Wouldn’t it be nice to figure out how to deal with anxiety naturally in an easy way? Good news, you can!!!

This is how it works.

In the field of Tibetan Medicine we consider that in most cases of mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression, a person’s energetic system is uncoordinated. So what is this elusive energy system? Well let’s be clear right off the bat, we are not talking about the kind of energy associated with Reiki healing. I was introduced to Reiki healing at a young age and while I have respect for it as a system in and of itself, it has been misrepresented as a part of traditional Tibetan culture and medicine. It is not. When we are talking about energy in Traditional Tibetan Medicine we are talking about an ancient science and deep theory of our anatomy based on the five elements that has developed in all of the Eastern medical traditions for thousands of years.

Of the five elements (earth, water, fire, wind and space) the wind element is considered to be responsible for the function of the respiratory, circulatory and nervous systems. Not only is it considered that it is responsible for these systems, but also the proper function of the mind very much relies on the wind element. For this reason if it is disturbed we can easily start to have issues with our mental health.

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High Stress = Disturbed wind

Most of us have become fairly accustomed to high stress in our daily lives. We more or less take it as the norm in this day and age. Wind’s nature is light, rough, mobile and cool. We can consider that stress by nature is rough. So any kind of stress disturbs the wind. Our lives are also full of excessive movements of the body, voice and mind. Our jobs, especially high stress office jobs, involve constant mental activity. In some cases our jobs involve constant talking. And some of us even push our exercise routines too hard for too long. If you add in an excessively light diet its a double whammy on the wind system. Some examples of rough, light and cool foods include raw food, lentils, toast and crackers, ice water, foods without oils, caffeinated drinks and just not enough nourishment in general.

Excess wind symptoms include anxiety, insomnia, nervousness, mood swings, irritability, stiffness, memory loss, yawning, sighing and trembling as well as moving pain especially in the lower back, hips and joints. In reality most people’s function of wind is a little bit disturbed in today’s society. We all generally experience some mild form of one or more of these symptoms. So what do we do to prevent disturbed wind ?
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How to Deal with Anxiety Naturally: Working with Wind Points is a Simple Remedy

In essence the wind points provide a way to apply therapeutic treatments to help coordinate the wind element if it is disturbed. The fundamental theory of Tibetan Medicine says that the cause, nature and cure of all disease is the five elements. When one element is out of balance we must use the opposite characteristics of the given element to bring it back to balance. Since wind is rough, light, cool and mobile we need to apply smooth, heavy, warm and stable to the wind points. The simplest way to do this is to apply oil and heat to the points. Oil is smooth and heavy while heat is warm and stabilizing with directed application such as warm hands or a compress.
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Types of Oil to Use

The best oils to use for wind are sesame oil (not toasted) and aged ghee. Another great balanced and neutral option is olive oil. If the wind is very high you can infuse the oil with a few nutmeg pods. Put a few nutmeg pods in about one liter of oil and warm it on very low heat for several hours. You can leave the pods in the oil when bottling it up as they slowly release their essence over time.
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Types of Compresses

HANDS: The best and easiest compress to use is warm hands. Vigorously rub the hands together and voila, they are piping hot! Apply the warm hands to any of the wind points, first leaving a little space for a few moments between the palm and the point and then allowing the full surface of the hand to lay flat on the point. This can be repeated several times. At least three is recommended. This is the main method we use when giving Tibetan Kunye Masssage and Therapies and also when showing clients how to deal with anxiety attacks at home.

Horme and Oil Warmer

HORME: When we have a more serious case of wind disturbance we use a method called horme. Here we use either caraway seeds or nutmeg pods wrapped in cotton. We then warm up some oil with the compress soaking in it, usually on a candle warmer or any other appropriate device. The tricky thing here is to make sure the oil is quite hot, but not so hot that it will burn the skin. It is recommended to learn this method first from an experienced practitioner.

HOT STONES: Another type of compress is hot stones. Hot stones have become very popular in spas these days. In Traditional Tibetan Medicine we use them as compresses for chronic pain relief, old injuries, nerve pain, indigestion and as mild moxibustion, like horme. The stones nature is stable and heavy, but they also have the effect of removing excess Earth and Water element after being heated up. In Tibetan Kunye Massage and Therapies we boil the stones for a long time, until they are VERY hot. We then place a towel over the point so the skin isn’t burned and let them sit for at least 30 minutes on each point. When treating wind it is is important to put an ample amount of oil on the points and then place the stones. Again, this method is best to learn from an experienced practitioner before applying it.

The main point here is to apply oil, warmth and some pressure to the points.
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The Wind Points

These are the easy to find wind points:

1. The center of the soles of the feet
2. The center of the palms
3. the center of the chest at the level of the nipples
4. the jugular notch
5. the crown point
6. The main wind point: C7 – the large protruding vertebrae

The center of the soles of the feet an the palms

These four points are the easiest to access. Massage some oil into the soles and palms until it has absorbed into the skin. Apply directed pressure with the thumbs on the exact central point while both you and the person receiving the application are exhaling. Then apply your chosen warm compress to the point. If you were wondering how to deal with anxiety naturally, those four points are a quick and simple way.

The center of the chest and jugular notch

When using the hands these points can be applied at the same time, one hand on each. Massage oil into the points, but unlike the feet and palms, DON’T use pressure here, especially at the jugular notch. If you use another compress be very careful that the temperature isn’t too hot as the skin is more sensitive here. These points are great for stabilizing the mind, clearing the memory and problems with the speech.

The crown point

This point is right at about the center of where the hair swirls at the crown of the head. This point is very good for neurological problems. It is recommended to only apply oil and massage this point unless you are a trained practitioner.

The main wind point

In modern anatomy this is C7, the large protruding vertebrae that sticks out at the base of the neck especially when allowing the head to drop forward. This point is for any problem of the wind and is great for dealing with anxiety.

If you want to know how to deal with anxiety and insomnia, suffer from panic attacks or just feel overwhelmed, these points can offer some immediate relief and if applied regularly can help bring your system back to balance. It’s always more relaxing when someone else applies them, but self-application can also be very effective. In our practice we usually do the first treatments and then send people home with the knowledge on how to soothe the wind points on their own. Have questions? Feel free to drop us a line in the comments or contact us to make an appointment to receive your first Tibetan Kunye Massage from us.