Medical Astrology with Vincent Mazzola

coming soon...

A Global perspective to the Kidneys. An Interview with William Roberts

Welcome to the Kidneys, a Tradition Chinese Medical (TCM) approach

Featuring William Roberts, Tai Chi practitioner.

Could you talk about the health importance of the kidneys from a Chinese perspective?
The kidneys in chinese theory contain and generate intrinsic energy in the body which there brings health to the whole. Kidneys clean the blood.

What is intrinsic energy?
Chi or Qi is a general term for energy within the body. The Chi in the kidney is known as 'Jing'. Jing is a creative energy, It is essential to keeping the kidneys balanced in keeping overall health. Lifestyle choices today attribute to stress of kidneys: Being in a constant state of fear. Drugs, excessive sex, drugs in food deplete health. Stress.

Situation a country can be in - negative stories of life and where the world we are going in. Movies that stimulate fear, fright, stressful especially before sleep.

What happens to the health of the kidneys if you are not sleeping well?
You move into a cycle of stimulants such as coffee, chocolate, caffeine, stress at work, etc. You are on the hamster wheel.
Fear and insecurities creep in and you live a life of stress, cycle of depleting your life force.
Preform and produce = creating havoc to the health of the being.
Affecting the reproductive systems and diabetes. De-genitive illnesses such as Cancers,etc. Are initially triggered by the kidney depletion within the body. The door opens up to illness.

All alternative health have support programs to heal the kidneys. Yoga, chinese medicine, ayurveda.
Quite possibly why we .............

What about people coming to alternative medicine?
when you pursue a whole health practitioner, you discover ways to take care of the whole. I think that is why people are drawn to holistic - proactive.
It is also less expensive in most cases. Modern wellness is more about the problem and finding a fix than treating the whole.

How would someone know if their kidneys are deficient?
*lack of energy, yellow skin, dark circles,

*Tai Chi
Are there exercises for the kidney???
yes.

What are they?
Since the internal martial arts are concerned with circulation and creation of Qi in the body, all tai chi forms the support kidney. Standing postures stimulate the kidney thru the acupuncture meridian points that begins in the foot.

If you stand all day at your job, how might your kidneys be affected?
if you put yourself into a posture into a body that makes you tense and tight...leads to depletion. if you are conscious of how you are standing, you can use that to your benefit to strengthen the kidneys.

IS tai chi alone what supports this?
no, yoga does as well. tai chi systems (internal martial arts) also have meditations, and physical exercise and sound to nourish the kidneys.

Yoga Sutra 1.1

Now, the teachings of yoga.
Atha yoga anushasanam
So reads the first stanza (sutra) of Patanjali's 2,000-year-old yoga guidebook, the Yoga Sutra. It's quite possibly one of the most famous opening lines in all of Hindu spiritual literature, but most eager students, intent on getting to the juicier parts of the teachings, sail past the first word, "now" (in Sanskrit atha, pronounced ah-tah) without a second thought.

But wait! One distinct characteristic of the sutra is brevity, so the word atha is there for good reason. It's there to grab your attention: I'm ready to teach, Patanjali is saying, so listen up. But atha also signals the value of what you're about to dive into. These days you can flip through the Yoga Sutra whenever you please, and then return it to the shelf, but long ago it took a long period of preparation just to gain access to it. The study of classical yoga was serious business that required commitment. At some point the teacher determined that—atha, "now"—the novice was qualified enough for instruction. It must have been an exhilarating moment when students left behind their everyday identities to assume a new role as spiritual aspirants.

For modern yogis, atha whispers a subtle reminder that all yoga teaching emerges from and leads us back to the timeless, ever-present now. Before you begin your next practice, say it silently and see if it draws you into the present. If you're really lucky, you might feel, in the words of Patanjali, that the "layers and imperfections concealing truth" are "washed away," and your authentic self is revealed.

Practice makes practice

First, establish a motivation to practice starting over by observing what happens when you waste time feeling discouraged, escaping, or indulging your restless mind. In the week ahead, notice how many times you get knocked off balance when something goes wrong at work or in your personal relationships. Don't judge yourself for getting lost. Just be mindful that this is what is happening to you. If anything, be compassionate with yourself. After all, getting caught in your reactive mind is painful. Once you're able to acknowledge how much emotional energy and time you waste, you start to realize that the starting—over practice matters and that it is worth the effort it requires. You will have the aspiration, motivation, and conviction to persevere. As F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote, "Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over."

Second, select a couple of aspects of your daily life that you want to change and begin to practice starting over. Maybe you'll choose a person you find difficult to interact with, or a particular task at work, or perhaps some behavior related to diet or speech. When you discover that you have gotten lost, say to yourself, "Yes, I just got lost, and now I'll just start over." "And" practice empowers you to remember your intentions and goals, and it helps you move through negative feelings and return to the present moment. Try practicing this way for three months in these two areas, while maintaining mindfulness of all the times you don't start over in the other areas of your life. You will start to notice a difference. Seeing this for yourself creates more faith and, therefore, still more motivation. Then, when you feel ready, add yet another aspect of your life to your starting—over practice. Be prepared for disappointments and for forgetting your commitment; after all, you are teaching your mind a completely new automatic response.

Finally, let meditation be your laboratory for training your mind to think and respond in this new way. Meditation is a safe environment for developing the capacity for starting over because it involves only you; nobody knows when you're starting over. Plus, it builds your ability to stay concentrated and focused, so you are less likely to be thrown off center in daily life. It also cultivates equanimity and calmness, qualities that help you simply return to your intention whenever you need to start over. Practicing starting over in meditation is very simple: No matter how many times your mind wanders, simply go back to noticing your breath (or whatever you choose for your object of concentration), without making any judgments. Don't be interested in how well you're staying with your breath. Be interested in how well you start over.**

Menses Forum 101

Mense Forums were designed by L'aura Campisi as a way for men and women to understand the cycles of life that we all experience. Loss & irregularity of moon time affects us all. Structural Integration Practitioner, Yoga therapist and Wellness Educator

Topic: Irregular Menses of the 21st Century

I have been personally studying the issues of womens menses (moon time) for over 10 years. My passion dives into one of our most common & complex epidemics of our time as women - irregular menses. Of the issues seen, monthly lapses in menses sometimes equating to 6 months or more is just scratching the surface to what I believes to be an enormous negative shift among our species. My personal experience in this arena and continued research for meaning and solutions both physically as well as spiritually, are found in my focus based on the theory that we need to work together to support, find and learn how to move thru to this next level of healing.

My studies include women in traditional Native American cultures having preformed moon lodges and creating space for the visions that came from moon time. I believe that if we work in conjunction with these & other methods, that we can come back into the balance we are meant to be in. It is about reclaiming what is ours - Moon Time is our way of true knowing. Moon Time is our time to reflect,to cleanse,to nourish & create!

Each forum will begin with a brief explanation of my personal experience with late menses, late starting age and the discouraging search for help within the western medical field. Following will be an exploration on possible causes supported by a variety of remedy's, movement techniques, nutrition and meditation. This is an open dialog.

This group is the 1st of it's kind. My intention is to build community around the subject. These meetings will be on-going for the public and not inclusive to woman only. I believe that we all need to understand the rhythm & cycles of life in order to find solutions. Please call for information. 505.692.3559
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