The Year of the Wood Dragon

The Chinese Lunar New Year is almost upon us. The Chinese Zodiac animal will change from the Rabbit energy we experienced in 2023 to the Dragon energy on the 10th of February.

2024 is set to be a more active and energetic year with the Dragon energy that will come in. Importantly, the Dragon is the only animal of 12 in the Chinese zodiac that is a mythical creature. They are strong, independent and seen as auspicious, symbols of good luck, honour and success. With the wood element we can think of a tree and laying secure and stable foundations for the year and even years ahead. Wood energy is also more yang than the more yin water energy we had the last two years and in Chinese medicine, the wood element correlates to the organs of the Liver and the Gallbladder. The Liver is known as the ‘general’ and is in charge of ensuring the smooth flow of Qi around the body and the gallbladder ensures the production of bile to emulsify fats. Both organs also help with planning and decision making. When the wood element is out of balance we commonly see issues such as muscle tension, digestive issues, headaches and emotions such as frustration and anger. This will be something to watch out for if we get too stuck in our yang energy. More yin activities such as grounding, yoga, swimming and tai qi can help you find your centre if things get too fast paced.

Parallel to western astrology, the most important transit we will see this year is the planet Pluto moving into Aquarius after being Capricorn since 2008. If we think back to that time, there has been a lot of turmoil in the world with many natural disasters, wars and financial upheavel. With Pluto moving into Aquarius this is supposed to be a time of collective change, freedom and humanity. There will also be new inventions, new technology and new systems of power.

Dragon years usually bring with them new technological advancements too, we may see more AI, space travel and digital technology.

Of course a good way to stay balanced emotionally and physically this year will be to have regular acupuncture sessions to keep the body functioning optimally.

Remember - prevention is always better than cure.

Famous people born in the year of the Dragon include: Bruce Lee, Martin Luther King, Vladimir Putin, Pelé

Soul Guidance in today's world

Over the last few years, the world has undergone a massive shift, things will never go back to how they used to be. Some of us suffered greatly during this time. Divisions were huge and the repercussions will be felt for years to come. A lot of this was our destiny, kismet, a part of our necessary evolution at this time. There are unfortunately many people I have had to personally leave behind, but in their place I have met many like-minded souls all over the world. If you had said to me that I would be enrolled in an astrology course and part of a very special astrology and healing group a few years ago; I would have laughed.Those of us who are spiritually attuned know that we are here for a higher purpose; to serve humanity in whatever way we can, to guide those who cannot see yet and to be the beacons of light in what are sometimes…dark times. The world is becoming increasingly dystopian but also more compassionate and aware.

I am finding more and more people need something beyond just physical healing these days. It is simply not enough to just offer a treatment and send people on their way. Many people are going through ‘existential crisis’ and are struggling with the daily issues we are facing in today’s world. The world on the outside and from a 3D perspective is becoming more and more chaotic. Politically, most countries are in peril, people are realising their leaders do not have their best interests at heart, we are destroying our natural habitat, inflation is rising, people are just struggling with the general day to day. Many are questioning why they do what they do. What is the purpose of the mundane? And so arises the existential crisis. Many are making career shifts.

If they are open and on their awakening journey, I often turn to my limited (but growing) knowledge of astrology in the hope I can offer them some perspective, some explanation, justification as to why things are the way they are…what could come around the corner at a later date. For most, I offer bespoke flower essences - those who are ready will take these religiously, alongside their regular acupuncture sessions and then remark to me a few weeks later “I just feel so much better in myself” and that is with the mundane and the boring day to day still happening. For others, I may treat them, then weeks later see they have changed career….for the better in many of their cases. Flower essences are amazing because they work from a soul level in a very subtle way to bring you back to your optimum state of wellbeing.

