Berkeley Wellness Center

12/06/2024

Pay homage to the ocean for she is the creator of life. She birthed the land and the land holds us cradled in her arms.

Blessed by the gifts of artful craft honoring mother ocean. Gratitude for those who share their gifts.

07/30/2024

Someone asked me if I believe in heaven and hell after you die.

They were having a difficult time with life’s transitions and confusion and brain fog was setting in.

My belief is people don’t have to wait till they die to experience states of consciousness described in spiritual texts as heaven or hell. It’s all accessible now.

No need to wait for another day. Let alone till you die.

What control we have over experiencing these states of being is another matter.

I’ve observed the ability to shift my mind and therefore my body’s reaction to thoughts away from difficult states of being to more regulated and aligned states of being, to something more pleasant.

Truth is life is pretty good most of the time!

My physical environment is safe, easeful and filled with grace. Most negative experiences I’m going through I observe coming from thought forms rather than an external factor.

For this I feel blessed and grateful to have a safe, easeful environment to attend.

The process of mindfulness and meditation is building the skills of observing the mind and the body’s response to internal factors. It sounds simple yet ask any experience meditator and they’ll tell you, it’s not as easy as it sounds.

I’ll be teaching a six week systematic approach to harnessing the power of the observational mind and turning the internal process into a pleasant condition.

This can help with grief, sadness, depression, anxiety, procrastination, complex traumas, common sufferings, sparkling suffering (which come from a specific region in France), physical pain, emotional swings, addictions, confusion, self worth, and a host of other states of being which may be considered living in hell or samsara. I

The process of mindfulness and meditation is said to be a path of liberation from these states. So whatever your belief is in heaven and hell there are techniques of working with the human condition.

I’ll be teaching a 6 week in person series at harbin hot springs starting in August every Tuesday. Visit Harbin.org for more info or DM me for more details.

I’d love to see you there for this community offering on a Dana basis.

07/18/2024

When I signed up for the 7 day silent meditation retreat called- the nine bodies of consciousness, I had a feeling I already knew what it was about. After meditating for close to two decades, some sits for hours on end, I’ve gone to some deep places within my body and psyche.

I was actually going for some language to express what I’ve been experiencing. This book has some amazing language and concepts about what it’s like to delve into personal meditation practices and what one may experience as well as helpful tips on how to grow and expand access to various states of consciousness.

I highly recommend this text to seekers of various states of being. If you feel you could use some extra help there’s a ton of resources on the interwebs. Hit me up if you wanna find some specific resources. I have a few thoughts on the subject of body/mind/spirit connections.

06/19/2024

The universe is speaking and I’ve been listening. Besides the mental and emotional well being the physical manifest benefits are astounding.

During my meditation retreat I really got into walking and movement meditation like never before.

The perception we have of the earth is basically a 3D construct our brain maps out from what it can glean from what our 5 senses pick up. The brain calculates where it thinks it is in this relative space and sends signals to the body to let it know.

Any discrepancy between the mental map, and reality manifests as bodily movements coming out as being clumsy, bumping into things, losing balance, minor uncoordinated movements.

By slowing down in walking or movement and getting into a meditative state a more accurate map can be built and the signals of proprioception can increase. My balance, coordination and apparent strength feel like it has skyrocketed. Movement has become less effortful, more stable, grounded, sensitive and fluid.

Linking movement and mindfulness helps the brain do the complex calculation taking into the felt sensation of the laws of physics experienced in real time.

Some basic principles to consider:
- Ground each step into the 4 corners of the feet
- Connect the upper body and lower body to create counter balance points
- Chamber movements and flow energy from the ground up focusing on joints
- If you can’t do it slow, you can’t do it fast
- Slow is smooth, smooth is fast
- Flowing the body’s natural movements is never a straight line. It moves in spirals
- Joints are hinges for movement rather than stable structures
- Allowing the body the liberty to move in the path of least resistance will lead it to points of restriction. Moving into restrictions and adding breath can release the restriction allowing smoother flow of qi
- The more pain you are willing to allow into your experience without checking out or avoiding the more ability to do something about the pain
- Somatic movement means the brain and thought need to be involved
- There are generally restrictions in four areas of movement. Muscle and structure, reflex arch, in the cerebellum and motor cortex and in the sensory in the gurus is the cerebrum. Connecting all of them creates an accurate internal map to external environment.
- Movement is a sympathetic doing. Resting into the body is a parasympathetic response. They work in a sliding scale with one another. Engaging both in the subtle push pull dance helps regulate the nervous system
- The more sensitive and high performance the system the more tuning it takes to maintain
- We are not static beings and environment plays a significant role in how the body operates
- Mindfulness is a way to train the body. Getting out of the thinking mind and into the observational felt sense in the body is the base skill for training the body as well as the mind.
- Moving into the discerning mind from the judgmental, comparing and fixing mind and becoming curious is the first step in embodying
- Having compassion for self and the process helps a great deal
- You will likely run into difficult experiences stuck in the somatic nervous system when training it. Finding skills to work with these experiences will significantly speed connection rates
- Building in a path of heart protects the body from inner and outer harm
- There’s a lot of love for humanity in this body

