Virtual Hugs and My Therapeutic Toolkit
Hi fam. It’s been a minute (that feels like a lifetime). Oof. What a wild ride we’re on.
I’m writing to you now from an unprecendently tranquil Los Angeles (the only sounds filtering through my window right now are those made by the birds and the breeze. Now that is NOVEL.), where I’m quarantining with my sweet family. My personal experience thus far has been, as I’m sure is true for many of you, messy and mysterious. Some days I wake with laughter and dance moves flowing through me (more of that please, Universe), but to be honest those days are much rarer than I’m accustomed to. More often than not, I find myself in tears without a readily identifiable culprit (and yet it seems there are SO many to choose from lately), terribly exhausted, stuck/aimless, or on edge - filled with an irritability and anger I was previously unacquainted with.
And so, as often as I can, I’ve been taking time to go within, honor my needs, and offer myself the care required to return to a state of authentic equilibrium when feeling triggered (i.e., often!). When I am able to stay present with what IS (despite the writhing discomfort), to listen to the voice of truth deep within, and follow the cues of my body, I am gifted the space to unfold and process deeply stored emotions and memories that are revealing themselves during this time.
I’ve been reaching into the toolkit of therapeutic resources/practices that I’ve collected over the years during my healing journey, and adding many newly discovered tools to it on the regular. I’ve made a list of some of my faves for all of you to enjoy, because sharing is caring, and I LOVE you like crazy. Check it out and let me know what resonates with you, or if you’ve found something wonderful to add to the list…
MY TOOLKIT FOR WELLBEING:
Meditation (Insight Timer is one of my favorite free sources for a diverse array of meditations):
Nature therapy: for some of us this means forest walks, or beach strolls, while for others we are learning to acknowledge the therapeutic potential in a potted plant and discovering surprisingly deep friendship with that tree down the block that we may have overlooked in our pre-COVID19 haste. If you can, get some sunshine on your bare skin, lay on the earth, put your feet in the dirt…
4-7-8 breath; 16 seconds to bliss; Buteyko breathing; Wim Hoff breathing (if your lungs are clear); SAVOR your breath like never before
Keeping warm and well-hydrated: hot tea/water, warm baths, scarfs, cozy socks (here’s why)
Steam inhalation therapy: Herbal Steams keep your lungs and airways hydrated and clear of mucus.
Heat water in a pot and then add 5-10 drops of eucalyptus, peppermint &/or rosemary essential oil. When the water has cooled slightly place your face over the pot and drape a towel like a tent over your head and the pot. Inhale the steam deeply through your nose, until the water has cooled. You can also boil cooling, lung-supporting herbs into the water if you want to get fancy.
Free wellbeing Workshops from Holisticism
Move your body. Sweat a little
Naps, lots of them; or just a blissfully long savasana. yum.
Cook/enjoy nourishing and comforting food (with whatever you have access to)
On this note, please my friends, do your best to minimize sugar and processed foods right now! Dairy and alcohol are also to be enjoyed sparingly if you can do so without totally losing your sanity (for many of us, these can lead to dampness, i.e., mucous/phlegm, in the body, which is a primary factor at play with this virus)!
Make the majority of your meals cooked if possible, to lessen the demand placed on your digestive system and reserve that energy for whatever more pressing demands may be threatening your system at the moment. This should also prevent the production of excess dampness.
Side note: In addition to all the healthy home-cooked meals gracing our bellies, I’ve made more banana bread in the past month than I have in my entire life and I’m not mad about it. Sidenote: apparently it’s the official food of the pandemic?! Here’s a favorite recipe
Oh, and CSA farm boxes are saving my life. If you’re in the LA area check out these amazing offerings; and these if you’re in SB
Books I’m reading (or rereading): Help Thanks Wow - Anne Lamott; The Untethered Soul - Michael Singer; A Year to Live - Stephen Levine; Big Magic - Elizabeth Gilbert; More Beautiful Than Before: How Suffering Transforms Us - Steve Leder; Harry Potter Series - J.K. Rowling (forever my favorite); Kitchen Table Wisdom - Rachel Naomi Remen; The Great Work of Your Life - Stephen Cope; Letters to a Young Poet - Rainer Maria Rilke; The Book of Awakening - Mark Nepo…
Connect with those you love; connect with yourself → journal, self-massage, hug yourself
Acupressure (schedule a virtual session for guidance on a custom combo of points best suited for you); tapping - especially over your sternum, just beneath your collar bone, and along your rib cage on your chest
Herbal allies & Supplement support (I can have herbs/supplements shipped directly to you and/or you can order directly from my online dispensary; check out my protocols titled: Ongoing Immune Support for Viral Load and Acute Temporary Upper Respiratory Care Protocol); if you’d like a custom protocol, don’t hesitate to schedule a virtual consult!
