Year of the Yang Wood Dragon 2024

Time to broaden your horizons, let go of the past, and move towards a world of freedom, justice, and transformation.  This year of the Jiǎ Chén 甲 辰 Wood Dragon in 2024 begins on February 4 in the solar calendar (the true astrological date) and on February 10 in the Lunar calendar (the more commonly celebrated date).

Dragons are mostly inherently yang earth in nature at its core making them much like a mountain, solid, reliable, grounded and trustworthy.  They do possess yin wood and yin water qualities as well, allowing them to be intuitive and sensitive to the community at large.

The dragon is often thought to be the luckiest animal in the Chinese zodiac, one that is bold, powerful, expansive, and holds a revolutionary energy that can change the world. The dragon is a mythical composite animal- part bird, snake, tiger, fish, ox, deer, and others.  Because of its many parts, it was considered a representation of the emperor of China, a leader who could see the many views of society and hone the interconnectedness that we all are.

We are in a Yang wood year, which is strong, growing, and stands tall like a redwood tree; it comes with that large visionary quality. Yang wood looks to the betterment of society by standing for justice and righteousness in the world.  Being quick and impulsive means attention to detail could be lacking.

Big yang wood energy also comes with aggression frustration and even anger if it turns to excess. When wood energy is in balance, it is kind and benevolent.  Wood controls the earth, which could break down the earth’s energy, so we might see more earthquakes on land.

Conflict and war are on the menu, but ultimately a positive change will come from it, especially in the second half of the year leading to greater harmony and a better collective experience for all.  The economy should be more stable then as the world finds more peace.

Another thing that dragons are good at is letting go of what no longer serves and in that release of negativity, our hearts could swell with joy and love.  Dragons are innately powerful from this kind of spiritual brightness, tapping into internal power and activating consciousness.  We too on an individual level could be going through a metamorphosis just as we see this taking place on a collective level.  Enlightenment is possible in the time of the dragon.

We’ll want to prepare our health by paying attention to our digestion, eating at regular times, and engaging in grounding practices such as forest bathing or qi gong.  From the large yang wood energy, our livers and gallbladders are more likely to have pathologies occur, so it is wise to do cardiovascular exercise or movement practices that circulate our energy effectively, so we are less likely to stagnate our livers and experience emotional irritations. When the liver qi is constrained, the digestive system suffers. Also, the wood element can exhaust the water energy (kidneys) if a person is too active and driven.

Another aspect of the liver is its role in our deeper immunity; therefore, supporting our immune system, protecting Wei Qi, and establishing healthy boundaries will contribute to a well-rounded supportive approach to this year’s energy and how it manifests in our bodies.

Any profession with artistry at its core will do well this year, such as designers, engineers, painters, and musicians.  If your profession is not commonly thought of as artistic, bring a creative flare to what you do, for your work to be well received by others.  Dragons are creative by nature and we all will do best when we engage in activities that resonate with our hearts.  Wealth will more likely come when we follow our bliss.  Since this year is community-orientated, we may be called upon to work more with others.  Companies with social consciousness and sustainability will do well.

Dragons tend to be very passionate; therefore, this could be the year to find that great love or go deeper with the relationships you already are in.  Compassion is a quality that will permeate all of our relationships and the approach we take with them.

Enjoy the auspicious ride of the dragon as a big revolution, universal awareness, connection, and transformation is upon us in 2024!

Yin Water Rabbit Chinese New year 2023

We will be gifted the qualities of greater peace, harmony, and growth in this new year of the Yin Water Rabbit beginning January 22, 2023.  A much need reprieve from the tumultuous year of the Tiger last year.  Rabbits in general are known to be vigilant, rational, calm, creative, and affectionate.   Their level-headedness allows for a practical approach to life, and in turn, are wonderful at setting up strategies that will lead to long term growth and success.

Rabbits can hop around and run quickly stirring up new vital energy, but also are known to rest, and restore underground.  That balance of energy allows for great plans and potential to spring forth. Also, their agility can aid in letting go of things that hold you back and instead just go for it!  Ultimately what holds us back the most in life is underlining fear.  This would be a good year to address fears known and unknown, so they can be transformed, absolved, and your pure potential can be brought out to play.  Rabbits are known for their creativity and having an inner artist driving their pursuits.

The wood element is strong with rabbits and the thing in Chinese medicine and its philosophy that supports wood is water. Water nourishes wood or any plant for that matter. Yin water is part of the astrological make up this year, so the rabbit’s innate qualities will be especially strong.  The water element goes with the flow, allows and accepts change more easily, and ultimately is expansive.  Water is also associated with the mystically attributes of life, so it’s a year where any magical practices, astrology, feng shui, and other mystical arts will be more widely accepted and utilized.

The yin aspect of the year also is associated with the feminine, the dark, and emotion.  Because of the expansive water element imbued into this year, we might be more emotional in general, so it is a great time to do grounding and body based practices such as swimming, yoga, qi gong or any kind of movement practice that suits your body so emotions do not become too overwhelming or stagnate.  Self-care is natural for rabbits, so make sure you are prioritizing your health and do not overeat, or drink in excess.  To keep things moving for the wood element it’s important to pay attention to our liver system, consuming healthy greens in particular.  Consider consulting with your acupuncturist especially in the spring time to address any concerns around this part of your body.

Besides career advancement, business building in general will be prosperous, as will the financial market.  We will see growth in many sectors; investments that support nature such as electric vehicles, solar and wind power, and sustainable forestry, will be particularly profitable.  Human rights groups will also flourish, as well as enterprises that focus on compassionate action.  Rabbits are not known to go directly into war, rather they thump their foot on the ground to ward off predators and in essence stand up and make noise instead of going directly in to fight.

