5 ways to refill our Jing energy (and stop aging so fast)

The last two days have been intense for me.  Working on big events (helping my love) and spending time with large groups of stressed out people in the city trying on bridal gowns – this was me today).  For someone who is as sensitive as I am this can sometimes feel very energising but more often than not I end up feeling frazzed out.  It’s like I haven’t properly learned how to put up my forcefield yet and I take on the vibration of my surroundings and forget to transmute the energy, and I know being depleted and adrenally fatigued does not help a single bit!

So back to the jing energy talk of my last post.  Jing energy, and it form in our kidneys… and it is like our life essence.  This energy is like the fire under an ever-bubbling cauldron that provides sustenance for the rest of your body.  It is the deepest source of energy in the body and is associated with regeneration, longevity, youthfulness, deep long-term vitality, mental energy, the source of power for the reproductive system and for optimal functioning of the immune system. Jing energy also supports our skeletal system, renal functions and our ability to hear. Jing is believed to govern our courage and is the power behind our will.

Here’s the thing… our Jing is depleted by LIVING in our crazy world, especially by stress, excessive behaviour, and overwork (I would give myself a tick to all of the above).  For many of us our Jing is so depleted we need stimulants to keep us running – sound familiar…? says the girl constantly reaching for the Loving Earth raw chocolate)!

A little more on energy ~ Jing is one of the final types of energy that the body uses in a day  - it’s the last resort.   The Qi (chee) that is drawn in through breath (Kong Qi), from eating food (Gu Qi), from resting, and from gathering through exercises like Tai Chi or Qi Gong all feed the daily Qi supply in the body.  However, when we don’t fill up our stores or exceed the daily usage we end up hitting the ‘jing bank’.  As I typed this it made me think of my mobile phone data.. once you exceed the monthly allowance it gets really expensive!  And this is like our jing – it is the extra precious source that is more difficult to replenish… and it is finite… no more jing = no more life!

You’ll know you are hitting the jing bank when you are tired doing usual activities and burning the candle at both ends… which feels like most of us a lot of the time – yea? 

Now, unfortunately there is no tool to physical measure our jing, so this is why I have opted for the body intuitive technique of simply getting quiet and asking myself ‘how full are you?’  My body will always give me some sort of reply… in a feeling a sensation or a knowing.  There are also some physical signs though like grey hair, lower back pain due to frazzed kidneys, short term memory loss, lack of coordination/clumsiness and dark circles under your eyes.  

So, if we want to ensure we live a long and vital life we must accept our mission of managing this natural resource so we don’t run out too fast!!  

Here are my top 5 ways to manage my precious jing: 

1. Eat a nourishing whole food fresh diet free from stimulants like caffeine, sugar and theobromide (found in raw cacao).
2. Breathe deeply, even use pranayama techniques daily to literally fill yourself with life force.
3. Take the yin yoga class instead of the vinyasa class.  When you really ask your body what it needs maybe it isn’t more handstands – maybe it just need to slow down! Also try some Qi Gong or Tai Chi exercises to gather energy.
4. Plant your feet on the earth and drink in the energy… cast your eyes on the sunrise and feed your self with the solar vibes.  Do the same with the moon… in the ocean…connecting to the bounty of energy flowing through Pachamama.
5. REST! Listen to your body and slow the f@#k down! Yes the emails can wait, no you do not have to go to every social occasion … learn to say NO and feel OK about it.  It doesn’t have to be forever but if you are really feeling low you must take care to refill yourself before offering to energy to everyone else.

I’m making a pact with you now dear ones to really start this process of restoration and self love – imagine how good we will feel when we are operating with on full power!

And maybe we should start this journey with the gift of a retreat.  I still have 3 spaces left for  Goa this January and our early bird prices are available for ONE MORE WEEK ONLY!  So click here for MORE.

Big LOVE xx

How full are you?

I was chatting a soul sister and fellow coach the other day and we were sharing how much our lives had changed since we started this healing work that we do…. and how, as extreme givers of energy, we simply can’t hang out in social situations so much anymore.  We need to go within in to feel renewed.  The crowds, the social chit chat… it’s just all too exhausting!

It is as if we are being forced to tune into our inner introvert… and yes, we both acknowledge we have them (which if you had seen us 5 years ago you might not have believed)!

So I posed a question to her that I like to ask myself every day…

“How full are you?” 

In this moment… are you feeling full or are you feeling depleted? 

I like to ask myself this every single day, and through the day.  Generally the answer is about a 6 out of 10… meaning there is a fair bit more filling to be done.  And in accordance with my feelings I modify my day.  I ensure that I put myself and my own health before anything else (hmmm… I might be lying to you now… at least I’m working on it).

