Somehow the grass and native species are still growing after the freeze. Spring is a natural time of change, seeds sprouting with the promise of longer days. It’s a perfect time to focus on your liver and gallbladder meridians which play such important roles in physical and mental health.

The liver is in charge of blood flow, hormones, tendons. It does A LOT and can get grumpy. When out of balance people tend towards resentment, anger.

The gallbladder meridian is in charge of giving you the courage to make big decisions. When out of balance, you might feel stuck or undecided. If you've felt especially stuck in big decisions these days, read on for a quick meditation that can help you get back in touch with your "gut reaction!"

Our bodies have inner-wisdom if we’re still and gentle enough to listen. There is a reason we call it a “gut reaction.” Bodies are so smart! Try leaning into feeling, sensing, being (and out of that analytical brain). Don’t feel like you have to change your breath your posture or anything when you’re thinking about a decision in a meditative manner. Nothing to change, just get curious about how your body reacts when you think about one outcome or the other. Does that decision feel expansive or limiting? Does that decision bring you towards or away from your Ideal Life?

If you’ve experienced violence or trauma, it’s often difficult to be present in your body. The first step I recommend to folks is to notice the borders of where your body starts in the space around you. This can be a really good grounding technique.

Close your eyes if that feels good, and notice the space around you. If you prefer to keep them open choose a spot on the ground to focus on. Take a 15-60 seconds for each of these “space awareness checks:”

Space in front.

Space behind you.

Space to your left.

Space to your right.

Noticing space might feel like an awareness of where you end and the coolness of the air around you starts. You might notice sounds floating towards you. You might notice a change in temperature for the air you breathe in and the air you breathe out. If you’re breathing through your nose you might notice those cute little nose hairs filtering air for you.

Put aside the stress to have a flat belly and give yourself a Buddha belly. Feel your lungs expand up into your shoulders and belly. You might even expand laterally into your rib cage. Feel your spine get taller with each exhale and your ribs expand with the inhale.

Do this as long as you want.

I enjoy body scans like this because 1) it’s a safe way to becoming aware of where your body starts/ends and eventually how it feels and 2) because you are literally taking up more space with your lungs, growing upwards, downwards and laterally. Allowing yourself to take up more space.

Once you start to explore where your body starts/ends you’ll be able to notice smaller changes when you ask yourself “does this decision feel good/expansive/exciting?”
You are so smart, your body is too and I’m lucky to know you. And, don’t forget that you know best. Trust that gut!

If you’re struggling with mental health this year for the first year, I find that it helps clients to know

1. You’re not alone and..
   
2. I mean, it makes sense, right? You’re under a huge amount of stress just by being alive in these times.

You are likely not seeing your regular support group in person and/or going to hot yoga twice a week. And we’re running out of cute cat videos to watch on the internet. I’m glad to see people realize that health includes both body and soul this year, and am glad to be of service.

In the meantime, if you need some support, I have a new offering for those who may not be able to access acupuncture at the full price. Accessible and affordable care has always been near and dear to my heart. Thirty minute sessions are now available for $49, designed so that you can afford to make this a weekly or biweekly ritual. No bodywork is included in these like they are in my one hour sessions, but the magic and mechanisms of acupuncture speak for themselves.

Qi flows through a circuit in the body in 15-20 minute increments so these sessions are made to be long enough to modulate the body and soul’s response to stress and soothe both any aches and pains in that beautiful earthly vessel you’ve got.

Acupuncture has been found to moderate levels of serotonin, dopamine, GABA,  and norepinephrine in the body which leads to better mood, quality of sleep, better focus, sex and overall less grouchiness / panic attacks even when integrated into more standard treatments like talk therapy and SSRIs. 

Masks are required in clinic for all, as well as a temperature and O2 check at the door. You will still have your own room for this service.

• Sol Healing and Wellness Center (North Austin) 
• YWCA of Greater Austin (sliding scale teletherapy, and no cost support groups available!) 
• Integral Care (South Austin)
• If you make under $1,000 a month and you live in Travis County, you qualify for the Medical Assistance Program and have access to CommUnity Care social workers. 
• As always if you are in crisis, you can call or text any of these hotlines 24/7: 
  • Travis County: 512-472-4357 (Integral Care)
  • Bastrop, Burnet, Caldwell, Williamson Counties: 1-800-841-1255 (Bluebonnet Trail Community Services)
  • Hays County: 1-877-466-0660 (Hill Country MHDD Centers)
  • Spanish Language Hotline: 1-888-628-9454
  • National Crisis Text Line: Text NAMI to 741741

As always, yours in health,

Nicole

ONE MORE SIDENOTE: You might notice that I am really excited about seed cycling, noted by the “SEEDS!” section in each week. Seed cycling is the most inexpensive-DIY way you can hack your reproductive hormones. It does take about 3-6 months, but is so cheap when you buy those in bulk at your local grocery store. If you’re in more of a hurry to get things stable, regular acupuncture and herbs can help. If you have irregular cycles, TCM will focus on regulating the follicular phase (first two weeks) of your cycle. The rest will come naturally.

