Don't Fall In Love.

Don't fall in love (with Spring) too soon.

We’ve had a couple of nice, warm days around here and I can sense my temptation to feel like it’s Spring already. But I know what happens when I do that too soon. Something in me melts, and I open up to new beginnings and warmer weather. My energy changes… and then another cold blast of Winter feels even harsher and harder to take. Has this ever happened to you?

Not only that, but when we fall into the arms of Spring too soon, we miss out on some of the important aspects of Winter that we need to get us through the rest of the year. We need to stay in the darker, colder days a little bit longer so that we can absorb the quiet and store up reserves we are going to need later.

If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of Winter and how to get the most out of it and be ready for the rest of the seasons charged with your full potential, come to my next workshop - “Filling Your Reserves in Winter” at Nava Yoga on Friday, Feb. 17 at 6:30 pm. Here’s a link to register.

So, my friend, stay steady and true. Don’t be tempted by the flirtations of early spring weather. Keep cosy and wrapped up in your winter blankets. When the time does come you will be ready to open your arms to Spring when it fully arrives.

Five Element Acupuncture treatment is another great way to stay in balance as the seasons change. Come in for a session soon to experience that for yourself!
 

Winter is Hard.

Do you have a hard time accepting winter - the cold, and the dark and the lack of visible growth? In Five Element theory, winter and the Water Element associated with it are viewed as a challenging but really important part of the cycle. The promise of this season is that deep rest and restoration is possible. The rest of your year can be so much more potent when you get this.

It can help you cope when you see how it fits into the bigger picture of our lives and how our patterns shift throughout the year and within our bodies and selves.
I've made a video (see below) to describe some of the way the Water Element plays out in our lives.
I'm also teaching a workshop on Winter and the Water Element  to help you find ways to stay warm and find balance, health and restoration in this season. To make it easier for you to attend, I'm offering the workshop twice - come to either one!

Filling Your Reserves in Winter - A Five Element Workshop
At Nava Yoga Center
Saturday January 21, 1-3pm
http://www.navayogacenter.com/workshops

Filling Your Reserves - Winter and the Water Element
At Healing Arts Collective
Saturday January 28 1-2:30
https://m.facebook.com/events/1738840053100857/?ref=1&action_history=%5B%7B%22surface%22%3A%22permalink%22%2C%22mechanism%22%3A%22surface%22%2C%22extra_data%22%3A%5B%5D%7D%5D

One of the good qualities that winter offers us is deep stillness. This can be a good time to start a meditation practice or even just take a few quiet breaths and let yourself rest into that stillness. Or come in for a Zero Balancing session - so often that drops you into a deeply peaceful, still place.

I hope you can make it to a workshop, and enjoy the video below!

Warm wishes,
Doren

Just click on the image to watch the video

 

That involuntary smile...

When you get really relaxed - I don’t know if you know this - you get a tiny little smile at the corners of your mouth. 

I know it because I am lucky enough to see that smile on several people a week. Usually this is during the Zero Balancing portion of the session, after we’ve talked a bit about what’s going on, and done some acupuncture to get the energy flowing better. Now the body is releasing old patterns of tension held in the shoulders or neck and as you slip into a deeply relaxed state - there it is. I find that smile a truly beautiful thing.

Each of us holds a beauty along with all the rest of our complexity. We each also hold tightness and hurts and old patterns. When we are able to flow better, it’s easier to connect with that beauty and ease within yourself. And it shows - in your face, in the way you walk, and the way you interact.

That is why I do the work I do, and why I feel it makes a difference in the wider world. I believe that when any one of us finds a way to release and resolve an old negative pattern, it makes a difference to all of us. It certainly makes a difference to you. It also makes a difference to the people in your life. Who knows how far those ripples go? If you want to see change in the world, the place to start is within yourself. And hopefully with a smile...

I’d love to see that smile on your face. Or on the face of your friend. That’s why I’m offering gift certificates for Zero Balancing Sessions for 10% off in December. Give the gift of relaxation, and let the smile come unbidden.

With warm wishes,

Doren

I get overwhelmed.

Whether it’s true or not, I end up feeling that I can’t handle what’s going on - that it’s too much for me. Sometimes when I’ve already made it through an experience, I still feel it affecting me - and those reverberations can wear me out.

When I feel that way, I use a method to ground myself and clear my energy field. I use it before I go into a challenging situation so that I can feel strong and clear and maintain my boundaries. I use it after an interaction or experience that seems to be sticking with me, so that I can clear my mind and energy field.

I wanted to share that method with you, so I made a video - see below. 

I’ll be teaching this and other methods to help you balance your energy at my upcoming classes (Nov. 19 at Mount Airy Learning Tree, January 21 at Nava Yoga and Jan 28 at Healing Arts Collective). See my website for more details about signing up.

