Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Spring Renewal Workshop

 
 
Spring's Renewal Workshop
Friday, May 4th, 7pm-8:30pm
 
The cycles of nature offer us much about how to live life with more ease.  The transition through Spring this year continues to be one with large swings and changes in nature.  Have you been flexible with the big shifts in temperatures?  What are you noticing in yourself?
 
Come learn about the season of Spring through the Five Element philosophy.  A brief overview of acupuncture and the Five Elements will be followed by an in-depth discussion of Spring’s Wood element, its gifts and challenges, and how it relates to your body and life.  The workshop will conclude with a gentle acupuncture treatment to help anchor in your body your learning from the evening.
 
Registration for the workshop and acupuncture treatment is $25.  Please reserve your space with me by phone or email, as space will be limited.
 
Learning how to allow Spring its full expression in your body and life can help you prepare for the Summer ahead.
 

Monday, March 26, 2012

Springtime Exercising!

The transition through March and April can bring swings in temperatures as well as some windy days.   Even with this year’s warmer winter, our bodies need time to acclimate to being outdoors. Learn what works for you and plan for layering options. 

I recently had the opportunity to attend a workshop offered by Karen Scher, Certified Yoga Instructor, who led a group of us through some valuable ways to open up at the shoulders and upper body.  The exercises are simple.


To begin, keep both arms down by your sides.  Take one arm and reach behind you around your low back.  Take hold of your other arm, somewhere near the elbow.  Then focus on relaxing your shoulders down and back, feeling a stretch across your upper back and chest.  Hold the position while you take a few deep breaths before switching to the other side.  This will bring your posture upright, release the muscles along your neck and shoulders and also help free your breathing by opening up the lungs.  Practice the position a few times at home or while working at your desk and then incorporate it into your spring training activities!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

It's Spring (almost)! Time to Grow, Create, and Refresh!



This weekend we pushed our clocks forward and began to enjoy longer hours of daylight.  The weather has warmed and our thoughts are turning to the enjoyments of spring.  It's time to grow, create, and refresh.  Karen Giles Acupuncture offers the following suggestions to make the most of your spring!

"Spring Cleaning" often makes us think of cleansing.  Spring is a great time to cleanse and refresh body, mind, and environment.  Enjoy foods that cleanse the body such as lemons, spring onions, and greens. Cleanse your mind by letting go of baggage you have been holding onto and fill your mind with fresh goals you want to reach. Cleanse your environment by remove clutter and organizing.  Cleansing gives you the opportunity to begin anew.  Start a new project or a new routine.  Go someplace you have never been and maybe travel there in a manner you have never traveled.  Spark your creative energy and follow it where it leads.

Why not start a garden and grow some of the cleansing foods you want to eat?  A garden is the embodiment of growth, creation and refreshment and allows you to develop a connection with the earth.  Use the food you grow to create new dishes or the flowers you grow to create beautiful arrangements.  A garden offers endless opportunities for creation.

These suggestions just scratch the surface on ways to maximize the benefits of spring.  Let me know what suggestions you have!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Winter's Gift

The Quiet Gift of Winter
The Winter has seemed a bit hesitant to settle in this year.  Some unseasonably warm days, while a respite from last year’s snow-filled Winter, is a bit confusing in nature.  Is it feeling that way for you too?  The recent snowfall delivered the gift that Winter offers – “permission” to relax into your own version of hibernation.  Regardless of the changeable temperatures, it is still Winter.  The trees are bare and grey against the sky.  If you listen carefully to nature, you will hear…silence.  There are no birds chirping, very little wildlife is active right now and often the only sound you hear is the wind blowing through the open spaces around us.  Plant life is huddled down, although I have noticed a few buds that wonder what to do on a warm winter day.  How is the Winter within you?  Are you finding some ease in the warmer temperatures and minimal snowfall to date?  Notice how you feel with each swing of the weather as we continue on through what’s left of this season.
 
Elemental wisdom
Winter is the seasonal expression of the Water element.  In the acupuncture tradition, the Water element is literally about the water in us.  Anatomically, our kidneys and bladder function as reservoirs and filters, managing the flow of fluids in our bodies and supporting the delicate balance of chemistry in so many functions.  But the kidneys also guide birth, development and growth, particularly in our bones.  The kidneys are the seeds that are the foundation of our skeletal structure, as well as our vitality. 

The spirit these organs have in this tradition is of power and potential in our lives and bodies.  Are you feeling energized or do you feel like your “tank” is empty?  The ability to power through the challenges of life comes from the Water element.  Physically, by keeping our bones strong and supporting our upright posture.  Emotionally, by helping us move through trying times, conquering fears and determining appropriate boundaries in how we live.
 
Karen Giles Acupuncture is proud to offer the Winter’s Gift Seasonal Workshop: Saturday, 2/4, 3pm-5pm.  A brief overview of acupuncture and the Five Elements will be followed by an in-depth discussion of Winter's Water element, it's gifts and challenges, and how it relates to your well being.  The workshop will conclude with a gentle acupuncture treatment. Registration: $25.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Winter's Gift Workshop

Saturday, February 4th, 3pm-5pm

Karen E. Giles, LAc, MAc
Five Element Acupuncture
903 Main Street, Suite 204, Port Jefferson, NY 11777
(631) 804-5902


The cycles of nature offer much about how to live life with more ease.  Nature seems a bit confused with this Winter’s changeable weather and it may feel that way within you.  As we approach the end of January with temperatures close to 50 degrees, the remnants of our first snowfall remind us that it is still Winter.

What does Winter evoke in your body and life?  Are you waiting for the chance to hibernate with a bit more snow or cold?  Or are you hoping that Spring will come early?

Come learn to about the season of Winter through the Five Element philosophy.
A brief overview of acupuncture and the Five Elements will be followed by an in-depth discussion of Winter's Water element, its gifts and challenges, and how it relates to your body and life.  The workshop will conclude with a gentle acupuncture treatment to help anchor in your body your learning from the afternoon.

Registration for the workshop and acupuncture treatment is $25.  Please reserve your space with me by phone or email, as space will be limited.

Learning how to allow Winter its full expression in your body and life can help you prepare for the Spring ahead.