Nourishment and the Earth element

As the Earth season corresponds to harvest and bounty of fruit and grain, so the earth must be nourished after this in order for the cycle to continue

How do you nourish yourself so that you can in turn nourish others from a place of plenty?

I have been making myself a cup of hot cocoa with ginger and cinnamon every afternoon the last week. I can feel it buzzing around in my whole body!

It’s time to really start to think about what your body needs as the season changes to cooler weather (especially if you’re a cooler 🥶 gal like me)

Get your mugwort foot baths going and start wearing socks when the floor is cold!

Put away the cucumber salads 🥗

GET COZY

And thank you to my lovely client who brought me this beautiful mug back from her homeland this week ❤️

The gift of the divine feminine, which exists in every person regardless of gender or orientation is continuity, a circle, a spiral, intimate connection to the cycle of life and the ability to both create and destroy. She gives us the ability to turn food into life with just one outside drop added to the alchemical cauldron and the ability to be reborn, after a transition, composting our old ways into new ways.

This kind of creation, connected, it’s ribbon woven through generations doesn’t have to mean an actual baby although birth is an incredible expression of it.

What is it you are weaving in your life that connects you through time, past and future, and how does that give you strength-the strength of the earth-the ultimate yin, the original mother?

How do you nourish yourself so you have the energy to support this effort?

🤎💛🤍

Another childless Cat Lady for social and environmental justice 💕

Hello. Here to say that in this broken world there is still a lot of beauty and I appreciate all of you.

This morning at @wellspringwomenscenter I was given a beautiful little bag one of my guests brought me from her country, Guatemala 🥹 and the most lovely joyful flowers from @kelseygrowsfood

I have cried happy tears twice today with great news:
A treasured client gave birth to a beautiful healthy baby boy
Another wonderful client found out his cancer is in remission 😭😭😭😭😭

I just love to hear how you all are doing and am deeply honored to witness it all: the good, the challenging, the heartwarming and the crying-all of it. Know that I am rooting for you with my whole heart when I am part of your care team.

A reminder from my garden that you aren’t here to bloom all the time, sometimes it’s just one day, like this beauty

There is necessary retreat, reorganization, quiet learning, shedding

There’s time to be receptive to information before internalizing it and letting it flow from you

A bloom is beautiful, it should be celebrated without a doubt, but also, it’s fleeting. Your life is so much larger than how you outwardly shine, and the work you do in the dirt, in the dark, is just as valuable

If you’re going through it right now, waiting and learning to become a different version of yourself, I see you 💕✨

The season of the fire element isn’t always easy with the expectation for us to be extra vibrant and shiny

What can you do to ritualize your quietness and introspection in a state of summer chaos?

This sweet sweet baby Max came with his mama to acupuncture @wellspringwomenscenter this morning and silently watched over everyone with his soft little eyes 🥹

Take care of yourselves and your people in this heat. Make sure your elders are hydrating and you are too-electrolytes, watermelon, cucumbers, cool drinks ❤️

For ❤️ season: what we learn from our pets

1. Love can be tender and soft
2. If you mess up, you still deserve love and affection
3. Don’t stay mad, work on boundaries
4. We ALL deserve love, even if we had a rough start, or middle, of life
5. True support and a safe home allows for flowering personalities
6. Don’t eat too many treats at one sitting
7. Time for play is non-negotiable

Some of the best lessons of unconditional love can come from our animal kin. Listen to them and try to take it in this fire element season.

🥰🥰🥰

Making time for beauty and joy in a difficult world

I have been loving providing therapeutic facials with all the East Asian medicine tools and beautiful natural products

These sessions are for anyone but particularly helpful for those with jaw tension, neck tension, tmj disorders, and headaches

Tools used: @rosariumskincare @yina.co @the.scarlet.halo @yang.face

Gua Sha, reflexology, facial cupping, body work, acupuncture 🧖🏼‍♀️

Putting action to dreams:

Last night I had a a terrible vivid dream in which my ability to speak and yell, specifically, was compromised. These are universally terrible experiences-losing our voices.

I woke up and sat with it. Why the dream? Why now? Why the frustrated communication? What’s this telling me about how I move in the world? Oh-I gotta practice saying no, like loudly and I’m frustrated at millions of voices calling for unanswered help.

I went for an early bike ride and decided I was going to yell all the things I couldn’t yell in my dream: free my throat and let the qi move. It felt so good. I continued: speaking and practicing all the things I have a hard time saying in life.

I fully recommend this practice! If there’s something stuck in your throat, or a question you hate answering because it scares you-go outside and practice. Make it real. Give your voice the sound it needs.

grand rising
I’m here to say: oatmeal can be savory

I am very hit or miss with food prep, BUT I usually make some sort of green sauce on Sunday to add to weekday food because: I love condiments, I love color, I love a garnish

This is oatmeal made in my 🐘 rice cooker, green pesto-ish sauce, one glorious mayak egg

I highly recommend experimenting with savory grain bowls for breakfast!

Some appointment notes:

1. When we are talking, It’s never TMI. Anything you want to share will be kept in confidence and used to help guide your treatments and other recommendations.

2. It’s always ok to cry. You never have to apologize. This is your time to feel what you need and to move through. Crying in often cathartic and valuable.

3. If something we or I do doesn’t feel good, or consistently gives you a headache, or you don’t like it, or made you feel worse, PLEASE tell me. When something isn’t helpful, it’s very important information for me to know so I can shift ideas and treatment strategies to better suit you, which is the whole purpose of your time with me. I want you to feel great and my desire for finding what works for you is flexible. Often when something isn’t “right” it’s important diagnostic information.

4. Drink water. Drink electrolytes. Drink more water.

5. ❤️

Spring and the art of starting over

When practicing meditation, it’s not the absence of thought that’s the practice, it’s recognizing when we are wandering and bringing ourselves back to the present that is the practice. It’s beginning again over and over that is the practice.

We do this in life and we do this seasonally too, but often it’s brushed away without integration. When you begin again in relationship, how to you move forward differently and integrate new ways of relating? It takes hard work and many lessons.

When you begin again after a loss, how do you nurture your tender heart so it isn’t hidden behind a locked door? It takes love and community and compassion.

When you begin again after you’ve given up a toxic substance, how do you keep going? Keep telling yourself you’re worth it.

Spring shows us we can begin again and again and again. It will never be the same. Your garden will look different every year based on environmental circumstances and care and so will you and your life.

Let yourself come back differently. Whenever you need to.

🪺🌱✨

☀️Acupuncture al fresco today ☀️
@wellspringwomenscenter

😍 #nofilter #community #acupuncture

Equinox Blessings 🌸
May you find balance between dark and light
May your feet be grounded and your blossoms bright
May you endeavor on a path that is beneficial to all beings
May you enjoy the sweetness and embrace the tenderness of starting anew
Peace for all
🌱

In Daoist practices, each yin organ houses a spirit (or group of spirits) and the liver houses the Hun.
The Hun spirits are like the morning mists, visible but intangible, moving from realms, weaving the knowledge of our dreams into our waking consciousness.
The Hun provide guidance as we return to our dao, and bring vision both to our place in the outside world and allow helpful reflecting inward so we are able to follow our rightful path.
During the day, they shine in the eyes, and so long as our livers are in good order, they make a cozy bed in our beings allowing us to sleep.
When we repress our emotions, especially anger and frustration, use substances, or are halted from moving how we like in the world (by myriad reasons) our Hun becomes annoyed and these tasks of helpful sleep and fruitful planning may get thrown off.
To support your liver and her Hun spirits you can use cleansing herbs like: dandelion, milk thistle and mint
And/Or moistening herbs like chrysanthemum and goji berry
And above all: reconnect with natural beauty.

