My Review of a Two-Day Energy Medicine Workshop with Donna Eden and David Feinstein
Here is something to consider for your conscious parenting toolkit:
Energy Medicine, by Donna Eden. By following Donna’s suggestions and working with your body’s meridians, chakras and other subtle energies, you just might find yourself healthier and happier – with more energy to put into parenting!
“Your body is designed to heal itself. The ability of a body to maintain its health and overcome illness is, in fact, among nature’s most remarkable feats.” – Donna Eden
rnA friend introduced me to Donna Eden’s work in “energy medicine” about a year ago. I cannot even remember the occasion, but I do know that I felt an immediate attraction. There was something about Donna’s message (or her energy, perhaps?) that made sense to me.
rnI have been pursuing a deeper understanding of what she calls our “latticework of energies” ever since.
rnI caught up with Donna, quite literally, this past January. I was lucky enough to attend a weekend workshop that she hosted along with her husband, David Feinstein, Ph.D., at
Kripalu, in Lenox, Massachusetts.
rnOur workshop was held in the largest meeting room at Kripalu. It was full of men and women – many of whom had crossed multiple states to be there – who were determined to soak up as much of Donna’s essence as is possible in forty-eight hours.
rnFor two days straight, we were blessed with all that is Donna: Her knowledge, intuition and enthusiasm; her thirty-plus years of experience seeing and working with the subtle energies of the human body; and her and David’s heartfelt commitment to spreading their vision of energy medicine as broadly in the world as possible.
rnWe learned how to trace our meridians and energy test the foods we eat, to determine if they are health-inducing for our bodies.
rnWe devoted hours to loving, nurturing and sedating our triple warmer meridian – the soldier / protector of our meridian system. Donna suggests that for most of us these days, the poor triple warmer is clenched in a perpetual, fight-or-flight-inspired battle for safety. I could relate.
rnDonna was perhaps most determined to teach us what she calls her “
Five-Minute Daily Energy Routine.” It is basically an energetic maintenance program for your body. Donna says that these seven exercises, based on her work with over 10,000 clients, are the most effective in balancing the body’s energy systems.
rnWe learned so, so much more. For the two days that I was in her presence, I felt great.
rnBut would the good feelings last? That, for me, is always the big question when I go on retreat. Donna and David addressed this on our last morning. They recommended committing to the Daily Energy Routine for one month, just to see if it made a difference in our overall wellness.
rnA major part of my ongoing commitment to
conscious parenting has been my inclusion of self-care in my daily routine. I know for sure that the better I am feeling, the better parent I can be for my children.
rnSo for four weeks, I did my Daily Energy Medicine Routine not once, but twice a day. I incorporated the exercises into my morning yoga practice, then repeated them again before dinner. Some days, I did them three times, if I was feeling tired or cranky. I might have done them five or six times, on a couple days (you know those days.)
rnGuess what?
I felt better.
rnIt did not transform my life in a hugely noticeable way. I am still far-sighted, my hair is still going gray and I still tend to have my share of hormonal mood swings. But what I have noticed is an overall improvement in my energy levels and a subtle calming of my “nerves.” (Both of which are very helpful, when trailing two pre-teen males around the planet.)
rnMostly, I just feel good / better for a greater portion of my day.
rnSo, I am giving Donna Eden’s Five-Minute Daily Energy Routine a permanent spot in my daily self-care practice. And I am going to start reading her newest book,
Energy Medicine for Women... there must be something in there to help with the hormones.
To Learn More About Donna Eden and Her Work...
rnThe updated and expanded, 10th Anniversary edition of Donna’s ground-breaking book,
Energy Medicine: Balancing Your Body's Energies for Optimal Health, Joy and Vitality, describes her approach to energy medicine and includes the Five-Minute Daily Energy Routine.
rnI like
The Energy Medicine Kit, because it includes a deck of reference cards, plus a CD and DVD, each walking you through a variety of Donna’s exercises (again, including the daily routine.) These make a handy way to work with the exercises, although it doesn’t have all the background information that is included in the book.
rnTo get a real dose of Donna Eden, up close and personal, try her six-hour DVD training course,
Energy Medicine, The Essential Techniques. There is no doubt that seeing Donna “live” is a great experience... this might be the next best thing.
Related Posts
You can also read my review of the
Kripalu Yoga Retreat Center in Lenox, Massachusetts. It is a wonderful place to visit, jam-packed with great programs for body, mind and soul.
You can find more ideas for self-care (and maybe just a little self-pampering) in my post,
The Perfect Gift.