In regards to relationships, think of the word tenderness.  This is a great year for finding new love and deepening existing relationships.  Emotions and passion drive a lot of this year, but as mentioned before its a time of letting go of what holds you back.  More intimate truths will be revealed for shedding, transforming, and forgiving.  Rabbits in general are gentle, affectionate and compassionate, so carry tenderness in your heart as you move forward and deepen in 2023.

I know many of us could use a year of tranquility, strategic growth, and a little bit of creative fun too!  I look forward to seeing what those in my community bring forth. Listen, watch, and take part.  Everyone will be feeling it.

Chinese New Year of the Yang Water Tiger

Get ready.  We are in for a change in astrological weather this Chinese new year of the yang water tiger beginning February 1, 2022.  We are moving from the pragmatic hardworking last couple years of the rat 2020 and ox 2021 to the bold powerful and daring year of the Tiger.  Tigers are known for doing things on a grand scale, with adventure, ambition, confidence, and persistence.  A wonderful time to pave the way with that new idea, new business, unchartered journey and watch the seeds planted over the last two years become a wild new reality.

The tiger is considered the wood element in Chinese astrology and therefore ends up being fed and nourished by the water element that comes in with this year.  Water is what allows any tree or plant to grow.  Water is also a powerful force that can shape anything in its path while also being sensitive and going with the flow.  We all will be graced with a strong wood energy and the taoist aspect of Yang which is also supportive for vitality and growth. 

All this combined sounds quite appealing and productive; however, if this energy does not move, it can become stagnant which can cause trouble physically and emotionally.  Be aware of the potential for irritability, anger, and aggressive tendencies all around, if one’s emotion is not balanced with compassion.  Because of all the changes this year, another tendency is to sit in the fear and not move forward at all.  It’s best to ride the energy and smooth out the stagnation with exercise such as swimming, yoga, and qi gong.  Tigers do not like to be locked up in cages. Let your ideas and your qi flow and not be hindered.

Another aspect of the water element this year is one of mysticism.  Doing things that nourish your spiritual side and bring magic into your life will feel natural and supportive.  Tigers are very wise and listen to their intuition to make bold moves. 

We’ll see an extra presence of water, especially in the first half of the year. This can come through as much needed precipitation, but also involve, landslides and flooding.

Tigers are passionate by nature, so it’s a great year to start a new relationship or rekindle the romance of an existing one.  As mentioned before, irritability is likely, so be mindful of patience in all of your personal and work relationships.  This kind of temperament could lead to heated polarization in politics for the coming year.

Since this is a year that brings up new ways of doing things, investing in innovation would be financially fruitful.  The markets are bound to be unstable initially, but growth is likely to come afterwards.

Overall advice:  Be patient and compassionate, but bold and assertive.  Do not hold back in fear, but role with the quick changes that lay ahead.  Time to actually begin what you have been waiting to manifest.

Year of The Yin Metal Ox

Things are likely to move slow and steady as we build towards a brighter future. We are embarking on the Chinese new year of the Yin Metal Ox February 12th, 2021.  We could really use a break after the 2020 year of the rat, indeed. Because we are entering a yin year, things will be more calm and less potential for violence; a time for hopes and dreams to inspire us all.

The ox has a lot of positive characteristics.  It is probably the most hardworking zodiac sign, disciplined, reliable, and intelligent. They think logically and often make great leaders, though they never need recognition or fame for their talents. The ox has a rich history in agriculture, tending to the fields over and over again, slow-moving, and even-tempered, knowing its final outcome is down the road. Adapting this mindset for 2021 will prove to be useful and ultimately lead to success, though you may not see results for awhile. We will need to revisit some things, regroup, restore, reform, and reevaluate our lives as part of our work for the coming year. If we adhere to this, rewards are around the corner.

Countries will mostly be wanting to repair their infrastructures within instead of being focussed on expanding borders. The fields of science and medicine will be more respected.  Technology, education, and real estate will benefit, as well as  agriculture and food production if done in a small-scale way. It is probably not the best year to innovate something new, break-throughs are not easy to happen, rather re-work something already in existence.

We are in a yin metal year, so industries with metal will do quite well, particularly jewelry, precious metals and gems, industries with forks and knives, such as fine dining, and workings with coins, even cryptocurrency will gain more traction in the pubic eye.

The Yang metal of last year caused a lot of inflammation in many ways, especially of the immune system.  We will see a lowering of that now in a yin metal year.  People might feel more fatigued, and it will be key to conserve your energy by not overdoing or overworking, which is the tendency of the ox.  Do what you can for self-care and preserving your energy.  Eat well, live with the seasons, exercise, drink water, receive acupuncture to restore.  The metal organ of the body is the lung, so doing deep breathing or singing could greatly preserve your lung health.

This is definitely a year to cultivate relationships especially with close family and friends.  There will be more inclusivity in the air and a deeper appreciation for those around you.  Old-fashioned romance and long-term relationships will be more rampant and easy to fall in to.

People are bound to be more affectionate this year and desire beauty such as nice fragrances and pretty flowers.  Small acts of kindness will go a long way in the hearts of those we care about.  Nourish yourself and others.  It could make a big difference.

Immune Care for COVID

Probably the #1 reason I switched my career from Western medicine to Chinese medicine is because I discovered the endless care and consideration they bring to the immune system. Being trained in immunology, I knew there was a huge missing piece to immune healthcare that our Western conventional approach was lacking. I also have been observing over the last several months of the pandemic that education around how to take care of the immune is missing from mainstream media. It is most certainly true that those with stronger immune systems experience either little or no symptoms, where as those with more serious medical conditions and weakened immune systems are likely to have severe complications due to COVID-19. I'd like to take a moment to let you know what you can do to help yourself survive the winter with a stronger constitution in tact.