This photo was taken on the American River Parkway at dawn. It’s a great accessible place to be reminded how you fit into all of life

✨🧖🏻‍♀️ ✨
#spirits #spring #theliver

Join me and Antonia on Saturday for a look into the Spring season and it’s Daoist resonances! You’ll learn what the element of wood is about and how it shows up in the natural cycle of life and in your being. You’ll learn QiGong exercises and new ways of working with your own Qi. At the end of the hour, we will put together a tea for you to take home.

Antonia will lead a session of somatic practices with a focus on the wood element associated emotions: anger, frustration and timidity. It will be interactive, dynamic and give you applicable and gentle tools to incorporate into your daily life.

Ticket link in our bios!
SATURDAY MARCH 16th @the_summermoon_yoga

Spring Acupuncture Points, continued…

Gallbladder 41 🌱

The GB channel, like its partner the Liver, corresponds to the Wood element and the season of Spring. When the channels are anthropomorphized, the Liver is an Architect with a future plan and the Gallbladder is the Superintendent of the job site getting things done day to day: scheduling and problem solving.

In life it’s very possible to have many plans but not a lot of completion which can be an imbalance of wood, or a great plan but uncertainty or timidity moving forward.

The name of GB41 is “Foot Overlooking Tears” may be thought of in multiple ways. Perhaps you are stuck in past hardships, having trouble seeing through the things that have hurt you and caused you to shut down. Perhaps this point energizes you to see your prior troubles as learning curves, to embrace how far you’ve come, and when you’re ready, to move forward and create the life you see ahead one careful step at a time.

If you feel like you want to activate this point, spend some time thinking about how you’ve grown and how you can move in the world differently with all you know now, pain and happiness. Is it time for something new?

This point is located on the outside of the foot, in a little divit you can feel with your finger if: you flex your toes to display the tendons on the top of your foot, get close to, but outside the most lateral one, and feel around about an inch or so above your little toe.

#acupucture #spiritofthepoints

Something that’s easy to lose track of in this age of influencers and access to so many seemingly well polished people on the internet is:

IN ORDER TO BE GOOD AT SOMETHING, YOU HAVE TO BE [NOT GOOD] AT IT FIRST

I am reminded of this discomfort tolerance and learning curve every time I try something new with body movement (or go back to a form I previously practiced) and also with cooking and writing and absolutely everything else

I think its the most valuable grace and kindness you can give yourself when starting or re-starting something: “I’m doing something uncomfortable and new but I will get better at it” whether it is a new kind of workout, or a new job, moving, integrating a new coping mechanism or relating to your life differently after an upheaval.

Anyway, it’s ok to be “bad” at stuff! Even the best of best had to learn from 0 whether or not they remember

Spring is a great time to get back into a movement routine and I hope you can tell yourself it’s ok to feel clunky when you start, and if you honor that beginner feeling and take it slow, it’ll get better.

❤️

Another important aspect of EYES and SEEING is:
What are you choosing NOT to see?
What aspects of others you “don’t like” are actually things you don’t want to look at in yourself?
What suffering are you choosing not to see in order to have a comfortable life?
What past experiences or teachings have shaped current ideas you hold that really could use some reexamination and new context?
How do these things you don’t see shape your planning and how can you expand your field of vision?
It’s illuminating to ponder these questions. There is no perfection to find in this, just exploration, curiosity and expansion.

Spring and the wood element are about charging ahead to greet the new sun, but underneath the earth, all our roots are together. How can we grow together? How can we see ourselves as a collective? How can we see through lines in history?

#spring #musings

✨👁️✨
The liver, the organ of Spring, the great director of our internal systems, is said to “open to the eyes”

What does this mean? In herbalism it means the liver needs nourishment if the eyes are red and dry or tired. In that case, Chrysanthemum tea is a great supplement

But what else about the eyes and Spring? Things start to grow and flowers start to peak out, there’s lots of hope and promise to LOOK for with your eyes. There’s potential and response to positive input that helps keep us going. Eyes give us vision and the liver helps us walk forward on our path. We can SEE what to do next.

I am amazed literally every year when trees regrow their leaves. It’s inspiring. I look for lady bugs in my garden and new shoots on my plants. Some days it’s enough to pull me out of a bummer mood.

This quote from Tennessee Williams really struck me yesterday and reminds me of this forward vision despite setbacks and broken hearts, watching terrors unfold on our tiny screens. The sentiment connects the wood to the fire, which is the element of the next season.

“The fact that we continue to fall in love with people and ideas and places is not evidence of our cupidity or dumbness, but our strength. When we love…really love…in any way, we are announcing to the world that we intend to survive.”

🌸 ❤️ 🌱

Spring is Springing
If you remember the flavors: sour goes with Spring and the LIVER! T’is the season! Time to awaken the senses, use the eyes (the sense organ of the liver) to look for flowers and the rising yang energy around you. Maybe you have already been feeling the shift? Tension in your body or irritibility?

At this time, it’s important not to overwhelm your body with cold foods as we emerge from water season, but to slowly lighten the load so we can branch back out. So, mix up the warm and fresh to shake off the winter.

One of my favorite ways to incorporate hot and fresh foods in Spring is lettuce wraps

Sour quick pickled daikon and carrots (help drain damp)
Fresh herbs to move qi
Sautéed mushrooms for warmth
Baked tofu to tonify qi (or whatever protein you like)
Noods (necessary for enjoyment of life)
Peanut sauce (spicy, sour, sweet, tonifying)

How do you incorporate freshness in Spring?

It’s still cool so keep with the warm drinks and covering your body well

How to take care of your heart with beets

Beets are high in nitrates and have been shown in studies to lower elevated blood pressure

Beets can enhance athletic performance by improving the efficiency of mitochondria and oxygen use

Beets are also big on anti-inflammatories

Cooking is my love language to myself and I love colorful food.

If you want to make this fuchsia hummus pictured above, here’s my recipe:

2 roasted red beets
roast at 350° until the middle of beets are soft when stabbed with a fork and the skin has started to shrivel away from the rest of the tuber. After they cool, it’s easy to peel the skin off.
1 can of chickpeas
1/4 c tahini
1/4 c water
Juice of one lemon
Splash of light colored vinegar
Salt, pepper, Sumac

BLEND and ENJOY

I hope you are gentle with your heart today ♥️ you are loved

Simple Qi Gong warmup For Spring and hindered action.
If you’re feeling stuck or frustrated with inaction, or halted by outside forces in the world, take a few minutes to practice qi gong on your gallbladder channel. This will allow the qi to flow and hopefully help you move forward into positive action.

Take a few deep grounding breaths-connect to the earth through your feet and the heavens through your breath
Make loose fists with your hands ✊🏼
Find the mid-top of the glutes and with both hands (one on each side, tap from your glutes to your IT bands and down the side of your legs to your feet (or your wherever your flexibility allows)
Do this nine times-taking a big cleansing breath as you move your hands from the bottom of the channel back to the top.

When you’re finished, take three more deep breaths and re-asses your mental state.

What do you have access to now?

