Q: Any tips for a 52 year old woman with thinning hair?
A: the health of the hair on your head, is, according to taoist medicine, under the command of your kidney energy. to stimulate kidney energy in this respect, introduce seaweed into your diet in a big way and every day use the backs of your hands to rub up and down at great speed over your lower back, either side of the spine to generate heat. stop when you get tired and allow the heat to penetrate. now lead that energy to your scalp by percussing with fingertips all around the front hairline, as if doing a fast drum roll.
finally spend a moment or two every hour visualising the hair growing in again, as visualising gives a positive message to the part of the mind that controls the apparently autonomous functions - love, doc
Q: I seem to just clam up when I have to raise my voice,what can you suggest?
A: singing lessons. learning to treat your voice as an instrument is a wonderful boost to vocal confidence wherever you are and whatever you're doing. meantime, when alone in the car or shower, allow your voice to slide all over the place, o'er sonic hill and dale, singing the most gibberish just like a small child exploring his vocal chords for the first time and let yourself really enjoy it. then say by way of affirmation, 'i am in full command of my vocal faculties now, wherever i am, whatever i'm doing. i fully deserve to be heard now. i'm the boss!' and carry on as you were. glad you like what i'm doing too. bless you, love, doc
Q: I have a very poor body image & lack of confidence, I try to overcome these but it ends in obsession
A: perhaps try yoga, which both connects you to the source of
all wellbeing within and helps tone your body externally so
you feel more confident in general. also perhaps ask yourself what you did wrong that you should be punishing
yourself so severely like this as to hold your own physicality in disdain. you are not your body - you are free - to be whatever you choose. choose to be someone who sees her won beauty and honours it now, regardless of what your local self believes beauty to consist of or how far short you believe you fall of that ideal. learn to like yourself and have compassion for yourself regardless. sound sound? love, doc
Q: Any tips on how to feel more confident. I have never had any! I am 50yrs old-is it too late?
A: it's never too late. first thing is to take up tai chi - this will not only give you deep, unshakable confidence, it will benefit your health in every way, promote longevity and calm your mind. this is longterm but start now - the beneficial effects can be felt immediately.
secondly, strengthen the blood, whence issues the feeling of confidence - eat beetroot. also co-opt your local mind into the process by repeating affirmations such as 'i now find myself highly pleasing in the presence of others - whenever i'm called upon to access confidence, i now do so easily and effortlessly. repeated on a daily basis under your breath all day and night long, this will start to tangibly shift the pattern within three days. finally, consider taking voice lessons.
your voice is the instrument with which you connect to the world most - the more confident you are in your playing ability, the more confident you'll be in general. let me know if you try any of this and how it works. love, doc
Q: How to I stop myself manifesting something harmful?
A: you have to specify, when attempting to manifest anything,
that what manifests is harmonious and helpful to you -
something that will be easy on your soul - you must address
and coopt your inner saboteur so you're working in unison
to create what you want. but more importantly you have to
trust that what's manifested in the past was exactly what
was needed at the time for your healthy growth, however
painful. love, doc x
Q: I have recently stopped wearing my watch, my quality of life has imroved, what are your thoughts?
A: i agree however i think losing the watch is only
a stage in the process - eventually once you've settled into your new, more comfortable relationship with the concept of time, for that's all linear time essentially is - a concept - you can once again wear a watch without feeling tyranised by it - ie, it's not the watch, it's the way you respond internally to the information it presents, which as with your response to all new information, boils down to whether you receive it in a relaxed way or otherwise- and this essentially boils down to being mindful of the breathing at all times, never holding the breath unconsciously, and choosing to be peaceful within as opposed to allowing the mind to default to anxious/nervous mode. underlying all of it is the fundamental realisation that you create your own reality according to which thoughts you choose to subscribe to and if your thoughts about the concept of time are friendly ones, time will be friendly back. Lose the fearful response in other words - the watch is just a pleasant ornament. what do you reckon? thanks for writing. love, doc
Q: Can you explain what the third eye is?
A: the 3rd eye is where your spirit resides - in the centre of the brain - gaining access to that is the major key to living in an enlightened state, seeing through all the charade of daily life to the truth beneath - that kind of thing - it puts an end to confusion - sound sound? let me know - lots of love to you, doc
Q: I suffer from blushing mainly when in a large group, it has troubled me for years, can you help?