Want to learn more or get more in depth explanations on anything here consider joining me for 6 weeks of mindfulness embodying. DM me for details.

BerkeleyWellnessCenter.Com 🐝💜🌈

06/17/2024

Many of us have a charge around the father aspect of the masculine. There can be a deep holding of old wounds inflicted by a father who didn’t show up or one who wasn’t able to show up in the full protective, caring or mentoring role, let alone ones who showed up in down right harmful or abusive roles.

In many instances finding a space in the mind for forgiveness first requires getting into present moment awareness.

What is forgiveness besides releasing the emotional entanglement which also has a link to the physical body.

By finding the place of holding in the body through felt sense awareness, you have the potential to release the tension.

Linking the body sensation to the emotional held through mindfulness then engaging in a forgiveness practice has been the best way I’ve found to embodying the relief associated with attachment to the entanglement.

It’s a process, it’s trainable and there’s generally not a magic fix it, but a long road of deeper and deeper release in long spirals as awareness deepens.

That said spontaneous, permanent healing can happen at any moment!

For the fathers needing forgiveness, who are wanting to release patterns which aren’t in their highest form I offer the rights of forgiveness:

You are forgiven…you are forgiven…you are forgiven.

I offer my forgiveness. I see you in your own capacity of suffering. I forgive all things knowing and unknowing done out of confusion or entanglement in your own illusions and suffering. For the things done or not done from wise intent and action. May you be released from your attachment to this karma and find peace and grace in your days.

You are forgiven…you are forgiven…you are forgiven and so it is.

Go forth in wise and right action brothers. The world needs your powerful grounding, protection and guidance now more than ever.

06/02/2024

Flow state- a state of being where one taps into highest potency with the least amount of force and greatest amount of impact.

First step is learning to feel the subtle flow of energy in the body and listening to it deeply. Notice how the energy is ever flowing, never in a state of rest and always active.

Clear blocks and stagnation where they exist usually by going straight for them. Encouraging and allowing the upwelling of energy and going with it even if the actions it illicits seems odd, out of order or misplaced.

Breath through, move around, fly over, duck under vibrations or minutia which doesn’t matter or effect your path or goal. Don’t get distracted by mundane.

Follow joy and curiosity which are trail heads and way points on the journey. Pivot unexpectedly and do take rest the second energy dips or progress slows.

A day of rest to process and collect is worth 1 month of pounding at something not ready to move. This will keep actions, high potency actions rather than a diminished return which is normal states rather than flow.

The rest generally comes with valuable networking opportunities let alone time to spend with people you love. Recharge often and keep your battery 🔋

Know to your bones the 80/20 rule. 20% of actions produce 80% of the results. Focus there. If you can outsource the other 20% and just go with your highest impact actions. Join others who have high impact in the 20% of the lower impact actions for you.

Celebrate all the wins small and large. Live in a state of gratitude and trust. Celebrating by taking care of your body will keep the energy flowing freely. Investing in bodywork, acupuncture generally has a multiplying effect. When you’re energy is overflowing your impact is far more memorable and potent which translates into more revenue or better yet, enjoyment within the struggle.

When you feel good challenges seem like play. When the pain body is activated and not attended, even normally fun activities feel like a struggle.

Health is wealth, stay in the flow.

BerkeleyWellnessCenter.com

05/03/2024

So many of my patients, friends and community members have been bringing up their struggles with past trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, and a host of psychosocial and emotional troubles. It seems like everywhere I turn people are struggling.

This struggle seems to be so common one might even say this is part of being human. Perfectly normal to struggle in life. Despite it being normal, who wants to suffer the struggles? Is there a way out of the struggle?

I think we can all agree engaging life isn’t always easy. It takes strength, resilience, and strategies to cope with these struggles to maintain mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.

