A resolution without intention is but a wish....but a wish with intention becomes a resolution indeed. Welcome 2014

    It's January, the time of new beginnings, fresh starts and clean slates. We are now officially seven days into the new year and many of us are making, and yes, occasionally breaking the promises we make to ourselves every year fondly referred to as resolutions. We tend to start the year off stoked to finally make the changes that we have wanted to make in our lives and we do this with blazing guns. Yet for most of us the dust settles in the first few weeks, and, alas our old habits return. Is that because we make promises to ourselves that we just refuse to keep? Or is it because perhaps we just need to adjust the way we think of the word resolution?

    A resolution is not an unintentional promise, it is not an unattainable goal or sacrifice. It is also not a wish that will magically come true with the dropping of the ball in Times Square at midnight of the last day of the previous year. Sorry to break the news but the resolution fairies are not flying in anytime soon to help make these little promises come true. So let's take a look at what a resolution really is and how to make it work for us.

    According to Miriam Webster the definition is ...

    " res·o·lu·tion

: the act of finding an answer or solution to a conflict, problem, etc. : the act of resolving something

: an answer or solution to something

: the ability of a device to show an image clearly and with a lot of detail. "

     Clearly, the third definition in Miriam Webster's dictionary is referring to a device such as a camera, television, or something of the like but what if we expand this meaning a little bit. What if we use this definition as a tool to discern what our resolution really ought to be. In order for this to truly work we need a way to see a clear picture with detail of what our ultimate resolution is. If you're up for the challenge proceed through the following excersise.
 

1. Grab a paper and pen and head to a comfortable place in your home. Light a candle, play some soothing music and relax in a place where you can be uninterrupted for the next twenty minutes.
2. Sit in a comfortable position and clear your mind.
3. Let your mind drift through the events of the last year. Allow yourself to acknowledge how you felt during the events that stuck out in your mind. Hold on to those feelings no matter how big or how small, significant or insignificant they may be, identify them, connect with them.
4. After you have a hold on your feelings from the previous year allow your mind to connect with your heart. Here you will realize your intention.
5. Was there one time that made you feel desperate or alone if there was take note.
6. What are the moments when you felt your best. Perhaps you felt complete, whole or warmed with happiness.  Allow these moments of positive energy to fill your heart and then mind, then slowly fill every inch of your body and nourish your soul.
7. When you feel ready open your eyes and immediately take the paper and pen next to you and write about your meditation. Specifically record the imagery that came to mind when you found your happiest moments and let their energy fill you.  
8. Over the next day or so collect images from magazines, the internet, and whatever other sources you may have that relate to the imagery you saw in your meditation that brought you the most positive feelings.
9. Use those images to create a vision board.

   What you have done in the previous exercise is created a clear concise picture of what truly brings you happiness and positive energy.  This positive energy brings us all to a place of empowerment inside ourselves. It brings us to a place where we are strong, confident and loved. It is with this strength and awareness that we become capable of seeing our true desires. Now that we are there let's proceed to step 10.
 
10. Use your vision board to create an affirmation. Allow the affirmation to be whatever you desire but remember to keep it positive.

   Now that we have our vision board and our affirmation it is time to look at setting our resolution. Remember we used the third definition in Miriam Websters to set our framework and we still have the first two definition to work with.

They are:

"i. The act of finding an answer or solution to a conflict, problem, etc. : the act of resolving something.
ii. An answer or solution to something."

   Use your vision board and affirmation to help you determine what your true desires are moving into the New Year. Look closely at the images you chose and the words you used in your affirmation and use this to identify what will continually bring you happiness. Once you have identified your true desire for the upcoming year write it as a goal using only positive words.

Avoid using words like.... Give up, lose, stop, refrain from, quit
Instead use words like.....Replace,choose,start,will,overcome

   Once you have written your goal come up with a SMART plan to help you achieve it. SMART plans are a great positive way to help you keep sight of your goal and monitor your progress. Write your SMART goal using the following format:

S = specific       Your goal should be precise with the absence of vague detail.
M= measurable Your goal should include a way evaluate progress.
A= attainable     Your goal should be reasonable and within reach.
R= relevant        Your goal should reflect your vision board.
T=  time bound  Your goal should include periodic time goals throughout the year.

