Healing from Within
The way we interact and engage with others is merely an extension of the way we view and treat ourselves. When we start with self-love, we build up our reserves of compassion, empathy, forgiveness, and gratitude so that we can share those gifts with others. Ultimately, we will have more to give if we have first put time, effort, and energy into loving ourselves.
We can liken that self-care with the same way we would provide upkeep and maintenance to our vehicle. There are certain things that we do for preventative care for our cars, because we know that if we don’t, the cost of waiting can certainly outweigh the cost of upkeep.
All the parts in the car have a certain way of communicating with one another. If there is a short in a wire, or contact point, then there can be no spark or fire to “ignite” the process. If it doesn’t have gas, it will not run. A vehicle needs both gas and spark in order to start and run.
Yin & Yang
We can use this analogy to describe the philosophy of Chinese medicine. Within our bodies, the “gas” is Qi. The “spark” is Yang energy. The “oil” is Yin and blood. We need Qi in order to function, most of which comes from our food intake and diet. We need yang energy to help us feel motivated and engaged with the people around us. We need yin and blood to keep our joints, muscles and skin nourished. Just like all the parts in the car, these energetic systems depend on each other. If our car makes a noise or the engine light comes on, we bring it into the mechanic to be evaluated and find out the solution to the problem. If our Qi or yin and yang energies are out of balance we may experience pain, fatigue, depression/anxiety, digestive concerns or general lack of vitality. You can then come to your Acupuncture Physician for a tune up.
Your Body is Sending You Signals
Listen to your body in every moment, you intuitively know what you need in order to thrive. Your mind-body system is constantly reacting to your environment, and your needs may change day by day, month to month and season by season. Notice how you feel after a meal or during and after you exercise. The moment that you think your “check engine light” comes on make an appointment for self-care. Acupuncture and herbs can help align your internal energies so that the innate intelligence that exists inside of you can do what it has been designed to do.
See? Our bodies and our state of health are actually a lot like a vehicle. There are certain things we need to do in order to make sure we are able to continue on our journey of adventures. Tune in and tune up when necessary! Your body is constantly sending you signals, listen to it. Being able to hear and respond to those messages with regular maintenance can be much more cost effective in the end.
Written by Kecia Fowler, DOM