It may be grey but can you feel the first pulls of spring? The first point on the spring meridian (the wood element) of the Liver is at the inner corner of the big toe nail. It’s the wood point on the wood channel which makes it extra powerful in the wood time of year-spring-or wood time of day 1-3AM.

The name is translated as great mound, or great esteem. If you’re having trouble planning or visioning a new path for yourself you can press on this point (which might be sore!) and imagine moving figurative dead leaves from your garden so your new plants can grow, or meditating to find one small act that can push you forward from winter. Maybe that is taking a small action for a more peaceful world when you feel hopeless or putting together your resume if you’re hoping to find a new job. Set your path-make one step-clear the leaves-liver 1

Learn more at our workshop next month! Link in bio

#acupucture #eastasianmedicine #spring

This is a @natalietquach appreciation post.

She makes beautiful floral arrangements @tigerseyeflorals

And delicious food @fariabakery

If you have the chance to try some of her Lunar New Year delights on Saturday, I’m sure you will be pleased. I’ll be sitting on the curb stuffing my face with a scallion pancake and red bean canelés 🐉 ✨

What is a somatic practice and why would you want to learn them from @homeinsidesomatics at our workshop?

No one makes it through life unscathed as they say. We all have created patterns and put up armor in ways that protected our soft hearts, gentle spirits and physical bodies from becoming overwhelmed by pain of all sorts. These ways of communicating or shutting down served a purpose for us, but as we age and have more agency over our environments and personal relationships we may want to change these patterns.

Somatic work: from the Greek word, soma meaning “the body in it’s living wholeness” presents safe ways to find where these patterns are held in our bodies (neck pain, forward protective shoulder postures, stomach tension) and learn new ways to respond to them from a place of resilience and honesty. This does not mean all love and light, although it may help let more love in and out with practice. Somatic work also means standing rooted and embodied in a difficult conversation with the ability to separate what is a triggered pattern and what you really need to communicate. This allows room for feeling at home in your body.

For March we are working with anger and frustration and their oposites. More on that soon! If this sounds interesting to you, Antonia and I would love to have you!

(This photo of me in the Carlsbad caverns reminds me what it feels like to look inside myself and see these body wisdoms)

GRAND RISING! This is over a month away, but I’m excited so I’m sharing it now.

Antonia @homeinsidesomatics and I (Mia) @pma_acupuncture are combining our love of community and sharing knowledge for a five part series to celebrate the five elements and seasons of Daoist philosophy and somatic practices that align with each one.

Each of the five elements has many correspondances: a color, an emotion, a sound, a qi dynamic, a story in the circle of life, an organ, a flavor and more

For our first session @the_summermoon_yoga we will be working with the element of wood, the spring season and the emotions of anger, irritability, apathy and timidity.

In Mia’s session, you will leave with an understanding of how this element is important in the cycle of life, how you relate to it and some qi gong and meditation practices to work with it. Also everyone will leave with a special tea that aligns with the qi of the season.

Antonia will lead somatic practices to find harmony and resilience with these emotions and empower you to work with them as the year turns. Her practices focus on transformation through the divine vessel of your unique body-your original home.

Feel free to reach out with questions and if you really want to join but cannot afford the sliding scale, send one of us a message!

Link to tix in bio EVERYONE IS WELCOME

Prayer for Winter

Walking by the mysterious pass through the dark of the underground to create a new world.

Navigating chaos, radical tenderness, sitting in the space between what is known and what can be but is not yet defined.

Myriad things, glittering hearts

May we all make our way to the sun and what is slowly becoming. New ways of being.

I’ve been eating a lot of beans, and doing a lot of ancestry research and as it’s winter, this has led to a lot of thoughts on what it means to be a seed:

Waiting in the darkness, full of potential for divine timing handed down from thousands of generations to spark growth

Seeds are winter
Seeds are sitting in the unknown meditative instead of rushing for answers
Seeds embrace the dance between light and dark
Seeds find root in the unseen before revealing their beauty and legacy

It’s hard to embody this wisdom-to know you have answers but you have to wait for them, and that the most aligned and heartfelt directions take patience to unfold.

This year, I’m trying to be a seed 🫘 There will always be chaos but how can I decide from deep knowledge where to go instead of grasping for the easiest foothold

Acupuncture as a tool for winter wellbeing
❄️helps blood flow to joints, muscles and tendons
❄️warms stiff spaces (with moxa and bodywork)
❄️calms the mind and returns the nervous system to “rest and digest” parasympathetic mode
❄️aligns the spirit with the season
❄️allows for downloads from the universe
❄️makes space for meditation and quiet

The emotional signature of the winter, the water elements of bladder and kidney is Fear. Fear of the darkness we must face in order to change, fear of slowing down enough to see a new way forward.

The Bladder channel runs bilaterally over the head and down the sides of the spine to the little toe. Along its path are wells of energy resources for the major energetic organs in the East Asian Medicine paradigm. Most of the time, these points lie on top of the nerve branches which affect the physical organs themselves. These are powerful points to nourish the system.

When we are stuck in fear: fear of the unknown, fear of violence in the world, fear of lack of resources, we often hold this tension in the UB channel-crouching forward and subconsciously protecting our soft hearts and stomachs.

But when we are stuck, we can’t see a way forward out of this fear. It’s helpful to move the energy and the tissue so you may have a renewed sense of what is possible-freeing your body to make space for new paths, new insights, new energy to move forward standing tall in the world

Perhaps some fire cupping 😌

#winter #waterelement #fiveelements #acupuncture

How’s your winter?
East Asian Medicine has many tools and helpful rules to stay healthy and protect the little burning yang energy wrapped so carefully inside the cool yin of the season.

1. Never go outside or to sleep with wet hair 🙅🏼‍♀️
2. Drink warm drinks instead of cold
3. Keep your feet warm
4. Keep your neck covered from the wind and rain
5. Eat warm foods (steamed or roasted veggies instead of salad)
6. Utilize warming herbs if you’ve got a cool constitution and add in cooling herbs as garnish if you have a warm one
7. My personal favorite thing to do is make foods that are the color of sunshine once a week: curry, soup, daal, etc it’s a mood booster for me to see a bowl of golden light ☀️
8. Get some MOXA and/or take a warm foot soak 🛁

ALSO: take your vitamin D and try to get out and look at the real sun on the mornings it’s not grey

What do you do for #winter?

What are you cooking up today?

All I want is soup so I got a bunch of veggies and herbs simmering for stock. I like a slightly sweet broth so I have parsnip, carrot, golden beet, leek (and garlic)
Plus one luxurious 🦁 lions mane mushroom

I feel like I’m nourishing myself the most when I make broth. I feel as an act it is connecting me to thousands of years of people doing their best to heal their families and friends with food in the cold months 🥹

Nourishing yin, protecting Yang

SMOKE CLEANSING RITUAL
Using smoke from smoldering herbs, plants and resins to connect with the divine and to clear or shift the energy of a space or being has been practiced by folks all over the world for thousands of years. As with many resources precious to a place or culture, when large amounts are taken without regard for sustainability these practices can become problematic and defeat the purpose of creating harmony. This can be an issue with poached white sage, and also with certain resins. It’s helpful to look into what you’re using and where it is sourced.

HOWEVER! There are lots of beautiful and beneficial plants around you which make excellent smoke blends and may also help connect you to your own heritage.