Some of the strategies which have worked well for me is finding positive, engaging community, self care wellness practices such as meditation, yoga, tai qi, soaking in hot springs.

I’ve also found engaging a host of professionals dedicated to wellness practice super helpful. I first found my way to massage and later acupuncture in a search to heal my own physical, mental and emotional traumas.

I can’t say I’m through the woods as I have the rest of my life ahead of me and it doesn’t look like the struggles are gonna get any easier. In fact I’d say they tend to get more complex the older I get. The need for more care arises.

So here’s my strategy. Engage in compassionate community, find daily self care in meditation, hike in wilderness a few times a week, dance it out, regular short trips to hot springs, sit in mens circles and group process work, find plant helpers and natural medicines, get regular acupuncture and massage treatments, select organic produce and nutrient dense foods, seek clean water and air, learn about how humans suffer, process my trauma and compost it into wisdom and share my process.

It’s a full time hobby to maintain wellness and it’s taken a long time to build up the skills and knowledge to find what works best for me. It seems everyone has their own unique path they need to process the suffering of the world.

If you ever feel it’s all to much, or don’t know where to turn to find your unique path to wellness, feel free to reach out. Let’s talk!

Need a less formal place to meet me? Come to ecstatic dance oakland this coming Sunday the following Wednesday and Sunday and say hi. I’ve been asked to be a dance angel to support my community in finding safety and healing on the dance floor.

I’ve been dancing in unconditional dance and ecstatic dance communities since 2007. I’ve found a method of movement which best supports my own healing, opening and nervous system regulation. Come co regulate with us!

04/21/2024

Some say this eclipse portal ushered in some powerful energies to propel the vision. I spent the day of the eclipse preparing to teach energy medicine to future doctors.

Today I became a professor teaching my favorite energy medicine techniques and assessment tools I’ve used every day in practice since 2008.

This appointment came one month after achieving my doctorate which I was told is the soonest anyone has ever been offered a position. It helped to have done a year long externship at the greater LA VA with the Dean of academics at emperors college of acupuncture where I demonstrated the techniques in practice which caught his attention.

It’s a difficult topic to teach as there are a lot of components to integrate into practice. The student participation was amazing and everyone seemed to get it by the end of a long 6 hour day of class.

We only scratched the surface of the knowledge and I left them hungry for more. I also got to go rouge on the normal didactics and take them outside to tune their body’s, nervous systems and attention through movement, tai qi, and meditation practices which I use to prep myself to offer this sensitive tapped in experience to patients.

I’d likely put together a 150 hour course if they asked nicely. 🤓

What I’d really like to do is combine Craniosacral unwinding and assessment techniques with acupuncture which is an easy jump to synthesize.

I’m reminded of the first energy work class I took with Jim Gilkeson who I quoted in my presentation. Deep gratitude for all the amazing teachers who have brought this medicine to my practice. I’m eternally grateful.

BerkeleyWellnessCenter.com 🐝💜🌈

04/17/2024

I had a couple of reschedules Thursday which opened up a couple acupuncture and massage spots this week:
Thurs 4/18 2-7:30

Dm to book or I invite you to my website where you can find the book now button:

BerkeleyWellnessCenter.com 🐝💜🌈

03/23/2024

Last year in my doctoral program I was apart of the first cohort to provide acupuncture to combat vets at the LA VA.

Here’s a little bit more about what we did and where the program is going after the first year. I know the program is in good hands as the 2025 doctoral cohort continues the program.

I learned a lot from these men and women and heard tons of amazing stories of service members overcoming the struggles of integrating back into civilian life.

Acupuncture is an amazing medicine with so many applications. It’s not just for physical aches and pains. It’s also for a wide range of emotional, mental issues humans face.

When it comes to the ancient Chinese art of acupuncture, all that’s old is new again. Since his hiring three years ago, Dr. Jeremiah Krieger, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS), has been embracing the time-honored practice and using it to treat Veterans’ pain, PTSD, and more.

03/06/2024

I’ve been hacking away at last minute edits and prepping my final submission of my capstone project all week. Dabbling and dabbling.

Today I took the day to stop, take in some nature, soak in some hot springs and let go of some built up stress over deadlines and big projects. It might not be done but it’s done enough. This is one of those projects which could turn into a whole course. Ha

Got to spend some much needed time with community and checking in with some old friends.

Nothing like taking a chill day to realign to spirit.

I head out to LA tomorrow for my last weekend of my doctoral program. Wish me luck!!