Nancyann Jardine  wrote an article for The Main Central Jin Shin Jyutsu Newsletter, issue Number 48, Spring 2005, that, sadly,  is reprinted here posthumously:

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Jin Shin Jyutsu and Cowboys and Buckin’ Horses

The words Smile and Fun appear many times in Self-Help Book III, “Introducing Jin Shin Jyutsu, Fun with Fingers and Toes.” Take note that the word fun appears on the cover. When I was first introduced to Jin Shin Jyutsu, during my first few sessions and attempts at self-help all I could think of was “WOW! This is fun!” Then I began to attend the seminars and thought maybe I should be more serious about this Art that is so powerful and awesome. So I tried to become more dignified and solemn until my 4th seminar with Wayne Hackett. Wayne, in his enthusiastic manner, said, “Folks, if you are going to practice Jin Shin Jyutsu, have fun doing it.” So with that, fun was OK, and I immediately went back to having fun.

Book III, page 1 contains the word FUN 2 times and SMILE 4 times and also the words joy, laughter and happiness. How lucky can you be – doing something you enjoy doing and having fun and smiling while you are doing it! So now I always have fun while practicing Jin Shin Jyutsu and encourage my clients to enjoy while receiving.

One Saturday afternoon my friend Bev called on her cell phone from the local fairgrounds. She was watching her grandson Collin perform in the district high school rodeo. Collin was entered in bareback riding, bull dogging and roping. Like most kids raised on a Montana ranch, he was riding horses when he started to walk. Now he was an enthusiastic rodeo contestant. Bev said Collin had been bucked off and had a lot of back pain and asked if I would give him a Jin Shin Jyutsu session. I suggested they take him to the hospital first. She said the rodeo medics had checked him out, and nothing was broken, and he didn’t want to go to the hospital. His dad tried to get a chiropractor to help him but none were in town for the weekend.

I told her if he was willing so was I, and to bring him over. She soon arrived with Collin. He came into the house hunched over and walking as though he had been riding “broncs” for 40 years. He very gingerly pried his boots off one at a time. It took Bev and me both to help him get up on the table.

Since this was his first session, I started with the 1 Flow, a great get acquainted flow, and as I worked through the flow, I explained what I was doing. He listened with interest and asked intelligent questions. He said, “I can’t believe I got bucked off! I’ve never been bucked off in my whole life, and got bucked off twice this week – once at practice and again at the rodeo today.” I told Collin everything happens to teach us something and asked him what he had learned. He said, “I should have hung on tighter!” I didn’t dare laugh, but I did SMILE. Collin began to relax and soon fell asleep. I continued on doing the 3rd and 2nd Method of Correction to help the back and get rid of the pain.

Toward the end of the session he woke up and asked if he would be able to ride the next day. Bareback riding started at 9 a.m. and he wanted to perform. I responded that would depend on how he felt and what his parents had to say. I suggested that he go home, have a soak in the tub and go to bed. Collin answered that he might do the tub, but he couldn’t go to bed as the rodeo dance was that night, and he planned to go. I asked if he was taking someone special. No, he said, he and his friends were just going to drive around and pick up girls. It has been a very long time since I was 17, and I had forgotten about the important things in life.

The hour was up, and his grandmother arrived to take him home. He needed a little help to get up, but was able to bend over and pull on his boots. He stood up a little straighter, pulled on his cowboy hat and was on his way to the “after rodeo social life”. While driving home he asked his grandmother if she thought I had done anything that would hurt his rodeo performance the next day. She assured him no harm was done and that it would only help.

The next day Collin’s grandfather stopped by and said, “Nancy, you did a good job on Collin. He dogged his steer and roped his calf.” His parents said no bareback riding. Needless to say he did attend the rodeo dance, and I’m sure he checked out all the pretty cowgirls.

Again, I had FUN sharing Jin Shin Jyutsu and having my memory jogged about the enthusiasm and energy of being 17 years old.

Thank you, Nancyann.

Thank you, Mary.

Thank you, David.

Gassho, Namaste, Blessings

All issues of The Main Central Jin Shin Jyutsu Newsletter are available at http://www.jsjinc.net.