healing sounds – Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc

Fire – Hug heart to heart

Dr. Sarita Cox — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:15:50 +0000

Fire – Hug heart to heart

The hug

Next time you go in for or are receiving a hug, take note. Do you lean in left shoulder to left shoulder, right shoulder to right shoulder or reach for the waist with a side hug? Are you comfortable with a hug? Were you raised with hugs? How long is your natural hug? Do you want to practice hugging?

Word Origin

Etymologically, “hug” is thought to come from the Old Norse word hugga, which translates to “to comfort or console”.

A lesson from one of my clinical mentors in my Chinese Medicine program has never been forgotten and still settles in my mind and body upon each greeting or departing with the gesture of affenction more than 20 years later. Hugging heart to heart is an everyday Qi Gong practice.

How to Give a Heart-to-Heart Hug

A true heart-to-heart hug requires conscious physical alignment to connect your energetic centers.

Follow these steps:

Approach Left-to-Left: Step forward and slightly shift your body to the right so your left shoulder aligns with the other person’s left shoulder.
Heart Contact: Wrap your arms around them, allowing the left side of your chest (where your heart resides) to press directly against theirs.
Breathe and Hold: Hold the embrace for at least 20 seconds. Take 2–3 full relaxing breaths.

The Scientific Why?

Releases Oxytocin: Holding the hug for 20 seconds triggers the release of oxytocin (the “bonding hormone”), which lowering heart rates and reducing cortisol stress levels.
Calms the Nervous System: The deep pressure stimulation co-regulates your nervous systems, shifting both bodies from “fight-or-flight” into a restorative “rest-and-heal” parasympathetic state.
Enhances Emotional Security: Direct chest contact stimulates the vagus nerve, instantly lowering blood pressure and increasing feelings of safety and social trust.

Igniting the Inner Smile: Qi Gong & the Fire Element

True connection begins with an open heart. Summer is governed by the Fire element, a powerful force that directly rules the heart, small intestine, and our emotional capacity for joy. When our Fire element is balanced, we naturally radiate warmth, enthusiasm, and compassion—the exact ingredients needed for a deep, meaningful embrace.

However, when life gets overwhelming, the Fire element can burn too hot, leading to anxiety, insomnia, or emotional burnout. Conversely, if the fire dims, we might feel isolated or disconnected. Qi Gong offers a gentle, moving meditation to clear this excess heat and rekindle our inner warmth.

Stoking the Warmth of Connection

In Qi Gong practice, the heart is considered the home of our spirit, or Shen. To harmonize the Fire element, we use fluid movements paired with the “Heart Sound” (Haw). This specific healing sound acts like a cooling breeze, releasing pent-up pressure from the chest.

Qi Gong Practices for kindred fire

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Clearing the Heart (Disperse stagnation, process grief, reduce blame & hatred)

The Setup: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees soft, palms together in a prayer position at the center of your chest.

The Inhale: Breathe in deeply through your nose, feeling your chest expand.
The Exhale: Push your hands straight forward away from your body, palms facing out. Simultaneously, exhale through your mouth while whispering the healing sound “Hawww” to release tension.
Repetitions: Repeat for 6 to 9 breaths.

By pushing your hands forward on the exhale and drawing them back to your chest on the inhale, you regulate the heart’s rhythm. You are actively clearing away old hurts and pulling in pure, unconditional love. This practice shifts your internal state from stress to safety, making your physical hugs an authentic extension of your inner peace.

Opening the Heart (Invite positive energy and possibility)

The Setup: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees soft, and arms relaxed at your sides.

The Inhale: Bring your hands up to chest height, palms facing each other, then extend your arms straight out in front of you. Gently expand your arms out wide to the sides, opening your chest completely.
The Exhale: Softly bring your hands back toward the centerline of your chest, palms facing your body, crossing your arms, wrapping yourself in an embrace.
Repetitions: Repeat for 6 to 9 breaths.

Balancing your Fire element allows you to show up fully for yourself and those you care about. By cultivating a peaceful heart, your presence becomes a safe harbor for yourself and for others.

Water ~ Unplug

Dr. Sarita Cox — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:40:32 +0000

https://drsaritaelizabeth.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/VIDEO-2026-01-17-11-23-55.mp4

How do you unplug?

In a world ruled by screens, drones, instant messaging, on demand everything, how do you unplug?

And for how long?

Have you ever noticed yourself becoming less distracted, with a brightened mood, as your mind calms, and your breathing deepens and relaxes as you spend time with nature? A recent study shows positive affect, restoration, connectedness and mindfulness increase during a 2.5 hour forest tour.

Maybe you’ve tried walking barefoot on the earth or the warm, salty ocean shore, sleeping grounded or oriented to the cardinal directions. There are health benefits to these.

Have you been charmed by a waterfall in the forest? We’ve studied that too!

Is deep breathing, music or guided imagery your go-to? Research concurs.

Do you take a vacation or, better yet, a meditation retreat? That works.

Can you turn off your cell phone for a day? 10 days? Maybe you should.

Do you swear by sunshine to relax and restore?

How about a nourishing winter soup cleanse?

You can find all the getting started tips here & search my Cultivating Wellness Blog “soup cleanse” all the posts.

Do you unplug your wi-fi at night? Yes, I do.

Given each of our unique life situations “unplugging” may look very different.

The key is to find ways to down regulate our nervous systems and up regulate our natural feel good pharmacy D.O.S.E. (Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, Endorphin) for our best life.

After many years of healing myself with seasonal wisdom & the Element Wisdom Card deck in a location with four distinct meterological seasons, I am exploring winter residency in latitudes closer to the equator to further nourish and strengthen my constitutional Water Element.

I would love to teach you more about how to heal yourself through mind, body, spirit practices that harmonize you with the dynamic rhythm of the season. Here we find our most wholesome & unique expression of our health. When we sync ourself with the macrocosmic expression of our external world, our internal microcosmic needs become clear.

I am available for telemedicine consults now and

offer acupuncture services again January 29 – February 15.

Special Reiki treatments are available while I am away. Book all of those services here.

Earth: Down to earth

Dr. Sarita Cox — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 16:52:03 +0000

Down to Earth.

What does the phrase ‘down to earth’ mean to you?

Earth Writing Exercise

Take a moment.

Find pen and paper.

Transcribe the phrase Down to Earth.

Place both feet on the ground.

Take three deep breaths, expanding your ribs.

Write free associations of what ‘down to earth’ means to you for 90 seconds.

Wake the spleen, an earth organ with the exercise below.

Repeat the automatic writing exercise.

Wake the Spleen

With both feet on the ground, raise your left arm.

Wake the spleen organ by tapping on your left side, one hand width below the arm pit.

Vocalize the sound of the spleen: whooooo (like the wise owl calling)- gutteral and brethless

Repeat eight times.

Shanren kan wo xinshi? Wo xin shi!

Do I posses the earth attributes of integrity and deep trust? Yes I do!

The phrase down to earth can refer to an approachable person. Someone that is practical, plain spoken, honest, realistic, trustworthy, unassuming, unpretentious.

What did your list reveal? Which of those qualities do you posses? Which qualities would you like to strengthen?

If there is a quality you would like to embody or strengthen in yourself?

Try replacing the sound of the spleen with the quality that you wish to strengthen. For example, tap ‘trust’ into your spleen.