Shaking Medicine
reintroduces the oldest medicine on earth--the ecstatic shaking of the human
body. Most people’s worst fear is losing control--of their circumstances, of
their emotions, and especially of their bodies. Yet in order to achieve the
transcendent state necessary to experience deep healing, we must surrender
control.
If you think, there are not many physical exercises,
which you can do alone, anytime, anywhere, and with no dependence on how fit
you are, you are right. But therapeutic shaking is the one rare commodity. This
exercise will help you ease any emotional and physical tension and move any
energetic blocks you may developed through long periods of inactivity or due to
the psychological distress.
Stagnant energy and blocked passages bring numerous
health and mood related issues, like stiff sore muscles and joints, fluid
retention, digestive problems (bloating, indigestion) and feelings of
irritability, anger, frustration, impatience, intolerance and righteousness. Shaking
carefully and safely warms up your muscles, organs and joints, and gives your
cells a buzz, at the same time helping to detoxify your body.
Well, if you have carefully read the title, you have had
a right answer already. That is therapeutic shaking. It has a descent space in
old and new therapeutic practices, like Qi Gong, Osho Dynamic Meditation, and
TRE (trauma releasing exercises), developed by David Berceli as an alternative
method of PTSD (Posttraumatic stress disorder) treatment.
Why is shaking so
great?
Let’s review the several potential benefits of the therapeutic
shaking:
1. Shaking is one
of the natural ways your brilliant body rids itself of stress.
Stress literally gets stuck in the body. Stress hormones,
muscular tension and tight shallow breathing stay stuck in the body after even
a mildly stressful event. The damaging effects of stress stay stuck in your
body unless you have way to clean them out. Shaking is one of the most
effective and powerful stress cleaners. Animals from rabbits to polar bears
know this and shake dozens of times a day to clear away the effects of trauma
and stress. Children know this and naturally shake and wiggle away their
tension until they are taught to sit still.
Your body also knows the healing power of shaking, but
like most modern adults you may have learned to turn off this brilliant healing
mechanism. Now, you can learn to turn it back on.
2. Shaking releases
emotional tension.
3. Shaking is great
exercise!
Shaking can be aerobic, strengthening and improve
balance. It loosens joints, increases flexibility, burns calories and raises
metabolism.
4. Shaking releases
you from the bondage of being too adult-like.
Shake off your adult-ness and let yourself reclaim the
free, spontaneous, childlike pleasure of feeling alive in your body.
5. Shaking lets you
feel ridiculous and silly!
And that’s a good thing! Taking yourself too seriously is
dangerous.
6. Shaking releases
pain.
Pain is often caused by tension and tension always
increases pain.
7. Shaking helps
you to relax.
Relaxation is difficult when your body is tense.
Relaxation is easier and deeper when you have given the body a chance to shake
off tension. Ease and healing then happen more naturally.
8. Shaking clears
away energy blocks.
A healthy body-mind is one in which the energy, chi or
prana, is a free-flowing river. In the same way debris often gets stuck in a
stream, we get stuck areas in our bodies, and our energy river cannot flow.
Shaking process releases the debris and allows the energy river to flow freely
so you can move, think and live more fully.
9. Shaking is fun!
Qi Gong Exercises
1. Hands Shaking
Extend one arm in front of you. Now shake your hand back
and forth. Let the shake move to your elbow and all the way up to your
shoulder. Continue with your other arm. Can you feel your energy buzzing?
You can use this simple but effective exercise when you
prepare for energy works, like Reiki or Chiah, to “charge” your palms with
healing power. But you can also use if for healing to stay focused when you are
working on computer long hours. Take vibration brakes every couple of hours,
shaking your hands and, arms, and shoulders just for 30 seconds to clear the
passages, get more energy, and be more efficient with what you do.
2. Full Body
Shaking
Stand with your feet firmly on the earth. From your feet
start to shake gently up and down (not moving up and down on your toes, shake
your whole body up and down). Breathe easily and freely. You can either leave
your arms gently hanging at your sides or shake them around too.
Remember to be gentle. If anything hurts, shake that part
slower and even more gently until the movement doesn’t hurt. Use your favorite
tunes to create appealing music background for your exercise, if the location
and your time permits.
Shake your whole body for a minute or up to 5 minutes –
whatever feels right to you. When you feel you’ve done enough, slow down and
then come to a gentle stop.
3. Full Body Shaking
with Visualization
Imagine the cells of your body opening and releasing old,
used up energy to be washed into the ground. Visualize this cellular cleansing
while intending a downward energy flow. As you shake, old, stagnant, or toxic
Qi will sink into the ground, like rainwater washing dust off a tree. Let the
space between your cells expand. Sense
your energy field begin to brighten and strengthen in intensity.
