A Spiritually Enlightening Online Magazine. July's Theme: "Love"
Volume 2 Issue 5 ISSN# 1708-3265

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Illuminations Aleesha Stephenson About the Cover Elizabeth Abernathy One More Wave Rev. Cheryl Jewett Butterflies Jennifer Monaghan Love nature? It's in our Genes David Suzuki PhD The Yin and Yang of Puppy Love Amy Snow and Nancy Zidonis At One with the Love of the Universe Lynne Gordon-Mündel The Powerful Influence of Nonverbal Communication Mary Robinson Reynolds Lifetalks Dawn Baumann Brunke Wiccan Voices Anne Ellis Technically Tarot Jeannette Roth Tales of a Country Vet Dr. Bruce Burton DVM Aunty Nasty Nasturtium Blackwitt Walk Your Talk Aleesha Stephenson Meditate a Moment Featuring: Aleesha Stephenson Revelations Tarot Zach Wong Sacred Sound Ted Andrews Divination for Beginners Scott Cunningham What The Bleep Do We Know!? DVD A State of Mind JZ Knight The Sound Hoof Lisa Simons Lancaster

Puppies are amazing creatures. When they play, they play with every ounce of their little beings, when they sleep they are "down-for-the-count." They can chew their way through your favourite shoes and your daughter's best bear - but we love them anyway. We look at our beloved little pooch's antics and say to ourselves, "It's just being a puppy."

Young animals are supposed to be full of life, tearing through the house, and dashing around the back yard. Their bones, muscles, and neurological connections are growing by the minute. They also need lots of sleep and nourishing, real food. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), all the high energy and the impetus behind the exponential growth of a puppy are considered Yang. While the rest and provision of the nutrients and essence used to make the growth possible is considered Yin.

Puppies are constantly bouncing between being very Yang and very Yin. The essential concept underlying Chinese Medicine is one of health based on a dynamic balance between Yin and Yang. Given this principle of TCM, how could a puppy be healthy if he is bounding from one extreme to another - from being very Yang to very Yin? The reason is, puppies are supposed to be out of balance at different times because they are in such a high growth period of their lives. There are times they just have to be intensely Yang. Then, they must also balance it with Yin to an extreme. Their little growing bodies have their own form of balance, and that's the way it needs to be.

There is an acupressure session you can have with your puppy, which will not interfere with his own body's timetable to grow nerve connections in his brain or bone in his legs. In fact, it can support and enhance whatever is going on in his body at the moment. We call this session "Puppy Pinches".

During an evening when your pup has given his all and is ready to be calm, give this bodywork a try. Acupressure has a way of creating a very special bond between you and your puppy; it could be called, "Puppy Love."

Puppy Pinches

• Step 1: Pick a time when your puppy is relatively calm. Find a location where there are few distractions. Take 3 long breaths in and out, and then focus for a minute or two on your adoration of this young animal and how you want to contribute to his healthy growth.
• Step 2: Sit behind your puppy on the floor facing his back. Starting just behind, or below, his shoulder blades on each side of his spine, using your thumb and index fingers on both your right and left hand, very gently pinch his skin. Then move your hands down toward his tail approximately 1 inch (for very small dogs adjust this measurement to about half-an-inch) and repeat the gentle pinching. Continue moving your hands down, softly pinching his skin as you go, until you reach the base of his tail.
• Step 3: Start again, just below the puppy's scapula (shoulder blades), and repeat the puppy pinches on each side of his spine down to his tail 2 more times.
• Step 4: When you have completed the cycles of gentle pinches 3 times, go back up to below his scapula, with your fingers together and flat, sweep down the puppy's back with one hand on each side of his spine. This sweeping motion is similar to how you would brush out the wrinkles on your bed cover to make it tidy and smooth. Repeat this sweeping motion 3 times and your Puppy Pinches Session is almost done.
• Step 5: Now snuggle with your puppy and tell him how much you love him… any way he is.

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