  At this point we have created a vision board with a specific measurable goal that reflects what truly brings us happiness, empowerment and peace. This is a true resolution. A pathway to overcome negativity in our lives and to abandon that which no longer serves us, therefor resolving time wasting conflicts.

  Post the vision board and SMART goal somewhere in your home where you can look at it daily and remind yourself of your resolution. Your resolution is no longer an empty promise it has evolved to a well thought out vision that you have invested time and love to create. In the upcoming days honor its presence in your life and allow it to bloom.

  In the next few days I will be posting images of my vision board and my resolution. Hope to see some of yours as well!

An Energetic Explination of the Unexplainable Events of the Year

Here in Wisconsin the July heat is finally settling in. After a long cold winter and a rainy spring we are at last comforted and warmed by the sun's generous touch. Generally this is the time when we feel most alive, vibrant and full of life. Strangely enough today I find myself lingering in a state of reflection. A state of refection that is filled with happiness, love, remorse, conflict and anticipation. Oddly enough many of patients are in the same place. Plagued with unexplainable events, heartache, job losses, foreclosures and mental and emotional breaks. This year has been filled with change, unbelievable transformation and emotional rampage unlike to any other I have experienced in any previous year.  It is just now as I am writing this blog that I realizing the reasons why.

In Chinese Medicine the summer is the time where the heart's qi is most active. It's the time when we are immersed in happiness and yet the excess of it can easily damage our qi. We drift through on a joyful high and often times are obliviously to the fact that the heat can actually scorch our heart channel. The key to this is always balance. Allowing yourself to bask in the joy while not forgetting any sorrow that may lie on the other side. As always we are in a constant state of flux shifting from the yang light into yin darkness.

Aside from the seasonal effects we are also in the midst of the year 2013, year of the water snake. The snake is known as a beautiful and seductive creature. She slinks her way through with a grace that can go un noticed by most. For this they say that the year of the snake can be one of illusion. A year where things are not always as they seem to be on the surface. The water element brings in heavy emotions, perceptions and intuition suggesting that for us to properly navigate the snake's seductive and allusive beauty we must depend on intuition as a guiding force. A task not many have mastered. For many this can explain the gut wrenching feeling in the pit of the stomach that just won't go way, the sense that maybe, just maybe you are not in the right place, and why seemingly wonderful relationships or careers have come to a tragic end with little to no warning.

This leads to the other aspect of the year of the water snake. It is the year of transformation...period. This is the year that everything that is not meant to be will fall apart, crumble and force it's way out of your life. In order to live harmoniously throughout the second half of this year you must find a way to embrace this change, put faith in intuition and let go. All those emotional scars you have been carrying around all those years, grudges, hurt, wrong choices, bad decisions that you have been living with as of right now no longer belong to you. The karmic air is here and the time is prime to let them go. The energy of this year is going to force you to do it one way or another. Metaphorically you will need to shed your skin just as the snake does in order to pave the way for the new beginnings in 2014.

All of this transformation can be very un-nerving and extremely horrific for many of us. Especially for those of us with a plan. In fact just last week I found myself on a plane flying down south to help a friend, in tears at the airport wondering what in world was going on with everyone. I felt completely out of control and like I was trying to help everyone I love glue the pieces of their life together and meanwhile was getting cut by shards of glass from my own life. I wont elaborate here for privacy reasons but there has been some serious changes effecting seemingly everyone in my life including myself. After I landed and had a chance to clear my head I realized that while many things were falling apart the important pieces were holding together stronger than ever. Those lifetime friendships, the real and true love in my life and my ability to help my patients, those things were still secure and safe. It was just all the slush that was clouding around those true forces that was washing off. So here we have the last element of the year of the snake.

The year of the water snake sets the stage for new birth and beginnings, it is quit literally "the womb that will bear the fruits of 2014.". Now is the time to plant the seeds for your dreams to come true in the year of the horse 2014. The year of the horse is filled with the energy of earth and growth and no dream is too small to grow into your wildest wish!

So if you have been having a tough year so far like me and many others, I hope this post has given you some hope. If you trust in the information I have shared it's time to embrace letting go, trust your inner guide and allow yourself to grieve as all your residual crap gets washed away by those tears. Change isn't always easy but the harvest next year promises to be sweet!

Sana School; Massage Therapists in Full Bloom!