Osho Kundalini
Shaking and Dancing Meditation
Shaking the body is considered a first stage of this
4-stages 1-hour long meditation, when each stage is 15 minutes. Be loose and
let your whole body shake, feeling the energies moving up from your feet. Let
go everywhere and become the shaking. Your eyes may be open or closed. All four
stages are accompanied with appropriate music.
The other three stages are:
* Stage two: Free form dance. Let your body move in any
way it wishes. Dance.
* Stage three: Stillness. Now, either sitting or
standing, be still. Relax deeply within yourself. Be aware of your breathing
and witness any thoughts or emotions, with no judgment. Don’t cling or reject;
simply accept what is. Allow the silence of meditation to descend on you.
* Stage four: Stillness while you lie on the floor. Without
opening your eyes, lie down. Just lie there in stillness for another fifteen
minutes.
Osho AUM
(Awareness, Understanding Meditation)
The AUM (Awareness, Understanding Meditation) is a social
meditation that lasts two and a half hours. E 'composed of 12 stages of 15 min.
about each, all designed to create a state of emptiness of mind "no mind"
and opening of the heart. Each participant is encouraged to re-contact, thanks
to the others present, rejected emotions and hidden in each.
The AUM Meditation is a very powerful and energizing,
able to change our behavior and our unconscious way of performing daily life.
This technique allows much more of a mental relaxation or a pleasant sensation
body: if done with intensity and awareness brings you to a deep inner silence.
Shaking is offered as stage 4 (out of 12) of this AUM
marathon.
Tension &
Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE)
TRE is an innovative series of exercises that assist the
body in releasing deep muscular patterns of stress, tension and trauma. Created
by Dr. David Berceli, PhD, TRE safely activates a natural reflex mechanism of
shaking or vibrating that releases muscular tension, calming down the nervous
system. When this muscular shaking/vibrating mechanism is activated in a safe
and controlled environment, the body is encouraged to return back to a state of
balance.
TRE is based on the fundamental idea, backed by recent
research, that stress, tension and trauma is both psychological and physical.
TRE’s reflexive muscle vibrations generally feel pleasant and soothing. After doing TRE, many people report feelings
of peace and well-being.
Recommendations
Bradford Keeney is an internationally known scholar,
therapist, and shaman who has led expeditions throughout the world to study
cultural healing practices. He had particular interest in therapeutic shaking,
exploring it in different religions, cultures, and social groups. He considers
the ecstatic movement of the human body as one of the most ancient techniques
used by shamans and others to bring about therapeutic benefits to members of
the community.
Here are his practical recommendations to those who is
going to practice shaking exercises:
1. Focus on good feelings, preferably love, compassion,
and kindness, and stay connected to them. It doesn't matter what words or
phrases, if any, come to mind.
2. Turn on some spirited rhythmic music and start
wiggling and moving.
3. It doesn't matter whether your eyes are open,
half-closed, or closed. Allow them to be in whatever position feels natural.
4. Activate your muscles, wiggling and moving them from
head to toe.
5. Gradually increase the rate of breath until you are
breathing rapidly.
6. Assume an active attitude toward becoming excitable;
encourage yourself to tremble, shake, and quake.
7. Continue for as long as you wish.
8. At the end of the exercise, let your body do what it
wants — lie down, sit, walk, or whatever feels right.
9. Do this when you desire, even once a day, but at least
once a week."
James S. Gordon, MD of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine
recommends dancing and shaking at the beginning of each day.
1.Find some music with a fast tempo for the shaking, and
simply use feel good music for the dancing. Plan for about 7-10 minutes of
shaking and another 7-10 minutes for the dancing.
2.Plant your feet solidly on the ground. Let your arms
hang loosely at your sides, and make sure that your knees are bent. Let your
body become loose as you begin to shake or bounce your entire body up and down,
keeping your feet planted. Drop your jaw, let your head rest easily on your
neck. Let your body make whatever sound it wants to make. Remember to keep your
knees soft, your body soft, and BREATHE. Continue for 7-10 minutes.
3.Stop the shaking music and just hold the energy for a
moment. Pause and really feel the energy in your body.
4.Turn on any dance music and let yourself move freely in
whatever way feels right. Continue for 7-10 minutes.
Warnings and
Precautions
Women during the first three months of pregnancy and
during the menstrual cycle should avoid doing shaking exercises.
Sources and
Additional Information:
http://www.funwithqigong.com/five-flows-qigong-set/first-flow-exercises/exercise-1-shaking-the-body/
