Eastern and Holistic Medicine

The purpose of Awakening sessions at Harmony Heals is to bring the clients to a higher level of consciousness. Simply put, most people are suffering from living in an unconscious world. Because addictions and mental health issues can alter the brain, clients are often not truly aware of what is going on within themselves or their surroundings. They struggle to be in touch with their emotions, physical pain, numbness, and the entire integration between their mind, body, and spirit. This lack of connection puts them in a place of danger, where recovery may falter. This disconnect can also cause anyone suffering from mental health struggles such as anxiety and/or depression to be unbalanced in their lives; struggling to know what happiness means, what it feels like, and how to reach it.
In session, our awakening practitioner brings clients to a higher level of consciousness, where they have a greater ability to take in, identify, and truly feel what is going on with them and their current experiences. Clients often limit themselves and their abilities through fear and low self-esteem. Our goal is to help them overcome fear and negative obstacles in their lives while getting in touch with their inner strength and wisdom.
A combination of holistic medicine and techniques utilizing different modalities of martial arts, tai chi, yoga, meditation, hypnosis and breathwork is used. Awakening sessions are individually formatted depending on the client and the condition they are in. Often, even clients who are physically active and fit find they are not in a state of balanced health; during awakening sessions, they learn to identify the truth about themselves and learn ways to improve. Awakening sessions utilize positive reinforcement when addressing the physical self. Clients learn to gauge where they are physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. At the end of a session, clients have learned a lot about themselves, which brings them to a higher level of consciousness that they take with them. This growing self-awareness makes each session more productive than the last, which eventually allows clients to recognize and reach their own depth. It can be a life-changing experience.

Tai Chi is the up-and-coming favorite among fitness conscious men and women around the world. Its practice spread from China to all of Asia, including Japan, Indonesia, and India and is now appearing the U.S.A. Millions have benefited from the well-choreographed body movements. The Tai Chi movements slowly and safely stretch and tone your body from head to toe, increasing muscular control, circulation, strength, balance, flexibility and coordination. Every move, every turn, every graceful step has been designed to improve respiration, heart functions and circulation.

Tai Chi is a very precise movement that has been around for thousands of years. You do these movements in a flow, in combination with your breath. Because the movements are so slow and controlled, you feel more. The power of Tai Chi is the power of control; you can choose to restrain it or unleash it. When you do unleash it, it is explosive.

You are within the boundaries of your yoga mat. There is no greed; you don’t need any more than that. 12 sq ft is all you need. You can do it anywhere. The beauty of yoga is learning to create space within your own state of being. Stretch yourself without overextending yourself. Holding a pose, you are not moving, yet you are moving. It is about balance, both physical and mental.

We promote and believe in the power and effectiveness of exercise to help a person through their mental health and addiction issues. Healthy exercise habits can balance you physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Studies have shown that the endorphins released by exercise are more than any street or prescription drug. When we train a person at Harmony, we set both short-term and long-term goals. Often when clients start treatment, they feel defeated by even the thought of exercise. With our encouragement and motivation, they find they are much more able than they believed. Overcoming this fear encourages our clients to do more while helping the brain to begin creating the production of endorphins that addiction blocked.

Massage therapy increases circulation of blood and energy into muscles in a relaxing way, which allows the body to strengthen and heal faster. For our clientele, who are often coming in with a fear of being touched, massage therapy can help reduce the anxiety of human touch in a professional and caring manner.

As the body ages, it begins to wear out. Herbology allows a person to slow this process with herbal supplements which have been shown to counteract the aging process.

The power of stillness is extremely productive physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Meditation is as simple as just sitting. Either you know how to empty your mind completely, or you allow the thoughts to drift across your mind without paying particular attention to any of them. At the end of everything, there is nothing. Once your mind is emptied through meditation, you can focus on your breath. Breathing slowly and deeply, with your diaphragm, will take you deeper and deeper into a higher level of consciousness.

Acupuncture is believed to keep the balance between yin and yang, which allows for the normal flow of qi throughout the body and restores health. Qi is believed to help regulate balance in the body. It is influenced by the opposing forces of yin and yang, which represent positive and negative energy in the human body. There are several theories on how acupuncture works. One theory suggests that pain impulses are blocked from reaching the spinal cord or brain at various “gates” to these areas. Since a majority of acupuncture points are either connected to (or are located near) neural structures, this suggests that acupuncture stimulates the nervous system. A second theory suggests that acupuncture stimulates the body to produce endorphins, which reduces pain.

One of the first things our clients ask about acupuncture is, “Does it hurt?” Unlike hypodermic needles, acupuncture needles are solid and hair-thin, and they are not designed to cut the skin. The needles are inserted at shallow levels, generally no more than a half-inch to an inch depending on the type of treatment being delivered. Some people reportedly feel a sensation of excitement, while others feel relaxed. At Harmony, we have found acupuncture to be helpful for conditions such as: anxiety, stress, muscle tension, muscle fatigue, and general muscles aches and strains.

The ancient and respected practice of Chinese qigong has been gaining more and more recognition for its medical benefits. With a series of easy, relaxing movements, clients can use this practice to increase bodily awareness, relax muscle tension and joint pain, and raise energy levels. It may be helpful to think of qigong as a form of moving meditation. When it is integrated into a daily wellness regimen, it can be very beneficial for pain management and mood elevation. Anyone at any fitness level can learn and use qigong to bring their body and subtle energies back into alignment and balance.

Shaolin Kempo

Shaolin Kempo was invented in 562 B.C. by Buddiarma, and is considered the original Martial Arts. This style was invented, developed and maintained for self-defense, health and connection of body, mind and soul. In essence, the knowable universe is composed of opposite components, whether physical, moral, or biological, which may be classed as either YANG or YIN. When combined, existence is produced, and is manifest in movements. Neither yin nor yang can exist independently.

The philosophical martial arts are largely agnostic, looking to nature for the secrets to harmony and bliss. As a result, martial artists mimicked animals in their quest for martial arts techniques, and many styles, including Dragon, Snake, Leopard, Crane and Tiger, show distinct patterns of nature mimicry. However, the theistic sects of Shaolin Kempo believed that by understanding the harmony of nature, you could alter nature. In addition to alchemy, theistic Monks developed complicated schools of ceremonial magic, and developed the martial arts style of Shaolin Chuan Fa (KEMPO KARATE).

TaeKwon-Do

Taekwondo is a modern martial art, characterized by it’s fast, high and spinning kicks. There are multiple interpretations of the name taekwondo. Taekwondo is often translated as ‘the way of hand and foot’. My definition of the name

Taekwondo is:

• Tae = “to strike or block with the foot” or “to kick”, it also means “jump”
• Kwon = “Fist”, “to strike or block with hand”
• Do = “The way of” or “art”

Put this together and Taekwondo means:

“The art of Kicking and Punching” or “The art of unarmed combat”. The sport has been founded in Korea and is one of the popular modern martial arts.