Oral Immune Support (That I take throughout the pandemic)

1. N-Acteyl Cysteine NAC. This is an inexpensive anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune modulator. Its' effects with COVID-19 have been written about in an NCBI journal article showing it may suppress replication of the virus, reduces cytokine storms, offer T-cell protection thereby mitigating tissue injury, and is a precursor to making glutathione (talked about next). This is my favorite add on to Chinese herbs during pandemic times.

2. Glutathione. This is a key anti-oxidant guardian in all tissues of the body. Also reported in the same journal, when this key tripeptide is at low levels it can be a major cause of excess inflammatory response resulting in severe COVID-19 symptoms. I often prescribe this for people with lowered immune systems or those with autoimmune conditions.

3. Turkey Tail mushrooms. This is my favorite immune support and cancer fighting fungi. All mushrooms aid in immune cellular defense. Some are targeting certain organ systems; therefore, having the right mushroom prescribed for your body type in Chinese medicine can be a huge plus.

4. Vitamin D. This too helps your immune system in fighting the effects of the coronavirus. Luckily this one was advertised by Fauci. We get less sun exposure in the winter months. Very likely that even healthy adults are low in this necessary hormone and vitamin.

All of these supplements are available at Golden Point Acupuncture to help you through the winter and beyond. Ask about them at your next visit.

These are general support for any person .*** A specific Chinese medicine formula for your body is ultimately the best approach to helping balance your system. There are a plethora of herbs to help with COVID; too many to talk about here. It is best to consult with myself to have one made for you. Also there are different herbs for different stages of the infection also depending on what your symptoms are. This is the beauty of Chinese medicine. It does not treat the disease; it treats the ecology of the person. A very different concept than a blanket medicine approach. If you or your loved ones need a virtual consultation or in person treatment, I am here for you! Book from our website.


Please remember lifestyle choices are the most important and foundational for a healthy immune system. Consider the following:

1. Lower your stress. This is the number one cause of disease, without a doubt. Doing a body orientated care practice such as exercise is irreplaceable to your overall well being. Also simply taking breaks from stimulus to the senses and engaging with meditation, breathing, prayer, yoga, and the like is foundational to lower inflammation and stress to our nervous system. It can even help you sleep and settle your mood.

2. Healthy Nutrition. This can be a loaded topic for some who are working with food concerns. If you are already limiting your food, I am a proponent of things you can add. Some of my personal favorites are mushrooms, pomegranates (in season now), quality fish, fermented foods, and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. I will say that removing sugar and alcohol are key in supporting the over health of your body and immune system.

3. Nature time. Because we are sheltered in place, a remote hike in nature with yourself or a friend is a wonderful activity you can do that is rejuvenating for your energy, mood, and soul. It is easy to get washed up in our homes at this time, so step outside forest bathe, see a body of water, or immerse yourself in sunny snow cover. Your body, mind and heart will thank you!

Can you Feel this?

Life is Precious.  Time to enjoy yourself, your interests, your habits.  What are your essentials for self-care?  Has your disciple increased?  It has to if you haven’t figured that out yet.  What if you turned off netflex?  What if you didn’t put intoxicants such as alcohol into your body?  What if this was the golden opportunity to see what do YOU like?  What makes YOU tick?  What are your treasures for self care and self preservation?

If you are extroverted or even if you are introverted,  maybe its time to turn into a leader and start an online forum or gathering that serves your community.  The Chinese character for the english word “crisis” has opportunity within it.  If you take something away, something else will come in its place.  What is that for you?

Do you have to DO something?  Can you just BE?  Can you just sit?  Can you just breath?  What are YOU feeling called to do?  Read a bunch of news and be on your phone?  Where does the education of the world news stop and your excessive scrolling begin?  Can you catch yourself? Put the phone down, get up, walk, stretch, read wise words that enhance wise choices and wise action. 

Are you using this time to manifest your next becoming?  Is that becoming something that is ego driven or is it service driven?  Can that becoming enhance livelihood for you and your loved ones?  Or is it self-gratifying?  Do you understand where that line in the sand is drawn between ego and humility?  What is your opinion and what is true?  is your opinion really true for all people or is it just something that belongs to you?  Do you need to profess it as if it were true?

Do you see what others are going through at this time?  your neighbor, the people you use to see at your local stores, coffee shops, and places you frequent?  Those who give you services? What about those you call your extended family?  The ones you don’t talk to very often?  Do you see how the pandemic might be affecting them?  Can you help?  Can you send them love and care form your heart?  Can you feel that?  Can you send yourself love and care?  Can you feel this?

What you might not hear anywhere else: Chinese Medicine used in China for COVID-19.

I’d like to share something very important that you might not hear from anyone else.  China appears to have plateaued with the number of COVID-19 cases mid February.  There are a number of reasons for this including ambitious containment efforts and the solidarity of provinces sending support to those communities most vulnerable.  I’d like to highlight foremost their integration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)  along with western medicine that was ordered by the Chinese government on February 10, 2020.

John Hopkins Global Cases. Orange is China, Yellow is all other countries, Green is total recovered

There was a notice that was  released from their Prevention and Control Headquarters to administer Chinese medicine (by herbal decoction or granules) in all medical establishments in Wuhan beginning February 3.  More than 85% of all patients with coronavirus, approximately 60,000 people, received herbal treatment along with western medicine treatments as of the end of February 2020.

This article speaks of observations 1/29/20- 2/4/20 at the Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine and Guandong Provincial TCM Hospital along with two other hospitals that used a combination of Chinese and western medicine. I highly recommend taking a look for yourself, but I will summarize in short that pneumonia patients who were so weak they could not speak were able to sit up in a matter of a few days, utter full sentences, and practice qi gong. Many other symptoms such as shortness of breath, bowel dysregulation, dry mouth began to improve and most patients eventually had full recoveries. 

