and Feel Better, Move Forward!

 

DISCLAIMER

This article is not intended to replace any health care. No information on this site should be relied on to determine medical diagnosis or treatment for a medical condition. As with any health concerns, always be sure to consult your health care provider with any health concerns.

Licensed Acupuncturist in Anoka Serving Andover, Anoka, Big Lake, Champlin, Circle Pines, Columbus, Coon Rapids, Dayton, East Bethel, Elk River, Forest Lake, Fridley, Ham Lake, Isanti, Lino Lakes, Maple Grove, Minneapolis, Now Then, Oak Grove, Osseo, Ostego, Ramsey, Saint Francis, Saint Paul, Shoreview, Spring Lake Park, Vadnais Heights and White Bear Lake.

Zip codes we treat: 55304, 55303, 55309, 55014, 55316, 55433, 55448, 55327, 55330, 55432, 55040, 55401, 55402, 55403, 55404, 55406, 55407, 55408, 55409, 55410, 55411, 55412, 55413, 55416, 55418, 55419, 55421, 55422, 55011, 55311, 55369, 55102, 55103, 55104, 55105, 55106, 55107, 55108, 55101, 55109, 55110, 55111, 55113, 55114, 55116, 55117, 55120, 55124, 55125, 55115, 55118, 55119, 55121, 55122, 55123, 55126, 55129, 55130, 55146, 55127, 55128, 55133, 55144, 55145, 55155, 55164, 55165, 55166, 55166, 55168, 55170, 55175, 55187, 55188, 55171, 55172, 55014, 55025, 55371, 55398, 55308, 55960

 

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