I created this blend with pine for strength and stability and incense cedar from my Mom’s backyard for protection and wisdom, rosemary to protect and amplify intentions, rose for the heart, mugwort for opening channels and connecting to lunar energies and juniper berries for dispelling negative charges. It smells amazing in practice, especially the cedar.

Use the loose herbs smoldered over a charcoal disk to clear some stagnant energy and call in what you’d like during this new year transition, or any time, with intention.

I’m offering this as a mutual aid item to generate positive impacts going into 2024.

If you would like a bag along with a sleeve of charcoal disks, please donate $15 (or more) to any of the organizations listed below and send me a photo! We can organize pickup from my shop after that!

@wckitchen
@doctorswithoutborders
@nevadacityrancherianisenan
@wellspringwomenscenter
@sacnahc
@norcal_resist

#newyear #herbalism #mutualaid #forestmedicine

When I think back on 2023 for the rest of my life, I think this will be the strongest memory-some version of this destruction and chaos and simultaneous immense gratitude for the privilege to own a home.

I am so very happy I have cultivated a comfortable place to work and a SPECTACULAR client base because you all have allowed me to be myself and be fully grounded in my work. Without all that love and compassion and support I get to share with you, I may have become unhinged (more so 😂).

Thank you to everyone who continues to come see me, and to all the new folks who’ve just started. I truly love what I do and I’m excited to start a big mentorship in 2024 that should allow for even more expansion and depth in what I can provide.

Big love to everyone who helps keep me together on a continuing basis too. I have such a great support team for myself I’m truly blesssssssed

Gonna let in more love and softness in 2024. I hope the whole world can.

As we move through the season and the end of the year, it’s a great time to let go of things we don’t need: not just stuff but habits and ways of interacting with the world and ourselves.

If alcohol or substances (even sugar!) is something on your heart to let go of (or cut back on) I’m here for you.

I hold no judgment for you as you learn how to live with less of these things and only want to create a safe place to allow the strength that comes with a calm nervous system to show itself to you.

Wherever you are on your sobriety journey: curious, 20years in, up and down: if acupuncture is of interest to you, feel free to book the “recovery and sobriety support” 30min/$40 session through my booking link in bio.

You are welcome to share as much or as little as you wish with me during your time. The purpose is to remind your body it is safe and enough as it is.

Feel free to DM with any questions

I hope you get a little sparkle delivered to your feet this week

♥️

Solstice Blessings

May you always know that there is a tiny bit of light on the edges of darkness
May you always remember the warmth returns
May you hold a candle for someone having trouble in the dark knowing it could be you

Surrender to the knowledge that like the cosmos, we hold both light and dark and we must notice this before we can shift out of we do not like to be born once more in the spring with all the plants

🕯️ 🌙 ✨ candles up!

The secret 6th flavor which is not assigned to a season or an organ system specifically but usually works with the spleen/stomach or Kidney/UB (and lungs) is the BLAND or non-flavored flavor.

The energetics of bland herbs is typically draining of water/dampness which depending on the targeted system the food or herb is being used for, this can mean diuretic or draining damp from clouding the mind in a psycho-spiritual capacity or moving water from where it doesn’t belong to where it can be useful in the system.

Often mushrooms are bland (but not all mushrooms)

Bland and chalky herbs like this Shan Yao (Chinese Yam) move water in the body by placing it back where it is useful-in the tissues.

Most herbs belong to more than one flavor profile and every food and herb also has a temperature of warm, hot, cool, cold or neutral which changes the dynamics too.

Plants are amazing allies ♥️

BITTER is the fifth flavor, and is the flavor associated with the heart ♥️ and the summer. Interestingly, many nervines which may be used to help calm the nervous system are bitter herbs. This mugwort plant is used both for its nerve calming and also blood circulating warming energetics.

BITTER flavor in general dries, descends and drains (like an after dinner digestif or some aspects of fire cider) LIKE a plant many of use use daily: coffee
If you remove the caffeine aspect of coffee and think about the medicinal flavor profile it is this: you have a meal before bed, maybe it’s a bit heavy, you wake up a bit groggy from the accumulated dampness of the dinner flavors (sweet/sour) or maybe you had ice cream or a sweet dessert. Your body craves a fresh start, the bitter flavor drains the dampness allowing a little fog to clear, your intestines start to work as their descending function is given an extra charge from the ☕️. If you’re looking to stop this habit-try using a different bitter herb like dandelion and burdock to get you through! (I’m currently on the only-one-small-cup-of-coffee train, and I’ve made a potion for mornings based on this theory that I am about to share!)

Bitter Flavor helps clear excess heat from the heart-keeping it happy and only as warm as it’s needs to be to love and be loved without agitation.

I like bitter flavors (within reason…) but they’re not for everyone. We are naturally wary of them as so many bitter plants are potentially toxic. How do you feel about em?

Hello, Happy Monday. If you’re following along with the flavors, the next in the cycle is SOUR

In East Asian Medicine sour does a lot of things. It’s typically cooling, typically helps the body recover moisture in specific areas, and drain from others, and is used to “retain or consolidate essence and jing” which if you’ve been to acupuncture for fertility you’ve probably been talked to about-the theory being you body needs a boost in its ability to hold on to something precious inside of you 🥹. Often this is done with beautiful red berries.

Sour can also be used to astringe your jing as you age and bring light back into your eyes after a difficult time. In this way, sour, which is energetically associated with the Liver organ, is also very much tied to the energetic kidney system.

The sour flavor corresponds to the springtime: the flavor that consolidates the energy amassed in your warm wintry cocoon and bursts you forth into your new self in the spring. It helps dry up dampness accumulated in a time of heavier eating (and part of the mechanism for my ancestors eating sauerkraut with fatty meats and dumplings)

If you think about all the lovely little herbs and sour greens making their way through the still chilly ground to be added to your plate in March, this is sour pulling you toward the Springtime. Too much sour on its own can be drying, yet too much sour with sweet can attribute to dampness as the two together increase fluids in the body. Sour is a balance.

the next flavor is SALTY

Not so much potato chip salty but briny, meaty, sea tossed mineralized salty. This flavor is associated with the WINTER season and the deepest of yin, the kidneys. The kidneys are the homes of our ancestral imprints, deepest dreams, potential for life, our will to live and our power for a yearly spring rebirth after we have stripped away what we no longer wish to take with us through any dark nights of the soul

Salty flavor is used to soften hardness and clumps like salt melting ice. Salty is also used to calm and anchor the mind-often shells are used in decoction for this purpose. (Caution should be used with edema and high blood pressure)

Salty can also be used as a therapy to relax the body/mind in by drawing salt baths and my personal fave: salt floats.

Some key examples are: olives, seafood, miso, seaweeds and bones

#salty #flavor #fiveflavors #eastasianmedicine

Next flavor is translated as “PUNGENT/ACRID” which I think is somewhat tricky to understand. This category has a lot to do with how an herb (they are usually spices/herbs) regulates qi in the body by dispersing phlegm and opening the nasal passages or the lungs. Garlic, Onion, Shiso, Ginger, Cinnamon and Mint are in this category.