TCM experts facilitating this kind of care in China were classifying the 4 phases of the infection to be prevention, early phase, pneumonia phase, and recovery.  Chinese medicine diagnoses conditions based on an individuals’ symptoms and not the name of a disease; therefore, you find several presentations they were working with which each have their own set of symptoms and herbal treatment. Upon infection in the early phase diagnoses were wind cold invading the exterior, toxic heat attacking the lung, and damp cold in the lung.  In the pneumonia phase, they saw shao yang syndrome with dampness, damp heat afflicting the lung, toxic stagnation obstructing the lung, and closed interior and abandoned exterior syndrome.  The recovery phase showed lung and spleen qi deficiency and deficiency of qi and yin.

Chinese herbal formulas were also readily available for hospital workers taking prevention measures with great success and no signs of infection in well over 1,000 people. A similar measure was also taken during the SARS epidemic with a similar finding of no infection of hospital staff.

On February 19, 2020 a medical app was released allowing COVID-19 cases to be paired up with a TCM doctor.  Appointments and direct communication could happen with their doctor on a daily basis including regularly adjusting herbal prescriptions that would carry them through to recovery. 

Because of the success of Chinese medicine implementation at certain hospitals during the pandemic, more discussion has surfaced on incorporating TCM theories into early childhood eduction in the Zhejiang Provenience. 

From the Western Han Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty, at least 321 large scale plagues happened in China and each time Chinese medicine has been on the frontline of treatment saving lives including our current pandemic.  They were equipped to handle COVID-19 because of many reasons; TCM being one of them.

Please share this article if you’d like.  

References: 

How COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) is Currently Treated in China with TCM

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in the Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) & Integration of TCM into Educational Curriculum

Report of the WHO-China Joint Mission on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

The Chinese New Year of the Rat

We are approaching a year of new beginnings, as we celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Metal Rat January 25, 2020. The rat is the first of the Chinese zodiac animals, so fresh starts are bound to be underway.  With it being a metal rat year and metal being sturdy, strong, and determined, it’s a wonderful year to start a new business, create new production, invest money in a long term project, get married, or begin a new relationship.

Rats are clever, quick, resilient, optimistic and energetic.  With a high attention to detail, they get the job done with some effort. If you do bring that entrepreneurial spirit, your projects and investments will be successful, as long as there is a good plan in place. Rats tend to be prosperous and gain financial reward.  Even though they may be stingy with their money, they are known to spend money on unnecessary things, so be sure to watch where your assets go.

Most of us will transform in our careers, especially those with independent detail orientated professions such as architects, engineers, surgeons, doctors, editors, writers, scientists, and the like.  

Health can be good over all, but do to the trail of work we will all fall into, exhaustion can be common along with weakened immunity.  Extra precaution should be taken to not over strain yourself. Keep a healthy work/life balance in check with plenty of rest, good diet, and adequate exercise, if you want to come out on top with your energy still in tact at the year’s end.

This is also a year where new love relationships are bound to surface and could last for the long haul if founded in the year of the rat.  For those already coupled, marriage or a deepening of love could be experienced.

2020 is an exciting transitionary year for all of us.  Keep active, follow the breadcrumbs, get your plan in place for your future!  We will certainly have the energy for it.

Lucky to Be Alive

I am lucky to be alive!  I was given a gift these last 6 weeks of recovering from being hit by an SUV that ran a stop sign.  When the accident happened, I was stopped at a 4 way stop and proceeded through on my rare ‘71 GTR Vespa with no one in sight and then felt the strong momentum of him barreling through the intersection knocking me off tumbling into the middle of the road. I was conscious but in shock and pain. Bystanders came dashing in to help including a black lab and a minister who prayed over me at the scene. Before I knew it an ambulance was there and my clothes were being cut from my body. I remembered the words I used to meditate with on a retreat: “this is how it is. It is like this right now.” I said these over and over in my mind to try to find some calming equanimous stream to have access to. It worked as I settled in to my new reality of pain.

It could have been a lot worse. Most of the bruising, sprains and strains have healed up well. My shoulder had 3 ligaments torn to create a Grade 5 AC separation. I was harnessed up during the healing process for several weeks.  I just took my brace off all day yesterday for the first time.  I’m mobile, but the recovery process now feels like its merely entering the next chapter. Fortunately, I will have a lot of experience to share with patients firsthand for treatments to come.

I am so grateful to be alive, to be able to walk and turn my head, to have had my sister, my partner, and friends come to my aid, and so much more. There are many things you need two arms for like dressing yourself, flossing your teeth, tying your shoelaces, you name it!

I hope this is a reminder for you to cherish some of the simple things. We never know when it may be our time to leave this planet, to experience tragedy or loss. I hope as well this is a reminder to be more present with whatever you are doing. . . especially driving!! Please leave driving for driving ONLY. Life is too precious to multi-task when you are on the road. I’ve been riding my now deceased Vespa “on defensive” for the last 12 years, but that wasn’t enough.

I will ultimately be ok. I improve more and more as time goes on. When the day comes I can do some version of yoga and dance again I will feel like the luckiest girl in the world!!

Through the course of my healing time I saw just how much my meditation practice served me in a time of need.   You don’t realize how much mind and heart training goes into a simple practice of sitting still.  It truly reprograms your reactions, your responses, and your outlook.  Having tasted states of equanimity so clearly from practice, it became the backbone of my state of being during the accident and right after, so I could make it through shock and pain.  Radical acceptance was necessary to acclimate to the situation.

I also took the time during my healing at home to practice energy medicine such as medical qi gong and Theta Healing.  This has become such a foundation for my own self-healing, that I do see being able to offer such things to patients in the near future. I am very excited about this and will definitely keep you all posted when this comes about. 

