Echos
&Roots

How many of us women silence ourselves? In the name of peace, because we learned as children to be "good girls" or because we have given up speaking out because we were met too many times with disregard. But this silence comes with a cost ... It shows up in resentment that builds over time and that makes us bitchy, frustrated, and easily irritated. It shows up in stiff shoulders and tight necks. It shows up in skin outbreaks and hives. It shows up in thyroid issues and sleepl

In Chinese medicine, the imbalances we encounter are layered. They are not only connected to our physical bodies, they also allow us a glimpse into our emotional and inner worlds. In the past years I've struggled with perioral dermatitis and finally now my skin is doing so much better. The dermatitis was brought on by a period of extreme stress while I went through divorce and experienced narcissistic abuse at work. Dealing with it became so much more than looking after my sk

Join me in an exercise for your heart-protector energy system, the pericardium Summer time is when your heart and pericardium energy systems are most active, and it's a great time to support them. Today I want to share a Qi Gong exercise with you that nourishes the pericardium. The pericardium is literally the protective membrane around your heart, but it does so much more. Firstly, it protects the emperor of our energetic body - the heart, from stress, harmful emotions and p

Out of the sudden it became winter. The mornings are cold and frosty. Nature sleeps, the leaves have slowly fallen from the trees and it's gets dark in the afternoon. Time to turn inwards, to do less, to recharge and enjoy a warm drink by the fireplace. According to Chinese Medicine the winter season is energetically linked to our kidney and bladder energy. This is also referred to as the water element. This is the most yin and calm energy we have. The kidney system is in cha

Does your child responds to routine problems with extreme frustration - crying, hitting, screaming, biting, swearing, spitting, kicking or destroying furniture? Then this book is for you. Most likely you tried many approaches to this behaviour already - rewards for good behaviour, punishments for bad behaviour, time-outs, talking, teaching your child to name emotions, shaming ... But you might have realized that no standard parenting method that works for other kids, really w

How to get a break from optimising yourself? My birthday is around the corner and i have been thinking what i want as a present. Usually i am not short of wishes. For the last years i have not carried a watch on my wrist. At some point in my life i decided to be less obsessed with time. So I simply stopped wearing a watch. It made me a bit more relaxed and a bit less on time. But lately i find myself getting frustrated trying to locate my mobile phone in the depths of my hand

What we learned from working with Karla Mooy from Ontspannen Opvoeden This post is for those out there who parent a strong willed sensitive child and look for a counselor on parenting advice. “Strong-willed children become adults who change the world as long as we can hang on for the ride and resist the temptation to "tame" the spirit out of them.” Sarah Stogryn We were going though periods with constant battles with our 4 year old. Challenging morning and evening rout

Spring energy has been on the rise for some weeks and with the first flowers blossoming and birds chirping we can all feel that spring is here. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, spring is associated with the Wood element. It stands for rising energy, a new beginning, plans, ideas, and growth. The energetic organ system that corresponds to the wood element is the liver and gallbladder energy. Those two organs are especially active in spring. The liver is responsible for the sm

It is getting colder and darker again. It's this time of the year when we catch a cold and experience grief that summer is over. In autumn a huge energy shift is happening in nature from yang to yin. This shift also happens in our bodies. We can learn from nature how to support our bodies with this process. Food for the soul Your diet plays a huge role in your health and it is often the most simply changes you can make here to ensure your are staying healthy. Supporting your

In our life we go through many turning points. Some, like puberty or menopause, are ruled by internal changes in our bodies. Others are based on events in our life like marriage, starting a new school or moving to a new house. I am going through such a transition right now as we moved from Amsterdam, NL to Seattle, US. It was time for me to say good bye to 13 years in Amsterdam, a city that feels like home. At the time of the event we are often so busy with planning, executi

I am currently reading the “The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer”. A fascinating scientific book on how our telomeres shape our disease - and lifespan and that we can actually influence our lifespan with lifestyle choices. Telomeres are protective tips at the end of our chromosomes. They get shorter during lifespan and eventually cannot protect chromosomes properly anymore which leads to diseases and ageing. I will write an entire

There are some great acupuncture points to boost the immune system and treat symptoms of the common cold and flu. Are you suffering from coughing, headache, sore throat, blocked or runny nose and loss of energy? Then acupressure on these points will ease those symptoms and help your body to recover. Acupressure Manual Warm up your hands by rubbing them. Hold these points for 1-2 minutes with light finger pressure twice a day. We want to feel the change of sensation on the ski

Creating a unity between head, heart and hara with this short meditation I recently wrote a blog post how you can tap into your soul via journalling to alter your life and make better decisions. This is a corresponding Do-In yoga exercise to connect head, heart and hara to make wise decisions and live in harmony. When we have to take important decisions, often our head and our heart are fighting a battle between what we think and feel. But when the two are aligned we feel har

One aspect of Do-In yoga is to strengthen your connection with your soul and your intuition. This feeling that you often have in your belly, coming with cramps when something unpleasant happens or with bubbles of excitement when you experience something positive. This inner wisdom or instinct that we tend to ignore as we live in a society that favours decisions made by our head. I think they are many ways to get in touch with the wisdom of your soul, Do-In yoga is just one of

Welcome back after what seemed to be an endless summer. I took a long summer break filled with time for my family, friends and my kids … and lots of travel …. In fact at some point in the timeframe of 9 days i travelled from Germany, to the Netherlands, to Seattle in the US, back to the Netherlands and then to Turkey. 4 countries, 3 continents, 4 climates, 3 different time zones and 10 hours time difference. This kind of travel is super hard on the body as it messes up with o

It's spring again. And maybe you have, like me, an ambivalent relationship with this season. It's finally getting warm, beautiful flowers evolve, the air is full of chirping birds and one can enjoy the outdoors again. If it wasn't for my running nose, sneezing and itching eyes. Yep, it is also the season of hay fever. Every year I hope it will not hit me, but every year again I go through tons of paper tissues in this time of the year. Here are some tips on how you can relie

Why do people age differently? Why are some people looking old before their time? Why do some people get serious health problems starting at age 50 and others live healthy into their 80s? It all has to do with our telomeres. Telomeres are protective tips at the end of our chromosomes. They get shorter during lifespan and eventually cannot protect chromosomes properly anymore which leads to diseases and ageing. But we can do something about the condition of our telomeres. We c

Welcome to the first post of this new series. This series will explore acupressure and self-massage manuals to relieve symptoms of many common illnesses. You can apply them at home on yourself and your children. They are safe and easy to do. Acupressure works by placing pressure on specific points on your meridians (energy channels) on the body to release Qi. With acupressure you support your immune system for a quicker recovery. My youngest son could not sleep this Saturday

Temperatures are rising, school holidays are upon us, travel plans are made. Summer is here. Time for going to the lakes, meeting friends on a terrace, barbecues, camping, having fun. For many, this is the high-time of the year. Also, our energy is running at its highest peak. In traditional Chinese Medicine, summer relates to the fire element; to joy, abundance, and nature at its peak of growth. The element is associated with the heart, small intestine, pericardium, and tri