The Acrid flavor corresponds to the lung especially and also the large intestine-the metal elements-and relates to the cool dry season of fall. The dispersing and often diaphoretic (makes you sweat by opening the pores) properties of these herbs make them useful during colds (ginger tea if you have a cold-cold and mint tea if you have a hot-cold) if you have dampness accumulating in your digestive tract: bloating, greasy etc, these herbs can help move along what is stuck. There are further categorizations as some herbs are cool acrid and some are warm acrid. Ginger: warm Mint: cool

In cooking, you can think about how cardamom, peppers, cumin, and other aromatics help fatty foods become delicious and digestible AND you can imagine how a bit of yin sweet can modulate the yang spicy as a way of harmonizing your dish. For instance-rice is considered sweet and absolutely makes a spicy meal more palatable and easy to digest. The same can be true in an herbal formula or tea: a bit of honey in your spicy chai will modulate the properties of the drying warming spices and protects your yin a bit if you need that. Often a digestif or amaro will have a variety of bitter and acrid herbs in it to help process the dampness of a heavy meal. You can easily make non alcoholic versions at home too…recipe coming up. When you get the idea of this, you see how classic recipes use pungent spices to liven up dishes all over the place.

So compared to sweet which is yin in nature and is moistening and harmonizing-acrid is yang in nature, promoting movement and dispersion of qi. Because of this movement quality of up and out, hot acrid herbs can be triggering for indigestion in some folks.

I hope that makes sense 🍛 🔥

Let’s discuss the five flavors in East Asian Medicine!
Sour, Bitter, Sweet, Spicy/pungent and Salty

Side note: There’s actually 6 because bland is a secret extra flavor, but we will get there later.

Each flavor has a unique way of working in the body and working with the other flavors, they each have a direction they moves the qi, and an energetic organ system they work with.

Today: SWEET
The sweet flavor is associated with the earth element and the energetic spleen and stomach which “transform and transport” food and fluids (and sort information). The seasonal association is late summer (if you think about all the fruits and roots ripening to peak natural sweetness-it’s this)

Sweet flavor harmonizes other strong flavors, and it is also moistening. Out of balance, the spleen tends toward dampness: water retention, mucus production, greasy skin, bloating, and adding more sweetness to this imbalance just makes more dampness and then may create an achy heavy feeling in the body.

This dynamic is a double edged sword because a “weak” earth element type may be prone to ruminating and anxiety and craving sweetness helps mask these difficult feelings by numbing them a little with dampness. Weight gain in a particularly stressful time might be your body creating a protective barrier from what’s happening. Sometimes we have a hard time making boundaries so we do other things subconsciously to create buffers.

On the other end of things: sweet can bring balance and energy back to the body after it’s depleted from something like an illness, exercise, a long travel or giving birth for example.

Chinese Medicine does not have binaries about flavors, it’s all about moderation and what’s good for a particular person at a given time or time of life. If you feel yourself getting sluggish, achy, groggy and producing more phlegm try cutting back on sweet flavors. If you feel tired, dry, anxious or stuck in your mind maybe try a sweet warm breakfast like grains with fruit and almonds and a tea with sweet berries.

Disclaimer: no one was talking about donuts for sweet flavor to mediate anything medicinally but sometimes those are good too-for emotional support

I had two different conversations about ginger tea yesterday so I decided this info needed to be passed along.

We all have different body constitutions which are more prone to different things: warm and cool is one way this is differentiated in East Asian Medicine (and South Asian as well)

If your body contains more natural heat: you may be prone to flushing, rosacea, nose bleeds, feel warm, dislike hot weather, be more prone to constipation and indigestion (there are other reasons for these things individually but for the purposes of the gram, I’m keeping it simple.) If you are a person with a warm constitution, drinking spicy things like ginger tea may create more irritability or activity in your system than you want and could possibly be making it more difficult for you to calm down and even stay asleep. It would generally be good for you to choose more yin nourishing teas (particularly at night): elderberry, chrysanthemum, rose, goji, even some mint!

Folks with a cool natural constitution tend to have a strong dislike of the cold, have colder hands and feet, tend more toward diarrhea, have painful cramps and perhaps more achy bodies before moving them. If you are a person with a cool constitution, spicy tea is probably great for your system: ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, chai, etc

Let me know if this switch in your tea drinking helps you feel better!

I almost forgot how much extended time off is a necessity of life 😅

Special shoutout to all the small biz owners who took days off to rest and closed their shops and tried not to stress about it 🫣 and are now busting their buns to stay on track for the rest of the season. I SEE YOU! WE GOT THIS!

I hope everyone got to experience some rest this past week. I’m baaaaack all month for your acupuncture needs 😎 recharged and sun-filled

#holidays

Tis the hectic time of year. I can feel and see anxiety raising all around me.

Ideas for staying true to yourself during the holidays:

1. Reminder: You are an autonomous person whose actions and responses are your own. If you’re pushed to your limit-leave the situation and take a break.

2. If you have social anxiety, try to give yourself a task at the event you’re going to. I’m bringing mocktails to make at every party I’m invited to: family and friends. This gives me a station, a talking point and a healthy activity for me to share.

3. Reminder: It’s only a couple months: nothing is permanent and rarely is it personal

4. You are loved and appreciated and cared about ♥️

Yin and Yang ☯️ are written as “the shady side of the mountain and the sunny side of the mountain”

We are stepping into the shady side of the mountain as we transition to winter. What about the shady side of the year is difficult for you?

Stillness? Being inside with your thoughts? Cold weather and potential pain that causes?

What can you do to bring more serenity to this time? Warm baths? spiced warm food? Reading and meditation practices for stillness? Making art? Mending clothes? Remembering how to nourish yourself and fill you body with what it craves deeply?

I’m still figuring this out-I hated winter in Chicago and I think a big part of it was my aversion to slowing down and changing priorities. I feel trapped when I can’t be outside a couple times a week. Would I be any better at it now with some practice in a more mild climate and greater awareness that death is also life…Idk. I hope so.

Anyway-it’s all part of a cycle-the sun will rise tomorrow and light will shift to the other side of the mountain (or cat)

COMMUNITY WELLNESS DAY -Nov 18th Saturday
(caturday 💁🏼‍♀️)

What you can expect at community acupuncture:

1. You’ll be in a comfy zero gravity chair
2. You’ll receive a simple and calming acupuncture treatment with all of your clothes on-points will mostly be on wrists/arms, ankles, maybe one in the top of your head to open you up to divine guidance
3. You’ll relax
4. I’ll use a tuning fork to stimulate a couple other points-you’ll feel a gentle vibration.
5. You’ll keep relaxing-maybe you’ll enter another dimension of awareness 🤷🏼‍♀️
6. Acupuncture leaves no trace on the body and you’ll be off to enjoy the rest of your day-likely calmer

Tap my bio to sign up: $20/person (3 folks at a time)

And check out @remedy.mt and @calypsomoonessentials for their offerings! Do all 3-you won’t be mad about it.

#acupuncture #holidaystressrelief #calming #community #wellness #sacramento

One of my favorite yoga teachers in Chicago used to refer to all modifications as ‘Luxury Upgrades’ because what you’re doing isn’t less by any means, it’s simply making a shape or adjustment to increase your comfort and allow you to continue the practice.

As I struggle to age gracefully ie: allow myself to be the different version of myself that I am, I’m really trying to take this lesson of Luxury Upgrades to heart.

As we age we need more upgrades: we need more attention to recovery, we need solid sleep, we maybe need to slow down instead of trying to force what was possible on a self ten years ago into a body that has very different priorities and time constraints. What we really need to do is LISTEN to ourselves and give ourselves the grace for Luxury when our bodies call out for it instead of pushing to the point of injury. Shifting from “I used to be like this” to “this feels good to me now and I can work from here”.

