Category: Lifestyle

How to Find Balance with Feng Shui

12/15/2015

Feng Shui is a the art of harmonizing everyone with their environment in order to achieve balance. It applies to city planning and design, as well to our living space at home, work or school.

In Chinese, Feng means Wind, and Shui translates as Water, which are both flowing constantly in nature. And according to this ancient philosophy, the idea behind Feng Shui is to make sure everything flows perfectly all around us.

In the short video below, check out the basics of Feng Shui, and see what changes you can make to improve your health, relationships, creativity, productivity and much more.

And if you have questions, feel free to contact me.

Clara Cohen
Registered Acupuncturist in Port Moody
Healing Cedar Wellness

0 Comments

The only 2 Causes of Aging

10/18/2015

0 Comments

According to Chinese medicine, there are only 2 causes of aging. Pre-birth and Post-birth.

1- Pre-Birth
The way we age is determined by our genes, our DNA and our family medical history. Our predisposition for certain diseases.

2- Post-Birth

- Our lifestyles: diet, exercise, sleep, stress, substance abuse all can contribute to aging if not balanced.
- Trauma: physical or emotional

Check out this short video for a quick but easy to understand explanation, and what can be done to age gracefully.
Clara
Registered Acupuncturist in Port Moody
Healing Cedar Wellness

0 Comments

Listen to Your Internal Health Clock!

9/3/2015

0 Comments

The Chinese medicine health clock helps us stay healthy (if we follow its rhythm!)
and gives us clues of imbalance.

According to Acupuncture and Chinese medicine theory, each system/organ is most active during specific 2 hour spans within a 24 hour day. Since great health is all about balance and prevention, here's a few things you may want to do (or avoid) during these specific hours to reap the benefits of optimum health.

Did you know that most heart attacks happen around noon? The Heart system/organ is most active between 11 am and 1 pm: avoid caffeine and any stimulants during that time. Look at the Latin countries: they take their time at lunch, they don't multitask, they relax and enjoy their food. At lunch, leave the office, go for a walk, breathe some fresh air and eat peacefully without distractions. I know: easy to say, and not always easy to do. But give it a try at least a few times/week.

Do you wake up often between 1 am and 3 am? This is the Liver system/organ time. The liver helps the body regenerate at night. So when someone is awake during those 2 hours, it is usually a good indication that stress is a factor. If you do wake up during the Liver time, figure out ways to relax and deal with stress. Listen to your body, it gives you clues all the time.

What is the best time to exercise? Definitely not in the evening between 7 and 9 pm. The Pericardium system/organ is prominent between those hours. Being the cover of the heart, the pericardium protects it. So this would not be a good time to exercise vigorously, or watch a thriller in your bedroom before sleep. Instead it’s the perfect time to meditate, listen to soft music or take a warm bath.

According to Chinese medicine, the Spleen system/organ is strong between 9 am and 11 am, and is in charge of the muscular energy of the body. So this period is often the best time to exercise, right after breakfast.
The Stomach system/organ is between 7 to 9 am. This should make sense to everyone, as it is the best time to eat breakfast and feed the body for the day ahead.

The Large Intestine system/organ is between 5 to 7 am. Obviously the best time to have a bowel movement. But if you have one later during the day, it's still good! Not having one at all is a problem!

Chinese medicine is fascinating, and makes a lot of sense. It really promotes listening to the body and mind, as well as working on a daily basis at keeping our health in balance and preventing illnesses.

Clara
Registered Acupuncturist in Port Moody

0 Comments

The 5 Personalities according to Chinese medicine

6/10/2015

0 Comments

In Chinese medicine, observing our patients is part of our diagnosis and can help us determine our treatment plan. Most patient will fall into one of the 5 body types and will have 2 dominant personality traits. Each body type and personality correspond to an element in nature and has similar qualities to that element.

Watch this video and let me know what are your 2 dominant personalities in the comment below. Are you the Planner? The Passionate? The Nurturer? The Trustworthy? The Creative? Or a combination of them all?

WOOD
Wood Body Type: slender body, straight back.
Wood Qualities: goal setter, achiever, planner, visionary, go getter, task oriented, list maker.
Wood Downfalls: over achiever, control freak, “it’s my way or the highway” attitude. Impatient, irritable, frustrated easily.

FIRE
Fire Body Type: heart shaped face, smaller hands & feet.
Fire Qualities: fun, passionate, excited, loves to laugh, the clown and life of the party, team player.
Fire Downfalls: needs constant stimulation, easily distracted and bored, can’t focus, doesn’t follow through, doesn’t like to be alone.

EARTH
Earth Body Type: pear shaped, rounded buttocks
Earth Qualities: nurturer, compassionate, great listener, home body, caring.
Earth Downfalls: takes care of everyone and puts herself last, very sensitive to criticism, often a door mat, worry, over thinks.

METAL
Metal Body Type: broad squared shoulders, defined face features.
Metal Qualities: trustworthy, dependable, very hard worker, will always finish a project, follows through, strong silent type.
Metal Downfalls: difficulties in having close relationships, constant self preserving, not allowing himself to share his thoughts or feelings, feels lonely and misunderstood, tendency to feeling blue and sad.

WATER
Water Body Type: rounded baby face, soft skin.
Water Qualities: creative, self-reflective, dreamer, artistic, easy going, works better alone.
Water Downfalls: gets drained if around too many people for a long period of time, always late, no motivation, fear of failure, self doubts.

Clara Cohen
Registered Acupuncturist
Healing Cedar Wellness

0 Comments

I am living the canadian dream!

7/1/2014

0 Comments

Since I was a child, I've always wanted to see "le grand nord'. Pictures of the Rockies, grizzly bears and dog sleighs have fed my childhoods imagination for years. When Europe started to open up and English became a requirement for many jobs, I decided I needed to master it. Did I want to go to England since it was closer? Not exotic enough in my opinion. This was my opportunity to finally see the beautiful land I have read and dreamed about.

