Let me tell you about the first time I tried acupuncture. Joannie, the founder of Sano Acupuncture, strives to offer services that are focused on treating the body, mind, and soul. One of the many ways Joannie does this is through a monthly community acupuncture session that she conducts in partnership with Kathie of Modern Mystics, a Vinyasa Certified Yoga Instructor, Reiki Level I Practitioner and the plug to all things metaphysical. The two create a safe space where Acupuncture is used alongside guided meditation, and a sound bath to heal collectively while connecting the breath, body and mind. I saw one was was coming up and I cleared out my schedule to attend. What follows is an account of my time at Sano Acupuncture for my first Community Acupuncture session.
Upon my arrival to the facility I was greeted by Joannie, and other guests. I was introduced to the group and was given a tour of the facility where we chatted until Kathie arrived. A few minutes later Kathie arrived like a ball of energy and set up the room and invited us all to join her on the floor where yoga mats were placed, lights were dimmed, infrareds were on and our journey began. We started with some deep breathing exercises and we were asked to be present for ourselves. After a few minutes of breathing exercises Kathie started to incorporate sound, one of the first sounds I remember hearing is from a Tibetan bowl. As I began to concentrate on my breathe and the music I heard Joannie’s feet coming close and I said to myself “this is it, here comes the needle.” I braced for impact and felt her gentle hands on my head and felt the slightest pinch on my head, then my arms and finally my feet. I remember telling myself “wow it wasn’t even that bad” and continued to focus on my breath and the many sounds encapsulating the room. As described by Joannie, the needles in Acupuncture are used to unblock any channels that are stagnant or to strengthen any areas that are weak.
What continued for the rest of the hour was a dance between stillness and music, Kathie walked around the room playing different instruments at all pitches. I remembering hearing drums, something that sounded like a shekere, and even a high pitched wind chime. At the end of the evening Kathie explained that this is done because our bodies respond to different frequencies, so it’s important to play a range of sound. Accompanying the medley of sounds was Kathie’s words of inspiration and intention, reminding and celebrating us for taking the time to care for ourselves in this way. Along with the words Kathie also helped us visualize energy flowing through us, asking us to picture smoke coming out of our feet to symbolize getting rid of and letting go of energy.
The session ended with us being brought back to our breath while Joannie walked around removing the needles from our body, also painless. We were guided through a few more deep breaths and were invited to take our time to come back to our bodies and the space. In all honesty I did not want to get up. I felt like I had taken a power nap, and what I mean by this is that I felt like I had let my body rest and be still for an hour and just let it work and repair so that by the time the session was over I felt EMpowered. It is a feeling that was hard to put into words then, when I was recording my post event feels, and even now as I type this post. Overall it was an amazing experience, definitely something everyone should take the time to experience. And while Joannie does make an effort to make this service affordable, if people can’t afford to spend money on a session like this it’s important to at least give ourselves one minute (or more) of stillness. Research is showing that meditation has restorative powers and meditation is a free practice which we can all definitely adapt, even if for a minute.
Let us know your thoughts on acupunture, have you tried it? If not what are some ways you practice wellness in the form of stillness, let us know in the comments below!
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