The Insightful, Calm, and Caring Year of the Yang Earth Dog

As we head in to the the Chinese New year of the yang earth dog of 2018 on February 16th, we are expecting a calm, stable completion of what was stirred up in previous fire rooster year.  A dog by nature is loyal and fair; honest communication is the foundation of this creature’s integrity. What you see is what you get.   With its strength in character and moral conviction, social justice will ring throughout the nation and those that stand up for such things will be heard.

Dogs are intelligent pack animals, so this is not necessarily the year to go out on your own.  Development of family and “man’s best friend,” are the ones who matter most.  Each pack also has an alpha male and alpha female, so those that fit this leadership bill will be the ones who stand out coupled with the notion of true service for the good of all.  A dog is a protector after all, so those that understand and value what is good for the pack will step into that alpha role.

We are also in what is considered a yang earth year, which alludes to the notion of being calm, strong and stable, like a mountain.  This energy is very slow moving, but sturdy.  Planning things out will be of great benefit and yield even more results throughout the year. People’s opinions could be a bit more stubborn, which could lead to conflict due to an eruption of convictions.  Aiming for peace would be the ultimate resolution. The challenge of this year will be setting healthy boundaries without putting up walls.  Living with and sensing some fear is common for a dog.   This will not be the year for fake news, faux-facebook friending, or bullies to have a field day.  People’s honesty and realness will be what builds trust.

Being a yang earth based year, we are more likely to see natural earth-like powerful shifts such as earthquakes and mudslides.  There is also a great likelihood of renewable energy sources to be on the rise, such as solar and wind.  The agricultural industry will take off and things related to the structural home and real estate. Anything green or of the environment will be in the limelight but this could also lead to territorial disputes. 

Romance and relationships are bound to be stable and strong.  A dog’s loyalty results in a wonderful joyous commitment, feeling the need for affection and touch from it’s mate.  Those who are single are more likely to meet a partner through their pack, so it may not be the best year for online dating.  Stick close to your friends for that special intro.

Body language will speak volumes, so stay grounded.  Take walks in nature to restore and align yourself with the energy in the air.  The earth element in Chinese medicine refers to the spleen, which has a lot to do with pancreatic and stomach function.  This could be the year we see more digestive issues, so keep a diet that is healthy and mild, no overeating or dampening foods such as dairy or excessive alcohol.   The emotions of the earth element when out of balance are ones of worry, rumination, and obsession; when in balance they are generous, loving, and care-giving while not jeopardizing ones own self-care.  Definitely a year to enhance your meditation practice for a stable happy mind.

Stick with your pack and share your resources with friends, family and coworkers.  Positive reenforcement will go along way, and those dogs around you will bound to be your new best friend.

Preserve your Energy this Winter

Seasonal change brings more than just a change in the landscape of the planet;  it changes our internal landscape as well.  Chinese medicine saw this to be true paying very close attention to how the elements affect us.  What season we are in becomes a great mirror for us to consider our activity level, our emotions, and what we should do with our physical bodies.  We are entering winter this month, the time of full yin.  The nights are long, the air is cool, and animals hibernate, this includes us!

Chinese medicine is based on the taoist principle of yin and yang which accounts for the duality we see in all of existence and the interconnectedness of all life.  This is represented by the yin yang symbol and as you can see each side has a little light in the dark or dark in the light.    Every concept you can think of in life is only available for distinction because there is an equal and opposite in nature.  You see  nighttime because you can also see daytime.  You know something is hard because you have had an experience of touching something soft. 

The yin aspect is represented by the feminine, the dark, intuition, the water element, and the winter season to name a few.  The kidneys are the organ system we want to nurture and pay attention to as well as its associated organ pair, the bladder and adrenal glands.  The kidneys are our main source of prenatal qi (or energy) and our jing (or reproductive essence).  This helps us rest, rejuvenate, and slow down the aging process.  The kidney health also contributes to the health our knees, low back and hearing.

The mammal instinct to hibernate during this season is spot on!  We should hope to emulate this activity by making decisions to not exceed our energy reserves; perhaps not go to that extra party and instead rest, eat nourishing soups and stews, cook with root vegetables or any other seasonal eats and take time reflect or retreat.  If we push ourselves too much this time of year, we as a human specious tend to get sick with colds and flus as well as tax our adrenal glands which help us adapt to the stresses of life.

Self-care can go beyond resting and eating and can engage with what nourishes your mind and heart such as acupuncture, meditation, bodywork, herbal remedies, qi gong, tai qi, which are all wonderful for cultivating qi for the kidneys.

Want to know a little background about the winter solstice?   Take a look at a previous blog article

Our Human Biology Lives According to the 5 Elements

Would you like to loose weight?  Have more energy so you can think clearer? Have better sleep?  Work out more efficiently? Feel balanced in your mood?  All of these things are possible if we begin to engage with our daily habits during the hours that the body is naturally inclined to practice them.  We can discover this timing from the ancient Chinese medicine Biological Clock.

We are creatures of habit.  This means that are bodies are built to operate habitually.  We are designed according to a circadian rhythm that operates over a 24 hour period.  Its a law of nature and the science behind this phenomenon was most recently awarded the Noble Prize in physiology and medicine.  The Chinese discovered this chronobiology long ago and actually spelled it out for us quite nicely.

As you can see in the mapped out chart, a lot of us may begin our day during the large Intestines time between 5-7 am.  This would be the body’s most ideal time to go to the bathroom followed by the stomach hours of 7-9 am, when we are most inclined to eat breakfast; the stomach during these hours knows to assimilate the food we eat, followed by the spleen hours 9-11am.  This Chinese spleen organ system is the best time of the day to use our brain and our muscles, so either a high amount of comprehension and memorization or one of the best times to exercise and lose weight while doing so.  In western medicine, they discovered that we have a cortisol rush at 8:00 am; this is our stress hormone that allows us to manage a lot of mental and physical stressors we subject ourselves to.  Right after this is the heart hours of 11am- 1pm, when the blood is circulating the most, the body is the warmest, and the sun is at its peak being the most yang time of day.

