Shake up your circulation
A fly on the shower screen watching my morning ablutions might think my love of animals has gone bonkers. First, emulating a water-loving dog shaking all over. Next, drumming on my chest and limbs like a gorilla before I leap on to the bath mat and twist sinuously up and down, side to side, like a cat.
I started practising this quick ritual (it takes me three minutes) after meeting Katie Brindle (right), a practitioner of Chinese medicine (CM). This ancient discipline has historically aimed to prevent illness and keep people in good health. It’s based on two simple principles: good circulation with free flow of blood and energy, and clearing heat or inflammation, now believed by Western scientists to underlie many diseases.
Katie has developed a self-care method called Hayo’u, meaning ‘well you’, using simple rituals to promote these principles. The effects of my morning antics on my circulation are immediate. The shaking and drumming sends a whoosh of energy from top to toe while the feline twist nudges my stiff spine into suppleness.
Katie, who is now 45 and has three children, began studying CM in 2002. A serious car accident in 1994 had ended her dream of becoming an opera singer. ‘The impact resulted in acute then chronic whiplash. I couldn’t move my neck at all and my singing voice disappeared.’
After Chinese massage techniques proved the most effective way to resolve her whiplash, Katie studied Tui Na massage and reflexology, followed by CM and Five Element acupuncture.
Over the next decade, Chinese medicine supported her again. After one unsuccessful round of IVF, acupuncture helped her become pregnant with twins. But the birth was gruelling and Katie spent six days in intensive care. Her recovery was aided by practising Qi Gong, an Ancient Chinese system of gentle exercise, with breathing and meditation.
‘The root of caring for your health is reducing stress,’ Katie maintains. ‘Fast-paced modern living sends stress levels rocketing, triggering the release of adrenalin and cortisol. In excess these can cause inflammation, disrupt our circulation and contribute to chronic health problems from a weak immune system, poor sleep and weight gain, to premature ageing, skin disorders and pain.’
Over the past five years, Katie has stripped back her stacks of research (much from ancient medical tomes and travelling in China) to produce the Hayo’u Method. The aim is to stop low-level symptoms worsening and to support other treatments for existing complaints.
Visit Katie’s website hayoumethod.com for details and a treasure trove of health information and tips.