I arrived in Vancouver on November 7th and until the following March, it rains everyday. “Mon Dieu!”

I am an aggressive french driver and found the speed limit too low and the people too hesitant and cautious. I guess I also am an aggressive walker, when I arrived last at a bus stop, it is normal for me to pass in front of the line up and get in first. I don’t see what the fuss is about when people complain about my behavior.

I learned new words daily like “Jay walking” which doesn’t have a french translation because in France, we cross the streets anywhere anytime and it’s not considered an offense. I’m often baffled by abbreviation which are not found in the dictionary such as TGIF, R & R, or TLC and I’m too proud to ask someone the meaning. This generation is probably LOL about my confusion. Twenty years ago, there was no Google, we actually used real books!

Everything here seemed big: large houses, wide roads, big cars, lots of space, big malls, big movie theaters and big people. Also everything here seemed to be the longest and the biggest. In Toronto, Young Street is the longest, there is the biggest bookstore, the best burger in the world and the highest tower (at the time the CN Tower was the tallest structure). Do Canadian need to compensate for something?

At first, everything seemed modern, advanced and better in my eyes. Yet some mysteries remained: the way I have to pull a cord to have the bus stop. A cord? Really? Isn't that archaic? In France, we press a "stop" button.

And what's with the way they dress here? Always casual, wearing jeans or track pants. The food portions are enormous and I don't think my french palate likes the Macaroni and cheese dish from the pre-packaged box or the monstrous pizza slices with the thick dough. All you can eat? I don’t get that concept either. And why is cheddar orange? isn’t cow milk cream color? At the supermarket, why is there a whole aisle dedicated to chips and soda? Or one just for cereals? Does anyone cook from scratch?

And let's not talk about Canadian men. After being here for a few months, I realize, not one man has approached me, winked at me or whistled: rien! Am I that ugly? I start to seriously wonder if my mom has lied to me all this years telling me I am beautiful.

I have never seen so many Tv channels and so many commercials in the middle of a movie, it is very annoying. I am used to choose from 6 channels and commercials are only before and after the show.

These my first impressions, today I am a proud Canadian! I can sing the Canadian anthem in English and in French and I like it better than the bloody, gory french one.

I have been ice skating on the Ottawa canal, Dog sleighed around Mont Tremblant, Skidoo in northern Ontario, whitewater rafting in Jasper, hiked above lake Louise and kayaked on Vancouver Island. Canada is breathtaking and so much open space still boggles my mind. I have crossed the whole country twice, once in summer and once in winter and both times were magical and surreal. I flew to beautiful New Foundland, to see Whales and puffins, and went fishing for mackerel. I have pan handled for fool's gold in Yukon, skied in Whistler, and seen grizzlies, cougars, coyotes and even spotted a lynx or two.

I watch CFL with my husband and have been to a Grey Cup final, seating just a few rows from Gordon Campbell and seen Jean Chretien lining up at the HotDog stand. I eat popcorn at the movies, make PBJ sandwiches and eat sushi, fried rice, Dahl, and my personal favorite Pacific smoked salmon. I love Okanagan wine, maple sirup on a beaver tail, and Nanaimo bars. I wear a baseball cap when I run, a hockey jersey during the Olympics to support the Canadian team, gumboots on a rainy day while walking my yellow Labrador in the trails surrounding my neighborhood, and a Roots jacket because it looks cool. I love the fact that I can wear Yoga pants to work and not look out of place.

I really appreciate that men don’t hackle or harass me when I’m walking down the street. My husband is a very handsome Canadian man who looks hot in a nice pair of jeans and treats me as an equal.

I love this multi-ethnicity way of living. I have learned so much about other cultures since being here and without traveling the world. My best friend is a Canadian Ismali whose family comes from Uganda. My other great friend is from Quebec and when we speak, we use franglais as it comes naturally and makes so much sense to me now.

I speak both national languages (granted I am still trying to master this damn english, pardon my french), I practice and teach Chinese Medicine, wore a Sari at my best friend’s wedding, and every week I have coffee with my Polish friend to whom I speak Italian with. I vote, pay my taxes, give to charity and enjoy driving at a safer speed.

Canadians are known for being nice. What’s wrong with that? I love how people are polite and sensitive to my feelings, how they never make fun of my accent (not in front of me anyway), how politically correct they often try to be and how their intent is never to offend. They don’t go on strike every two minutes like french people do, they don’t butt in front of me in a line up (last week at the theater, one man actually did cut in, but I’m sure he was french). Have I offended someone? So sorry. After all I wasn’t born here, it’s not in my DNA, but I try most of the time. I am Canadian and proud of it even though I still don’t like orange cheddar.

As a child I would have never imagine I could be fortunate enough to live here and become a citizen. Canada is forever my home.
THIS is my Canadian dream!

Happy Canada Day!
Clara Cohen

0 Comments

RSS Feed

Follow Clara

Clara's Blog

"I love my job!
My patients keep me humble daily, and helping them reach their health goals is the best reward of all. And every morning I cannot wait to go teach and inspire students to love Acupuncture as much as I do. If I can make a difference in someone's life on a daily basis, I feel I have reached my own goal."

Give Acupuncture a Try!

"I feel blessed to a have supporting husband, a loyal dog, amazing friends and to live in beautiful Port Moody, BC"

Natural healing

Published Articles:
- Self Growth
- Vitality Link

How to Find Balance with Feng Shui

The only 2 Causes of Aging

Listen to Your Internal Health Clock!

The 5 Personalities according to Chinese medicine

I am living the canadian dream!

Clara's Blog

Archives

Categories