WEEK 1: YIN / WINTER
Your cycle starts on the first day of menstruation aka you’re bleeding and not pregnant (exciting! or I’m sorry if you’re in the stage of your life where you might be trying).

• TCM: your body’s job right now is to shed it’s uterine lining. Our focus is to move qi and blood to make it as pleasant a flow as possible and leave nothing old behind.  Marie Kondo that shit. It will not bring you joy.
• MOVEMENT: light exercise and movement can help with cramps, but you do you, listen to how you’re feeling and take it easy if you need to. This is not the time to go on a 50 mile bike ride. This phase of your period is related to the season of winter in 5 element theory. Nature slows down or hibernates. Yin yoga, qigong, walks with friends and exploring nature (while bundled up) are all good options here. 
• DIET: Avoid cold foods (cold natured foods → pain →  cramps!) like ice cream, seafood, beer ( :[ ), and uncooked vegetables. It’s a nice time to eat nourishing warm soups, and add fresh ginger in anything. 
• SEEDS! Flax seeds or pumpkins seeds (1 Tbsp ground) daily to balance out any estrogen dominance. 

WEEK 2: BLOOD / SPRING
Your body is building up that new shiny uterine lining, think of that as a nurturing/yin/blood filled cushion for lil embryos to implant into (not not). 

• TCM: Tonify yin, essence and blood. That’s the work here. This time in your cycle is a time of regrowth, which corresponds with spring in nature.

• DIET: eat protein and mineral-rich foods (like dark, leafy greens, sprouts) to help build those iron building blocks your uterus needs. 
• MOVEMENT: This is a time of growth. It's a good time for stretching.
• SEEDS! Raw flax seeds or pumpkins seeds (1 Tbsp ground) daily to balance out any estrogen dominance.

WEEK 3: YANG / SUMMER
Start of the Luteal phase. You’re ovulating this week, you might feel extra sexy or find your partner(s) extra sexy). You might also notice a rise in basal body temperature (BBT). It’s a good time to try to have a baby, or to have fun practicing. 

• TCM: If you're trying to conceive, we'll use this time to increase blood flow to the uterus, making it a nice, fertile happy space where embryos will be happy, and help with any ovulation cramping pain.
• DIET: warming foods (think spices like cardamom, ginger, chai tea, beef, root veggies).
• SEEDS: Raw sunflower or sesame seeds (1 Tbsp ground) daily to promote progesterone production in your body.
  

WEEK 4: QI / FALL
Our focus is on qi and movement as your uterus starts to begin shedding its lining (caused by a drop in progesterone). Possible PMS symptoms often come from Liver Qi Stagnation, bloating, breast tenderness, irritability, grumpiness. Acupuncture, herbs and movement can help smooth these out. 

• Our focus: regulate the LV meridian, soothe any PMS symptoms (gastrointestinal, bloating, breast tenderness, irritability) you may be experiencing. This is a time of natural disintegration of your lining and corresponds with fall. Our job is to make sure your body is ready to let go and start the cycle over.
  
• Activity: movement is your friend if you have any of the qi stagnation/PMS symptoms above!
• DIET: try adding in citrus zest/peel to your water or foods, onions, garlic, sour foods, or a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in your water.
• SEEDS: Raw sunflower or sesame seeds (1 Tbsp ground) daily to promote progesterone production in your body .

Let me know if you have any questions! A lot of the adverse symptoms and feelings we have around menstruation and periods are a sign that we need to make some tweaks to your life and I'm so happy to help you brainstorm the best way to do that.

What a weird freaking year. I've struggled personally in writing as much as I typically do because all of the health and wellness tips seem ridiculously small in the grand scheme of the political, social and public health concerns we're all dealing with today.

Many of you may not know this, but I have a background of working in social services before my acupuncture days, and Maslow's hierarchy of needs always pops into my brain in tough times (picture below). I see a lot of the wellness "blocks" that people have been going through happening at the safety level, especially in the context of a pandemic and racial tensions. It's hard for people who do not have the luxury of working from home to go out everyday in a mask and feel safe. It's impossible for BIPOC to feel safe while existing in the world and simply turn on the news. 

Know that it's OK to feel stuck for now, it's OK to feel overwhelmed and unproductive and maybe a little insane. Have you gained 10 pounds because of stress and your yoga studio being closed? That's OK. Are you coping in ways that are not completely healthy? You are human, and you've survived another pandemic day, I'm proud of you! If you are not reaching your "self actualisation" goals at this time - it's not you, it's most definitely the world on fire in 2020.

We're living in unprecedented times. If you need help with sleep, digestion, stress management or trauma, I'm here for you either in person with acupuncture or virtually with herbal support. 

Love, light and unapologetic revolution, 

Nicole