Secrets of Your Cells: Discovering Your Body's Inner Intelligence (39 page)

To John Harris, a muse and friend, whose heart connection pushed me to challenge my beliefs, live bigger and take risks, venture into emotional territories I didn’t know existed, and articulate what is sacred.

To David Freed and Rabbi David White, who helped me reignite my Jewish roots and explore the mystical Kabbalah.

To all the people over the years who have come to my lectures, classes, and workshops: through your questions and being eager to learn, you are my greatest teachers. To all the people who have been part of my support groups, I thank you for opening my heart to being human and helping me glimpse what really goes on when someone is challenged by a life-threatening or life-diminishing illness. You have been the guides and benefactors of this work.

To Matthew Fox and Brian Swimme, who invited me to develop and teach this material early on. To all the other venues that welcomed me and my work, especially IONS and EarthRise Retreat Center, which ultimately brought Sounds True to me.

To Jennifer Y. Brown at Sounds True, the acquisitions editor who envisioned this as an influential book that will inspire people about science and the sacred. Thank you for helping me create a proposal that worked and for your ongoing support. To Haven Iverson, Tami Simon, and all the folks at Sounds True who made this book “sing.” Thank you for your faith in me and this material.

To Sheridan McCarthy, my editor, who became more of a collaborator, fine-tuning and improving my words. I am so grateful for how you partnered with me, asking me questions, making me flesh out the missing pieces, adding your own words, and helping make this book so much more than I dreamed it could be.

To my children, Ted and Heather, who have questioned my assertions. You daily make me proud of how you’ve grown, raised your families, and brought your creative minds and hearts to your own work. Thank you for listening to me kvetch and try to articulate my “way out” ideas. Your love and presence make all my struggles worth it.

To my grandchildren—Ethan, Harper, Benny, and Micah—to you I offer a view of the world that, when you are old enough to understand it, may nurture, help you grow, and inspire you.

Of course, to my cells, for getting me here in reasonably good health and fostering me to complete this work even when I doubted—for showing me the way.

And to God Hashem, for it is with you I have had the biggest struggle and the greatest connection. It has been in my search for you that my cells have become holy and love has become the most essential ingredient of my life.

Appendix 1

Energy Mapping Graph

Map your energy rhythms: 10 the highest; 1 the lowest. Record at least 5x/day. Energy
Mood
Tension
Choose your own symbols or colors

Appendix 2

Qigong Body Prayer Series

I
hope you have enjoyed engaging your cells with the qigong body prayers as you worked your way through the book. Here is a full series of qigong movements (which also appears in
chapter 5
). I want to point out, however, the value of doing even just one of the sequences. It is easy to learn and remember one at a time and to teach it to your children, friends, and family. Also, there may be only one or two that you feel moved to do at any given time. This is a time to really listen to what you need and sail ahead in the best direction. Your cells will love them all.

In preparation for doing any qigong practice, use your good sense and avoid doing it outside if it’s too windy or too cold. Wear loose, comfortable clothing. When you practice inside, take off your shoes and feel the floor under your feet. You can do the same outside if the area is safe for your delicate soles and toes. Relax and be prepared for a cell treat.

The more you practice, the more you will be able to depend on the calm and nourishing energy you are cultivating. I recommend doing each sequence at least three times. The Taoists who originated these movements held three as a sacred number (imagine that!), so you can do them in series of threes. When I was taught many of these, we did each one eighteen or thirty-six times.

Give yourself at least ten to twenty minutes to do this practice. When I do the entire cycle as it is described here, I do a minimum of three repetitions of each form, except for Waist Circles; I do as many as I want of those. I often find myself automatically doing Waist Circles whenever I’m standing and waiting for something—in line at the movies, for instance. Try it.

The Basic Posture: Standing Home Alignment

Feel your feet on the earth, grounded and anchored. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, parallel to each other. You can imagine roots from the soles of your feet that reach deep into the earth. To help find that solid and centered place on your feet, rock back and forth and then sideways until you feel yourself grounded in the earth. You can gain strength from the earth’s energy when you feel your feet upon her. You may also perceive or imagine that you are drawing up the earth’s energy through your feet.

