Sylvie Martin Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine

WORD OF THE DAY: ENTHUSIASM Check in with your enthusiasm level right in this moment. ... How does even the thought of the word make you feel? Maybe like you could use a little more of it? It comes from the same place as joy, love, well-being, and peace.... and it’s not OUT THERE in something else that can provide it for you. These are in you, in your heart-space, always. Rather like a radio (remember those?!?): FIRST you have to turn it on (which really just means choosing to pay attention) THEN you have to mess around with the tuning, clear the static, take the time to find and settle in to the clearest sound possible (choose your station with intention-one that helps open and soften your heart) AND FINALLY allow the music, energy, good feelings, openness, and enthusiasm to move through you The BEST part is that you don’t have to DO anything to create more enthusiasm- just like the radio signal- it’s ALWAYS there! Are you turning it on today? Can you take a moment to tune in? Can you allow the static to clear and the joy to come through? Can you do whatever you’re doing right now with a little more ENTHUSIASM? Here’s how I feel after I do

Friendly nudge: After 8 months of living with a lot of change, new stresses, uncertainty, restrictions, and, in many cases, poor diet, poor posture, and poor motivation, THIS is the time to plan ahead and BOOK your sessions to USE YOUR REMAINING BENEFITS! Not sure what acupuncture can do for you?... It’s not ONLY an effective treatment for physical aches and pains, but from a TCM practitioner, it can also address digestive, respiratory, circulatory, and gynaecological issues! It can be used for headaches, ear/eye problems, stress, anxiety, and depression too. Along with herbal remedies, it can treat skin issues. And it can help you rest better, have more energy, and feel good in yourself. I encourage you to check your insurance benefits and call for your appointment before the year slips away. Let’s move in to winter, and the new year, feeling strong, healthy and well!

We are deep in to the FALL season now, so I want to take a moment to look at what that means for us. The things we observe in nature about the fall are the downward movement of energy, the letting go and falling of the leaves, and the process of gradual decay and disintegration in the natural world. What was once vibrant and full now yields its essence to the greater whole as nourishment for what will grow out of it come the spring. We are seeing and feeling these energies... moving in these ways inside of us individually, as well as collectively in society, and it can be hard, painful even. I think it’s made harder by our cultural denial of death. Fall brings us close to grief and death in a way that we aren’t necessarily equipped to handle, and which we have been taught to view as negative. Aging is considered as a loss of value in most cases. Death is considered frightening. Loss of any kind is to be avoided in a culture that glorifies accumulation, possessions, and the vibrancy of youth. If we continue to hide from the truth of the cycles of life, valuing parts of life far above others, we experience the imbalance whether we recognize it or not. Living within the cycles of life, in balance with the natural world, we look for the meaning we find in each season, and that nourishes our whole self. What can we take from the fall season that gives us meaning? THAT EACH MOMENT IS PRECIOUS. That with each breath there is life and death, inspiration and letting go. Fall teaches us to be present and to develop our awareness of presence and the preciousness of what is, in each moment. It simultaneously teaches us not to hold on too tightly to what is, TO LET IT GO for the larger picture, the greater good of moving forward, of EVOLVING. In Chinese medicine, this is the spirit of the METAL element, which is associated with the Lung and Large Intestine organs inspiration and letting go). Does this resonate with you in your life? Can you see ways in which this energy is acting in the world around you? I would love to hear about it. I would also love to help you work with the Metal energies and organs in your body-mind-spirit.

We all want good health and strong immune systems, especially at this time of year, but do you ever take a moment to think about what good health IS and what it means FOR YOU? So much of the health & wellness industry is focussed on continually striving for the perfect supplement or the perfect treatment or the perfect pill to FINALLY attain good health and then maintain it without change. That just isn’t realistic! The other side of health care is focussed on managing symp...toms AFTER you’ve already gone down! Isn’t there something in between? Our bodies, minds, and spirits are continually responding to constantly changing environments both externally and internally. The truth is that what being in good health really means is the SELF-AWARENESS to know how YOU respond to changes inside and outside of you (whether physically, mentally or emotionally) and the RESILIENCE to meet those changes in the appropriate ways, and in the appropriate time. Do you take appropriate care of yourself? If you’re getting run down, at what stage do you become aware of it? At what stage do you respond to it? Are you aware of the ways, areas or circumstances in which you personally are more likely to be more vulnerable to being overwhelmed by changes internally or externally? Do you know what to do to best support yourself at those times? It’s this level of awareness of and alignment with yourself that will keep you meeting change with more ease, and therefore, in good health on every level. How can you pay better attention? Sylvie Martin R.AC, R.TCMP 647-618-5029

Has anyone been looking for ways to release difficult emotions or stuck energy, replenish nourishing inner resources, or maintain grounding and good energy flow? Try this out- it can do all of that!