Flower essences are a beautiful way to work with vibrational or energetic healing - acupuncture, homeopathy, reiki are all methods that work with energy. They have been used for centuries from the ancient egyptians, to the sumerians and the chinese. They have all captured the essence and vibration of certain flowers and used them for healing. As we know from the numerous studies done by Dr Masaru Emoto, human consciousness can affect the appearance of water crystals and so everything else follows. This is how flower essences can help you. If you are feeling anxious, sad, worried, stressed etc there is usually a flower essence or two or more that can help you. We are made of energy after all. And I do believe as more time goes on, more and more people will seek out these methods to enhance their wellbeing and spiritual journey.

Another modality I offer, is Access Bars, a type of energy healing. The Bars® are 32 unique points on the head that correlate to different areas and aspects of life. During an Access Bars session, I will gently touch these points to release the electromagnetic charge of all thoughts, ideas, attitudes, decisions, and beliefs that may have limited you in the concerned life areas. This gentle, non-invasive but hands on technique works on releasing both physical and mental blocks. It’s relaxing and compliments many other treatments you may be doing.

All this has made me reflect on how I can help my patients. It is no accident that we are more connected than ever before with technology but increasingly isolated. I often talk to many of my friends scattered around the globe, some of them astrologers, some of them healers - most of them know what is happening. I like to think we are spread out for a reason, even though it sometimes feels very difficult.

But going back to healing and how I help my patients - I keep adding new tools. Those who are open will try the flower essences I blend, some may try Access Bars, some may even be willing to delve a bit into astrology, Acupuncture on it’s own is very powerful - connecting to cosmic Qi -for others I just give them my intuitive guidance. I will be expanding and upgrading my toolkit in the next few months to offer more things and reformulating my offerings so watch this space!

In the meantime, if you are feeling lost or suffering with your physical or emotional wellbeing - there is definitely something I can do to help. From Acupuncture & Naturopathy, to Flower essences, Holistic Therapies and Facials - there is something for everyone all bespoke to you with my best intentions each and every time.

What the pain in your body is trying to tell you

Recently, I have seen so many patients in clinic experiencing pain - both at an emotional and physical level. I am not sure if it is a sign of the times, but so many people are still processing the trauma of the last few years. I am finding this has affected people in all kinds of ways - some feel more anxious and depressed and so experience emotional pain and maybe even grief. Others have manifested physical pain in the body which is of course tied to emotions. We never separate the physical and emotional body in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

When I aim to help them, I look at all the TCM diagnostic elements. I check their tongue and pulse, I palpate the tender areas, I look at the eyes, the colour of the skin on the face, I listen to the phrases and sentences they use and I try to connect to them in an empathic way. But every time, I am trying to ascertain - what has brought the pain? Is it the physical injury that is now causing more emotional distress or did emotional distress precede the physical imbalance?

There are different descriptions I look for to assist me with my TCM diagnosis - is the pain sharp? Does it move? Is it stabbing? Dull? Better for warmth? Better for movement? Does it prefer cold and rest? The answers to these questions will help me formulate my diagnosis. However, while I love TCM and I use this to inform my diagnosis, I am always drawn to looking at things in a metaphysical way and examining how emotions stagnate in different areas of the body and what they mean.

There is a particular book I was thinking of when I decided to write this blog, it’s called “When the body says no” by Dr Gabor Maté. If you haven’t read this book yet, I really recommend it. What his research explores is essentially what more ‘alternative’ and ancient medicines such as TCM recognise; that emotions are inseparable from our health and physiology, that repressed emotions can lead to disease, the role stress plays in conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, IBS, MS, arthritis and cancer and even - muscular tension.