Moving into some of the evening hours, between 5-7 pm is the time of the kidneys; this means your reproductive essence and fertility is at its highest and would be a great time to engage in conceiving a child.  Being asleep between the gall bladder and liver hours of 11pm- 3 am is so incredibly ideal for our cellular repair, blood detoxification.  The hun, or etherial soul, is associated with the liver and is considered to be our consciousness. If we are in deep sleep during 1-3 am, our hun can return to its resting place in the liver, allowing for an easier mood, less stress, and living consciously during the day.  Also being asleep during the lung hours of 3-5 am is wonderful for detoxing and cleaning out our lungs while we sleep.  This is also when our immune systems are doing their best repair.

You might notice if you have a certain weakness or issue with a particular organ system, you are more likely to see symptoms during that time of day on the biological clock.  If you do notice repeated symptoms on an almost daily basis at the same time each day, tell your acupuncturist.  This is very useful information for your practitioner to know, so he or she may better treat you.

Earth Element Medicine Post Solar Eclipse

The beauty of Chinese medicine is how it sees the whole universe and everything in it as connected.  We are in essence a reflection of the cosmos around us.  When we fall into paying attention to the seasons as they change, we naturally change and our bodies, minds, and hearts follow suit without resistance.

Indian Summer is upon us late summer until autumn equinox, which resonates with the Earth Element of nature.  This is such a beautiful time for standing still, quieting down, and nurturing the Earth element inside of us by using the earth itself.  The air is bit humid as we experience it in some regions.  In the transition from the hot heat of summer to the coolness of fall, we are in the in-between yang and yin phases, which is a very balanced state to be in.  Yang is signified by the masculine summer sun, and Yin is represented in the feminine winter moon.  It is more than perfect in every way that we just experienced a total solar eclipse!  The conjoining of the sun and the moon hitting the earth, ushering in Indian Summer is so beautifully timed for all of us to enjoy and reap the benefits of a very balanced state of being.  We all will feel both our masculine and feminine sides equally in the drivers seat of our life.  This means our yang energy, our driving force to do, make order, provide structure is around just as much as our yin energy to rest, rely on intuition, and evoke creativity.  A very delicious place to be and so is the food coming out of the earth.  Our fruits and vegetables are at their ripest; our farmer’s markets are filled to the brim with a variety of delectable treats.  Feast on the harvest inside and out, retreat to home and heart, cook, relax, and slow down.  The more you slow down right now the more you will relish in the beauty of it all.  

Digestion

The Earth Element for the body has a lot to do with digestion, so eating healthy, whole foods is really the way to go.  The main organs that we work with right now are the stomach and Chinese spleen, more thought of as modern day pancreas.  So we want to eat just enough to nourish, but not too much to hinder digestion.  Remaining slow with all actions right now, including eating is the best thing you could do,  If there is too much heat in the body from summer, we might have acid reflux, stomach ulcers, indigestion, and problems with our stools.  Eating blander whole foods, cooked, yellow and orange in color can be very beneficial.

Emotions

In Chinese medicine we think our emotions are intertwined with our body, and there are certain feelings that correspond with an organ system.  When the spleen is taxed, we’ll have a propensity worry and ruminate at times to the point of obsessive thought patterns; when the spleen/stomach is healthy, we have a tendency to empathize and support others but not at the expense of our own health.  To keep the earth element emotion in us in check, meditation of all kinds is superb!  Staying with your own breath, your own body sensations, or a mantra is so beneficial for curbing worry and anxiety in its path.

If we were overdoing it this summer, or not getting enough sleep, we might tire easily, feel unmotivated, or have some of those digestive and emotional concerns bubble up.  The Earth element in the body manifests its essence in our muscles, so moving our body in healthy gentle ways will lift fatigue.  One could engage with yoga, qi gong, tai chi, or prana and breath practices to circulate the qi and move the blood.  All of this is wonderful to nourish the blood to prep immunity for the upcoming fall season. 

These Indian summer weeks really are time to reflect, stay still, and rejoice in all the new beginnings that are happening around us right now.  Empathize with others, but also empathize with yourself, really listen to the inner landscape, for its a reflection of the earth’s landscape.  Seeing more of the beauty around you is only possible if you can reflect on the beauty within.  This is all Earth Element medicine.  Listen for it, because it here as your guidance.

Tips to Calm Anxiety

Calming anxiety can be tricky, especially if you are in the middle of feeling pretty anxious and you’re not sure how to get out of it.  I’d like to share with you some helpful tools that really can center the mind.  Of course these things would be great to go to in the middle of an anxious episode but they are even better utilized on a day to day basis regardless of how you are feeling, in order to condition the mind and prevent anxiety from coming up in the first place.

As you will see these all engage with the senses

1. Sound.  You can listen to music or sounds that stimulate alpha wave, theta wave, or delta waves in the brain.  These are the resonate brain waves we pass through on the journey from relaxation into sleep mode.  There will be a lot of resources on music players such as spotify, soundcloud, and youtube.  Here are a couple for your reference:

-Themindunleashed.com

-Look up Dr. Jeffrey Thompson as another place to start for such music composition.

2. Smell. Relaxing essential oils will also be useful to change your brain through the olfactory sense door and can be great at bedtime or used in a diffuser in your work or home environment.  Try scents such as lavender, clary sage or bergamot for calming anxiety.

3.  Pause and Breathe. In the moment, wherever you are, do some deep abdominal belly breathing.  You can do this standing in place in the middle of your work day or while sitting or laying down during a moment of rest. Put your hands on your belly while you do this, so you can feel your breath rise and fall in your own body.  Also putting your hand on your heart is a trigger to release oxytocin, a happy hormone that reminds of the felt sense of love.   I also suggest smiling while you do this. 