Age does not have to be a limiting factor but it does require more internal assessments and listening and allowing gentleness and rest. It takes a lot of patience to live in a changing body-that’s for sure-but growing older is a gift if we let it be so.

What luxury upgrades have you been practicing lately?

Some things I’ve personally sought out acupuncture to work on:

Arm/wrist/hand pain
Hip pain/back pain
Somatization of trauma
Digestive issues
Headaches
Persistent cold feeling
Menstrual discomfort
Congestion
Facial Rejuvenation
Stress
Spiritual growth
Life transitions

Acupuncture might not be your only answer to these, but it’s a great resource and way to connect to yourself

Between heaven and earth we have precious time to soak in this existence.

If you are struggling to stay on a healthy path for yourself as we shift toward the winter, and amidst the chaos, I’m here for you

Feel free to book a shorter recovery support session if you are trying to shift into or maintain a pattern that better serves you.

Longer sessions available mid November to keep your body, mind and spirit in balance.

And if you’re running CIM and think you might want a tune up before the race-book now!

It’s been a heavy couple weeks, to say the least.

If you’ve got something you need to put down for a bit, come hang out with us on November 18th at Center Seven and join any or all of our treatment offerings: acupuncture, reiki and bodywork

Acupuncture will be $20 for a 3 person sesh in zero gravity chairs. Link in my bio ♥️

Often while working on folks they’ll say things like “it’s my low back that hurts, but I guess my hips are tight too” or “oh when you’re working on my deltoids, they ARE sore-it’s not just my upper back” or “I guess these things ARE connected” and I’m here to tell you:

YOUR ENTIRE BEING IS CONNECTED TO ITSELF!
Insides, outsides, fingers to toes, brains to guts. We are taught to separate and think in terms of individual parts and issues, but it is an undeniable truth-you are a whole being connected by muscles, bones, nerves, tissues, blood, water, stardust and the divine.

Yes, it is always and forever connected, so just working at the “problem area” that’s talking to you the loudest will rarely be the long term solution AND also, taking care of your health and well being in one way will have positive outcomes in other areas too, even if it’s more slow or subtle than you were hoping

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about connections and how we weave ourselves into the tapestries around us in ways we might not notice as relevant but absolutely are. How much a little nod from someone I see every day but don’t speak to can make a big impact.

If you are a regular at a cafe, or do the same walk every day, or go to the same class every week, or visit the same bookstore…know that you are noticed and there are people who might not know anything about you other than that one sliver of time you spend passing by them that wonder if you’re ok when you’re not there.

The folks I see on the bike trail in the early dawn: riding, walking, walking their dogs in twinkly vests, running, bird watching. I don’t know any of their names or stories but I say a prayer for them when they’re not in their usual spaces for a while-maybe they’re traveling, injured, choosing a different time or activity, but they all play a little role in my life and connect me to the place I’m traveling through.

You have those people too-we are infinitely connected and not alone. Thanks to everyone who sees me.

♥️♥️♥️

👣 Why should you take care of your feet?

Your feet have the largest amount of nerve endings (over 7,000) and PROPRIOCEPTORS of any body part.

Proprioception is your body’s subconscious ability to determine where you are in space and make adjustments to keep balance-thereby allowing you to communicate with your environment.

Some things you can do that help increase your balance and sense of yourself on the earth are: one legged balancing drills, ankle mobility and strength training, yoga, hula, dancing, Qigong and Tai Chi (there are many free resources online to try these practices at home) and just a few minutes each day working to improve your foot function can dramatically decrease your chances of injury.

Taking care of your feet is an investment in your long term wellbeing and ability to prevent falls too. Removing calluses and allowing your feet to feel comfortable rolling through they walking phases is important self care.

Yay feet

GOOD MORNING

There is a saying in East Asian Medicine/philosophy “if there is no free flow there is pain. If there is free flow there is no pain” This explains the importance of moving qi, blood, fluids and emotions through our systems.

One of my favorite questions on my intake form is “what kind of movement do you do regularly or enjoy?” Allowing an open ended answer because sometimes we separate movement we don’t necessarily enjoy like going to the gym (for some) from movement like dance that we enjoy, sometimes we forget about the joy and freedom in movement all together, and sometimes what we enjoy is currently being hampered by pain, injury or a particularly stressful or time restrictive section of life.

What kind of movement do you most enjoy?

How are your shoulders today?

Are you open to receiving the world today or guarded against it?

Are you carrying something big?

If you wiggle your body does it release something?

Is the world heavy today? Or light?

Take a breath and notice where you are and what you might be holding.

Maybe you can set something down…

📸 @lauren.alexa.moore 💫

Come hang out with us AT THE MALL next Sunday morning!

I’ll be leading a FREE self care workshop to give you some tips for feeling good in the cooler months. We will do some simple Qigong exercises, easy to remember self massage techniques and you’ll receive a gift box full of therapeutic tools which you will learn how to use.

No experience required and all abilities welcomed

I am honored @in_her_voices invited me to join this event and I’m very excited to make it informative and fun.

WHEN: Sunday September 24th 10-11am
WHERE: Arden Fair Mall by Sees Candies
HOW MUCH: 0.00

#selfcare #communityhealth #massage #qigong #sacramento #themall

Some things you can do to work with the seasonal shift:

🍜 say goodbye to cold salads and start incorporating more warm foods into your daily routines (steamed veggies, roasted sweet potatoes, soups)
🧦 keep your toesies warm in the cool mornings (especially if you are prone to menstrual cramps or your body feels stiff in the colder weather)
🧥 put on a long sleeve shirt or coat when you leave a workout so your open pores aren’t exposed to the cold morning air
☕️ warm up for morning drink (if you’re a protein shake or many powders type of morning person, use a warm liquid to mix your stuff)
🍁 notice how everything is changing and recognize it’s ok for your body to be changing too
🔥 come get some moxa 💫

autumn (which we have already begun in the Lunar calendar) is associated with the Lung and Large Intestine organs/meridians and the element of metal. This pairing is interesting to me as it represents the clean vibrant air we take in from the heavens-our inspiration that turns the rest of the system on-and the ultimate release of the muck we no longer need.
We need both for forward movement: new ideas, new ways of being, new possibilities and the ability to filter and let go when we recognize we are not serving ourselves or community well with certain ideologies, patterns or behaviors.
The point shown here, LI 4 may remind us what we can release, what is no longer congruent with our vitality. It may help release when that shows up as pain (headaches, eye aches) or as constipation. Or it may work as a grounding for an anxious mind to clear and return to what is important to life.

What can you clear or release this fall?

You can start with a messy drawer or closet and see what that brings up emotionally too.
Be gentle 🤍

#autumn #eastasianmedicine #acupuncture #metalszn

HAPPY LABOR DAY!

May all workers be treated fairly. May all workers have the ability to organize and demand good conditions and fair wages.

Keep up the good fight everyone. I support you completely.

♥️,

One woman trying to renovate an old ass house and take care of my community

I am excited to be part of Winds of Change upcoming women’s wellness retreat for the Fall Equinox in Nevada City! I’ll be offering a group acupuncture session with a guided meditation into a sound bath ✨ and ear seeds for support throughout the weekend.

These retreats are intended to be your safe haven for navigating big changes in your life. Change is the only thing that’s constant. Recent cosmic shifts have reminded many of us this. Just when we think we have everything figured out, the unexpected strikes, and we're reminded of life's unpredictability. The loss of a loved one, a sudden career change, the end of a cherished relationship—change hits hard. It's the uncertainty that accompanies change, coupled with our perspective on the unknown, that can truly unsettle us.

