From the Roots

It’s been raining almost continuously where I live. I'm not talking about the occasional summer shower, but heavy rains that has sent rivers surging, basements flooded, ponds where there had never been ponds before, and the ground completely saturated. Also, the mosquitos are completely next level right now. I haven't seen anything like it. After years of drought, it’s hard to complain because we desperately need the moisture, but even this has begun to feel excessive. Then,

Within Traditional Chinese Medicine and Taoist wisdom, there is an understanding that consciousness is not housed in one place alone, but expressed through the Five Spirits. These Spirits are subtle aspects of ourselves, connected to the organ systems and different dimensions of human experience. - Shen of the Heart, relating to presence, awareness and connection - Yi of the Spleen, relating to thought, reflection and our ability to process experience - Po o

Lately, I’ve been sitting with something that feels a bit like bitter medicine. It’s a mix of sadness, disappointment and moments of frustration. I can feel it not only emotionally, but in my physical body as well. Where I live, we’re in a season of growth. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), spring is connected to movement, vision, and new direction. It’s the time when life begins to rise and move again. And yet, as I move through my own season of growth, it hasn’t felt s

Today is the Spring (Vernal) Equinox, the moment when day and night are equal in length, and when the sun crosses the celestial equator moving northward. Where I live, it occurs in the early morning, around 3:45 am, MST. It marks a turning point, a moment of balance, where light and dark meet, just before the energy of the year begins to rise again. We move from winter’s stillness, inward and reflective (Yin), into the movement of spring, outward and expressive (Yang). In Tra

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yin and Yang describe the dynamic relationship between opposing but interdependent forces. Yin is stillness. Yang is movement. Yin is form. Yang is function. Yin is receptivity. Yang is propulsion. If Yin is the magnetic force that draws energy into form, Yang is the kinetic force that sets it into motion. They are not in conflict. They are in relationship. Yang begins with inspiration. A spark, an idea. It is the impulse to move forward and i

Since mid-December, my shoulder has been bothering me. Although I haven’t formally had it diagnosed, I’m fairly certain I’m dealing with periarthritis of the shoulder, or more commonly known as frozen shoulder. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it has a much more poetic, if not slightly humbling name: “50-year-old shoulder.” Yay. Interestingly enough, over the last couple of weeks, I’ve had a noticeable number of people come into the clinic with very similar shoulder is