Cupping

Cupping

One of the modalities becoming more utilized here in the west is cupping. An enjoyable, relieving, massage-like procedure, cupping can be used for chronic aching backs, shoulder issues, areas of tightness, some acute injuries, coughs, asthma, colds and also can be used preventatively or pure pleasure. I offer 30 minute cupping sessions or include them in the 60 or 90 minute acupuncture treatments when necessary or requested. Every patient absolutely loves being cupped!

Procedure: Treatment time ranges from 5-30 minutes. I use glass cups and a small flame. The flame creates a vacuum inside the cup and the cup is quickly placed on your skin so it creates a suction. The amount of suction will range to your comfort, and can be adjusted easily. The more suction, the more movement in your meridians, fascia and muscles, and also the more purple your skin will be. See the video below for a visual understanding.

Does it hurt?: It is sometimes strong and surprising at first, since it is not a sensation the body is often exposed to. We will adjust to your comfort level; some love it strong, others more gentle. Ultimately you will melt and surrender, much like in a massage.

Aftercare: If you can go home, relax, stay warm and have some warm healthy food (like Pho or soup) and go to bed early, you will get the most out of your treatment. If you can’t, do your best to stay warm and covered in the area we worked and your neck. Do not let yourself get the chills. No shower, bath or hot tub until the next day. Stay away from fried foods. Drink tea and water. Stay WARM!!

You may find you are sore and that is normal. If I we have done yoga or qi-gong together, now is a great time to move through what you remember. Any mild movement, a walk, some gentle sun salutations and big, full belly breaths will be of great benefit to you. Do not work up a large, dripping sweat for 48 hours. The marks on your skin will turn purply-red and then yellowish like a bruise does, and will usually  be gone in about 5-7 days.

This video shows how the body heals form cupping and some of the procedure of cupping. It takes place on Wolf Mountain in San Diego, CA, where we used to live. The models are family members 🙂

 

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Gua Sha

Gua Sha

While it may seem barbaric to scrape the skin and cause damage to tissues on purpose, the after-effects of symptom relief and increased mobility are undeniable. It works so well, patients come in asking for it!  Gua Sha can be used to increase circulation and stimulate healing in areas of pain, like the neck, back, shoulders, arms, hips and lateral thighs. It can also be used to open the lungs during illness, on the mid or low back for digestive problems, *gently* over the lymphatic system for drainage, over the liver for detox and along ligaments and tendons that have contractures or nodules, such as in dupuytren’s contracture of the hand. In the current research, Gua Sha is proving to be anti-inflammatory, as well as immune protective.

Procedure: A small amount of liniment or oil is applied to the skin in the area being treated. Then, a tool, like a flat jade or a Chinese soup spoon (pictured below), is slid across the skin, usually in downward or lateral strokes. Redness is obtained in anywhere from 5-20 strokes and the appearance of this redness is called “Sha”. Depending on the size of the area, this procedure can take about 1-10 minutes.

Does it hurt?: For a moment, as the strokes increase in number, there may be discomfort, like a scraping pressure. Some discomfort will be necessary for the therapy to be of most benefit, however, respect for the client is always #1. I will tell you to let me know if your limit is being reached. Communication is important here!

 

Aftercare: If you can go home, relax, stay warm and have some warm healthy food (like Vietnamese Pho, bone broth or soup) and go to bed early, you will get the most out of your treatment. If you can’t, do your best to stay warm and covered in the area we worked and your neck. Do not let yourself get the chills. No shower, bath or hot tub until the next day. Stay away from fried foods and alcohol. Drink tea and A LOT of water. Stay WARM!!

You may find you are sore and that is normal. If we have done yoga or qi-gong together, now is a great time to move through what you remember. Any mild movement, a walk (stay well covered if it is cold outside), some gentle sun salutations and big, full belly breaths will be of great benefit to you. Do not work up a large, dripping sweat for 48 hours. The marks on your skin will turn purply-red and then yellowish like a bruise does, and will usually  be gone in about 5-7 days.

For more information about the research on Gua Sha, please visit: The Science of Gua Sha from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine

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It’s all being taken care of.

My hands are doing it,

But it surely isn’t me.

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So You Can Let Go

Just let it free…

She said.

So why did it have to be?

To give you something to learn…

She said.

And so in this moment I just forget it all?

That is all…

She said.

It is that easy

It only exists how you let it

And bystanding will never amount to much…

She said.

Release

Release…

she said.

Oh it’s quite serene!

Orgasmically so…

She said.

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Not Even *Him

The wait is over

He has returned

To me

I have returned

To me.

Not even he

Does what I do

To me.

Cleanse my spirit,

Root my feet.

He completes me.

He brings me to pieces

After I’ve spent all my moments

Rearranging 

Fitting

My head tilted to the side

Understanding

Trying.

I am all here

I am not whole

If I can’t do it

Neither can he.

 

 

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Hands

There are things we must do every day

Yet they cannot be done the same every day

How does it feel…

To put your hands on something

Knowing it will delight another

To prepare something out of only love

And offer it to the world

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Beloved

Beloved

Let me dance for you.

And I will paint your eyes

With the colors of the Earth.

Beautiful liquid bliss

Flowing down upon your lips.

Let me drip

My rhythmic movements

Slowly into your mouth.

Taste me.

I am sweeter than honey.

Stronger than stars.

I am Love.

Let me dance for you.

~Keith Overstreet

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For the Love of Rumi

Dance, when you’re broken open

Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off

Dance, in the middle of the fighting

Dance, in your blood

Dance, when you’re perfectly free

~Rumi

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<><><><><><><><>

I like your heart

a space that’s ever widening

and you can’t help it

and i just watch

you love

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Free to Fly

Take time to heal

To know what’s true

Power exudes

When honesty prevails

Free

Like where the ocean meets the sky

There’s no real place such as that

Even if, sometimes, it seems so real

Feel it always there, deep inside

Move forward because illusions exist

Then let it pass and move through

Like a breeze through a screen

Nothing sticks eventually

so

Fly free

Flutter by

It’s free to fly butterfly

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