When we view the unknown through the lens of fear, it becomes a daunting force. But what if we shift that perspective? What if we see the unknown as a realm of potential, infinite possibilities, and a chance to craft something new, more profound, and more beautiful? Adjusting our viewpoint isn't easy, but with the right tools and support, it's possible.

These times challenge us as humans. Significant changes, both personal and collective, have left many of us feeling lost and alone. That's precisely why seeking support is crucial—to transform this period of uncertainty into a journey of transformation.

In honor of change, we're excited to extend a special offer: Enjoy $250 off your Fall Equinox retreat registration when you enroll by 9/5. Use code "FULLMOON" at checkout to secure your savings.

Take the leap, secure your spot, and begin on the next chapter of your transformative journey.

https://www.windsofchangesac.com/nevadacityretreat

Can you come in and request a seasonal tea to leave with?

You sure can!

🧚‍♀️🌿 🌺 🥀🫶🏼

Very limited 4oz Heart Medicine

“Heart Opener” 🥀
Rose
Hawthorn
Albizia
Hibiscus
Orange Peel
Cherry Liquor
Wildflower Honey
Vodka
(all organic)

Increase blood flow, lighten the mood, tend to the heart space. To be taken with intention. It smells lovely and would taste great in a sparking drink or a light flower tea.

♥️♥️♥️

Earth season is beginning transition to metal season. I know it’s increasingly a challenge to be tuned in and reliant on natural seasonal cycles as the world becomes less predictable but centering in and taking care is still helpful.

The earth and metal meridians have direct correspondence to what we take in and process to create our own energy through inspiration of air, smell, taste and digestion.

When we are activated or anxious our nervous system slows blood flow to our digestive processes which can cause or enhance uncomfortable issues (indigestion, stomach pain, diarrhea, bloating).

One practice that has helped me immensely to shift nervous system states to resting/digesting is to do a short gratitude prayer before I eat.

NOTE: you do not need fancy food to do this; your Trader Joe’s bagged salad has plenty of things to be grateful for.

Take a deep breath, smell your food, let it go slowly. Choose a couple things to be thankful for in your meal: the earth for growing the food, the farmers (especially powerful if you know them), the animal, whatever your favorite item on your plate is, the access you have to it.
Take a few breaths and say thanks for the nourishment you are about to give you body so you can continue in your day. Think about something this food will allow you to do (like not be hangry and remain kind, or pick up your kids, or go to the gym, or finish your work day energized) Thank yourself for creating time for nourishment. Allow your body to receive 🥹

That’s it!

Try not to look at your phone while you eat.

Let me know if you do this and what’s your favorite late summer lunch?

#acupuncture #fivephases #wuxing #eastasianmedicine #graditude

This summer I have done a bunch of things to get my shit together that I’ve put off for longer than I’d like to admit: going to the dentist, finding an accountant, paying myself a salary, setting up online scheduling…One final thing I had really been dragging my feet on due to fear of the unknown and risk of starting over and being “bad” at it was getting back to a yoga class. I finally did that day. I was worried in each of these situations that I would be met with judgment and condescension and I have been lucky to be pleasantly surprised in each place. (So if any of y’all need a dentist or an accountant-I have recommendations)

If taking care of yourself has been difficult to make time for because of fear of the unknown, fear of vulnerability, or fear of judgement: I promise to treat you with as much grace as I know how and usher you into your new way of caring for yourself with non-judgment as I have been shown.

It’s not too late to change a habit, shift a perspective, or start on a new path to more comfort in your body or your mind, and if you’ve been struggling to do it, I get it.

❤️

Hello Friends,

I have finally set up online scheduling 🫣…

If you are a current client of mine, you’ll receive an email invitation to set up a portal account and be able to view, add and change your appointments (within last min cancellation 24hr window) from there. If you’ve not come to see me but want to-a link will be on my website.

Some options will still be available only through direct contact with me: ear seeds and Sobriety Support. Send over an email or text if you desire these options 🌈☀️

As always, feel free to reach out with questions or concerns or to be placed on a cancellation list.

I’m sure there will be some hiccups as I continue with some other needed admin upgrades. This is not my wheel house but I’m tryin to embrace it!

Love,
Mia

📸 @geisepintophotography

A little tuning fork energy session for my young friend 🥹

Everyone benefits from some special calming time now and again and I’m happy to provide. This is definitely the cutest thing I’ll get do today too 💕

Season of the heart-season of the Earth

We are coming around a fast corner into the last weeks of summer and often this can increase the anxious energy of needing to “fit more in”. Since we are already in a time of fire energy that can cause some mania if it is not tempered with rest and cooling actions, leaving us dried out and brittle, it’s important to consider what we do to keep the elements in balance. We want to stay grounded coming into the earth season of late summer so we have energy to decide what new practices we started and relationships we cultivated can be carried into the cooler months. We want the stamina to take what we learned about ourselves in community this summer and integrate it into our fabrics.

Foods for hot days:

Smashed cucumber salad
Watermelon
Mint sun tea
Salad with fresh herbs
Cold noodles with herbs and mung beans

Practices for tempering fire:
Naps
Time in water
Meditation
Slow walks
Acupuncture 😉
Yin Yoga

What are your favorites?

☀️ mornings at Wellspring Women’s Center ☀️

Working on some shoulder discomfort with one of my most sunshine filled regulars 🥰

#community #acupuncture #communitycare #sacramento

some notes on knee pain!

I use acupuncture very often for pain management of all kinds, and it’s often surprising to folks that the source of the sensations of pain or inflammation is not at the spot that holds the discomfort.

Many different factors can contribute to knee pain as it’s a load bearing joint with numerous muscles and ligaments crossing it from all directions.

When you think about the amount of stability it takes for the articulations of simply walking, it’s rather astounding. When you then factor in: running, walking up stairs, sitting for long hours, cycling, or surgical interventions, lots can happen to create imbalances.

In this photo, I’m needling either side of the IT band shallow and transverse to create some space for the muscle to move freely against the vastus lateralis which is your outer quad muscle. These two often create adhesions which need to be broken up for ideal movement. Because the lateral aspect of the body from your glutes (which passively shorten while you are sitting/driving) down your IT band is typically much stronger than your inner thigh adductor muscles, it’s common for knee pain to be coming from this tract and showing up as lateral knee discomfort.

Conversely, It’s also common for this outward rotating strength to overwhelm the inner knee stabilizers causing discomfort on the weak inner side when you pick up a new movement pattern like cycling or running or longer walking.

Tight quads and hamstrings can also be major contributors as well as tight calves. There’s a tiny muscle at the back of your knee under your calf which is responsible for unlocking your knee from straight to bent position during your gait cycle. This can be a contributor to pain the back of your knee.

As you can see, there’s a lot going on for your knees. It’s important to do self care for them even if your movement is limited and you sit for much of day. Massage, acupuncture, gentle stretching, and salt soaks all help keep your joints happy. Also-as exciting as it is to jump into new activities, it’s always good to start slow and build carefully so your muscles can keep up with their new demands.

Home remedy: castor oil packs! Castor oil has been used medicinally across many cultures for centuries.

Topical castor oil, diluted in a carrier oil and used with a heating pad or hot wash cloth (and not during pregnancy or while you’re actively in the bleed phase of your menstrual cycle) has been shown to significantly decrease pain and inflammation when applied to different areas of the body for different concerns.