Your knees are slightly bent, your butt tucked under. Your shoulders are dropped and relaxed. Your arms hang loose at your sides. Your tongue rests softly on the roof of your mouth behind your teeth. (This is called the
inner smile,
and you can practice it anytime.) Your chin is parallel to the floor; you can imagine a golden cord connecting your head to heaven, a link to another source of energy.

Rock a bit until you feel solid on the ground.

All movements of this series start with taking this basic stance.

Another option of Standing Home is to assume this posture and then bend your elbows and place them at your sides by your waist. Hands are
open and palms are facing each other at the level just below your belly button. This now becomes the Standing Stake, a standing meditation in which you begin to generate qi. Remember to keep your knees gently bent, and when you want to explore this, do it for a few minutes. With some teachers, this is the very first practice a student will be taught. They will work up to standing thirty minutes. It certainly strengthens your legs, body, and resolve.

Rooting and Spiraling: Waist Circles

This is similar to the practice included in
chapter 2
, and another variation of it appears in
chapter 6
. Starting from the basic posture, begin to inscribe circles with your waist, rotating belly and hips as though you are a rope held between the earth and sky, moving like you are using a Hula-Hoop, with your shoulders and chin remaining parallel to the earth. Continue spiraling your waist until you feel anchored, and then change direction. You may discover that one direction feels easier and more natural than the other. At this point, for a self-sustaining, simple practice, begin to hum. You can stop here or continue on.

Opening to Breath

Either stand in the basic posture or sit and place your hands in front of your belly (dan tien). Bring the backs of your hands together, palms facing out, in front of your belly with your fingertips pointing down. Elbows are bent and hands are relaxed. Relax your shoulders.

Gently push your hands out to the sides as if you are pushing open curtains. You are creating space in your belly for more breath or qi. Inhale as you do this.

When you are full of breath, turn your hands around with palms facing each other and fingertips facing away from the body. While exhaling, bring them together in front of your dan tien until they are about six inches apart.

Once more, place the backs of your hands together and push open the curtains, and then bring your hands back over your belly. Repeat this sequence at least one more time.

When you first begin this form, don’t worry about your breathing; just breathe naturally. Your movement will follow your breath. The rhythm is to separate your hands outward as you inhale, and as you bring your hands back toward the center, gently exhale.

This is a particularly relaxing form, and a good mini-sequence to do is the basic posture, rooting, spiraling, humming, and opening to breath.

Energy Wash

This part of the sequence is perfect to do when you want to relieve the mind of unwelcome thoughts or stress.

Stand rooted with arms loose at your sides. Raise your arms at your sides, elbows slightly bent and palms facing up, fingertips pointing outward away from the body. Inhale while you are raising your arms until they are directly above your head. Palms now face each other, elbows softly bent. When hands are above your head, fingertips are gently curved, facing up toward the sky.

Pause and exhale while you imagine receiving qi from heaven or the universe.

When you are ready, inhale and turn your palms down, toward the crown of your head. Spread open your fingers and with your palms facing downward, slowly lower your hands in front of the midline of your body, imagining clear new qi flowing from your fingertips while the energy you don’t need is being washed out. You might imagine that new energy is being sent to every cell. Take as long as you need to lower your hands while you “wash.”

If you come to a place where you can’t feel the energy or it feels dense, keep your hands there until you notice a change. And you may not feel anything at all.

When your hands reach your thighs, visualize the wash continuing down your legs and feet, and then shake out your hands, sending all the “used” energy back into the earth to be recycled.

You can repeat this sequence as frequently as you need. I recommend at least three times per session. It’s especially helpful when you are feeling anxious or tired or have a lot of unwanted mind chatter. Right before an important meeting or presentation is another good time for an energy wash.

Sipping Qi

This is like a reversal of the Energy Wash.

Your hands are in front of your belly, palms cupped upward. Raise them slowly up the midline of your body to your lips.

With elbows bent, turn your hands so that they are now pushing up as you raise your arms above your head, palms facing upward until elbows straighten.

Now spread your arms extended out to your sides, palms facing down. Lower your arms down the sides of your body. Cup your hands at your belly and begin again. Repeat a minimum of two more times.