4. Touch. Drop in some place for a massage or acupuncture.  This can also get you out of your head, and in your body.  Trigger general relaxation.  Baths with epsom salts and lavender can help to sooth muscle tension and thereby lessening anxiety. 

5.  Listen to some guided meditations and talks.  You can find many resources such as a day to day 21 day guided experience with Deepak Chopra.  Dharma seed is a wonderful app for 1000's of dharma talks coming from Buddhist philosophies; however, if that does not interest you, not to worry, there are many guided meditations that will apply to staying present in your body and breathe, which is really one of the best remedies to getting out of your anxious head and into a relaxed state of being.  If you happen to like some of the talks on there you could check out these instructors: Tara Brach, Guy Armstrong, Mark Coleman, Jack Kornfield, Howie Cohn. Everyone has a different flavor. Here is the website http://dharmaseed.org/,  but is easier to navigate as an app

6.  Diet. Believe it or not, what you eat can have a great effect on your mood. Eating a lot of sugar or carb rich things can hype us up for a little while, even with anxiety, and then is followed by a crash of fatigue and for some irritability.  Eating more protein and healthy fats as those found in salmon and walnuts, can bring balance to your mood, clear your head and prevent fatigue.  

No matter what, remember, there is no quick fix to sooth anxiety permanently.  It is a state of mind that comes and goes in varying degrees.  The more you practice some of the tips mentioned here, over time, the severity of the emotion lessens more and more.

Does the Heart have a Brain?

Thinking with the heart and not the head could now be no longer considered merely a metaphor thanks to recent discoveries by modern neurocardiologists.  Neural cells make up 60%- 65% of the heart rather than muscle cells, as previously thought.  The axonic and dendritic connections of these cells called ganglia and the neurotransmitters between them mimic the neural links found in the brain.

This quite literally makes the heart an “emotional brain.”

As an exocrine gland, the heart secrets the hormone atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) affecting every part of the limbic system, the part of our body that processes emotion.  This quite literally makes the heart an “emotional brain.”  The ganglia in the heart have connections to every major organ in the body as well as our muscular system.  This could be why human emotion can be conveyed through expressive movement and dance or why a person’s stomach could feel tied up in knots with impeded digestion during times of great stress or emotional upheaval.

Heart ache is a sensation the body commonly feels when you’ve lost a loved one or ended a relationship.  The chest can literally ache as you feel a surge of emotional strife.  In the west we understand the brain and its limbic system to be the baring of bad feelings along with the perception of any other emotional state we might feel.  Western medicine has countless prescription drugs to numb the effects of certain emotional states that become unbearable for us.  Modern day psychologists see this as a course of treatment, attributing the reason for these high and low emotional states to be a chemical imbalance in the brain.

TCM does not look to the brain and it’s neurotransmitters as a method of diagnosis and treatment of psychological disturbances as seen in the West. Extreme states of anxiety, sadness, insomnia, and mania are all conditions of imbalances in the heart.   A state of anxiety, for example, could have a diagnosis of ‘heart fire.”  Traditional Chinese medicine sees the heart as the “king organ” of all emotions.  It houses what is known as a the shen.  Acupuncture treatments calm shen and correct imbalances either with the heart or what encases it, the pericardium.  From a mild state of anxiety to a more severe condition of schizophrenia, all look to not the brain, but the organ the heart and its Chinese meridian systems as a way to restore a patient’s emotional health.

Year of the Yin Fire Rooster 2017

We are headed into another new year January 28th, 2017 as the Yin Fire Rooster stands to show his feathers in his usually considerate, mild-mannered, charming kind of way.  Some of us may be in shock or feel tense by the happens of 2016, but the softer yin nature we are about to encounter will smooth things over a bit as we see the repercussion of all the quick decisions made during the monkey year.  The rooster is inspirational and a fearless visionary waking people up with his crow at down because of his strength, bravery, and leadership.  This kind of outlook overseeing the world, will enable us to heal from past actions personally and collectively.

We should all be a little more polite and less stubborn and stick to practical well-proven paths to ensure success, rather than risky ventures.  Roosters can be territorial; this can be both good and bad.  Countries may engage in dispute especially with a war on words, but roosters know how to take care of their flock suggestive to men even being able to stand up for women’s rights, for instance.  One of the most enduring qualities of the rooster is his honesty, so truths will emerge.  We should just be warned not to engage in any “cockfights;” however, because banding together and fighting for a cause will have power when done politely.

What a year for career and finances!  A rooster generally can be his own accountant as he is punctual and focused on details.  We will all be encouraged to take on that hat, organize our finances, start working on debt, and get those ducks in row for years to come.  This is not the year to let your work slide on the job.  Stay focused and invested on the work in front of you.  It is a time to team build being that roosters generally flock together.  Living well together means also remembering hierarchy as you come together for a common cause.  We will all be tempted to restructure things with a new pecking order.  There will be a heightened sense of intuition and non-verbal communication especially from those who were previously quiet.

Because roosters are quite charismatic, this year is sure to be a romantic one.  Especially because we are blessed with the fire element, we will come across a lot of tempting flirts. Just stay alert and don’t be fooled by charm for being the real deal.  Those in relationships will feel that romanticism and want to get married and those married may feel the urge to have a baby.

We will be quite consumed by our health and our looks this year wanting to dress to impress.  A very good year for businesses that involve design, art, and fashion.  People will want to entertain in the home so businesses spilling over into real estate and home decor will also do splendidly.

The other side of the coin to looking good is feeling good.  This is definitely a year to get that gym membership, eat clean healthy foods, do your doctor check ups, and pay extra special attention to the root of your health concerns finding doctors and alternative healthcare practitioners that will help you discover any underlining issues.  We will all have a dose of exhaustion to recover from because of fire monkey 2016.