My heart really goes out to you - and to all of us - as we try to keep our balance while dealing with the negativity this world can throw at us. In my life, receiving Five Element Acupuncture and Zero Balancing have been such a big part of keeping my equilibrium. If you would like that kind of support, please contact me for a consultation to find out more.

Click the image below to view a short video on the Grounding and Clearing technique I talked about:

What's in a number?

Of course, I’m really into the number Five. Because my work, and much of my life, is centered around the Five Elements, and I seem to find that concept endlessly fascinating.

But how did we get to Five? In the ancient Chinese philosophy that developed the concept of the Five Elements, there are also understandings about Zero. And One. And Two... well you get the idea.

I’m teaching a class in November where we will go over this Taoist numerology, as well as introduce each of the Elements, and do some Five Element Qi Gong exercises, too! It’s going to be fun! Can you make it?

Saturday, November 19, 1-3pm
at Mount Airy Learning Tree
6601 Greene Street, Mt. Airy, PA
$24    register onine here

Looking forward to seeing you there, or in the treatment room or wherever we meet.

Warmly,

Doren

P.S. The picture above is from the class I taught on October 23 about Autumn and the Metal Element. We looked at how we Let Go of things physically, emotionally, spiritually and how we return to our own Essence as we do. It was a great discussion. Also a chance to share techniques for clearing out your own energy field, or the energy of a room. If you missed it but want to learn those techniques, reply to this email and I’ll send you the instructions.

You've got to let go sometime...

Click the image below to see a 3 minute video on the Metal Element

Thanks angel!

An angel is watching over me. At least I think so. And I’m really feeling grateful and lucky.

Last weekend I was dancing at a workshop with Five Rhythms Philly (I totally love them, see link below) and I was taking a moment to rest, sitting with my legs hanging off the edge of the stage.

Somehow that made me remember another time when I sat in that position, back in 2nd grade, when our school had gone on a field trip to a farm. I was riding on a flatbed wagon with my legs hanging off the front. A tractor was pulling us through a beautiful woods. I was looking up at the sun coming through the trees.

Suddenly I felt the teacher sitting next to me pull my legs to one side. One second later the front of the flatbed, exactly where my legs had been, hit a tree. There was a thud that made it clear that if my legs had been there they would have been crushed. Wow, so grateful to that teacher. My life could have been very different.

And then the thought/feeling comes in “There was an angel guiding him that day.” Yes, that feels right. Amazing to see how that one moment in time, decades ago, made it possible for me to be dancing here today. “Yes, I think that was an angel,” I say to myself. And then I “hear” (from my internal awareness) the voice of that angel saying, “And I’m still here today.” So amazed, and grateful!

Maybe you don’t believe in angels. That’s ok. To me, its a convenient - and feels like the most accurate - way to describe this experience. It doesn’t matter what you call it though, angels, God, luck, coincidence.... but what you should believe in is Gratitude.

Gratitude has been shown to improve our physical and mental health, to lead to better sleep and better relationships. Find a way to steep yourself in some gratitude today and everyday. Maybe you will remember a time when you were rescued from disaster and you may wonder what forces were at play, and realize how different your life could have been.

In my work as an acupuncturist, I’ve helped people at all different levels of health and ability. And my clients have shown me that everyone has something to be grateful for. And they’ve given me a deeper sense of gratitude for my own well-being - for being able to live and move in this body - to dance! If you can walk on two legs, can listen to music, can sway to a beat - be grateful. We all can take a breath, rest our weight on the earth and feel the warmth of the sun. For that and more, and for the angels that watch over us, I am grateful. Sometimes it’s the simple things.

http://www.5rhythmsphilly.com

Earth Element Video

Are you always giving? Find it hard to stop doing and rest? Do worry and a sense of lack play a big part in your thinking? View this 3 minute video to find out more about where some of this might be coming from.

The Heart of the Issue

A video about how I help when there are problems of the heart.

A Little Bit of Magic...

For a long time I have hesitated to write about the magic that sometimes happens when I am doing my work. Putting experiences into words often changes them, and with these kinds of things, the words never quite feel right.

Also, of course, I wonder how people will take it. Am I crazy? At first when these things would happen I would ask myself, “Am I just making this up?” But over time, I have come to realize that is not a very useful question. Developing intuition happens by trusting what we are getting, and then confirming it with others. This has happened often enough now that I trust it - and if I’m wrong, but it still helps bring about healing, I’m ok with that!

So... I’m starting a new section of my blog called:

Little Bits of Magic

I was working on a client’s knee. I noticed that the inside/medial side of the knee was expelling heat and seemed to be struggling more than the outside/lateral. This was interesting because the client had torn her ACL and had surgery on it, but it was the other side that was not happy. As I listened in further I asked the MCL (medial cruciate ligament) how it was doing. It said that it was feeling over-burdened. “My partner is too strong and inflexible - it’s like I’m paired with SuperMan over there and I can’t keep up!”