Those of you who know me best know that teaching is one of my greatest passions. It is a true honor and a sacred gift to earn the trust of a student and for them to select you as their mentor. The journey that the students travel on from the first day of class is nothing short of incredible. Each week they grow a little more. They gain knowledge, develop confidence, grow as individuals and with each step a light inside them burns brighter and brighter. There comes a time with each class when I look at them and realize that they have made the transition from students into bright new professional therapists. This moment always warms my heart but when it happened today with my first class at Sana it reached all the way deep into my soul. This class will always hold a special place in my heart. Individually they have all taught me so much, as many of my students have throughout the years. As a group they have brought peace into my heart and love into our new home on Oklahoma Ave. We have a few short and precious months left until graduation and until a new fresh eyed group comes in to sit in these student's chairs. Before time flies by and we end up at that day I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the joy that this class has brought into my life and into our practice. They are now officially and forever a part of the Sana Community! If you're ever in the area stop in and say hi to  Kathy, Tomas and Val before they spread their wings!

A great way to soothe those achy muscles

Tui Na "push pull" is a form of manual therapy that combines the principles of massage therapy, naprapathy, chiropractic and acupressure. Here Heather Peterman (acupuncturist) is using Tui Na to reinforce her treatment and to further release tight muscles after acupuncture and cupping therapy.

Change of heart

"Sometimes things fall apart so they can come together." One of my absolute favorite quotes in the world and so applicable to my life over the last few months. After working the past few years in a state of the art beautiful facility, surrounded by beautiful people, I realized that what we were doing wasn't so beautiful at all and that in fact I had lost touch with my patients and with who I was as a healer. The fast paced, get in as many patients as you can and shuffle them around to multiple providers while all the while running back and forth to multiple treatment rooms just was not working for anyone. After much contemplation around this realization I decided to open a small community based acupuncture clinic on a part time basis. My part time clinic became a full time endeavor very quickly. Initially I was shocked and surprised by the turn of events and my new life situation but now that the dust has settled I am completely thankful that the universe heard my prayers and set me back on my path.

And so after much ado I would like to introduce Sana Acupuncture & Apothecary! Our business cards read "Acupuncture for the people; you decide what you pay!" We offer community style acupuncture in our beautiful community space at a sliding scale of $20-$40. The whole goal is to make acupuncture affordable and accessible to anyone who needs it, while maintaining excellent quality of care. We also have private rooms available for those lone wolves who desire a little solitude. Our clinic is small inviting and most of all peaceful! The atmosphere of the clinic is loving, the ambiance calming and the energy healing. I am loving the new clinic and enjoying getting back my roots as an Acupuncturist and health care provider. In the past few months since the clinic opened my soul has begun to heal and my interactions with my patients have become stronger. I remember what is to treat people from the heart and it fills me with happiness to be able to share this gift with the people I treat. My patients come from all walks of life and it so nice to see them all together under one roof with one common goal. If you are ever in my neighborhood please drop in and say hello, I would love to share my new love with all of you!

One of my favorite patients and the worlds best grandpa!

One of our sweet little ones coming to see us for a toothache :(

Daddy daughter time at Sana

A little manual therapy

 A peaceful day in our clinic

Moxa and Acupuncture

Warming cupping on a chilly day for sore muscles

Heather and Esther

Revolutionizing Acupuncture parties..really it's a thing

Not your Grandma's chicken soup

The past couple weeks its been getting chilly in Wisconsin and so many of my patients are getting sick:(  Unfortunately this includes myself and my husband! The sinus infections and head colds that are flying around are keeping people miserable for days and even weeks at a time! I have had a lot of request to share my chicken soup recipe so here you go! I really hope none of you reading this are fighting off this cold, but if you are make and enjoy, I promise it will help :)

This recipe may seem a little odd to some of you. It's defiantly not your grandma's chicken soup! It's a combination of my own recipe with principles of herbal medicine for those under the weather fall days. Add a dash of Chinese Medicine to a traditional favorite and viola immune boosting magic! Until next time remember to keep your wind gates (neck) covered with your favorite scarves and stay healthy!! 