There’s this thing called Jing energy, and it lives in our kidneys… and it is like our life essence. Jing is fundamental to life. It is the deepest source of energy in the body and is associated with regeneration, longevity, youthfulness, deep long-term vitality, mental energy, the source of power for the reproductive system and for optimal functioning of the immune system. Jing energy also supports our skeletal system, renal functions and our ability to hear. Jing is believed to govern our courage and is the power behind our will.  JING POWER! YES!!

Here’s the thing… our Jing is depleted by LIVING in our crazy world, especially by stress, excessive behaviour, and overwork (I would give myself a tick to all of the above).  For many of us our Jing is so depleted we need stimulants to keep us running – sound familiar…? says the girl reaching for the Loving Earth raw chocolate)!

I know our world is not getting any slower and I know the pile of work often feels like it is not getting in smaller but we must tune in and listen to our bodies before they remind us of our human-ness by striking us down with illness and forcing us to rest.

We must remember to fill ourselves up first.  And if that means turning down the invitations to social events in favour of having a bath and reading a book – great!  Do it and don’t feel guilty.

Once we have this energy biz down and we are operating on all cylinders then we can work smarter.  Imagine having such powerful energy that you could complete a task that would have take all day in under an hour (YES PLEASE)… this is where we are headed when we are recharged and full.  I’m not there yet but my teachers promise me that if I do the work all is coming… and I’m doing my best to be a good student.

Stay tuned for more info on how to recharge your Jing… but one way that I would highly recommend is giving yourself the gift of a retreat… I have one going in Goa this January and there is a space with your name one it.  Click here for MORE.

Big LOVE xx

I forgot to love myself

Even as a body aware being and a strong advocate of self care,  when I hear someone I work with, or a friend saying they are taking some time for themselves I still find myself thinking ‘ WTF – they mustn’t be very busy?!’  Despite working in this world where terms like ‘self love’ & ‘me time’ are thrown around with gay abandon, alarm bells still go off in my head and I think how on earth do they have time to put themselves first when there is SO FREAKING MUCH GOING ON!

Every day I am reminded of how much I am still stuck in an old paradigm of energy… trapped in the masculine vibe-ed land of pushing through, working harder, grinning and bearing it through the pain, when really all I want to do is curl up, turn off my phone and go to sleep!   The feelings of overwhelm get the better of me and I find myself putting myself 3rd… or sometimes even 27th! 

But I’m working on it… and acknowledgement  is the key to the transformation… right?

I genuinely LOVE everything I do and it all feels nourishing… but I have to remind myself that nourishment aside, I am turning into a workaholic… and it is affecting my health.

Today is that day of reaching boiling point.  I’m under pressure with so many events and retreats to fill, logistics left right and centre and I have been feeling my right psoas literally tightening every moment.  My breath is shallow, the tension in my computer arm is rising…because I literally have not stopped… for weeks… maybe even for years!  More or less since my biz launched on social media and ramped up 2 years ago… hmmm…

As per usual, when my head isn’t listening, my body kicks into gear (like the time when I was previously engaged to be married and was too headstrong to realise I was making the wrong move – until I became very sick with stress and even got grey hair – and called it all off! – more on that another time)…

Last night I went to bed in tears… I woke up in terrible pain in my neck and shoulder… and I thought… EXHALE… OK OK… I get it body.  It’s time to STOP!!!

I have seen this in countless other coaches and entrepreneurs, totally burnout and bed ridden in order to get through the latest launch and be a success… and we do this because we feel like we have to.  We get caught up in the wave of what everyone else is doing and feel like we will get left behind if we don’t bust a move… this is me anyway!  If any of you have hung out on the BSchoolers facebook group you’ll know what I mean!

Having your own business is FREAKING HARD WORK!!  I’m coaching a number of other wellness practitioners right now and helping give them their own formula for clarity & success… but really, at the heart of it… it takes a lot of energy… and when your energy is already low, busting ass, and never stopping to refill your cup will get messy… We become less effective and our trusty manifestation tools lose their power… and we really don’t need that do we?

So we have to work smarter… !

Imagine a world where we could be so full of Jing energy that we create the same result (if not more) with two hours work versus one full day?  We are able to focus our heightened attention so well that everything flows perfectly… and what we need flows to us.

This is where we can be… but we must do the work to get there! 

For me this work starts with things like creating space for myself, with good food, with meditation, with time in nature, time away from wifi, massage, yoga, conscious love making & connection, reading, LOVE… time for ME… doing things that make me feel full!!!

So today is now officially SELF LOVE FRIDAY… and I’m kind of suspecting there will be a SELF LOVE SATURDAY & SELF LOVE SUNDAY to follow… YES!!

I’m hanging with my goddesses, going wedding dress shopping, drinking smoothies & reading books at the beach… BECAUSE I CAN… and because I am deserving of my LOVE..!

AND because it will make me a much more efficient teacher / coach / facilitator / friend / lover… a more efficient EVERYTHING!

What are you doing for YOU today?

May the self love be with you xx