Then I turned my attention to the ACL and asked it how it was doing. A feeling of deep sadness welled up in me and made me want to cry. Suddenly I remembered that the client had told me that her ACL surgery included using a cadaver ligament to replace her torn one. It took a while to reach the energy of this ligament, and when I did it was very slow and limited. But it was there! I asked it if it knew it had a partner and if it could work to be more in tune with the other ligament. Language didn’t come easily here, but there was a sense of awareness and willingness to be more connected and gentler. It was a very tender, almost heart-breaking exchange.

After the session I shared with the client what I had experienced. Like many who have had injuries that, at times, cause pain or limitation, she had felt in a bit of an adversarial relationship to her knee. Since then she has been listening to her knee more and become more aware of more sensations. Only good can come of her having more connection and compassion for them, as well as hopefully those two partnered ligaments having better communication with each other!

What is my Path?

What is my Path?

What is my path? What direction should I be taking in my life right now? As I’m walking through the woods, I’m so caught up in my thoughts about this that I barely notice where I am.   I do realize I am blessed to have found my vocation early in life - being a healing practitioner fulfills my sense of purpose. But with relocating and re-establishing my practice last year, I am again looking closely again at what I do and where I put my focus. Who are the clients who get the most from my work? How can I find them? Should I spend more time teaching? What is the right next step for me to take? What is my path?

It’s a question that is close to the heart of many of my clients. Many of us who seek that answer get frustrated because we want to see the end result. How will I know which way to go, if I can’t see where it will take me? The truth is, we don’t get to know that now. Anne Lamott says it well in her advice about writing, “[It’s] ‘like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.’ You don’t have to see where you’re going, you don’t have to see your destination or everything you will pass along the way. You just have to see two or three feet ahead of you.”

Our only option is to be fully present here and now. To listen to our bodies and our hearts about which ways we are drawn, which path feels good for now. For me, healing and teaching are the heart of my calling.

As I come to awareness of the present, the swirling thoughts stop for a minute, and I am present in the woods where I am walking. I suddenly hear the orchestra of birdsong that has been surrounding me without me even hearing a note. The purple flowers in the treetop above are sending down a sweet and spicy scent. And there is green all around me - I love this! The nourishment of walking in a green forest is part of why I moved back to this area. And so I step forward on my path, after snapping this picture. I am feeling my way, and appreciating the experience as I go.

Winter. Time.

I stepped my toes into the water and time just disappeared. I had just moved across the country and would be living near the Delaware River. This was my first “hello” to the river since I’d arrived.

Often time seems to be rushing by. Or else everything is moving too slowly. Especially in winter time seems to slow down. Except that our schedules keep us running from one event to the next. In acupuncture theory, Winter is associated with the Water element. It’s funny how images of water come up when I think of being out-of-sync with the passage of time. “Drinking from a fire-hose” is what we say when feeling rushed and overwhelmed. “Pushing the river” is the feeling I get when I want the process to go faster than it does. The wonderful thing about water is that it does what it does in its own time.

In my first days after moving I was staying in a house right on the edge of the water. But things had been hectic and I hadn’t really taken a chance to feel the presence of this wide, slow, wise river. I woke up early one morning and felt drawn to go stand on the bank. It was a warm summer day and stepping into the water felt right. In fact, the gentle coolness of the water felt so good that I kept going. I walked right in to the water in my nightgown and laid back and floated. 

Overhead the clouds and leaves of the trees drifted slowly by as the gentle current eased me along at its calm pace. And time disappeared. I was at one with that pace. With the clouds, the leaves, the water and its current.

We’ve got a lot to learn from the Water element. We are lucky to have rivers nearby that can teach us many things. Take care of your Water element this winter season by tuning to the timing of life and finding your way to stillness and rest when you need it. Time will keep doing what it does.

photo credit: Karen Kirkpatrick

Letting go...

As I walk this morning I am treading on leaves. Passing under each different tree, the carpet changes. This is a closer view of the leaves than I get when they are high up in the tree. Now I can see the interesting shape of the sycamore leaves and the silvery underside of the maple leaves. I can see details - the imperfections and the beauty. 

This season of Autumn is associated with the Metal Element in Five Element Acupuncture. The Metal Element within us has the role of helping us let go and return to our essence. Before, I’ve seen that in how without leaves, we can again see the essence of the tree - it’s trunk and branches, it’s basic shape. But today I thought about how letting the leaves go also lets them be seen more closely. It’s like that phrase “when the cards are on the table” we can really see who someone is.

I’ve arrived here in the Philadelphia area after some big changes in my life. Family struggles and the break down of a relationship as well as feeling a call to return to this beloved city and the forests and the river. I really had to let go and let things fall away and fall where they may. And yes, I feel that it is bringing me closer to my essence. I hope that it also let’s others see me in more detail - the imperfections and the beauty.