away from the distant mist, 

A lonely dragon stands,

staring with dreams that fade and die

in the bright West. --Bruce Lee

Hi and welcome everyone! This is Janine again! I'm writing you two techniques that will increase your sense of well-being. As you might know, life will throw many stressers at us. I'd like to share with you the top stressers according to The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, 2nd Revised Edition, page 179: 

• Death of a spouse
• Divorce
• Marital separation
• Jail term
• Death of a close family member
• Personal injury or illness

Life's "changes" also make the list for triggering stress. Changes in a family member's health, in finances, in work and work responsibilities and conditions, in living conditions, in family relationships, in residence, schools, recreation, church activities, social activities, sleeping habits, family get-togethers and eating habits all cause stress. Stressers from the environment and reactions to the surprises in life, for adoptees and non-adoptees, stay in the body until we consciously breathe through them!

Children and even adults are rarely taught how to respond to stress. Instead, we tend to react by picking up unhealthy habits that can hurt the body, our most precious resource. It seems natural to pick up a negative coping mechanism to temorarily satiate "uptight" feelings. Eventually, we might even need our habits as a pacifier for relief. Needing something in order to be happy is an alarm for us to wake up from the pain and give self care. In this article, I will share the best preventive medicine--a method used in the East for thousands of years to maintain health and well-being therefore promoting the body's immune system: deep conscious breathing for body and meditation for mind.    

It has become my mission in life to find the cure for humankind's suffering. This hope for humanity first started in me when I watched my dad attempt to recover from his hang gliding accident that injured his brain and left him physically disabled when he was fifty-two years old. It's been twenty-five years now, and I'm happy to report that even though Dad's still physically disabled, he's happier now than he's ever been and he now thinks the hang gliding injury was the best thing to happen for him. For more than twelve years, however, his injury was a very traumatic "accident" that happened to him and on the family. It took us many years to change our thoughts about it. For many years, he prayed for a healing, not realizing that he needed to take the action to heal his mind and body. On this page, I'm going to share with you the technique we've used to restore a sense of well-being during the tough times.

I know, based on my family's experience that the philosophies we've been fortunate to study have given us peace and joy and every culture has special healing gifts for all of humanity, if only we give them a chance. I feel very fortunate to have found healing methods within my very own country of birth. Here, I refer to Buddhism, but I am an even bigger advocate of Taoism (its symbolism is displayed on the Korean flag). I plan to write about its natural wonders in a future book.

My adoptive father, who was once stubborn in one particular belief system, is now totally open and accepting of all cultures and because of this, he has never been happier. Where he was once an angry person who got easily agitated, he is now at peace with whatever life throws his way. And, like me, he totally grateful to the sacred energy life force (or The Divine Force/Source of All) that resides inside of him, giving him the authentic power to put joy back into his life when it appeared as if God had left him, especially during times of trouble and doubt. God is not just a physical male entity that lives in heaven, like we've been taught to believe, God is everywhere and in all people, whether we acknowledge the presence or not! The secret is to know that the force exists, uncover it within ourselves and share the joy with humanity.

Here are two methods that have been used in the East for thousands of years that prevent disorders and diseases or will help to restore your body into a balanced state, and give peace of mind so that you can overcome any stresser in life that might hit you like sticks and stones.

		Take time for your SELF (Sacred Energy Life Force) with meditation. While praying is talking to God. Meditating is listening for God. Spend 15 minutes a day restoring your body with good old fashioned meditation. Lie on your back with arms and legs relaxed next to a window or a lamp. While you close your eyes, focus on the light that filters through. Imagine that the light is God's protection (or Mother Nature's nurturing love) enveloping you. Imagine the warmth restoring your body from head to toe with energy (or as they call it in the east "inner chi").
		While you are in this restorative pose, breathe consciously. Slowly and deeply inhale through the nose and into the stomach for five to eight seconds and exhale through the nose for five to eight seconds. You should see your stomach rise as (what the Chinese call) "heavenly air" fills your abdomen. At first you might only see your chest rise, but the purpose is to open up your torso with healing oxygen. When you first begin to breathe consciously you might feel your muscles tingle and it might feel uncomfortable. This just means your sympathetic nervous system is turning "off" and your muscles are relaxing. Just like when we work out, our muscles might ache the next day, when we finally "relax" our muscles, can feel "strange." Breathe through this. Focus on a positive affirmation during this exercise, such as "I am at peace now" or "I am more than my body" or whatever affirmation works for you.

YOUR CHURCH IS INSIDE! --Janine