Here are some common areas of muscular tension and how I see them:

Neck Pain

This is very common today with all the technology, computer and mobile phone use! If you think of your neck - this is what holds your head up. The throat chakra is located here which ties into our ability to speak our truth. Quite literally, when too much tension arises here, I see it as someone who has not felt they have been able to control their current surroundings or environment. Alternatively, they may have taken on too much and then not been recongised and appreciated. Looking for validation and not being able to control what is going on then manifests in rigidity and tension. From a TCM point of view, we know that the Stomach, Large Intestine, Small Intestine, Bladder (posteriorly), Gallbladder & Liver primary meridians all pass through this area. This means it could be related to how we literally ‘digest’ life, what we hold onto and let go of (Large Intestine), what we are able to disguise and sort through as well as agitation (small intestine), fear and fright (bladder), anger and frustration ( liver) and indecision (gallbladder). Any of these emotions could be playing a part in your neck tension!

Upper Back

This area commonly gets tight - especially the trapezius area. Some people literally carry the burden and the weight of the world on their shoulders. Others may be curling into themselves in an attempt to be invisible and shy away from the world. There is also a big link here with being extremely empathic and absorbing other people’s energy. This is actually MY problem area which I am constantly trying to work on mainly because I feel other people’s pain so deeply that I sometimes take it on. From a more esoterical perspective, I also see this area related to ancestral trauma and carrying heavy loads for long distances, being disempowered for long periods of time. The key meridians for me here are the Gallbladder and Liver meridians - what frustrations and decisions do you need to release to move forward? What burdens do you need to let go of to move forward? How can you walk taller, open up and stand in your own power? The heart chakra is also located at this level so emotional release and feeling inner joy is important.

Lower Back

This is another extremely common area of pain that I see in clinic. Immediately, I always think of the adrenals and the kidneys when I hear complaints around this area. How fast are you burning through your essence and your kidney qi? Are you exhausting your adrenals and constantly pushing yourself beyond your limits? This area also corresponds to the root and sacral chakra so worries about security and finances can be an issue when experiencing pain here. What do you need to feel more secure, less rushed and less fearful? Being close to the kidneys and on the bladder channel the emotion of fear may come up a lot for you. How can you release this? What burdens can you release?

Whatever pain you are going through, know that there can be an improvement. Following Dr Gabor Maté’s 7 A’s of Healing - the first stage is Acceptance. The Acceptance and willingness to accept things as how they are, having compassion for yourself and then using that to move forward. Healing is not linear so many things might be needed to facilitate healing at this level.

For me a combination of manual therapy, acupuncture, appropriate naturopathic advice and emotional healing with things such as flower essences are key.

The other day, I was so happy when I received a message from a patient who had extreme tension along the lower back which went into the hip and across the abdomen. I was worried that this might be extremely tricky to solve because there were many factors at play. A few days later I was so happy to receive a message that after just one treatment 90% of the pain had disappeared. The treatment with acupuncture, cupping and Gua Sha clearly helped but so did holding space for that patient and giving them the courage to keep moving forward. Never loose hope - it is just around the corner, maybe over the hill - but it is always there.

To read more about any of the concepts mentioned today:

‘When the body says no’ By Dr Gabor Maté

‘Metaphysical Anatomy’ By Evette Rose

The Year of the Water Rabbit

The Chinese Lunar New Year is almost upon us. The zodiac animal will change from the Tiger energy we experienced in 2022 to the Rabbit on the 22nd of January but still staying in the elemental sign of water. 2022 had some of the ferocity that we would expect with the Tiger energy but the yin nature of water helped things flow more smoothly, however there were still many upheavals on our planet and many challenges. What can we expect this year?

In 2023 - the Year of the Water Rabbit, we will still have many challenges ahead (especially if you look at western astrology) we have two key transits this year involving the outer planets: Saturn moving into Pisces in March and Pluto moving into Aquarius for a few months before retrograding back into Capricorn but with the Rabbits nature, we should be able to overcome them with more patience and more quickly.

The Rabbit in the Chinese Zodiac is supposed to be the luckiest of all 12 animals bringing calmness, peace, serenity and hope. When we think of the Rabbit, our minds usually drift to cute animals moving with tranquility around a green patch of grass with daisy’s (well my mind does haha). We usually find them endearing and gentle. In the wild, they move around patiently - these are the traits this year may embody. It is all about being peaceful and rational, patient and virtuous - thinking before we speak rather than springing impulsively into action with the previous Tiger year energy. This year is more yin than the previous yang year of the Tiger and yin energy is more contemplative, intuitive and internal.