                                                      Goji Berry Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

2 chicken thighs and drumsticks (preferably organic)

Water to immerse the chicken pieces

1 large onion, peeled and sliced

medium shallot diced

8 garlic cloves minced

2 medium potatoes 

5 organic carrots 

2 inch ginger, peeled and shredded
8 shitake mushrooms, caps only
5 tbsp dried goji berries, soaked in water to re hydrate

2 cups diced kale 

1 bunch green onion diced

2 teaspoons butter 

Splash of vinegar

Directions:

1. Saute onion onion, shallot, garlic in melted butter until soft and aromatic

2. Prep chicken wit salt pepper and herbs du province 

3. Combine chicken with onion, garlic and shallot and add a splash of vinegar

4. Combine half water half organic chicken stock

5.  Boil until chicken starts to fall off bone 

4. Remove chicken and de bone 

5. Add all remaining veggies except green onion, ginger and goji 

6. Cook until carrots are tender 

7. Add chicken, green onion and ginger 

8. In separate pot boil goji berries and rinse 

9. Add goji berries 

10. Combine and serve

Seasons of Change

As soon as the air becomes crisps  my whole mood lifts and I can't help smiling. The smell of autumn fills the soul, the colors of the turning leaves paint the world in their full glory, pumpkins and haystacks don our houses and we all become a little more able to slow down and cuddle up with our loved ones. It's a time of chili, candy apples and trick or treat. It's a time where many of us escape our real lives for a day and bask in the fun of all hallows eve. Just the mention of the previous fills my heart and warms my body. Now reflecting back its no wonder that I fell in love with a man born on Halloween and married him this last September just as leaves started to turn.

For many the fall is a time of transition. Hmmm maybe that's where some of the scary stigma of Halloween comes from. In my own personal experience I have always felt an uncanny urge to hold on tight and prepare myself for change when the air turns cold.It seems that during this time some people tend to disappear from my life without a trace, while old friends resurface as if they had never been gone. Jobs that were all wrong  always ended in the fall over some totally unpredictable turn of fate. I remember periods in my life where I just "had" to move in the fall, weather it be from an apartment or entire state; and it seems every important phase of my life has begun in fall after months of planning. I changed careers in the fall many times, started acupuncture school in the fall, began a new business in the fall and as mentioned above married my soul mate in the fall.

Just like the fall harvest of the farms our life's work seems to be at its peak during these blistery months. Just as the leaves turn and fall so new ones can bloom in the following spring, the people, places and things in our life that whole us back will naturally fall if you let them during this time. Its a pretty cool phenomena and one that I never had an explanation for until I attend acupuncture school. The practice of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) is rooted in nature. The ancient physicians watched the turning of the seasons, the natural ebb and flow of all things and creatures and used these observations to develop the way they practiced medicine. Anyone who has spent time truly studying this form of medicine can attest to the facts that it is poetic and almost romantic in its delivery. Acupuncture and Oriental medicine are an art form that takes many years to grasp and is so simplistic that it quickly becomes the most complicated theory one has every contemplated. So imagine being a first year student! Ya... that was fun! I will tell you more about that later. But I will tell you this, most of us left utterly confused the first day. I remember walking out of class literally wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into. Then as soon as I walked outside the sun was setting and the sun was lit with vivid highlights of orange, pink and blue and some how I just knew it was right.

The following is an understanding of the emotional and spiritual  manifestations of fall season from a TCM perspective. It talks about the energy of the season and gives a few suggestions on how to embrace that energy. I am sharing this with you in hopes that it may resonate with you as it did with me and somehow make a little more sense of things previously unknown.  Enjoy and Happy Halloween!!

Every season is a phase of transition and has energy associated with it. If we follow the natural ebb and flow of the season we begin to move through phases in our life with ease. The fall is the time of letting go, returning to earth, introspection and symbolic or real death. In this season you may be feeling the urge to evaluate situations in your life that have been causing you distress. You might be feeling unresolved sadness from the past resurfacing. This is due to the lung meridian becoming more active. These things are natural and are resurfacing so that you have the ability to acknowledge them and to let them go. As we move deeper into the fall season take time to ask yourself a few questions. Am I holding on to sorrow and sadness that needs to leave? Am holding on to an unhealthy relationship? What do I no longer need to hold onto materially or emotionally? When you find the answers let these things die and return to earth so that in the spring they may be reborn into vital and healthy manifestations. It is through letting go and change that evolve.