A: it's a kidney energy thing - the kidneys are responsible for holding the body heat down in the lower part - when deficient through stress, anxiety, illness or congenital factors, the heat rushes up and causes various symptoms - blushing being one of them - this compounds itself because fear of blushing causes anxiety which depletes the kidney chi even more and makes you blush more. start by massaging the kidney region of the lower back using your knuckles in circular kneading motions either side of the spine for a minute or so a few times a day to make the area relax. drink nettle tea (from health shop) - 4 strong cups a day, consider a few acupuncture sessions, drink a strong cup of chrysanthemum flower tea a day (from chinese herbalist) to cool the upper body in general, visualise yourself talking to people without blushing and affirm, i now find myself highly pleasing in the presence of others whether i blush or not. blushing is actually a beautiful thing - it shows you're human and vulnerable with feelings - wear it proudly while it's disappearing from your life. sound sound at all? love, doc
Q: Hi Barefoot, What are your views on feng shui? Do you think it works? Loving your work.
A: yes i think feng shui works - it makes sense that if you clear the pathways in a room or building that the energy will flow better simply for having less obstructing it - same with where and how you build a house, for instance- if it's part if the natural flow of the land, the earth's energy will flow better through it - however, a lot of it's intuition and common sense, while a lot of it is mere superstition - same with all art, i guess - you have a basic thread of truth and virtue running through it often surrounded by a lot of bullshit - hope that makes some sense. love, doc
Q: Could you please give my partner some help as she has been diagnosed with C.F.S .
A: interestingly enough with cfs, the first thing the body needs is to totally wind down, rather than what we normally imagine, which is to wind it back up again. once it's totally wound down and back to a neutral state of rest, the energy can be built up again from scratch and with it generally a whole new outlook and approach to life. often cfs takes hold, when it might have otherwise been held at bay, when
certain key elements of your lifestyle are no longer serving you but you haven't consciously noticed yet and are hence wasting inordinate amounts of energy fighting your reality without even knowing it. eventually, usually after some sort of traumatic moment - it can even be as simple as banging your head or stubbing a toe - the body, being in deficit of energy, suddenly gives up, the immune system weakens and any condition lying latent will suddenly manifest - in this case cfs. one of the most effective methods for getting the body to wind down is craniosacral therapy - usually three or four, sometimes, six or seven sessions are needed, followed by a period of allowing yourself to totally let go and surrender to resting. During this time, try taking tincture of shitaki mushrooms which are brilliant immune system enhancers, sleep a lot, dream a lot and generally let go. At some point, usually when boredom sets in, the energy starts stirring again, which means the body is ready to rebalance and begin the process of getting you back in the game - but this must not be rushed either - if possible - spend time visualising what you want in your life and take
up chi gung to strengthen the flow of energy in your body. you'll find shiatsu a great help at this point in mobilising the energy and helping the organs spring back to life - but it must all be done gently and patiently - like rearing a baby.
see it as an opportunity to rebuild from scratch and create a lifestyle that serves you better. i wish her well. love, doc
Q: Do you think that baby massage can alleviate or prevent post natal depression?
A: i definitely think the massage helps provide a positive focus and facilitates a healthy connection between depressed mother and baby, if only for the time of the massage but i generally never saw a connection between it and alleviating
post-natal depression - i'm thinking of a few cases where the mum was seriously depressed for ages after the birth - sometimes up to two years - even though religiously doing the massage and being a good mum etc - but perhaps it would have been much worse without the massage - the only thing i can say for sure, is that it was better for the baby to get the massage than not even if the mum was depressed - especially so because without the massage there may have been no good loving contact at all - wish i could be more succinct and helpful - rather than just stating the obvious. love, doc
Q: What exercises would you recommend to counteract this wet and windy English weather?
A: what immediately springs to mind is to sit comfortably each morning and night, with arms stretched out to the sides at shoulder height, thus forming a t-shape, palms upwards, enjoying the stretch across the chest and shoulders and doing 81 fire breaths - sharp, rhythmic contractions of the diaphragm causing a sudden expulsion or air - theinhalation
happens of itself between the exhalations - are you familiar with the technique? when you've done, slowly lower the arms and enjoy the relief flooding through you, breathing deeply and slowly till normalised again and carry on as you were, visualising the midday son shining brightly in your solar plexus at all times - and eat lots of ginger. that should
put the fire into your winter months with gusto. sound sound? love, doc
