Spring Cleaning

You see it in nature when you look around in the spring.  Birds are clearing out old nests to make way for new ones, spring winds are cleaning up left over leaves and other natural refuse and spring plants are pushing up through the old compost to create new colors and fresh life.

So this is a good time to do some spring cleaning for your body too.  There are many things we can do to ‘detox’ the body.  We can take supplements that cleanse the digestive system, we can do fasting that supports the body in releasing old toxins, we can do detoxing baths or foot baths to name a few.

In Jin Shin Jyutsu, there is a point that is known as the body’s janitor because it releases excess garbage.  When my daughter was little she used to call these points ‘the trash guys’.  In computer vernacular they would be like the ‘delete button’.  They are known as the #11’s and they are located at the upper tip of the scapula (shoulder blade) near the neck.  In fact, these points can ‘fill up’ all the way to the neck so ideally that whole area should be clear of tension and discomfort.  These 11’s also help with releasing daily fatigue and help unburden the breathing function.

To release the #11’s you can hold the #11 with the opposite hand and make a ring with the thumb and ring finger with the same side  hand.  Relax your shoulders, breathe and just hold that for a few minutes.  Then do the opposite side.  This will help to clean your body out of old excess baggage making way for the freshness of life that the springtime embodies.

For some other tips on spring cleaning your physical environment in a more ‘green’ sustainable way, there are some good tips here:

http://acadiaconstruct.com/ACADIAMarch2010SpringCleaning.aspx

HAPPY CLEANING!