Thinking of Rabbits, although they may seem meek and mild, they can also be incredibly clever and quick so there may be unexpected opportunities for those prepared to use their intuitive yin energy and take the risks.

The water element wants us to go with the flow, adapt to all surfaces (hard, soft, bumpy) as the challenges won’t be going away. But with water, which is emodied by the kidneys and the ‘zhi’ or will power, we will feel able to make it through any obstacles but also be more centred and still around things that may trigger us.

Globally this year should be more about building bridges, making peace with those who have wronged us especially after all the divisions over the last few years.

Some famous people born in a Rabbit year include: Albert Einstein, Jet Li, Lionel Messi & Michael Jordan.

The Art of Doing Nothing

The art of doing nothing does not come easily to most of us living in the western world. This is despite all the awareness around things such as mindfulness, meditation, yoga and other wellness activities. We often feel pressure to constantly ‘do’ because being a ‘do-er’ is equated to success and doing nothing is sometimes seen as being lazy.

A few months ago, I was reading one of my favourite books ‘Face Reading in Chinese Medicine’ by the late Lillian Bridges when I came across a saying her grandmother had passed down to her; '‘boredom is good luck”. I read this on a day when I was feeling really bored and a bit aimless as I had finished four years of intensive study and found myself in this vacuum of boredom while I waited to get started. From Lillian Bridges perspective, boredom was a sign you had choices to make - that you didn’t have to do what others wanted you to do, giving you a kind of freedom. And most importantly, from a Chinese medicine perspective, it meant that you were living slow enough not to waste and use up all your Jing.

What is Jing? Jing is part of what are known as the three treasures in Chinese medicine. We have Qi which is our life-force which interacts with the universe all around us, Shen which links to our spirit and is seen in the eyes and Jing which roots us to the earth. Our Jing is seen as the sum of all our ancestral gifts, our constitution, our emotional and physical strengths and our tendencies and dispositions. You can also think of it like a battery. Each one of us will have a different sized battery with different amounts of energy. This battery cannot be recharged, rather we take from it throughout our lives and can boost it through lifestyle and food.

And this is where the importance of doing nothing comes in. Most of us use up too much Jing and can end up with what Lilian calls ‘Jing blowout’ where we have no Jing left to use and then struggle with daily life and stressors. The most important thing to remember is how you use your Jing, what activities you decide to do and how you can complete your life’s work to live more on your Golden Path. Doing nothing and having moments of boredom is important because this preserves our Jing.

I often look at people’s faces for signs of Jing.

Signs you have a lot include:

• big bones that don’t break easily

• lots of hair on the head

• wide hips

  And on the face:

• long earlobes

• an m-shaped hairline

• strong inflexible ears

However, even if you don’t have any of these markers it is more important for you to learn how to conserve your Jing - someone who has a lot of Jing may still overuse their Jing and drain their battery.

When I look at peoples faces, I can see this overuse easily in 3 different areas:

• A horizontal line across the top of the nose between the brows which usually indicates the person has unstable blood sugar levels and needs to work harder on eating the right foods to make Qi and stabilise the spleen/pancreas. It can also translate as thoughts and emotions you are ingesting but not digesting properly.

• A horizontal line across the philtrum under the nose means you need to focus on breathing correctly having used up a lot of Jing. If you have been breathing very shallowly, now is the time to focus on deeper breather which will help release tension and toxins from the body; re-establishing equilibrium. It also usually appears in women over the age of 50 at a time of life when they need to transition from fertility to creativity and free themselves from any constraints.