You’ll want to engage with regular healthy routines.  Set your day up right with a morning ritual so your health takes priority.  This enables a natural flow for you being able to be better balanced financially and show up for work ready to excel.

Generally speaking people will want to gather with family or like-minded individuals looking to more passive forms of social fun and play.  It will be easy to be enthralled and enthusiastic during little moments of happiness.  Someone once said that Yin Fire is like a small bundle of flowers hiding in the woods waiting to be enjoyed.  Lift up your spirits by finding those precious hidden beauties and celebrating those that you find with others.  There is no better time to be friendly even to a stranger, for that warm-heartedness is ultimately what drives the rooster to crow to a fresh new morning.

A Blaze of Light to Come on the Solstice:

It’s been a long and trepidatious 2016, but as we enter the Winter Solstice on December 21st, the longest night of the year, light is at the end of the tunnel . . . literally.  The sun will begin to shine brighter and closer to us in the Northern Hemisphere, calling in more yang energy, that which builds strength and qi after great stillness.  Solstice translated from Latin means “sun set still.”  

Traditionally people would gather around a fire or light a candle to mark the great sunlight that is to come, while also setting intentions of letting go of everything that came before in order to pave way for the new year.   Use this last sacred night of deep yin to reflect on what happened over the year and what you might do differently.

This makes a beautiful holiday to celebrate because it is where the darkness, melancholy, and stresses of life can be met with the hope of a brighter day.  Where true yin meets true yang.  A reminder that all of life works in a balance and nothing can be felt or understood without awareness of its opposite.  To feel the light, you must understand the dark.  Even if 2016 was a hard year for you, always remember that what is challenging becomes the fuel for cultivation. 

The deeper the challenge both personally and collectively the greater the potential for our awakening.

So. . . .

-Light a candle or a fire

-Reflect on the previous year

-Let go of what you need to (even burn these reflections written down on paper)

-Honor what you learned

-Move forward with a new intention

The Merriment of Metta

People often ask me after I tell them I’m going on silent retreat, “how can you do that?” My feeling on the matter is, “how could I not?!”

For me being in silence and meditating for a few days is profoundly life changing, but it isn’ta walk in the park by any means.  When you strip away the distractions of daily life and you live with just the basics, of eating, sleeping, walking, and sitting amongst a community, it is in this state you so easily meet yourself and in some cases meet versions of yourself you didn’t know were there.

I recently went on a metta and qi gong retreat, where not only did I experience the inner workings of the mind, but I met the power of the heart.  Qi gong (movement meditation) was a brilliant method of prepping the body for what was to come throughout the whole week.

We meditated with the heart opening practices of metta (loving kindness), karuna (compassion), and mudita (empathetic joy).  We evoked a deep wish for all beings to be happy and safe, no matter what, because ultimately we all have goodness at our core that we can wake up to. We experienced feelings of compassion for the self and others, wishing that we may all hold our suffering with ease and tenderness.  When we celebrated other people’s joys in life and resonated in that feeling, we tapped into supreme joy without our own hearts.

After a heart work out like that, you can hold the sufferings and the joys of others and have equanimity in the face of whatever comes your way.  It can soften anger into courage, fear into beauty, and sadness into compassion.  I feel that inner strength can only come from wisdom, the type of wisdom that one feels deep in their bones, that to this day I have found most profoundly comes from meditation.

Understanding and observing what compassion feels like in your body on an energetic level, felt like training for a fierce heart.  Before the retreat my heart ached for the conditions of the world today, feeling soft and vulnerable.  After the retreat, there’s a strength in there now and a capacity to hold what’s to come my way.

What exactly I will do with this open heart, I am not certain.  But one thing is for sure, it starts with the people that cross my path and my hope is by touching them, it will ripple out further and further to reach more communities.

Finding Gratitude During Challenging Times

I’ve been in those places, and I’m sure you have too: where your mood is not the best, things just don’t seem to be going right, some other challenging aspect of life is meeting you head on, and somehow the world around you appears to be a stressful, depressive one.  Being with all of that, you wonder how will I overcome it, change my mood, or find a smile on my face?

I’ve combed through many types of “feel good” strategies over the years: mediation, yoga, journaling, dance, exercise, alcohol, friends, books, talks, affirmations, prayer, travel, nature. You name it, and I’ve probably tried it in effort to quell the storm that sat inside my head.  The thing that kept coming back as a practice to feel ok again, maybe even joyful or blissful in some circumstances, was the practice of gratitude.

When my heart was hard, it softened.

When I worried much, it brought me back to the present.

When I was self- absorbed with my troubles, I opened up to all sentient beings around me.

It has been difficult in the past when my mood was down   to sit and force a sense of gratitude for things in my life. During these times, it can be challenging to find a connection with a compassionate heart that emerges from gratitude.  So I figured out something, instead of naming off in my head life scenarios related to work, home, relationships, and health, I meditated on something a bit more simplistic.  I tapped into gratitude for the senses that come with being human and the nature on this planet that has stood the test of time. This became a gateway back to the heart softening that felt so familiar from other gratitude practices I’ve experienced in the past.

I began finding gratitude for the parts of my body that are in good working order.  I was grateful for my skin that warms and protects my body; my mouth for being able to eat delicious foods; my eye sight for seeing the beauty of a redwood forest; my breath that supplies and connects me with the air that surrounds us; my legs that are able to take me to all sorts of places.  I began being grateful for the the plants, animals, oceans, lakes, and rivers that nourish us on this planet.

All of these simple things we often take for granted are always there for us.  Taking a moment to recognize their impact in the middle of a stormy life could very possibly bring a smile inside your heart.  Gratitude is not just for when we are feeling good.  It’s actually one of the most useful tools we have when life is difficult.