It’s a slightly messy yet inexpensive process that might help alleviate your abdominal discomforts or arthritic pain.

Who’s tried a castor oil pack? What was your experience?

*it’s always good to check in with your health care professional before trying something new and to do a patch test to check for any reactions before applying to a larger area

Do you know where you hold stress in your body? Or where you feel the most pressing emotion of the day in your body?

These are questions I ask my clients, and it’s ok if you don’t yet know.

Acupuncture and bodywork can gently bring awareness to these aspects of daily life and holding and help you let go

#acupuncture #eastasianmedicine #sacramento #somatics

It’s my second 21st birthday 😂

It’s a real trip to be alive in this time and I feel incredibly grateful to be doing what I do and to know so many other people optimistic for change and growth despite it all.

#upthepunks #42

Most common situations I use acupuncture:

Pain management: shoulders, knees, hips, low back, neck, arms, jaw (either stress, competitive motion or injury related)

Big feelings: regulating or working through a big transition, emotional upheaval or spiritual pivot, loss and grief or agitation and frustration

Stress management: anxiety, feeling ungrounded, over stimulation

Recovery support: helping increase feeling at home and more at ease in your body-mind

Internal balance: digestive disharmony or hormonal imbalances

Ageing gracefully ✨

I love my work 😊
#acupuncture #eastasianmedicine #healing #wellness #sacramento

How’s your neck???

When we think about posture, usually we automatically think “pull my shoulders back”

But there’s a lot of neck we need to (self) talk about.

When you lean your head forward of your chest, and/ or angle it down: to type, look at your phone, read a book, look for secret treasure…you’re engaging and adding lots of stress to the posterior chain of your body from your sub occipitals (that I am workin on in this photo) and down your back into your traps, extensors. Over time, these muscles get tired and the anaerobic response is to build “knots” which then cause “discomfort” in the tune of: headaches, jaw pain, scalp pain, back pain, neck pain

This forward posture on a consistent basis also contributes to a weakening of the anterior chain muscles in your neck which are meant to keep you looking forward at the horizon and able to tilt your head side to side.

To start addressing this: sit up straight, look ahead with your chin tucked slightly down and back (parallel to the floor ish)
In this position, the comfortable site line is the ideal spot to have your phone while looking at it, and the top of your monitor.

Practice checking in on your neck and bringing your head back into alignment with your spine throughout the day. Notice how often you find yourself in this forward head posture and kindly tell yourself to stretch and re-position.

You may well see an improvement in discomfort and headaches.

✨COMMUNITY WELLNESS DAY✨
@remedy.mt @calypsomoonessentials @pma_acupuncture
We are combining forces once more for a afternoon of relaxation and healing from our unique selves and modalities to you

Sign up with each of us separately and feel free to do all three! I’ll be working with small groups (of 3) so feel free to bring a pal.

In my corner of the room there will be zero gravity chair small group acupuncture and tuning fork therapy and ear seeds!

Link in bio for acupuncture tix-NOTE: there are multiple times offered, so look at the drop down list for event tickets

🌈💕

Savory Oatmeal Club

Warm grains to build earth
Cured eggs to build jing and blood (and as a signature: tiny suns or moons-encapsulated life)
Yesterday’s mushrooms for harmony of earth and body/spirit
Yesterday’s green beans for wood element and the liver

Food is Medicine and I love breakfast
🌱🥚✨

(Also all of this was made other times and just plopped together this morning with porridge from the almighty Zojirushi)

Hello! Do you have a friend or partner or YOU who is curious about or loves cupping (or 🔥 cupping) but not so sure about acupuncture?

WELL, you may also book a 30min cupping session with me to fulfill these desires!

Send me a message and we will make sure it’s a good fit

CUPPING
CUPPING
CUPPING

This service can be used as a gift certificate as well (for all the fathers and cat daddies coming in hot next Sunday perhaps)

As always, I’m happy to answer any questions!

I know waking up at the crack of dawn to exercise is not for everyone, but getting out to ride on a quiet path, passing bunnies, scoping the new blooms and waving g’morning to the other folks who share this happy place really truly fills my heart with appreciation for life.

I hope whatever your happy place is, you allow yourself to be in it this week too 💕 we all deserve it and it’s easy to get too busy for it.

(And to Chicago, I love you forever 🌈✨)

🌈✨HAPPY PRIDE

A life lived with love and authenticity is a life worth celebrating. It’s really all we can ask of ourselves.

In a time and place where those expressions of love and self are held under attack and scrutiny, it’s even more important to acknowledge the beauty in all the queerness in the world.

Everyone has a welcome space under the rainbows in my room. Keep shining ✨

🌈💕💜 🩵

#happypride

curious about our community or group acupuncture event on June 2nd but unsure what it is?

In a group setting, acupuncture is done only on easily accessible places on the body: ears, wrists, ankles, arms typically

You will be seated in a zero gravity chair which allows you to push yourself back into a lying down position with nice knee support and potential for deep rest.

There are many things we can work on in this type of setting, and if you’re interested in joining but don’t have a specific area to work on, you can come with an intention or an emotional regulation you’d like to focus on and gain clarity as you meditate with the sound bath.

We can also work on: stress relief, headaches, digestion, sleep issues, energetic blocks and pain management to name a few.

Feel free to ask questions.

❤️ Mia

COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE//SOUND HEALING

I am very excited for this collaboration with my neighbors across the street @beelinestudio 🐝 🪷 ✨

Please just us for an evening of small group acupuncture and sound healing with Moi @pma_acupuncture and @jessicawill89 and @brokenirisart

We have four sessions available for five folks at a time. Everyone is welcome. You will be seated in zero gravity chairs and will be fully clothed (just wear something comfortable)

IYKYK and if you don’t, prepare for some intergalactic relaxation ✨

If you have questions feel free to ask

Link to tix in bio

#acupuncture #community #wellness #soundhealing #sacramento

☀️GOOD MORNING ☀️

I’m here to say, the only rule of fashion is confidence

Wear the shorts
Wear the short skirt
Wear all the goth shit
Wear the colorful @nooworks jumpsuit 🥹

Life is too sweet and too short to be worried about anyone else’s fashion bs than your own level of comfort and what you like

If I live to a ripe old age, this colorful parade I’m on shall continue 😂

If you stand still and think about your feet as a portal to the earth, and you walk softly knowing the earth is holding you, that you are connected through this portal, you might notice some shifts in your whole body.

So often we grip our toes inside our shoes thinking we have to cling to the earth instead of opening to it. If you spread your toes and relax your feet, being held, a whole new world emerges. Your breath might even slow down as you do this walking meditation.

Try it. See how it feels in your body to cultivate this earth energy (even walking from car to grocery store if that’s your available time)

And thank you to @acufunkture for the reminder to pay attention to my feet 🥹

If you need help with this energetic opening-acupuncture and moxa are great resources too!

🐆 a note:

To all of you who feel you need some protection (for yourself, your family, your kids, for your mental well-being) as the world releases mask mandates just know:

I’m here for you.

PLEASE feel free to ask me to wear a mask during your treatment if you want me to.

I don’t need an explanation or a reason other than it makes you more comfortable.

This is supposed to be a house of relaxation and restoration and if you feel more at ease with a face covering, by all means let me know.

Plus I just got these leopard masks so 💁🏼‍♀️