Info/Research on how Chinese Medicine is being implemented in various treatment protocols for all stages of COVID-19:
“The theory of prevention and treatment of ‘pestilence’ (refers to fatal epidemic disease, pinyin: wenyi) in Chinese Medicine [CM] originated from Huangdi's Internal Classic (Huang Di Nei Jing), which was written about 2000 years ago. It suggested two aspects which should be employed to prevent the spread of epidemics. One was to maintain and improve the healthy qi in the body by taking preventive medicine [Xiaojin Dan (小金丹) in Huangdi's Internal Classic, the first recommended formula of CM to prevent pestilence], healthy diet care, exercise and so on, so as to resist the invasion of external pathogen, and the other was to avoid the source of infection. These two principles of epidemic disease prevention have been followed by CM practitioners till now.”
Beijing pushes traditional Chinese medicine as coronavirus treatment
“I now highly recommend the use of Chinese herbs to treat COVID-19, in all of its stages. Though the use of herbs is non-invasive with relatively mild side effects, it is not only effective to treat mild and mid-stages of this illness, it can also help prevent patients from moving into the more critical stages of this disease. However, I cannot stress the importance of achieving accurate diagnosis and regularly updated herbal prescriptions for the particular stage of illness.”
Potential natural compounds for preventing 2019-nCoV infection:
“By using molecular docking, we proposed that the five natural compounds, including baicalin, Scutellarin, Hesperetin, glycyrrhizin and Nicotianamine are potential compounds that target the ACE2 receptor and exert anti-virus effects for preventing 2019-nCoV infection”
Cleansing, calming, essential oils in a diffuser if you have one or make your own spray
Learn something new or revisit something old
Reach out for help:
Please know that I’m here for you, and while I am saddened not to practice acupuncture as usual, I have a plethora of other resources and modalities in my repertoire to benefit your abiding wellbeing. In addition to the very prevalent concerns around preventing/treating COVID-19 symptoms, I recognize that pre-existing chronic conditions, allergies, pain, anxiety, insomnia, etc. are not likely to have magically disappeared during this time. In fact, the heightened stress and fear in our environments can often exacerbate such conditions. However, this pause from the chaos of doing can also be a profound opportunity for healing if you choose to embrace it as such. I am acutely aware that many of you need support more than ever right now.
As you will have gathered already, all in-house treatments are unfortunately suspended until it becomes safe to reopen the clinic (which I am hopeful will happen soon, given Governor Newsom’s recent announcement). However, I am now offering REMOTE TELEHEALTH SESSIONS!
This time perplexes and astounds me. Fear and pain are lurking around every corner, and yet there is this resonating steadfast harmony in the stillness of the arbitrary comings and goings of days past. The demons feel close to the surface, as though they’re circulating through my fascia, just under the skin, itching to erupt. But the peace, the knowing that something grander and exquisitely essential is brewing, rests deeper. I feel it in my blood, in my bones, pulsating from some omnipotent source beyond body. I sense it emanating from the soil, as if the Earth herself is whispering “thank you”.
I wonder what is to come for us, how our world will look once the doors reopen, and I hope fervently that we can integrate the offerings of discernment, sensitivity, impermanence, ingenuity, gratitude, tenacity, and deep (if distant) interconnectedness that are being showered upon us right now.
May our renewal be enlightened by the reclamation of that which is truly essential - breath, intimacy, compassion, awareness, nourishment, integrity, safety, freedom, creativity, resilience, laughter, play, vitality, nature, diversity, cooperation, and love.
Sending love to you all. May we hug again soon! xo