Please Be Gentle With Yourself

I have found myself writing and/or saying those words to an unusually large number of people in recent months. 

All in response to trauma, stress, fear, illness, worry or the loss of a loved one.

According to Chinese Medicine, Autumn is the time for grief and awe, for choosing the valuable jewels to keep in your pocket and letting the rest go. Many people let go of life in the fall, leaving the rest of us to grieve and cherish the gifts worth keeping. My mentor and friend, BobDuggan, the one who taught me this, passed away this fall. I am thankful daily for the many gifts he gave me and am inspired anew to share them with the world.

Now, we begin the plunge into the holiday season and Winter is making itself known. It is the season of courage and fear, quietly facing the unknown and being willing to sit in deep, dark, stillness with it. Letting our resources rebuild until we're ready to rise back up in the Spring. Unlike the chaos many of us have designed for ourselves this time of year. 

As as a result, this transition we're in, between letting go and unknowing, is often a struggle for many in our culture. We seem to think that we should be on the go constantly, happy constantly, no time to reflect. And yet, nothing in nature does that. What makes us think we're exempt? I'm seeing a lot of illness and dis-ease in my treatment room due that struggle. Helping people let go and open back up to that deep, revitalizing stillness is a huge part of my work these days.

It seems to me that it's no mistake that the presidential election is at this transitional time of year. It is our nation's time to choose what/who is valuable and let the rest drop away. It sets the tone for the future, just as fall and winter in the natural world does for spring.

Many old wounds are being lanced of late in our world. So much pain. So much suffering. So much ugliness. As we mend and recover, may we come to cherish what's valuable while letting go of what's not. May we sit quietly together, listening, as we repair these old wounds, not knowing what will come of it.

May we show simple kindness to ourselves. And others. Rebuilding our community, one moment at a time. Not in reaction, just quietly being with each other. The equivalent of my (southern) culture's tradition of just showing up with a ham and quietly doing the dishes. This is how we will heal and grow together.

So, please… be gentle with yourself.

Until next time,

Janice

p.s. Feel free to drop me a note or give me a call if I can be of help to you during this time. ~ jc

Please Be Gentle With Yourself

I have found myself writing and/or saying those words to an unusually large number of people in recent months. 

All in response to trauma, stress, fear, illness, worry or the loss of a loved one.

According to Chinese Medicine, Autumn is the time for grief and awe, for choosing the valuable jewels to keep in your pocket and letting the rest go. Many people let go of life in the fall, leaving the rest of us to grieve and cherish the gifts worth keeping. My mentor and friend, BobDuggan, the one who taught me this, passed away this fall. I am thankful daily for the many gifts he gave me and am inspired anew to share them with the world.

Now, we begin the plunge into the holiday season and Winter is making itself known. It is the season of courage and fear, quietly facing the unknown and being willing to sit in deep, dark, stillness with it. Letting our resources rebuild until we're ready to rise back up in the Spring. Unlike the chaos many of us have designed for ourselves this time of year. 

As as a result, this transition we're in, between letting go and unknowing, is often a struggle for many in our culture. We seem to think that we should be on the go constantly, happy constantly, no time to reflect. And yet, nothing in nature does that. What makes us think we're exempt? I'm seeing a lot of illness and dis-ease in my treatment room due that struggle. Helping people let go and open back up to that deep, revitalizing stillness is a huge part of my work these days.

It seems to me that it's no mistake that the presidential election is at this transitional time of year. It is our nation's time to choose what/who is valuable and let the rest drop away. It sets the tone for the future, just as fall and winter in the natural world does for spring.

Many old wounds are being lanced of late in our world. So much pain. So much suffering. So much ugliness. As we mend and recover, may we come to cherish what's valuable while letting go of what's not. May we sit quietly together, listening, as we repair these old wounds, not knowing what will come of it.

May we show simple kindness to ourselves. And others. Rebuilding our community, one moment at a time. Not in reaction, just quietly being with each other. The equivalent of my (southern) culture's tradition of just showing up with a ham and quietly doing the dishes. This is how we will heal and grow together.

So, please… be gentle with yourself.

Until next time,

Janice

p.s. Feel free to drop me a note or give me a call if I can be of help to you during this time. ~ jc

What's on your plate?

I'm back!

Life has provided a feast of opportunities for me over the last year and a half and blog updates have fallen by the wayside. Many apologies.

On my plate, I have my rewarding acupuncture practice, my peaceful and lovely wellness center, the second year of my graduate studies in Chinese Herbs leading to my eventual Doctorate in Chinese Medicine, supervising in the student acupuncture clinic and teaching diagnostic interaction at MUIH, and last but far from least, my wonderful family.

*whew*

So, where and when to breathe?

Now.

It's all we truly have.

When a patient comes to see me, I often lead them in the following meditation:

Take a deep breath all the way down to your toes, breathing deep into your belly. 

Now, with each exhale, I want you to let go of everything up to this minute. The past does not exist except in what we say about it. And we get to tell whatever story we want to... or none at all. So, for now, just let them all drop away like rain off a raincoat.

At the same time, letting go of anything that might happen next. Letting all the what-ifs and the lists of things to do float away like a handful of balloons...

Letting all of you sink down into right now.

Pulling your awareness down through your whole body to the soles of your feet.

Noticing the spaces between your toes...

The weight of your body in space...

And giving yourself permission to stop doing... and let yourself be.

Alive and awake to this moment, 

right now,

where life is happening.

It's all we have...

and more than enough.


*ahhh...*

I'll meet you back here next time.
Unless of course, I see you in the real world before then.

peace,
Janice