Jade DragonBytes

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This metal monkey just turned 30 and is a body worker. I have been a body worker and holistic health practitioner for 6 years. It’s my life, it’s who I am, it’s what I do and the motivation for most of my endeavors. I am also currently working on a master’s degree in traditional Chinese medicine so that I can become an acupuncturist and herbalist. I’ve made it halfway through the 4 years it takes to accomplish this, that is, 4 years if you don’t care about having a life.

I want to have a life! I want to experience things, people, and places as well as be in love with Chinese medicine. To become an acupuncturist you have to be passionate about it, you have to love people, and you have to be driven. It’s not an easy path but it’s very rewarding. To be a Chinese medicine practitioner is to give your life to it, to live it, and to be an example. At least that’s what they tell you. To become a traditional healer, you have to do hours of rote memorization, you have to study relentlessly, and you have to get to a point where you just don’t give a shit any more and then try to remember why you’re there. You have to half ass your way sometimes and choose your battles.

So, I needed a break. A good break, a real break—not just the measly two to three weeks you usually get in between trimesters. (Yes, school is year round.)

I’ve never been to Asia before and here I am studying Chinese medicine. So much is lost on me because I don’t innately know the culture. Asia is huge; it encompasses places like Nepal, China, Tibet, both Koreas, and Japan. I’m not a very experienced traveler; I’ve been to some of the standard locations in the U.S. , as well as to Spain, Mexico, Jamaica, and Costa Rica. None of this could really prepare me for what it’s like to come to Nepal. I knew I had to get the hell out of dodge and take a break from school before I went crazy, stopped giving a shit, and stopped learning. Read the rest of this entry »

Ever wonder what in the world us acupuncturists are thinking when we tell you that you have some kind damp heat accumulation in your lower jiao, or that your liver qi is attacking your spleen? Well how about a wind invasion?

I hope to help you understand a bit better where we are coming from by talking today about wind invasions. After all, it is the time of year for them. By wind invasion I am really talking about colds and flus. So how does what we do for a cold differ from what you might otherwise accomplish at the drug store? Simply put, the methods, and herbs prescribed for these illnesses work to both address the symptom as well as fight off the infection. And it does this with specificity in mind as to the particular type of infection. A cold pill only gets you through it.

Now we all know the basic symptoms of a cold or flu, but not every infection will present the same. Take for example what we call a wind heat invasion. This is the type of cold that creates hot-type symptoms such as fever, cough, red/swollen throat, sweats and perhaps a thick green or yellow mucus. This is in sharp contrast to the type of cold that produces chills, headache, stiff neck, and a clear runny nose as seen in a wind cold invasion. Read the rest of this entry »

This sheep just realized the significance of yoga and learned what all it can do and wants to share it with you. Have you been looking for reasons to start practicing this form of exercise? If yes, then let me share what I’ve learned about the numerous physical as well as mental benefits offered by yoga.

Yoga induces a lot of plasticity in your body and that is one of its main benefits. There are various yoga poses that need you to stretch your body, thereby increasing muscle movement and adding to adaptability. Also, yoga adds additional pliancy to some body parts like legs, back, shoulders, and hips.

Yoga also increases the strength of your body, helping it support itself. Working ceaselessly on your body parts helps enhance the body’s strength while also toning the muscles. Regular yoga practice results in lean muscles which subsequently helps lose weight. (I got my girlish sheep figure back after doing yoga for a few months! Even under all that fur, my honey noticed the change in my figure!)

Another important benefit of yoga is that it helps prevent pain. Since it regularizes the movement of muscles, it keeps pain at bay. It also eases tightness of muscles helping treat pain. If you’re affected by back trouble then yoga can be of real help. Read the rest of this entry »

Want a simple and powerful way to begin improving your life? Here’s the sheep’s outline to attracting abundance, happiness, and better health, as well as for meeting the right person or just putting the fun back into your  life again.

You simply have to direct the power of your subconscious mind, which I am about to show you how to do.

First let’s get the basics out of the way.

1. Your subconscious mind creates your world. (I like to visualize lush, green pastures and days of lazing in the fields with my friends and family.)
2. Your reality is a mirror image of your thoughts and beliefs.
3. What you think and believe is what your subconscious mind creates for you. (For example, if I think that a wolf is going chase me down and bite me, it more likely will.)
4. Your life is a reflection of what is in your subconscious mind.
5. If you’re struggling to make ends meet or if you’re in debt, then you have a negative belief system about money implanted on your subconscious mind. (For a long time, this sheep was worried about the lack of rain and fresh grass and so helped create that reality.)
6. Knowing this you can change those thoughts and beliefs and redirect your subconscious mind.

How? Read the rest of this entry »