• The third line - I see quite often even in people in their 20s and 30s. This horizontal line appears across the upper chin and almost always indicates the person needs to rest more and do less work. Become less Yang and more Yin. Usually it appears in people who are about to retire - so people in their 60s. This line usually appears to send you a message to do more of what ignites your inherent talents and abilities - things that will guide you on your Golden Path. If you have this line before you 60s - its a big signal to slow down and live life in the slow lane.

So how can you do more of nothing and preserve your Jing?

• rest and sleep. Lying around being lazy is sometimes good!

• reading, writing, meditating.

Doing nothing is hard for many people, especially as most of us are used to always being active, out socialising and on the go, but it is truly important to preserve our Jing to help us live a long and healthy life. For some of us we may have to learn how to do this, but once you do, you will have more energy to take on those other tasks in life and cope with any challenges.

If you are suffering from fatigue, feeling unmotivated, uninspired or struggling with your assimilation of food; Acupuncture can help preserve your Jing and get you back to good health. Get in touch with me for more.

My Wellness Journey

From a very young age, I became interested in holistic therapies and always knew I wanted to help people feel good in a relaxed and calm space. My favourite thing to do was to make pretend potions and lotions and when I was old enough, go for treatments. My mother was also a reflexologist and aromatherapist and so I was always a willing guinea pig. At 18 I was torn between pursuing a diploma in Beauty and Spa therapy but like many others, I went to University and ended up with a Master’s degree in African Studies (so you might have some good geopolitical discussion if you come to see me haha!). However, my time here was not wasted because I enjoyed all the research it entailed and it enabled me to work in interesting places in the charity and events sector.

But, the turning point, like many others who study Holistic and Alternative Therapies was my own health. After being diagnosed quite dramatically in A&E with an autoimmune Hyperthyroid disorder (Graves’ Disease), I found myself wondering how I had got to that place and how on earth I had missed all the signs. To this day, I remember very clearly sitting in my Endocrinologist’s office and her telling me that my current job (in fundraising) if stressful, was not going to allow me to go into remission or even stay there. I remember a few days later being back at work and thinking that it was not for me at all and so began my never ending journey into wellness and chose to change my career. I studied the prestigious CIDESCO Beauty and Spa Diploma’s in a one year intensive course which allowed me to work in a variety of places before studying further diplomas along the way and obtaining my ITEC diplomas in Aromatherapy and Reflexology.

During this year of ill health and study, I stumbled across a Japanese Shiatsu therapist who, as with Acupuncture, worked energetically along the meridian pathways. To this day I credit this part of my journey with being able to not only go into remission but stay there! Along with studying Reflexology, receiving Shiatsu treatments cemented in my mind what I knew – that I really wanted to learn more about these ancient systems of healing.

At some point, between all this, I ended up going to see an Acupuncturist, Herbalist and Nutritionist after becoming burnt out from working the long hours in a Spa and the constant massages. My manager at the time, unbeknownst to me, had been watching me and knew that something was not quite right so she sent me to this friend of hers for all these therapies. I slowly got better and knew I wanted to do more from the holistic perspective. As with the beginning of my beauty career, I had another a-ha moment, thinking to myself that maybe I might want to learn more but did further training and switched to working in a Laser clinic offering advanced facials, micro-needling and Laser and IPL. I was torn between going further into medical aesthetics or learning more about healing therapies. It still took me another year to decide but after much research, I began a 4 year long journey at the College of Naturopathic Medicine studying both Acupuncture and Naturopathy and have never looked back. The Acupuncturist who my old spa manager sent me to is the person who encouraged me to pursue this change in direction and further study. (If either of you are reading this, thank you for pushing me to do more!)

 My goal is to integrate all the knowledge I have obtained over the years and through my own journey show my patients that achieving wellness is possible and that we can achieve balance of mind, body and soul and stay there (with some bumps on the way as healing is not linear of course!) My mission now is to provide total wellness treatments for my clients for both the body and the face, bringing together different holistic body and facial therapies, Naturopathy and of course Acupuncture.

To start your wellness journey with me, please feel free to get in touch.