As our primary organ of detoxification, the liver has the essential job of protecting the deeper tissues from impurities in the blood that might otherwise cause harm. However, overexposure to toxins (such as alcohol, prescription or recreational drugs, environmental pollutants, and the like) can adversely impact the liver itself. ☥ ☥ Melody Mischke ☥ Banyan Botanicals
Spring is the optimal time to rejuvenate your liver, which, with more than 600 functions, is considered the “CEO of our body." One of Ayurveda’s wellness secrets is called “Pancha Karma” which is usually translated to mean “five actions, measures or therapies.” These five therapies are specific categories of healing strategies that gently support our healing process and cleanses/balances your body using intensive, yet mild healing methods.
I have used pancha karma to help me recover from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), to help my clients overcome addictions and reverse dis-ease. The all-inclusive five therapies could include lifestyle strategies, therapeutic movement/food and occur for a specified period of time (i.e. three, five, and seven-day pancha karmas are commonly practiced, though intensive programs can last for a month or more.) While most people may not have the knowledge base of an experienced Ayurvedic Practitioner to professionally utilize pancha karma, everyone can still think of five ways that they can improve their health this spring.
Our liver “reacts to the intense anguish, cyclic rage, strong fears and unbearable difficulties.” (Barral Institute). According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, continually waking up between 1am and 3am is an indication that the liver or gallbladder is out of balance. From a broader perspective, our liver rules our ability to plan our lives. Listed below are five ways that we can rejuvenate our liver.
FOOD
☥ Season food with healing herbs such as turmeric, parsley, ginger,
coriander, rosemary, etc.
☥ Herbs such as aloe vera, milk thistle, marshmallow root, bupleurum (great
for immune system and liver support) and kutki support the liver (supports
and strengthens the liver, supports healthy bile flow, decongests the liver,
detoxes the liver and gallbladder, promotes healthy skin, immune and
respiratory function).
Remember that not all herbs work for all people. Herbs have a hot, wet, dry or cold quality. For example, both ginger and peppermint are great herbs for digestion. If it is a hot summer's day and we are feeling angry (a hot emotion), then peppermint is the better choice for us. Always experiment with small doses and slowly increase over time. Take a break and rotate herbs (try not to get stuck on any one herb), and remember that we need to improve all aspects of our health. Herbs are a formidable way to support the process.
HYDRATION
☥ Hydration = water + essential fatty acids (EFAs) + electrolytes. Drink
reverse osmosis, purified or distilled water and place a pinch of sea salt in
the water (you will not taste the salt, but your body will get the electrolytes).
☥ Essential fatty acids are not produced by your body so you need to get
them from food. The best sources of Omega 3 EFAs are chia, flax and hemp
seed oil.
☥ Sources of electrolytes include raw coconut water and fruits/veggies such
as celery, apples, watermelon, celery seed and jicama.
EMOTIONAL HEALTH
☥ Try this exercise to help release negative emotions
☥ Practice this breathing exercise to help you stay calm and centered
☥ Order and download The Chakra Emotions Energy Wisdom Quick Start Toolkit to help you
identify and heal feelings as they arise.
MENTAL HEALTH
☥ The brain needs 20 percent of our body’s oxygen and glucose. Healthy forms
of glucose include dates and fresh fruits.
☥ Breathe then pause before speaking. Breathe slowly and deeply in and out.
Pause after inhaling/exhaling to give your body time to utilize the oxygen.
MOVEMENT
☥ Practice this exercise to improve circulation
Epilogue ☥ Your Treasure Map For Self-Care
Thank you for taking the time to actively engage in your own self-care. If you have ever spent time at a hammam ☥ steam room ☥ sauna, you will notice that it is a comfortable space because you are wearing minimal or no clothing and you can just be yourself. However, after a short time, it starts to get hot, and you begin to sweat. This is a good thing because you are helping your body to eliminate toxins. If you want to detoxify your body correctly you will:
☥ Breathe slowly and deeply to help your body adjust to the intensity of the heat.
☥ Sip water every 15 minutes to stay hydrated.
☥ Have a piece of fruit ☥ pumpkin seeds ☥ favorite healthy snack available.
☥ Take a shower after excessive sweating.
☥ Go into a cold room/take a cold plunge/cold water rinse off to cool down before doing
another sweat and to stimulate your lymphatic system.
☥ Go for a walk in nature, spend time in meditation ☥ contemplation, have a healthy meal
and give your body some time to complete the healing process (which could include
sending you messages through your intuition about your next steps).
As you journey through ☥ interact with the blogs ☥ other content on phyllishubbard.com, you might have an insight that causes you to suddenly feel mentally ☥ emotionally “hot” -- which could show up as:
☥ “Ah-ha” moments
☥ A hop-in-the-bed-and-cry-yourself-to-sleep or fetal position crying time of intensive
self-care
☥ Intense feelings of anger/regret about something in your past
☥ Disorientation caused by the realization of truth
☥ Strong reactions such as heightened senses, vomiting; an urge to release emotions
such as yelling/screaming, going outside for fresh air/to take a walk, punching a
boxing bag/pillow; a feeling of tightness in the chest, etc.
If you find yourself having a strong reaction, I encourage you to flow with it while helping your body to release mental ☥ emotional toxins by using the same five self-care strategies listed above for releasing physical toxins. Your body talks to you all the time, but unconscious adherence to social conditioning can mute its messages.
Strong reactions are your body’s way of letting you know that there is a deeper issue requiring your attention.
Keep revisiting the content ☥ utilizing the five self-care strategies until you no longer experience the strong reaction, release fears and have identified ☥ transformed ☥ removed the root cause of the issue. You will find additional strategies throughout this website that you can add to your mental health self-care toolkit.
Self-Care Sustainability Suggestions
☥ A Cross-Cultural Healing Haven – read this blog to understand the purpose of
phyllishubbard.com and the meaning behind its organization ☥ symbols.
☥ Revisit the content periodically and make a note of if/how your perceptions have
evolved. Check out our blog page for an experiential healing journey.
☥ Check out the other pages on phyllishubbard.com:
☥ Home - watch the videos. Click on the images in the Spiritual Guidance
section. Each image has a story that might assist your self-care journey. Learn
about other spiritual practices.
☥ About - Learn about my background ☥ reasons for co-creating
phyllishubbard.com
with Spirit. Explore healing through the image carousel and videos.
☥ Shop ☥ Kamitology - Purchase and download vital tools for your personal growth
☥ development.
☥ Reclaiming Our Humanity - Help us develop and disseminate video courses.
☥ Rise TV - Practice breathing and movement exercises and deepen your
understanding of healing through the experiences of community members.
Check back periodically to discover new/re-experience the content.
☥ Journey - This is your invitation to own the journey to radiance. Experience the
journey and download healing resources to share with your friends, family and
community.
When you share healing, healing comes back to and flows through you.
About Sharing ...
During my first presentation to an all-Black audience, I introduced 20-year-old research on the hazards of sitting. I presented the research because I noticed that people sat for way too long at convenings and realized that the information was not disseminated to Black ☥ Indigenous ☥ Immigrant communities. I was determined to intentionally include this research, often surprising participants by getting people up to stretch. After more than 13 years of intentional work, Black ☥ Indigenous ☥ Immigrant People are just barely beginning to normalize conscious movement. We still have a long way to go, and it is important that we share what we know as much as we can to prevent the disenfranchisement of wellness information to Black ☥ Indigenous ☥ Immigrant communities.
Please do not keep phyllishubbard.com to yourself. We will not co-create a better world until we heal our current, past/childhood traumas. We will not love others until we learn to love ourselves.
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